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Wordless Wednesday 10/27/21
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Sports – Week 42 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Life as a Spectator
Full disclosure: I am not an athlete. In sixth grade, however, I was on the basketball team. In high school, my favorite PE activity was archery. In college, I took bowling for my PE credit (and I readily admit that my skills were sorely lacking, but I showed up and that’s what counted). My favorite athletic endeavor as an adult was participating for several years in the Desert Springs Middle School teachers dart league (seriously, are darts considered a sport?). This was a really fun social activity even though it got a bit competitive at times.
One of my most memorable spectator events was our trip in 2006 to the Chargers vs Chiefs game. It was the start of Christmas vacation so we were in the mood to celebrate. A group of eight of us decided to rent a limo to travel to the San Diego stadium. We were able to get amazing seats so the adventure was on. On the day of our trip, everyone met at our house for a toast. Gary made everyone shirts so we were in a festive mood.
We put on our “Bill” shirts and our limo journey began. Since we were in a limo, we had a picnic with amazing homemade food (thanks Steve) and plenty to drink. Of course, we were early so our limo driver delivered us first to the Hotel del Coronado. People surrounded our limo to see who these famous people were. Then it was off to the bar to catch the current Giants football game. We were actually approached by complete strangers who saw our milk carton shirts and sincerely offered to help us search for our missing friend (who really was missing in action at that point because he decided he’d rather drink in the limo than join us in the bar). I was impressed that complete strangers would be willing to give up their time to search and support us. Of course Gary’s response was, “Have you read the shirts?” We all got a chuckle as we again thanked everyone. This just reinforced my belief that most people really are good.
Another fun spectator event was a different Chargers game. This time, Steve and Sandy joined Gary and me as we decided to spend the weekend in San Diego and combined the Chargers vs Broncos football trip with shopping. The stadium tickets Gary found included a parking spot in the tailgating parking lot so we decided to do our unique version. Almost everyone around us were doing burgers and beer. However, we went the true California route and created a charcuterie board with quality wine. Some Broncos fans wandered over and said, “Oh, so this is how you really tailgate in California?”
Gary’s parents are huge hockey fans and steadfastly support and cheer for the Colorado Avalanche. When we moved to Vegas, the Golden Knights were the latest start-up team in the league. So a rivalry ensued.
We’ve been fortunate to join Gary’s parents in attending several Knights vs Avalanche games in both Las Vegas and Denver. Hockey fans are great; we always feel supported when we wear our Knights gear.
Other than the Golden Knights, our version of being sports spectators is that we wear the gear of the home team and adopt that team for the evening. Enjoy the video to see some of the home team highlights.
Wordless Wednesday 10/20/21
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Changes – Week 41 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Coming to America
Life is full of changes; nothing stays static even when we wish it to. One of the greatest changes in life that a person may experience is moving. It can be very stressful when it occurs because of necessity, but can also be a harbinger of hope. Many of my ancestors risked huge lifestyle changes when they immigrated to America, though many, particularly those in the 1600s and 1700s, thought of themselves more as settlers than immigrants. In the days before radio, television, the Internet, and airplanes, this adventure took a leap of faith for my ancestors to leave their European homes and move to a new world and a new life.
Many chose to make this journey because of the prospect of owning land. They often sought economic and religious freedom. They sometimes resented the class distinctions and hoped for equality while yearning for new opportunities.
In the 1800s, some of my German ancestors settled in La Crosse, Wisconsin along with many other immigrants from Germany. As I wrote in my blog post of June 26, 2021, “Immigration was a challenging prospect. In order to arrive in America, most German immigrants endured six weeks of ‘poor food, sea sickness, disease, crowded sleeping quarters, boredom, and death of others’ in order to have an improved standard of living (Germany/Prussia was in the middle of an economic depression during this time) and political and religious freedom. There was much anti-Catholic sentiment in Germany by some and families of both my great grandfather and great grandmother were Catholic.”
Maria Christina Schaefer Schmidt
2nd great grandmother
Immigrated 1869 from Germany
Otillia Endres Antony
2nd great grandmother
Immigrated 1880 from Germany
I created a chart of my ancestors who left the country of their birth and emigrated to America (these are the ones that I have identified so far). I have several 9th great grandparents who made this trek including Anthony and Susanna Colby, Edward Lloyd, Alice Crouch Hawkins Lloyd, John Watkins, and Colonel Ninian Beall. My most recent relative to emigrate was my grandfather, Malcolm McLeod, who moved to San Bernardino, California with his family in 1902 when he was two.
| Name | Birth | Death | Immigration |
| Anthony Colby | 1605 Lincolnshire, England | 1660 Essex County, Massachusetts | |
| Edward Lloyd | 1605 Wye River, England | 1695 London, England | Married in 1645 Virginia (daughter born in Virginia) |
| Susanna ? Colby | 1610 England | 1689 Salisbury, Massachusetts | |
| John Watkins | 1611 Monmouthshire, Wales | 1648 Norfolk, Virginia Colony | |
| Jane Russell Hammond | 1618 England | 1688 Rappahannock, Virginia | (Possibly immigrated in 1638) |
| Martin John Hammond | 1619 London, England | 1662 Virginia Colony | 1638 |
| Alice Crouch Lloyd | 1620 London, England | 1687 Wye Heights, Maryland | |
| Colonel Ninian Beall | 1625 Dumbarton, Fife, Scotland | 1717 Upper Marlboro, Maryland | Immigrated as an indentured servant after being a prisoner |
| Nicholas Gassaway | 1634 London, England | 1691 Anne Arundel, Maryland | |
| Joseph Osborne I | 1636 Kent, England | 1733 Elizabeth, New Jersey | |
| Joseph Hanslap | 1674 England | 1702 Maryland | 1682 |
| Thomas Charles McElroy | 1751 Ireland | ? Pennsylvania | |
| Esther Hogue Smith | 1771 Wales | 1849 Gladsville, Virginia | |
| Otillia Endres Antony | 1823 Oberweiler, Bitburg, Germany | 1909 La Crosse, Wisconin | 1880 |
| Heinrich Schmidt | 1838 Hessen, Baridorf, Germany | 1903 La Crosse, Wisconsin | 5/24/1869 in NYC from Hamburg on Burussia |
| Maria Christina Schaefer Schmidt | 1848 Koln, Germany | 1907 La Crosse, Wisconsin | 5/24/1869 in NYC from Hamburg on Burussia |
| John Peter (Antony) Anthony | 1861 Heilanbeck Kreis, Germany | 1918 San Bernardino, California | 1880 |
| John McLeod | 1863 Goderich, Ontario, Canada | 1942 San Bernardino, California | 1902 |
| Sarah Jane Liggett McLeod | 1863 Bruce, Ontario, Canada | 1956 San Bernardino, California | 1902 |
| Gertrude Schmidt Anthony | 1867 Barisdorf, Germany | 1943 San Bernardino, California | 5/24/1869 in NYC from Hamburg on Burussia |
| Malcolm McLeod | 1900 Bruce, Ontario, Canada | 1966 Nanuet, Rockland, New York | 1902 |
I listed my ancestors by date of birth and included their death. I was able to find some immigration records for a few and will continue to research to see if I can locate more. I have not been able to find the immigration records for all of my ancestors so I still have many questions. At this point I have not been able to locate any immigration information for my Dutch ancestors (VanDyke with the various spellings; Rous or Roweth; Runyon; Drake; Seward; Hyde). I do know that Dominicus Hendrick VanDyke was born in New Jersey in 1731 so it is likely that his parents, his grandparents, or his great grandparents were immigrants. Since New Jersey was part of New Netherland this is probable.
I also have questions about the McLeod/Liggett side of the family. Both the McLeods and the Liggetts settled in Canada. The McLeods were from Scotland and perhaps England and the Liggetts were from Ireland. I will continue to research to see if I can trace the family any further back.
| Name | Birth | Death | Immigration |
| Oliver Liggett | 1817 Armagh, Northern Ireland | 1910 Bruce, Ontario, Canada | |
| Mary Chisholm McLeod | 1821 Teangue, Inverness-shire, Scotland | 1891 Ontario, Canada | |
| Malcolm McLeod | 1848 Islay, Scotland | 1922 Wentworth, Ontario, Canada | 1848 in Quebec from Liverpool, England on Sardinia |
My personal migration patterns have been much simpler: California to Oklahoma to Kansas to Oklahoma to Kansas then back to California for 32 years and now living in Nevada. I appreciate the determination and courage that my ancestors took in their trek to America. With travel so much more accessible today, I have had the opportunity to travel both in the United States and internationally. It’s wonderful to experience other cultures and traditions.
Wordless Wednesday 10/13/21
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Preservation – Week 40 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Preservation Hall – Preserving Traditional Jazz
Gary and I had a wonderful opportunity to visit Preservation Hall in New Orleans as part of a special jazz experience.
Gary Coble received the first ever Music Teacher Recognition award given by the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Foundation on August 25, 1998 in acknowledgement of “his service to the future of American music as an outstanding and inspiring educator.” Gary came to the attention of the ASCAP committee because he was selected as Desert Springs Middle School Teacher of the Year for 1997-1998. He then was selected Palm Springs Unified School District Teacher of the Year and went on to be selected Riverside County Teacher of the Year.
The ASCAP award was timely because it also honored Sonny Bono who tragically died on January 5, 1998. Sonny Bono was best known as a singer-songwriter (and was a member of ASCAP). Additionally, he was mayor of Palm Springs from 1988-1992 and a U.S. Congressman from 1995 until his death. Since Gary lived and taught in the congressional district that Sonny served, it made this award very special for many people.
In addition to this momentous honor, Gary received $5,000.00 to further his own music education. ASCAP stipulated that he could not spend this money on his classroom. And this is how we got to Preservation Hall. Gary used part of his money to attend IAJE, the International Association for Jazz Education conference in New Orleans. In addition to the conference and the exhibits (the vendors were very generous – once while all the educators were at sessions I was wandering around and one of the vendors was looking for an educator to give a boxed set of jazz CD’s and gave them to me since I was married to a music educator -ultimately Gary was given hundreds of CD’s to share with students and other teachers), we also took advantage of all of the wonderful jazz performances we could, including the wonderful band at Preservation Hall.
A trip to Preservation Hall takes you back in time to the 50s and 60s. Originally it was just a small, no frills venue where musicians could play for tips. In 1961 Allan and Sandra Jaffe took over the management. They “hired local musicians whose ages ranged from 60s to the 90s. At first the Jaffes served no alcohol, used no amplification, and refused to advertise.” www.wikipedia.org
Preservation Hall is very small and is definitely a throwback to another era. It’s housed in a rough-hewn wooden building with few amenities including no air conditioning. There are a few wooden benches in front of the band but most visitors stand during the set just to hear these talented musicians. At his 70th birthday tribute in 1970, Louis Armstrong said the Preservation Hall is “where you’ll find all the greats” and Tom Waits who recently recorded there, proclaimed that it is “sacred, hallowed ground.” www.vanityfair.com
Preservation Hall has preserved traditional jazz and introduced jazz to people who have never been exposed to it. The bands change nightly so true jazz enthusiasts will have the opportunity to hear an unending supply of great jazz music.
Steps – Week 39 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Don’t Forget the Steps
Families may come in different configurations. This is a photo of my grandmother, Alta Jones Watkins (she was my father’s stepmother), me holding my sister Angelina (who is the daughter of my mother and my stepfather, Ralph), and my mother, Jerrie Bernal (Geraldine McLeod Watkins Bernal).
In 1966 my immediate family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma from Beaumont, California. We lived with my grandparents for a short time before moving into a house down the street from them.
My grandmother, Alta May Jones Watkins, was born on August 3, 1913 to George and Estelle Jones.
She married Donald Watkins and became the stepmother of my father, Billy Dean (I think they married when my dad was about 9), and his older brother, Donald Claud. For more information about Fanny Vandyke Watkins (my dad’s biological mother) leaving her family see my blog posts of January 21, 2021, Namesake and February 20, 2021, Unusual Source.
Alta and Don later had two other sons, Kenneth Gerald “Jerry” and George Edward “Eddie.”
While raising their sons, Alta and Don enjoyed square dancing.
Alta also stayed busy with the Washington School PTA. This is the elementary school where I attended sixth grade, the year we lived in Bartlesville. (This is also where I had my first starring role in a play. I was the Statue of Liberty.)
Alta was very gracious though reserved and had very high expectations. Her house was always perfect and she really enjoyed cooking and baking.
Let all the steps in your life enrich you.
Fun and Games – Week 38 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Joie de Vivre
Barbara Henrietta Anthony Stockschlaeder Guinn had a flair for the dramatic.
Barbara 
Barbara and her sister Mary
Barbara was born June 21, 1893 in La Crosse, Wisconsin to John and Gertrude Anthony. The family moved to San Bernardino, California shortly after my grandmother was born in 1905 (for more information, see my blog post of August 14, 2021, In the City).
As a young woman, Barbara was mentioned in The San Bernardino County Sun for her social activities. On June 28, 1912 she attended a plunge party and basket picnic for her brother, Peter. “After a merry round of the amusements and a plunge, the picnic supper was served.” Then on June 14, 1913 she made the social page for attending a card party and taffy pulling.
Barbara married Phillip Joseph Stockschlaeder in 1915. They had three children: Joseph, Gertrude, and Eleanor.
Barbara later married Alvin Francis Guinn. She died in San Bernardino, California on December 13, 1951 at the age of 58.
