A little current nostalgia

Yesterday my daughter and I braved the single digit temperatures here to stomp through a cemetery for the Graveyard Rabbit blog. Once done and in the car she was on her cell phone with her boyfriend and said, "I am spending quality time with my mother, I going through a graveyard taking pictures". Not every child can say that. She is 18, my second of two children and she has such a wonderful sense of humor and has been an easy child to raise.

Recently we moved from the apartment we lived in for about 8 years. When we moved I walked by the wall and there I saw some of her history that we were leaving behind. I never did like that apartment, it was a temporary place after we were moved out of our house (read "home") and we never did find another place. I suppose because I planned on moving from that town once she graduated high school that it was easy enough to stay put. So that wall gave me a pang and realization maybe it was more of a home than I allowed it to be in my mind. Home is where the love is, not an address. So I took a picture of the wall.

Edward Cummings Alexander Fender

Edward Cummings Alexander Fender. Born July 19, 1879 in Dundee Scotland and died April 10, 1952 in Akron, Ohio. He married Elizabeth Anderson (born April 11, 1880, Carnoustie, Scotland; died February 2, 1933, Akron Ohio) on December 18, 1903. His second marriage was to Willie Clay Moore on September 22, 1934.

The little I know about him so far.:

Edward came to America with a job already in hand, he was a baker and the manager of Tasty Bread Company and that is where he met his second wife whom he married after Elizabeth died (Elizabeth died of pernicious anemia). I remember his second wife, she died when I was a teenager and we all adored "Grandma Willie".

Edward was a Mason and he and his son, George (my great uncle), came to the US in steerage. When he got to the USA, when searching his trunk in Boston, they found his Masonic apron and immediately stopped searching and repacked his trunk and let him through. He decided on that trip they would make sure his wife and his two daughters (my grandmother and great-aunt) would travel first class on their trip to their new home as steerage was uncomfortable. My great-grandmother, grandmother and aunt came over to the US on the Andrea Doria.

I do not know the date of this photograph but that picture of him in the background was on the side table of Grandma Willie's bed until her very last day. I am not sure whatever happened to it, I will have to ask my mother if she has it. In fact Willie had that dresser forever too. Was he sick then? Why a photograph in the bedroom and he in his bed clothes? This requires pumping my mother for information again. :) I can't remember what he died of but then this side of the family I have not started on, that is this years project.

Plan of Attack - D A R

January 11 of the New Year and what has gotten done? Nothing and enough I suppose. I unpacked my Genealogy materials. I moved TWO months ago and just got the living room decorated not 5 days ago and that is it. Boxes still everywhere.. not much of anything done. I know why but I am not telling, I am goofing off too much, that is all I will say. :) Well, I hate moving and I view this move as temporary so effort is short though I like my country decor so finally did start to unpack. I suppose in the scheme of things 2 years is not 'that' temporary.

So.. tired of waiting for me to get anything productive done, I have started a Graveyard Rabbit Blog and have pinned papers up to a nifty bulletin board in my new apartment. Pinned up are applications to work on. Colonial Dames, DAR, Civil War Families of Tennessee. Filling out one should get them all nipped in the bud (or close) so plan of attack is the DAR, I had made two requests and months have gone by since I contacted the Colonial Dames and my local chapter has not made contact... So I think if I get the DAR done, most of the ground work is done for the Colonial Dames. It all works.

DAR List to make sure I have or to get documentation on:

My mother
John Duncan
Carrie Anne Baldwin
Hugh Wilson Baldwin
Hugh Lawson Baldwin
Elizabeth Luttrell
James Churchwell Luttrell
Richard Luttrell

Now, time to get busy! :)

The 99 Things + Genealogy List

I picked this up on the Nordic Blue blog. It kind of gives me goals!

Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (color optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type

The 99 Things + Genealogy List:


1. Belonged to a genealogical society. (in the process of making that happen)
2. Researched records onsite at a court house.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded tombstone pictures to Find-A-Grave.
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents) .
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Helped to clean up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group on Facebook.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference.
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
12. Have been the editor of a genealogy society newsletter.
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
16. Talked to dead ancestors.
17. Researched outside the state in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants.
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board.
21. Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
22. Googled my name.
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. Been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board or forum.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items (calendars, cookbooks, etc.).
33. Performed a record lookup for someone else.
34. Went on a genealogy seminar cruise.
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
36. Found a disturbing family secret.
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
39. Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person (Unclaimed Persons).
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
45. Disproved a family myth through research.
46. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
47. Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
48. Translated a record from a foreign language.
49. Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
50. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
51. Used microfiche.
52. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
53. Visited more than one LDS Family History Center.
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
55. Taught a class in genealogy.
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
57. Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
60. Found an ancestor’s Social Security application.
61. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
62. Used Steve Morse’s One-Step searches.
63. Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
64. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research. 65. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
66. Visited the Library of Congress.
67. Have an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower.
68. Have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
69. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
70. Became a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits.
71. Can read a church record in Latin.
72. Have an ancestor who changed their name.
73. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
74. Created a family website.
75. Have more than one "genealogy" blog.
76. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone.
77. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
78. Visited the DAR Library in Washington D.C.
79. Borrowed a microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center.
80. Have done indexing for Family Search Indexing or another genealogy project.
81. Visited the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
82. Had an amazing serendipitous find of the "Psychic Roots" variety.
83. Have an ancestor who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War.
84. Have an ancestor who was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War.
85. Have both Patriot & Loyalist ancestors.
86. Have used Border Crossing records to locate an ancestor.
87. Use maps in my genealogy research.
88. Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK.
89. Found a bigamist amongst the ancestors.
90. Visited the National Archives in Kew.
91. Visited St. Catherine's House in London to find family records.
92. Found a cousin in Australia (or other foreign country).
93. Consistently cite my sources.
94. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
95. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
96. Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
97. Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
98. Organized a family reunion.
99. Published a family history book (on one of my families).
100.Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
101.Have done the genealogy happy dance.
102.Sustained an injury doing the genealogy happy dance.
103.Offended a family member with my research.
104.Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.

The Proximidade Award

And this just in.. I was given an award! I read a lot of blogs and can promise I will never be a famous blogger but I think it is a good way to track progress and put down feelings to memory when a brick wall is knocked down or when remembering someone makes you feel warm and loved.

Thank you to Kathryn Doyle!!
California Genealogical Society and Library blog

These blogs invest and believe in PROXIMITY - nearness in space,
time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These
kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in
prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of
these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please
give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers,
who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into
the body of their award.

Now I must list 8 Blogs that I follow and pass out the awards!! And the winners are!:

Smokey Mountain Family Historian

100 Years in America

A Culinary Genealogy

A Light That Shines Again

Family Connections

Genealogy - Digging Up Dirt

Nordic Blue

Orations of OMcHodoy

New Years Resolutions

While I generally to not make resolutions.. a few things to accomplish in 2009:

DAR
Colonial Dames
Research - Start my Grandmother's Scotland line.
Consider working toward certification.
Get organized and stay organized?
Get involved with local historical society - focus - cemeteries.
NO Blog fade :(

It's a start.

Christmas Memories

This was our second Christmas without my father. My step-father actually but the man that was my father in all senses of the word since I was a troubled 14 year old teenager. This Christmas was so much harder than the first that he was missing from. My mother, sister and I seem to sigh a given moments when the pause is one that he would fill. I am older, an adult and know people die but in truth it plain sucks no matter how old you are. I find that the moments of sudden teariness over missing him do not lessen and they still come at the strangest times like thinking about nothing on the commute home. I miss you Bill.. you were the best father a girl could have.

Christmas this year has brought me back to my childhood. Every year we would go to Akron, Ohio, where my great uncle (George Fender - middle in picture), my grandmother (Elizabeth Dewar Spalding Fender Duncan - right in picture), and great aunt (Edna Fender Naehring - left in picture) were the central point of our family and lived (Uncle George ran away to Florida for a few years). Aunt Edna, was the provider of house for the party and three branches of the family would converge on Christmas Eve in the early evening. I remember we loved to go but my sister and I would worry about Santa not coming if we were not home sleeping by the time he got there. Not once did Santa ever forget us I am happy to report. The first Generation there would be Grandma Willie (Willie Clay Moore Fender). She was George, Elizabeth and Edna's step-mother, their mother died young. Grandma Willie was the sweetest woman and I remember she was mostly blind and could see things if right up to her nose and big however she was pretty quick with a dollar bill to stuff in your pocket and she could move fast when she had reason. I also remember she was the "southern style green bean" chef of the house. They were delicious. She lived with my grandmother until she could no longer live on her own. The second generation would be my grandmother and her siblings, the Third Generation was my mother, her cousins Carol and Bobby. George's children did not come to this gathering as they were older and had their own parties. The fourth generation would be myself, my sister and five cousins.

While it was like any other family party, I don't remember anything bad.. this was a family that truly loved to be together and this was a night looked forward to year after year. The highlights were when Uncle George and his wife Aunt Stevie would come, they had moved to Florida for a number of years and I remember going to visit them there. George Fender was one of the more charming men you would ever meet. He was full of life and had this smile that was intoxicating. This younger generation could never get enough of sitting on his lap and hugging him to death. There was something truly magical about him from a child's point of view.

Highlights of these Christmas Eve gatherings:

The year Uncle George could not make it due to bad weather. Guess who showed up to a riot of happy outcries and a reunion like no other.

My Aunt Edna singing Christmas Carrol's with that beautiful voice, she quieted the room and brought tears to eyes.

My grandmother at the age of 50 doing a Highland Fling with such a beauty that you could see the girl she once had been.

My Grandmother, Uncle George and Aunt Edna singing Scottish tunes when they drank a little too much Scotch. They all came to the US from Scotland as teenagers.

The year the power went out. Out on the highway a car hit a telephone pole and the entire area when black on a very snowy night. Candles lit, everything quiet, snow falling, Aunt Edna's kitchen shut down, she went to the piano and we all sung Christmas songs by candlelight and that year to me was the most special of them all.. nothing mattered but that we were together and the occasion was marked to forever live in my mind.

Can you tell how much I loved my Grandmother, my Great Uncle and my Great Aunt? They were three of the more important people in my life.. while we all moved on to our own family traditions after their generation took ill or passed on still all of us in this family still long for those Christmas Eve's at Aunt Edna's. May you each know how much you are missed and loved.

Merry Christmas.