Treasure Chest Thursday

Wilhelmina Lambrecht Benzel
Josephiine Sophie Benzel Dreher
Florence Sarah Dreher Kimball – holding Mildred Louise Kimball

Ca. 1913

This is one of my favorite photographs. It shows four generations of this family. One the left seated is my great-great-grandmother, Wilhelmina Lambrecht Benzel.

Wilhelmina Lambrecht was born 25 May 1835, we believe in Germany. Sometime before 1860 she married Johan [John] Benzel, and the couple came to the United States and settled in Indiana.

They went on to have at least eight children: Josephine, Amelia, Matilda, Minnie, Louie, John, August, and William.

Wilhelmina died 7 Mar 1924 in Bedford, Lawrence, Indiana.

Josephine Sophie Benzel [seated on the right], is my great-grandmother. Josephine was born 21 Jul 1865 in Indiana. She married Henry Condar Dreher, Sr. on 11 Aug 1884. The couple settled in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky.

Josephine and Henry [called “Heintz” at home] had ten children: Florence, Frank Henry, Henry Edward, Anna, Minnie, George, Walter, Henry Condar Jr., Joseph and Mary Louise.

Josephine died 12 Dec 1932. Her son, Henry Condar Dreher, Jr., was my grandfather [1902-1977].

Florence is shown above. She was my grand-aunt. Florence Sarah Dreher was born 01 Jul 1885 in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky. She married James Brentwood Kimball, about 1912. The couple had two daughters: Mildred [whom she is holding in the photograph above] and Doris. Florence died 08 Jan 1946, in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

AliMed Roll and Go Keyboard

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Available at AliMed, the cost is a cool $40.

Wordless Wednesday - 3/10/10

Pauline, Emmette and John Bean

ca. 1911

This photograph was taken of Pauline Bean [daughter of Blanche Crosier and John Bean] and of Emmette Bean and John Bean Jr. [sons of Ada Burdette and John Bean]. By this time the oldest two children would have already left home [Rita and Lama]. Taken in either Second Creek, Gap Mills or Waiteville.

The 2010 Census

Last weekend a kindly looking older woman knocked on our front door. At the time, our living room and hallway to our guest rooms was a mess. But I heard my husband, who had answered the knock, usher the woman to the back guest room where I was working [we were in the process of moving my office from one guest room to another, and in so doing we were moving the guest room to the room where my office had been - that's a whole 'nother story!].

So, I was seated at my desk trying to organize the mess, when this woman walks in. She shows me her official US Census Bureau badge and ID. And explains that she is going to give me a packet to fill out for the 2010 Census. "Do you think you can handle filling it in alright?" she asked. [I was thinking I must have looked like a moron to her!]  I smoothed my hand over my mussed hair, and donning my snootiest facial expression, and my holier than thou voice, I answered, "I shall endeavor to attempt to fill in the form with the very utmost of care, and shall promptly place it in the proper United States Postal receptacle for mail intended to be in the outgoing priority of that United States establishment."

"Uh, well, okey dokey!" she answered timidly. I noticed she scurried quite quickly past the piles of file boxes and assorted office equipment that was in the hall making its way to the office.

My hubby, the Texican, put his nose in the air, and said, "My, haven't we taken on airs with the commoners!" in his best Bond, that's James Bond for those of you who aren't in the know, interpretation.

We nearly giggled ourselves silly!

I sat the packet aside for a couple of days, and opened it and began filling it out.

Ten little questions. That's it.

It asked for the names of each individual in the household, their dates of birth. But beyond that, I am afraid our descendants will find the 2010 Census a bit boring and lacking when it comes to finding out anything about us! No question on education, occupation, or where our parents were born.

And above all, it was presumed throughout the entire record that I was living in this country legally.

I'm afraid I've found it a bit boring, and for our children, and their children, of not much use other than locating where we lived for this 10-year period.

And so, I've decided to increase my efforts at leaving behind a trail of my life for my descendants. My diary [which I've kept since I was 7 - and I am now - uh uh uh! - I almost told you! let's just say there are "volumes" of diary for my descendants to pore over after I am gone!] is getting a revamping. Nice leather volumes are all I've used for the past 4 years. I reckon I'd better stock up for the future ones! And I'm making a more concentrated effort to get more research done on my own family.

Nah! Who needs the Census when old Texicanwife here will leave enough juicy details behind to keep the kiddies reading for a few hours at least!

I wonder why none of my ancestors were as insightful? I could sure use their diaries about now!

Tombstone Tuesday - 3/9/10

CROSIER

EARL E. (DON)                ROSSIE M. WICKLINE

MAY 25, 1893                            APRIL 13, 1894

SEPT. 27, 1976                          JAN. 20, 1974                 

Earl "Don" Crosier was born 24 May 1893 to Randolph Crosier and Annie Smith in Gap Mills, Monroe, West Virginia. He married Rossie M. Wickline on 28 July 1920 in Monroe County. He died Sept. 27, 1976 at his home in Gap Mills. 

Rossie M. Wickline was born 13 Apr 1894 in Gap Mills to Monroe Jackson Wickline and Lorenza Susan Workman. She died 20 Jan 1974 in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

The couple had three children: Alma, Gaynelle and Jean [1928-1929]. 

While the Crosier's are not directly related to my line of the Bean family, they are nonetheless related to the Bean's through marriage [my grandfather's first wife was a Crosier, as was his brother's wife]. Don Crosier tied himself intricately to my immediate family when I was a teenager and my family moved from Norfolk, Virginia to Gap Mills. Don and Rossie lived two doors from our new home.

This was my sister and my first experience of country living. Don took it upon himself to become our official "unofficial" grandpa in residence. And yes, we came to affectionately call him "Pawpaw Crosier".

My Dad was in the Navy when we first moved, and he was away at sea. So, living on our own with just Mom, my Grandma Beane, and the two of us girls, we had to face many new obstacles. The greatest of which was lack of funds. During the move, Dad's military allotment did not get transferred to our new address and was lost for over six months. We didn't know from day to day what food we would have to eat for our meals. That year we picked poke greens, and cut poke stalks [they taste similar to okra when rolled in cornmeal and deep fried]. The greens we made into salad. We fished in the little creek that ran below our house and ate tiny sun trout pan fried. When our neighbors dug their potatoes that fall, Mom asked if we could glean what they missed. So like Ruth and Naomi we gleaned behind the harvesters. We ate small green boiled potatoes.

We didn't complain. We never went hungry. But Pawpaw Crosier must have guessed something was amiss, for nearly every single day he would arrive with something to eat. He always said he bought it from the grocery truck, that provided for the tiny general store in our very tiny town, CJ's was run by the Mann's, another dear old couple from Gap Mills.

Pawpaw Crosier would show up with a head of lettuce, the outer leaves beginning to wilt a bit; four tomatoes, some with tiny bruises or beginning to get a little soft; a small bag of onions, with little green sprouts beginning to form; a loaf of day old bread; a pound of margarine that had a stick that had partially begun to melt; a bag of coffee with tape over a small rip in the bag; and the items went on.

Pawpaw was a godsend to us.

When our little crisis was past, Mom told him and Rossie what a hard time we had gone through. With an exaggerated expression, Pawpaw exclaimed, "Well, I'll be! I'd of never guessed such a thing!"

When he died, the community turned out in force. It had only been a year and a half since we lost my Grandma Beane. I'll nver forget the feeling that overwhelmed me that day as I stood with the others at his graveside: "I will never feel as protected as I did with that dear old soul around me!"

Well, eventually, [twenty-two years later] I did find that same feeling of being protected, once more, when I married my dear Texican.

I'd like to think Pawpaw Crosier lives on in the many good deeds performed today by the lives of those he touched. You see, our family was only one of many in the community he reached out to assist.

Isn't that a legacy to be proud of! 

I Am Back!

Who knew it could happen a second time?

I mean, it had happened once to me already. So, just who thought it would, or could, happen again?

A major computer crash. That's what I'm talking about!

My first computer crash was literally a melt down. [Yes, literally.] I was using an HP laptop. And I mean a very expensive [spelled "thousands" of dollars], and guess what? The cooling fan malfunctioned and the hard drive melted. Yep. It cost me over $800 to have my files extracted that time.

Yep... you already guessed it. I didn't have a single thing backed up! [Talk about a nightmare!] I went into a serious panic back then!

That was in 2006. And I have been a fanatic about backing up files ever since. Daily I did computer backup. Then I did backup to an external hard drive, as well as relying on Mozy, for off-site backup. And I swore I'd never keep any files on my computer's hard drive ever again! Well, even with all of that I managed to still have quite an extensive amount of files saved on my computer's hard drive by ten days ago.

And then, I clicked on my toolbar. Yep. A toolbar. And within five minutes I saw my hard drive crash. I could see multiple [literally hundreds of] windows popping up, informing me that a trojan had sent forth its charges. My computer would not shut down. And my anti-virus , while updated only 5 days before, was not prepared for this new onslaught. [Lesson: update anti-virus at least every other day!]

Well, my computer is still down for repair. They may still have to wipe the drive and begin fresh, as the virus is "undetermined".

In the meantime, I got another computer, and am busily setting it up. My external hard drive was protected, so no problems there. But the files I had put on my computers hard drive, I am now retrieving from Mozy. It is well worth the cost of $55 a year. But unless you choose to order CD restoration [which will cost you another $75] it is time consuming. Always a penny-saver, I am taking the laborious route and taking the time to retrieve the files manually [which I am quite pleased to say are safe and are easily transferred to the new computer - although quite time involved].

I do hope to begin to blog once more beginning tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. So I ask my dear blog friends and readers to bear with me!

Thank you to everyone who has emailed, or for the two who have called, to check on me! Once my other computer is back up and running, I will have a spare, and so I shouldn't ever have to complain about not being able to work due to a malfunction!

I did miss all of the excitement with the GeneaOlympics, and the initial 'Who Do You Think You Are?' posts! But I was reading all about them daily at the library and on the weekend with my hubby's notepad. [Sorry, but I will never be able to use such a tiny keyboard! Ugh! And I simply cannot abide texting or messaging on the cell phone!]

I did see Sarah Jessica Parker's genealogy hunt on WDYTYA Friday night. And I am impressed. Much more so than with PBS's "Faces of America", and I immensely enjoyed that. Looking forward to more this week! NBC, Ancestry, and Wall to Wall media have done an extraordinary job.

I have had my nose plugged into Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak's companion book since it arrived! What a great job Megan! I am so impressed. It is aimed at not just the novice, but everyone! I can see things fresh and anew. What a great work she has done! [I'm ordering copies for my kids now! Trying to get them involved in researching their ancestry. I want them involved! Otherwise, all of my hard work will be left to the county historical society and library when I am gone.And how sad that makes me!!!]

Is everyone else as impressed with Megan's book as I am?

The only thing I'd like to see now is NBC take some of the "commoner's" [non-celebrity individuals] of our country and attempt to perform some research on lines that they [those individuals] would like researched. Hey, I'd stand in line two or three days [or longer!] if they'd consider taking on my brick wall! How about you?

I'll see you in my next post!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Our Computer System Down

We ask that you bear with us this week while our computer system is down.

We hope to be back up and running by next Monday. We will be checking our email daily, but will not be writing during this time.

Thank you for your patience.

Texicanwife
Cyndi Beane Henry
Mountain Genealogists