Granny Pam's Genealogical Trials and Triumphs
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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.
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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.

This entry is part 5 of 10 in the series Winnie Kaiser Yearnd Wedding Book

About the wedding, a clipping from Grandma’s scrapbook.

William Yearnd 1 wedding

UNITED LAST NIGHT
—–
MISS WINNIE A. KAISER BECOMES
THE BRIDE OF WILLIAM H. YEARND
——-
WAS A PRETTY HOME WEDDING
——–
Only Near Relatives of the Bride and
Groom Were Present at the Wed-
ing Ceremony.
——–

Miss Winnie A. Kaiser, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Kaiser, and William H. Yearnd were united in marriage last evening at 5 o’clock at the bride’s home at 448 East Chapin street. Only the near relatives were in attendance, it being a quiet home wedding. Miss Kaiser, the bride, accompanied by her father, marched from upstairs and were met at the archway leading to the parlor by Mr. Yearnd, who escorted the bride to a position in the front parlor directly under a bell of carnations and smilax and in front of a bank of palms, where the ceremony was performed. Rev. Dr. A. W. Johnston, pastor of the Presbyterian church, officiated, the Presbyterian ring service being utilized. Miss Gertrude Cox presided at the piano and rendered Mendelssohn’s wedding march. Little Doris Johnston, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Johnston, was the ring bearer and carried the ring in an Easter Lily. Both the bride and groom were unattended.

Immediately following the marriage ceremony and after the young couple had received the congratulations of the assembled relatives, a four-course wedding dinner was served. The dinner room was tastily decorted (sic) with American Beauty roses and white carnations. Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Rice were the master and mistress of ceremonies.

Mr. and Mrs. Yearnd are both very well and favorably known in this city, the home of the latter for most of her entire life. Mr. Yearnd came to this city about three years ago and no further comment of his standing in the community and his ability need be made other than that he has won the confidence and respect of the people of this city and county which was evidenced in their selecting him as prosecuting attorney in which office he is serving his first term.

Out of town relatives in attendance at the wedding were Austin Thompson, of Petoskey, Miss Yearnd, of Howell, Frank Yearnd, of Kalamazoo, Mrs. Edward Cox and daughter, Miss Gertrude Cox of Big Rapids.

————–

The first thing that stands out to me in this is that Winnie was the daughter of William Kaiser, but also the daughter of his first wife, Jane “Jennie” Johnston. The Mrs. Kaiser mentioned in this clipping was William’s second wife, Delia Conway Kaiser. Second, the date is not written or printed on the clipping; my grandparents were married on April 8, 1908. The marriage record lists Mildred and E.G. Rice as the attendants. Perhaps they were the most likely candidates for the blank spaces.

The big mystery of the wedding clipping is how all the guests are related, making this clipping both a genealogists dream, and nightmare. For what is solved, and what is not, watch future posts.

This entry is part 19 of 60 in the series Cemeteries

Maple Hill is a larger city cemetery, located on the south side of Cadillac, Michigan. I have collected a number of photographs from this cemetery and will post my photographs by lot number.

Lot 352, block O was purchased by Henry C. Ballou on 18 August 1893, according to cemetery records. Everyone buried here seems to have some relationship to the Ballou family.

ballouheadstone

There are a number of burials on the lot, my photos are linked. There was one listing with no birth, death or burial dates for “Ballou, Baby” in a computer printout of burials in the Cadillac Wexford Library at the time I did my search. A small marker with the name “Elton” on the front may mark the baby’s grave. I cannot read the back of the marker from the photos I have, and cannot find any record for his birth or death. However, on the 1900 U.S.census of Cadillac, Wexford, Michigan Sarah A. Ballou, wife of Henry C. Ballou is listed as the mother of 5, 4 living. I can account for her four children alive at that census, so perhaps Elton was the fifth child.

Ballou, Elton
Ballou, Henry, 1854-1926. was the son of Byron Ballou and Hannah Eldred.
Ballou, Sarah (Cornwell), 1860-17 July 1906 was the wife on Henry Ballou.
Ballou, Byron, ca 1827-11 January 1901
Ballou, Hannah (Eldred), ca 1828-27 December 1915, wife of Byron Ballou
Ballou, Henry Cornwell, 3 Nov 1892 – 3 Dec 1965 was the son of Henry and Sarah Cornwell
Ballou, Bertha Kaiser, 21 Feb 1893-11 June 1981 was the daughter of William Kaiser and Delia Conway and wife of Henry C. Ballou.
Ballou, Elizabeth Ann 21 May 1917 – 18 Feb 1922 was the daughter of Henry C. Ballou and Bertha Kaiser.
Ballou, Lornezo D., 24 Jan 1852 – 5 July 1905, was the son of Byron and Hannah (Eldred) Ballou.
Hall, Hattie Ballou, 1867-1896, was the daughter of Byron Ballou and Hannah Eldred. Her death record is here.
Brown, Martha Thompson, September 11, 1905 – 21 May 2008, was the daughter of Maude Ballou and her husband Howard M. Thompson.
Brown, Frank

My connection to this family is Bertha Kaiser Ballou. She was my grandmother’s half-sister.