Faith of Our Fathers

As I become older (and supposedly wiser), I enjoy looking back into our history and re-discovering some of the values that were held by our earlier generations. Indeed, I am becoming a member of one of those earlier generations myself. And what do I mean by values? I believe I am thinking about the good things in Life's Journey that mean something significant- those things that stick with you and those things that can get you through some tough times.

And so it happened on a recent trip that I noticed an historical marker on my way out of an overnight camp at Kerr Reservoir on the border of North Carolina and Virginia. On State Hwy 39 at Townsville, the marker stated:

"St. John's Episcopal Church. Parish established 1746. Present Building completed 1773 stands 200 yards West".

It was a beautiful, sunny, early Spring morning, and I could make the time. So, I drove over to the church. There, on this country road on the Piedmont of North Carolina, I stopped to walk around the outside of the church and take some pictures. I wondered what it would have looked like on a similar Sunday in Spring over 200 years ago.

Above image: Saint John's Episcopal Church, rear view; note the large shuttered windows. Click on image for larger view.

Above: The front of the church was quite unique- large windows, curved steps, giant cedar trees, and a bronze tablet on the right side of the church, above the boxwood bush, that read:

Saint John's Parish Church founded 1746, Williamsborough, North Carolina
This Tablet is erected by the North Carolina Society of the Colonial Dames of America under the auspices of the Vance County Committee, Henderson, NC, Friday, October 25, 1935, in honor of the reverend memory of those who in building the State founded it upon their faith in God,
"Faith of our Fathers, Holy Faith, we will be true to thee till death".
Saint John's Parish was visited in 1749 by Reverend Clement Hall who baptized 184 children.
First Rector, 1766
The Reverend Charles Cupples
Sent out by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, London.
First Vestry
(followed by a list of persons)

Can you imagine, my friends, 184 children being baptized on one Sunday. Now, that's a lot of Faith. I looked around the area from my stance in front of the church. Not much else was happening on this Thursday morning on the second day of April.

Post Note: Henderson is the county seat of Vance County, NC. I heard on cable TV, Solid Gold Oldies, that one of The Drifters (recall the tunes, "Under the Boardwalk" and "Up on the Roof") was born in Henderson, NC. They played such great music BACK then.

Russell Cave, Jackson Co, Alabama

If you had Russell ancestors and passed a place called Russell Cave, wouldn't you want to know what was inside the cave? I did. So, on my way to my brother-in-law's for Thanksgiving, I took a short side-trip off Interstate 24 between Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee, to travel just across the border into Alabama (Jackson County). It was early morning, sunny, and relatively warm for Fall. At the entrance to Russell Cave National Monument, I hauled out my tripod and took this picture. I was initially going to title this blog entry, "I feel a headache coming on". Actually, the spear which appears ready to pierce my scalp was an ancient improvement in the art of spear throwing. The Native American is using an "atlatl" to propel the spear with much more speed and accuracy than the old way of using solely arm power.

I took a short walk on a boardwalk behind the visitor center and arrived at the entrance to the cave. A good-sized creek ran right into and disappeared inside the cave. In the past, the creek would flood and eventually gouge out a larger cavity. The ceiling of the structure from time to time would split from the upper sandstone, causing a rockfall, which in turn created a raised floor in a large portion of the cave. Thus, Native Americans could live in the cave. It had natural air-conditioning and a ready water supply.

I noticed as I entered the cave that hundreds of large screws with plates had been driven into the ceiling to prevent any further rockfalls- or so the theory goes.

At the visiting center, I learned the unique feature of this cave is that various research groups had excavated artifacts which could demonstrate almost 10,000 years of habitation by Indians of several periods: Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian.

Image (above): The boardwalk begins behind the visitor center and enters the cave.

In relatively modern times, the cave and surrounding land were first owned by Captain John Woods who received the land grant for his service in the Revolutionary War (RW). Woods was a Cherokee Indian which was the first time I heard Indians served in the RW. He also built a stone house on the land which is the oldest house still in use in Jackson County, Alabama. Evidence of Woods' residency in the area eventually faded. The land was then owned for a while by another RW veteran who in turn sold it to his brother-in-law, Colonel THOMAS RUSSELL whose descendants kept it in the family until 1928. The last private owner was Oscar Ridley who allowed excavation of the cave by local, amateur archaeologists. Recognizing the value of these discoveries, the Smithsonian Institute and National Geographic Societies (NGS) became heavily involved. The latter purchased the cave and presented it to the American People which was sealed by the creation of this National Monument by President Kennedy in 1961.

Browsing in the gift shop after my tour of the cave, I found a copy of a substantial genealogy of a Russell family by Walter A. Russell. The park ranger told me that Walter often gives genealogy seminars at the center. Search the title at Amazondotcom and you will find the first 5 pages of the book including the statement, "... first progenitor of this lineage was Matthew Russell who was Scotch-Irish ... born around 1735." You can also view the Index with 7 pages of Russell surnames. I doubt if Matthews family lived in the cave, and the same goes for my Russell family- who didn't arrive in America until 1881.

However, there are some connections to my "Life's Journey".

1. The Russell Cave visitor center was dedicated to former NGS chairman, Gilbert H. Grosvenor, whose former home was in my "home" town of Bethesda, MD.

2. Matthew Russell, the progenitor, once resided in Mechlenburg Co, NC, and York Co, SC, near Revolutionary War sites, Kings Mountain and Cowpens, all located near my current residence.

3. Another book available in the visitor center, was "Selu, Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom" by former Tennessean poet laureate, Marilou Awiakta. She once inspired me to write about where I came from at an Appalachian Writer's workshop at Radford University. Search Amazon book store.

REFERENCES AND LINKS:

National Park Service web site for Russell cave: www.nps.gov/ruca

They Overcame Their Handicaps: Keller and Roosevelt

Have you ever felt that a number of events were pulling you in a certain direction? Genealogists have had these feelings probably a number of times. In September of this year, I seemed to be pulled in the direction of the well-known deaf and blind activist, Helen Keller. First, I should say that Helen and her teacher and companion, Anne Sullivan, were known to have visited the place of employment of my grandfather, Otto Strike. He was the ice plant operator at Cresson Tuberculosis Sanitarium in the 1930s and 1940s. Also in September, I was visiting my mother for a few weeks in the DC area. In a local book store, my genealogist's eyes alighted on a copy of “Milestones into Headstones. Mini Biographies of Fifty Fascinating Americans Buried in Washington, DC", by Peter Exton and Dorsey Kleitz. I bought the book and a couple more on the way out of the store. Books are my downfall because I often put myself into the book. It has gotten me into trouble several times in the past, like the time I built a cabin in the woods, but that’s a long story. In any case, this time I thought it would be a neat project if could tour as many of the Headstones referenced in this book as possible. Then take pictures for my blog. I already had a head start- I located and took a picture of the tombstone for F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of the Great Gatsby. He was buried in my hometown of Rockville, MD, a fact that was previously unbeknownst to me. I was so impressed that I took a picture and blogged it.

Thus, I used my recently purchased book as a guide. I took the official tour of Arlington National Cemetery. Indeed, I ticked off 7 of the 27 Famous persons mentioned in the book who are buried at Arlington. For the record, these were Richard Byrd, Abner Doubleday (the “inventor”of baseball), Medgar Evers, John and Robert Kennedy, Robert Taft and The Unknown Soldier.

What interested me most, however, was that Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan were interred at Washington’s National Cathedral. So, I took a pilgrimage to the Cathedral and I was not disappointed. I arrived in time to take the official tour. Below, a fellow tourist tactically observes the inscription which is written, interestingly, in Braille.

The duplicate inscription above the Braille, reads, “Helen Keller and her lifelong companion Anne Sullivan Macey are interred in the columbarium behind this Chapel".

Incidentally, since The Cathedral might be featured during the Holiday Season, such as in a Christmas service, I will tell you that the only former President who is buried in Washington, DC, is Woodrow Wilson, and his sarcophagus is in the Cathedral.

What were the other events which seemed to make me particularly aware of Helen Keller? I came home from my tour of the Cathedral and spontaneously turned on the TV. Believe it or not, “The Miracle Worker”, the story of Helen Keller’s life, was on Turner Classic Movies. It starred Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft- who received the 1962 Academy Award for her portrayal of Anne Sullivan. Actually, I had seen the movie once before, many years ago. But, when the scene came up in which Patty Duke, as Helen Keller, groaned out the words, “wah wah” while Anne pumped cold well-water over Helen’s outstretched arms and “signing” the word “water” in her hands , I got such a lump in my throat I could hardly swallow or breath.

A few days later, it hit me again. On Roots Television, Dick Eastman was interviewing Judith Lacey of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. Judith was describing the holdings of their library. Quite fortunately, the library recently received some family papers, and it just so happens that a previously unknown photograph of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan surfaced among the papers. What was striking about this photograph was that the eight year old Helen was holding a doll in her hands. D-O-L-L was the first word that Anne signed into the palm and fingers of Helen’s hand.

Helen Keller went on to be the first deaf-blind person to graduate from College (Radcliffe). Realize, that when Helen was born in 1880, society had dictated that the blind and deaf were idiots.

Franklin D. Roosevelt realistically depicted in his memorial

While I was in Washington, DC, I rode my bicycle around many of the monuments and memorials in the city. Another historic person who was able to rise high above his handicap was former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I toured his memorial which is spread over about 7 acres near the Capital Mall. Several statues, sculptures, and inscriptions depict the era of Roosevelt's’ presidency. He led the nation through two of the greatest crises of the twentieth century, the Great Depression and World War II. The centerpiece of the monument was a large statue of the mature President and his Scottish Terrier. However, many were disappointed that the figure did not display his disability. Roosevelt had been stricken with polio and was not able to stand by himself. It is ironic that FDR was able to get the Nation back on its feet after the Depression, but was unable to stand on his own two feet. In any case, a protest was planned for the dedication of the Memorial by activists for the handicapped. However, Congress quickly passed an act, signed by President Clinton, which approved the addition of another statue. It shows FDR, full-sized, sitting strong and determined- in a wheel chair. The protest was cancelled. Behind the wheel chair, one can barely see an inscription on the wall. Beneath the inscription is a line of Braille. See below:

Image: Two statues of Franklin D. Roosevelt at his memorial in Washington, DC.

REFERENCES AND LINKS

1. Previous entry on the experiences of my grandfather, Otto Strike, at Cresson TB Sanitarium, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.

2. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tombstone at St. Mary’s, Rockville, MD.

3. Dick Eastman of Roots Television interviews Judith Lacey of The New England Historic Genealogical Society regarding a heretofore never seen, vintage photograph of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. Try this link first which was labeled “get link” on their Web site, or if that does not work try this link which was copy/pasted directly from the URL. The second link leads to National media coverage of the event (NBC, Fox, etc.).

4. At Home in the Woods, by Vena and Bradford Angier. Collier Books, Div. of Macmillan, NY, copyright 1951. Do NOT read this book if you tend to live vicariously in what you read. Fortunately, the book is probably out of print. Uh oh, Vena and Brad Angier are on Google Search.

Japanese Cherry Trees around the Washington Tidal Basin

I continue to bicycle around Washington, DC, taking pictures of monuments and tourist sites and matching them to vintage photographs in my grandmother's photo album- the one with the soft leathery, black-colored covers, and black velvety pages, bound together with a string which looks like it came from an old shoe.

The city of Washington, DC, is a beautiful place, especially around Easter time when the Cherry blossoms are in full bloom around the tidal basin. However, the picture below was taken during the second week of October. The blossoms have long past faded, but the leaves are still green, and on the outskirts of the city some of the tops of maples are starting to tinge with the orange and red colors of Fall. In the photo is a monument that might be forgotten during seasons other than the Spring. It is the "Japanese Lantern" gifted to America by Japan as were the cherry trees surrounding the lantern (see below)

Nearby the Lantern is a stone and plaque (image below) dedicating the grove of cherry trees, an old gnarled one of which stands in the background.

The plaque reads:

"The first cherry trees presented to the City of Washington as a gesture of friendship and good will by the city of Tokyo were planted on this site, March 27, 1912."

Sad to say, this was about 30 years before the Japanese bombed and sunk our American battleships and drowned our sailors at Pearl Harbor. This event was followed a few years later by our dropping the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and annihilating most of each town and thousands of its citizens. Good will? Hardly. However, for a much longer period of time than those horrible events, the beauty of these Cherry trees have been, and are, resurrected each Spring.

It was one of these Springs that my mother's parents and family took a short ride from Alexandria out to the blossoming Cherry trees and thankfully took pictures of the picnic.

Grandpap, Charles A. Gailliot, and Grandma Margaret, born Austel, and their oldest grandchildren under the blossoming Cherry Trees. Bob Kramp (me) is the oldest boy in the center, with brother, Billy, on the left, and our first cousin, Denis Bailey, on the right. He is the son of Joe Bailey and Helen (Gailliot). Taken about 1947. Unfortunately, Grandpap died the next year in February of 1948, aged 54 years.

Under the Cherry Trees in the Spring of 1947: My mother, the former Mary Margaret Gailliot, stands to the left of her sister-in-law, Mrs. Glen Dora (nee. Tracy) Gailliot, and her sister, Mrs. Helen (nee. Gailliot) Bailey. The picture is also a fashion statement of the 1940s. My mother is wearing MY favorite accessory. It was a fur stole made up of 2 or 3 mink skins. The mouth of one animal was a spring-like clasp that grasped onto the tail of the next mink in line and so on. After Mom doffed the furs, I would play with the skins rubbing my hand over the soft, cool hairs and occassionally clipping the "mouth" onto my fingers until the lack of circulation turned them white.

Statuary (Einstein & Jefferson) of Washington, DC

One thing about coming back home for a visit: this time one comes back as a curious tourist. I was born in Alexandria, VA, and when I was about six years old, my family moved to Bethesda, MD, just about 4 miles north of the District of Columbia city boundary. After I graduated from High School and the University of Maryland around 1964, I left the Metropolitan area, never to return again as a resident. Well, I did return to live for about a year in 1967, after serving my military obligation, but I don't count that.

But now, I come back to visit my family and relatives, with a new passion for gathering family history and learning more about the events of our country's heritage which has influenced us. You see, now I have the time to read and reflect on our national heritage and how it has become entwined with my own, personal "Life's Journey". So, during the last week, I visited several memorials and monuments in the Washington, DC, read the guidebook descriptions, and took pictures. There is not a better place to learn about our national heritage than Washington, DC.

Image above: Do you believe in osmosis? I am laying my head on the lap of the famous Albert Einstein in hopes that some of his intellect might seep into my own brain. Good Luck. This statue is on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences. I noticed that many of the statues and memorials depict their subject in quite formal poses. However, more recent statuary shows the subject in a more relaxed, informal pose such as this one. The statue was sculpted by Robert Berks, and is 21 feet high from head to toe. It was dedicated in June 1979, the centennial of Einstein's birth on 11 Mar 1879. He died 18 Apr 1955, at age 76 years.

The papers in Einstein's left hand shows three equations of his most important scientific discoveries:

• The Theory of General Relativity
• The Photoelectric Effect. (Some of my former Health Physics students might be familiar with this equation- unless they weren't paying attention.
• The equivalency of Energy and Matter. So simple and so elegant- why didn't I think of it first?

Incidentally, Einstein once said, "Politics is for the present, but an equation ... is for an eternity".

Einstein sits on a 3 step bench of white granite quarried from Mt. Airy, NC. On the back of the bench is inscribed a quote attributed to Einstein. Other scientists and genealogists should take note:

"The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true"

And how does one recognize the truth: sources, sources, sources, and if one is lucky, PRIMARY sources. Of course, sometimes family historians might have to be a little discreet- at least for awhile.

Image: Einstein's statue sets on a slap, 28 feet in diameter, of emerald pearl granite from Lavrick, Norway. Embedded in the granite are 2700 stainless steel studs of various diameters which represent the stars in the heavens as positioned at noon on 22 Apr 1979 (dedication day). I'm no Einstein but the architects of this monument most surely were.

In the present campaign for President, both parties have claimed that their group represents CHANGE- as nobody seems to want to be associated with same old, same old, of George W. Bush's administration. However, after I climbed the steps of the Jefferson Memorial and then gazed around the rotunda, I was struck by an inscribed statement attributed to our second President, Thomas Jefferson. See the image below Jefferson's statue and click to enlarge.

Image: Thomas Jefferson in the rotunda of the Jefferson Memorial

What? "Barbarous Ancestors"- Thomas, what are you trying to say? It seems that Jefferson realized that institutions (and laws) must change to reflect and "keep pace" with the progress of man. I guess the question remains whether or not man is progressing.

A Trip to Great Falls, Virginia: Then and Now

My maternal grandmother, Mrs. Margaret Gailliot, formerly Margaret Austel, of Burglen, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland. Hand-written caption indicates picture was taken at Great Falls on the Potomac River, on the Virginia shore. Picture taken circa Summer, 1917. Can you imagine crawling over those rocks and water rivulets in a long Victorian dress.

My maternal grandfather, Charles Antony Gailliot, of Braddock, Allegheny County, PA, sits on the rocks of Great Falls, Virginia, circa Summer of 1917 or 1918. Charles and Margaret were married at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, in Braddock, PA, on 6 August 1917. Almost the day after they were married, Charles received his induction notice to report to the Army to serve in WW I. However, he also received at the same time an offer to work as a pattern maker for the Navy Yard in Washington, DC. Thus, Charles and Margaret moved to the District of Columbia. Since his job was a part of the war effort, Charles was not drafted and remained state side. Since Charles' wife, Margaret had their first baby, Helen, in May of 1918, I am certain that these pictures were taken in 1917. Note the trees were in summer foliage.

Image: Bob Kramp, that's me, looks over Great Falls from the Virginia shore, October, 2008, about 90 years after his grandparents visited the same site. The information sign at this overlook is titled, "River of Change", as the area has seen several floods and gone though the process of erosion. But for me, it was certainly a time change, a time warp as they say, since the times of my grandparents.

I grew up in Bethesda, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. As young kids, the neighborhood boys and I would often come down to Great Falls and climb for hours over the rocks with fishing rods in hand- looking for that special pool where grandfather bass resided. When we got bored of fishing, we could easily switch to catching dozens of water snakes. That was a long time ago. Today, the National Park Service which administers park lands on both shores of the Potomac at Great Falls has posted signs to stay on the approved walk ways and avoid stomping over the sensitive environment off-trail. This is a good idea considering the number of people who visit the park each year and the number of drownings that occur among careless hikers. There are still areas which have been set aside for official rock climbing.

This image of the Great Falls from the Virginia shore was taken with the wide view setting of my digital camera (click to enlarge). I believe my grandparents were probably crawling over the upper rocks of the Falls back in 1917, because it is a long drop to the river where I'm standing to take this photo.

A few days later, I was bicycling the first 11 miles of the former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad which has been converted to the 45 mile-long rail-trail located within the W&OD Regional Park. I suspect my grandparents took the electric car ride out to Great Falls on a side track off the W&OD. Though I don't know for sure, the trip was probably a honeymoon for my grandparents for at the time they visited it was indeed a wonderful resort. The text of this historical marker along the rail trail gives a hint of what it must have been like in the "old days":

The Great Falls Line

The Bluemont Branch of the Washington and Old Dominion was not the railroad's only line. The Great Falls and Old Dominion Rail Road arose in 1906 from the vision of two prominent men. Senator Stephen B. Elkins of West Virginia had prospered through coal, lumber and railroads in his home state. John R. MacLean was involved in several businesses and owned the Washington Post newspaper. Elkins and MacLean bought land on the Virginia side of the Potomac River at Great Falls. They turned it into a resort, complete with a carousel, dance pavilion, and electrified Trolley line to bring the crowds from Washington. The largely undeveloped land along the line was ideal for residential communities including one named for MacLean. [One rides though MacLean and Fairfax City on the trail]

Images of Elkins, on top, and MacLean, are in the upper, right-hand corner of the historical marker.

This trip to Great Falls, Virginia, was made as part of my effort and enjoyment to re-visit sites which were also visited by my ancestors. Previously, I have posted blog entries on my ancestors' trips to the replica of the Lourdes (France) Grotto and the Bartholdi Fountain, both sites being in Washington City, District of Columbia.

How to make a Printer's Hat

I am now thoroughly convinced you can search and find anything on the Internet- even instructions for making a printer's paper hat.

A couple of entries ago, I mentioned that my brother and I, when we were kids, had a quick tour of Dad's workplace at the Washington (DC) Evening Star. Dad was a Linotype operator. I noticed that all the surfaces in the room were black and greasy and there was the omnipresent odor of ink in the air. One could almost see a mist of black ink everywhere. A distinction of every man in the room was that he wore a paper hat so that the ink mist would not coat his hair- whether he had any hair or not. The hats were almost a mark of honor among the union printers.

My father had long ago made a printer's hat for me and taught be how to make one for myself. I had forgotten how to do it, and until I created the recent entry for this blog, I didn't really care. However, I now realized that Printer's Hats are part of my heritage and I had to find someone to teach me again how to make them. But, newspaper companies do not use Linotype machines or operators anymore and most of my father's co-workers have probably past away. So, after some consternation, I turned hopefully, but doubtfully, to a search engine on the Internet and typed, "printer hat". And lo and behold, up came a website called "instructables" that showed how to make any hat there ever was out of newspaper. How about a Pope's miter hat?

I downloaded a pdf file for making a printer's hat and now my heritage has been restored. If you're interested go to:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Newspaper-Hat!/

Go to my previous entries for our trip to The Evening Star and Linotype machines. At the former link you can also compare the fashion model above with the same at a much younger and innocent age. It's no wonder I had forgotten.

Who's in Arlington National Cemetery

It's great to come back to Washington, DC, for a visit. I was born and raised in the so-called DC Metropolitan area. I believe most people think of Presidents and Politicians when they hear of Washington, DC. However, it is a city of mostly ordinary "Main Street" characters who were born, grew up, lived and worked here. Like my family. Actually, I was born on Cameron Street in Alexandria, VA, just south of DC. They call it George Washington's home town. One can ride a bicycle from Alexandria City to his former plantation at the end of the Mt. Vernon Trail which runs beside the Purple Heart Highway.

When I was 6 years old we moved to Bethesda, Maryland, on the north side of DC, in Montgomery County. I must mention that Hubert H. Humphrey, Junior, that's the former VP's son, was in my 7th grade class at Kensington Junior High. I wouldn't have even known that, but I recognized his family's portrait in the newspaper one day. I graduated from the University of Maryland in College Park, and afterwards migrated to other parts of the country. However, I never went back to DC except for visits to my family- and research at the National Archives. Now, instead of bedding at relatives and taking the Metro Subway to the National Archives, I can sit in front of my computer and access the U.S. census records on the Internet. But I still miss the real life adventure.

I am visiting my family again in the DC Metro area, and while here, I took a day's tour of the Arlington National Cemetery and took some of the following pictures. I saved my legs and took a tram around the cemetery and listened to some very good and entertaining interpreters. Can I use the word "entertaining" while visiting the resting places of some of the greatest heroes of our country? If you are a genealogist, you'll agree in the affirmative.


I watched the changing of the guard at the tombs of the Unknown Soldiers. Of course the tombs are guarded 24 seven. One is impressed by the precision and dedication of these guards from nearby Fort Myers. When the soldiers halt and do a right face or an about face, they swing out one straight leg and bring it back sharply making a loud clack with their heels. Their shoe heels are built up of several layers of leather on the inside step in order to take this constant pounding. Also, the guards have to be between 5 ft, 8 inches and 6 ft, 2 inches tall, AND be able to fit into a 29 inch belt- it's the only size of belt issued. I meet the first criterion but fall just a tad short of the second.

The four plaques of the Kennedy family and the Eternal Flame is a solemn place. From far corner to your left:

• "Daughter", August 23, 1956
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1917-1963
• Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, 1929-1994. I had to check those dates twice, as I didn't realize that Jackie was 11 years younger than her husband.
• Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, August 7, 1963- August 9, 1963

There is a lengthy list of criteria for burial at Arlington, but only minor children under the age of 21 can be interred next to their parents. That is why JFK's adult children can not be buried here. Son, "John John" Kennedy, was cremated and his ashes strewn off of Martha's vineyard. (Read here the eligibility requirements for ground burial)

Former Senator Robert Kennedy is buried just down the hill from his brother in a very unassuming grave, marked by a flat stone and a simple white cross.

On the hill above the Kennedy's Eternal Flame is the Curtis Lee Manson which is being renovated as a museum. From the mansion, you have a great panoramic view of Washington, DC, on the opposite side of the Potomac river. From the left, if you're somewhat familiar with the city, you can see the Lincoln Memorial, the tall pointed Washington Monument, The Capital, and the Jefferson Memorial.

An urn containing the ashes of my daughter's father-in-law was placed (inurnment) at Arlington Cemetery this past spring, on 8 Apr 2008 (see above image). He was Henry Francis "Bud" Collins, 187th Regional Combat unit, Korean Conflict.

Other members of our extended family buried at Arlington are:

• Norma Jean HONADLE, nee. KOEHLER, daughter of Robert Koehler and Helen RUSSELL, Section 66, Grave 6920.
• John Albert HONADLE, Major, USAF, husband of Norma Jean
• William Lewis KRAMP, Air Police SQ, USAF, Section 41, Grave 1179
• Doroth Marie PARKE, nee. KRAMP, wife of John.
• John T. PARKE, TEC 5, US Army, WW II

My last stop at Arlington was the museum inside the Curtis Lee Mansion. On one wall of the mansion were family trees for the Curtis-Lee Family (on left of chart) and the family of George Washington, first president of the United States.

I'm just a little dishevelled and unorganized here on the road, borrowing a friends computer to upload this entry. So, I will finish reading the tourist brochures and add to this entry at a more comfortable time. In the meantime, I found a more complete, interactive presentation of the Family Tree on the Internet here.

REFERENCES and LINKS:

Description and pictures of Curtis Lee mansion (Arlington House) by the National Park Service.

The Official web site of Arlington National Cemetery

Uncle Eddie appears on Early TV and Gerber Baby Food Jar. (25 Sep 2008)

Uncle Eddie Gailliot had a few other distinctions besides creating models of airplanes and a model of the house of his childhood (see last entry).

Soon after he graduated from George Washington High School in Alexandria, VA, he lined up at the Recruitment Center to enlist in the post World War II Navy. However, he was pulled out of line and asked to pose voluntarily for a recruitment poster. Up till this time, most posters used painted figures or characterizations. Recall the "Uncle Sam Wants You" poster. This recruitment poster was the first to use an actual photograph (see image below):

IMAGE: Uncle Eddie Gailliot poses for a Navy Recruitment poster and recites the oath: “… that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the United States of America and that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies whomsoever …”

Eddie told me that the photographer allow him to wear a bracelet but requested him to remove his high school ring. I guess they thought viewers would think, "Geez, right out of high school".

Later on, Eddie appeared on the Classic TV game show “What’s My Line”, which ran on CBS, from 1950 to 1967. Panelists had to guess the "line of work" of the guests who would then respond yes or no to twenty questions posed by the panelists. John Daly, a journalist, was the show's host. Eddie’s “Line” of course was that he was the subject in the Navy’s recruitment poster. So, about 1952, Eddie took a train from Union Station in DC to Grand Central in NY and spent the day as a guest of CBS. Eddie told me he survived about half way through the panelist’s twenty questions. For every question asked, Eddie received 5 or 10 dollars which was donated to a cancer fund for Damon Runyon, writer and newspaperman. Uncle Eddie had the opportuny to meet some famous celebrities that were on the panel, such as: Steve Allen, Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallen, and Arlene Francis- and a NY cab driver who promised he’d watch Eddie on the show. Incidentally, the show was revived as a syndicated show in mid-1970s. The show was very popular and probably inspired many hosts and hostesses of house parties to invite their guests to play “20 Questions”. The first question was always, "Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral". I guess Eddie's reply to that one was "animal".

Eddie was also chosen to be another poster child. He won a contest in which a local grocery store invited customers to submit photos for the “Gerber Baby”. Gerber is still a favorite baby food. Eddie’s reward was a month’s supply of baby food packed in the famous Gerber jars with a baby’s face on the brand logo.

IMAGE: Little Eddie Gailliot was chosen as the Gerber (food) Baby of the month.

One more distinction? Uncle Eddie was a drummer in the band for the Washington Redskins professional football team. I think he was a better drummer that the Redskins were a football team- but that was years ago, in the early 1950s.

REFERENCES and LINKS:

War Time posters including recruitment posters available at University of MN: http://digital.lib.umn.edu/warposters/warpost.html

Web site concerning classic TV shows, particularly "What's My Line": http://www.tv.com/what-s-my-line/show/5501/summary.html

Damon Runyon (1884-1946): gambler, drinker, heavy smoker, writer of short stories of Manhattan NY characters (source of Broadway's "Guys and Dolls"), sports writer, newspaperman; died of throat cancer. His ashes were strewn over Manhattan, NY

Kiepenkerl- Keepers of news and history

I went on a family history search to middle Europe in September, 2001. As I walked around Munster, Germany, I looked for sculptures and statues around city parks or squares that might depict the clothing styles and culture of the past. Three quarters of my ancestors on my pedigree were German-born before they immigrated to America in the 1880's.

I was sitting in an outdoor cafe having a Tass der Kaffee (sometimes I mix my weak French with my weak German). Across from my table was a statue or sculpture honoring the "Kiepenkerl". Asking around in my weak German, I learned that these men were traveling salesman of sorts who sold housewares. While traveling around the country, they also picked up local news and stories and passed them on to eager listeners in the next village. So, the Kiepenkerls were news reporters and story tellers as well as salesmen. I guess this was the old-fashioned equivalent of TV or the Internet.

I mused that genealogists and family historians are sort of like the Kiepenkerls. We collect family history and news and pass it on from one generation to the next. What an honor. What a privilege. What responsibility! And so, when I saw a representation of a Kiepenkerl painted on a small dish, I bought it as a souvenir for my genealogical curio cabinet.

As far as clothing styles go, the next image shows two views of an outdoor fountain in Lambert Square, Munster, Germany. The fountain was a sculpture depicting a family of Germans dressed in the styles of the 19th century, at least that's my presumption. First I noticed that they were carrying canes or walking sticks. The canes I surmise helped arthritic individuals to walk around. But, I am not sure of the purpose of the walking stick on a casual stroll to town. Perhaps it was used to keep stray dogs away. The women wore bonnets and bows and long dresses and aprons. The men had beards and smoked long-necked, curved pipes. They also wore three-quarter length coats which look like smocks. Their hats were what I would call captain hats with a brim. The shoes look like wooden clogs, like I imagine the Dutchman wore.

Later in the day in Munster, I found myself in the middle of a parade. I do not know what was the specific occasion for the parade. But in my experience, Germans don't need any particular reason for a celebration. They always seem to be celebrating and having a good time.

In any case, these "farmers" are wearing hats similar to that worn by the man at the fountain. Apparently bandannas and scarves were popularly worn around the neck. And if you look closely (click on image), the little slip-thingy on the twisted ends of the bandanna holding it in place is in the shape of little wooden clogs- which of course are like the ones worn on the feet, if you could see them.

Thus, you can see what your German ancestors might have worn in the 19th century if, on a trip to that country, you keep your eyes open and your camera ready.

REFERENCES and LINKS

My Pedigree presented in earlier blog entry.

My Family history trip to Gemany, Alsace, Switzerland, 2001

Two of the slides in this entry were created with Microsoft's Powerpoint application. I just came across a genealogy blogger who also uses the program for making genealogical slides and images and posts an instructional blog. Go to: http://professordru.blogspot.com/

A panoramic view of the park (square) and Kiepenkerl in Muenster, Germany. Scroll down on left margin to "Kiepenkerl".

Fantastic Interests of our senior citizen's

You know there is a lot of emphasis on youth these days. Perhaps too much. Of course we want the best for our children and our grandchildren. And, we are genuinely interested in their interests and activities. Thus, we attend their soccer games, their swim meets, there dance recitals, look at their paintings on the classroom walls at PTA meetings, and on and on. However, I think we are over doing it here. What about the older persons- the grandparents. They have wonderous stories and fantastic things to show and tell. They also have wide fields of interests- maybe not so many interests and activities as when they were young and more energetic. But nonetheless, they have a whole life time of interests to talk about.

I was a little disappointed on "Grandparents day" last Spring at my granddaughter's Elementary School, that is Ron McNair, in Germantown, Maryland. We, the grandparents, sat at the back of the room and OBSERVED. They took us to the school's library and we were told what the children were reading. Very nice. But not once did the teacher ask us to stand up (even if it would be somewhat slowly) to talk about what it was like when WE were in school. What WE read as kids. What WE did after school and so forth. These young kids are missing so much I thought quietly to myself.

So, what is this entry about really? I believe we get so hung up on the kid's activities or busy ourselves so much with our own interests that we don't take an interest in what other people around us are doing. Especially those in our own families. Thus, I went to my 88 year old mother and talked a long while about some of her interests that she is or was involved in.

My mother is a wonderful artist. She painted on porcelain plates, cups, vases, and all kinds of items. And so with just minutes away from the deadline for submitting an entry on "Show and Tell" to the Carnival of Genealogy, 55th Edition, I want to show and tell of some the things which were created by the real artist in our family. God Bless her.

Mom gave me this pair of ceramic plates that she painted in 1975.

Image above: Details of Mom's painted plate- plums, apples and cherries. So good you could easily lift them off the plate and eat them.

Mom kept a book shelf in one room filled with porcelain items that she painted. And she would often say, "pick something out and take it home with you".

Genealogy anybody??

REFERENCES and LINKS:

Read the other entries in the 55th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, "Show and Tell".

Kramp Roads, PA Rest Stops and Kilt Towels

I believe there are many members of the Kramp tribe in Ontario, Canada. One of the visitors who I met at the Joseph Schneider Haus and Museum in Kitchener, Ontario, told me he had an uncle named Milton Kramp. I did not ask him if Milton lived at the end of Kramp Road, but my traveling companion did take a picture of the road. He was probably lost at the time, but the road lies somewhere between Kitchener and Guelph, Ontario (link to my Picasa Gallery and look at map).

The roads on our return home from Ontario eventually led us down Interstate 81 through New York to Pennsylvania. We stopped just inside the border near Summit, PA. The sign read, "Smile. You're in Pennsylvania, State of Independence". Well, OK, here goes. I believe "Independence" refers to the Liberty Bell which was located in Independence Hall, Philadephia. I should've asked, but actually, I thought all retirees were in the state of Independence.

I thought it was a neat idea to exhibit coal mining equipment at the Information Center and Rest Stop. Below is a picture of me standing next to a "Lokie". It is a battery-operated locomotive and car which once hauled anthracite coal through the mine tunnels toward the surface. It replaced the living, animal mule and increased coal production. This low-type Scout model locomotive was built by Greensburg Machine Company, near Pittsburgh, PA.

My late uncle Orville Shugar, husband of the former Bernice Kramp, was a former anthracite coal miner who lived in Wilkes-Barre, PA, just off I-81. Other Kramp relatives were also coal miners, but most of them mined soft coal (sulphur-rich) in western Pennsylvania, particularly along the Moshannon Vien in Clearfield County.

While we were in Ontario, a Scottish Highland Games was being held in Fergus, Ontario. My friend went to the Games while I finished up some last minute touring in Kitchener. I usually shun the wearing of heavy wool kilts during Scottish Games held in the heat of summer for obvious reason of discomfort. Hardly a breeze ever runs up me open legs, lad. However, my friend found a solution at one of the vendors at Fergus. It is a cotton towel designed like a kilt, complete with fancy sporron (the purse in front). Now, I can step out of a shower and right into a kilt. Would it be blasphemous to wear it at the next Scottish Games even in 92 degree temperatures?

Image: An answer to wearing hot wool kilts in the middle of the summer? If you dare, click on the sporron to enlarge.

Technical Note: I believe I finally got the hang of uploading images in a blog entry so that clicking on any one of them will enlarge it.
1. Upload all your images first, in the REVERSE order you want to present them. Pre-numbering the images helps. You can only upload 5 images initially. Additional images can be added, but they will not enlarge if you click on them.
2. Fill in the text, one pargraph at a time between each image if that is your wish.
3. You can add images at a later time, but they will not enlarge if you click on them.
Takes some planning and inhibits spontanaeity, but it works.

More on Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Technical Note: Clicking on the images below will not enlarge them for reasons known only to Google. I will try to fix, but in the meantime, you can see larger images by linking to my Gallery at Picasa (blogger album). Scroll down, right-hand column.
*****

My thoughts are still on my recent trip to Ontario (see last two entries). It was actually several years ago that I discovered the 1945 probated estate of Thomas Dawson which mentions that two of his children had migrated to "Galt", in Ontario, Canada. I was a little confused of exactly where Galt was located. Well, it turns out that the town was incorporated about 1975 into the town of Cambridge along with 3 or 4 other municipalities. I also read about nearby Kitchener which was formerly known as Berlin but had undergone the name change during WW I. It seemed like the area had an identity crisis. One landmark that I particularly wanted to visit was the Joseph Schneider Haus in Kitchener- a museum which would explain the area's early history. The Following image is a tourist map of Kitchener, tagged with the locations of our room at the Comfort Inn, the Joseph Schneider Haus, and the Kitchener Public Library which houses the Grace Schmidt Room for genealogical research.

It was pretty easy to catch a ride on the Grand River Transit bus which traveled down King Street into downtown Kitchener. I paid the base rate of 2.50 dollars Canadian so I could travel anywhere in the Waterloo Region for 90 minutes. The first time I got on the bus, I was 50 cents short of the exact amount. But a kind lady offered to make up the difference. Nice people, these Canadians. With gas prices rising though the roof, we all might get used to public transportation. I might add that you see things on a bus ride that you would never see riding in your own car. I'll save those episodes for later. I got off the bus at the major intersection of King and Queen Streets which was central to my destinations.


On the way to the Kitchener Public Library, I ran into several landmarks which provided a glimpse into the multi-ethnic nature of Kitchener's founding. At the entrance to the courthouse, there were three identical historical markers with the exception that each was written in a different language: German, French, or English.

Rather than have you squint, I will read some of it for you:

"Waterloo County held its first council meeting on January 24, 1853, on this site, at the newly built county courthouse in Berlin (now Kitchener). Council's 12 members came from 5 districts (North Dumfries, Waterloo, Wellesley, Wilmot, Woolwich), and two villages, (Galt, Preston) and selected the reeve of Waterloo Township, Dr. John Scott, as the county's first Warden. ..."


Still further down Queen Street, I came upon a small green or park which was dedicated to Emil Vogelsang (1834-1894) who was Berlin's first button maker. His Germanic name translates "bird song". Later at the library, I picked up a history book which had a picture of one of Vogelsang's buttons made out of ivory wood. Real ivory would have been rather expensive for buttons- realize that buttons have a pretty unique history themselves. Does anybody remember collecting a big jar of buttons? If you didn't, then your grandmother certainly did.


Later in the afternoon, with dark clouds threatening, I made my walk to the Joseph Schneider Haus. The historical marker above about says it all. You may have to click on the image to read it (sorry, glitch; you'll have to link to my Picassa album). Schneider's house, built in 1820, is Kitchener's oldest dwelling. The owner was a Mennonite who migrated to the area from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His brother-in-law was well-known in the region as the Mennonite Bishop, Eby. That name and other German names such as Weber (pronounced like Weeeber) can be found on street signs all around the town.

Image: Exterior view of the Joseph Schneider house.

I entered the Haus just as the interpreters were cleaning up after their lunch. They occupy the house during the day, but don't actually live there. Incidentally, the automatic dishwasher in my house has never been used. I can't justify the expense of heating up water to clean the dishes of it's sole user- me. My daughters will verify this: I tried to convince them to wash dishes by hand because I still believe it builds character.

I walked upstairs to look at the room pictured below- the computer room. Just kidding.

And finally after a hard day's touring, I sat down to a nice big slice of homemade elderberry pie- the whole thing. Just kidding again. But wish I wasn't. Has a museum treated you recently with such hospitality?

Y'see if I was really a member of Joseph Schneider's family, I would have donned my straw hat and overalls, gone out to the garden and worked off a few calories. Not that I need to.

References:

Joseph Scheider Haus . Be sure to click on Joseph's biography and the "On-line collections"

The Grace Schmidt Room for genealogists, Kitchener, Ontario

Museums and Antique Stores are great places to find Family History

Image: In foreground is a “fluter” used to crimp pleats into blouses worn by frontier women. From the National Czech and Slovak Museum- reconstructed frontier cabin.

There is nothing like a museum to find items that you can use to illustrate your family history. My previous blog entry showed other pictures I took at the Czech and Slovak museum, especially the folk tracht (folk dress) and historic persons which I used to complement the history of my Austel Family. Also on the grounds of the museum was a reconstructed cabin illustrating the life and times of a Czech pioneer family. The curator let me take a picture of two items which were of particular interest. One was an old iron “fluter” (see above) which was heated on a fire and then used to steam the pleats into women’s blouses and dresses in the pioneer days. That must have hard work. I am looking for a vintage picture of such a blouse that might show the results of using this tool. I had no problem relating the other tool to my German heritage. It was a wooden cabbage cutter used in the making of sauerkraut (see below). On my research trips to Pennsylvania, the first thing I look for is pair of hotdogs smothered with sauerkraut. Sheetz convenience stores, unknown in North Carolina, have some of the best.

Image: A wooden cutter sits on top of a crock, ready to turn cabbage heads into sauerkraut. From the National Czech and Slovak Museum- reconstructed frontier cabin.

Likewise antique stores are good or perhaps better sources for family history since you can purchase an item if you wish to keep it as a part of your own heritage museum. Most antique stores do not mind if you at least take a digital picture.

One of my favorite items are vintage postcards, particularly of places, historic personalities, and political figures. I almost have a complete set of postcards depicting the recent Catholic Popes to illustrate my religious heritage. Also, I have collected postcards of some of the kings and queens who ruled the great monarchies of the world, such as the Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Empress Elizabeth.

Another find was a series of vintage postcards of the former Tuberculosis Sanitarium at Cresson, PA (see below). My grandfather, Otto Strike, worked as a maintenance man and as an ice machine operator (according to his death certificate) at the Sanitarium until he died in 1946. He also resided there in one of the dormitories. In the 1950s the Sanitarium was transferred to the state corrections system to be transformed into a prison. When I visited the site in 1992, there were signs hung on the high chain-link fences, topped with barbed-wire which stated, “No Pictures Allowed”. Thus, these vintage postcards are the only pictures I have of where my grandfather once lived and worked.

Perhaps one of my blog readers can tell me if this doll is autentically dressed in a supposedly Polish costume. The manufacture’s label on the bottom of the doll seems to indicate a Slavic origin. Later, I will scan the label and post it here. Can’t now, because I am traveling on the road, but I do have the picture.
I bought this doll in a local antique store. She is supposedly dressed in a Slavic costume or folk tracht. Several of my Strike and Kramp ancestors came from a German population living among Poles (in the former provinces of Posen and West Prussia, now Polish since end of WW II). Many Poles as well as German settled in my Father's former neighborhood of Houtzdale, Clearfield Co., PA. I heard that my great grandmother, Henrietta, nee. Hohnke, usually spoke in German, but could also speak in Polish to some of the other immigrant neighbors.