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Wordless Wednesday 2/8/23
Posted in Vaughters, Wordless Wednesday
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Wordless Wednesday 2/1/23
Posted in Coble, Watkins, Wordless Wednesday
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Wordless Wednesday 1/25/23
Posted in Watkins, Wordless Wednesday
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Education – Generations Cafe Ancestry Challenge
57 Years in School, One Way or Another
It’s 2023; fifty years ago in 1973 I graduated from high school.
I always enjoyed school and was very active. In high school I was also a bit idealistic.
I started school when I was five and didn’t stop until I retired at the age of 62; sometimes I was a student, sometimes a teacher, sometimes both.
Education has been my life; it has defined me (I am very fortunate to have married a man who had the same educational goals and values that I did so that we supported each other in our chosen lifestyle). I have always loved learning and sharing my knowledge. After high school, I went to Coffeyville Community College for one year before attending Oklahoma Christian College where I received a wonderful education and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, specializing in reading and language arts. I began my teaching career the fall after graduation in 1977. I continued my education and received two Masters of Science Degrees, the first in Secondary Counseling from Pittsburg State while I was living in Chanute and the second in Library and Information Science from San Jose State while I was teaching in Desert Hot Springs. I also have about a gazillion other credits as I always continued taking classes while moving over on the salary schedule, for professional development, or just because there was a class I found interesting.
However, I was a bit of an anomaly. The 1940 U.S. Census asked the question, “What was the highest grade of school completed?” I checked the 1940 Census for all of my direct ancestors who were alive at that time and discovered that none of them had much formal education. On my dad’s side, his father, Donald Watkins completed 8th grade and his step-mother, Alta Jones completed her first year of high school. (I cannot find his mother in the 1940 Census under either her name, Fannie Van Dyke, or the name she began calling herself, Delores Frances. However, I doubt that she had much education because she married at either 15 or 16, though at the time she claimed she was 18.) Fannie’s mother, Elvira Estep, completed 8th grade. My dad’s paternal grandfather, John Calvin Watkins, only completed 2nd grade, while his paternal grandmother, Lavina Clark, completed 4th grade.
My mother’s side didn’t have much education either. Her father, Malcolm Bruce McLeod, completed 7th grade while his father, John McLeod completed 3rd grade and his mother, Sarah Liggett completed 4th grade. My mother’s mother, Anna Anthony, completed her 2nd year of high school according to the 1940 Census. (I have a picture of her with what looks to be a diploma and my uncle labeled the picture as my grandmother’s high school graduation picture in 1921; however, she was just 16 when the picture was taken.) My mother’s maternal grandmother, Gertrude Anthony, completed 6th grade.
Since my parents were just children in 1940 the education question in the census did not apply to them; however, they both did not graduate from high school. My father quit at 17 to join the Air Force and my mother quit at 15 when she and her mother moved back to Beaumont from Aguanga. However, both of my parents later received their high school equivalency diplomas: my father on May 25, 1953 and my mother on October 1, 1977. They both went on to post high school education: my father continued his education at the Tulsa Welding School and received a certificate for “combined pipeline welding and refinery and industrial pipe welding” while my mother took two classes at Coffeyville Community College.
My parents were both readers and valued education. Their support and encouragement of my education was very important; I went on to have a very fulfilling 40 year career in education. I taught elementary school, remedial reading, 9th grade in a junior high setting, middle school, and a junior college enrichment class for senior citizens. As a Teacher Librarian I presented at the California School Library Association Convention a couple of years. I was also privileged to receive several teaching honors: I was Teacher of the Year at Corsini Elementary and twice was elected Teacher of the Year at Desert Springs Middle School. I also was selected PSUSD District Teacher of the Year.
My ancestors may not have had much education but they were intelligent, hard-working people. They struggled and survived. I hope that I have honored their legacy.
As my career ended and I moved into my next phase, I discovered my retirement hobby, genealogy, which has been the perfect activity for me. I’m still learning and have been able to share some of my knowledge with members of our Ardiente Genealogy Club (though I’ve definitely learned more than I’ve shared.) I also continue to take classes through Generations Cafe or YouTube and there’s lots more to learn.
Wordless Wednesday 1/18/23
Posted in Anthony, Wordless Wednesday
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Favorite Picture – Month 1 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months
The Coble Homestead
Nine Generations and Counting
It was the summer of 1989. Gary and I got married in June, then drove over to Las Vegas where we saw Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis Jr. before heading to our honeymoon in Jamaica. Shortly after returning, we flew to Pennsylvania to attend the reunion on the Coble Family Homestead. I come from a smaller family so this was quite the experience for me and I really love this photo of many members of the extended family. I have recently been going through Grandma Coble’s genealogy book and have enjoyed seeing the history behind the homestead.
Currently we are at nine generations of family continuously living on the homestead.
It all began with Christian Schneider (Shnyder, Snyder, Sneider). Christian was born in Kennemerland (Kennerland), Holland on May 25, 1725 to John (Johannes) and Susanna Baumann Schneider. (John was born in 1697 in Kennemerland, Holland; his father was Jacob who was born in Germany in 1663; his father was Peter who was born in Switzerland in 1590; his father was Jacob who was born in Berne, Switzerland in 1561; and his father was Hannes who was born in Berne Switzerland in 1534.) Christian and his family immigrated to America 1736 on the ship, The Harle.
Much of the information on the Schneider family comes from the 1564 Schneider Bible which contains “an original German hand-written family register that is badly worn after hundreds of years of deterioration. However, in the 1890’s, Ezra Eby translated what was still decipherable of the original registry and neatly wrote it down in English, along with his own insights (Register).”
According to this Bible:
“After the decease of my father Jacob Schneider February 17th 1727, I received this old bible purchased by Hannes Schneider, my grandfather’s grandfather in 1564.
I, John Schneider the eldest son of the last named family was born June 13th 1697. On the 12th October 1721 I was married to Susanna Baumann, a native of Holland. She was born December 13th 1700 and died in Pennsylvania December 13th 1745. In April 1736 we, my wife and family with others moved or emigrated to America and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where John Schneider died October 13th 1763. His family consisted of five children. Their names are as follows:
Christian Schneider was born May 25th 1725. |
Susanna Schneider was born August 10th 1723, died December 14th 1748. |
Jacob B. Schneider was born April 2nd 1727, died April 9th 1803. |
David Schneider was born February 17th 1729, died in 1744. |
Andrew Schneider was born February 12th 1732, died in 1740.” |
Later, Christian (Gary’s 5th great grandfather) obtained land in Pennsylvania and raised his six daughters.
According to Christian’s will, Christian left his youngest daughter, Veronica (Feronica) his “plantation and tract of land” for her and her heirs.
At the time, Veronica was the only daughter who had not married. Veronica later married Jacob Kobel (Coble) in 1795. Veronica and Jacob’s descendants have resided on and operated this property ever since:
- Christian Schneider
- Jacob Kobel
- Christian Coble
- John H. Coble
- Amos G. Coble
- John Ira Coble
- David S. Coble
- Jonathan Coble
- Jonathan’s children
There is also a Coble cemetery on the property. Gary and I visited the cemetery many, many years ago (before cell phones) and we have no pictures but Grandma Coble provide a list of people buried here along with their locations.
The Coble family homestead has been a place where many special memories were made.
Sources
“Johannes Schneider.” WikiTree, 17 Mar. 2022, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Schneider-123.
Register of the Schneider Family, http://www3.sympatico.ca/darrenarndt/schneider/bible/register.htm.
Wordless Wednesday 1/11/23
Posted in Watkins, Wordless Wednesday
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Wordless Wednesday 1/4/23
Posted in Coble, Wordless Wednesday
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Looking Ahead – Generations Cafe Ancestry Challenge
Reflections and Resolutions
2022
Ah, 2022 is morphing into 2023. I once again completed the Ancestry challenge through Generations Cafe. This year I accomplished the 12 month challenge (actually writing 14 blog posts) instead of the 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks. With us learning to live with COVID instead of spending our lives isolated at home, life got busier (Gary and I went on two cruises; joined the frivolity at two renaissance faires; traveled to Washington D.C., Boston, Billings, Napa, Palm Springs; spent three weeks at our timeshares; and saw nine concerts or Vegas shows. Then of course there was golf for Gary, genealogy and photo projects for me, our Ardiente activities, and dinners with friends.)
As I continue my research, it’s been interesting to see how the world has changed. My first known ancestor to arrive in the New World was Anthony Colby who was part of the Great Puritan Migration of 1630. At that point the population of Colonial America was 4,646 (this is an estimate as the U.S. census was not established until 1790 (Colonial). My great grandmother, Gertrude Schmidt Anthony, was born in 1867 in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1869 when she was two. In 1870, the population of the United States was 38,558,371. My grandfather, Malcolm Bruce McLeod also immigrated to the United States when he was two. He was born in Canada in 1900 and when he immigrated in 1902 the population of the United States was 79,163,000. When I was born in 1955 the population was 161,136,449. Today as we enter 2023, the United States population has exploded to 333,287,557 (Growth).
As I research the stories of my ancestors, I see not only the immense struggles and hardships they encountered but also the idealism and hope that allowed them to endure. I’ve explored some of the circumstances they found themselves in and identified some family traditions.
This year I finally started my online tree at Ancestry.com. Before this, all my research was completed on paper ancestor charts, information stored in files on my computer, and names and dates added on a color-coded Grandparents Chart. Adding this information with sources to Ancestry.com allows others to see what I have discovered and gives me additional hints to explore. I still have lots of ancestors to add because I am trying to be as accurate as possible (and there are people with the same name that complicates matters as well as incomplete or missing records).
One of my main goals was to make sure that the correct information can be located regarding my grandmother, Fannie Vandyke Watkins aka Delores Frances Russell. She would definitely be a brick wall for people who only know one of names. (I’ve included documentation including her marriage license to my grandfather, her marriage license to Elmer which shows the date of her divorce, and her Delayed Birth Certificate.) I am probably the only person who knows most of the story because I met her and my step-grandfather and was close to her first husband, my father’s father. She and my mother corresponded some. This information is now available to future researchers.
This year I also purchased Family Tree Maker to add backup to my research. Furthermore, this program has great options for reports and charts which is a definite plus. I’ve made a chart showing the direct lineage of my grand niece Magnolia to Henry Howland which I will give her when I give her the book, The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower, which is the story of John Howland, Henry’s brother. Henry is mentioned in the book.
As we head into 2023, I have several goals. I want to continue working on my online tree. I’ve also started a tree for Gary and I want to expand this tree as well. Gary’s mother was recently going through some things and came across some family genealogy books that she is going to send me. I’m really excited to see what treasures are included in this wonderful find.
I would like to explore more about how DNA works and delve into my DNA results and explore what insights I can glean from them. On Ancestry.com I currently have 47,849 matches.
The truth about genealogy is that the more you discover, the more there is to ferret out. As 2023 looms ahead, I hope to have lots of new discoveries.
Sources
“Colonial Population Estimates.” Infoplease, Infoplease, https://www.infoplease.com/us/population/colonial-population-estimates.
“Growth in U.S. Population Shows Early Indication of Recovery amid Covid-19 Pandemic.” Census.gov, 27 Dec. 2022, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/2022-population-estimates.html.
Posted in Genealogy
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Wordless Wednesday 12/28/22
Posted in Coble, Wordless Wednesday
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