Wednesday, June 30, 2010

1917 Report Card for Elsa Daher

Another lost family treasure I found in the Charleston Antique Mall in Vegas is this 1917 high school report card for Elsa Dahl of Wisconsin.

I have been able to find a little bit of information about Elsa and her family.
According to the census information she preferred to go by "Elsie".


 Name:      Bertha Daher
Home in 1900:     Newton, Marquette, Wisconsin
Age:     36
Birth Date:     May 1864
Birthplace:     Wisconsin
Race:     White
Gender:     Female
Relationship to Head of House:     Wife
Father's Birthplace:     Germany
Mother's Birthplace:     Germany
Mother: number of living children:     4
Mother: How many children:     4
Spouse's name:     Gustav
Marriage Year:     1891
Marital Status:     Married
Years Married:     9

Household Members:   
Name     Age
Gustav Daher     41
Bertha Daher     36
Lewis Daher     7
Paul Daher     5
Alfred Daher     2
Elsie Daher     2/12
Caroline Daher     66




Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Newton, Marquette, Wisconsin; Roll  T623_1799; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 94.


Name:      Elsie E Daher
Age in 1910:     10
Estimated birth year:     abt 1900
Birthplace:     Wisconsin
Relation to Head of House:     Daughter
Father's Birth Place:     Germany
Mother's Name:     Bertha
Mother's Birth Place:     Wisconsin
Home in 1910:     Newton, Marquette, Wisconsin
Marital Status:     Single
Race:     White
Gender:     Female

Household Members:   
Name     Age
Bertha Daker     45
Louis F Daker     17
Paul A Daker     15
Alfred H Daker     12
Elsie E Daker     10


Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Newton, Marquette, Wisconsin; Roll  T624_1713; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 151; Image: 534.



Name:      Bertha Daher
Census Date:     1 Jun 1905
Residence County:     Marquette
Residence State:     Wisconsin
Locality:     Newton
Marital Status:     Widowed
Gender:     Female
Estimated birth year:     abt 1864
Race:     White
Relation:     Head
Line:     16
Roll:     CSUSAWI1905_19

Household Members:    
Name     Age
Bertha Daher     41
Ludwig F Daher     12
Paul I Daher     11
Alfred H Daher     8
Elsie E Daher     5



Source Information:
Ancestry.com.. Wisconsin State Censuses, 1895 and 1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data:


Wisconsin. Wisconsin State Census, 1905. Microfilm, 44 reels. Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin.

Name:      Elsie Daher
Home in 1920:     Newton, Marquette, Wisconsin
Age:     19
Estimated birth year:     abt 1901
Birthplace:     Wisconsin
Relation to Head of House:     Sister
Father's Birth Place:     Germany
[Posen]
Mother's Birth Place:     Wisconsin
Marital Status:     Single
Race:     White
Sex:     Female
Able to read:     Yes
Able to Write:     Yes

Household Members:    
Name     Age
Alfred Daher     22
Paul Daher     26
Elsie Daher     19
Bertha Daher     55





Source Information:
Ancestry.com.. Wisconsin State Censuses, 1895 and 1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: 

Wisconsin. Wisconsin State Census, 1905. Microfilm, 44 reels. Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin.


UPDATE: Elsa's report card was returned to family members June 30, 2011.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday -- Hand Written Recollections of Hazel Madsen Piggott


Among the goodies that grandma Hazel saved I found this single sheet of paper with her handwriting on both sides.  It is a little history about her parents and grandparents and some of her own recollections.

I was real intrigued when I read this because in all the family histories I have read, no one in the family has ever talked about interactions with Indians.  This may even be part of a draft that is typewritten somewhere in the possession of some distant cousins.  There could even be more of this in someone else's share of her stuff.

There is no particular format to this history, not even punctuation so I transcribed it as best as I could to make sense.


Grandfather was born in Manchester, England (other sources say Bollington) 1826 and left England in 1839 (or 1849). Grandmother [was] born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. She lost her first husband David Evans in 1849.  They had four children. Later grandmother  married grandfather Henry Bake in Pittsburgh, Penn.  There was six children born to them.

They left Pennsylvania coming across the plains in Mr. Ira Eldridge Company in 1861. They settled in Goshen, Utah, later they went to Hyde Park, Utah. In 1864 they came to Bloomington settling on the place [that is] now Alma Findlay’s. In the year of 64 Nov 11 grandmother had a baby boy named David Dillie after the first Bishop or presiding Elder of Bloomington. The night the baby was born it snowed over a inch of snow on her bed. The baby caught cold & died next morning. Grandfather moved his family back to Hyde Park when grandmother died at the age of 68. Grandfather moved to Elkhorn, Malad, Idaho and took up land.

Mother came to Bloomington and lived with her sister Mrs. Josephine Nelson. When twenty she married to father Niels Madsen. They both came over the plains. There was a great deal of sickness. Father had a brother, Franklyn, buried on the plains aged 2. They came with oxen teams it was slow traveling. Mother had to walk a lot of the way [she was] only 4 years old, but had to lighten the weight as much as they could. She said she couldn’t walk very far at a time. Her mother thought it would help both the oxen and herself. There wasn’t so very much to burn or make fires so they had to gather almost every dry thing they could, even buffalo chips. Their drinking water was bad. They met with some Indians at different places, but had no trouble.

When mother had been married 12 years father sold out and went to Dingle, Idaho. There we lived for ten good years. Mother was a woman to stay home and take care of her family & help others. I remember when Mrs. Oakey died how mother would have them [children?] come over every Saturday night and give them their bath and the father took care of them. The oldest girl [was] 9 [years] of age.

Mother was so good to those in trouble. [I] often remember how she would have cripples drive up to the back door with their horse and buggy and she would go out and give them their dinner when we had our trashing done. When tramps came she always helped them and the Indians, she never turned one away without bread. They all seemed to want bread or rutabagas.

I remember several of my playmates were at the east of our house pulling weeds when we saw a buck Indian going by on a pony. How we did run and get to the neighbor place just in time for Molly Bird was all alone.  All he would ask her was where her folks was and she would answer him gone k not, meaning gone away. He had a large hunting knife and was eating a large rutabaga. He finally went away, but he would keep a watch about the place. We thought he was looking for her folks, but they were gone to Montpelier. There used to be so many Indians go through Dingle each summer.  
 I found a Short History of Dingle, Idaho. Apparently hundreds of Indians used to camp in Oakey's (same Oakey that grandma Hazel talked about) grove as they traveled between Fort Hall and a reservation in Wyoming.  Chief Pocatello even traveled with them.



Monday, June 21, 2010

Lost Photo of Leo Brick of St. Cloud, Minnesota















I found this photo at the Charleston Antique Mall in Las Vegas while I was on my vacation last May. 


This young gentleman is Leo Brick from St. Cloud, Minnesota.  I estimate the photo was taken somewhere between 1900 and 1910.  It was taken by photographer Eugene S. Hill who is listed in the Directory of Minnesota Photographers. According to the writing on the back of the photo Leo is the son of Peter and a cousin to the mother of whoever possessed this photo last.


This is what I have been able to find out about Leo and his father Peter.


Source Citation: Ancestry.com, Year: 1900; Census Place: St Cloud City Ward 4, Stearns, Minnesota; Roll  T623_792; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 171.


Source Information:
Ancestry.com. Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: 1895

Hopefully a Brick family member will want this photo.


UPDATE: I am happy to report that Mr. Leo Brick is on his way home to Canada to be united with family!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1918 Letter Notifying Death of Loved One

Today I want to share another treasure that grandma Hazel saved (just for me, I know). It is not only a treasure, but a treasure map that led me to find a wealth of information that I did not have.

It is a letter that she received telling her of the unfortunate death of her brother.  

Her brother had gone to the funeral of their brother-in-law, Stanley Thomas Lynch in Gebo, Hot Springs, Wyoming who died from influenza Nov 10,1918 during the Great Pandemic. Unfortunately poor Jacob Oliver "Ole" Madsen had succumbed to the same fate when he returned home.

Well you know me and Google, I didn't know much about this flu epidemic so we had to have a look around and we found some pretty interesting sites.

  1. The Influenza Pandemic of 1918
  2. Pandemic Influenza Storybook -- This site has stories written by people who survived the pandemic as well as stories about those who didn't.  You can also submit your own pandemic stories.

Now about the "treasure map" I mentioned earlier.  This letter was signed by a Marion Pryde which made me very curious because the "Vida"(my 2nd great-aunt)mentioned in the letter whose widowhood was the cause for the letter, married Adam Pryde as her second husband. Well, Google and I went searching again and not only did I discover that Marion was Adam's step-aunt, but I found the transcribed obits of my 2nd great-grandmother Rebecca Hannah Bake Madsen and some of her children including said Vida! So many thanks to Cindy Clark for transcribing all these records!

Now if I may, I will transcribe the letter now.

        Byron, Wyo
           Nov 23rd 1918

Dear Mrs Piggott
Your father has asked
me to writing & tell you the sad news
of your dear brother Ole. He went to
Gebo to Vida's husband's funeral & took the "flu" & died Wednesday.
Your father & Frank are now sick
& we have taken them to our red cross
rooms & Mrs Neville & myself are nursing
them.  You must not think of coming
as it is too dangerous.
Your father & Frank are fine this morning
& hope they will be all right.
I will close with kindest regards
           Yours truly
           Marion Pryde

Your mother & Orsen are well.


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday

One of the treasures that I brought back from Bear Lake is this picture of my great-grandmother Hazel Madsen Piggott, the wonderful lady that saved everything. And look at those pretty blue eyes.

When I look at this picture I get a warm feeling inside because this is the way that I remember her.  She always wore a dress and a hairnet, but she never wore her teeth.  I remember this chair and the buffet table behind her, but I also remember the rocker that was there before.

She used to sit in that rocker and just rock away; that must be why I like to rock so much. On occasion I was known to sit in her lap and rock with her.  I remember sitting in her lap and asking all kinds of questions.  I think one of them was, "why don't you have any teeth?"

I was only five when she died.  I remember the phone call well.  Mom was in the kitchen doing the dishes when the phone rang.  While talking on the phone she started to cry.  I asked mommy why she was crying and she said that her grandma passed away.  So I started to cry.

I think I will have to find a frame for this picture.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

1909 Postcard to Master John T. Carruthers

While I was at the Finders Keepers antique store in Pocatello, Idaho I found this adorable postcard with a picture of a cow on it (I love cows).


Postmarked Oct 27, 1909 from Washington, D.C. and addressed to Master John T. Carruthers, North Fork, Loudoun County, Va.  This writing is a little hard to decipher, but I will do my best to transcribe it.

10/27/09
Hello my dear
little babies . I wish I
could see you both
now. I don't know
whether I will have
a chance to do any
thing with the pic-
tures this or not
as I am feeling
so bad.
Lovingly, Uncle Carl.

From what I have been able to find out about John T. Carruthers is that he was born about 1908 in Virginia and had a twin sister named Helen. I am assuming that uncle Carl (whoever he is) was referring to the two of them when he said 'babies'.  I can't figure out why he was writing to babies though.

Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll  294; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 91

Source Citation: Year: 1920;Census Place: Mount Gilead, Loudoun, Virginia; Roll  T625_1893; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 76

Hopefully there is a descendant of John T. Carruthers out there who would enjoy this postcard.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday -- Grandma's Frame

For as long as I can remember this frame used to hang in grandma Smedley's front room.  The pictures are of her five oldest granddaughters. 

While I was back home in Pocatello I found it stashed in my old bedroom closet.  I decided that this frame had to come to my house and hang on my wall.  After all, I have five grandchildren. :o)

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