Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Tombstone Tuesday: Charles Drumm (1917 - 1928)

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)


          Charles Drumm        
Born: 1 September 1917, St Louis, Missouri
Died: 3 July 1928. Cape Girardeau, Missouri
(photo by Andrew, Find A Grave volunteer)


This post is to memorialize a cousin I never met, who only made to age (almost) 11 years.  Some of the following information is from the Find A Grave Memorial page that I personally created for Charles. (Find A Grave Memorial #46995296).  His story is based on oral family history shared with me by my Dad, a newspaper obituary, and a Missouri death certificate.

Charles Drumm was the son of Edna Katherine Harrison Drumm Loraine (my paternal aunt) and her first husband, T. J. Drumm. He was the grandson of John P. Harrison and Susan Allen Harrison. He was the great-grandson of John Milton Harrison and Mary Jane Coppedge Harrison.

Charles was my dad Marvin's nephew, being the child of Marvin's older sister Edna.  Charles and Marvin were close to the same age and playmates. Charles was thus my first cousin, though he was born and died decades before I was born. 


Charles died tragically from accidental drowning shortly before his 11th birthday. He attended a family-community holiday picnic on July 3rd, 1928 at Apple Creek, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Some of his cousins and other children (including my own Dad) went to play at a pond of water by the dam at the mill. Charles was unable to swim, as were most of the other children in attendance that fateful day. Charles was either wading or fell in the deep water, and was pulled under by the currents. He struggled briefly, but there was no one within reach who could swim and rescue him in time. Someone threw him something to grab onto to try to float with, probably a piece of driftwood, but by then it was too late. My Dad was haunted his entire life by the memory of seeing only Charles' one hand grasping and thrashing above the water for something, anything....and then it slowly faded and the water was still.

Charles Drumm's obituary was published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, page 23, July 5, 1928 . Stubbs Mortuary in Chaffee, MO handled final arrangements.  He is buried at Saint Ferdinand Cemetery in Hazelwood, St. Louis County, Missouri.  


Rest In Peace, young Charles.  Below is his death certificate:


Tragedy was to befall much of the rest of Charles' immediate family as well.  His step-father Joseph B. Loraine, Edna's 2nd husband, was electrocuted by lightning; his only sibling, a half-brother John B. Loraine was killed in WWII; and his mother Edna died of Leukemia. My research to date has been unable to determine what happened to his biological father, T. J. Drumm. That may be another line in the tree to pursue "some day" to solve yet another mystery. 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Sentimental Sunday: Mothers In My Family Tree In Heaven- A Video Memorial

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist

A video collage of some of the mothers in my family tree. 
My mother, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, great-great-grandmothers
and some of my aunts. 

All were mothers, all are missed. 
Happy Mothers Day In Heaven




Saturday, May 9, 2015

Sentimental Sunday: In Memory of Susannah Allen Harrison, My Paternal Grandmother

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

Susannah "Susan" Allen Harrison
1875 - 1933
Wife of John P. Harrison
Mother of Marvin M. Harrison

My Paternal Grandmother
A Video Memorial, Scenes From Her Lifetime



Friday, May 8, 2015

Friday's Faces: William Jasper Harrison

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)
Friday's Faces: Spotlighting Some Faces In My Tree;
William Jasper Harrison


William Jasper Harrison 
1852 - 1917, Missouri
My Great-Grand-Uncle

There are some people in my tree that I know are related to me but that I don't know a great deal about, other than census records, birth or death records, marriage records and maybe a fuzzy photo or two. I am still piecing together their life stories. 

I don't know a lot about great grand-uncle William Jasper Harrison, other than that he was the brother of my great-grandfather John Milton Harrison, and the son of my 2x-great-grandparents William Harrison and his wife Nancy Shepherd Harrison. He was born in 1852 and died about 1917. 

Jasper married Annie Elizabeth Mosher in 1871 in Maries County, Missouri. He was the father of at least 5 children, and raised his family in Johnson Township, Maries County. He would have been too young to serve in the Civil War, at the age of only 9 years in 1861 when the war commenced. However, his older brother John Milton Harrison served in the Union Army, and many of their other relatives and neighbors also joined the Union Army.  Missouri was technically a neutral territory, but there were Confederate sympathizers and Bushwackers among their Maries County and Phelps County neighbors, and tensions ran high throughout the war. 

The photo and some information on Jasper comes from a local area history book: "History Of High Gate Missouri, the First 125 Years, 1850 -1975" by Glenis L. Southard.  This photo and various articles from the publication have been widely circulated on the internet. Other information comes from his Find A Grave Memorial page (reference F.A.G. memorial # 61286311).  He is buried at High Gate Cemetery in Maries County, Missouri.

I definitely see the Harrison family resemblance in this photo, fuzzy though it is. Based on my scant family history photo collection, he looks a lot like his older brother, my paternal great-grandfather John Milton Harrison. He also greatly resembles my paternal grandfather, John P. Harrison, who would have been Jasper's nephew. He reminds me quite a bit of my own brother as well, John David Harrison.  Jasper physically resembled his own father too, William Harrison (my 2x-great-grandfather), who was tall and lean; though somewhat less than he resembles his brother and nephew. This suggests that some of his (and their) physical features are probably inherited from the maternal Shepherd side of his genetic tree. Jasper was about age 65 when he passed away, and rests near many other Harrison kin at High Gate Cemetery in Maries County, Missouri. 


Headstone of William Jasper Harrison and Anna "Annie" Mosher Harrison
Find A Grave Memorial# 61286311
Photo by Gravefinder1



High Gate Cemetery, Maries County, Missouri
Photo by Find A Grave contributor/volunteer SteveZ
Cemetery notes and/or description:
At the intersection of State Hwy H and State Hwy U. This cemetery is 1000 feet east-southeast of the High Gate Baptist Cemetery.







Thursday, May 7, 2015

Throwback Thursday: Fond Memories of Cruising With My Brother

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

Throwback Thursday:
Fond Memories of a 2009 Cruise

Photo Dated May 7, 2009
 John David Harrison (1947 - 2009), Jackie Jackson, Bev (The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist)

The cruise was a spur of the moment trip. There was a flu epidemic and lots of last-minute cancellations, so some relatives and I decided to take advantage of the sale the cruise line was running to fill some cabins. I literally booked my cabin 3 days before the cruise departed. What was supposed to be a Mexican Riviera cruise turned into a West Coast cruise, due to a flu outbreak in the Mexican ports. That was fine with us, and is actually the main reason I decided to book. Besides the great deal; we got to cruise conveniently round-trip from Long Beach, California and got to stop off in Seattle, San Francisco, and Victoria, B.C.  It is one of my favorite cruises, of the nearly 30 I have been fortunate enough to take so far.  
Carnival Splendor
The 3 of us had a great time: myself, my divorced brother Dave (who went by John in his later years, but to me he will always be just "Dave"), and my step-niece Jackie.  We spent a full day in San Francisco, dining at a favorite restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf, riding the cable cars up and down the famous hills, sightseeing, shopping, and snacking on shrimp cocktails. Cruising under the Golden Gate Bridge was a highlight. Another full day was spent in Seattle, returning to all my favorite places from when I used to live near there, including of course the flower market at Pikes Place Market and the Space Needle.  I love the Pacific Northwest. Last but not least, another full in-port day was in Victoria, B.C. Sightseeing that day included a carriage ride through a beautiful flowering garden park, and High Tea and the lovely and famous Empress Hotel. 

San Francisco Cable Car


Empress Hotel, Victoria, B.C.

Empress Hotel and Flower Gardens, Victoria, B.C. 

Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington

On board ship, we all sang casual karaoke every night, Dave gambled a lot in the casino, and Jackie and I hung out around the ship doing stuff one does on a cruise.  Dave and Jackie both decided to compete for spots in the big Karaoke Idol show to be held on the main showroom stage on the final night of the cruise.  Dave was "voted" in by other passengers to portray Elvis in the show, and Jackie was voted in to portray Madonna. I will never forget seeing my brother up on that big stage, in full Elvis regalia; singing his heart out to a packed audience, and backed up by the ship's full band and professional dancers. Dave was serious about his karaoke, had done a lot of it by then, and was comfortable performing.  This was SERIOUS karaoke! They were competing for the title of Karaoke Idol. The huge ship's audience intimidated Dave just a little though. It was not his best performance, but it is one of my favorite memories of him. Jackie did a pretty good job too as Madonna.  There were a few other singers, and the show was a big hit with the audience.

Carnival Splendor

Sadly, little did I know at the time, it would be the last time I would see either of them.  They lived in California, I lived in Arizona, so get-togethers were not frequent. We kept in touch via Facebook, mostly. My brother Dave passed away suddenly just a few short months after our cruise adventure, in December of 2009. Jackie was gone within a few years after that, claimed by a complicated illness.  I am still here. I miss them both. I have fond memories of our time together on this cruise that I will cherish forever. I am so very glad we went. 

Things I learned from their untimely passing:  Carpe Diem. "Seize The Moment". Do it now, don't put things off, for we never know what tomorrow may bring.  Hug your loved ones close, and mend fences before it is too late. Work on doing your Bucket List things now, not later. Most of all, learn forgiveness. It is healing and freeing, even if those you forgive still hold their own grudges.  

I am sure they are both smiling down, saying :"Dang, we did have a pretty good ride and a lot of good times on earth, especially those cruises!". 





Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Tombstone Tuesday: A Daughter's Sacrifice For Her Mother - Georgia Ann Harrison Finn (1861 - 1923)

Georgia Ann Harrison Finn
Daughter of John Milton Harrison and Mary Jane Coppedge Harrison
Wife of John R. Finn

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison, A Genie In Arizona)
Georgia was my grand-aunt.  According to oral family history passed down to me by my aunt, Lona Harrison Curtis; Georgia passed away from an apparent heat stroke while walking to go visit her mother at the St. James Soldiers' Home for invalids. Her mother, Mary Janes Coppedge Harrison (who was known simply as "Jane Harrison"), had suffered from some form of senility (possibly what we now know as Dementia/ Alzheimers today) and had been placed in the care facility then known as the Soldiers Home for Veterans and Dependents in St. James, Missouri. Previous to that, Georgia was her mother's primary caregiver. Once Jane Harrison had reached the point of needing a nursing home, Georgia walked several miles a few times per week to visit her mother there. The last time she made that walk was on a hot humid summer day in July. She never made it to her destination. 

Find A Grave Memorial # 62303110

Monday, May 4, 2015

MILITARY MONDAY: THOMAS CALVIN ALLEN, CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY


Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)
Conferedate Flag from Mississippi, 
image found on Pinterest

THOMAS CALVIN ALLEN 
1845 -1899
COMPANY I, 12TH KENTUCKY REGIMENT CAVALRY
 CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY

 My maternal great-grandfather,
Father of Ida Mae Allen Crider, 
Maternal grandfather of Augusta Crider Harrison 

Military
1863- 1865
Age: 18 at enlistment
Kentucky and Tennessee - 
Civil War- Confederate Soldier, Co I , 12th Kentucky Regiment Cavalry. Enlisted in Hickman, KY. Surrendered with his company at Selma, Alabama in 10 April 1865. Pardoned with company. Source- widow's pension application filed in state of KY.

12th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry [also called 1st KY & TN Rgt] - mustered into Confederate service at Verona, Mississippi, in September, 1863. General Lyon's Brigade. Action in TN, MS, AL. merged into the 8th Kentucky Infantry (Mounted) Regiment.

Marriage:  18 Sep 1877
Age: 32
Troy, Obion County, Tennessee, USA
Lucy stated on her widow's pension application in 1912 that they were married in Obion Co, TN. Marriage record is found there also. They lived in Kentucky before and after the war. 

Military Page on Ancestry.com, created by The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist, 
B. Harrison 


Confederate Widow's Pension Application of Lucy F. Allen

Letter from Lucy Fannie Clark Allen's Widow's Pension File


Source: website at www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail





Find A Grave Memorial
Compiled and Written by
The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist
B. Harrison
(F.A.G. genie-in-az)
Direct descendant of 
Thomas Calvin Allen

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Remembering Augusta Nadine Crider Harrison 
17 June 1920 - 8 September 1970

We Contine To Live Beyond The Dawn
And In The Hearts Of Those Who Love Us





The following paragraph is from the Find A Grave Memorial that I previously created for her on that website.   ( Find  Grave memorial # 49840165 at www.findagrave.com)

Augusta Nadine Crider Harrison Taylor was the daughter of Steven Linn Crider and Ida Mae Allen Crider. She married Marvin Milton Harrison on Sept 7, 1939 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. They met when Marvin was working on construction of the Dam at Lake Wappapello. They had three children: Michael, John David, and Beverly Harrison. Augusta and Marvin lived in Pineville, Louisiana for several years while raising their young children, while Marvin worked for the railroad there. They bought a little house on a creek in what was then a rural area. Augusta and Marvin later relocated to Long Beach, California where Marvin worked in the aircraft industry with Hughes Aircraft and later Johns Manville Corp. Augusta's occupation during those years was as housewife and mother. Those were years of economic turmoil and much personal strife, which took it's toll on the marriage of Augusta and Marvin. They were divorced circa 1956, in Long Beach, California. Augusta returned to her hometown of Poplar Bluff, Missouri; where she re-remarried to Leonard Taylor in 1961. Mr Taylor was a veteran who died in 1968; and is also buried at City Cemetery in Poplar Bluff. Augusta spent her final years as a widow in Poplar Bluff, MO. She passed at the relatively young age of only 50. Augusta, may you rest in eternal peace forever in the Lord's loving embrace.

A Memorial Grove of Trees has been planted in Shasta-Trinity National Forest in California by their daughter, as a living tribute in memory of Augusta and Marvin Harrison. 

Burial: 
Poplar Bluff City Cemetery 
Poplar Bluff
Butler County
Missouri, USA
Plot: Sunnyslope Section, Space 1, Lot 15, Block E 

Sentimental Sunday: An Early Mother's Day Video Memorial- Augusta Crider Harrison (1920 - 1970)

Saturday, May 2, 2015

SURNAME SATURDAY: LEE (LEA) Clan of Virginia and England

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

Today is Surname Saturday in GeneaBloggers time zone, one of the daily writing prompts for those of us who write genealogy blogs. I began this article for my blog in 2011 and just discovered that I had left it in draft mode and never posted it. So, here it is, better late than never. 

One of the surnames in my ancestral tree is LEE (also spelled LEA and LEIGH). These are ancestors on the paternal side of my tree from Virginia. One source on the Lee family of Virginia is this book: Genealogical History of the Lee Family of Virginia and Maryland, From 1300 to 1866. 


I descend from the Lee of Virginia and England line through my paternal grandmother Susannah "Susan" Allen Harrison, wife of John P Harrison. Her paternal great-great-grandmother was Nancy Lee Tucker, wife of William Wofford Tucker, a Captain in the Revolutionary War from Virginia. The following is from info I posted on the Find A Grave Memorial that I created for Nancy Lee Tucker, reference memorial # 67820200 
Nancy Lee Tucker, wife of Revolutionary War Lieutenant William Wofford Tucker. Daughter of Ambrose Lee and Frances Penn Lee(Tucker) of Amherst County, Virginia. Mother of 14 children including Dandrige Tucker and Susannah Tucker Hudgens.

Nancy Lee Tucker's mother Frances Penn Lee married 2nd husband Drury Tucker, who was the father of Nancy's husband William Wofford Tucker. Thus, her mother was also her step-mother-in-law. 

A headstone and confirmed burial location for William Wofford Tucker and his wife Nancy Lee Tucker have not been located. Tucker Homestead Cemetery is a historic family graveyard on private property in Liberty near Clemenstville in Casey County, KY which contains headstones of their son Dandridge Tucker, grandson Dabney Tucker, and other kin. This is likely the burial location of William Wofford Tucker and his wife, who may rest in the family plots in now unmarked graves. 

I have found some famous, not so famous, and infamous LEE ancestors in this extended clan of Lees in my lineage. The Lee clan of Virgina included some colorful characters, political leaders, and military heroes. Some of them were considered "rich, powerful, and influential".  Those individuals will make interesting subjects for future biographical blog posts to flesh out their life stories in my tree, some of which has already been well documented by historians. *(I've already blogged about a couple of them previously). 
Lee Family Crest , Source: Wikimedia Commons

The LEE surname in my tree has origins in England and Ireland.  The English spellings of Lea and Leigh mean "meadow" or "forest clearing". In Ireland, the name was used as an occupational description meaning "poet". The Lee family of Shropshire, England were the forebears of the notable colonial American family of Lee.

Some of my direct line Lee ancestors include my 4x great-grandmother Nancy Lee (1762 VA - 1829 KY) who married William Wofford Tucker; her father Ambrose Lee (1733 VA - 1764 VA) who married Frances "Frankey" Penn; his father William Lee (1710 VA - 1770 VA) who married Elizabeth Rachel Ambrose; his father William Lea ( abt 1684 VA - 1760 VA) who married Ann Taylor; his father Colonel William Lee (1654 VA - 1703 VA) who married Mary Green; his father William Lea (1623 VA - 1663 VA) who married Catherine Ironmonger; and his father William Leigh (1588 England - 1653 VA) who married Mary Dawkes. 

According to the Internet Surname Database at http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Lee:  "This famous name recorded as Lee, Lees, Lea, Leas, Lease and Leese is of Olde English origin. It is usually locational and derives from any of the places named with the pre 7th Century element "leah". This translates as "an open place" in a forest or wood, but may describe a water meadow, the word having different meanings in different parts of the country. Examples of the place names include Lee in Buckinghamshire and Hampshire, and also Lea in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Wiltshire. The name may also be topographical, for someone who lived at a clearing or pasture, as in the surname 'Atlee'.  The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ailric de la Leie, which was dated circa 1148, in the "Charters of Northamptonshire", during the reign of King Stephen, known as "Count of Blois", 1135 - 1154. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation In England 

Friday, May 1, 2015

James A Crider: Born circa 1834 in Gibson County, Tennessee, Died 1875 in Calloway County, Kentucky

            Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

 NOTE: This ancestory biography has been edited and compiled by B. Harrison, owner of the blog "The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist- A Genea In Arizona" at www.hopelesslyhookedgenealogist.blogspot.com ; utilizing History Lines timelines and photos and her own personal documentation and photos from her research on this ancestor. 

James A "Jim" Crider was born about 1834, in Dyersburg, Gibson County,Tennessee, United States. He was my great-grandfather on the maternal side of my tree. His mother was Sarah "Sallie" Shults and was 24 years old when James was born. His father was David Crider who was 30 years old when James was born. James was the second of nine children. His older sibling Nancy Carolyn Crider was 5 years old when James was born. By the 1850 Federal Census, James' parents had moved the family to Graves County, Kentucky. James A Crider married Elvira "Ellin" Tennessee Thurmond on 3 Jan 1855 in Graves County, Kentucky. By the 1860 Federal Census, James and Elvira were living in Calloway County, Kentucky with their first child, Angeline J Crider. The 1870 Federal Census shows them living in Brinkley, Calloway County, Kentucky with their first 5 children. By 1875 they were living in Murray, Calloway County, Kentucky. James A Crider passed away on 17 Feb 1875 of pneumonia. His last child, my maternal grandfather Stephen Linn Crider, was only 3 months old when James died. James is buried at Elm Grove Cemetery, Calloway County, Kentucky; reference Find A Grave Memorial # 71154828. 
Following is a TIMELINE of some of the events occurring in the lifetime of James A Crider.

(Note- the full story and timeline with photos can be viewed on the History Lines website at:

https://historylines.com/story.jsp?person_id=HXI1384231CUA

www.historylines.com

Attatched below are some screenshots from pages of the History Lines story on this ancestor:



Beltane's Day: The May Day Traditions of My Scots Ancestors

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

Today is May Day:  May 1st, 2015.  In honor of my Celtic heritage, I'm including a blog post on the celebrations that are traditionally held in the Month of May in Scotland.    May Day in Scotland is called "Betane's Day" or "Beltaine", and has been celebrated for centuries with a traditional Scottish festival with merriment and mischief throughout the month. My many Scots ancestors in Balnagown, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Kildary, and Renfrewshire in the 1600's and early 1700's would have celebrated the welcoming of summer with a traditional fire festival. Their descendants in Scotland today still celebrate in much the same manner, honoring the traditions of their ancestors.  Festivities often begin on April 30, the eve of Beltane's Day. Scotland.org states that "On April 30, people from all around the world ...come together at the top of Edinburgh's Calton Hill to celebrate the Beltane Fire Festival.... a modern version of Beltane which began on the evening before May 1 and marked the start of summer".  

Web images and descriptions of the modern day Beltane's festivals in Scotland brings to mind a cross between the Burning Man festivals and Mardis Gras that we have annually in America. A walk on the wild side....here is one of the tamer photos, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. 




The Beltane Fire Festival at Edinburgh. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons - 

The website for Rampant Scotland at www.rampantscotland.com describes Beltane's Day this way: "A pagan fire festival which goes back to pre-Christian times - originating with Baal in Phoenicia. It was supposed to encourage the crops to grow. There has been a holiday at the start of May in many parts of Scotland for centuries. Young girls would also rise early to wash their faces in the May dew. The custom of lighting fires at this time has come through in place names such as Tarbolton in Ayrshire ("tor" meaning hill and 'bolton' from 'Beltane'). The ancient Druidic Fire Festival has been revived by 'New Age' followers who gather on the historic Calton Hill in Edinburgh."
                                  (image source: Pinterest, artist unknown)

Another wesbite, "Mysterious Britain & Ireland -Mysteries, Legends, and the Paranormal" at www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/festivals/may/beltane says this: 
"Beltane (or Beltaine) is a festival that marks the return of summer with the lighting of fires; where people could burn their winter bedding and floor coverings, ready to be replaced afresh. Referred to as a Gaelic ceremony, it has been celebrated for thousands of years throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. In fact in Ireland, it supposedly marks the arrival of the Gaels on to Irish shores". 
                 
"May Day, The Ancient Festival of Beltane", image courtesy of    www.globallightminds.com (artist unknown).