52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 52 "resolution"

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It’s week 52 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge and the prompt is “resolution”.

At this time of the year I usually review the genealogy goals that I wanted to accomplish this past year and determine what I want to accomplish for the coming year.

Last year one of my goals was to finish documenting my children’s Patriot Ancestor connection for an application to the DAR since this was a leftover from 2017 goals. Guess what it’s at the top of my list this year! I am determined that it will be completed this year.

I joined this challenge last year in hopes of increasing the number of my blog posts. This worked so well that I am joining again. Of the 52 weeks of prompts, I have posted 45 times. I think this is a big improvement over the 21 blog posts in 2017.

I will continue the “Do Over “that I began in 2016 and continue adding source citations to all individuals and facts and may re-visit some of my older blog posts to see where they can be improved.

I still volunteer weekly at my local Family History Center and am program chair for the local genealogy group.

Other hopes for the coming year are for more information on my husband’s mysterious Swedish ancestors and furthering my knowledge of my Irish 2^nd great-grandparents.

Check back next year to see how I did.

52 Ancestors in 52 Week - Week 51 "NICE"

This is week 51 of the 52 Weeks challenge and the prompt is “nice”.

When I was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, our family was the recipient of an annual basket of fresh fruit. It arrived every year in time for the holidays. The card was always signed “The Mungers”. In the 40s and 50s fresh fruit in the winter was rare since the transportation and distribution of fresh items had not yet been perfected. I always wondered who the Mungers were and why they sent such a nice gift.

When I began doing genealogy this was one of many apparent mysteries I wanted to answer.

In the 1930s my father and his sister were friends with a young couple named Otto (aka Bud) and Grace (Munger)Dvorak who also lived in Chicago. Otto and Grace had both been born and raised in Iowa before marrying and moving to Chicago where Otto was employed by John Morrell & Co. As graduates of the University of Iowa they were ardent supporters of the football team and often went back for games. My father and his sister Dorothy often went with them. The friendship flourished and grew even stronger when Dorothy married Bob Murray and the young couples began having children.

In 1938 Grace was home in Iowa and 8 ½ months pregnant with her third child.  On 28 Dec 1938, Grace went into labor. Complications of her pregnancy caused Grace to hemorrhage and she died giving birth to a son David.

Grace was survived by her husband Otto, daughter Barbara, sons Dudley and David as well as her parents Grant and Mable Munger and sister Dorothy.

The Mungers never forgot the friendship that was forged by the young people and remembered it every year with the special gift of the fruit basket.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Dad's cousin Lorraine

When I was growing up there were people who appeared in our lives who were only there at certain times of the year. I didn’t know if they were connected to our family or not. They were never introduced, they just appeared. Since I started doing genealogy, I have learned many of their stories. One of those people was Lorraine. This is her story.

Every year on Thanksgiving, the doorbell would ring and there would be Lorraine. I don’t know how she got to our house, but she always came for dinner. She was a slender woman with medium grey curly hair. Wearing a beige silk dress with a lace collar she would usually sit in Mom’s armchair in a corner of the living room with her feet flat on the floor in front of her. I m sure she engaged in conversation with my parents and the other adults that were present, but I don’t remember talking to her.

When I started doing a family history for my father’s parents, I learned that my grandmother Henrietta was born to Hermann and Eva Schmitz Burbach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Henrietta was the youngest of six children in the family and the only surviving daughter.

Her brother George married Rose Schmitt in Milwaukee on 17 Feb 1897[i]. George and Rose had three daughters before the death of Rose on 4 Dec 1901. [ii] Lorraine was my dad’s first cousin!

Lorraine Henrietta Burbach was born 22 Feb 1901, shortly before the death of her mother. She and her older sister Olive became close while their father mourned the death of his wife. Eventually George would re-marry and have eight more children but the ten-year age gap between the two sisters and their half siblings would remain.

So far there are very few records to document Lorraine’s life. She is listed in the census in 1900 and 1910 but I haven’t found her in 1920 or 1930. Her sister, Olive age 20, is listed as a lodger in the 1920 census and in the 1930 census Olive is apparently in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Lorraine is listed in the 1922 Milwaukee city directory as living at 646 Astor and working as a waitress.[iii]

In 1940 Lorraine appears with her husband Wilby Gist living at the Biltmore Hotel in Chicago.[iv] According to the census, Wilby was a bus driver and Loraine was a telephone operator. They had both finished High School and were living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1935.

Social Security Death Index shows a death date of 4 Feb 1985 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.[v]

I never knew Wilby, so I can only assume he died during the 1940s and probably in Chicago unless he was in the war. There is no record of Lorraine having children and I have yet to find a gravesite for her.

An article in the Daily Herald from 1968 describes Lorraine’s many

collections and her many accomplishments.[vi] Reading the article makes

me think that her life wasn’t as sad as I had originally thought.

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[i] Wisconsin Marriages, pre-1907;Vol 35 page 0337.

[ii] Wisconsin Death Index 1820-1907 ; Volume:27;Page 0306; Reel:89; Index Volume:09;;Sequence Number:048690

[iii] Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

[iv] Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00927; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 103-184A

[v] Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014. Number: 387-03-2074; Issue State: Wisconsin; Issue Date: Before 1951

[vi] Ancestry.com; Info The Daily Herald (Chicago, Illinois); 1968 September 11

In Honor of my brother Tom's 75th Birthday, I have transcribed the poem our dad wrote to commemorate his birth.

Happy Birthday Tom!!

It was on the afternoon of December sixth,

That the arrival of Thomas Michael had been fixed.

But too far ahead of the story I am getting you see,

For I had meant to tell is just as it happened to be.

It was a cold morning, one of dark skies and light rain,

The only thing we thought important was Connery departure by train.

Momsie and Pops were going to Florida to see Ellie you know,

They also had in mind the sun so hot and the lack of cold snow.

I arrived home from work about a quarter to ten,

the reason being , that it was raining again.

Betty was in the basement doing her wash in her machine so fine,

I went down to give her a hand, especially with the things that were mine.

All of a sudden she said “Don, I don’t feel so well.”

I said “darling, come up stairs and sit down for a spell”.

We went upstairs and decided after all,

To give Doc Carey the long awaited call.

I said Betty to 4140 I must go to say good by,

Because we have many things to do and time will fly.

After telling Ma and Pa good by, and to have a nice trip,

Down on Washington Blvd. I met Doc Carey and his black grip.

I said, “Doc old boy, from your office don’t stay away,

as my loving wife will be your patient today.”

I then called Pauline, who was sweet to say,

that she would stay with Donna till later that day.

Betty and I then in my car started West,

To complete the doings for the things we were blessed.

After arriving at the Hospital, and starting Betty on the way,

up and down the hall I wandered with my lange chest on display.

After waiting for about and out there in the cold hall,

over the loud speaker my name they did call.

Into the delivery room I then dashed like a kid,

For I was anxious to see just hoe good a job we had did.

Betty was happy to hear it was a boy,

But there was no holding me, overloaded with joy.

Betty looked fine, although tired and weak,

It was at this time I decided things no longer looked bleak.

I then ran to the phone and started my calls of pride,

It seems you just want all to know that your son’s at your side.

The first I did call was my mother, who was on the job in our home,

But it seems that there was no answer, now why should mother roam.

Dorothy then heard from me that it was a boy.

Congratulations to both of you, we shall share your joy.

Then I called Pauline, I was still busting with pride,

I asked her to tell the others before their long ride.

Back in the room with Betty, things were peaceful and quiet,

We both just relaxed, there was no longer a riot.

After sitting there talking, we decided the name should then be,

Thomas Michael Hansen sounded plenty good to Betty and me.

It is now growing late so the door I must close,

Leaving Betty and Tommy is a sleepy repose.