Anniversary January 20, 1951.

My parents, James Austin Yearnd and Marjorie Helen Herrington, were married on this day in 1951. The wedding was held at my grandmother’s home, 703 E. Division, Cadillac, Michigan. The picture hanging in the wall on the right is hanging in my house today. It is an English water color, about 15 x 28 inches, by Henry J. Sylvester Stannard. It still has the label from a New York gallery; the title of the painting from the label is, “Home From Market” near Flitwick, Bedfordshire.

I also remember the clock which is sitting on the table under the painting. I believe Dad told me it was a “Kaiser” clock, but I don’t know which member of my Kaiser family it may have belonged to. Kaiser was my Grandmother’s maiden name.

mom and dad

I do not remember the wallpaper in the picture, but the carpet is very familiar. It was a flat wool rug with no padding, in a maroon color. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, on the left under the window, you will see a pull string from the window shade. Every pull in my grandmother’s house had string crocheted on it, just like that one. It is a detail I had forgotten until I looked carefully at the picture.

My parents divorced in 1964, after three children. Perhaps I shouldn’t be remembering their anniversary, but without the marriage, I would not be here.

Genealogy?

I’ve spent the last couple of years immersed in my genealogy society, trying to assist in a number of ways. I woke up one morning in December and realized that I had not worked on my own projects for some time.

Well, that’s not exactly true, I have continued to collect information, but I haven’t entered it into my database. I have a mammoth file folder in my computer containing unentered data. The great majority are photos, census pages and obituaries. However, there are also birth, death and marriage records, news articles, graduation announcements, funeral cards and a huge variety of other crap items that I have collected. I started earlier this week, and right now I am down to 1419 items in the file folder. Holy cow, I wonder when I will get done wading through this mess? In addition to that, I have a file folder of items that have not been scaned yet, and the accompanying notes. I think I will be leaving the scanned items for the end of the project, but depending on progress, I may have to move some of it up.

One problem I am having is that when I open up a record for a person, I find that some of the citations are not up to my current standards. After looking carefully at the calendar, I have decided to fix the “truly horrible”, but leave the others. How am I judging this? If I could find the source for the information by reading the citation, it stands, perfect or imperfect. If I cannot tell what in the world I was thinking, I am looking up the information again, or putting it on a list until I have a good source.

I am going on a trip to Salt Lake City in April, and I want to have some semblance of order before I leave. After all, how do I know what to look for if I do not know what I know? Really.

In order to reach my goal, I have been looking at each file, one by one. If it is a family I think I want to search in SLC, I am entering the data. If not, I have made a file folder within the “unentered data” folder with the family name and I file the item there for now. I am hoping to have a good handle on my families before April, wish me luck?

Has anyone else out there let information pile up like this? How are you dealing with it?

This is the Face of Genealogy

Edward Issac Warren

If you are wondering about this post, please read an explanation here.

Edward Isaac Warren, photograph and digital image in the possession of Pamela A.Warren, address for private use.

Kaiser Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 17 page 493

This entry is part 99 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 often.

Write something here.

Date: 17 May 1884
Liber: 17
Page: 493
Location: Wexford Co., MI
Grantor: Marietta L.Mitchell widow of George A. Mitchell deceased, Sophia A. Moyer, Alvin Mitchell, Andrew B. Mitchell, heirs at law of said deceased and Marietta Mitchell wife of said Andrew B. Mitchell by Oscar A Simons their attorney in fact and Oscar Simons trustee
Grantee: William Kaiser of Wexford Co., MI
Witnesses: E.P. Wart man and H.R. Freeman
Type of deed: Warranty
Rec’d and recording: 30 June 1884 7 a.m.
Clerk/registrar: T.J. Thorp
Location of land: Wexford Co., MI
Consideration: $60
Notes: Wm Kaiser to pay taxes assessed after 11 June 1883
Description: Lot # 19 in bloc 37 in Geo. A. Mitchell’s Plat of the NW1/4 of Section 3 in T21N R9W

 

The plat can be found in the Michigan Subdivision maps. Here is the portion of the plat which contains the lot described in the deed, which is at the corner of Prospect and Chapin Streets. If you are not familiar with Cadillac you would not realize that Chapin is a nearly east/west street. It is certainly not evident from this map. The current address of this property is 452 East Chapin street. Unfortunately, Google Street Views are rare in Cadillac, and do not include this house.

17-493

On the 1900 census, William and Elizabeth (Long) Kaiser were living on Wood Street; that street is know known as Mitchell. Maybe a subsequent deed will show his disposition of this property.

Kaiser Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 16 page 54

This entry is part 98 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 frequently.

Amanda Vanmeer and Daniel E. Kaiser married on January 1, 1869 in Cedar Springs, Kent County, Michigan. The couple lived in Pierson Township, Montcalm County, Michigan until sometime before 5 June 1880, when they were enumerated in Clam Lake Township, Wexford County, Michigan. They sold land in Pierson Township on 27 October 1879, so they likely relocated between then and the official census date in 1880.

Date: 12 April 1883
Liber: 16
Page: 54
Location: Wexford, MI
Grantor: Augustus F. Sission & Susan Sission his wife of Cadillac, Wexford, MI
Grantee: Amanda Kaiser of the same place, County & State aforesaid
Witnesses: Robert Christensen, Henry Hansen
Type of deed: Warranty
Rec’d and recording: 12 April 1883 4 p.m.
Clerk/registrar: Thorp
Location of land: Cadillac, Michigan
Consideration: $500
Notes:
Description: Lot 9, block 38

City of Cadillac, Lot 9, block 38, commencing at a stake in the south line of Cass Street 100 ft east from the east line of Rush Street, thence North Easterly along the south line of Cass Street 50 feet, thence south easterly parallel with Rush Street one hundred and fifty four feet, thence south westerly parallel with Cass Street 54 feet, thence south westerly parallel with rush street one hundred and fifty-four feet to the place of beginning.

This lot lies in the City of Cadillac. The plat is here: http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/platmaps/dt_image.asp?BCC_SUBINDEX=4306, it is called Mitchell’s revised plat of the Village of Clam Lake. I was glad to see that Rush and Cass Streets meet at block 38. Here is a portion of the plat:

16-54

 

 

The current address of this lot is 442 E. Cass Street. I was able to locate it on the Wexford County Standard map, [http://www.liaa.info/wexford/standard_maps.asp], and on Google, including a street view. The Google street view has “approximate” numbers, but I could find the exact lot by counting up from the corner of Rush Street, using information gleaned from the Standard map.

Daniel Kaiser was listed in 1899 as a landowner in Clam Lake Township, so I am not sure if, when, or for how long they might have lived in Cadillac.

Blessings From a New-found Cousin

Not too long ago, I was excited when a cousin of Papa’s contacted me by e-mail. She had read what I had written here about our Warren family, and knew she was related. After a couple of exchanges of information, we determined that she and Papa are second cousins, once removed. Since Papa’s grandfather, Edward I. Warren, was part of a family of six children, and his great-grandparents had eight or more children, we did know there were dozens of cousins out there somewhere. She was the second one that found us through the internet.

This morning, I was greeted with a huge surprise and blessing in my e-mail. These photographs of Papa’s great-grandparents, who are also his cousin’s second great-grandparents, are the first we have seen of them.

warren isaac copy
Isaac Warren, 1838-1922

cowling warren emily copy
Emily (Cowling) Warren, 1843-1932

Isaac Warren was the son of William Warren, an immigrant and soapmaker from Canterbury, Kent, England, and Eliza Eats/Eates. Isaac was also a soapmaker in New Brighton, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. His wife, Emily Cowling, was the daughter of James Cowling, 1810-1881 and his wife Emily Leach, 1810-1869. The Cowlings also immigrated from England to Pennsylvania.

Our cousin, Susan Brubaker Knapp, is a fiber and graphic artist. Please take a minute to look at her website, I am sure you will be as amazed as I was!

A huge shout-out to Susan for sharing these treasures!

Sources:

Warren, Isaac. Photograph. unknown date. Reproduction of original photograph in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp, address for private use.

Cowling, Emily. Photograph. unknown date. Reproduction of original photograph in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp, address for private use.

Kaiser Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 14 page 133

This entry is part 95 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.

This deed once again involves Daniel Kaiser, my second great grand-uncle, who was a brother of my great grandfather, William Kaiser

Date: 7 May 1885
Liber: 14
Page: 133
Location: Calhoun County, Michigan
Grantor: William L. Hollister and Maria A. Hollister his wife, of Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., MI
Grantee: Daniel Kaiser of Clam Lake Twp. Wexford Co., MI
Witnesses: Illegible, but resided in Calhoun County.
Type of deed: Warranty
Rec’d and recording: 24 June 1885
Clerk/registrar: Geo A. Currier
Location of land: Clam Lake, Wexford County, Michigan
Consideration: $1250
Notes:
Description: N1/2 of the SE1/4 of Sec 26 T21N R9W

This 80 acres is probably the place that my grandmother remembered the Kaisers living. It certainly is not on Whaley Road, but one might drive on Whaley Road, and others, to reach it. Here it is on the 1889 Atlas:

14-133

 

This Google map shows the location today:

View Daniel Kaiser Home in a larger map

  1. E.L. Hayes & Co., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan / compiled by Eli L. Hayes from government surveys, county and township records, and personal investigations and observations , Eli L. Hayes, (Chicago, Ill.: E.L. Hayes & Co., 1889), page 15; digital images, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928170.0001.001 : accessed 18 April 2011.

Kaiser Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 12 page 40 Wexford County Michigan Deeds

This entry is part 97 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 often.

It has been nearly ten years since I went through the deed books in Wexford County, Michigan, at the court house in my old hometown, Cadillac. For various reasons, I have not completed analysis of the results of that effort. I am back at it today, headed sequentially through a set of deeds which contain the names of my Kaiser and Johnston ancestors in Wexford County, Michigan.

Date: 21 December 1882
Liber: 12
Page: 40
Location: Wexford County, Michigan
Grantor: Daniel Kaiser and Amanda Kaiser of Wexford County, Michigan
Grantee: William Barnes of Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan
Witnesses: Robert Christenson, John B. Rascoret
Type of deed: Warranty
Rec’d and recording: 21 December 1882 2 p.m.
Clerk/registrar: Thorp
Location of land: Clam Lake, Wexford County, Michigan
Consideration: $1,000
Notes:
Description: The N1/2 of the SW1/4 of Sec 26 T21N R9W 80 acres

More than twenty years ago, I received a call from a friend of my M-in-L, she said, “I have your picture book.” I had no idea what she was talking about, but drove to her house, and paid the price she had for an old, worn photo album with a padded cover. I think I recognized it from the window seat in my grandmother’s house, but couldn’t be sure. After all, I was 6 when my grandmother passed away. But my cousin remember it pretty clearly, he said it had been in Jim’s office, Jim was my Dad. I did know that it was meant to me mine, pictures of my maternal grandmother’s family, and of her were labeled with little slips of paper with my Mother’s handwriting. One said, “Daniel and Manda Kaiser, uncle from Whaley Road.”

The land sold under this deed is in Clam Lake Township, which is in the southeast corner of Wexford County, bordering Missaukee county on its east side, and Osceola in its south. In this portion of the map from the 1889 Atlas of Wexford County, Daniel Keiser is listed as the owner of the land next to the 80 in this deed. I must have missed an earlier deed showing his purchase of this property. Mr. Barnes is nowhere in sight in 1889, he either never arrived, or stayed for a short time.

12-540

 

A fun fact I realized after I located the land on a more current plat map: Papa worked for the current owner of this farm during his high school years.

1. E.L. Hayes & Co., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan / compiled by Eli L. Hayes from government surveys, county and township records, and personal investigations and observations , Eli L. Hayes, (Chicago, Ill.: E.L. Hayes & Co., 1889), page 15; digital images, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928170.0001.001 : accessed 28 April 2010.

Kaiser Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 97 page 123

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.

Cleaning Up

I received unexpected contact with a second cousin of Papa’s the other day. This does not happen too often, so I was surprised. I was doubly surprised that our new cousin asked permission to use a photo that was posted on my Find-a-Grave site. It was not my photo, it was one that a kind researcher had posted for me. Those details attended to, I headed off to my database to see what it told me about this branch of the family.

When I checked my files, I found that I had a few pieces on information on the cousin’s family that I could share. But (why am I always a but?) I also noticed that a source reference in my database seemed a little strange. The detail text in the citation matched the event being sourced, but the title of the source included the name of someone from a completely different family. What?

I ended up typing the information to send to our new cousin, and the came back to the task at hand. It turned out that 301 death and obituary citations were linked to a single source in my database source list. The saving grace is that the detail text seems to be correct for the events in question. I use RootsMagic, so it was simple for me to print just the citations linked to that source.

You all probably know what I am doing now, right? Right. I am going into every citation using this source and creating a new correct source. Then I am copying the detail text over to the new citation, and deleting the old one. I will be doing this for a while, long enough to get discouraged. Perhaps I will get faster at it as I go along, I sure hope so!

The good news is that I can fill one more line out for descendents of Papa’s great-grandparents, John Foreman and Mary “Polly” Ziegler. So, this is a limited happy dance, but a happy dance all the same.