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We all have a story to tell. Some speak louder than others. Listen closely to hear the stories of our ancestors echoing under our footsteps. They are the authors. We are the keepers.

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Monday, January 25, 2010

Judson Family Album (c1903-1910), Page 2






Page Two in Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson's Family Album, 1903-1910. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2009 [inherited from Lois Jacqueline (Judson) Wells, through her father William Levis Judson son of Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson of Dayton and Toledo, Ohio]


From Left to Right:


Photo One: Lewis Raymond Judson, 1903. Most likely taken at the home of his father Lewis James Judson at 326 Warren Street, Toledo, OH. 


Photo Two: Margaret Judson Wilson, 1903. Most likely taken at the home of her father Lewis James Judson at 326 Warren Street, Toledo, OH. 


Photo Three: Bertha and William Reid, Cumberland, MD, 1904. Residence at 34 Fayette Street, Cumberland, MD. Google Maps shows that the house is no longer standing. 





Thank You! A Blogger's Best Friend Award




What a wonderful surprise! Joan, author of Roots 'n' Leaves has awarded me "A Blogger's Best Friend" award. What an honor to be picked by someone who exemplifies all the qualities of a Blogger's Best Friend herself! I always look forward to reading her well-written, entertaining posts. She is a very supportive and encouraging member of the geneablogging community! Thank you, Joan!
The developer of the award 'Bandit' "A Blogger's Best Friend Award" says it shall be given to your most loyal blog readers. Thus, the award should be given to a follower of yours who takes the time to comment regularly on many of your posts. In addition his or her blog should be creative, funny and always entertaining. Upon receiving this award, pass it along to two fellow bloggers who fit this criteria.

This entire blogging community has been such a blessing to my life. I have found so many wonderful, encouraging friends who (to my surprise) love this stuff as much as I do! Laughing with joy, I like to tell my mom, "I have found my flock!" There are SO many who fit this award's criteria. It is really hard to just choose two!


My choices for this award are Caroline, author of Family Stories; and Nancy, author of My Ancestors and Me. Both ladies fit this criteria perfectly. They are both so supportive and encouraging. They are authors of wonderful blogs that I enjoy reading every morning over a cup of coffee - great way to start the day! Thank you, Caroline and Nancy, for all your comments and companionship!


While I was choosing two friends to receive this award I came across some friends who had also honored me with this award. What a great surprise, but I must admit I wish I had gotten to them first! Both of these ladies exemplify the characteristics of this award and are great blogging friends! They are: Lori, author of Genealogy and Me; and Sharon, author of Kindred Footprints. Thank you both very much!



Friday, January 22, 2010

Remember Microfilm? Obituary of Charles Judson, age 3 (1879)




Obituary of Charles Raymond Judson died 26 Dec 1879. Dayton Daily Journal, Dayton, Ohio. Saturday Morning, December 27, 1879 Vol. XVII. NO. 130 Column Six. iPhone Digital Photograph of a Microfilm reader by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2010 



A few weeks back I posted A Moment to Remember: Charles and Nellie Judson- a story about the death of two siblings just days apart. Having died before county death records, I turned to newspaper research to try and piece together their story.


Here's what I did:
1. Googled Ohio State Archives
2. Landed on the Ohio Historical Society State Archives page
3. Clicked on the Newspaper Index link under the Digitization Projects section
4. Clicked on the Ohio Newspaper Index Search link under the Microfilm HOLDINGS List
5. Searched by County of Publication narrowing by date of death
6. BINGO! There it is: Roll 37403 Microfilm of the Dayton Journal, Dayton, Ohio from July1, 1879 to Dec 31, 1879.
7. Clicked on the Interlibrary Loan link (thinking "that's neat, never done that before")
8. Found out that my local library needed to place the request --> on to my local library's website
9. Filled in the online Interlibrary Loan Request Form
10. Went back to daily life....
11. SURPRISE! Got a call from my local genealogy department saying my microfilm had arrived! [Happy Dance!!!]
12. Relearned how to use a microfilm reader since most of my research over the past 10 years has been digital
13. Scrolled to the newspaper page dated around the time of death and held my breath...
14. Well, there it was - imagine that! I did it - NO index, NO digital search engine, just good ol' deductive reasoning.


Then reality sank in... wow, there is really something stirring about staring at the actual newspaper page that announced the death of a relative. This is real. This is personal.


I was able to read the other headlines on the page. These are the stories they read. This is the life they lead. For a moment I walked in their footsteps.


On column six it read,
DIED - JUDSON - Friday evening, December 26th, Charlie Raymond, son of Lewis and Ella Judson, aged 3 years, 4 months, and 7 days.  Funeral from the residence, corner Brown and Hess, Sunday Dec 28th, at 2 p.m.
Alas, the cause of death was not listed, but another gem lay buried there instead - the location of the family's home!





Do you see it? There on the corner, could that be the family home still standing??? My luck would put the house across the street where Oregon Park now stands. Hmmmm, now what do I do? How do I find out if Lewis and Helen "Ella" Judson lived in that house?


 [To be continued...]


Oh, and I ordered a second microfilm that should contain Nellie's obituary. She died 10 days later on 05 Jan 1880. Maybe hers will have the cause of death listed?


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Lois Warren Judson, Tampico (1953)






Lois Warren Judson standing in her living room. Calle Rosal y Encino, Tampico, TAMPS., Mexico. Photograph. c1953. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2010


I love the drapes! Lois is my great grandmother. Here is a photo of her husband William Levis Judson taken around the same time. 

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday - William Levis and Lois (Warren) Judson






Headstone: William Levis and Lois Warren Judson, Sunset Memorial Park, San Antonio, Texas. Photograph by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2009

Judson Family Album (1903-1910), Page 1








Page One in Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson's Family Album, 1903-1910. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2009 [inherited from Lois Jacqueline (Judson) Wells, through her father William Levis Judson son of Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson of Dayton and Toledo, Ohio]


Photo One: Bertha (Judson) Reid, Mt. Knobly - 1904, Cumberland [Knobly Mountain is actually in West Virginia near Cumberland, MD.]


Photo Two: Lewis James Judson - 1903 Photo most likely taken at his residence at 326 Warren Street, Toledo, Ohio


Lewis James Judson was the son of Oliver and Susan (Raymond) Judson. He and his twin sister, Lucy Jane (Judson) Martin, were born on 15 Jul 1851 in Albion [Barre], Orleans County, New York. Lewis James Judson was the father of Bertha (Judson) Reid shown in the first photo. 




Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Society Friends, Mexico (c1907-1914)






Society Friends of the Murray Heller Warren Family. Photograph. c1907-1914, Mexico. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2010 [Possible locations: Tampico, Vera Cruz, Mexico City. M. H. Warren worked for the Waters-Pierce Oil Company]







Handwriting on back reads:


Seated left to right - Miss West; Isabel Voorhuse, the Ambassador's niece; Conchita Sepulveda; two seated in back don't know their names; Miss Garcia, daughter of Mexican Ambassador to Cuba; Hortense Nixon.


Standing left to right - Marjorie Douglass; Dorothy Kenyon; Frances Molar; don't remember next two; Miss Casey; that is Lois Warren in back, the one you can't see very well; the next three are the Fortuna sisters; don't know the last girl.


Lois Warren is my great grandmother. She married William Levis Judson. 

Monday, January 11, 2010

Judson Family Album (c1903-1910), Cover



Cover of Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson's Family Album, 1903-1910. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2009 [inherited from Lois Jacqueline (Judson) Wells, through her father William Levis Judson son of Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson of Dayton and Toledo, Ohio]

I am the keeper of a most wonderful treasure. This family heirloom was entrusted to me by my grandfather after my grandmother passed away; I was fourteen years old. I am so thankful that he was able to look past my age to see the special desire growing inside my heart that had been planted so tenderly by my grandmother. That decision changed my life. 

For years the family files stayed closed, stored in boxes in my closet. Every now and then late at night I would peek through them like a child stumbling upon a hidden Christmas present - photos, albums, documents, certificates, travel books, ledgers, newspaper clippings, address books, dried flowers, eye glasses, gloves, and scrolls of hand-drawn family trees. I fell in love. 

This is the first of three albums I would like to share with everyone. Several of the photos are labeled. Most of the photos are of lateral lines - siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It is my hope that these images find their way to their descendants. A treasure such as this must be shared. Below I have listed members of the Judson/Hogue family. Those shown in bold are confirmed people in the album. The others listed are good candidates for those photos of unknowns. I have all the pieces I just need help putting it together!

There are 109 scanned pages plus the front and back covers. One post a week would take two years to post the entire album so stay tuned....


Locations include: Dayton, Ohio; Toledo, Ohio; Cumberland, Maryland; Kinney, Minnesota; Duluth, Minnesota; Lake Superior; the Harbor at Marquette, Michigan; and Mackinac, Michigan.

JUDSON
(1) Oliver Judson + Susan Raymond
-----(2) Lewis James Judson + Helen Julia Hogue
----------(3) Bertha J. Judson + William Reid
---------------(4) Judson E. Reid
---------------(4) Helen Reid + Unknown Hackman
----------(3) Charles Raymond Judson died age 3
----------(3) Helen "Nellie" Judson died age 19 months
----------(3) Margaret Louise Judson + Bruce Carter Wilson
---------------(4) Helen Wilson
----------(3) Lewis Raymond Judson + Ethel Kirk
---------------(4) Dorothy J. Judson + Burke
----------(3) William Levis Judson + Lois Elderkin Warren
---------------(4) William Warren Judson
---------------(4) James Judson died age 1
---------------(4) Lewis Frederick Judson
---------------(4) Phyllis Alois Judson + McKinney
---------------(4) Lois Jaqueline Judson + Horace Vaughn Wells
-----(2) Lucy Jane Judson + David Miller Martin
----------(3) George Malcolm Martin + Margaret B.
---------------(4) Dorothy P. Martin + George G. Brown
---------------(4) Burton Martin
----------(3) Harry Judson Martin + Clara B.
---------------(4) Edwin Martin
----------(3) Bessie May Martin + Herbert Kable Hawker
----------(3) Dorothy B. Martin
-----(2) Mary Elizabeth Judson + William Cox
----------(3) Charles Cox died age 1
----------(3) Oliver W. Cox + Mary C. Shellenbarger
----------(3) Harriet Cox died age 1
-----(2) Francis "Frank" Henry Judson
-----(2) George Judson died age 3

HOGUE
(1) Lindsey Hogue + Nancy Susan Taylor
-----(2) Helen Julia Hogue + Lewis James Judson
----------(3) Listed Above
-----(2) John Hogue + Marie Marsh
-----(2) Margaret Hogue + Andrew Mason
-----(2) Mary A. Hogue + James Wright
----------(3) William Wright
-----(2) Virginia Hogue + Unknown Dunn (?)
-----(2) Martha Hogue + Silas Dunn (?)
-----(2) Johanna Hogue + James Eden
-----(2) William R. Hogue + Maria L
----------(3) Hellen J "Nellie" Hogue
----------(3) Marie M Hogue
----------(3) Lottie L Hogue
-----(2) James Hogue + Fannie
-----(2) Henrietta "Nettie" D. Hogue + James William Richards
----------(3) Morris E. Richards + Sarah
---------------(4) Morris E. Richards
---------------(4) John C. Richards
---------------(4) Helen Richards
---------------(4) Elizabeth Richards
----------(3) Grace E. Richards + Ralph J. Davis





Thursday, January 7, 2010

Herstoryan's Hearth: Dieting is NOT a New Concept (Excerpts from 1853 and 1914)



In honor of the cultural practice of making New Year's Resolutions and the unfortunate personal practice of breaking them, I present you with this thought: 


Dieting is not a modern concept! 


Today it is P90X [day three and I am still able to walk thank you very much] and yesterday, uh-hum I mean in 1914, it was "The New Brainy Diet System." Will we creatures ever learn?


Excerpt from: Wheeler, Edward J.. Current Opinion, Volume 56. New York: Current Literature Pub. Co., January-June 1914. Print. p152

Popular Educational Food Campaign 
Eggs in wrong combination and an excess of starchy (paste making) and fatty foods make people sluggish and cause dull splitting headaches, lack of memory and concentration, drowsiness and inertia. A complete change to digestible brainy foods suitable meat, game, fish, and suitable dairy foods, combined with suitable vegetables and fruits according to the new brainy food plan produces the most marked improvements in a few weeks 
Brainy Diet 
A thin man, after being out of work nearly a year through weakness, was restored in three weeks to hard work as a carpenter at full pay. In such cases the change from wrong combinations of foods, an excess of starchy cloggy death producing foods to energizing foods causes a literal transformation. 
Another person, deaf in the right ear, owing to a discharge caused by an excess of mucus making foods (cream, butter, cheese, etc) completely eliminated the catarrh thereby restoring his hearing by taking correct combinations of suitable foods.
A case of kidney and bladder trouble of ten years' standing was saved from a surgical operation, and the objectionable discharge relieved within ten days, because the loss of control was due entirely to the constant Irritation from certain irritating food and drinks.
Prurigo or "Itch" chronic beyond the remedies of doctors and skin specialists, completely disappeared within three months.
A chronic sufferer, weighing 415 pounds, unable to exercise, reduced over 150 pounds (in public life under many witnesses) gained strength and firmer flesh, and lost rheumatism.

"The New Brainy Diet System" sent for 10 cents. Send Addresses of Sick Friends to G. H. Brinkler , Food Expert, Department 20B, Washington, D. C.


I think I could definitely stick to this next diet....




Excerpt from: Webster, Mrs. A. L. . The Improved Housewife, or Book of Receipts; with Engravings for Marketing and Carving.. 18 ed. Boston: Phillips; Sampson, and Company, 1853. Print. p114

296. Diet Bread.
Mix a pound of sifted flour with a pound of powdered sugar; stir into the mixture, very gradually, eight wellbeaten eggs; season with essence of lemon, rose-water, or to the taste; and bake fifteen or twenty minutes.


Good luck to any fellow travelers bravely following our ancestors' footsteps. Here's to 2010! Excuse me while I refill my protein shake...



Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Robert and Mary Massey (c1937)




Robert E. Lee Massey and wife Mary Nancy (McCaskill), standing in their yard at 2620 West North 10th Street, Amarillo, Texas. Photograph. c1937-1941. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2010 



Listed in the 1937-38 Amarillo City Directory:






Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Amarillo City Directory, 1937-1938. Hudspeth Directory Co. 1937 p 258. Statement of Use: Limited Use License, "Online or other republication of Content is prohibited except as unique data elements that are part of a unique family history or genealogy." Restricted from further use. 







They are my great great grandparents. Related blog post: Mary Nancy (McCaskill) Massey


Obituary of Robert E. Lee Massey (d. 16 Dec 1945 Amarillo, Texas), clipping from an unknown newspaper. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2010


Robert E. Lee Massey died early yesterday morning at Northwest Texas Hospital. He was 68 years old. Mr. Massey was born April 28, 1877 at Louisville, Arkansas. The family home was at 2401 NW 8th. He lived in Amarillo 25 years. He was employed at the American Smelting and Refining Co. and held membership in the Summit Baptist Church. Surviving are his wife, Mary; four sons, VM, Winnsboro, Tex, EN, Borger; and one daughter, Mrs. C S Reed, Amarillo. Funeral Services are pending at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home.  



Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday - View of Nelson Grove Cemetery, Cooke Co., Texas






View of Nelson Grove Cemetery, Woodbine, Cooke County, Texas. Photograph by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2007 [Headstones surrounding the John and Elinor Lynch Family]