Granny Pam's Genealogical Trials and Triumphs
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Kaiser Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 97 page 123

April 15th, 2011 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (2 Comments)
This entry is part 96 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

I am posting information gleaned from land records in the areas where our family’s ancestors resided. You can read more about this project in the overview. You may also check my deed record listing, which I will update with each post.

I received an inquiry about this deed by e-mail from someone who must have viewed my deed record listing on this site. I took a few minutes and looked up the information about the deed, which I found among my “Kaiser-Johnston” group.

Date: 21 Feb 1920
Liber: 97
Page: 123
Location: Cadillac, Wexford, Michigan
Grantor: Charles Barton, widower & survivor of his wife Stella Barton deceased of Cadillac, Michigan
Grantee: Wm and Delia Kaiser
Witnesses: E.M. Gustafson, A.W. Penny
Type of deed: Warranty
Rec’d and recording: 24 Feb 1920
Clerk/registrar: Slack
Location of land: Cadillac, Wexford, Michigan
Consideration: $8,500
Notes:
Description: Lot 6, Block 13 of Mitchell’s revised Plat of the the city of Clam Lake, now Cadillac, except for the north 50 feet.

William Kaiser was my great-grandfather, and Delia was his second wife, whom he married after my great-grandmother, Jennie/Jane Johnston died in 1888. Hmm, I think. I had never seen a Cass Street address in conjunction with the Kaisers, so what is going on here?

On the 1920 census, William and Delia were living at 448 E. Chapin, not the property described here, but the official census date was January 1, 1920, before this transaction. Out of curiosity, I looked at the 1920 census and did find Charles Barton, a widower, listed at 223 E Cass Street, Cadillac, Michigan.1 Barton was living next door to the at least two Mitchell families, the second property down the street would be where the Peterson Funeral Home is now. Hmmm. How long after his wife’s death did Charles sell? Seeking Michigan had the answer, Stella died on 27 January, 1919, and she was residing at 223 Cass Street at the time of her death. So Mr. Barton did not sell immediately after his wife’s death, but a year after.

You can see the original plat of Cadillac on the Michigan Subdivision Maps site. Block 13 is bounded on the north by Harris Street, on the east by Simons Street, on the west by Shelby Street, and on the South by Cass Street. Here is just the portion of containing Block 13:

97-123

 

Lot 6 is highlighted. The orientation of the map is deceiving, Cass Street runs west to east, the north 50 feet which would have been excluded from the transaction was on the corner of Cass and Simons street. I added the street names for Simons and Shelby, which were not visible on this portion of the plat.

I Googled the address, and found an old property sale listing for the address. Perhaps the addresses have changed slightly, I believe that Kaiser bought a portion of the lot which excluded the corner property, and the corner property is the one advertised for sale. I will not duplicate it here, but there is a pretty good view of the block on Google street view. It shows the funeral home and it’s parking lot, which is situated on the the northeast corner of Shelby and Cass. Traveling east up Cass street, there are two homes on the north side of the street before you reach Simons Street. They are easy to see from the street view. One problem with the street view are the address numbers/house numbers. They say approximate, and they are approximate. Even when I check the street view for my own home, the pin does not fall exactly on my home, but up the street a little way, with a note that the address is approximate. When the street view of this property says, 207 E. Cass Street, address approximate, I believe that approximate is accurate (if it can be).

I haven’t lived in Cadillac for 20 years, although I do visit occasionally. I know that property is on the same block as my church, Congregational UCC, and the Peterson Funeral Home. Why did William Kaiser buy this property? Did he ever live there? How long did he own it? Some of these answers are coming next.

 

1. 1920 U.S. census, Wexford County, Michigan, population schedule, Ward 3 Cadillac, Enumeration District [ED] 210, p 3A (penned) p. 158 (stamped), dwelling 55, family 66. Charles A. Barton, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com ” Accessed 15 April 2011); from National Archives microfilm publication T625 roll 798.

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Fearless Females: Blogging Prompt for March 11

March 11th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

Lisa Alzo, the Accidental Genealogist, has posted some marvelous blogging prompts for Woman’s History Month. The March 11 prompt: Did you have any female ancestors who died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances? Describe and how did this affect the family?

I have previously posted information about my great-grandmother, Jane “Jennie” Johnston. I wrote a biography of sorts, a post about her locket, and a post about her burial place and the record of her burial that I found. Jennie died at the age of 21 on or just before 29 January 1888. Although I have never found Jane’s death record, I am confident of her date of death. Why? I kept looking, and finally found a record of Jane’s burial in the original city cemetery logs.

The circumstances related to the many early deaths in the family of John Johnston are mind-numbing, at least for me. When you read about my great-grandmother, you read the tragic story of the orphans Jane and her brother James, traveling to Cadillac, Michigan within a few years of the death of everyone else in their family. Just a few years after the two arrived in Cadillac, Jane died, leaving a daughter only two years old. That daughter was Winnie Alice Kaiser, my grandmother.

James Johnston’s wife was Elizabeth Kaiser, a sibling of William Kaiser. James and Elizabeth’s first two children died young. One, a premature birth or still born is listed in the cemetery logs as: Johnston, James, infant of, born and died 3 August 1888. No sex is given. The Johnston’s daughter Katie, born in 1890, died in 1894. Their only child who survived was Rae E. Johnston, 1892-1978.

Between the ages of fifteen and twenty-nine, James Johnston experienced the deaths of his parents, his four sisters, a niece or nephew, and two of his three children. This much loss is hard for me to imagine, even more than 100 years later.

Several years ago, I got together with my cousins, James’ granddaughter and two great-grandchildren. We poured over photos, tried to figure out who they were, and I shared my research about the Johnstons. James’ granddaughter, Kay, said that Winnie Kaiser, my grandmother, spent a lot of her time with James Johnston and his wife after Jane, her mother, died. It makes sense that the young widower, William Kaiser would require help with his daughter so he could work. Families enjoyed the benefit of living in proximity, something I miss today.

Since I visited the graves of the John Johnston family in Ontario, and realized the enormity of the occurrences, I have thought about this often.

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Winter 2010 GeneaBloggers Games Task 4E

February 16th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Tools and Information - (0 Comments)


Made with WordItOut

I used Word it Out to create this graphic which shows the surnames in my family. Somehow, just the names seem very incomplete, so here is a little more.

The Johnstons and the Rapiers arrived in Huron County, Ontario from Scotland, where they married.

Long and Myers arrived in Ontario, already married with a family, from the disputed territory of Alsace-Lorraine. They always said they were French, and claimed birth in France.

A Kaiser came to Huron County, Ontario from his home in Vaughan Township, York County, Ontario, Canada. His ancestors, who were loyal to the King, had walked to Niagara and then settled in Kaiserville, near York (now called Toronto). You can find out a lot more about them at Black Creek Pioneer Village.

A Long married a Kaiser, they lived in Huron County, Ontario, then migrated to Cadillac, Wexford County, Michigan.

In Cadillac another Kaiser married a Johnston. Did I say that the Johnstons also migrated from Huron County, Ontario to Cadillac, Wexford County, Michigan?

A Yearnd/Yournd and a Detmann/Detman, already married, dropped into Howell, Livingston County, Michigan from outer space Germany? One Yearnd completed his education and traveled to Cadillac, Wexford County, Michigan, where he married a Kaiser.

William H. Yearnd and Winnie Alice Kaiser were my paternal grandparents.

Howard married Winn somewhere near their home in Rombow Precinct, Fishkill, New York. A Winn married a Ham, they lived in Columbia County, New York.

There another Winn married a Sherwood; they lived in Washington County, New York.

Then another Winn married a Palmer. They lived in Hoosick Falls, Rensselaer, New York.

But wait, the Palmer was adopted, his name was Askey or Ascha at birth. He came from Bennington County, Vermont, or Columbia County New York, or perhaps Berkshire County, Massachusetts. His parent’s surnames were Ascha/Askey and Ackert.

A Herrington, or perhaps Harrington dropped from outer space Ireland? into Rensselaer County, New York. He married a Palmer, who had previously been married and divorced from a Hill.

David Henry Herrington and Helen Lois Palmer were my maternal grandparents.

Somehow, Marjorie Helen Herrington found her way to Detroit ca 1949-1950, where James Austin Yearnd was attending Wayne State University. They married on January 20, 1951, at his mother’s home in Cadillac, Wexford County, Michigan. They were my parents.

If you are researching any of these names, in outer space, or a location I have indicated for that name, please contact me from the link on the upper right.

This graphic was created and posted to satisfy the requirement of category 4, Expand Your Knowledge, task E for the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games. Additionally, it was created on 15 February 2010, and posted with a scheduled time for publication of 6:00 a.m. EST, in partial satisfaction of task 5C.

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Just Keep Looking

December 19th, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors | Tools and Information - (2 Comments)

Many years ago, I read the films for births, deaths and marriages for Wexford County, Michigan, where my ancestors lived from about 1878 forward. The films were of poor quality, and completely unreadable in some places. I found records for many of my ancestors, including the marriage of my great-grandparents, Jane “Jennie” Johnston and William Kaiser. But, search as I did, I could never find a birth record for my grandmother. I found her marriage record, and later got a copy of her death certificate from the county clerk, but a record from the time of her birth which named her parents eluded me. It was important to me, since my great-grandmother, died when grandma was young, and some accounts name a stepmother as the mother.

Last night, I was fishing around at the new Familysearch record search, and look what I found (click to enlarge the thumbnails):

The fifth record, date July 19, 1885, Winnie L Kysor, female, white, born in the city of Cadillac!
winnie kaiser birth p1 4207267 933

Parents: William Kysor, Jennie Kysor, residents of the city of Cadillac, both born Canada, he a laborer, her no occupation, recorded on June 1, 1886.
winnie kaiser- birth p2 4207267 934

The Kaiser’s last name carries a spelling which I have never seen the family use, and the entry was indexed as “Minnie L. Kysor”. I have always know my grandmother’s name as Winnie Alice Kaiser, so the spelling caught me off guard. However, the other information, including the birthdate, parent’s name and birthplace match.

The records early Michigan records on the FamilySearch site are not the same records, or from the same films as I previously read. The films I read were of the local county books. The films on the site are returns, and may be a copy made made from local books. I am able to see that second page which contains the record is page 457, but I don’t know what the ledger name or number might be.

My next step will be to read the records line by line, to see if I can find a birth or death record for my grandmother’s missing sister, and Jennie Johnston’s missing death record.  I am also adding a review of the Wexford County films to my to do list, since I know the record is there, I may be able to find it.  You just never know.

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Family Portrait – William Kaiser and Elizabeth Long Family

December 2nd, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

William and Elizabeth (Long) Kaiser were my 2nd great-grandparents. This photograph was send to me by my cousin Jan Largent Blake; the names of the subjects were recorded on the back Thanks Jan! I have added the names where they can be seen. You may click this thumbnail to enlarge the photo.

KaiserfamilycourtesyofJan

The photo was probably taken about 1886 or 1887.

Below is another photo taken in the same studio, perhaps the same day. The picture is of Mary Ann Kaiser with her husband John Garvin and their son Roy. Mary Ann is wearing the same dress in both pictures. Roy was born on March 31, 1885. I believe Roy looks closer to two in the picture, but it’s all a matter of opinion!

JohnMary KaiserGarvinRoy

The Kaisers had ten children that I am aware of, three are buried in the cemetery of Knox Presbyterian Church, Cranbrook. The cemetery is in Huron County, Ontario.

The entire family was:

Joseph, 1857-1876
Mary Ann, 1860-1939
William, 1862-1940
Elizabeth, 1864-1938
Cecelia/Priscilla, 1867-1876
Sarah, 1870
Anna “Annie” 1871-1941
Austin Arthur, 1872-1962
Lucy, 1876-1914
Amelia/Millie, 1878-1963

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The Will of William Kaiser, Sr.

December 1st, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (2 Comments)

William Kaiser, sometimes called William Kaiser, Sr., to distinguish him from his son with the same name was my great-grandfather.  He was born in Ontario, Canada in 1862, and died in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan on 10 Oct 1909.  William married Elizabeth Long about 1857.

This Will, Petition for Probate, Inventory of Personal Property and Closing letter transcribed from Wexford County Probate Records. Recorded in Liber 17 beginning page 506 of Wexford County, Michigan Probate Court Records and

Will, Recorded Liber 70, beginning on page 464.

I William Kaiser of the City of Cadillac, in the County of Wexford and State of Michigan, being now of sound mind and memory and mindful of the uncertainty of life, do make, publish and declare this my last will and testament in manner following, That is to say:

FIRST, I direct that all my just debts and my funeral expenses be paid.

SECOND, I give, devise and bequeath unto my beloved wife, Elizabeth Kaiser, all my property both real and personal of which I may die seized or possessed wheresoever the same may be situated or found to do with and use the same as I could were I living, EXCEPT, that she may not sell deed or alienate any of the real estate. The true intention and meaning of this article of my will being that my said wife shall have a life estate in all my real estate but shall have all my personal property of whatsoever name or nature absolutely as her own.

THIRD, I direct that at the death of my said beloved wife all my property then in existence, whether real or personal of whatsoever name or nature, wheresoever the same may be found, shall be divided, share and share alike, equally among my children, whose names are as follows: Mary Garvin, William Kaiser, Elizabeth Johnston, Annie Phillips, Austin Kaiser, Lucy Johnston, Amelia Rice.

The executor of this my will is hereby empowered to sell the real estate and personal property at the death of my said wife or as soon thereafter as he may deem proper, under the order of the Court and give the proper deed for the same and then divide the proceeds of said sale or sales equally among my children as above named and directed.

Should any of my said children, at the time of such division of property by said executor be deceased, then the share of such deceased child of mine shall go to the child or children of such deceased child of mine. If such deceased child of mine shall have no living child then her, or his share shall be divided equally between my children who are then alive in addition to their regular share as above stated. I further direct that should a grandchild of mine have a right to inherit their parent’s share under the provisions of this will, that my own children who are alive at the time of my said wife’s death, shall not wait for their share of my property until any grand child of mine may come of age but the Executor of this will shall distribute to my living children their share of my property as soon after my said wife’s death as may be and paying to the guardian or representatives of any grandchild such share as such grandchild or grandchildren may be entitled under the provisions of this will.

FOURTH, I hereby nominate and appoint James Johnston of the City of Cadillac the Executor of this my last will and testament.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal—making my mark—a cross—instead of writing my name this 21st day of September A.D. 1907 William (his mark X) Kaiser (LS)

We hereby attest that the foregoing instrument was at the date thereof, in our presence signed, sealed, and published and declared by William Kaiser, the above named testator to be his last will and testament, and we have at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other, signed our names as witnesses thereto, this twenty-first day of September A.D. 1907.

Signed: James E. Henderson of Cadillac , Michigan

Signed: (Mrs.) Martha Gipe of Cadillac , Michigan

Petition For Probate of Will

STATE of MICHIGAN , County of Wexford Probate Court for said County.

To Fred Lamb Judge of Probate for said County

In the matter of Proving the last Will and Testament of William Kaiser Deceased, William Kaiser would respectfully represent to the Court that he is interested in the above matter as son and heir of said deceased, that said deceased departed this life a the city of Cadillac, in the County of Wexford and State of Michigan on the 10th day of October 1919, leaving a last Will and Testament, bearing the date 21st of September 1907, which is herewith deposited and filed to said court, that said will is in writing and signed by the said Testator, and is attested and subscribed to by James E. Henderson and Martha Gripe two competent witnesses, that said witnesses attested and subscribed said will in the presence of the said Testator and at his request, and that the said Testator at the time he executed said Will, was twenty-one years of age and upwards and was of sound mind and under no restraint or undue influence, whatever, as your Petitioner is informed and verily believe.

Your petitioner further represents that the said deceased, at the time of his death, was an inhabitant or resident in said County of Wexford and was possessed of Real and Personal Estate situate and being in said County of Wexford, and elsewhere to be administered, and that the estimated value of the Personal Estate is the sum of One Thousand Dollars and of the Real Estate the sum of Nine Hundred Dollars or thereabout, as your Petitioner is informed and verily believe.

And your Petitioner further represents that the names, ages and residence and relationship to the deceased of the legatees and heirs-at-law of said deceased, and other persons interested in said estate as your Petitioner is informed and believes are as follows:

Elizabeth Kaiser, widow, 73, Cadillac , Mich.

Mary Garvin, daughter, 49, Cadillac , Mich.

William Kaiser, son, 47, Cadillac , Mich.

Elizabeth Johnston, daughter, 45, Cadillac , Michigan

Annie Phillips, daughter, Cadillac Michigan

Austin Kaiser, son, Chicago , ILL

Lucy Johnston, daughter, Cadillac , Mich.

Amelia Rice, daughter, Cadillac , Mich.

Your Petitioner, therefore prays the Court to appoint a time and place for proving said Will, and that due notice thereof be given to all persons interested as the Court shall direct, and that said Will may be allowed and admitted to Probate, and that administration of said estate may be granted to James Johnston the executors named in said Will, or to some other suitable person, and that such other and further order and proceedings may be had in the promises as may be required by statutes in such case mad and provided.

Dated Cadillac, Oct 18, 1909 (signed) Wm Kaiser

State of Michigan County of Wexford }SS

The above named petitioner, being duly sworn, say that he has read the foregoing petition by him signed and knows the contents thereof, and that the same is true of his own knowledge except as to matters thereto stated, on his information and belief, and as to those matters he believes them to be true. (signed) Wm Kaiser

Subscribed and sworn to at Cadillac , Michigan this 18th day of October A.D. 1909 before me Fred C. Breen,Notary Public

Property Inventory

Johnston & Kaiser — GROCERS

(Letterhead of the establishment owned by James Johnston and William Kaiser, 2nd)

Cadillac , Michigan June 14th, 1910

Received of James Johnston, Executor of the last Will and Testament of William Kaiser, Deceased. The following goods and chattels, constituting the personal property of said deceased, and bequeathed to me by the will of said deceased,

1 Land Contract to E.G. Rice 500.00
1 Coal Stove 10.00
2 Couches 4.00
Chairs 5.00
1 Organ 10.00
Carpets 10.00
1 Dining Table and 6 Chairs 7.00
1 Refrigerator 3.00
1 Kitchen Stove and Utensils 6.00
1 Cupboard 3.00
1 Bedstead and Mattress 5.00
Curtains and Portier 2.00
1 Kitchen Table and Chairs 2.00
1 Sewing machine 10.00
1 Bedroom Suite 10.00
3 Chairs and Bedding 10.00
1 Mantel Clock 5.00
Total as appraised 602.00

(signed) Elizabeth Kaiser Widow

Closing letter, transcribed from Probate packet.

Cadillac , Michigan , Michigan , February 7th, 1928 .

To the Probate Court of Wexford County , Michigan .

In the Matter of the Estate of William Kaiser, Deceased.

The will of William Kaiser, Deceased, provided that his Wife Elizabeth Kaiser should have a life interest in the Real Estate of said Deceased. At her death is should be distributed to Mary Garvin, William Kaiser, Elizabeth Johnston, Annie Phillips, Austin Kaiser, Lucy Johnston and Amelia Rice.

The above named Heirs, except Lucy Johnston, wishing to allow Elizabeth Kaiser, their Mother, to enjoy the proceeds to be derived from the sale of the Real Estate made the following provisions.

Under date of May 8 1930, Mary Garvin, William Kaiser and Delia Kaiser His Wife, Elizabeth Johnston, Annie Phillips and Amelia Rice deeded their interest in said Real Estate to Elizabeth Kaiser their Mother, Under date of May 30, 1920 Austin Kaiser and Florence Kaiser, his Wife, signed the same deed.

Lucy Johnston died about October 1st, 1914 . About March 1st, 1924 a hearing to determine her Heirs was held in your Court, and the Heirs determined at said hearing deeded their interest in said Estate to William Kaiser, which closed up the entire Estate.

James Johnston

Executor.

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The Web

November 30th, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Don't Try This | Organize! - (0 Comments)
This entry is part 24 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

This little quote replaced the then current earworm in my head the other day:

Oh what a tangled web we weave,

When first we practise to deceive!1

You might want to know that I really don’t think our ancestors were attempting to deceive me. Anyone who ever heated their home with wood, or tried to put food on the table all year from a garden and a little hunting, or shoveled snow out of a mile long drive with a little shovel for 6 months of winter, or even tried to clear enough trees to make room for a garden, knows that the concerns of each day were more than enough to occupy our ancestors. They did not have time to worry about what remnants of their lives I might have to work with as I try to reconstruct their lives and experience.

After I finished profiling the last of my deed transcriptions that mention Papa’s Burdick ancestors, I stopped to consider how to handle the rest of the book.

the Book

Since I love to do things in steps, I scanned all the remaining pages; and found there were 227 in Wexford County, Michigan alone. Holy Cow! Talk about boring, I can not imagine profiling all of them consecutively, and I know no one is interested enough in land records to read the entire mess.

Swinging back to the present, the reason for the transcriptions was to find out more about our ancestors lives.  Since both Papa’s family,  and my family blessed me with a group of closely associated families in  single locations in Wexford County, Michigan, the deeds looked like a bonanza.  Papa’s Fenton and Burdick ancestors were living in Colfax, Greenwood and Cedar Creek Townships, Wexford County beginning about 1870.  My Johnston, Long and Kaiser ancestors arrived in Cadillac, Wexford County between 1885 and 1890.

The next thing that occurred to me is that these transcriptions tell a lot about the relationships between our ancestors. I find that my problem is how to shift focus from actual transcriptions to the information that they contain about our ancestors. Sounds easy, right? Right.

The project person in me just decided to sort the deeds by “family”. That is where the web came in. Are the deeds in Papa’s family Burdick, Fenton, Fellows, Tinker or Longstreet? Are the deeds in my family Kaiser, Johnston, Long, or Yearnd? Many of them represent members of two or three associated families. We have all heard it a million times, our ancestors lived in communities, not in isolation. Their families, including relatives distant, close, far and near; churches; and neighbors formed the framework that supported their difficult lives. Many of these relationships are described by the stories these deed transcriptions tell. I began to think of the web of relationships, activities and actions that these transcriptions describe.

In this vein, I also thought about how easy is is to be fooled by facts. I found a deed in the Burdick group under which John and Susie (Burdick) Fenton were selling their home in Colfax Township to her brother, Fink Burdick. Knowing that John and Susie adventured out to Iowa, I mistakenly assumed that this sale preceded their migration. The sale was on 2 May 1885, perfect for a spring trip west.

Further checking disappointed me, and also pointed out how easy it is to misunderstand any given “fact”. John and Susie’s son Alfred was born in 1887, an old family history says in, “Colfax, Wexford, Michigan”.

I think, OK, maybe John and Susie lived somewhere else in Colfax for two years. Or maybe they sold out to Fink and continued to occupy the place. Or maybe older family members told the cousin all the family but the youngest was born in Colfax. Or maybe older family members recalled that Colfax and Cedar Creek Township were once united and called Colfax. Or maybe no one knew where Alfred was born and just assumed the Fentons lived in Colfax till they headed out to Iowa. Or maybe Susie went to her mother’s house in Colfax to deliver Alfred. I could go on like this all day, really.

So, instead on continuing the speculation, I checked for a birth record for Alfred in Wexford County on the Family Search site. No luck for Alfred, but there was one for Ross, who was born in 1884, in Colfax Township. Hmmmm. My next source for John P. Fenton is a directory listing, and he is in MANTON, about 1883-1884.2 I do have a birth certificate for the John and Susie’s youngest child, Mary Eliza, who was born in Iowa, 3 April 1890. Hmmmm. I still do not know for sure exactly where Alfred Fenton was born, but I do know that it was probably in Michigan, not Iowa.  But, my original assumption about the deed in question being  executed just before the Fentons left for Iowa was in error.

I am going to make every effort to post the facts and information recorded in this group of deeds, but I will also try to relate the facts to the framework of our ancestor’s lives. Time will tell how successful that effort will be, but I will bet that I will learn more along the way than I might have anticipated.

  1. Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17. Scottish author & novelist (1771 – 1832)
  2. R.L. Polk & Co., Directory of Big Rapids City, Mecosta County : Cadillac, Cedar Springs, Cheboygan, Fife Lake, Harbor Springs, Howard City, Kalkaska, Mackinac, Mackinaw, Petoskey, Reed City, Rockford, St. Ignace, and Traverse City : including also, Alanson, Alba, Ashton, Belmont, Boyne Falls, Crofton, Edgerton, Elmira, Kingsley, Leetsville, LeRoy, Lockwood, Luther, Mancelona, Manton, Maple Hill, Mansfield, Milton Junction, Pierson, Sand Lake, South Boardman, Tustin, Walton, and Westwood : embracing a complete alphabetical list of business firms and private citizens, city officers, churches and public schools, benevolent, literary and other associations, and a complete classified business directory of the above named places. (Detroit: R.L Polk and Company 1884), page 284; digital images, ProQuest LLC, Heritage Quest (http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/books : accessed 18 November 2009).

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Jane Johnston’s Locket

October 22nd, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (9 Comments)
This entry is part 1 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

This locket was given to me on Christmas, by my Aunt Jane Yearnd Devereaux. Aunt Jane was my father’s sister, her full name at birth was Margaret Jane Yearnd.
locketfront

This note which accompanied the locket describes three items, I will get to the others in later posts.
jyearnddevchristmas1980
Inside the locket
locketback
Here is a larger photo of Jennie Johnston wearing the locket.
janejohnston1

Jane “Jennie” Johnston, who married William Kaiser (b 1862), was actually my paternal great-grandmother, but would have been my Aunt Jane’s maternal grandmother, an easy mistake to make. I wrote a little about Jennie a while back. I do know this is Jennie, and I can date the photo between 1881 and 1888, most likely between 1883 and 1888. Jane Johnston died in 1888.

The date is based on an immigration date for Jane’s only surviving sibling, who arrived in Cadillac, Michigan by 1884.

James and Jane were listed on the 1881 Canadian census, county Huron, South Grey, page 67 line 18: dwelling 274, family 274, Johnston, James, male, 16, born Ontario, religion Canadian Presbyterian, origin Scotch, farmer, going to school; Jane, female, 13, born Ontario, religion Canadian Presbyterian, origin Scotch, going to school; Harbottle, William, male, 25, born Ontario, religion Canadian Presbyterian, origin English, married, blacksmith; Catherine, female, 23, born Ontario, religion Canadian Presbyterian, origin Scotch, married.

James may have been listed first since he was the male heir to his  father’s property, John Johnston died 19 January 1881. The other deaths in the family were: John’s wife Catherine on 9 June 1880; and two children, Maggie, 14 Dec 1880; and “Winnie” on 29 December 1880. Katherine “Kate” Johnston married William Harbottle on 20 April 1881; and she died on 31 October 1881. The Johnston family burials are detailed in this post.

James and Jane were in Cadillac by 1884, when he is listed in a directory; and was a witness to Jane’s 10 October 1884 marriage to William Kaiser which occurred in Wexford County, Michigan.

In the early 1980′s I had the locket appraised by an antique dealer. The value is negligible, however, the appraisal did reveal that the locket was beaded steel, popular in the 1880′s. That helps to confirm that the locket existed at the time Jane lived and would have worn it.

I have a daughter who we named Jennifer, who is sometimes known as Jen, but never Jennie. Jen acquired her name long before I knew about Jane Johnston and her locket, but the locket will pass into her possession after I leave this world. If no other grandchildren arrive, I will ask that the locket and letter next be passed to GD1; her middle name is Jane.

If you made it this far, you might want to check out “CanadaGenealogy, or Jane’s Your Aunt“. If you don’t care to read it, you will at least know why I identify with the title!

P.S.  I am adding a link to the  GeanaBloggers theme for today, Treasure Chest Thursday.  I followed the theme without even knowing about it!  You can find links to interesting posts about family treasures on the theme page.  Have fun reading all of them!

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Winnie Kaiser Yearnd Wedding Book – 6

October 9th, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (0 Comments)
This entry is part 6 of 10 in the series Winnie Kaiser Yearnd Wedding Book

The guests! You may enlarge this thumbnail to see view the file.
14

I am going to list the guests, and their relationship to my grandparents.

Mother and Father Kaiser: William and Delia Conway Kaiser, Winnie’s father and step-mother.

Bertha and Austin Kaiser: Winnie’s half-siblings, the children of William Kaiser and Delia Conway Kaiser. Austin William Kaiser was born in 1896 and died in 1920. Aunt Bertha was born in 1893 and died in 1981.

Augusta and Frank Yearnd: Two of the four siblings of William Yearnd who were alive at the time of the wedding. William’s parents apparently didn’t attend, although both were living at the time of the marriage.

Grandma Kaiser: Elizabeth Long Kaiser, William Kaiser’s mother. William Kaiser, Sr. died in 1907.

Mr. and Mrs. E.G. Rice: Amelia “Millie” Rice was Winnie’s aunt, a sibling of her father.

Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Johnston and Rae: James Johnston was Winnie’s uncle, a sibling of her mother, Jane “Jennie” Johnston. His wife Elizabeth (Kaiser) was an aunt by marriage and blood, a sibling of William Kaiser. It is said that Winnie stayed at the Johnston’s home frequently after her mother’s death in 1888. Rae was their son, a cousin.

Mr. and Mrs. Geo Johnston and Doris: George Johnston as a cousin of James and Jane Johnston, according to an old family history. I have not been able to document the relationship. My father always referred to Doris as “Cousin Doris.”

Mr. and Mrs. John Phillips and Willy and Leslie: Annie (Kaiser) Phillips was another sibling of Winnie’s father. Their children, William and Leslie were Winnie’s cousins.

Mary Garvin and Roy and Pearl: Mary Ann (Kaiser) Garvin, another Kaiser sibling, Roy and Pearl, more cousins.

Austin Thompson: I have no idea how or if Austin is related. This is a mystery, if you know please contact me.

Mrs. Ed. Cox and Gertrude: I learned about how the Coxes were related about ten years ago, a revelation! I could write a book about this one, but I’ll try to simplify. Winnie’s grandfather, William Kaiser, 1837-1907, had a sibling named Sarah. William’s wife, Elizabeth Long, 1834-1921, had a sibling, Nicholas Long.

Nicholas Long and Sarah Kaiser married, and eventually ended up in Minnesota. Nicholas used the name “Lang”, a pronunciation which might be truer to the Long’s French origin. Ellen or Helena Lang, who was their daughter, married Edward Cox. The Coxes somehow made their way to Michigan, where the resided first in Cadillac and then in Big Rapids. So, Mrs. Ed “Ellen” Cox was William Kaiser’s first cousin, Winnie’s first cousin once removed. I have heard the term “double” cousin used to describe a relationship like this, when siblings marry siblings. My genealogy program simply says “first cousin” and lists both sets common ancestors.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Long: More cousins. There were a lot of Joseph Longs in my 2nd great grandmother’s family. The Joseph who was the correct age, and in the correct location to have attended this wedding was Joseph Long, b 1877 in Canada who married Alice Gibbs. He was the son of another sibling of (Elizabeth Long) Kaiser, Joseph Long, ca 1938-1909 and Fredericka Schnack, and Winnie’s first cousin, once removed.

Mr. and Mrs. A.W. Johnstone: More properly Dr. or Rev., Johnstone performed the wedding ceremony. I have no evidence that he was related.

Mrs. Maria Caulkins and Mamie and Elsie: Maria (Conway) Caulkins was Delia (Conway) Kaiser’s sister. She was not related to Winnie, but was Winnie’s father’s sister-in-law. Mamie and Elsie were her daughters. It took me a long time to figure this out, but eventually, I did.

Mr. and Mrs. M.M. Snider: I cannot identify the relationship of the Snider’s to Winnie at this time. The Snider family, which resided in York, Ontario at the same time as Winnie’s Kaiser ancestors may be connected in some way by marriage.

It was interesting to see that three friends of Winnie crashed the wedding. Their names: Kate Heath, Bess Methenay and Edna Saw.

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The Lilac

August 31st, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Cemeteries | Granny's Ancestors - (1 Comments)
This entry is part 30 of 60 in the series Cemeteries

There are many surprising moments in life, and I had one this spring. M-in-L, Papa and I spend a day or so visiting cemeteries on Memorial Day weekend each year. Last year, Papa and I went back to Maple Hill Cemetery to water our flowers.

Since it was just the two of us, and we had a few minutes, I wanted to look at some family lots I hadn’t see in several years. One of those is block B lot 60, where my great-grandparents are buried.

I was amazed to find this.

lilac kaiser 2009

That knurly old lilac has been on the lot as long as I can remember, I have no idea who trimmed it the way is is. Most lilacs in the area are clumped bushes, not single larger trunks. I had never seen this one blooming before in the entire 35 or so years I have visited this cemetery. It is planted next to the marker for William, Jennie and Cecelia Kaiser, which you can just see in the foreground.

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