Unidentified Family Objects

Joy in the Journey - April 30, 1997

2011-05-04T13:12:00.002-04:00

Transcription:

Wed. Apr. 30, '97

Dear Lord,
At the moment, it is really Thurs. morning - Thank-you that you answer prayer. Last night we honored the Annual National Day of Prayer a few hours early, with some of our church family here in our (my) living-room and others in Wayne + Christina's home. Here there were Gordon + Teri Babbitt, Gene, Joanne, Terry + Mary, Marian, Mavis, Kenny, Donald + myself.

Thank-you for Frank, who is a "Handyman" and works some at Ace Hardware. He put in a new garbage disposal and repaired the kitchen faucet (I had never met him before).

Thank-You, Lord. Irv says he would fly with Mark this summer for a visit here. Please let us work this out for the best of all involved.

Thank-you that all refreshments were here in my freezers already! Thank-You, dear Lord, for your guidance! Amen

Interpretation:
It is no surprise that Dorothy took part in the National Day of Prayer. She has long been a devout Christian and from her journal entries it is clear that she believes in and loves God. Most interesting to some of us is the fact that she placed trust in this unknown man, Frank from Ace Hardware, to come work in her home. Being a recent widow, we know there is not a lot of household repairs she would (or could) have done on her own. But in today's world, that level of trust is hard to come by.

An interesting side note is that mark, Dorothy's grandson, was scheduled to fly out for a visit. Irv, who was going to fly with Mark, is Dorothy's son and Mark's uncle.

References:
- Hollingsworth, D. B. (1997). Joy in the Journey. Private Collection.
- National Day of Prayer. Retrieved on May 4, 2011 from the National Day of Prayer site http://nationaldayofprayer.org/
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Joy in the Journey - April 29, 1997

2011-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Transcription:

Tues. Apr. 29, 1997

Dear God + Father of us all,
You are so awesome.. to think you sent your Son..to die for our sins. That is truly amazing. Thank-You. Thank-you for Casey, my dog. Thank-You for your love + guidance, for Bible Study Fellowship, for Aquicaise Classes, for Gene + Joanne take me to our local high-school last night to hear the band (that was one of the few in the nation chosen to play for the Inaugural parade in Wash. D.C. in January.), and the choir and the Watsonville English Brass Band! How uplifting music can be. Ted would have loved it all, including the spaghetti dinner! And the French horns (tears and "Send in the Clowns" Diana would have loved (more tears going down my cheeks [she drew a frowny face with tears]. Now, I pray for Gary, Laurie & their attorneys, Willie, Alfred, Sylvester, Travis, Ivan + Mark, for Ray + Yvonne, Jim Canaday, Marian + for my Sue. You know their needs. Please let them accept your guidance and direction. Thank-You, Lord. Amen

Interpretation:
Based on our research, the high school marching band that performed in the Inaugural Parade in 1997 was from the North Monterey County High School. This would have been President Clinton's second inauguration. The "Casey" mentioned is her pet poodle. The Watsonville English Brass Band appears to have changed their name to the Pacific Brass Band.

The "Ted" mentioned is her second husband, Ted Hollingsworth, who had passed away before she began keeping this journal. He played the French horn in his earlier days. The mention of "Send in the Clowns" and Diana is a reference to her daughter Diana Brown who died just hours apart from her husband Ted. The song "Send in the Clowns" was apparently one of her favorites and was played at her funeral. Surely hearing this song and hearing the French horns was quite moving for Dorothy. We can only imagine what she was thinking at the time.

References:
- Hollingsworth, D. B. (1997). Joy in the Journey. Private Collection.
- Johnson, D. L. (2004). How to Shake the Money Tree. Retrieved on February 8, 2011 from the Music Exchange Consultants site: http://www.musicexchangeconsultants.com/Site/Grant-Writing.html
- Pacific Brass Band. Retrieved on February 8, 2011 from the Pacific Brass Band site: http://www.pacificbrassband.org/
- "Send in the Clowns" (1997). Performed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania Marching Band. Retrieved on February 8, 2011 from YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3bdAcckB00
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Joy in the Journey - April 28, 1997

2011-02-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

Transcription:

Mon. April 28, 1997

Dear Father, Thank-you, I praise You & thank you for so many, many blessings. I am grateful that the motorhome [sic] was sold last week, that I can go to Aquacise 3 mornings/week, that I could talk on the phone yesterday with [redacted] & [redacted], to [redacted] & to Grace-Mom, and that [redacted] called me.

Please guide me today in preparing for Wednesday evening when people come here to pray for our nation's leaders & state and local leaders, too. Help me to prepare my heart, my home and whatever food would be best for snacks to serve with coffee &/or? Please help me to know without confusion, something pleasing, simple and quick?!

Thank-you for this home - a little bit of heaven - which Ted & I always wished to share. May it be used for Your glory, so long as I may stay here. I ask your blessings on Janice (prayer pal), [redacted] & all, Travis, Alfred, for Roy & Yvonne, and for Jim Canaday. Willie, Ivan, Mark, Marian, Danny & Emma, Sylvester, [redacted] that she find good doctors for surgery. I pray for [redacted]'s attorney and [redacted]. Thank-you for all the special blessings for so many people.

And "P.S." the lumps on my forehead, & my glasses, I pray for your healing or guidance for them.

Interpretation:
We have done a little reading ahead and we think this particular entry will represent many future entries, specifically because there is not a lot of exciting action. Granted, we did not expect a lot of action, but there is always the hope that something interesting will stand out.

For this entry, the first thing we noticed was the sale of the motor home. We are not sure which motor home this specifically references, although it is obvious that it is the last one owned by Dorothy and her recently deceased husband, Ted. They both traveled back and forth across the country in their motor home over the years and owned several different models. So which specific make or model this one was is still unclear. What is clear is that this is the end of an era for Dorothy. After years and years of living a life on the road, she is now confined to her house and her car and traveling will be limited to airplanes, buses, and trains.

Another interesting note is her comment on Aquacise. While we are not surprised that she did her best to stay active and healthy, we found it neat that she chose this particular class. This is a perfect example of a single tidbit of knowledge that would have been lost forever without this journal. We are sure family members that knew about the class would have likely thought it unworthy of mention when describing her life.

Another quaint tidbit was her worry over the food and drink for her prayer meeting. We can clearly imagine her fretting over entertaining her guests with the right choices. She was always a prim and proper woman.

Finally, there is the mention of the lump on her forehead. We are still researching this particular malady and will keep you posted.

References:
- Hollingsworth, D. B. (1997). Joy in the Journey. Private Collection.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What Do You Have Saved From Your Childhood?

2010-12-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Question:
What Do You Have Saved From Your Childhood?

Answer:
A bunch of junk. And then some.

I remember a lot of my toys from late childhood are still in my father's attic but there are a few that stick out specifically. There was a red table with matching red chairs. A yellow hairbrush. White leather baby shoes. And a Snoopy doll.

That Snoopy doll is what I remember the most. I don't remember carrying it around like I've heard I used to do as a young child, but I do remember it in my collection of stuff as I got older. It was white and black (just like Snoopy!), his nose was missing, and he was filled with something that made it feel like a bean bag.

Photos:

Note: This is not an actual photo, but merely a representation of what the Snoopy looked like.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Joy in the Journey - April 27, 1997

2010-12-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Transcription:

Dear Lord, these people are particularly in my heart as I pray that You will be close to them, letting them know that You love them & call for them now!!!

[there are two columns of names]

[left column]
(Church Family)
Janice, "my prayer pal"
Marian
Danny & Emma
Ivan [labeled as "teens"]
Sylvester [labeled as "teens"]
Travis [labeled as "teens"]
Mark their leader
Pastor Bill & Millie
Millie's Mom
Larry K. - as he does today's sermon
Betty Bell
Willie & Alfred

[right column]
Grace-Mom [this would be Theodore Hollingsworth's biological mother - Dorothy called her "Grace-Mom"]
[redacted] & family
[redacted] [redacted] following surgery
[redacted] (future surgery?)
[redacted]
[redacted] [redacted]
[redacted] - to know You, Lord
[redacted] [redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted], [redacted], [redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]

Today, I am thankful for: 1. Your guidance 2. my parents 3. My husbands 4. my children 5. my life

As I write to [redacted] & [redacted], please give me the words that will honor Your name, Lord, and lead them to know Thee better! Amen

Interpretation:
We redacted a lot of names here in the second column because they are family members that may want to remain anonymous and many are still alive. We left in Grace (Brown) Steinbaugh's name because we felt the tidbit of history was interesting and, unfortunately, Grace has been dead for over ten years.

References:
- Hollingsworth, D. B. (1997). Joy in the Journey. Private Collection.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Joy in the Journey - Preface

2010-12-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Transcription:

"Joy is a deep settled conviction that a loving Heavenly Father is in control of the details of my life."

John 14:27 .... "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."

Today is April 27, 1997 - I shall try to write a prayer, a quote, what I am thankful for, a prayer request or list of those for whom I am praying each day during the remainder of this year.

D.B.H.L.H.

Interpretation:
This is the first page of the journal and it seems pretty clear what Dorothy Hollingsworth intends to write about. One side note on her signature. She was born "Dorothy Beth Hollingsworth," married Andrew Lester, then married again (after Andrew died) to Theodore Hollingsworth. So her initials started as D.B.H. then D.B.L. then D.B.H. Somewhere along the line she adopted the full D.B.H.L.H. (for Dorothy Beth Hollingsworth Lester Hollingsworth). We have not determined if this was out of humor or a way of honoring her past. Whatever the reason, the signature was always the source of a few chuckles in the family.

Some of you may be wondering about her marriage to Theodore (Ted or Teddy) Hollingsworth. Dorothy married and had several children with Andrew Lester. He died in 1960, leaving Dorothy to care for several young children by herself. She remarried in 1971 to Ted Hollingsworth. Ted was the adopted cousin of Dorothy. Ted's biological parents were Homer Dean and Grace Brown. He was adopted by William Hollingsworth and Mary Lane. William Hollingsworth was the brother to Glenn Hollingsworth. Glenn was Dorothy's father.

References:
- Hollingsworth, D. B. (1997). Joy in the Journey. Private Collection.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Joy in the Journey

2010-12-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

We will be departing a bit from the pattern of our last few posts to cover a different aspect of our unique family history. Specifically, we will be covering Dorothy Hollingsworth (aka Dorothy Beth Hollingsworth Lester Hollingsworth) and a journal she kept from 1997 to 2002. In keeping with our previous risk analysis, we will be redacting some personal information for various reasons. If you happen to be a family member and you want something redacted, let us know and we will research the issue before taking action. However, please do not expect us to leave everything unpublished. We want to publish this journal while staying as tasteful as possible.

So without further ado, here we go.

First, a little about the author. Dorothy Hollingsworth was born in 1919 in California. She was the daughter of Glenn Hollingsworth and Mary Ashton, both big names and big families in our country's history. She died in 2006 in Illinois after a long and productive life. She always struck me as a patient and wonderful woman who did her best to help those in need.

Her journal is a very personal thing to both her and our UFO Team. We rarely get a look inside the inner workings of a person, let alone one that has had such large impact on so many people. It is because of these strong emotions that we will attempt to limit ourselves to just one journal entry at a time. We struggled with tears last night as we read the first entry and, while it may not have had a lot of substance, the emotional weight was palpable.

The journal itself is just a simple composition notebook. Like many that you would in a local office supply store, it has that marbled black and white cover. The cover has been customized a bit with a label that has a nicely scripted title of Joy in the Journey. The pages are worn around the edges and one page has been torn out. We assume this acted as a bookmark as well as a prayer list. Upon closer inspection, the cover reveals a set of tiny footprints going across the cover.

The entries are all handwritten in ink and cover most of 1997. There are a few entries for 1998, 1999, and 2000. After September 11, 2001, the entries become almost daily until early 2002. This is were things end. The entries cover April 27, 1997 to January 10, 2002.

A few key events within that general time frame include:

- December 1996 - Dorothy's second husband dies.
- December 1996 - Dorothy's daughter dies.
- November 1997 - Dorothy's son gets remarried.
- July 1999 - Dorothy's son-in-law dies.
- April 2000 - Dorothy's mother-in-law dies.
- Several great-grandchildren were born.

So you can see that a lot happened during this time frame as well as a lot of things immediately before-hand. From here, we will be transcribing and discussing the entries.

References:
- Hollingsworth, D. B. (1997). Joy in the Journey. Private Collection.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Marvin Russel?

2010-06-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
Do you know Marvin Russel?

Answer:
We know very little about Marvin Russel, but we feel confident that he would be willing to crack a small grin when forced to by a nice young lady. As you can see in the photos below, his expression was slightly different when he had his arm around Velma Phillips. The photos, likely taken in the 1930s, are in Nebraska, but we could no find any further information on Marvin. So if you know him or his family, please contact us. We would love to know more about Marvin and how he is linked to the Phillips family.

Photos:
Marvin Russel

Velma Phillips and Marvin Russel

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know LeRoy Burr?

2010-05-11T06:00:00.003-04:00

Question:
Do you know LeRoy Burr?

Answer:
LeRoy Burr (possibly "Leroy Burr") is shown in one of our photographs posing with a horse. Either he, or the horse he is posing with, had the nickname of "Sonny Boy."

After some searching, we did find a Burr family related to our own Phillips family in Nebraska. It turns out that Verna Pearl Phillips (daughter of Francis "Frank" Eugene Phillips) married James Newton Burr. They had two or three children together, Mabel, Claris, and Eleanor (it appears Mabel died at a young age). According to our internal notes, James Burr was born on April 9, 1889, but after further research, that appears to be Pearl's birthday. James was born in 1882. He married Pearl in 1907 and died in 1943. Pearl died on June 14, 1970 (the date of death could be 1910, but we doubt it). Our notes also say he was a "Sand hill, Nebraska cattle rancher. 30 miles north of Whitman, Nebr."

Based on our rough calculations, a ranch 30 miles north of Whitman, would be in Cherry County.

We found a few other interesting items in our research of the Burr family. In 1910, they had one daughter, Mabel (age 1). By 1920, Mabel was missing from the census, and two other children appear, Claris (age 8) and Eleanor (age 6). And all four are still present in the 1930 census.

In 1910, the Burr family lived in Buffalo Lake (Cherry County, Nebraska). In 1920, they moved from Buffalo Lake to Mullen (Hooker County, Nebraska). To be more specific, they moved between January 17th and February 9th of 1920. Why? Because they appear in the 1920 census in both locations with only one variation. James turned 37 during the move. By 1930, they had moved again to Twin Falls, Idaho.

But things get even more interesting. There is a Cleavenger family in Mullen. That name is linked to another side of our family tree, the McCoig family. Odder still is the Phillips family is present as well as the Yaryans and the Piesters, all related to our ancestors and all living in Cherry or Hooker Counties with the Burrs.

Despite all of this research, we still cannot find out how LeRoy Burr fits in. We feel comfortable assuming that he is related to the Burr family of Cherry County (or Hooker County or both), but we could not find a link. We do have some queries out, but nothing has been returned yet that mentions LeRoy. So if you know LeRoy Burr, please contact us.

Photos:
LeRoy Burr "Sonny Boy"

James Burr and Verna Pearl Phillips

Claris Burr, Verna Pearl (Phillips) Burr, and Eleanor Burr

References:
- 1910 United States Federal Census.
- 1920 United States Federal Census.
- 1930 United States Federal Census.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Josephine Piel?

2010-05-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
Do you know Josephine Piel?

Answer:
We were able to find a few sources of information that gave us just a little peek at Josephine. Born in 1916 in Blue Hill, Nebraska, she married twice. Once to Melvin McIntosh in 1936 and once to Jim Johnson in 1984. She appears to have had four children, all from her first marriage.

But beyond her obituary and her name on the 1920 and 1930 census, we could not find any other details on her life.

Photos:

References:
- Smith, Rachel. "Lower Volga Village Project." AAUW Livermore-Pleasanton-Dublin Branch. May 2007. Web. 04 May 2010. http://www.webbitt.com/volga/lower/obitsp.htm.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do You Know John Maire?

2010-04-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
Do You Know John Maire?

Answer:
Yet again, our Research Team has come up with an empty hand. This time more so than some of our previous attempts. And while we found yet another potential candidate, the link is so tenuous, it does not even garner enough attention to share details.

So in the end, we are left with a single photo of a young man with a fancy belt.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do You Know Howard Wagner?

2010-04-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
Do You Know Howard Wagner?

Answer:
As usual, our Research Team is coming up with either not enough information, or too much. When we search on Howard Wagner in Nebraska in the 1930s, we come up short when using basic search tools. When we refine our search to more genealogical sites, we find many potential candidates. In the end, we are left with nothing but wonder and more questions.

The closest candidate was one Roy Howard Wagner, born February 6, 1891 in Comstock, Nebraska. In 1917, he was working as a railway brakeman for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway. He was single and had blue eyes with light hair. This last clue is as close as we can get to a link between this particular candidate and the person we are looking for. You can see in the photos below, our Howard Wagner has light or blond hair. But we do not feel comfortable taking a firm stance that this is our mystery man because his age would not quite match what we estimate based on the photos.

As you can see, we are still lost. So if you know who our Howard Wagner is, please let us know.

Photos:

References:
- Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What Do You Remember About Your Grandparents?

2010-03-25T06:00:00.004-04:00

Question:
What Do You Remember About Your Grandparents?

Answer:
I grew up with two grandmothers, two grandfathers, and one great-grandmother. All have since died, but I can remember some of the strangest things about them. Like my great-grandmother always had the funniest glasses. They were those old-fashioned, horn-rimmed type that always made me smile when I saw them. And I can still remember being afraid of my one grandmother, even though I had been around her plenty of times before. Makes me wish I could go back and change my reaction because I miss her the most. But instead of sharing all of my bad memories, I thought I would share something a little more positive.

In the first photo below, you can see my grandmother with her grandchildren. I can vaguely remember posing for this photo, but I can remember her house quite well. Everything from the couch to the pillows to the clock on the wall. I can remember exactly where she kept the toys (in the laundry room), what her kitchen table looked like, and all the little knick-knacks she had on her shelf (right as you walked in the front door).

In the second photo, you can see my grandmother as a child. Next to her are siblings and family members. Behind her is a sod house, sometimes called a "soddie."

My grandmother was a solid woman who endured many hardships growing up. But despite how hard her childhood was, she always had time to share her love (and discipline) with her children and grandchildren. It is her love and the story of her life I wish I had more time to go back to get more of.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do You Know Hoot?

2010-03-23T06:00:00.002-04:00

Question:
Do You Know Hoot?

Answer:
We are not sure who Hoot really is. Based on one of the photos below, he could be Louie "Lou" Steckly, the husband of Velma Phillips. But based on some further research, we highly doubt that.

In our research, we ran across an undated article from the Hooker County Tribune that mentions "Hoot." But Hoot appears to be brothers with Paul Prentice. It also mentions that Hoot "played ball" and "pitched for the Diamond Bar team." His brother Paul "played with Cody." These two teams appear to be baseball teams.

That particular information led us to a Prentice family living in Calf Creek in Cherry County, Nebraska in 1930. The family had four children, Paul (age 24), Dorothy (age 22), Howard (age 20), and Adaline (age 16). The parents were Benjamin (age 66) and Laura (age 59). Two older sons, William and John, were absent from the 1930 Census, but still listed on the 1920 Census. Our best guess is that Howard is Hoot.

But we cannot confirm that guess with any factual data. So if you know Hoot, let us know!

Photos:
Hoot standing alone:

Velma Phillips and Hoot:

This photo has the title "Old Married Couples"
Hoot, Velma, Virginia, and Frank:

Undated Hooker County Tribune article:

Jess Phillips and Paul Prentice (who appears to be in a baseball uniform):

References:
- 1920 United States Federal Census.
- 1930 United States Federal Census.
- "Rolf News Notes." Hooker County Tribune [Mullen, Nebraska]. Print.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Did You Have A Memorable Vacation As A Child?

2010-03-18T06:00:00.005-04:00

Question:
Did You Have A Memorable Vacation As A Child?

Answer:
I have been very fortunate to have had many, many memorable vacations as a child. From tossing tea into Boston Harbor to driving from one end of Texas to the other to taking a train from the east coast to the west coast. Many, many memories. So many, that I think I should save them for another time.

Instead, I will share with you the memorable vacation of my grandmother, Dorothy Beth Hollingsworth, as told in her own words. The main cast of ancestors include Dorothy, her brother Ken (or Kenny or Kenneth), her mother, and her father Glenn. Also mentioned is Ted, who would later be her second husband.

1929 Family Trip
by Dorothy Beth Hollingsworth

In the summer of 1929, I was nine years old and Ken was seven. Something exciting was about to happen. Our family was going on a six-week camping trip and Daddy was packing all the equipment we needed for this adventure.

A heavy canvas tent (no nylon fabric then), tent poles, tent pegs and ropes were ready to be tied to the top of the car. A double sleeping bad and double cot for our parents, two single cots and sleeping bags were for Ken and me. A two-burner Coleman kerosene stove and a Coleman kerosene lantern were also packed. On the running-board of the car, an aluminum ice-chest held ice, milk, cheese, butter, eggs and fruit or other perishables. Boxes of cornflakes, shredded wheat, crackers, bread, salt, pepper, peanut butter, canned tuna and canned beans were stored in a carton. An essential item was a bucket for carrying water when we camped. Clothing for four people, soap, washcloths, towels and toothbrushes were other necessities. We took maps, books and a notebook for keeping a record of the trip, which was my responsibility. With some items stashed in the small trunk of the car, others were tied on top of the car and on the running-boards.

As the work progressed and was almost finished, Ken said to me, “I wonder how it feels to go to another state. I’ve only been in California.”

As an infant I had lived in Arizona for five months, of which I had no memory. After considering his question, I answered,

“I don’t know. Maybe there’s a fence or a painted line across the road. Let’s ask Daddy.”

Daddy laughed and said, “There’s probably a sign that says Welcome to Oregon. We’ll see when we get that far. Now, go in and ask Mother if I have to squeeze anything else in or on this car!”

After all the preparations, we were finally ready. I wish I had a picture of our vehicle loaded as it was!

Our trip started east toward San Bernardino, then north through the mountains, including the “Grapevine Grade” which was a challenge to any car in those days. The highway was two-lane with many curves, not like it is now on Highway 5. We carried water to fill the radiator as necessary. We stopped for gas at the top of the grade, then went on to Bakersfield. I don’t remember where we camped, or all the people we visited. Some people and places I do remember. From Highway 99 we drove west to Hanford and spent the night there. We had breakfast at Aunt Nellie’s (Grandpa Hollingsworth’s half-sister) and Uncle Elmer’s. I mainly remember the ham gravy, as my Daddy thought that was the best! In Lemoore, we visited Aunt Nellie’s sister, Bertha, and went back to 99 working our way north and east toward Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite was so different then. It is so crowded these days. It is still beautiful, but some of the things I remember no longer exist. For example, we camped near the river in the valley. There were other people camped in tents, too, but not very close to us. Every night the Rangers took all the garbage to one spot and the bears came to enjoy eating their nightly treat.

Every night after dark, there was a wonderful sight! It was better than fireworks! The only place it happened was in Yosemite. The Rangers made a fire on top of a mountain (maybe Half Dome?) with only a special kind of wood, native to the area. The fire was not visible from below. From the top, a male voice called out:

“Le-e-e-t the f-ire fa-a-a-all,” with a call that was almost like a song. I can still hear it, but can’t describe it in words. As the voice called out, the fire fell. It was so impressive, people “ohed” and “awed” as they do seeing fireworks today. These days we would call it “awesome.” It was awesome, and is still a vivid memory in my mind.

After Yosemite we drove on to Sacramento and saw our California State Capitol. That was impressive. Next we went west to San Francisco. I remember the beautiful views of the bay, but my most vivid memory is of riding up the hills in our car. It seemed as though I were lying on my back. Yes, it was scary!

From San Francisco we traveled on north to Eureka, where we visited a lumber mill. I never forgot that. I was fascinating to see the tree trunks being made into lumber. (In the 1980’s when I was there, it was much more automated than in 1929.) Some place along the way we visited the Redwood National Forest. I’m not sure but it could have been there we camped in the rain. The next morning I had eleven mosquito bites on one arm. Any time it rained, we were careful not to touch the tent. If we did, water started dripping down on us from that spot.

There was a sign as we entered Oregon, as Daddy had expected. Ken and I observed that Oregon looked just like northern California. Ashland, Oregon was always in our memory because of the delicious Bing cherries. Ken and I are cherries and had contests to see how far we could spit the seeds. I think he won. Another memory was the Rogue River. As the dusty two-lane road followed along beside it, we became accustomed to hearing,

“Glenn, please stop.”

Mother got out each time with a washcloth in hand, ready to dip it into the sparkling river, wring it out and climb back in the car. She held the cloth over her nose and mouth because of all the dust in the air.

Crater Lake National Park is my next memory. What a blue, blue lake it was! At that time, no one had been able to measure its depth.

I have since crossed the beautiful Columbia River and ridden along beside it, but have no memory of it as a nine-year old.

Mount Rainier National Park, I DO remember. We went up a winding road, parked nearby and saw a REAL glacier. That was very impressive. As it melted, the water running from it was white, not clear. Chunks fell off as we watched. (I have learned since then that this is called calving).

We went on to Seattle, a beautiful city with hills like San Francisco. My next special memory is crossing the border into British Columbia, Canada. We were stopped at the border briefly, and then we were in a different country! We no longer saw the Stars and Stripes. How strange that felt.

Daddy had a friend who lived in Vancouver, British Columbia. She had taught with him on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound near Seattle in 1917-1918, his first year of teaching. She and her husband had retired in Vancouver, B. C.

We had a pleasant visit there. Ken and I enjoyed looking at pictures through a stereoscope. (We called it a stereopticon, but Webster’s Dictionary doesn’t define it that way now.) The main thing I remember is how the Canadians talked, saying, “The weather is great today, eh?” with an “eh” at the end of many sentences. This seemed very different to us.

Back in the United States, we headed east over the Cascade Mountains and down intot he desert-like country. Mother had a cousin who lived in Spokane. The gravel road between the mountains and Spokane was dreadful. Daddy called it a “washboard road” and that was truly what it looked and felt like. There was no river along beside it either.

Cousin Gene Ashton was probably Grandpa Ashton’s cousin. He was tall and handsome and had wavy white hair. He was an excellent singer, and Mother was a proficient singer as well. They had fun singing old songs as duets. I don’t remember much about Gene’s wife, but they grew strawberries in their backyard. We were allowed to pick them and have strawberry shortcake for supper.

Many years later in the 1980s, Ted and I drove our motorhome across from Spokane to Seattle. I was amazed to see all the crops growing on the eastern side of Washington. Grand Coulee Dam had changed it completely. Wheat, barley, corn and other crops were covering the land that had once been parched before that enormous dam was built.

The Great Depression of 1929 began only two months after our return from this wonderful trip. I shall always treasure the memories I have of this time our family had together, with Ken carrying the water bucket, Daddy setting up the tent and cots, and Mother cooking. I helped when needed and kept a daily record of our travels in three states and one province of Canada. Our family trip in 1929 was educational, fun and memorable. I think it also taught me what a joy it is to travel.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Herman Keloof?

2010-03-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
Do you know Herman Keloof?

Answer:
We wish we knew this dapper fellow in his glasses and cap. But alas, this chap is a mystery. And while most of the individuals we feature here are unknowns to us, Mr. Keloof is an even bigger mystery for us. But here is what we have been able to find out.

Clinton Orla Dedmore was likely the photographer. He began his photography business in North Platte, Nebraska in April of 1919.

Beyond that, we are lost. Most likely this is due to the spelling of Herman's name since it could be "Herman" or "Hamon" or "Kelloof" or "Kelloog" or something else. But in the end, we still like this dapper young man. So if you know him or his family, please drop us a line.

Photos:

References:
- "The Nebraskana Society." USGenNet. The First and Only Nonprofit Historical-Genealogical Web Hosting Service on the Internet! History, Historical, Family History, Genealogy, Genealogical. Family Values. History and Genealogy. Genealogy and History. ISP. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/OLLibrary/Nebraskana/pages/nbka0089.htm.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Technical Difficulties

2010-02-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

We recently experienced an outage of one of our external hard drives. While we work to repair the issue and restore our lost data, we will need to take a short hiatus. In the mean time, please feel free to browse through some of our older posts.

Who taught you to love books?

2010-02-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

Question:
Who taught you to love books?

Answer:
My Uncle Phil. And it is a bit of a long story, so first, here is a portion of the last (and one of the few) letter I wrote to him. He passed away a few weeks afterwords.

Because of you, I love to read. And this is the big one Uncle Phil. This is the biggest one of all. I can still remember going to your parent’s place when you were cleaning it out. You let me dad and I pick through some things and gave us a paper bag full of old books. It was some old series called The Hardy Boys. At the time I loved how they smelled more than the idea of reading them, but as I began to read them, my life changed. I found I loved to read. I could escape from the real world and solve mysteries. I began collecting more of the series. And along the way I discovered other books were out there that I liked to read. Books with dragons, magic, and heroes. I couldn’t tell you how many books I’ve read since the day I left with that paper bag. But I can tell you I had fun reading them. And the best part of all, my daughter loves to read now. At the age of five she still struggles with words, but I can see that look in her eye when she sits down with a book. It’s the same look I had when I started reading The Hardy Boys.

Now, some background on Uncle Phil. I usually tell people he married my aunt just because I like to see them make funny faces. So I will back up even more to give a bit more history behind the man.

Uncle Phil was born, well, a long time before I was. His parents were nice from the stories I have heard and they were both very intelligent people. Uncle Phil married my mother's sister, Diana. Uncle Phil and Aunt Diana were (and still are) the source of many good stories in my life. Whenever I traveled to, from, or through Chicago, there was always time taken out for a visit to their house in Homewood. A house I can still remember quite distinctly. Diana and Phil were the powerhouse on my mother's side of the family. I do not know if it was their personality, their grace, or something supernatural, but you could always count on having a great time there.

So when Uncle Phil's parents passed away, it was a sad time for him. And on one of our many trips west, my father and I stopped as usual at the "Diana & Phil Rest Stop." Uncle Phil was kind enough to take us both to his parent's apartment where he essentially let us browse through their stuff to see if there was anything we wanted. While I am sure everything that Phil and the rest of his family wanted was already taken, it still felt wonderful (and awkward) to be invited to somebody's house to pick through their stuff. It was like an estate sale where everything was free.

One of those items I picked to take home, somewhat reluctantly, was a set of musty books. Something called the Hardy Boys. To this day, I still love that smell of musty, old books. And to this day, I still love to read (even though my Kindle does not smell musty).

As time passed, Aunt Diana passed. Uncle Phil remarried to the ex-wife of my mother's brother. So the in-laws (or "outlaws" as Uncle Phil liked to say) got married. For me, it was no big deal. They were still "Aunt" and "Uncle," they were just married. I am sure others thought differently.

And that is the story of Uncle Phil. Although he impacted my life beyond teaching me to love reading, he will still be missed. But I am glad I can find him again whenever I want simply by reading a book.

Photos:
The UFO Team has several photos of Uncle Phil, but seeing as his death is still fairly recent, I have refrained from showing them as well as disclosing his full name.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Harry Kurtz?

2010-02-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Question:
Do you know Harry Kurtz?

Answer:
In the photo below, we can see Harry Kurtz posing with a beautiful horse. In the background, you can also see a sod house or building of some sort. Based on the other photos in our collection, the UFO Team is going to guess that this photo was taken between the late 1920s and the mid 1930s.

According to the 1930 Census, Harry Kurtz was born in Iowa around 1909. His father was born in Pennsylvania and his mother was born in Illinois.

Aside from that, we can only guess that he was a co-worker and friend of the Phillips family.

Photos:

References:
- 1930 United States Federal Census.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What blizzard do you remember as a child?

2010-02-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Question:
What blizzard do you remember as a child?

Answer:
The past two months have brought an unprecedented amount of snow to the east coast. Fortunately, the UFO Team has managed to stay on the outskirts of most of these major storms, but we have also managed to accumulate enough snow to make us wonder if we still live in the Snow Belt of north-western Pennsylvania.

So aside from this year's memorable storms, the one I remember most as a child was back in the mid 1980s. I am sure we got out of school (usually anything over two inches of snow results in a closure) but what I remember most was having a snowball fight with my Dad and building a snow fort. I believe this was also the year I built a snow bear (instead of a snow man). Needless to say, I had lots of fun being a kid in the snow.

Photos:
While I know there are photos of the storm I remember as a kid, they are stored in some secretive UFO location and cannot be accessed at this time. So instead, I'll share other photos of snow in our collection.

The HL Ranch in 1923:

Sledding down a hill:

A young couple in a buggy:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Who were your childhood heroes?

2010-02-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

Question:
Who were your childhood heroes?

Answer:
I had a few people that I idolized when I was a kid. From singers, to actors, to family members, to friends, there were people that were popular and I wanted to be just like them. Case in point, I seriously wanted to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Commando. Just watching him kill the bad guys and rescue the good guys made my day (as did Stallone, Norris, and others).

But all of these people were not really heroes to me. These were just people that were "cool" and I wanted them to be my friend. The real hero I idolized was my great uncle (as in he was my father's uncle), Uncle George.

Uncle George (Neil George Richards) served as the tail gunner on a B-24 that was shot down in September of 1944. The story I was always told was that he was shot down and got shot in the butt with a crossbow by a Russian woman. How much of this is true, I have no idea. But in September of 1944, he was indeed shot down over Russia. As their plane took fire from the ground, he bailed out over water:

My chute would not open at first but did just about the time I hit the water. Next thing I did was to get out of it and inflated my Mae West so I could stay afloat.

And he was "captured" by a woman, but there is no account of any shots fired (by crossbow or otherwise):

Just as I had reached the top of the cliff I was covered by an armed Russian guard which happened to be a girl. She pointed her gun at me and loaded it then hollered and three more girls came up. They had guns with bayonets on them which they also pointed at me.

Regardless of what happened and how the story was told, Uncle George was always a hero to me. He rarely spoke of his time in the war and only had a few modest displays of his mementos from the war.

Photos:

Neil George Richards is on the far left

References:
- 1409th AAF Base Unit, European Division Air Transport Command, Historical Record Report, Ball Project.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Fred G. Gies?

2010-02-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Question:
Do you know Fred G. Gies?

Answer:
We do not know Fred, but we did find a little information about him that seems to pan out based on the photos we have. Fred appears to have been born March 1910 in Nebraska to parents of Russian and German origin. He and his family eventually ended up moving from Lincoln, Nebraska to Keystone, Nebraska. The link to Keystone is clear in one of the photos below.

We also found another reference to Fred on the Keith County, Nebraska GenWeb site, where it appears the coordinator, Susan Anderson, is related. We attempted to contact Mrs. Anderson but were unsuccessful.

Photos:

References:
- "NEGenWeb--Keith County--WELCOME!" RootsWeb.com Home Page. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nekeith/.
- "Walter Message Board." Web. 28 Jan. 2010. http://erikas.cc/walter/walter.htm.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

When did you have to lie as a child?

2010-01-28T06:00:00.002-05:00

Question:
When did you have to lie as a child?

Answer:
A lot of the time. But I never liked it because I knew I would always get caught. I know one of the biggest lies I ever told was in third grade. I was living with my mother and stepfather in Bellevue, Washington for the year and they somehow saved enough money to buy me a bicycle. Times were tight then (I know that now, but didn't then) so it was a big deal for them. It was a big deal for me because I could ride around the trailer park. I wasn't allowed to take my bike on the little trail that went between it and the nearby shopping center. I'm not sure if it was because of the hills or because they didn't want me to take my bike out of the trailer park.

Anyway, I remember there was this little stream on the hillside that was close to the trail. I loved to go there and build dams, play in the dirt, and explore the nearby woods. Anyway, one day I went and left my bike at the fence as I went exploring. I'm sure I was told that I wasn't allowed to leave it there, but being the stubborn mule that I am, I left it to go play. When I came back, it was gone.

I'm sure my mother will tell it differently (and I'm sure her memory is better than mine), but I remember walking home thinking my bike was stolen. When I got home, I broke the news but refused to admit that I left it by the fence. I knew I'd get in trouble for that, but it didn't register that it would be less trouble than loosing my bike.

In the end, I still had a bike, but I don't think I got to ride it for awhile after that. You see, my stepfather saw the bike and took it back home to teach me a lesson. And I learned not to leave my bike there, but I didn't learn to stop lying. I mean, I still lied about the time I said I was going to that play, but really I went.....well.....let's leave that story for another day.

Photos:
None were readily available. You'll just have to use your imagination.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Frank Adams?

2010-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Question:
Do you know Frank Adams?

Answer:
According to the 1920 Federal Census, Frank is 19 years old and was born in Indiana (as were both of his parents). Also listed in this census is a John Adams (age 26) and Joseph Adams (age 33). The Barbara Adams listed (age 20) appears to be married to John since they share the same last name, are listed next to each other, but their parents were born in different states.

Aside from that, all we know about Frank is that he can ride a calf one-handed.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

I said stick around

2009-12-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

That's right pardner, better stick around after the holidays to see what's new. Meanwhile, the UFO Team will be enjoying the holiday season with family. We suggest you do the same, just remember to come back when you're done.

Do you know Floyd and Inda Brown?

2009-12-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Question:
Do you know Floyd and Inda Brown?

Answer:
We sort of know them, but only in passing. We found a few photos of them in our UFO collection and need your help in finding out how she is related to the matriarch of our family tree, Bertha (Phillips) Richard.

In three of the four photos we have, Inda Brown (there is speculation that it is spelled "Linda" but we have no sources that can confirm that) and Bertha Richard (Bertha married in 1936 so she would have used her married name). These three photos are all dated to May and June 1937 and have several of the same women in all three. Based on Bertha's known (and assumed) timeline, we also assume that the photos were all taken in Nebraska.

The fourth image is identified as Floyd and Inda Brown with no date. We therefore assume that "Brown" is Inda's married name and that Floyd is her husband. Although there is a chance that "Brown" is Inda's maiden name and Floyd is her brother.

Any help in identifying Floyd or Inda Brown or any of the women in the photos with Inda and Bertha would be appreciated.

Photos:

May 1937

June 1937

June 1937

Floyd and Inda Brown

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What is the hold up?

2009-11-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

In case you have not noticed, the UFO Team has taken a break from doing family research. We will be back soon enough, so don't let us hold you up any more.

Go spend some time with your family and friends this holiday season.

Do you remember any historical events during your childhood?

2009-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Question:
Do you remember any historical events during your childhood?

Answer:
I was born in the year of our bicentennial, so I clearly do not remember the celebrations surrounding that. There were some events that I can vaguely recall as I grew up. I was old enough when the Berlin Wall fell to know it was important. I was old enough to be nervous when I flew over Mount St. Helens and saw smoke (it erupted in 1980 and I think I flew over it about five years later). And I was old enough to know something very bad happened when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up.

But I think what sticks out most in my mind was the solar eclipse. Based on what data I could find in my research, the eclipse occurred on May 30, 1984 (a Wednesday) before lunchtime on the East Coast of North America. What I remember most is that our teachers continually told us not to look directly at the sun or at the eclipse. I vaguely recall making a little pinhole viewer that reflected the eclipse onto a piece of paper so you could watch the moon move across the sun.

What I do remember clearly is sitting on the classroom floor, looking out a little side window with the rest of my class, waiting for it to happen. I am not sure what grade I was in (probably second grade), but I thought it was the coolest thing to sit there and look out the window.

Photos:

References:
- "NASA - Annular Solar Eclipse of 1984 May 30." NASA Eclipse Web Site. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle1951/SE1984May30Agoogle.html.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Evy Smith?

2009-11-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Question:
Do you know Evy Smith?

Answer:
This is yet another example of random photos in our collection with nothing more than a name attached to them. Here we have two photos, each labeled as Evy Smith, the daughter of Earl Smith. And of course with a last name like "Smith," it is nearly impossible to find out any information about her.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Erlene Purdum?

2009-10-29T06:00:00.003-04:00

Question:
Do you know Erlene Purdum?

Answer:
She was our grandmother's friend in the 1930s. And based on the photos, we would say they were schoolmates during the 1930-1931 school year in Mullen, Nebraska.

During our research, we were able to find out more about her. Erlene was born November 30, 1914 in Arkansas. But the saddest news came when we discovered her obituary. She passed on July 11, 2007 in Idaho, barely two years ago. The most touching of all was the paragraph in her obituary that reads:

Erlene spent a majority of her life cooking for others. During high school and the early years of her marriage, she cooked on ranches. The ranch hands she cooked for had 3 hot meals everyday that weren’t complete without a homemade pastry. After Erlene and Gerald moved with their family to Idaho in 1950, she continued cooking for others in various cafeteria kitchens. Of all the meals that she prepared, the ones that will be most cherished are the ones that she shared with her family. No one could fry up a chicken like grandma and her homemade cookies were something we all looked forward to.

This further confirms that Erlene and our grandmother were likely close friends during childhood. Our grandmother would later go on to do similar things in her life like cooking for ranch hands.

Also while doing research on Erlene, we discovered various references to other family members that grew up or lived in the same areas of Nebraska. So while we missed a prime opportunity to find out more about Erlene and her early years, we were still able to gather new information about our own family tree.

Photos:

References:
- "Erlene Hattenbach." Draucker Funeral Home. Web. 22 Oct. 2009. http://www.drauckerfh.com/Obituaries/Archived_Obits/Obits_07/Erlene%20Perrin%20Hattenbach.htm.
- "NEGenWeb Project ~ a proud part of the USGenWeb Project." RootsWeb.com Home Page. Web. 22 Oct. 2009. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~usgenweb/ne/grant/cemetery/grant-hyannis-hyannis02.html.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What illnesses do you remember from your childhood?

2009-10-27T06:00:00.003-04:00

Question:
What illnesses do you remember from your childhood?

Answer:
My parents kept a very nice record of my medical history through the early years of my life, so I have a great source to use in researching those childhood illnesses I do not remember. As I got older, the record-keeping fell by the wayside, but there were a few illnesses and injuries that stick out in my mind.

One particular fall, I was sick with bronchitis or the flu or something that kept me in bed. I remember being very sad about it because it was Halloween and I was not allowed to go trick-or-treating.

I also remember one year, probably in the summer, when I had an ear infection and my Aunt Susie had to put drops or something in my ear. I know she was doing the right thing but it was NOT something I enjoyed. Felt totally weird and I remember jumping like she had given me a shot.

But the one that sticks out the most in my mind is the day I wrecked my bicycle. The neighborhood I grew up in has a road that made a big loop, so I would often ride my bike around the loop. One end of the loop had a small hill that you could coast down (or pedal hard to go faster). The loop had a slight curve and was within sight of my house (just over a tenth of a mile away). Well, being the adventurous boy I was, I decided it was a perfect spot to try riding a bike with one hand.

Needless to say, it did not work out very well. I remember trying to pedal, go down the hill, and turn, all with one hand on the handle bar. I must have over-compensated for the curve because the wheel went wobbly and I went over the handle bar. My Dad said he heard me scream and came to get me. I do not remember much about the accident or the events immediately after, but I apparently lost consciousness at the time of impact.

I do remember me getting patched up in my bedroom. I had a patch of road rash on my shoulder and probably a scraped knee or two, but I remember my Dad constantly checking on me to make sure I was not going to sleep. I am sure I had a concussion, but no bones were broken and I only had bruises and scrapes to deal with.

I did eventually learn to ride a bike with one hand, but it took me a few years to get over that wreck. And to this day, when I feel brave enough to try, I have a hard time trying to ride with no hands.

Photos:
While I had no broken bones during my bicycle accident, my son did manage to break his leg during a recent trip down a slide. He has healed nicely and shows no signs of any lasting damage beyond hesitating to go down slides.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What gifts do you remember most from childhood?

2009-10-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
What gifts do you remember most from childhood? Was it a birthday present, a Christmas present, or for some other special event?

Answer:
For me, I would have to split them into two categories, birthdays and Christmas. The one that I remember the most from Christmas is probably the GI Joe Terror Drome I got when I was living with my mom. I was big into GI Joes when I was a kid and loved playing "army" with them. I would even make my own sound effects (which often resulted in many strange looks and a few giggles from family members). But I always wanted one of those big toys. Sure the four-wheeler and the motorcycle were cool, but I wanted something big like the aircraft carrier. Alas, no aircraft carrier for me, but I did manage to get my hands on Cobra's Terror Drome. And I loved it. It felt like it took hours to put together, but I enjoyed every minute.

For my birthday one year, my dad surprised me with a trip to Antigua. And it was because of this trip that I failed my Typing class in middle school. For some reason I never could get all the make-up work done right, but it did not matter much to me. I had gone to a wonderful hotel on the beach and had the week of my life (well, at the time it was the best week I'd had). Anyway, I had packed my suitcase and was in the shower when my dad got sneaky and switched out my clothes. I was under the impression we were going to Nebraska. And in October, Nebraska is a bit chilly. So instead of pants, he gave me shorts and swim trunks. And instead of seeing flat fields of corn and soybeans, I got to see jellyfish on the beach and Cal Ripken, Jr. on the flight home.

Photos:

References:
- Toy Archive. Alex Bickmore. Web. 14 Oct. 2009.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know the Johnston brothers?

2009-10-13T06:00:00.001-04:00

Question:
Do you know the Johnston brothers?

Answer:
We have what looks like three brothers that we are trying to identify. Feel free to chime in with any information you have. Here is what we have been able to determine based on our research. The family consisted of Ollie the father, Helda the mother, and three sons; Earnest, Harry, and Floyd. We do have a few photos on hand that show one or more of the brothers together. So if you can help us identify them, please let us know.

Ollie Johnston

Ollie is listed as the head of household in both the 1910 and the 1920 census. In 1910, the family lived in Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska. In 1920 the family lived in the Dewey Precinct of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He was listed as a "laborer" and was born around 1883 in Missouri. Both of his parents were born in Missouri.

Helda (or Hulda) Johnston

Helda (or Hulda) was listed as the wife in both census records. She was born around 1886 in Nebraska. Both of her parents were born in Sweden.

Earnest (or Earnest) Johnston

Earnest (or Ernest) was born around 1909 in Nebraska.

Harry Johnston

Harry was born around October 1915 in Nebraska.

Floyd Johnston

Floyd was born around January 1918 in Nebraska.

Photos:
1910 Census

1920 Census

Side by Side comparison of Harry Johnston (could also be Earnest or both Harry and Earnest)

Earnest and Harry Johnston (if names are correct, would be circa 1915-1916)

Close-up of faces

Butcher Photo, Kearney, Nebr. detail

Reverse of photo showing names and "28 st 9 ave" address in Kearney

Floyd and Harry Johnston (if names are correct, circa October 1918)

Close-up of faces

Reverse of photo showing ages (Harry 2 years and 11 months, Floyd 9 months)

Harry Johnston age 23 months (if name is correct, circa 1917)

Detail of face

One of these is labeled as Earnest Johnston

References:
- 1910 United States Federal Census.
- 1920 United States Federal Census.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What is your most memorable birthday?

2009-10-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
What is your most memorable birthday?

Answer:
I would have to say my seventh (7th) birthday was my most memorable. I remember I got a shirt with a number "7" on it (it was a favorite for a long time) and I got a giant cookie instead of a cake. You know, one of those cookies from the Great American Cookie Company? It was huge and had a ton of icing (chocolate and white icing) all around the edges and plenty in the middle.

What I remember most about the birthday though was we had some of the cookie and put the left overs in the garage fridge/freezer. So every day I'd sneak out and grab a bite or scrape some icing off. On the way to school, coming back from school, before dinner, any chance I could, I'd go out and sneak a bite. I have no idea if my dad ever knew about it or not, but it tasted so good.

Photos:
Obviously this photo is not when I turned seven. Instead it is my first birthday, one that I don't remember. But that cake looks mighty tasty.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Clayton Armstrong?

2009-10-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

Question:
Do you know Clayton Armstrong?

Answer:
We certainly do not know who he is, but we do have an email out in the hopes of finding a relative. Our best guess, based on the other photos that were with this photo, is that Mr. Armstrong was living in Nebraska during the 1930s. If you know him, please drop us a line at tk42one@gmail.com.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What books, movies, and TV shows do you remember as a child?

2009-09-29T06:00:00.005-04:00

Question:
What books, movies, and TV shows do you remember as a child?

Answer:
Books
I remember reading a lot of Richard Scarry when I was young. For some reason I loved the vocabulary words and the simplistic artwork. I also remember reading Go, Dog. Go! and I think some Berenstain Bears books. After that, the only other book I recall was one our teacher read in fourth or fifth grade. I'm pretty sure it was a Beverly Cleary book, but I don't remember which one. And it wasn't until I was in middle school and high school that I really started reading, and that of course started with the Hardy Boys.

Movies
One of my earliest movie memories is watching The Empire Strikes Back in the movie theater with several of my friends. It was a birthday party and that's where the birthday kid wanted to go. I was afraid of Chewbacca and covered my eyes when he roared on screen.

Another early movie memory is watching Back to the Future in my uncle's motor home. The fact that he had a motor home was cool enough but it also had a television in the front (in the top bulkhead area between the driver and passenger). And, even cooler, was he had an 8mm tape deck. So he rented (or bought) Back to the Future on 8mm and we watched it in the motor home. Way cool.

TV Shows
I grew up watching a lot of television, but the one that sticks out the most is M*A*S*H. This is mostly due to how much my father resembled Radar. Other shows that I watched included Three's Company, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Taxi, Woody Woodpecker, I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, Popeye, The Three Stooges, The Smurfs, The Gummi Bears, G.I. Joe, Thundercats, and the list goes on.

I do remember watching The Three Stooges on Sunday mornings while dad made pancakes. We had a lot of bonding time while we watched TV. Not a lot of talking, but a lot of vegetation.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Pauline Morrison?

2009-09-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
Do you know Pauline Morrison?

Answer:
We sure don't. We have her photo in our collection along with what is likely her sister Elda Morrison. And if you saw our post last week, we were able to find some information on Elda, but no indication of a sister (or mother) named Pauline.

So, do you know Pauline Morrison?

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Describe a normal day in your childhood

2009-09-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
Describe a normal day in your childhood. When did you get up before school? What did you do when you got home from school? Was there anybody there when you got home? What did you do in the evenings?

Answer:
This is a hard one for me to answer since I don't remember any specifics of a "normal" day. I do remember going to town every weekend with my Dad ("town" was the nearest city that had a mall and various stores to shop at). We would usually shop around, walk the mall, and see a movie.

I'm sure during the week I had a set time to wake-up as well as to go to bed. I know when I was younger my Dad would drop me off at the ABC Preschool (now operating under another name). While there I would play until the bus came. At school it was school work, recess, lunch, and the normal activities you'd go through in school. After school I'd go back to the preschool and wait for my Dad to get off work.

Once at home, Dad would cook dinner (often it was fried food since our oven rarely worked and took too long). During dinner we'd watch television before going to bed. I distinctly remember growing up watching classics like Three's Company, M*A*S*H, Taxi, and others.

Other basic routines I remember are going to the pool in the summer when I was old enough to go by myself. Going to my Mom's house during the summer (usually for most of the summer). Going on trips with my Dad during the summer to visit relatives in Nebraska, Alabama, Illinois, Arizona, and California.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Elda Morrison?

2009-09-17T06:00:00.001-04:00

Question:
Do you know Elda Morrison?

Answer:
Here's what we know. Elda Morrison has her name on the photograph accompanied by the phrase "Year 1930-31." We assume this means the school year and probably the year she graduated.

Here's what we were able to find out. On September 3, 1933, Elda L. Morrison married Everett T. Muhr in Banner County, Nebraska. Based on this we can assume Mrs. Elda Muhr was born in January 29, 1914 and died July 27, 1995. She is buried in the Chalk Creek (Hackberry) Cemetery in Banner County, Nebraska.

Based on these dates, she would have been 16 years old in the photo, younger than a senior would have been. She would have been married at 19 and would have been 81 when she died.

After more searching, I found that she was born in Colorado and died in Riverside, California. Her mother's maiden name was Galbraith.

According to the 1920 Census, she was living in the Steen Precinct of Cherry County, Nebraska (Cherry County is also the home of Valentine). However, the census shows her as being four, nearly five years old. And there is no sister by the name of Pauline living in the household (we're also pretty sure she has a sister or mother named Pauline, more on that in later post). With the age close, the census also shows she was born in Nebraska. The rest of the census for the district (three pages total) lists five teachers. An unusually high number for a rural area that could indicate a large school in the area (like maybe Valentine) but we were unable to find where "Steen" was located.

We also found an Elda Morrison in the 1930 census but that just made things even more confusing so we avoided it.

Which means we are right back where we started. So can you help us figure out who Elda Morrison is? Please?

Photos:

References:
- Banner County Cemeteries. Retrieved on September 18, 2009 from http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nebanner/bannercemeteries.html.
- Banner County Marriage Index. January 23, 1924 to January 31, 1936. Retrieved on September 18, 2009 from http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nebanner/book2bride.html.
- California Death Index. 1940-1997. Retrieved on September 18, 2009 from http://www.ancestry.com/.
- United States Census. 1920. Retrieved on September 18, 2009 from http://www.ancestry.com/.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Did you have any favorite toys or pets as a child?

2009-09-15T06:00:00.001-04:00

Question:
Did you have any favorite toys or pets as a child?

Answer:
Toys. I had a lot of toys when I was a kid, but the one that probably sticks out the most was my little bean bag Snoopy. He went with me just about everywhere. He had a little black nose that I vaguely recall falling off once or twice. I think my dad glued it back on. There were other toys I remember, like the BB gun or the sled or the GI Joe Terrordrome.

Pets. I often claim that I never had a pet as a child. Most people think that's odd, but in fact it isn't true. I did have pets as a kid, but not in the conventional sense. When I was in sixth grade and living with my mother in Pennsylvania, we somehow acquired two turkeys. We built a little pen for them next to the tree line (we lived on ten acres) and even clipped their wings so they wouldn't fly away. They started as little chicks that went "peep peeeep" all the time and eventually grew fairly large. Along the way, they died and we got two more. I think the second set eventually went to a farmer for butchering. Anyway, the turkeys were dumb as rocks. One time they broke out of their pen while I was waiting for the school bus and tried to follow me. They were much cuter when they would ride on my step-father's shoulder when he cut the grass. I think he even built a little box for them to ride in.

During this same time, we also acquired a shaggy, mangy, stray dog. He was white I think, or at least a light brown. I'm not sure how long we had him, but I think at some point he got sick. Shortly thereafter he took a trip to the woods, was shot, and never seen again.

So now you know why I tell people I never had a pet as a kid. It was traumatic at the time and overall, the pets weren't with me very long.

Photos:
Here I am in 1980 playing with my Navy Rescue helicoptor with Space Capsule. Yes, I still remember playing with this toy too.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

A Bill Rector Update

2009-09-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Update:
We previously asked if anyone knew Bill Rector. And thanks to reader Annie for reminding us that the license plates in Nebraska typically have a county prefix on them. And in the case of our Bill Rector, the car behind him as registered in county 93, known to most of the world as Hooker County.

Once I was able to determine this, I did a basic search online and found a "William Rector" living in Hooker County. But he was too old (or at least appeared to be too old). But, the William Rector I found had two children, which means he could have had a son named William.

After more searching in the census records, I was able to find the following:

William A. Rector (born October 1865 in Missouri) married Alice Speck (born around 1883 in Nebraska). They had three children. Myrtle F. Rector (born around 1902 in Nebraska). William H. Rector (born around 1905 in Nebraska). Arthur B. Rector (born around 1912 in Nebraska).

So, if William H. Rector (the son) was born around 1905, that would make him 24 in the photo. Which looks to be about the right age. Hopefully this has helped in identifying our Bill Rector. Please let us know if you know him.

References:
- Semi-Centennial History of Nebraska. 1904. Retrieved on September 8, 2009 from http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/OLLibrary/SCHofNE/pages/schn0252.htm.
- United States Federal Census. 1900.
- United States Federal Census. 1920.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

When is a death close enough to hurt?

2009-09-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
When is a death close enough to hurt?

Answer:
I recently learned of a death of the mother to a childhood friend. While I normally may have been stoic in dealing with the news, I was moved by the news and felt it was necessary to do something. For me, a death is close enough to hurt when I feel I need to either go to the services or at least express my sympathy with flowers, a card, or something on that level.

I think part of what moved me to do something, part of why the death hurt was that I had often stayed overnight in her house. She treated me as a son when I was there and her son and myself even started school together. Same day, same school, same bus stop. We're in each other's photos. We're part of each other's history.

As we grew older, we grew apart. We moved on to different cliques in high school and went our separate ways after graduation. As we moved into our adult lives, we crossed paths again when my family moved onto the same street as him and his family as well as his parents. He lives next to his childhood house while I live another mile or so down the road. We never really became friends again, but we randomly heard news about each other through our parents.

And because of those few years together, those nights spent in his room (I still remember the bunk beds and the cool trashcan he had), that first day of school, all of these add up to sadness in learning about his mother's death. I wasn't able to attend the viewing or the funeral, but my father paid his respects. So I did the best I could in expressing my sympathy by sending flowers. That's how I knew the death was close enough to hurt.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Bill Rector?

2009-09-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Question:
Do you know Bill Rector?

Details:
The man in this photo is labeled as Bill Rector. He is sitting on a horse with a car behind him. The license plate of the car behind him reads 93-321. It also appears to have the year 1929. The state is NEBR (Nebraska).

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Describe your childhood home

2009-09-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

Question:
Describe your childhood home. Pretend you are walking in the front door and describe it in as much detail as possible. Did you have a favorite room? What kind of furniture did you have? Was there something special about your house? Did you live in a lot of different houses or towns?

Answer:
This is a fairly easy one for me since my father still lives in the house I grew up in. So for privacy concerns, I'll describe a few other homes I've lived in as a child.

The Apartments in Salt Lake City, Utah
At one point my mother and step-father owned and lived in a set of apartments in Salt Lake. I don't remember how many there were, jut that they had white exterior walls and the one we lived in faced the main road. I also remember cutting the grass with small hand-held trimmers where the grass met the sidewalk or driveway. There was also a tree out front that had fascinating roots. I don't recall much about the interior, but there was a trailer parked out back and a feral cat had kittens under it. And one of our neighbors had a very large neck, I think due to a tumor of some sort. I think his funeral was the first I attended.

The Fifth-Wheel in Madera, California
I remember being slightly older than I was in Utah and my mother and step-father were living in a fifth-wheel while she worked at the local hospital. I remember Madera was awfully hot, which meant I didn't play outside much. The trailer park had a pool but I don't think I was allowed to swim there alone. But I do remember swimming there once shortly after eating and getting sick on the side of the pool. I had french fries.

Being a trailer park there was the stereo-typical group of kids that lived there and were often up to no good. Seeing as I had no friends since I was only there in the summer (I usually spent my summers with my mother and the rest of the year with my father), I did my best to be friends with this group of small time hoodlums. I never remember doing anything terribly bod or even mildly bad, but the leader of the group had a deformed foot and when he pedaled his bike, his one foot was always sideways on the pedal.

I also remember seeing a group of European (German I think) travellers come through on a giant tour bus (there may have been two buses). They had cool stuff that slid out of the bottom of the bus (like a grill) and it was neat to watch them and listen to them talk.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Do you know Mary Morris?

2009-08-27T06:00:00.003-04:00

Question:
Do you know Mary Morris?

Details:
The photo is identified as Mary Morris. She is labeled in the photo as a teacher. The school year was 1928 - 1929. This could have been in Nebraska, possibly in Cherry County, maybe even in Alliance.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

What are your earliest memories?

2009-08-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

Question:
What are your earliest memories?

Answer:
This is actually a pretty tough question. I had to go back and look at some photos to get the chronology right and it turns out what I thought was the earliest was a year or so after another memory. Which means, my earliest memory would be Easter 1980. To be exact, Easter fell on April 6, 1980 so I was just three days past being exactly 3 1/2 years old. I was visiting my dad's eldest brother in Fort Meade, Maryland where he was stationed and we were doing various Easter activities. We dyed eggs, played games, ate way too many marshmallows, and had a nice Easter dinner (at least I'm sure it was nice, especially if my aunt was cooking it).

I remember they had wicker furniture which I always thought was weird. Their driveway was medium sized and you would turn left out of it to leave the neighborhood (I think they lived on a corner lot too). They had a nice backyard with a fence I think where I did the Easter egg hunt thing. And I remember my aunt letting me eat a bunch of marshmallows. Like almost a whole bag of them.

On a side note, there are other events that I think I remember when I see them in pictures, but I'm not sure if I remember them or if I remember the stories people told me while showing me the pictures.

Photos:
In the photo, you'll see the goofy kid in the dog sweater, that's me. On the right is my uncle. But pay attention to the counter. The eggs are there, obviously, but there's a crayon that I remember using to write on the egg before we dipped it in the dye (so the dye wouldn't stick to the egg). There's also an old bottle of Joy dish soap, old Pyrex mixing bowls (we had a set like that for the longest time), and some White House apple vinegar. And don't forget to check out those old curtains.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Hiatus Over?

2009-08-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

After nearly a year on hiatus, the Unidentified Family Objects (UFO) blog will be coming back to life in a couple of weeks. While the original focus of this blog was to document those family objects found, discovered, and stored in our private Area 51 collection, the format will change slightly as we move into the future.

Going forward, the UFO Team will work to document things more "genealogical." We will start with questions to ask your own family in an effort to help you gather history. From there we will progress into things that involve more research. We will try to use actual documents and ephemera from our own Area 51 collection as guides to drive you in new directions of thought.

With that said, we would also like to remind you that we will still do our best to comply with our previous risk analysis and keep as much private information as private as possible. But any information that is in the public domain can and will be covered. And as we stated before, we cannot control how information is used.

And as usual, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you are always welcome to contact us.

1944-04-10 - Janet Neville Letter

2008-09-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Description:
This envelope held two letters. The first was from "Bob" who wrote from the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. The second letter appears to have been written by Miss Neville in response to Bob's letter. The second letter was left unfinished. Of interest in these letters are Miss Neville's very neat handwriting; Bob seeing Mexican Hayride in New York; and a bit of Latin that could be a code or a simple mistranslation.

History:
Mexican Hayride was a Cole Porter play that opened on Broadway in 1944. Bob would have seen it about three or four months after it opened.

The Latin phrase used in the letter could have been simply misinterpreted or could have been a sly way of saying something else. Assuming that Latin was a fairly common subject in the 1940's, it is doubtful that an unauthorized reader would have been unable to read the phrase.

Transcription:
Letter One:

[begin letterhead]
Hotchkiss
The Hotchkiss School
Lakeville, Conn.
[end letterhead]
Dearest Janet,
It was too damn bad about the Chicken Pox, but I guess I had to get it some time! I’m back at school now and way behind in my studies, but at least I’m in the last lap! I’m just awful [sic] sorry I didn’t get to see you more often. This June we’ll go out and have some real fun! I went to a play in New York, Mexican Hayride! It was really awfully funny. You’d love it. I’m practicing up on the [begin page 2] Chinese Checkers so I can beat you some time! (Maybe!) Has that girl out West come up in her studies yet! I sure hope you get to go out because I know you’ll love it. I sure did. Well, Jan, take care of yourself and be good. Remember – Amor vincit omnia! Now what does that mean? Oh yes. A stitch in time gathers no moss [the Latin phrase “amor vincit omnia” actually translates to “love conquers all”]. Thank that over.
A heartful [sic] of love,
Bob

Letter Two:

[begin letterhead]
Hawthorn
West Chester
Pennsylvania
[end letterhead]
Dear Bob,
I suppose by now you have decided that I don’t know how to write and I don’t blame you. I’m really sorry I didn’t write sooner and my excuse is that I’ve been very busy, especially with school work. Life around here is very dull now with everyone back at school and settled down to the old grind again.
I don’t think I’ll get to California and right now I’m going [letter ends here]

Photos:

References:
- Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved on September 16, 2008 from http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=1386.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1944-02-20 - Janet Neville Letter

2008-09-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Description:
This envelope and letter have been abused by time. The envelope shows signs of the normal wear and tear of age but also some rough handling by the recipient, Miss Neville. The sender, Mr. Smith again, was writing from Westminster School.

History:
Again, we know little about Miss Neville and Mr. Smith beyond what we've already learned. Items of interest in the letter include Mr. Smith's knee healing (but still sore); Scarlet Fever hits Westminster School (resulting in quarantines); and Mr. Smith's eldest brother getting married a month before.

Transcription:

H. Lawrence Smith
Westminster School
Simsbury, Connecticut
Febuary [sic] 20, 1944
Dear Janet
I received your letter the other day and to tell you the truth I was a bit surprised. It was a very nice one too and I liked it a great deal. I also like the smell of it because it brings back memorys [sic] of the fun I once had.
You said something about Dinie “pining over Bill Rich” are you sure that doesn’t mean panting. I gather from the first of the letter she is [in] love with him. Bill is a very good mate for her, just her type a little bit co-co [sic] or nuts in the head.
My knee is almost healed and it feels swell. I can do a great deal more than I have done during the past month. I need no cane to get around with any more and I sure am glad. The only thing I miss is going to Hartford and having a cigarette [the word “butt” is crossed out here] and a good meal. You say you hurt yourself going down that little mole hill in front of your house, my gosh if you can’t stand up on such a simple hill as that I would try and do something which I could do more easily. But if you insist oppone [sic] skiing, a wonderful sport, remember to keep one ski a bit in front of the other and flex (bend) you [sic] knees up and down and you [sic] find better results.
Dinie isn’t much of a two timer, who is this Courtney, he sounds like a jerk. Have I ever seen him before, dose [sic] he know brother Sam, if so I guess he will pass. But just in case you would like to know there is nothing [begin page two] between Dinie and me and never was thank god [sic] but I am going to write her and find out if I can find any time in which to write another letter after this.
Won’t you please tell me [unknown word] [unknown word] wrote that letter for crying-out-loud. I really am curious I know I isn’t Dinie’s handwriting and it looks a little like your handwriting but I am not sure I think you would give credit to someone elce [sic] but that’s besides the point.
For your information the picture you had printed for me was me last winter. The person who took it was a very handsome boy 16 and is a very good photograph. It was too bad he didn’t get my head in, I had an awful expression on my face.
If you would really like to know how I can write such a long letter I will tell you. It is much easier to write a long letter at a boarding school because you can write it in stages as I do. I started this letter Thursday night in evening hall and will most likely finish it on Saturday night or sooner. It all depends how I feel when I write somebody. When I write a girl I must get in the right mood, but once I get started I usually can keep on going for a long time as you have experienced. If I think of something I just write it down. I can remember when I had to write over two hundred words in a letter when I wrote the family, gee that was hard, it is just second nature to me now. I invaribly [sic]will write five or six hundred words I never have written over an eight page letter to anybody latly [sic] but I am soon going to try and beat it.
I suppose you saw that valentine [sic] [begin page three] that Dinie sent me. It sure was a funny one especially what she wrote on it. Ha! Ha! I can’t see where she gets such foolish ideas. The only thing is some day she may be right. I hope. At the end of your letter you said not [to] believe a word she wrote, well [to] tell you the truth may-be your [sic] right, on the other hand you may not be.
How do you like the new point of my pin [sic]. I always have wanted a small point, the only thing about this point is that it scratches. It’s an old pen I took from my brother’s desk. (I didn’t like it).
We have one case of scarlet fever here at school. Everybody is on quarintine [sic], except for the ones who have had it, or are immune to the disease. The infirmy [sic] is trying to get some surong [sic] so we can take the Dick Test and find who is imuned [sic] and who isn’t. I have had it so I [am] not worried. If we get one more case we will have to call of [sic] the play and the dance week-end, that would be bad. I hope it won’t stop us from having our spring vacation, I am pretty sure it won’t.
Well I have run out of word [sic] and it [sic] about time I wrote my oldest brother and congratulate him on his marriage. He’s been married a month and I haven’t written him yet, oh dear.
Say help to Dinie when you see her and tell her not to do anything I [begin page four] wouldn’t do.
Please! Write! Me! [image of several exclamation points of various sizes]
Lawry
P.S. How much do I owe you count in that picture.
$1.00 scarf [sic]
.65 money I aqumulated [sic] from you
--
1.65
I will send you the money in my next letter, that is if you will write me back sooner than you just did.
I hope you will write me soon.
Lawry.
[image of various shapes and lines]

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

The UFO Family Brand

2008-09-02T17:00:00.001-04:00

Description:
This is a bit of a personal post from a member of our UFO Team. On his son's first birthday, he got a tattoo on his leg. His son is named after his great-great-grandfather, William Richard. The brand is a "Bar Q" brand, currently registered in a mid-western state by living family members.

History:
Our UFO Team member neglected to ask how long the brand has been registered and in use, but he believes it to date back to his grandfather.

Photos:

FAQs:

Yes, it hurt, a lot.
No, the shaved area will not stay shaved in an effort to "better display the tattoo."
It's a brand, as in a cattle brand, not a cereal or shoe brand.

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Local UFO

2008-09-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Updated 9/2/2008.

While this local walker is not a part of the Official UFO Team, we feel she deserves an honorary membership at least.

Update:
The local UFO was referenced again in another local paper.

References:
- The Journal Press, Retrieved on August 20, 2008 from http://journalpress.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=189&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=5346&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1139&hn=journalpress&he=.com.

1944-02-18 - Janet Neville Letter

2008-08-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Description:
This letter has no return address on the envelope. However we can see that Miss Neville is living in "Hawthorne" in West Chester, Pennsylvania. While this could be Hawthorne Lane just east of town, the UFO Team firmly believes "Hawthorne" refers to the name of the building Ms. Neville is living in or the school she is attending (just look at the address on this letter from last year).

History:
The Madeira School, which "Doll" (the write of this letter) attended, has a most interesting history. No other information could be found about the letter writer or the two Bills. The Mask & Wig Club appears to be some sort of satirical theater troupe based in Pennsylvania.

Transcription:

Thursday
The Madeira School
Greenway, Fairfax County
Virginia
Dearest Nev-
Oh: what a wreck I am. We have had exams all this week. My hard ones are all over though. Mon. I had English Tues. French yesterday Latin and I still have Geom. To go but that is a snap. If it weren’t for exams this week would be devine [sic]. The food has been super and we have had tea every day. [begin page 2] I am now sitting in the dining room writing (undoubtly) [sic] all of us who don’t have exams have to. Most of them are reading mushy magazines.
Did I tell you that Billy asked me up to the Mask & Wig. I really think it is funny. You know he didn’t write me all the 1st term. Well some time [sic] in the last of January I got this letter from him. I really don’t know what’s comming [sic] off. Of course I couldn’t go because it [begin page 3] was last week end & I had exams to study for. I wrote him back and told him and he said he would send all the things about it, programs so forth. I have heard only once from Larry. I answered it and haven’t heard since. And we just don’t talk about the two Bills. I haven’t heard from Foulke for three weeks and Rich hasn’t written yet. Has he written Diane?
This week end is going to be marvelous we don’t [begin page 4] have any work and this Saturday four of us are going into Washington to celebrate.
That is really all there is for now, write soon and be good.
Lots of love
Doll
PS. What Bob are you talking about I don’t know any Bob.

A Gest of Robin Hood

2008-08-12T15:44:00.003-04:00

Since the UFO Team is a bit preoccupied with other commitments, we'll be sharing this little tidbit from Scotland. While our favorite is the Robin Hood (or Robyn Hode) story, the rest are still worth a look.

References:
National Library of Scotland. Retrieved on August 11, 2008 from Brian Ruckley's blog via Gabriele Campbell's blog.

1944-01-20 - Janet Neville Letter

2008-08-06T13:49:00.005-04:00

Description:
Ms. Neville received another letter from H. [Henry] Lawrence "Lawry" Smith. This one on some nice letterhead. Most notable in this letter was the amount of words, lines, and sections Lawry crossed out. He either was not sure what he wanted to write or changed his mind after reading it.

History:
Mr. Smith wrote from the Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut. We were unable to determine what the "H.Y.P.Y.E.Y.D." stands for.

Transcription:

January 20, 1944
Dear “Miss Janet Meville” [sic]
I have received your letter and I am what one might call a bit surprised. Some of it was very amusing but other parts of it made my poor little face turn red as a tomato. One thing I want to get straight in that small head, [“such” is crossed out] that is the letter “S.W.A.K”. I was forsed [sic] to write those letters by my roommate. He did not tell me what they ment [sic] till after I had mailed the letter. I felt like killing him but he is to [sic] swell a guy. It doesn’t mean what you said it does. Cut out by sensore [sic] [this is circled with a connecting line to “wasn’t my bad”]. I know you know what it means and so I am very sorry and I hope you will take it as a joke. [“At the moment I” is crossed out] (wasn’t my bad) [this is the part connected to “Cut out by sensore” [sic]]. About keeping my New Years resolution. I know for a fact that I will use no profanity because the other night I had a long talk with the headmaster and he gave me three swats to remember our talk. When [could be “where”] he hit me it still hurts. As for the drinking so far, I have done none. Drinking is an awful thing and if I ever come back to W. C. [presumably West Chester] I will not touch even a drop.

[I guess Dolly was right maybe it was you, never trust a woman or girl [“Listen here, I don’t want some” is crossed out]. What scarf you are going to send me better not be what I think it’s going to be. I think when you were eight years old you made the scarf I think that is not quite fair, as I am the one who has to shell out the one dollar. I didn’t think [“you were” is crossed out and labeled with “forget about this” and “you can’t resist”] I was as dumb [end of page 1] as I look because I not. I think you will have to nit [sic] another one and also send me the two of them, the new one and the one you made six years back.” - This whole section is marked out and labeled with “Forget about this” on the first page “and this” on the second page]

I can’t believe you were on skies you of all people, skiing my land [could be “lord”] I don’t know what you will do next. The hill you went down four times, how long and how steep. I betya [sic] that it wasn’t very long or steep.

You said in the letter you wrote me that it would probably lower your exam marks. List on the last letter I wrote cause [sic] me to fail two exams both for the year and the term. The mark [sic] were bad – and I mean bad [image of a small circle with dots inside] mark. I did pass two of the ones I have taken, English 60% Science 70% I took one of the hardest exams I have ever taken. Biology I spent three hour [sic] writing a whole lot of -----, begins with a “B.”

[“I would love to see you” is crossed out] I would love to see you trying to do some of the things which they do in the ice follies I doubt very much if you could learn them this year. But if you really try to think you might be able to learn some of them, one

I went to Hartford yesterday after noon Jan 19, and saw the doctor. He look [sic] at my knee for a few minutes then said “come back in ten days. You probably will be on crutches another five or six weeks.” I hope you don’t think it is funny because I think it awful or Hell. [end of page 2]

Gee it was fun in Hartford had a good meal of six hamburgs [sic] and a 5 cent coc [sic]. I had a cig-arette and boy was it [“good” is crossed out] swell. I saw a girl in a five and dime store which I could of sworn was you but one or two things were different.

In your letter you have “congrat-ulate your brother for me the next time you see home.” Which brother and what is there [“it has” is crossed out] he has done to be congratulated for. [“I well well” is crossed out].

[“The family talk [sic] to one of my brothers I” is crossed out] wrong person

Tanks [sic] for da [sic] address of Dolly’s it soon will come in handy – HaHaHa.

Say hello to Diane for me when you call her. Ask her if she would not like three pairs of Brine athletic socks and would you like some too. I might be able to get six pairs so I might give you both some.

By the looks out I would say we would have some snow by nightfall that would be swell.

I hope you don’t fail any of your exams I doubt if you will.

So long.

Lawry
Mr. Henry Lawrence Smith
Lawry
H.L.S

P.S. What dose [sic] or where is “Hawthorne?”?
[signed] Lawry Smith

P.P.S.S.
I can’t believe you made a boy go home crying. Either he was plenty small or you were to [sic] close. I would of thought your little brother would of beaten you tell him I am ashamed.
H.L.S.

1944-01-06 - Janet Neville Postcard

2008-08-01T09:00:00.002-04:00

Description:
We step forward into the year 1944 with a postcard from Lawry Smith of the Westminster School, Simsbury, Connecticut.

Could we be starting the new year with love?

History:
No information could be found on Lawry Smith in Connecticut or Pennsylvania.

Transcription:

1/6/44
Dear Janet
Guess what; I got back to school safely but I started to go to study hall and I slipped and gave my kneee [sic] an awful hit and I am now hobling [sic] around on crutchs [sic] I wick remember little girl that the 1/25/44 I must have that scarpf [sic] or $1.00
Ask Dolly to write me course I to find something about a girl I am in l--- with
So Long
Lawry Smith

1943-12-16 - Janet Neville Letter

2008-07-30T17:00:00.000-04:00

Description:
This letter, sent from Jane Diane Law, is unique due to a few characteristics. First, the letterhead is specific to a farm, Glen Echo Farm, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Second, Ms. Law signed her letter with her nickname, "Stinky." Finally, the letter references two invitations (the reason for this letter being one of them), a phone call, and a young man.

History:
Janet Neville appears to have been living at 400 South Church Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Thanks to the magic of the Google Street View, we can see the house that stands there now.

We found a few references to a "Glen Echo Farm" in West Chester, but nothing regarding the Law family.

Transcription:

[start header]
Glen Echo Farm
West Chester
Pennsylvania
[end header]
Dec. 16, 1943
Dear janet
I accept with pleasure the invitation sent to me By you and for you.
[“Back” crossed out] But I cordially want to inform you that Miss Cissy Carson will be then visiting me so I wanted to know if [“st” crossed out] it would be alright if I brought her along to [sic].
Say please forgive the missspelled [sic] words, as you know I just graduated out of the 2nd grade.
over
Love, “Stinky”
Guess what I just got a phonecall [sic] from Delmore Farney. Thrill Thrill!!!!!!!!???! He said he would accept my invitation

1943-10-29 - Janet Neville Letter

2008-07-25T17:30:00.001-04:00

Description:
The first of several letters originating in foreign countries, this particular letter started in England. Specifically, Somerset. It was written by one Elisabeth Wilbraham of Standerwick Court, Frome, Somerset. While no specific information could be found on Elisabeth, the Wilbraham family appears to be present in England for many centuries.

History:
Unknown at this time. Beyond the small number of references we found to the Wilbraham family, no other information could be derived from the letter.

With that in mind, we were able to determine a few things from the content of the letter itself.

Elisabeth appears to be an American in England.
Janet and Del could be dating.
Elisabeth likes to use postscripts.

Transcription:

Oct 29th 1943
Standerwick Court
Frome
Somerset
also
Wychwood School
Banbury Rd
Oxford
Dear Janet
Thank you very much for your letter it is the first one I have received from [“the” is crossed out] the U.S.A. We arrived a little over a week ago. I was quite sorry to leave Portugal as we were having such a wonderful time. We used to swim practically every-day, it was usually so hot that we had to stay in the hotel from about eleven to three in the afternoon. We spent two days in Ireland which wasn’t much. Then something very extraordinary happened which I will tell you about when I next see you which will be very very soon I hope. The food isn’t so bad really, but you can get practically no clothes. I am going to school in a few days, it’s an awful looking school and the girls look pretty bad too, but it is very close to John’s school, Ma and Pa can visit us both at once. I forgot to tell you Lisbon is an amazing looking place, it has palm trees up the middle of the streets, and you always see women going around with enormous things on
[page 2]
their heads, also you see hundreds of donkeys laden with junk, can you imagine seeing all this in New York or Washington. I can speak Portuguese now, I bet that is a language old Mrs Shumway can’t speak.
You must write and tell me all the latest news about Dolly and Billy, how are things going? Also about you and Del.
Please be sure to give me Ann Robb’s address also please give her my love, and tell her to hurry up and write.
I am having a thrilling time, sowing [sic] tapes [“tags” is crossed out] on all my things before I go to school.
I am quite sure this letter makes no sense as I am not concentrating at all, which is very unusual for me, as you know.
Please give my best to all at school, and also to the green team. Much much much
love
from
Liz
P.S.
Ask Robb if she knows Mrs Miller as Mrs Miller know [sic] her. Thank you.
PP. S.
Please send me your picture. Thank you.
[written 90 degrees up the side]
PPP.S.
Give my love to your “Wannie” and Ma and Pa.
PPPP.S.
Next time write me a longer letter.

1943-10-16 - Janet Neville Program

2008-07-23T15:37:00.000-04:00

Description:
The mini-epic of Miss Janet Neville's life continues. Here we see a program from a school play. Saint Joan by Bernard Shaw to be precise. The play, in honor of the "New Girls," was performed on October 16th, 1943. It was a Saturday evening. Janet played a Court Page. Also of note was the play was performed at the Shipley School. A name we will see in the future.

History:
Saint Joan was written by George Bernard Shaw in 1923. You can see a trailer for the National Theatre's version here, a version we are quite sure differs from the version Ms. Neville was in.

We researched each member of the cast and crew and could find only one reference to a scholarship in the name of Catherine Bohlen, the Director of the play.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1943-09-23 - Janet Neville Letter

2008-07-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

Apologies for not being as active as normal. It appears a time dilation device was left on by a researcher in G Department without our knowledge. You would think being able to speed up or slow down the space-time continuum would have given them ample time to distribute the memo, but alas we just received it late last week. We appreciate your patience while we endure our red tape. - UFO Team Captain

Description:
Janet Neville will be the focus of our attention for pretty much the rest of the summer. A UFO Team member stumbled upon a large collection of letters and used his per diem money to purchase them. While the accounting department was not happy, the rest of the UFO Team was ecstatic.

To start our Janet Neville adventure, we have this letter from Delmer S. Fahney [spelling may not be correct]. "Del" writes from the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

History:
The UFO Team is still early in the research stage of Miss Janet Neville, but we hope to learn more about her as we proceed. If you know Ms. Neville or can provide us more information about the topics discussed, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Transcription:

Thursday
Dear Janet,
I arrived here at hill [sic] yesterday and all is
well so far. How are you doing at your school? I will still say that I should
have given you a flower, the last time I saw you. I’m really sorry I didn’t. Jan
how is my favorite piece In the Blue of Evening? Va[unreadable]t “and” I almost
forgot to mention how are your pet chickens. Give my regards to your family + do
write
[begin reverse of page]
and tell me how you are doing. Will see
you soon
Always Del

Photos:

References:
- The Hill School Web Site, Retrieved on July 20th, 2008 from http://www.thehill.org/.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1900-10-12 - Thorp Envelope

2008-07-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

Description:
This envelope started out in the Philippines in the hands of a soldier. It is addressed to Mrs. Mary E. Thorp of Americus, Indiana. The return address simply says "Soldiers Mail."

History:
For those that are not aware, there was a Philippine-American War from 1899 to 1913 and it appears that envelope held a letter form a soldier serving in that war. To what extent the soldier served or what relation Mary Thorp was, we have not been able to find out.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1900-07-21 - Hollcraft Pension

2008-07-01T14:10:00.000-04:00

Description:
This is one of the more interesting articles of ephemera in the UFO collection. When we first ran across it in the antique shop, we were very excited to get it back to the lab for research.

History:
Guy Hollcraft had grey eyes, brown hair, a ruddy complexion, and stood six foot and a half an inch. Amazing what a little research can get you. We found Mr. Hollcraft in several areas. In 1880, he lived with his parents and family in Tippecanoe Township, Indiana. In 1898, he was discharged from the Army (specifically, the 2nd Infantry, Company H). Guy married Ida M. Galey in 1899 (Ida was sister to Alexander Galey from previous posts).

In 1900, Guy lived in Hammond City, Indiana with his wife Ida and a brother Charles (presumably Guy's brother). This particular census is almost a month before the pension postcard in our collection. In 1930, Alexander Galey and Guy Hollcraft show up living in the same house Wayne Township, Indiana.

Photos:

References:
- Census records obtained from Ancestry.com.
- Marriage Record obtained from Indiana Marriage Collection via Ancestry.com.
- United States Army Register of Enlistments obtained from Ancestry.com.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1900-05-19 - Galey Letter

2008-06-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Description:
This particular letter appears to be from Mr. Galey's brother John or another close relative. John Galey was born in 1870 and has a middle initial "A" according to the 1880 census. The envelope has a postmark from Westpoint, Indiana but the letter was labeled as coming from Shadeland, a town outside of Westpoint.

History:
During our research, we discovered a listing for an "Alexander P. Galey" with a date of death of February 21, 1923. The same source has John Galey listed as dying April 1, 1941. Also found was a listing for one "John A. Galey" on the World War Veterans Memorial in Battle Ground, Indiana.

Transcription:

Shadeland May 19-1900

Eck I got your letter last Friday but have not had time to write I was home
on Sunday & got the pictures I have not heard from Wm since I have come here
& I am going to [unreadable] to him a [unreadable] I will send you $15 in
this letter I will send you the [unreadable] as soon as I get it I get $20 a
month & can get it at the end of every month so I can send you $20 more in
about 20 days I don’t think I will stay here any longer than till after
harvest

The place don’t soot [sic – suit] me I think I will go to Hannor or Decota
[sic – Dakota]

in [unreadable]

J. A. Galey

Shadeland

Photos:

References:
- Lafayette Journal and Courier Newspaper Index, 1902-1952, Retrieved on June 17, 2008 from http://www.ingenweb.org/intippecanoe/JC_ga.html.
- Memorial to World War Veterans Tippecanoe Township 1917 - 1918 Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Retrieved on June 17, 2008 from http://www.ingenweb.org/intippecanoe/BGMem.html.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Local Ephemera news

2008-06-23T09:14:00.003-04:00

The UFO Team wanted to take a short break and pass along some news from our local paper, The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, VA.

Today's article talks about a local college that found hundreds of letters and various ephemera dating from the 1660s to the 1940s. While our collection here at Area 51 by no means rivals that, we are proud of what we have and enjoy researching and learning about history.

To learn more about the archaeology program at Washington College, go here.

1899-06-04 - Galey Letter

2008-06-20T09:00:00.001-04:00

Description:
Yet another letter written to Mr. A. P. Galey. This one is addressed to his residence in Monon, Indiana (White County). The postmark shows it originated from Otterbein, Ohio. Opposite the letter appears to be a separate note or a letter started and unfinished to someone else. It says:

how is business & what is Rankins a doing are they trading [unreadable ] now

How it relates to the original is unknown. The letter itself does bear an interesting design of a purple, green, and yellow flower.

History:
This letter shows the appearance of one of Galey's nicknames, "Eck."

Transcription:

Otterbein

June 4 – 99

Mr. A P Galey
Well Eck I wrote to you for the debts of them notes some
time ago & have not received a reply yet & have wrote to W M for my
money but [unreadable] has not come so I would like to know the reason why I can
not here from there they told me at home that W M had gone to Iowa & I would
like to know rather he was come home yet or not – I have been up a lone
Monticello looking for a farm for sale [unreadable] & would buy [unreadable]
– if I was sure of my money but I only have until Tuesday to take it – in so you
see I am in the soup to know what to do the reason I want the dates is so I will
know what the interest is on each of them in haste.

J [unreadable] Gaby

1899-03-13 - Galey Letter

2008-06-18T09:00:00.002-04:00

Description:
As we saw in the previous posting, one Mr. Galey appears more than once in our collection of ephemera. This particular letter is addressed to "Mr. A. P. Galey" in Battle Ground, Indiana. It bears a postmark from Salem, Illinois and a 2 cent George Washington stamp. The reverse of the envelope bears a received stamp from the Battle Ground post office.

The letter is four pages and hand-written. It appears to be signed by "J. L. Criswald." The last name could be Griswald.

History:
Mr. A. P. Galey is none other than Alexander (aka "Alick" or "Eck") P. Galey (or "Gailey"). He has been located in several census records, including the 1870 and 1880 Census of Tippecanoe Township, Indiana and the 1900 Census of Monon, Indiana. He was born in November of 1865 to Elisha and Lucy. He had several brothers and sisters.

Transcription:
[note that a large portion is unreadable due to the handwriting]

Salem Ill 3/14 99

Mr. O [sic - A] P Galey

Old friend

[unreadable] yours of [unreadable] late [unreadable] and [unreadable] glad
to hear from you I am running the plant here and sure got a [unreadable] to get
one thousand dollars a year and here got a out side [unreadable] furnished and
the [unreadable] pays him $42.50 a month he [unreadable] the unreadable]
[unreadable] and all of the out side [unreadable] [unreadable] hire got very
[unreadable] my [unreadable] here & [unreadable] till mid night only &
have got the best [unreadable] in the country & here got a big bailes
[unreadable] and it is [unreadable] to [unreadable] & [unreadable] to
cincinati and [unreadable] [unreadable] an [unreadable] [unreadable] at the
shops of the firm that makes the [unreadable] & lure got a [unreadable]
house to [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] and tell me how
much that you will charge me to [unreadable] the [unreadable] for me & will
[unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] that you will [unreadable]
[unreadable] [unreadable] to take acre of [unreadable] and [unreadable]
[unreadable] [unreadable] out and [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] that I
will hire a fire man and 7 [unreadable] [unreadable] there is [unreadable]
[unreadable] for a [unreadable] [unreadable] and after [unreadable] [unreadable]
[unreadable] some [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] could
[unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] as me [unreadable] [unreadable]
[unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] up my mind to [unreadable] [unreadable]
to [unreadable] [unreadable] hire in the past [unreadable] [unreadable] to
[unreadable] out for me [unreadable] but I will [unreadable] [unreadable]
[unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] so
[unreadable] tell me the [unreadable] that you will [unreadable] for and I will
insure you a plant to run in [unreadable] months after you [unreadable]
[unreadable] so [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]
there is lots of [unreadable] here it grows on trees [unreadable] [unreadable]
by return mail

your friend

J L Criswald

Photos:

References:
- Census records obtained from Ancestry.com.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1897-04-02 - Richland County Telephone Company

2008-06-16T09:00:00.005-04:00

Description:
This is a letter from the Secretary of the Richland County Telephone Company, one D. P. Moore, to two gentlemen, "Osterdock" and "Hamilton." Who any of these individuals are is unknown. Mentioned in the letter is one "Galey," who is likely the Galey mention in future letters in our collection.

History:
Richland County, Illinois is located in the south-eastern portion of the state. Information on the company itself or the officers could not be found.

Transcription:

Olney, Ill, Apr 2nd 1897

Osterdock & Hamilton

Hutsonville,

Gentlemen - Yours of March 30th
is received. Have Galey give you
an order on the company for
mail over here and
amount due you and /\ [the line above was intended to be inserted here] I will
send you check for same

Resp. D. P. Moore

Sec.

Photos:

References:
- Genealogy Trails, Richland County, Illinois, Retrieved on June 6, 2008 from http://genealogytrails.com/ill/richland/index.html.
- Richland County, Illinois GenWeb, Retrieved on June 6, 2008 from http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilrichla/.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

When a Boy Becomes a Man

2008-06-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

Description:
This is a short, humor piece by Art Buchwald. The copyright says 1971, but we are not sure when it was originally published as we could find no reference to it anywhere. The UFO Team thought this would be fitting for both Father's Day and graduation.

History:
Art Buchwald was a humorist who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982.

The rest of the clipping mentions the McGovern-Hatfield Amendment (voted on by Senators Bob Packwood and Ted Stevens), Senator Milton Young, Senator John Cooper, Senator Frank Church, and the temperatures at Eppley Airfield (low of 62, high of 91).

Photos:

References:
- Wikipedia, Retrieved on June 6, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Steps in Home Canning by All Methods

2008-06-11T09:00:00.003-04:00

Description:
Steps in Home Canning by All Methods is a tri-fold flyer about canning. Inside is has diagrams and text on how to can using many different methods. The back flaps give more information about Kerr jars and caps as well as a time table for different food stuffs.

History:
The NRA logo links this flyer to the National Recovery Administration.

This government agency was formed in 1933 and the copyright on the flyer dates it to 1934.

The specific bulletin number is 534.

Photos:

References:
- History Matters, George Mason University, Retrieved on June 4, 2008 from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6697/.
- Picture History, Retrieved on June 4, 2008 from http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/4429.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Welcome Back Readers!

2008-06-09T09:00:00.002-04:00

The Unidentified Family Objects (UFO) Team would like to thank all of our readers for being patient while we took a little vacation. We all enjoyed our time with family, friends, and co-workers. We hope you spent some time with yours as well.

Going forward, at least until we change our minds, the UFO Blog will be changing formats a bit. instead of covering actual objects or photos from our Private Collections, we'll instead be focusing on ephemera we've collected over the years.

Ephemera? What's ephemera? Simply put, any paper product from everyday life that is generally thrown away. Specifically for us, it's mostly letters, but also some interesting bits of paper we've discovered.

Letters? Like personal letters? Yes and no. We will be displaying personal letters. However, in the interest of our UFO Staff's security and privacy, we'll be selectively editing certain letters that pertain to them. For those letters that have been acquired and are from outside the UFO Family, we will be posting them in their entirety.

Hey, that's MY family! If you read a letter or see an item that is related to your family somehow, we'd love to hear about it. Just send us an email (tk42one@gmail.com) and we'll talk!

So, let's get on with the show.

Spring Break

2008-05-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

The UFO Team is going on a two week vacation. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We will have access to email (tk42one@gmail.com), so feel free to drop us a line if you need anything.

We'll see you back on June 9th!

The Matchbox

2008-05-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

Location:
The UFO Team thought it would have a bit of fun by stepping forward in time a bit to share one of those odd treasures that, well, that just makes us laugh. We're not sure why, but it does.

Description:
A box of matches (no, we didn't count them). One side has a mini-ad for the movie 48 Hours. The other side has The Lords of Discipline. Keep in mind that this was back in the day when movies had ads for beer in the previews.

Unique Marks:
None really, but it looks like it was used.

History:
Who knows. Probably someone wanted to smoke something and need a match.

Photos:

Note:
The UFO Team recommends you watch the movies, not smoke cigarettes.

References:
- Internet Movie Database (IMDB), Retrieved on May 16, 2008 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083511/ and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085867/.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

The Ring

2008-05-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

Location:
The UFO Team is not sure where this particular item came from, but we have been able to determine who the previous owner was. We are also able to determine, based on the engravings, that it was yet another item from the International Order of Oddfellows.

Description:
The ring is housed in a small, white box. The box is held together in some places by what looks like white medical tape. The top of the box has a label from the jewelry store.

The ring is small and gold in color. The top is engraved with the initials of the owner as well as the triple rings indicative of the Oddfellows. There is also a number engraved that appears to be the lodge number. The ring is cracked all the way through one of the bands and does not connect at the bottom. This gives the impression it was a pinky ring.

Unique Marks:
The box has a printed label that says "L Smith, Jeweler, Lexington, Nebr."

The ring is engraved on the top with the initials "CBR" and the number "274." The three interlocking rings of the Oddfellows is also engraved.

The band bears the markings of "ESENC" on one side and "10K" on the other.

History:
The previous owner (1908-1995) was an active member of the International Order of Oddfellows. The significance of the ring is unknown. The Oconto, Nebraska lodge was number 319 at one point, but the previous owner was a known member of lodge number 91 based in Dawson [presumably Dawson County or the city of Lexington] Nebraska.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

UFO Shaving Brush

2008-05-16T13:00:00.002-04:00

Location:
Yet again we have more shaving tools (see previous entries here, here, and here). The UFO Team can only imagine what it would be like to shave with these implements every time we wanted a smooth face.

Description:
The shaving brush comes with a matching base. Both are cream in color with the brush handle going to darker brown at the top with a black cap at the end. The bristles are light brown nearest the handle, fade to a dark brown or black, then fade to a light brown or blond at the end. The cap on the end has the company's name stamped on it. The bottom of the base has the company's name engraved.

Unique Marks:
The cap has "STERILIZED" and "BADGER AND BRISTLE" stamped in a curve surrounding "STANHOME" and the company's logo in the middle.

The bottom of the base has "STANHOME" and the company's logo (a house with smoke coming from a chimney) and "A STANLEY HOME PRODUCT" engraved on it.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

UFO Razors

2008-05-14T13:00:00.003-04:00

Location:
While these were likely used along side our previous shaving kit (found here and here), it is possible that these were the replacements.

Description:
The razor box is black in color and made from a medium to low quality cardboard or paper material. The box separates into a roughly 60/40 split with the top half having a crushed end. The top and bottom halves show distinctive print.

The razor handle has a mother of pearl look with gold brackets on each end. The blade is marked on both sides by the manufacturer and still holds a sharp edge. The blade is square at the business end and shows some signs of rust near the hinge.

Unique Marks:
The box has "E. C. SIMMONS" and "KEEN KUTTER" printed on the bottom. The top of the box has "SIMMONS HARDWARE CO MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTERS USA" printed on it.

The blade has "GENCO" and "HENRY'S XXX" on one side with "GENEVA NY USA" stamped near the hinge. The reverse of the blade has "HENRY'S XXX" printed on it.

History:
Keen Kutter blades were sold by Simmon's Hardware stores. Based on the catalogs of the time, Simmon's sold a plethora of goods from axes to hammers.

The Henry's XXX blade was produced by Geneva Cutlery Company, based out of Geneva, New York. They used the GENCO trademark from about 1902 to 1935.

Photos:

References:
- Keen Kutter, Wikipedia, Retrieved on May 12, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keen_Kutter.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.
- Rose Antique Tools, Keen Kutter Catalog (1939) , Retrieved on May 12, 2008 from http://www.roseantiquetools.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/kknives.pdf.
- Uniclectica, Retrieved on May 12, 2008 from http://www.uniclectica.com/misc/manuf.html.

UFO Jewelry

2008-05-12T13:00:00.003-04:00

Location:
In addition to some previous Fraternal Order of Oddfellows items we have found in the past, we stumbled upon these two items as well. A charm pendent and a small ring. Both are intriguing as the Oddfellows (and other fraternal organizations) appear to have produced an abundant supply of jewelry, badges, and ribbons.

Description:
The charm is small, round, and gold in color. It has a small hole to hang from a pendant at the top. The center contains a raised pattern of three interlocking rings of white, blue, and red (from top to bottom respectively). Inside these rings are the letters "F," "L," and "T" (from top to bottom again). Between the raised pattern in the middle and the raised, coin-like edge is a ray pattern or ridges and valleys emanating from the middle to the outside edge. The reverse has the same design.

The ring is very small and silver in color. The edging and the setting have small inscribed patterns decorating the edges. The setting has a small, deep red stone with an emerald style cut. The center of the stone is decorated with three interlocking silver rings.

Unique Marks:
The interlocking rings are indicative of the International Order of Oddfellows.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- International Order of Oddfellows retrieved on May 9, 2008 from http://www.ioof.org/.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

UFO Pill Box

2008-05-09T11:27:00.000-04:00

Location:
The UFO Team has a saying around here; "The smaller the box, the greater the treasure." And this particular pill box lives up to that adage. Discovered like so many of the other items, tucked away in a dark corner, this little diamond in the rough is quite intriguing. We can only guess what ailment the medicine was to treat and who was prescribed it.

Description:
Small in size, roughly double the size of a quarter, this pill box opens in the middle. When split like a wafer cookie, the interior is red and has small stains. The exterior is brown, likely constructed of a rough cardboard material. The reverse is blank while the top has the name and address of the pharmacy pre-printed on it with the dosage written by hand.

Unique Marks:
Top - "Mueller's Pharmacy, 203 Jefferson Ave. Detroit" is pre-printed; by hand is written " Two pills every 3 hours"

History:
Jefferson Street in Detroit was named such sometime after 1807. The family that likely owned this didn't arrive in the Detroit area until some decades later (around 1870) and left for Nebraska in the mid to late 1880s.

Photos:

References:
- History Detroit, Retrieved on May 2, 2008 from http://www.historydetroit.com/streets.asp.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

UFO Laws

2008-05-06T13:50:00.000-04:00

Location:
This particular item is quite interesting as none of the previous owners appear to have any connection with the legalities of the state. Granted, there has been at least one instance of a family member being summoned to court, but what purpose this particular item served is not none. To some degree the UFO Team feels that it may have been a family bible of sorts, seeing as the names and birth dates of certain people are written inside the front cover.

Description:
This is a thick and heavy book in poor shape. The cover is a pressed cardboard that appears to be covered in leather. The binding is nearly undone for the entire spine. The spine does have a red label marking this item as the "Compiled Statues of Nebraska." The interior cover has a list of names and birth dates.

Unique Marks:
The rear cover of the book shows a distinctive impression. Six dots in a row with three linear marks, two running parallel to each other and the third running parallel to the dots.

History:
Likely published in the early 1900s.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Mini Mug

2008-05-06T13:45:00.000-04:00

Location:
This miniature mug was located in a small cigar box of other trinkets. The UFO Team was entranced by the small size, wondering if it was made for small drinkers like leprechauns or if it was made for small drinks like shots of whiskey.

Description:
This small mug is white in color and has a shiny, enamel finish. The artwork is of a couple in the trees apparently having a picnic. Below the artwork is what appears to be "Opia." Based on the history of the family, this could be Norwegian.

Unique Marks:
"Opia" on the front in gold filigree. No stamps on the bottom.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1 Diploma and 3 Photos (part 3)

2008-05-02T10:51:00.001-04:00

Mr. Richard (the younger) and Mrs. Richard can be seen in these two old photographic drawings.
Description:
Mr. Richard (the younger) is pictured in a more photographic image wearing a coat and tie. The photo is oval and has no frame. The reverse has several numbers written in pencil.

Mrs. Richard is in a fancy frame similar to Mr. Richard (the elder). There is a gold hue on the inner edges and fancy scroll work around the edges. Mrs. Richard is shown wearing a high-necked dress with a rope or chain flowing from her neck down. Also like the other frame, the reverse is loosely assembled with nails and twine.

Unique Marks:
Mr. Richard (the younger) - reverse - "105" over "9184" with a "1" in a circle and "443" between the "9184" and the "1".

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1 Diploma and 3 Photos (part 2)

2008-04-30T10:45:00.000-04:00

Mr. Richard (the elder) can be seen in this old photographic drawing.

Description:
Mr. Richard (the elder) is situated in a decorative frame with gold highlights and fancy carvings. His photo is severely cracked in several places. In the photo itself, Mr. Richard is posed wearing a top hat, bow tie, and jacket with vest. The reverse is dangerously cobbled together with nails and twine.

Unique Marks:
None.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

1 Diploma and 3 Photos

2008-04-25T11:04:00.005-04:00

Location:
These items were a bit easier to find for the UFO Team. Seeing as their size made them somewhat difficult to store, they were one of the first things we looked at. They are also quite heavy and very fragile to handle, so care was taken when turning them over for the photography sessions.

Description:
The diploma was issued to Benjamin Richard from the Broken Bow Business and Normal College. He completed the "Commercial" course of study in March of 1905.

Unique Marks:
The glass is cracked and missing in the bottom left corner.

History:
The Broken Bow Business and Normal College was located in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Lloyd E. Epley was the Principal. Photos of the College and its students can be found here.

Photos:

References:
- Library of Congress, Prairie Settlement, Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters. Retrieved on April 25, 2008 from http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/award98/nbhihtml/pshome.html
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.
- Patterson's College and School Directory of the United States and Canada By Homer L. Patterson. Retrieved on April 25, 2008 from http://books.google.com/books?id=iPqLXwe6tSwC&d

Treasure Box (Part 3)

2008-04-25T08:49:00.000-04:00

Description:
The next item in the box is a pair of earrings. They are clip-on in style and have a bronze or plated bronze appearance. The fronts have a V-like shape with flowers on either side while the middle is plain. The reverse has the clasp.

The final items in the box are a series of receipts spanning the first twenty five years of the 1900s. First is a Pleasant Valley Telephone Company receipt. William Richard paid four dollars for the "Maintenance of the line and central dues." Next is an identification card for William Richard. His brother was his emergency contact and lived in Hershey, Nebraska. This is followed by another phone receipt and a receipt for the purchase of one share in the phone company for twenty five dollars. This is finally followed by three more receipts from the phone company.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Treasure Box (Part 2)

2008-04-23T12:49:00.000-04:00

Description:
Next out of the box was a hair cutter. The black wrapper/holder was an odd waxy-paper-like substance. The metal device is aluminum and has a curved handle stamped "GEM MFG. CO. PAT. PEND. DETROIT, MICH." The other end has teeth on both sides set at regular intervals. Attached to the tooth-end is a one-piece razor with two edges. The bracket holding the razor is stamped "GEM SANITARY HAIR CUTTER PATENT PENDING." Both handle and blade show some signs of rust.

The first belt buckle is brass in appearance and color. It shows signs of wear and has small amounts of a green patina. The reverse of the buckle has a toothed lever used to hold the belt in place.

The second belt buckle is likely for the tip or cap of the belt end. It has a design cut out that looks like Asian or Greek characters. The reverse has three prongs or tabs that appear to attach it to the belt.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Treasure Box

2008-04-21T15:29:00.003-04:00

First order of business. Welcome back UFO viewers!

Second order of business. The UFO Team has determined that the footprint we are leaving on Picasa is quite large. Too that end, we have created a new UFO portion on Picasa so you can navigate with more ease to find the photos you are looking for. Our photos from this point forward will be housed in the UFO II portion where our older photos will remain in the old UFO portion.

Location:
This treasure of a Treasure Box was found in the usual place. The bottom of a container mixed in with all the usual detritus of life. And until opening it, the UFO Team had no idea what mysteries lay within.

Description:
The box itself is about the size of a largish paperback book. It is made of sturdy cardboard and is tan in color.

The first item removed from the box is a padlock. It is dense and heavy, possibly made of solid brass. There is a keyhole in the front and a smaller opening in the rear. The lock opens and closes but does not appear to lock. Across the locking part there is a stamp that resembles "Eureka Lock WKS."

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 40

2008-04-10T14:33:00.002-04:00

This will be the last installment of the Norwegian Family Photos. We hope everyone enjoyed the 40 days and nights of photos. If you can identify anyone, please don't hesitate to contact us. In the meantime, the UFO Team will be taking a much needed hiatus until April 21, 2008. Please tune back in then for new Unidentified Family Objects.

Woman in shiny dress

Identity: Unknown

Fra Helga

Identity: Fra Helga

Woman with white string

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 39

2008-04-09T12:24:00.001-04:00

Only three more photos left!

Man with flower on lapel

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 38

2008-04-08T13:33:00.001-04:00

Man with ship

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 37

2008-04-07T12:43:00.002-04:00

Girl in small photo

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 36

2008-04-04T10:20:00.000-04:00

Man in small photo

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 35

2008-04-03T11:44:00.000-04:00

Man with a smirk

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 34

2008-04-02T08:40:00.001-04:00

Girl with hat

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 33

2008-04-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

Woman sitting at table

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 32

2008-03-31T08:29:00.002-04:00

Woman with flowers on table [the flowers and the locket both appear to be hand tinted/colored]

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 31

2008-03-28T08:45:00.001-04:00

Woman with choker

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 30

2008-03-27T09:54:00.001-04:00

Only 12 more photos left!

Man with fancy hair

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 29

2008-03-26T09:50:00.001-04:00

Woman reading a book

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 28

2008-03-25T08:24:00.000-04:00

Another man with a goatee

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 27

2008-03-24T08:48:00.002-04:00

Only a few more weeks left of the Norwegian Family Photo session before we go back to the regular programing.

Standing man

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 26 - Sunday Special

2008-03-23T11:58:00.002-04:00

The UFO Team would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter! Don't eat too much candy kids!

Man with hand in jacket

Front:

Rear:

Identity: Unknown

Drawing: Love and Whiskey, which bothers the brain and softens the heart of poor [unreadable]

Identity: Unknown

Man with thing in vest

Identity: Unknown

Man in white hat

Identity: Unknown

Man with knitted scarf

Identity: Unknown

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 25

2008-03-21T09:13:00.001-04:00

Man with long mustache

Identity: Unknown