Cryptic Poetry

Cora "Ed" Shelton- white shirt, folded arms

Been trying my hand at poetry lately.  Some of it is about me and my life and feelings.  Some are about my ancestors.  Trying to give some meat to their bones.  Some petals for their flowers.  This one is a bit cryptic, but it goes with the story of Cora.  So once you read the story of Cora, it makes more sense.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Regardless...

A Pack of Camels, Unfiltered

Your name was Cora, but you said it was Charles.

You went by “Ed.”

You owned a sewing shop with your young wife.

Your strict parenting was remembered.

Your secrets were remembered.

You were always fun. Always the life of the party.

You had a wife before and it’s sad that through history

It was thought there was divorce.

There was not.  There was tragedy.

Your dark hair and blue eyes have not been passed down.

But your work ethics and your strength have.

Thank you, Grampa Cora.

Advent Calendar- December 15- Holiday Happenings

December 15- Holiday Happenings

Originally posted 12/15/2010

As I went through my genealogy database for December birthdays, I didn’t have a single one for ancestors. I have a living cousin who is very special to me born in December (hi, Paul!!!), but I don’t want to give too much info on the living (unless it’s me), so I turned to marriages in December. There are numerous distant cousins who would be celebrating their anniversaries, but nothing I felt like writing about. So I moved to deaths and scrolled through looking for someone who spoke to me this Wednesday morning.

As my eyes came to Victoria Helen Robbins, I knew I found my gal. She was the first wife of my great grandfather, Cora Edwin Shelton (aka Charles). I’ve told Cora’s story before, but I haven’t delved much into his first family. As I looked at Victoria’s December 5, 1907 date of death in Oakland, Alameda County, CA , I just knew that she’d be the next person I learn more about. I pulled a FTM report for her and suddenly, her story came a bit to life. Or at least the end of her story.

In my version of Family Tree Maker, on the Facts tab, you see birth date, death date, and any other stuff you’ve put in. The Relationship tab, houses information about others. As I’ve learned from telling a story, 5 Dec 1907 is great information. It truly is. But really, can it be more boring? “Victoria Helen Robbins died on 5 Dec 1907 in Oakland, CA.”

Is that fun? Does that make you love Victoria Helen Robbins? Not me. I never loved her.

Until the relationship tab showed me that she had a baby on November 30, 1907. A baby that died that same day. And her 4 days later. Now her death means a bit more.

I know she grew up in Prairie du Chien, WI. And I know my great grandfather was supposedly in WI at the time of his mother’s death in 1906. I don’t know how he ended up in WI, but I’m having to fill in some lines with possibilities- there is an elder Shelton in Prairie du Chen- possibly an aunt or even grandmother of Cora.

I know he was a troublemaker. At the divorce, did Mom say, “John, I can’t handle that boy. You take him.” I know he was with John and his new family in 1880. Did John then say, “Oh my holy hell that boy is trouble!” and send him to live with great aunt Harriot? No idea. He’s not in a census there, but I haven’t looked harder. I just like to guess for awhile and then prove myself entirely wrong.

Anyway, back to our lady of the hour, Victoria. At some point soon before this baby and this death, she traveled from WI to CA. Far from family and friends. I know they had children with them (2 boys and 1 girl). And I know that (as I mentioned) he was known to be quiet, keeping to himself and moody. What a freaking lovely trip that must have been. Plus she was pregnant. Then she had the horror of losing a baby and then her own live.

Now I want to know “my” Victoria better. I want to learn all about her even though she isn’t my own great grandmother. She fits in nicely with my family, so I’m adopting her.

Updated 12/15/2011:  In researching Victoria, I found that she and Cora had quite a few children, but most died.  Their first is buried next to Victoria's grandmother Sarah Chapman in Milwaukee.  Victoria's parents were William Robbins and Jane Ellsworth.  They lived in Prairie du Chien until about 1890 and then moved to Milwaukee.After Sarah died, Jane (a widow) left and went to her brother's in California.  Jane's brother was Eliphalet Ellsworth, who came to California and had a profitable farm in Napa.  Cora, Victoria, and the children went with her.  All of them are buried in Napa, California.

This is the Face of Genealogy

Myra Belle Hulse Shelton

Taken at age 38.

Sympathy Saturday - Nana and Her Douche Bag

I was thinking about my grandmothers today.  Both Gramma (Signa) and Nana (Maxine) were loved so much that we named our first child after them (Signa Maxine).  In honor of Sympathy Saturday, I decided to share this writing I did about Nana in 2001.  Nana was my mom’s mom, Ethyl Maxine Shelton born to good ol’ Cora Shelton. 

I miss my Nana. She made me laugh like no one else did. She wasn't very fun when I was a kid, but when I got older, she became a good Nana. I don't think she was particularly fond of children... But she liked me when I grew up a bit. I remember the first time I realized that Nana was cool and fun. It was after Grampa Hal, my step-grandfather, had passed away and Nana used to come stay with us for a month or so at a time. Nana slept in my room with me. I had to GET my room clean before she came, but she would KEEP it clean the whole time she was there. I'd leave my dirty clothes on the floor and Nana would actually have it laundered and hung up for me when I came home.

I didn't think this part was all that cool, but what was cool was that Nana would play cards with me and talk to me like I was an adult. She came for Christmas when I was in high school. The week before Christmas, I had a date with this guy that I actually didn't know was a date (so I still say that I've never been on a date). I thought we were going to check out Christmas Tree Lane as friends, but this guy didn't think that and I didn't realize it until at the end of the evening he asked me for a "second date" to go out on New Year's. I was flabbergasted by the ludicrousness of having gone on a date without knowing it with a guy that I thought of as just a friend.

So I said I had to stay home with my grandma on New Year's.

And because lying made my stomach hurt, I DID stay home with Nana on New Year's. Todd spent the night at a friend's house and my parents went out for the evening. But Nana and I stayed home and sat at the kitchen table playing cards and talking.

Nana told me about how she was a model before she married my grandfather. She was a fancy clothing store model in San Francisco. They didn't have mannequins; they had Nana and others like her walking around wearing the clothes. Then she met my grandfather and gave it all up for a life of luxury. (snicker)
Nana told me about a time when she took the bus to see my grandfather. She said that back then douching was a big deal and all the "ladies" had douche bags. For reals. Well, Nana got on the bus and walked to the back with her carry-on and as she got towards the back, the bus driver braked and the suitcase flew open and Nana's douche bag came out and rolled all the way to the front. She was mortified but not as mortified as I was when I had to have Nana explain to me what a douche was.

That story stayed with me for many reasons, not the least of which the fact that Nana brought a douche bag with her to see my grandfather.

Nana loved Marc. And she teased him mercilessly. You know that dark spot on jeans right at the crotch? Where the material meets and therefore never fades, despite numerous washings? Well, when Nana was sick, near the end, we went to visit her in the hospital. She was so sick and so tired and yet she looked at Marc and said, "Did you wet your pants, Marc?" And she wouldn't let go of teasing him about it.

Nana ate the weirdest foods. She'd mix all the leftovers together and eat it. Beans, jello, corn and gravy. Whatever. She had the hugest appetite of anyone I ever knew and was a teeny tiny woman. She must have eaten at least 6 meals a day.

And Nana would watch her "programs" and rant about them every day. Days of Our Lives was one of her favorites, I remember.

One time, also in high school, my friend and I took a weekend trip to see her. It was about a 2-hour drive to her house, which was a long car trip for two teens who just got their licenses. She and I stocked up on snacks (barbecue potato chips and a six-pack of Diet Coke) and hit the road at about 6am. Nana had our room (the livingroom with a fold out couch) ready and told us that she wanted us to pretend it was a hotel. She'd be our maid and our front desk. She had brochures for us of things to see and do around town, maps, and tons and tons of snacks. It was like she knew we had fun just pretending to be on a real vacation and gave us that and even more. At 16, getting room service, even if it was by your nana, was a great treat.

Anyway, Nana died the day after Mother's Day last year. It was past her time to go, but I sure wish she were still around so I could get her to tell me the douche bag story just one more time.

Civil War

This is the year 2011.  150 years ago, many of our ancestors fought in the Civil War.  It is difficult to imagine that a mere 150 years ago, our country fought itself in a most UN-civil way.  But in pondering the mess of it all, I began to wonder if any of my ancestors crossed paths.  In order to analyze this, I opened a handy-dandy Excel spreadsheet and put three ancestors across the top- one of my mom’s, one of my dad’s , and one of my husband’s.  Down the side, I put the months from January 1861 through September 1865.  And then I plotted their time in the War using regiment histories.  When I was done, I cross-referenced the data to find commonalities. 

Imagine my surprise to find out that in September 1861, my 3^rd great grandfather and my husband’s 2^nd great grandfather were both in St. Joseph, Missouri.  One came from Illinois and one from Ohio.  But both were in St. Joseph, Missouri guarding and operating the railroad.  And my husband and I met 124 years later in sunny California.  Did they nod at one another?  Shake hands?  Share a drink? 

Miles Price m. Emaline Markham	Kilbourne Smith m. Martha Perry
Harriet Price m. William Conner	Luella Smith m. Stephen Fisher
Thomas Conner m. Anna Konst	Kilbourne Fisher m. Neva Koschina
Pierre Conner m. Signa Felt	Kilbourne Fisher m. Millicent Jarone
Harry Conner m. Marilyn Badgley	Marc Mascot m. Deborah Conner
Deborah Conner m. Marc Mascot

The very next month, my husband’s same grandfather and my 2^nd great grandfather on my other side marched together to Springfield, Missouri.  Did they walk near one another?  Did they complain to one another about the terrain?  Did they tell jokes to pass the time?

John Shelton m. Laura Wilkinson	Kilbourne Smith m. Martha Perry
Cora Shelton m. Myra Hulse	Luella Smith m. Stephen Fisher
Ethyl Shelton m. Charles Badgley	Kilbourne Fisher m. Neva Koschina
Marilyn Badgley m. Harry Conner	Kilbourne Fisher m. Millicent Jarone
Deborah Conner m. Marc Mascot	Marc Mascot m. Deborah Conner

A couple of years later, in September of 1863, my parents’ ancestors met up and actually fought together in the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia.  Considering that this battle was a loss to the Union and had the second highest number of casualties in the war, it’s amazing that my two grandfathers survived, returned to their homes in Indiana and Illinois and raised children who would eventual raise the children who would raise the children who would raise me.

Miles Price m. Emaline Markham	John Shelton m. Laura Wilkinson
Harriet Price m. William Conner	Cora Shelton m. Myra Hulse
Thomas Conner m. Anna Konst	Ethyl Shelton m. Charles Badgley
Pierre Conner m. Signa Felt	Marilyn Badgley m. Harry Conner
Harry Conner m. Marilyn Badgley	Deborah Conner m. Marc Mascot
Deborah Conner m. Marc Mascot

Finally, toward the end of the war in June of 1865, both Miles Price and Kilbourne Smith were together again in Nashville, TN.  Did they perhaps remember one another from their time on the St. Joseph Railroad?  Did they greet each other with smiles and joy (and perhaps surprise) that each managed to make it out of the War alive?  Did they toast to the end?

If I could, I think I’d want to have dinner with these three someday.  I’d like to hear their war stories and get a chance to thank all of them for fighting for the country we have now.  And for letting Marc and I exist.

Wordless Wednesday - Locust Creek Covered Bridge

I'm sure that great, great grandpa Shelton drove over this bridge, since it was in his neighborhood.  No water any more as the creek was redirected, but the bridge still stands in Linn County, MO.

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/missouri_locust_creek_covered_bridge.htm

Advent Calendar - December 15- Holiday Happenings

December 15- Holiday Happenings

As I went through my genealogy database for December birthdays, I didn’t have a single one for ancestors. I have a living cousin who is very special to me born in December (hi, Paul!!!), but I don’t want to give too much info on the living (unless it’s me), so I turned to marriages in December. There are numerous distant cousins who would be celebrating their anniversaries, but nothing I felt like writing about. So I moved to deaths and scrolled through looking for someone who spoke to me this Wednesday morning.

As my eyes came to Victoria Helen Robbins, I knew I found my gal. She was the first wife of my great grandfather, Cora Edwin Shelton (aka Charles). I’ve told Cora’s story before, but I haven’t delved much into his first family. As I looked at Victoria’s December 5, 1907 date of death in Oakland, Alameda County, CA , I just knew that she’d be the next person I learn more about. I pulled a FTM report for her and suddenly, her story came a bit to life. Or at least the end of her story.

In my version of Family Tree Maker, on the Facts tab, you see birth date, death date, and any other stuff you’ve put in. The Relationship tab, houses information about others. As I’ve learned from telling a story, 5 Dec 1907 is great information. It truly is. But really, can it be more boring? “Victoria Helen Robbins died on 5 Dec 1907 in Oakland, CA.”

Is that fun? Does that make you love Victoria Helen Robbins? Not me. I never loved her.

Until the relationship tab showed me that she had a baby on November 30, 1907. A baby that died that same day. And her 4 days later. Now her death means a bit more.

I know she grew up in Prairie du Chien, WI. And I know my great grandfather was supposedly in WI at the time of his mother’s death in 1906. I don’t know how he ended up in WI, but I’m having to fill in some lines with possibilities- there is an elder Shelton in Prairie du Chen- possibly an aunt or even grandmother of Cora.

I know he was a troublemaker. At the divorce, did Mom say, “John, I can’t handle that boy. You take him.” I know he was with John and his new family in 1880. Did John then say, “Oh my holy hell that boy is trouble!” and send him to live with great aunt Harriot? No idea. He’s not in a census there, but I haven’t looked harder. I just like to guess for awhile and then prove myself entirely wrong.

Anyway, back to our lady of the hour, Victoria. At some point soon before this baby and this death, she traveled from WI to CA. Far from family and friends. I know they had children with them (2 boys and 1 girl). And I know that (as I mentioned) he was known to be quiet, keeping to himself and moody. What a freaking lovely trip that must have been. Plus she was pregnant. Then she had the horror of losing a baby and then her own live.

Now I want to know “my” Victoria better. I want to learn all about her even though she isn’t my own great grandmother. She fits in nicely with my family, so I’m adopting her.

The Marrying Squires

I am working on my SHELTON line again and found Thomas Shelton, 4th great grandpa. A few months back I found reference to this whole Marying Squires thing, but it sounded too funny and cool to be true, at least of my family. So I've been looking into it.

Here is an article I found:

PRESERVING THE PAST: Aberdeen Museum helping current and future generations remember , by Marla Toncray
Ledger Independent Posted: Wednesday, May 16, 2007



Highlighting the history of Aberdeen is the story of the "marrying squires", Thomas Shelton and Massie Beasley.

Between the two men, they are credited with performing more than 32,000 marriages during their terms as Justice of the Peace from 1822 through 1892. Shelton served as justice from 1822 to 1870 and is credited with more than 25,000 marriages; Beasley held the position from 1870 to 1892 and performed 7,228 marriage ceremonies.

Because of its reputation as a place for young couples to get married, Aberdeen became known as Gretna Green, after the famous town in Scotland where young couples eloped.

An interesting twist to the marrying squires story is the fact that most of the marriages performed by Shelton were illegal and many widows of the Civil War were unable to claim pension benefits from the United States government because there was no record of their marriage.

"There was no record of the marriages and it took a federal act of Congress to legalize those marriages," Kay said as she thumbed through a book housing the written history of the marrying squires.

Museum trustee Mike Faris said legend has it Shelton would "loan you a ring and take it back" after the ceremony was performed.



Now I'm off to find that book she thumbed through with the written history. And, now that I really think about my Sheltons, it does kinda fit into their wackiness. Remind me to tell you about Nana (Shelton) and her "luggage" someday...

Family Recipe Friday - Scalloped Potatoes

When I was a child, every once in awhile, on a very lucky day, my mom would make her famous Scalloped Potatoes. I didn't actually know until relatively recently that this was her mom's recipe. So now I've an old family recipe. Sadly, it requires a food processor, so I still don't make it myself. Yes, I know that Nana made them without a food processor, but I guess I just don't like them THAT much...

But they are the best comfort food ever. I hope you all make them and in payment of respect, Nana sends me more information about her ellusive Shelton ancestors.

Mom's (and Nana's) Scalloped Potatoes

2 lbs. cheddar cheese, sliced in the food processor
5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and sliced in the food processor
Salt
PepperP
arsley Flakes
3 cans evaporated milk

Oil (or use an oil spray) the bottom of a big pan (like one of those disposable ones). Put one can of evaporated milk in the bottom. Layer with potatoes, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, cheese and then repeat all. Keep potatoes moist with evaporated milk throughout.

Bake 350 for 1 hour and then turn so that the cooked top gets distributed underneath.

Bake 45 more minutes and turn again.

Bake until done (about 15 more minutes).

Wordless Wednesday

My grandparents with John Carradine. Everyone is looking at my beautiful Nana (Ethyl Maxine Shelton Badgley Stonacker). My grandfather and his brother owned a print shop and made the programs and invites for the Oscars or Emmys (I forget which!). They were invited and the above picture was taken. The funny thing about this picture today is that I chose this on Monday for today’s post. I wrote it up and saved it in Word, as I knew I was going to be out of town yesterday and may not have time. This morning there was an email from a new family member asking for a copy of this very picture- BEFORE I posted to my blog.

Left to right: Nana, Uncle Chet, Aunt Lou, John Carradine, Pak-ak (Charles Albert Badgley)

Teaser Tuesday- Laura E. Wilkinson

Teaser Tuesdays will be all about those ancestors that tease us with particular points of information that we know is important, but we can’t figure out.

When I first started doing genealogy seriously, I interviewed my grandmother. I sat with her at her kitchen table where we played solitaire together whenever I visited. I had a pen and a notebook and questions. But every question I asked, she answered with, “Oh, I’m not sure” or “I don’t remember.” Finally, though, she got to talking and even though she couldn’t remember her uncle’s name when I asked her, she was telling a story and said “And then Uncle Costa did blah blah blah.” So I had a name. Costa. Her dad’s name was Charles Edwin Shelton, who I could never find in early census records in Indiana where he came from. Here are the notes I took that day about Charles:

· He was 20 years older than Myra Belle (Nana’s mom).
· Owned shop with her- stitching and sewing.
· Very strict-(beat his sons with a razor strap).
· Belonged to Episcopalian Church.
· Very secretive.
· Life of the party.
· Close-mouthed.
· Had another family prior (wife- Veronica, 2 sons and daughter Fern); only told Myra about Fern; 2 sons went to orphanage and he had a housekeeper to raise Fern. When they married, Myra and Charles raised Fern and own children; Myra found out about 2 boys when she went to visit Charles' grave and asked who was keeping it up. Was then told about the 2 sons.
· He left home young and moved to Oakland
· Very jealous- took Nana and Myra to a dance and he got mad because his wife was dancing with other men, he took her over his knee and spanked her, Nana got so upset that she hit him over the head with a book.
· Dark hair, deep-set blue eyes, 5'9" muscular.
· Died of pneumonia.
· Climbed poles GW Power Co. (PGE). lineman then boss.
· Called "ED"
· smoked Camel nonfilters.

So that was the extent of knowledge of him. Internet searches gave me his date of death and so I ordered his death certificate. On that, I found listed that his dad was John Shelton and his mom was Laura E. Wilkison. I did low hanging fruit searches on those names through the years and found nothing, moving on to other items. I finally went back to it over and over again and the census records were just not working. I found a John and Laura were in the 1870 census with “Coney E Shelton, age 2” and “John P. Shelton, age 2 months”. It was the ONLY John and Laura Shelton in Indiana with the right aged child, but how could CONEY be short for CHARLES? And Nana said the her uncle was COSTA, not John.

The 1880 census gave me a Costa Shelton, living in a Thomas Morton household as “stepson”. Laura was the mother. So for years I looked for death records of John Shelton on and off, of course.

One day poking around the Fort Wayne website, I found a database for divorces from 1872. Just for fun, I checked. Yep. Divorced. Assuming gets you no where fast.

Anyway, then I decided to really delve in and the rest came to me. Searching the Fort Wayne newspapers I found Laura’s family all listed. And a reference to son Cora. A son named Cora? I searched that and found Cora E. Shelton living with his father in Missouri. His father John.

I know have much of the families documented. But I still want to find Nana’s half brothers. I found their mother was actually named Victoria, not Veronica, and Fern’s name was actually Hazel Fern. But I can’t find the boys. Yet…

The glory of this Teaser Tuesday is getting to share with you this picture:






It’s the grave of Laura E. Wilkinson Shelton Morton in Old Huntertown Cemetery in Allen County, Indiana.

Oh, and I’m thinking there is a chance that Great Grampa Shelton left home young because his evil horrible family named him CORA…