Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

We’re closing in on Halloween so here’s a blast from my past. My brother in I in 1982… clowning around.

Happy hunting!

Jess

 

Tombstone Tuesday

This is the final resting place of my 5^th Great Aunt (by marriage) and 1^st cousin six times removed Julia Ann Helsel and her husband Henry L. Helsel. She was the daughter of my 6^th Great Uncle Jacob Helsel and Elizabeth Shanks. She married her first cousin on May 15, 1845 in Portage, Ohio and the couple moved to Algoma Township, Kent County, Michigan to build their home. Julia had four children before her early death in October of 1854, 158 years ago this week. She is buried in Algoma Cemetery.

Happy hunting,

Jess

 

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

One of this intrepid trio turns 35 today! Happy birthday to my slightly younger, but now hulking, younger cousin!

These are the three oldest Grandchildren of William and Ethel Johnson. I’m the middle child of the bunch by about 5 months. This was taken at my grandparents’ home on Main St in Rockford, Michigan (which backed up to the Rogue River) around about 1979 or 1980.

Happy hunting,

Jess

 

Tombstone Tuesday

I love the detail in this stone—between the branch design and the square and compass symbol marking G. N. Shaw a Freemason—and the details in the picture with the tipping stones in the background.

This is the marker for the final resting place of George N. and Sarah (Johnson) Shaw in Rockford Cemetery, Rockford, Michigan.  George was the son of Sisson and Sophia (Rounds) Shaw. We’re not directly related but the Shaw family intertwines with most of the early Algoma Township families including the Helsels, Houses, Morningstars, and Rectors.

Happy hunting,

Jess

 

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

I cannot express how much I love this shot! Grandma all dressed up and and Daddy looking too cool for college in front of his Duster. This was taken on the campus of Michigan State University around 1973.

 

Tombstone Tuesday

We’re back to Pioneer Cemetery in Rockford, Michigan for this week’s tombstone. This is the stone for Rebecca (Huntingdon) Porter, my 4^th Great Grandmother and the first wife of Seth Porter. I believe she was born in Vermont in 1837. She married Seth in 160 years ago this month—Oct 4, 1852. She was the mother of seven children—Melissa Emeline, George Erwin  (my 3^rd Great Grandfather), Rheumina, Minnie Isabel, Harry Clifford, Almeda Laverne, and Flora Ethel. She died at the age of 52 in February of 1890.

Happy hunting,

Jess

 

Happy Birthday, Grandma Trotter!

 

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

My family has spent many a fall day stepping back in time through visits to the Michigan Renaissance Festival. I started to go with a close friend in middle school (or if any later, early high school) and have been attending ever since. Highlights include:

• Multiple trips with people more interested in the current college football game than wandering Hollygrove.
• The first year I drove and a row boat fell out of a truck in front of me after my mother, in the lead car of our caravan, lost me. And a pair of my cousins assigned to my car accidently handcuffed themselves together—don’t  ask, I still have no idea why.
• The first year I danced as a guest of Aida Al Adawi’s Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble.

But a few years ago we introduced both my nephews to this strange, fun experience and this year we took my niece for the first time. It’s so much fun to see this all through their eyes. And I’ll always think of this day, when my then 5 year-old nephew strapped on his toy sword and swaggered after his father.

Happy Hunting,

Jess

 

 

Tombstone Tuesday

Since I’ll be riding through roads that the Shea’s traveled and it’s just about 80 years to the day since his death, this week’s Tombstone Tuesday features Rufus Shea, my 3^rd Great Uncle and the next older sibling of Cornelius Shea.

When Gran and Aunt June got me started looking for their family they tried to come up with the names of their great uncles—thinking that a few had visited the Shea’s when their father was still alive. One of the names they came up with was Rufus and it was just unique enough to help me find the Sheas in New York.

To the best of my knowledge Rufus was the 8^th child and 5^th son of Patrick and Theresa (Macumber) Shea. He was born in 1861 in St. Lawrence County, New York. Like his older brothers he worked for some time as a miner there. Later he moved west to the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan (same as his brothers John, Daniel, Gus, and Cornelius) where he ultimately became a farmer and married Hattie King the daughter of N. C. and Sarah King. They had one son,  Leroy King Shea.

Rufus, Hattie, and Leroy are buried together in Maplegrove Cemetery, Glen Arbor, Leelanau County, MI.

Happy hunting!

Jess

 

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

This is my 2^nd Great Aunt Grace (Packer) Elliott and my Great Grandmother Cora (Packer) Shea. It was taken at the home of their parents around about the early 1920s.  I could certainly be mistaken but I think Grandma Shea is wearing a wedding band which would make it 1922 or later. Ninety percent of my earlier pictures of Aunt Grace have a very sour expression. This one’s more “trying-not-to-look-like-I-could-possibly-be-happy” and it is very similar—both due to features and the expression—to at least two of my close living relatives. Any guesses?

Happy hunting!

Jess