Granny Pam's Genealogical Trials and Triumphs
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Treasure Chest Thursday — Aunt Jane’s Treasures

June 3rd, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (1 Comments)
This entry is part 9 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

When you wish to know or understand someone, it is helpful to consider what they think is important. When my Aunt Jane passed to a better place on 5 February 2002, I was called upon to clean out her apartment. There were other things I did, but cleaning out the apartment was the most difficult. We had visited her there for nearly twelve years, holiday after holiday, so the place was familiar. I had also stayed in the apartment for a couple of nights when Aunt Jane was in the nursing portion of the facility.

Margaret Jane Yearnd was born on 29 January 1910 in Cadillac, Michigan. Her parents were William H. Yearnd, Sr., and Winnie Alice Kaiser. Aunt Jane graduated from Cadillac High School, and received a AB degree in social work from the University of Michigan in 1931.  She married Leo Edward Joseph Devereaux on 25 December 1931. Concern for others was the hallmark of Aunt Jane’s life.

When Jane  was eventually forced to relocate to a small retirement apartment, she did not save too much. What I did find tells a lot about the who Jane was.

Hidden away in the place I keep all my most important things, a top bureau drawer was Jane’s master’s degree from the University of Michigan. She earned the degree in 1943, I can only imagine the difficulty of study and full time work, while worrying about her soldier husband.

yearnd devereaux jane masters degree

yearnd devereaux jane masters

Next, I found some remnants of Aunt Jane’s volunteer efforts at a sheltered workshop in Paris, Michigan. I know she drove there from her Evart, Michigan retirement home each week, but had not been aware how important that activity was to her. As soon as I saw it, it remembered; one of Aunt Jane’s jobs was slaving over a hot grill on cook-out days.  She had saved a remodeled fast food crown to remember her time there.

yearnd devereaux jane hdq

The organization had honored her, also. There is an inside joke here, we will never know the whole story. I do the staff at MOARC treasured and cared for Jane.
yearnd jane devereaux moarc

Old habits live on, and Aunt Jane was a person who lived a life of service to others. Even with her sight problems, she found ways to help during her time at the retirement home. We usually visited Jane on Sunday, but if we made a Saturday trip, we were cautioned to arrive after 11:30. During the morning, Aunt Jane was busy helping with bingo and other games in the facilities health center.
yearnd devereaux jane fv vol

Jane Devereaux
Friendship Village Heath Center
May, 1994

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Treasure Chest Thursday – Aunt Bertha’s Tray

May 27th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (0 Comments)
This entry is part 8 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

I have had this hammered aluminum tray for a number of years. Aunt Jane, my Dad’s sister gave it to me, along with a story.

aunt berthas tray

Aunt Jane said that Bertha went to some classes and made the tray. That is an interesting story, I wish I knew if it was true. There is no mark or emblem of any kind on the tray, which is just over twenty-one inches in diameter.

. Bertha Elizabeth Kaiser was born 21 February 1893 in Cadillac, Wexford, Michigan and died there on 11 June 1981. She was my grandmother’s half sister, the daughter of William Kaiser and his second wife, Delia Conway. Bertha married Henry Cornwell Ballou on 10 August 1916 and the couple lived in Cadillac and Detroit.

When I knew Aunt Bertha she was a widow, and in my child’s eye, a typical older lady. When Papa and I decided to marry, she had us to lunch one day. At that time, she would have been seventy-six years old. No wonder I can’t imagine her taking a class and hammering out an aluminum tray!

I wonder if the B stood for Ballou, or for Bertha?

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Treasure Chest Thursday – Follett Hoe

May 20th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in What's going On - (1 Comments)
This entry is part 7 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

For years, M-in-L has used a nice little hoe with a triangle shape and a sharp point. She has always called it her “Follett Hoe”. A man named Follett lived near M-in-L’s family; he was the maker of the hoe. You can see his name on the Colfax township plat map, look next the the land outlined in red, he lived to the west of that place.

I never paid much attention to the hoe, but recently all that changed. Papa and I went down to Lehman’s hardware to shop and see the sights. Somewhere in that huge store we saw a hoe just like M-in-L’s. The photo and description on Lehman’s site pretty well tell the tale. The Follett hoe was made from a sickle bar tooth; something I never knew. It had been sharpened down real small.

Papa has been making all kinds of things in the past few years, and I guess the vision of the hoe stuck. A few weeks later he had made two of the wonderful hoes, one for me and one for his mother. Here is mine:

hoe

This baby is sharp, really sharp. The tooth is a little muddy, but you can see how sharp the point in this close-up.

point

This thing cuts roots like a champ, I will be putting it to good use for the summer. I know you are jealous and probably want one of these now; if you don’t you would as soon as you used it once. I do not have the blueprint, but I can tell you what Papa said he did. He went to the store and bought some sickle bar mower teeth, they are replacements parts and are available at places that carry the mowers. Then he bought a couple of cheap hoes, cut the blades off them and welded the tooth on in its place. It seems simple to me, but I have never run the welder.

Hats off the Mr. Follett, the originator of the idea in our neck of the woods, and to the smart fellow who is making them for Layman’s hardware!

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Treasure Chest Thursday – The Bricks

May 13th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (5 Comments)
This entry is part 6 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

In a big bag on the back shelf in my store room is a toy remaining from Papa’s childhood. The bag is made from some fabric M-in-L had around. A quick search on E-bay shows that many sets of these hard plastic bricks have survived.

bag

The original can was long gone when Papa and I married almost forty-one years ago. These bricks hold special meaning for us, F-in-L was a bricklayer. Papa took an apprenticeship beginning at sixteen, and laid brick during his college years, and for some time after his graduation. In those days, as now, jobs were hard to come by, and we were glad he had his trade to fall back on. I remember asking him how his day went, and he would say, “One on top of two, all day long.”

1 on 2

These toy bricks have been enjoyed by our children, and our grandchildren. I wonder how many more generations will consider them worth keeping?

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Treasure Chest Thursday – The Tulip Platter

May 6th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (0 Comments)
This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

In keeping with the spring season, here is a platter which I am lucky to have. I remember it on the evening dinner tables of my childhood days. For some reason, I see ham when I see this plate, and believe I should have ham.

tulip

I have always thought of this as the Tulip plate, but I also see other things, like the Lilly of the valley.

There is no mark of any kind on the back of the plate, and I have no idea of its origin or if anyone owned it before my parents. I have vague memories of a teapot, but I believe it just had the red flower, so it was probably not part of a set.

This platter is a great reminder of simple days, and a good ham dinner!

This post was written following the “Treasure Chest Thursday” theme over at Geneabloggers.

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Treasure Chest Thursday – Dad’s Shoe Shine Kit

April 29th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (3 Comments)
This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

The other day I got side tracked from a little job making a couple of pairs of PJ pants for GD1, and cleaned off the shelves in the back storage room. In the process I also sorted patterns, but that is another story. A few things surfaced, which I photographed for Treasure Chest posts.

shine1

I remember this shoe shine kit well. I have no idea how I ended up with it, but it contains enough sentimental value to almost bring tears to my eyes. Dad was an undertaker, I guess I have mentioned that enough times. In the good old days undertakers and really all businessmen, wore suits, hats, overcoats, gloves, and leather shoes. There were rubbers or zip front rubber overshoes for winter. Does anyone else remember the rubbers? they were very flexible, like rubber gloves, and fit tightly over shoes. I can close my eyes and see every adult in my childhood life leaning on the wall near the door, either putting the rubbers on, or peeling them off.

Dad polished his shoes with regularity, but I do not remember if it was a certain day of the week, or just when they needed it. Dad’s extra shoes (the ones that were not on his feet) lived on shoe trees, which looked like this:

shine2

They adjust from longer to shorter by putting the handle on using the correct holes. First he wiped the shoes off, then he put on the polish. For the uninitiated, the polish came in a glass bottle, with a fleecy dabber attached to the underside of the lid with a wire stick type thing. I can see him carefully spreading the polish on the shoes, holding not the shoes, but the handle of the shoe tree on which they were installed. He was meticulous, there was never any polish on the soles of the shoes, or on the floor, or his hands. The shoes were set aside on a piece of newspaper to dry, then shined with the brush.

If you look at the handle, you can see it serves a dual purpose. It is ribbed, therefore not slippery. You can sit in a chair, put your foot up on the handle, and brush your shoes off, or shine them with a rag. I think only the shoe trees, the brush and the box are original. The polish is all newer, and I have stored it in the kit.

This post was written following the “Treasure Chest Thursday” theme over at Geneabloggers.

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Treasure Chest Thursday, Buenilum

April 22nd, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Tools and Information - (3 Comments)
This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

After my Mother passed away, S-Dad waited a while, then began hunting for a place closer to his children. As he packed up in preparation for the move, a number of things came to the surface, and traveled down the road to Granny’s house. Two of those items are today’s subject.

I remember this plate and pitcher being around when I was young. The pitcher was used for water at holiday dinners, or on other occasions when we had company. Like a lot of folks, we used the faucet when there was no company.

both

The maker is the Boehner-Wanner Company of Norwalk, Connecticut. Buenilum is a trade name used for the hammered aluminum pieces. The company was started by Frederick Boehner Wanner, you can read a little more about him here. The mark on the bottom of both is a castle with the initials B.W. and the word “Buenilum”.

mark

The pitcher is about 9.5 inches high. I did not measure the amount it can hold, I think it is about two quarts. The serving tray is 14.5 inches across, excluding the handles. I believe there was a glass liner that fit into the depression, it has not survived.

These days, I have been working hard to get my old photos scanned. Check out this one I came across recently, with the Buenilum pitcher on the table.

001

In the back left, my grandmother, Winnie (Kaiser) Yearnd, at the end of the table, brother number 1, then me with the dirty face, then my Dad. Mom must have been taking the picture. Maybe I will put the pitcher on the table tonight.

This post was written following the “Treasure Chest Thursday” theme over at Geneabloggers.

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Treasure Chest Thursday – The Cat

February 4th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in What's going On - (4 Comments)

The Mosaic Cat arrived here at Granny’s at the end of the summer. D3 took a European cruise, and toured several places, including Italy.

DSC05922

Whenever I see a many-colored cat I think of my Mom, often repeated:

The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
T’was half past twelve, and (what do you think!)
Nor one nor t’other had slept a wink!
The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat
(I wasn’t there; I simply state
What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)

The gingham dog went “Bow-wow-wow!”
And the calico cat replied “Mee-ow!”
The air was littered, an hour or so,
With bits of gingham and calico,
While the old Dutch clock in the chimney-place
Up with its hands before its face,
For it always dreaded a family row!

(Now mind: I’m only telling you
What the old Dutch clock declares is true!)
The Chinese plate looked very blue,
And wailed, “Oh, dear! what shall we do!”
But the gingham dog and the calico cat
Wallowed this way and tumbled that,
Employing every tooth and claw
In the awfulest way you ever saw–
And oh! How the gingham and calico flew!
(Don’t fancy I exaggerate–I got my news from the Chinese plate!)

Next morning, where the two had sat
They found no trace of dog or cat;
And some folks think unto this day
That burglars stole that pair away!
But the truth about that cat and pup
Is this: they ate each other up!
Now what do you really think of that!
(The old Dutch clock it told me so,
And that is how I came to know.)

This ditty is called, “The Duel”, and was written by Eugene Field.

This lovely gift is not a heirloom right now, but I hope she will be someday. I have not given her a name yet, any ideas?

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Treasure Chest Thursday – The Service Flag

December 3rd, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors | What's going On - (2 Comments)
This entry is part 2 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

You may or may not be familiar with the Blue Star Mothers, an organization of mothers of service members. I recently read the history of the Blue Star Mothers, and learned that the group was organized in Flint, Michigan. I am a Michigander, and finding the group’s Michigan connection made me proud. I saw the listing for chapter M1, Flint, Michigan, thereby learning it is still active, and saw a listing of the officers and meeting time and location.

I wanted to learn more about the Blue Star Mothers after I found my grandmother’s Service Flag folded into her funeral register book. I wrote about Winnie Kaiser Yearnd’s funeral register in this series, not too long ago. My grandmother died when I was six years old, but I do have wonderful memories of visits to her home. When I saw the flag, I had far off dreams of having seen it before, but I am not sure. I think it may have been displayed at her funeral; if I remember correctly perhaps that is why it was in the book. I do remember seeing Blue Star Mothers marching in the Memorial Day parades of my youth, perhaps the only women in uniform I saw during that era.

D1 sent for a service flag when GS1 entered the Navy; it has been displayed in our front window for three years. This fall, GS2 joined the Army. I remembered that D1 had mentioned needing a new flag with two stars, then forgot about it. Last night, I took the old flag out, pressed it, inserted a wood dowel in the casing at the top, and hung it in the front window.

blue on white

The stars first represented my father and uncle, who served in the world War II era. Dad was too young for service during the war, but he was in the Marines for a short time after his high school graduation. There are quite a few photos of uncle Bill in uniform, he was older than my father, and served longer. I don’t believe washing the flag would be a good idea, it has no side seams, and is slightly frayed along the edges. However, I am very proud of our grandsons, and think my grandmother would be proud too.

Do you remember being told how lucky you were to live in the United States? I certainly do, freedom was highly valued, and those who served our country were respected and honored. Things were not as friendly when Papa served during the Vietnam era. It is important to remember that a price has been paid for our way of life, and today I am glad that more citizens take pride in their country and the service members who sacrifice for us.

Are members of your family serving? Do you have a service flag for your window? You can leave a comment here if you have memories of The Service Flag. If you would like on to display in honor of your service members, there is information on how to obtain one on the Blue Star Mother’s website. Even if you have no active member of the military in your family, you might enjoy reading about the history and activities of this great organization.

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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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