When I mentioned the story about Grandma Izzy and the peanut butter stuck in her mouth to Grandma Kathleen, she laughed softly and said, "You know, my mother had a similar experience!"
Grandma Kathleen told me that when Grandma Lucy was a child, the peanut butter was stickier and had to be stirred up. Like Grandma Izzy, Lucy loved peanut butter, and would try to snitch it. Well, one day Lucy was in the pantry with a spoonful of peanut butter when she heard someone looking for her!
Not wanting to be caught red-handed, Lucy quickly put the peanut butter out of sight--in her mouth. Unfortunately, she couldn't swallow the sticky peanut butter and was caught red-handed anyway.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Pictures of pictures - Wallace side
So, here are some pictures of pictures for you to look at! I didn't have a scanner handy, so I just whipped out my digital camera and took some pictures. Therefore, the quality isn't as great as it could be (yay reflections!), but I wanted to have copies of these pictures for myself and for anyone else who was interested to see them. We have some good looking people in our family!
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| Lucy Henize |
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| Cecil Denver Wallace, Sr. |
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| No flash caught on this one, but it's a bit blurrier : / |
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| John Henry Henize, Mollie Elizabeth Chambers |
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| Minnie May Winspear and Clifford White |
Thursday, June 13, 2013
James William Wallace
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| Julia Anna Peters, James W Wallace |
Birth: March 21, 1867
Marriages:
- October 31, 1896 to Julia A. Jordan. Julia Jordan was about 20 and James was 29.
- August 20, 1899 to Julia Anna Peters. James was 32 and Anna was 26. They had two children, Adrian Floyd and Cecil Denver.
James grew up and lived in and around Green, Brown, Ohio. That combination of township and county makes me laugh every time! I think there might have been some Whites that lived in Green, Brown, Ohio, too. Oh, so many colors.
ANYway. The 1870 and 1880 censuses show that James grew up with both sets of grandparents, and many of his aunts, uncles and cousins living right next door or down the road from him. Isn't that great? I'm guessing that they all helped each other with their farms and such. I wish I could post a picture of the census with everybody labeled according to how they're related to him (James), but I recently found out that it might not be allowed to post pictures of records from Family Search on the internet, so I'm waiting to hear back on if I have permission. If I don't, I'll be taking down all the record images that I've posted on the blog. The links will still be there, though.
James was the oldest of three boys. His father passed away when he was young, so James's mother had to raise her children on her own. I'm sure having all that family around made a big difference to her, but even with all of his uncles and family around, I wonder if James felt responsible to fill the role of his father in providing for his family, as he was the oldest son?
James was very close to his family on both his father's and his mother's sides. Most of his relatives that lived on land adjacent to his immediate family were Wallaces. I also found two 1880 censuses recording a James Wallace of the appropriate age. One was listed with Elizabeth Wallace (James's mother) and the other was listed with Z. H. Kennady -- or Zedick Hezekiah Kennedy -- Elizabeth's younger brother and James's uncle. On the census, it shows that James was working on the farm, so I think he must have gone to help his uncle out with some of the farm work when the census was taken.
I did find a marriage record for a Julia Jordan (NOT to be confused with Julia Anna Peters!) and a J. W. Wallace. A John Wallace was witness that James and Julia were old enough to marry without their parents' consent and that they weren't too closely related. I'm guessing that this John was James's younger brother. This marriage took place in Clermont County, Ohio, very close to where James grew up. I couldn't find any other records pertaining to Julia Jordan after she and James married, but I think someone has because there's a death date for her on Family Search.
I was unable to find a marriage record for James and Julia Anna Peters, but documents pertaining to their two children (a birth record for Cecil Denver and a marriage record for Adrian) list James Wallace and Julia Peters as their parents. Mabel Shell, Anna Peters's daughter from her first marriage, lived with them until she either married or was of age to move out. I wonder what James's relationship was like with her?
By the 1900 US Census, Mabel is 4 years old and James and Annie had been married for about a year. They were renting a house that didn't have a farm, but most of the people living near them lived on farms.
At the 1910 Census, James and Annie seem to have a really good life going for them. They own their own farm free of mortgage! Their children are growing and going to school--at this point, they have two boys (Adrian, 9, and Cecil, 1.5 years - here's his birth record from 1908) in addition to Annie's daughter Mabel. James seems to have steady work at the sawmill, which brings in a more reliable income than the farm would. Family is close again; James's brother Robert was living close enough to be recorded on the previous page of the census.
Not much seems to have changed by the 1920 Census except that Mabel has moved on, probably to marry and start her own family. I couldn't find a marriage record for her, so I'm not sure who she married or if she did marry. James's son Adrian got married two years after the census was taken, so Annie and James were left with only their youngest child at home, making Cecil essentially an only child for his teenage years.
Sometime before 1930, Annie and James sold their farm and moved into town. James started up a grocery store, and Annie worked there as a clerk. Unfortunately, it seems like that business didn't work out for them, because in 1940 James was working at the saw mill again.
Although he had moved several times, James lived in Brown County, Ohio his whole life. I'm sure he visited other places, though, especially Cincinnati. James passed away just five days before Christmas Day, 1944. World War II was still raging, although the tides had turned and it would end a few months later. James was 77 years old when he passed and was survived by his widow, Julia Anna Peters.
1870 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6KH-YS9
1880 Census:
- with mother: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MZ1D-GZJ
- with uncle: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M89W-DBB
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDKP-42R
1900 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MMCC-1R8
1910 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MLNF-1ST
1920 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MDBS-5VX
1930 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X4S4-YXF
1940 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KWD1-6W5
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Julia Anna Peters
|
| Julia Anna Peters, James W. Wallace |
Birth date: September 9, 1872
Marriages:
- April 30, 1895 to William Shell. Anna was 22 and William was 27. They had one child, Lena Mabel Shell
- August 20, 1899 to James W. Wallace. Anna was 26 and James was 32. They had two children, Adrian Floyd and Cecil Denver.
Julia Anna has been a really interesting person to research. It seems like she went by her first name Julia when she was young (see the 1880 Census), but by her first marriage, she was called by her middle name Anna or Annie (see the subsequent censuses).
As you can see from the 1880 census, Julia is the second youngest child in her family. Her father had passed away just a year before the census was taken, so Julia's mother Sarah was listed as the head of household. Julia's older brothers helped to support the family (if you look at the 1880 census in Family Search, you can see Julia's older brother George W and his family listed right before Julia's family unit), but you wonder how Julia's life and perspective were different without her father around for much of her life.
Did you know that the 1890 U.S. Census was burned? Evidently there was an fire in the basement where it was kept, and all fragments except a few maps were destroyed as a result. This fire is what prompted the United States to establish the National Archives. So we don't have any of the 1890 Census records. It would be nice to know more about Julia's family at this point, but I guess we'll just have to live with the gap.
In 1895, Annie married William Shell (I found their marriage license/certificate!). About a year later, their daughter Mabel was born. Around 1898, William passed away. What a tragedy! I'm sure that Annie was distraught! On top of having a young child and not knowing how she was going to survive financially, her husband and companion was no longer there for her.
Annie married again, about a year and a half after William's passing. She married James Wallace, also a young widower. His first wife had passed away three years earlier, just a few months after he and she married. James and Annie married just in time to have their first year of marriage preserved by the 1900 US Census. Mabel is 4 at this point, and James and Annie had been married for about a year. They were renting a house that didn't have a farm, but most of the people living near them lived on farms.
At the 1910 Census, James and Annie seem to have a really good life going for them. They own their own farm free of mortgage! Their children are growing and going to school--at this point, they have two boys (Adrian, 9, and Cecil, 1.5 years - here's his birth record from 1908) in addition to Annie's daughter Mabel. James seems to have steady work at the sawmill, which brings in a more reliable income than the farm would.
Not much seems to have changed by the 1920 Census except that Mabel has moved on, probably to marry and start her own family. I couldn't find a marriage record for her, so I'm not sure who she married or if she did marry. Annie's son Adrian got married two years after the census was taken, so Annie and James were left with only their youngest child at home, making Cecil essentially an only child for his teenage years.
Sometime before 1930, Annie and James sold their farm and moved into town. James started up a grocery store, and Annie worked there as a clerk. Unfortunately, it seems like that business didn't work out for them, because in 1940 James was working at the saw mill again.
Annie was 83 when she passed away.
1880 Census
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MZ1D-6Y5
Marriage to William Shell:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XD59-LCQ
Birth of Cecil Denver Wallace, Sr. (1908):
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X67W-S5S
Marriage of son, Adrian Peters (1922):
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XZ1N-7LL
1900 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MMCC-1R8
1910 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MLNF-1ST
1920 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MDBS-5VX
1930 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X4S4-YXF
1940 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KWD1-6W5
Saturday, May 18, 2013
James Henry Thompson
James Henry Thompson -- my great-great-grandfater -- lived in Newnan, Cowetta County and also in Carroll County, Georgia for a large portion of his life. According to Google Maps, that's less than an hour's driving time away from where I live now! This will be the first time since I started doing family history that I've lived close enough to the places my ancestors lived to actually visit them and look at records of my family members that are not online. Wooo!
James Henry is the man on the right. The woman in the picture is his third wife, Sarah Burke. Many women died young from complications during childbirth, and I believe that is what happened to James's first two wives. It was difficult in those days to raise children as a single parent, just as it is today, so many men remarried not just for company, but also to help raise the children.
Parents: John Henry Thompson, Martha V. Benford
Birth: October 3, 1866 in Heard County, Georgia
Marriages:
Since James, Henry, and Thompson were all pretty common names, at first all I found was the 1940 census and the record of his marriage to Callie Nolan. However, when I searched using James Henry's children's names or siblings' names, I was able to find many more records for him.
As you can see in the censuses, James Henry Thompson was listed as Henry or Henry J. This leads me to believe that he was called by his middle name, Henry. Several of his siblings also primarily used their middle names. This is probably another reason I found it so difficult to find records for J. Henry Thompson.
As I've been doing family history work, I've noticed that censuses records seem to be more of a casual record than records such as a marriage record. Census records tend to have less accurate ages and nicknames, while marriage records have more accurate ages or birth dates and names. Therefore, although I've only come across one record that lists J. Henry as James H. Thompson while the others list him as Henry J., I feel that it is more credible since it's a marriage record.
So J. Henry lived in western Georgia, really close to the Alabama border. In 1880, the area that he lived in was so far west that it was called New Mexico! New Mexico was/is located in the south west corner of Carroll county, right next to the Alabama border.
Henry is listed as living in Carroll County up until about 1930, where we see he's living in Coweta County. Coweta is closer to Atlanta and further east than Carroll County. However, Henry's marriage to Callie Nolan took place in Coweta County, and at least their first child (James Oren Thompson, Sr.) was born in Newnan, Coweta County, Georgia in 1892. It seems like Henry moved around some. I don't know how or where he met Callie, but I'm guessing that they lived in Newnan to be closer to Callie's family (She lived in Clayton County in 1880. That's east of Coweta County.)
You may have noticed that J. Henry's three oldest children were not living with him and his second wife in 1910, although his youngest from his first marriage would have been only 15 years old. I don't know where they went, but I'm guessing that J.O., Sr and his two sisters were sent to live with relatives since their widowed father didn't have the means or ability to raise his young children. I'm going to ask Grandma if she knows anything about it.
J. Henry passed away at the age of 76 years old. His youngest child Harvey Hoyt was only 14 years old.
1880 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8L6-F1J
Marriage to Callie A. Nolan:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KXVK-G4Q
1910 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MLV1-WTV
1920 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MJ8X-5WH
1930 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/331Q-X2M
1940 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K7LD-WWD
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| Sarah Burke Thompson, probably Hoyt Thompson, James Henry Thompson |
Parents: John Henry Thompson, Martha V. Benford
Birth: October 3, 1866 in Heard County, Georgia
Marriages:
- July 1 1888 to Callie Anita Nolan in Newnan, Georgia. Callie was about 20 and James was 21.
Children: James Oren Sr., Lillie Belle, and Susie Ella - February 12, 1905 to Lena Lenderman. Lena was 19 and James was 38.
Children: Siddie Odessa, Oliver Glen (Glen), and Clarence Richard - June 1, 1919 to Sarah Jane Burke. Sarah was about 32 and James was 52. This was Sarah's second marriage.
Children: John B, Roy John, Elizabeth, and Harvey Hoyt
Since James, Henry, and Thompson were all pretty common names, at first all I found was the 1940 census and the record of his marriage to Callie Nolan. However, when I searched using James Henry's children's names or siblings' names, I was able to find many more records for him.
As you can see in the censuses, James Henry Thompson was listed as Henry or Henry J. This leads me to believe that he was called by his middle name, Henry. Several of his siblings also primarily used their middle names. This is probably another reason I found it so difficult to find records for J. Henry Thompson.
As I've been doing family history work, I've noticed that censuses records seem to be more of a casual record than records such as a marriage record. Census records tend to have less accurate ages and nicknames, while marriage records have more accurate ages or birth dates and names. Therefore, although I've only come across one record that lists J. Henry as James H. Thompson while the others list him as Henry J., I feel that it is more credible since it's a marriage record.
So J. Henry lived in western Georgia, really close to the Alabama border. In 1880, the area that he lived in was so far west that it was called New Mexico! New Mexico was/is located in the south west corner of Carroll county, right next to the Alabama border.
Henry is listed as living in Carroll County up until about 1930, where we see he's living in Coweta County. Coweta is closer to Atlanta and further east than Carroll County. However, Henry's marriage to Callie Nolan took place in Coweta County, and at least their first child (James Oren Thompson, Sr.) was born in Newnan, Coweta County, Georgia in 1892. It seems like Henry moved around some. I don't know how or where he met Callie, but I'm guessing that they lived in Newnan to be closer to Callie's family (She lived in Clayton County in 1880. That's east of Coweta County.)
You may have noticed that J. Henry's three oldest children were not living with him and his second wife in 1910, although his youngest from his first marriage would have been only 15 years old. I don't know where they went, but I'm guessing that J.O., Sr and his two sisters were sent to live with relatives since their widowed father didn't have the means or ability to raise his young children. I'm going to ask Grandma if she knows anything about it.
J. Henry passed away at the age of 76 years old. His youngest child Harvey Hoyt was only 14 years old.
1880 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8L6-F1J
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| 1880 Census, Carroll County, GA |
Marriage to Callie A. Nolan:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KXVK-G4Q
1910 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MLV1-WTV
 |
| 1910 Census, Carroll County, Georgia |
1920 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MJ8X-5WH
 |
| 1920 Census, Carroll County, GA |
1930 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/331Q-X2M
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| 1930 Census, Coweta County, GA |
1940 Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K7LD-WWD
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| 1940 Census, Coweta County, Georgia |
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
J.O. Thompson--Record Count: 3
When I made my initial search for J.O. Thompson, I only found one record for him. I ran into similar scarcity of records for his wife, Grace Campbell. In the process of looking for J.O.'s father (James Henry Thompson), I found two more records for J.O, and one record for Grace. This brings the record count up to 3 for J.O. and 2 for Grace (I found a record for each when I was researching them earlier)
One of the records was in the 1940 US census. You can see the image and the link at the bottom of this post. It's neat to see a record with so many people that I've actually met--Aunt Margaret, Aunt Sugie, Aunt Ruby, Uncle Foy, and of course Grandma Izzy.
The other record was a WWI draft registration card that contained his physical description and his date of birth. J.O was described as a man of medium height and weight with gray eyes and light hair, not bald (he was only 25). At the time of registration, he was already living in Charlotte, NC. J.O. claimed exemption from the draft because he was deaf in one ear (you can see that at the bottom of the first page). Also interesting is J.O.'s signature at the bottom of the card.
This record is about 2 years after J.O.'s first wife and children passed away. I can imagine the heartbreak he felt--but didn't show--as the registrar asked if he had a wife or children solely dependent on him for support and J.O. had to reply, "No." At this time, he may or may not have met his second wife Grace yet. They married about a year after J.O. registered for the draft. Here's the card:
The other record I found was for J.O. and Grace in the 1940 Census.
One of the records was in the 1940 US census. You can see the image and the link at the bottom of this post. It's neat to see a record with so many people that I've actually met--Aunt Margaret, Aunt Sugie, Aunt Ruby, Uncle Foy, and of course Grandma Izzy.
The other record was a WWI draft registration card that contained his physical description and his date of birth. J.O was described as a man of medium height and weight with gray eyes and light hair, not bald (he was only 25). At the time of registration, he was already living in Charlotte, NC. J.O. claimed exemption from the draft because he was deaf in one ear (you can see that at the bottom of the first page). Also interesting is J.O.'s signature at the bottom of the card.
This record is about 2 years after J.O.'s first wife and children passed away. I can imagine the heartbreak he felt--but didn't show--as the registrar asked if he had a wife or children solely dependent on him for support and J.O. had to reply, "No." At this time, he may or may not have met his second wife Grace yet. They married about a year after J.O. registered for the draft. Here's the card:
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| WWI draft registration, circa 1917 |
 |
| 1940 Census, Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina |
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Life at White Acres (and more) with Grandfathers Cliff
A few months ago, I asked Granddad Jerry about his father, my great-grandfather Cliff. In the process of the interview, I also learned a lot about Granddad Jerry's youth and what his grandfather Cliff (my great-great-grandfather) was like. Here are the notes from the interview:
1. What did he look like? He was short--about 5’4”--with dark hair. He looked like Granddad Jerry. He was relatively trim until he reached his 50’s.
2. What did Clifford W White's father do for a living? Clifford L White (my great-great-grandfather) had a delivery business in Wyoming, OH and in Michigan. He was not a farmer. When Jerry lived with him, Clifford L was primarily a tombstone salesman. Granddad Jerry would ride with him all through the county as he was making his sales. During WWII Clifford L acquired old buggies and rehabilitated them to beat gasoline rationing (smart!). They sold buggies and tombstones by roadside as well.
3. What did he do for a living? Clifford W White was mainly a businessman. He started out as a stock broker (you can see that on the censuses), then he was a manager at General Electric, and then later worked at furniture plant in Baton Rouge. Cliff started businesses – Chicken on Call (Louisville) -- it was like KFC but with delivery. The restaurant used Crosleys (miniature car, like a smart car) and 3-wheeled motorcycles to deliver. Unfortunately, the business didn't work out. Before the business failed, Jerry had the opportunity to deliver for the restaurant while he was visiting his father (with his friend Clem) while he was in his late teens (17 or 18). At different points during his life, Cliff also tried his hand at running a gas station, a car dealership, and a real estate business selling lots and homes in vacation places. Cliff also did some farming – he raised saddle horses, but it was more of a hobby than a business.
4. What kinds of things did you (Jerry) do with him? Primarily sports; and of that, baseball. Formed the first little league team in Clairmont county. Some basketball, some soccer, some football. On a side note, there were 3 Jerry Whites in Amelia (a very small town!). Cliff liked to play bridge, but Jerry didn't play with him much.
5. How did he dress? He dressed well; selling the horses called for a lot of class. Later in life he dressed as a casual salesman.
6. Was he quiet or talkative? Somewhere in the middle.
7. Did he ever meet someone famous? When I asked this question, Granddad Jerry said that he was sure Cliff had met someone famous, but he didn't remember a specific instance or person.
8. What did your family do for Christmas? spoken from Jerry's perspective: We chopped a cedar tree from the farm for the Christmas tree. My parents had left side of house, and my grandparents had the right side. During winter to save on fuel, they’d close down the living room in the left side, but the Christmas tree was there for Christmas. We celebrated at our house in the morning and went to the Grupenhoff's in the afternoon and had Christmas dinner with them.
1. What did he look like? He was short--about 5’4”--with dark hair. He looked like Granddad Jerry. He was relatively trim until he reached his 50’s.
2. What did Clifford W White's father do for a living? Clifford L White (my great-great-grandfather) had a delivery business in Wyoming, OH and in Michigan. He was not a farmer. When Jerry lived with him, Clifford L was primarily a tombstone salesman. Granddad Jerry would ride with him all through the county as he was making his sales. During WWII Clifford L acquired old buggies and rehabilitated them to beat gasoline rationing (smart!). They sold buggies and tombstones by roadside as well.
3. What did he do for a living? Clifford W White was mainly a businessman. He started out as a stock broker (you can see that on the censuses), then he was a manager at General Electric, and then later worked at furniture plant in Baton Rouge. Cliff started businesses – Chicken on Call (Louisville) -- it was like KFC but with delivery. The restaurant used Crosleys (miniature car, like a smart car) and 3-wheeled motorcycles to deliver. Unfortunately, the business didn't work out. Before the business failed, Jerry had the opportunity to deliver for the restaurant while he was visiting his father (with his friend Clem) while he was in his late teens (17 or 18). At different points during his life, Cliff also tried his hand at running a gas station, a car dealership, and a real estate business selling lots and homes in vacation places. Cliff also did some farming – he raised saddle horses, but it was more of a hobby than a business.
4. What kinds of things did you (Jerry) do with him? Primarily sports; and of that, baseball. Formed the first little league team in Clairmont county. Some basketball, some soccer, some football. On a side note, there were 3 Jerry Whites in Amelia (a very small town!). Cliff liked to play bridge, but Jerry didn't play with him much.
5. How did he dress? He dressed well; selling the horses called for a lot of class. Later in life he dressed as a casual salesman.
6. Was he quiet or talkative? Somewhere in the middle.
7. Did he ever meet someone famous? When I asked this question, Granddad Jerry said that he was sure Cliff had met someone famous, but he didn't remember a specific instance or person.
8. What did your family do for Christmas? spoken from Jerry's perspective: We chopped a cedar tree from the farm for the Christmas tree. My parents had left side of house, and my grandparents had the right side. During winter to save on fuel, they’d close down the living room in the left side, but the Christmas tree was there for Christmas. We celebrated at our house in the morning and went to the Grupenhoff's in the afternoon and had Christmas dinner with them.
We had huge spreads for Thanksgiving on my dad’s side. We must’ve had more than 20—25 or 30 people there counting kids. They served pies, veggies, everything. My grandma was a good cook but she didn't like to cook. The kids there were my second cousins, and a lot of them went to the farm while their dads hunted quail on the farm (it was illegal!). I saw them about 5-6 tmes a year. They were a little bit more well-to-do. (side note: I'm assuming that these second cousins on Jerry's dad's side were children of the men who had inherited the funeral home established by Thomas Pinkham White, my g-g-g-grandfather and Jerry's great-grandfather).
Jerry only had 3 first cousins, and they were on Grupenhoff side. They moved to MD when Granddad Jerry was 11 or so. His cousin Dave went to the University of Cincinnati at the same time that Granddad Jerry did. The two played badminton together but Jerry never won. They were bridge partners and they won a LOT. They placed 3rd out of 434 in the Nationals. Jerry's Cousin Lynn Jones was also at the top of the Atlantic division of Bridge.
9. What did you do for Easter? They had an Easter egg hunt – the eggs were medium difficulty to find – some easy, some hard. Jerry assumes his dad hid them. He doesn't remember Easter dinner, but they did dress up a little better for church on Easter Sunday.
10. What did you do for the 4th of July? Fireworks: sparklers and ones that you shoot off. They'd also watch the big fireworks display in the town. You could see fireworks shot off from Coney Island in Cincinnati.
11. Did he go to church? Cliff didn’t really go to church much until about the 50’s. Jerry didn't remember Cliff going to church with his family. Jerry's paternal grandparents didn’t either. He didn't remember which denomination the Whites identified with, but said it was possibly the Methodists. He said they didn’t agree with the Catholic church, which is where he, Jock, and Granny Jo all attended.
12. How are you like Cliff? We both like sports, both play cards, and both sort of like the out-of-doors.
13. Summer vacations? The family used to vacation in Michigan when Granddad Jerry was really little. Granddad almost drowned during one of those vacations. The family also went on vacation to Miami river (it's near Cincinnati) one time for about three days or so.
A few weeks before I interviewed Granddad Jerry about his childhood and about Great-Granddad Cliff, I had asked my dad what he remembered about Granddad Cliff. Most of the responses were about the same, but Dad remembered Cliff as talkative, while Jerry thought that Cliff was average when it came to talking.
Jerry only had 3 first cousins, and they were on Grupenhoff side. They moved to MD when Granddad Jerry was 11 or so. His cousin Dave went to the University of Cincinnati at the same time that Granddad Jerry did. The two played badminton together but Jerry never won. They were bridge partners and they won a LOT. They placed 3rd out of 434 in the Nationals. Jerry's Cousin Lynn Jones was also at the top of the Atlantic division of Bridge.
9. What did you do for Easter? They had an Easter egg hunt – the eggs were medium difficulty to find – some easy, some hard. Jerry assumes his dad hid them. He doesn't remember Easter dinner, but they did dress up a little better for church on Easter Sunday.
10. What did you do for the 4th of July? Fireworks: sparklers and ones that you shoot off. They'd also watch the big fireworks display in the town. You could see fireworks shot off from Coney Island in Cincinnati.
11. Did he go to church? Cliff didn’t really go to church much until about the 50’s. Jerry didn't remember Cliff going to church with his family. Jerry's paternal grandparents didn’t either. He didn't remember which denomination the Whites identified with, but said it was possibly the Methodists. He said they didn’t agree with the Catholic church, which is where he, Jock, and Granny Jo all attended.
12. How are you like Cliff? We both like sports, both play cards, and both sort of like the out-of-doors.
13. Summer vacations? The family used to vacation in Michigan when Granddad Jerry was really little. Granddad almost drowned during one of those vacations. The family also went on vacation to Miami river (it's near Cincinnati) one time for about three days or so.
 |
| Teenage Jerry with Cliff Junior |
A few weeks before I interviewed Granddad Jerry about his childhood and about Great-Granddad Cliff, I had asked my dad what he remembered about Granddad Cliff. Most of the responses were about the same, but Dad remembered Cliff as talkative, while Jerry thought that Cliff was average when it came to talking.
Cliff (according to Dad):
Short, loved sports, especially baseball, which he excelled in. He was good at golfing (dad was 16 or 17 when he golfed with Cliff). Cliff liked to talk. He loved his family; he was proud of his son and grandchildren. Cliff had step kids with his wife Betty. He suffered from short man's syndrome (meaning he felt like he had to prove himself as a man, I think). Started and failed in business many times. He played lottery at end of life, hoping to leave a large inheritance for his son and grandchildren, but never succeeded.
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