Family Pictures

The Quiet Life of Martha

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / Leave a comment
Martha is on seated on the left. Picture taken around 1960.

Not all of our Ancestors live exciting, glamourous, or dangerous lives. In fact, most of them led just quiet normal lives which makes writing a story about them difficult. Martha Treppa was one of those people who led a very quiet life. Martha is not an ancestor, but someone who was like family. She was my grand uncle’s sister-in-law.

My grandmother’s brother, Ralph Bowers, was married to Helen Treppa.  Helen had a sister Martha who lived with Ralph and Helen.  When Uncle Ralph and Aunt Helen came to holiday or Sunday dinners, Martha was usually with them.  Martha (Marty was her nickname) paid a lot of attention to me when I was a child, and I loved the attention.  I remember her as a very sweet and quiet lady.  At the time, I just enjoyed Martha’s company and attention, and never thought about her life.  So I really don’t know very much about it.  All I really know is from researching records, and there are not a lot of records on Martha.  No surprises surfaced like a secret marriage or illegitimate children.  She must have led a very normal quiet life, just like I thought. 

Martha was born to John and Helen Treppa on 4 May 1911 in Cook County, Illinois.[1] Martha was the youngest of five children.[2] The family lived at 1441 Lill Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.[3]  When I knew Martha she lived in that same house on Lill Avenue with her sister Helen and brother-in-law Ralph Bowers.  They lived on the second floor and someone else lived downstairs.  In 1940 her brother John and his family lived on the lower level[4] and sometime later they moved and then the apartment was rented out.

Martha worked as a packer for a wholesale meat company.[5]  She always seemed old-fashioned and she was the typical maiden aunt of the time.  Martha died 7 August 1992 at 81 years, 3 months and 3 days old in the state of Washington.[6]

I will always think of Martha with love and remember her kindness and quiet ways.

Week 16: A quiet life @ 52Ancestors in 52 weeks.

Copyright © 2026 Gail Grunst

1] Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois, Birth Certificates Index, 1871-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Original data:  “Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878–1922.” Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009. Illinois. Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878–1922. Illinois Department of Public Health. Division of Vital Records, Springfield.

[2] Year: 1920; Census Place: Chicago Ward 24, Cook (Chicago), Illinois; Roll: T625_335; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 1359

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.  Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City).

[3] Ibid.

[4] Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-01012; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 103-2902.  Source Information:  Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.  Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014.  Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.

 

Brick wall accidently revisited: Finding the mysterious brother William.

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

Several years ago, I was scanning documents I had collected over the years and discovered brother William living in Syracuse New York that is mentioned in my 2nd great grandfather’s obituary. It was a brick wall that was accidentally revisited.

I always wondered how or why my Great-Great Grandfather, Charles Bowers, ended up in Ottawa, LaSalle County, Illinois.  His Obituary in 1897 said he had two brothers, Robert and William, living in Syracuse, New York[1].  I did find a Robert living in Syracuse in 1900[2] and Richard Bowers[3] living in Syracuse, New York in 1892, but no William.  I often wondered if Richard was William.  Maybe William was his middle name.  I gave up looking for William and thought perhaps the newspaper or person giving the information had it wrong.

A while ago I ordered microfilm from the Family History Library in Utah to look for my great-great grandfather Charles Bower’s baptism on 2 October 1828 in England.[4]  I knew it was there from the online index.  When I got the microfilm reels of the church records it covered the years 1772 – 1905.  I started looking for anyone and everyone with the last name Bowers.  I found my third great grandparents Bonnet Bowers and Eliza Linford marriage which stated that Eliza was a widow.[5]   I also found baptism records for a Richard,[6] Robert[7] and Eliza Bowers[8] born to Bonnet and Eliza Bowers.  I never found a William Bowers that was a son of Bonnet and Eliza.  Along the way, I found Eliza in the marriage banns to Robert Linford.[9]  I also found two children she had with her first husband.  William was baptized 28 August 1811,[10] and Elizabeth was baptized November 30, 1814.[11] I made copies of all the pages that listed these events.  I then came home and entered the Bowers information into my family tree.  I filed the papers in my file cabinet under their family name and moved on to another branch.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to start scanning documents that I have collected over the years into my computer.  I started with the Bowers folder because it is the first one in my file cabinet.  As I was scanning them into the computer, I was looking over them again, when I came across the name William Linford born in 1811 to Eliza and her first husband.[12]  I guess it pays to take a second look at documents because at that moment it struck me that if William lived he would be a step brother to my great-great grandfather Charles.  Could this be the brother William mentioned in the Obituary?  The next thing I did was a search on William Linford.  The first thing in that popped up was the 1850 census which had a William Linfor (spelled without the d) living in Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois.[13]  So this was most likely brother, William, and this why Charles ended up in Ottawa, Illinois.  Finding out why Charles ended up in Ottawa, Illinois was a thrill for me.  Now I wonder what drew William to Ottawa, Illinois.

I continued to search for William Linfor(d) and found out the following information. He married Dinah Essaby in 1833.[14]  They had four children John 1837, William 1840, Sarah 1844, Robert 1846.[15]  They came to the US 22 August 1849 and to Ottawa, Illinois on 1 October 1849.[16]  In 1851 William applied for citizenship and in 1854 he became a citizen of the United States.[17]  He worked as a Sexton at the West Ottawa Cemetery until the family moved to Section 20 in Allen Township, LaSalle County, Illinois in 1856.  William farmed the land until 1879 when Dinah died and he moved to Syracuse, New York.[18]

In 1911 William Linfor was living at 1516 Grape Street in Syracuse, New York.  At the age of 99 he was just beginning to carry a cane.  The previous winter he was seen climbing a ladder to clean snow the roof of his house.  He attributed his long life to never eating beyond what he knew he could digest.  He was still in possession of all his faculties except his hearing.[19] William Linfor died on 28 January 1912 of pleurisy at the ripe old age of 100.[20] 

John served in the Civil War, and upon return home he continued to live and work on the family farm.  In 1865 he married Martha E. Patton, and they had two children, Flossie E. and Ida L.  Flossie married John Blair of Allen Township and they had one Child, Flossie.  Ida L. married Otto Strobel also of Allen Township and they had two children Martha C. and William O.[21]

Robert also served in the Civil War. After the war he returned home to farm with John.  In 1875 Robert started farming his own tract of 160 acres.  In 1867 he married Cynthia Alice Isgrig, and they had four children Carrie, Lottie, John W, Mabel.  Carrie married West Grant of Chicago, Illinois and Lottie married A. Berge of Allen Township. [22] 

William (Son) moved to Walnut, Iowa and married Lodema.  They had five children Cora S, William G, Robert, Charles, and Claud.[23] [24] 

Sarah Linfor Golder died in Kansas in 1873.[25]

Week 14: A brick wall revisited at 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Copyright © 2026 Gail Grunst

[1] Obituary for Charles Bowers; Republican Times  (Ottawa, LaSalle County, Illinois) 18 February 1897.

[2]United States Census; Year: 1900; Place: Village of Danforth, Onondaga, New York; enumeration District: 161 District 2 Scyracuse City Ward 19, Onondaga, New York; Page: 3B; Family; 63; NARA Publication Film T623; Microfilm: 1241138.

[3]New York State Census; Year 1892; Place: Syracuse, Onondaga, New York; Ward: 7; enumeration District: 9; Image: 10.

[4] Baptism Record for Charles Bowers 2 October, 1828; Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Registers, Baptisms 1813 – 1841 Vol 3, Page 112, No 891;  Microfilmed by Genealogical Society Salt Lake City, Utah at Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambs; filmed 26 July 1988, film #13640109, film Unit 2161, MCD 2, Roll # 5.

[5] Marriage Record for Bonnet Bowers and Eliza Linford  7 April 1822; Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Registers, Marriages 1813 – 1838 volume 4 Page 35; Microfilmed by Genealogical Society Salt Lake City, Utah at Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambs; filmed August 1988, film #13640109, film unit ser no 2161 MCD 2 Roll #11.

[6] Baptism Record for Richard Bowers 28 April 1822; Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Registers, Baptism 1813 – 1841 Vol e, Page 68, No 539; ;  Microfilmed by Genealogical Society Salt Lake City, Utah at Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambs; filmed 26 July 1988, film #13640109, film Unit 2161, MCD 2, Roll # 5.

[7] Baptism Record for Robert Bowers 25 February 1825; Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Registers, Baptism 1813 – 1841 Vol 3 Page 90 No 713; Microfilmed by Genealogical Society Salt Lake City, Utah at Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambs; filmed 26 July 1988, film #13640109, film Unit 2161, MCD 2, Roll # 5.

[8] Baptism Record for Eliza Bowers 18 June 1827; Terrington St Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Registers, Baptism 1813 – 1841 Vol 3 Page 105 No 835; Microfilmed by Genealogical Society Salt Lake City, Utah at Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambs; filmed 26 July 1988, film #13640109, film Unit 2161, MCD 2, Roll # 5.

[9] Marriage Banns for Robert Linford and Elizabeth Huggleson dated 7 day October 1810, 14 October, 1810, and 21 October 1810, Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Registers, Banns 1806 – 1905, Item 4, Vol. 1, Page 8, no 39; Microfilmed by the Genealogical Society Salt Lake City, Utah at the Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, cambs; filmed 9 August 1988, film #13640109, film unit ser. No 2161 MCD 2, Roll # 12

[10] Baptism for William Linford 28 August 1811; Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Register Baptism and Burials 1772 – 1812  Item 2; Microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah at Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambs., filmed 26 July 1988, Film Number 13640109, film unit # 2161 NCD 2 Roll # 5.

[11] Baptism Record for Elizabeth Linford 30 November 1814; Terrington St Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Registers Baptisms 1813 – 1841 Vol 3, # 114; Microfilmed by Genealogical Society Salt Lake City, Utah at Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambs; filmed 26 July 1988, film #13640109, film Unit 2161, MCD 2, Roll # 5.

[12] Baptism for William Linford 28 August 1811; Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, England; Parish Register Baptism and Burials 1772 – 1812  Item 2; Microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah at Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambs., filmed 26 July 1988, Film Number 13640109, film unit # 2161 NCD 2 Roll # 5

[13]  Year: 1850; Census Place: Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois; roll: M432_115; Page: 269B; Image: 191.

[14] “England, Marriages, 1538 – 1973,” Index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/Pal:MM9.1.1/NF4Q-JXW: accessed 18 Nov 2012), William Linfor and Dinah Essaby, 1833; citing reference 2:3GJG91D, FLH microfilm 1542146.

[15] Year: 1850; Census Place: Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois; roll: M432_115; Page: 269B; Image: 191

[16] Biographical and Genealogy Record of LaSalleCountyIllinois(Google eBook) (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900), p. 227.

[17] National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D. C.; Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization service District 9 1840 – 1950 (M1285); microfilm Serial: M1285; Microfilm Roll 112

[18] Biographical and Genealogy Record of LaSalleCountyIllinois(Google eBook) (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900), p. 224 & 227.

[19] Henley B. J., The Art of Longevity (Google eBook) (Syracuse, N.Y, 1911), p. 223 & 224.

[20] Health News. Monthly Bulletin (Google ebook) (New York State Division of Public Health Education, Albany, New York), New Series, Vol. VIII, No 1, Full Series Vol. XXIX No 1,  January 1013

[21] Biographical and Genealogy Record of LaSalleCountyIllinois(Google eBook) (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900), p. 227 & 228.

[22] Biographical and Genealogy Record of LaSalleCountyIllinois(Google eBook) (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900), p. 224 & 225.

[23] Biographical and Genealogy Record of LaSalleCountyIllinois(Google eBook) (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900), p. 224.

[24]United States Census; Year: 1880; Place: Walnut, Pottawatomie, Iowa; Roll: 361; Family History Film: 1254361; Page: 192D; Enumeration District: 190; Image 0387

[25] Biographical and Genealogy Record of LaSalleCountyIllinois(Google eBook) (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900), p. 227.

Copyright © 2012 Gail Grunst

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Sisters in Time: Helen and Fran’s Unique Journeys

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I have several favorite pictures of my ancestors, and this is one of them.

I love this picture of my grandmother, Helen Bowers and her sister Frances Bowers. There was no date on this photo, but I am guessing it was around 1904. Frances is sitting and Helen is the one standing. Helen and Frances were born 14 months apart. I think they are such cute little girls and I love them both. Helen and Fran stayed close to each other their whole lives even though they led very different lives.

Helen married at 25 years old to Fred Kaiser. They had two children Dorothy and Russell. In between Dorothy and Russell, Helen had a miscarriage and they lost a baby Richard at two weeks old. Russell was born premature and according to Helen, he was so small she could hold him in the palm of her hand. Russell survived and died at 80 years old. Fred and Helen lived in Chicago until around 1935 when they bought a house in Villa Park, Illinois. Helen stayed home and took care of the house and children while Fred went to work. She played pinochle with the same group of ladies for many years. She belonged to the sewing circle at church and they made things for charity. Her hands were always busy crocheting afghans, sweaters and many other things. She was a good cook and made everything from scratch. She canned fruits and vegetables grown in their yard. She loved gardening and had beautiful flower gardens with help from Fred. She made everyone feel welcome in their home. All holiday dinners were at her house, and she did most of the cooking. She had two stoves one in the kitchen of course and one in the basement. On holidays she would run up and down the stairs between the two stoves cooking a turkey in one and a goose in the other. She and Fred were married 58 years until his death in 1980. Helen died at a few months later at 82 years old.

Fran also married at 25 years old to William Beck and in 1932 she gave birth to a daughter Patricia. A few years later, she and William divorced. Fran lived in Chicago all her adult life. She raised in daughter alone and worked to survive. They moved every few years from one apartment to another apartment in Chicago. Fran sewed for a living, working in factories that mass produced clothing. In her later years, she worked in a bridal shop making wedding dresses and formals. Fran wasn’t much of a cook, but she sure could sew. She made many dresses for me. Fran loved to shop and she would find some unusual things. When she visited us, she would bring us things like alligator meat, rattlesnake meat, frog legs, etc. She also knew how to throw parties. She would come out for my birthday parties and bring prizes, party favors, and decorate the house. She helped with Halloween parties too. She was strong and a worker. She worked until her death at 71 years old.

Helen and Frances talked on the phone almost daily, and in her younger years Fran and her daughter Pat would visit my grandmother on weekends. They would come out to Villa Park on the train either on Friday night or Saturday morning and go back on Sunday after the family dinner. Helen lived ten years after Fran’s death. She missed their daily phone calls and her confidant. They were truly sisters forever.

Week 6 Favorite Photo 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Copyright © 2026 Gail Grunst

Old Fashion Birthday Party

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Did you live in the era of old fashion birthday parties like the one pictured in this 1949 photo?  For me it brings back memories of birthday parties long forgotten.   Oh, how I loved those old fashion birthday parties when you went to your friends house to celebrate their birthday.  I remembering playing games such as

  • Drop the clothespin in the bottle  — We would kneel on a chair facing the back of chair lean over and drop the clothespin in a milk bottle.  The one who got the most clothes pin in the bottle won the game.
  • Walk the potato — We would put a potato on our foot and try to walk across the room without the potato falling off.  The one who went the furthest won the game.
  • Pin the tail on the donkey — A big picture of a donkey would be taped to a wall.  We would be blind folded then turned in circles with a pin though the donkey tail and then sent on our way to pin the tail on the donkey
  • Musical chairs — Several chairs would be lined up facing opposite directions. There was one less chair then there were children.  The music would start and we would walk around the line of chairs and when the music stopped we had to sit down.  The one who couldn’t find a seat was eliminated and another chair removed.  It went on until there was only one chair and one person left.
  • Memory game  — There was a tray with about 10 items on it.  We were to study it and try to remember all the items.  Then the parent would take away the tray.  We each had to tell the parent what items were on the tray.  The  one who remembered the most items won.

There were prizes for the winner of the game.  The birthday girl or boy would open the gifts after the games. It was exciting watching the birthday girl or boy open their gifts and see their reactions. and always hoping they liked what you gave them.  

After opening the gifts, we would gather round the table to sing “Happy Birthday” and to eat cake, ice cream, and root beer.  At the table by your plate would be a party hat and party favors.  In the picture you can see little baskets that probably contained the party favors.  At the table we would play another game, “Telephone” where someone would whisper a phrase in the ear of the first person, then they would repeat to the next  person and so on around the table.  The last person would repeat out loud what they heard.  Usually, it was very different from the original phrase. 

The parties were simple, fun, and lasted a couple of hours.  I always came home with some kind of prize and candy.   The parents of the birthday girl or boy were involved organizing and running the party.  They made sure everyone got their turn and everyone got along.  I don’t remember anyone ever going home angry, upset, or crying.  There was no out doing each other for a bigger and better birthday party.  They were all pretty much standard and every party had games, opening of gifts, ice cream, cake, and root beer.  All were at the homes of the birthday girl or boy. 

As much fun as it was going to the parties, it was really exciting when it was my birthday party with my house decorated and table set with hats and party favors.  It was also fun shopping with my mom when we picked out favors and prizes. 

I remember at one of my birthday parties (I think I was 4 or 5), I liked one of the little boys and he gave me scarf.  I got up went over to  him and tried to give him a kiss.  Of course, he did not want to be kissed and started to run and I chased him.  I think I embarrassed my mom.  It took her by surprise and she caught me and told me to sit down.  I imagine that I embarrassed that poor boy too.  When my mom told my dad, he laughed and said that I took after her.  After all that is how she got him!  Of course, he was joking.  That was my dad!

Birthday parties have change since those days.  Now a lot of times they are not at home, but at a venue of some kind.  They will have things like one of those bounce houses, and they will have clowns or magicians to perform and usually a theme.   

If you had the pleasure of attending an old fashion birthday party, let me know what you think.  Did you enjoy them?  Do you think they are better now?  I look forward to your comments. 

Favorite Picture: Three Generations 1938

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 2 Comments
Eva, Dorothy, Helen

I have many favorite pictures so it was hard to pick just one. This happens to be one of my favorite pictures because it is three generations of strong women.  The picture  was taken in 1938.  From the left is my great-grandmother, Eva Bowers, my mother, Dorothy Kaiser (age 14), and my grandmother, Helen Kaiser nee Bowers.  I think the picture was  probably taken in front of my great-grandmother’s place in Chicago.  By 1938 my grandparents were living in Villa Park, Illinois and this is not their home.  I wish I could have been in the picture to make it four generations, but I was not born yet and by the time I came along, Eva had already passed away.  I never knew Eva, but heard a lot about her from my mom and grandma.  Eva was born in Heidelberg, Baden, Germany to Johann Konrad Reinhardt and Anna Maria Schwebler on February 14, 1877. Eva came to the United States when she was almost two years old. Her brother John was a baby. Her first home in the United States was in Amana, Iowa.  They spent a few years in Amana and then moved to Ottawa, Illinois where Eva grew up with her brothers and sisters.  Eva grew into a young woman and sometime around 1896 she married Robert Bowers also of Ottawa, Illinois. The family story is that Robert and Eva ran off to Chicago to be married.  I have never been able to find a marriage record for them in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. According to family stories, Robert’s family never accepted Eva as his wife or acknowledged that any of the children were Roberts.  I started to wonder if they were ever really married and that is why Robert’s family didn’t want anything to do with Eva or their children.  However, when Robert’s father died, Robert and Eva as his wife signed a quit-claim deed to a piece of property to Robert’s mother.  I was told that if they were not married, Eva would not need to sign the quit-claim deed.  Perhaps they were married somewhere other than Chicago.  Robert and Eva had three children, Ralph born in 1897, Helen in 1898 and Frances in 1900.  Shortly after Frances was born Robert left Eva.  Again family stories say they were divorced, however I have never found divorce records for them.  In 1900 Eva was on her own and had to make a living for her and her three children.  She raised the three children alone in a time when there was no financial support for women. Robert did not have to pay child support and there was no welfare. Eva relied on family to babysit her children while she worked. She worked a milliner and seamstress for many years. She moved to Chicago away from her support system in Ottawa, Illinois. There were probably better job opportunities in Chicago. She had a couple of long relationships with men, but I can find no proof that she married them. She always kept the surname Bowers. Eva passed away on 23 December 1941 in Chicago, Illinois.

My grandmother married in 1923 to Fred Kaiser. Because of her upbringing with no father in her life, she was determined to have a long marriage and raise her children in a home with both a mother and father. She had my mother in 1924, a son in 1930 that lived only 11 days, another son in 1931, and a stillborn son in 1933. The son born in1931 was premature, weighed 4 lbs 2 oz and fit into the palm of her hand. She had a strong belief in God and I am sure that is what got her through those years in the 1930’s. Her premature baby boy survived and died at 80 years old. Grandma witnessed the depression during the 30’s and WWII. She was a true homemaker of the day, a good cook, seamstress, and housekeeper. She had a successful long marriage that ended in October 1980 after 57 years with the death of her husband. She only lived four months after the death of her husband and died at age 82 in February 1981.

My mother’s life was probably the easiest of the three. She married George Manfroid in 1945 and had two children. She was also a homemaker of the time. The depression of the 30’s affected my father’s family more than it did my mother’s, because of my father’s experience it made him determined that his family did not go without. He bought things that they really could not afford. My mother was the one that tried to keep things in check and watch the money. They were always living paycheck to paycheck. My mother was the worrier and this bothered her a lot. In spite of my father’s foolish spending, they were happily married. Once my brother and I were old enough she went to work. She worked part-time as a cashier for Walgreens, and went to night school to learn bookkeeping. She then found a job working as bookkeeper for Slater’s Shoe Store. This was a huge help to their financial situation. My mother was healthy during her life time, but not my father. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1967, my mother took good care of him through his treatments and worried she might lose him. He survived it and lived another 17 years. In 1984 he was diagnosed again with cancer this time with lung cancer, and he only survived a couple of weeks after diagnoses. My mother who had never been ill with more than a cold, died suddenly three years later from a brain aneurism.

All three women had their trials and tribulations and managed to stay strong and keep going in spite of them. In-between the hard times were good times too. My grandmother looks so happy in the picture above. They all had a hard life, but it was also a good life. I think for all of us life is full of those hard times, but it is our faith and family that get us through those times.

Week 3 Favorite Picture 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Copyright © 2022 Gail Grunst

Water, Water Everywhere

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Bathing Beauties 1921

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge this week is “water”.  I thought about this for awhile and all of my ancestors came over to the United States on boats so there is nothing new there.  Then I thought about my mother’s family always seemed to live near water or take vacations that involved water.  I decided on more of a pictorial history of my mother’s family and water. 

My maternal grandmother was born in Ottawa, Illinois and lived there for part of her youth. “Ottawa, Illinois is situated at the junction of the Fox and Illinois rivers, nearly the geographical center of LaSalle County.  The Fox enters the Illinois from the northeast and with its rapid currents feeds the Chicago and Illinois Canal, which follows the banks of the Illinois River.” [1]    Both her mother and father were brought up in Ottawa, Illinois.  Her paternal grandparents lived on Chapel Street in Ottawa and across the street from the river. While still a child her mother moved to Chicago and they lived not far from Lake Michigan and Lincoln Park Zoo.  As adult she and my grandfather moved to Villa Park, Illinois and there is no lake or river near by.  But they did take vacations to lakes.  The one place they went most was to Fox Lake, Illinois. 

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Grandma and her best friend at Fox Lake, Illinois 

They also liked Lake Como, Wisconsin.  The Wisconsin Dells was another popular place with them.  In fact my grandparents went to the Wisconsin Dells for their honeymoon.  

Helen at Lake Como

Grandma at Lake Como, Wisconsin

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Grandparents, Mom and ? at Big Smoky Falls, Wolf River, Wisconsin 1929

Starved Rock was another favorite destination. Starved Rock was close to Ottawa, Illinois and on the bank of the Illinois River.  This was the family’s favorite picnic spot.  They still picnicked there when I was growing up.  If we didn’t picnic at Starved Rock we picnicked at Buffalo Rock across the river from Starved Rock.  My grandmother would say that there were at least 2 or 3 drownings a year in the Illinois River because of the undertow. 

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Great Grandparents at the top of Starved Rock

My grandfather liked to fish and some of their excursions involved fishing.

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Grandpa, dog Rudy and friend with 3 Pikes and a Bass at Sand Lake 1929

Copyright © 2020 Gail Grunst

 

  1. Ottawa Old and New: A Complete History of Ottawa Illinois 1823 – 1914 (Ottawa, Illinois: Republican – Times Ottawa, 1912 – 1914), p. 39.

 

Favorite Picture

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 4 Comments

Dorothy in Center, Left her grandmother (Eva) on right her mother (Helen)

The theme this week for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is favorite picture.  This fits in nicely with what I have been doing lately and that is posting pictures and telling a story to go with the picture.  I have many favorite pictures so it was hard to pick just one. This happens to be one of my favorite pictures because it is three generations of strong women.  The picture  was taken in 1938.  From the left is my great-grandmother, Eva Bowers, my mother, Dorothy Kaiser (age 14), and my grandmother, Helen Kaiser nee Bowers.  I think the picture was  probably taken in front of my great-grandmother’s place in Chicago.  By 1938 my grandparents were living in Villa Park, Illinois and this is not their home.  I wish I could have been in the picture to make it four generations, but I was not born yet and by the time I came along, Eva had already passed away.  I never knew Eva, but heard a lot about her from my mom and grandma.  Eva was born in Heidelberg, Baden, Germany to Johann Konrad Reinhardt and Anna Maria Schwebler on February 14, 1877. [1] Eva came to the United States when she was almost two years old.[2]  Her brother John was born on the boat.[3]  Her first home in the United States was in Amana, Iowa.[4]  They spent a few years in Amana and then moved to Ottawa, Illinois where Eva grew up with her brothers and sisters.[5]   Eva grew into a young woman and sometime around 1896 she married Robert Bowers also of Ottawa, Illinois.[6]  The family story is that Robert and Eva ran off to Chicago to be married.  I have never been able to find a marriage record for them in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. According to family stories, Robert’s family never accepted Eva as his wife or acknowledged that any of the children were Roberts.  I started to wonder if they were ever really married and that is why Robert’s family didn’t want anything to do with Eva or their children.  However, when Robert’s father died, Robert and Eva as his wife signed a quit-claim deed to a piece of property to Robert’s mother.[7]  I was told that if they were not married, Eva would not need to sign the quit-claim deed.  Perhaps they were married somewhere other than Chicago.  Robert and Eva had three children, Ralph born in 1897,[8] Helen in 1898[9] and Frances in 1900. [10]  Shortly after Frances was born Robert left Eva.  Again family stories say they were divorced, however I have never found divorce records for them.  In 1900 Eva was on her own and had to make a living for her and her three kids.  She raised the three kids alone and I believe this made her a strong woman.

My grandmother and mother did not have easy lives and to survive all their trials and tribulations they had to be strong.  My grandmother died at age 82 and my mother at age 62.  I believe my mother’s early death was caused by some of the problems in her life.

Copyright ©2019 Gail Grunst

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[1] Certificate of Death for Eva Bowers;  State of Illinois, Department of Public health, Division of Vital Statistics, Springfield, Illinois, Registration Number 34633. Date of death: December 23, 1941; Place of death: County of Cook, City of Chicago.

[2] Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filbry, ed., Germans to America: List of passengers arriving at U.S. ports, Volume 34 October 1878 – December 1879; ( Wilmington, Delaware, Scholarly Resources,1993), Page 106.

[3] Ibid

[4] Conrad Reinhardt household, 1880 U. S. Census, Amana, Iowa; Roll 345; Family History Film 1254345; page 146D; Enumeration District 201; Image 0155.

[5] From family stories told to this author.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Quit-claim deed record from Robert Bowers and Eva Bowers, his wife to Alexena Bowers, City of Ottawa, County of LaSalle, state of Illinois; deed book 448, page 167.  LaSalle County Illinois Genealogical Guild collection.

[8] Eva Bowers household, 1900 U. S. Federal  Census, LaSalle County, Ottawa township, ED 76, line 37, page 6, dwelling 557, fmily124, National Archives film publication T623, roll 317.

[9] Delayed Record of Birth for Helen Bowers, State of Illinois, Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statics, LaSalle County, City of Ottawa, State of Illinois, Date of Birth: December 3, 1898, Dated August  7, 1957.

[10] Eva Bowers household, 1900 U. S. Federal  Census, LaSalle County, Ottawa township, ED 76, line 37, page 6, dwelling 557, fmily124, National Archives film publication T623, roll 317.

 

Merry Christmas from 1988

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

This is the last picture in my series of pictures from Past Christmas’

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Merry Christmas from Bruce (Husband), Gail, Ron (Brother) & Greg (Son Age 13) in 1988.  Photographed by Brian Andrew (Son age 11)

 

Our Pets at Christmas

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

On the left is Skipper the dog I was promised when my parents had to get rid of our dog Taby mentioned in a previous post.  I got Skipper when we moved into our first house in 1953.  This is 1966 and Skipper is 13 years old.  He was part Cocker Spaniel and part Poodle.  Today he would be called a Cockapoo, but back in 1953 he was just a mutt.  Skipper lived until September of 1968 and died at age 15.  We left him shaggy with long hair, and he was all black except for some white on his chin and chest.  He some hairs that hung over his eyes.  Skipper had a rough start to life.  We had  him a short time when he became sick and was diagnosed with distemper.  The vet wanted to put him down, but my mother said, “no.”  He stayed at the vet’s for awhile and then came home but was still sick.  My mom coddled eggs for him and spoon fed him.  The vet was amazed at the progress Skipper made.  He had never had a dog live through distemper before.  At two years old Skipper was hit by car, and he had internal injuries, bruised ribs and a sore leg.  He walked with a limp for a long time.  A family friend gave Skipper lots of sympathy and she would massage Skipper’s leg.  Long after Skipper healed when ever they came over Skipper would limp to get sympathy and a massage.

On the right is a picture of Pierre our Poodle.  This is also 1966 and Pierre is one year old.  Pierre lived to ripe old age of 16.  The last few years we wondered if he was senile.  He would try to go behind the stove and get stuck.  Pierre stayed with my folks after I married.  He led a pretty quiet normal life compared to Skipper.

In the picture with Skipper the aluminum tree appears again, and those are my mother’s legs in the picture.  I don’t know what she is giving him, but he seems excited about it.

Pierre is posing on the chair like a typical Poodle.  He is in front of that fire place that was  mentioned in a previous post.

Susie and Santa

Meet Susie (left) and Brittney (right) two Golden Retrievers.  Susie and Brittney were sisters born in 1992.  Brittney was actually my brother’s dog, but lived here with us for many years so I feel as though she was mine too.  My husband and I would take them to the state park near us for walks.  I would take Susie because she was smaller and didn’t pull as hard. Brittney was bigger and heavier built.  Her coat was darker golden than Susie’s.  The first couple of years they played and played until we were worn out watching them.  Susie being smaller would get underneath Brittney and take a little nip.  Over all Brittney was the more aggressive of the two.  This picture was taken in about 1997.  Brittney died first at age 13 and Susie died a couple of years later at age 15.

We have had other dogs as well, but I don’t have pictures of them at Christmas, so I will tell their stories another time.

Christmas 1966

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. img002 (2)

I decided on this picture because of the story that goes with it.  My parents bought this house in 1963 and it was the first fire place we had.  We had trouble with smoke coming in the house instead of up the chimney.  Someone told us that it was because the furnace and the fireplace shared the same chimney, and when the furnace turned on it created a down draft and the fireplace smoked.  However, my mother decided one Christmas Eve day that she wanted to burn some pine to get that pine smell in the house.  We had an aluminum tree so no longer got the nice pine smell from the tree.  I went with her to a Christmas tree lot and she asked for the scrawniest tree they had.  We got one that was bare.  I remember feeling embarrassed as we carried it to the car and hoping I didn’t see anyone I knew.  We brought it home and sawed it up.  That evening she threw some of the pine branches on the fire and it smoked so bad that we had to leave the house.  We left the house with windows and doors open as our company and us walked around the block a couple of times until the house cleared.  

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My mother asked my father to saw a branch off one of our trees in December.  He obliged her and she spray painted it white, put lights on it and few little ornaments.  She diplayed it on our front porch.  At the time she took a lot of teasing from everyone because it was just a bare branch painted white.  At the time we had never seen anyone else do this, but since then I have seen them all over and in store window displays.  I guess she was a little a head of time on this one.

Copyright © 2019 Gail Grunst