Tour interruption

Today, I want to take a short break from the ongoing tour of the Grisso Mansion in Seminole, Oklahoma to wish my grandmother, Nina Lorene Smith Grisso, a happy 115 birthday.  Last year I wrote about her on her birthday.  See that post here... Happy Birthday Lorene Smith Grisso (1901-1984) I am also going to place another writing about her in the featured post section of this blog.

As I have been writing about this Oklahoma Oil Millionaire ( Doc Grisso), I have wondered if Grandpa Bert and Grandma Nina knew him or at least of him.  I assumed so since Bert and "Doc" were from the same county in Arkansas. There were four generations of  Grissos everywhere in Fulton, County, Arkansas.

One of my favorite treasures is a letter from Grandma Nina to her mother, Estella Smith.  The reason I like it so much is that it is signed "Mrs. Bert Grisso".  How excited she must have been to be married to Bert. The letter is postmarked from Baggs, Oklahoma.  I had been told that Bert and Nina went there on their honeymoon. I have started to wonder if they went there looking for work in a distant relatives oil fields.  However, when reading more about "Doc" Grisso, it appears that he may have been just about bankrupt when Bert and Nina made that trip.

While looking for one specific letter, I stopped to read a couple more I found.  This is the card Grandma Nina wrote to her parents on her wedding night.

 

                                         Des Moines, Ia

                                     Jan. 31, 1920

Dear Folks,
     We left Jefferson at 5:50 on the Milwaukee road and arrived here[Des Moines] about (9:00 p.m.  We will stay here till 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, and arrive in Kansas City about 3:00 o'clock and leave for West Plains about 5:00.
     We will make better connections by staying here tonight.

We didn't get a bit cold coming to Jefferson. Are alittle tired and sleep now tho!  We are staying at the Hotel Ivern tonight it is near the depot. and is a swell place.  I had my first ride on a elevator this evening. Ha.  Will write when we get to Moody.
 With love,
 Nina L. Grisso

Wordless Wednesday (Reeder Grandparents)

 



This couple is my husband's great grandparents: Minerva Jane Marsh Reeder and Edward Maurice Reeder.  I do not know the year of this photo. Edward Reeder died in 1949 so it was before that date.  I went in search of the house where they are standing and this is what I found.

 

At least, I think this is the house.

Photo taken August 26, 2015

Celestia... Friday's Feature

Sometimes my head begins to spin with dates and places, names and relationships of these ancestors that have contributed to who we are or who our children and grandchildren are. I need to stop and try to spin a possible story to get to know these pioneers and a little about their lives. The family connections of my husband's great great grandmother, Celestia, can be traced back to 1630. It is easy to get lost in that information about the founding of this country. After hours of reading, comparing information, entering data and reflecting on such, I want to think more about the stories. I need to try to make theses ancestors more real.

Celestia Mary Phillips Marsh (1829-1918) is buried in the cemetery in Jefferson, Iowa. ( I became aware of this only a few months ago.) When I can walk to someone's grave, they start to become real to me. She was the daughter of Elijah and Ellen Thompson Phillips and was born in Warren County, Pennsylvania. Here is a quick lineage reminder: Celestia/ Minerva Jane/ Ina/ Doris/ Tom (my husband).

As the oldest child she probably kept busy in their home in little Russell, Pennsylvania (This town has gone by many names according to the town's website. In her obituary it is called Russellburg) This small village is located  in the township of Pine Grove and is just over the state line from New York in the northwest area of  Pennsylvania. Pine Grove is often mentioned as the place of residence in census records. She had seven younger siblings. Her dad, Elijah, was a farmer and her mother, Ellen, was undoubtedly kept busy with the care of this family. Remember, Aunt Fanny, youngest child of Celestia. In 1941 she wrote about life in those early days as had been told to her by her mother. 
Aunt Fanny's Research.

 It appears that Celestia grew up in this area of Pennsylvania. In 1850 when the census was taken, she was 19 years old. Then next year on December 31, 1851 she married Richard Marsh. I wonder if there was any special celebration for the New Year about to break.

In the nine or so years before moving to Illinois in 1860, four children had been born to Celestia and Richard. The third child, Dwight, wrote about this move in papers from 1941.   See Pennsylvania to Iowa 1860. The family lived around Princeton, Illinois for approximately 16 years before moving on to Greene County, Iowa in May of 1876. While in that area they had two more children, Emmett (1870) and Fanny (1873). Prior to Fanny's birth, their daughter, Florence died in 1872) Then in 1876, they lost 6 year old, Emmett. This was the year, they moved to Greene County in May. I do not know if Emmett died before or after their move. Their oldest son, Joseph Merritt, had married the year before the move to Adelia Mudge on March 3, 1875. Our direct line ancestor, Minerva Jane, would have been around 16. Once in Greene County she met Edward M. Reeder. (We all know where that lead.)

When I was reading about the Reeders, I learned they lived south of Jefferson. Guess where Celestia,  Richard, and Marsh children ( including Minerva Jane)  moved to in 1876. Yep, to a farm south of Jefferson. I wonder how long it took them to meet.  Our Minerva Jane Marsh and Edward M. Reeder married December 22, 1880.

Celestia's husband, Richard, died in 1885 about 9 or 10 years after coming to Greene County. This is probably the reason for their move into Jefferson.

Grandma Celestia, also called Celia died just a few weeks before my mother-in-law (her great-granddaughter) was born in 1918.

Eugene Vorhies (1877-1964)

From the Family Tree of Withrow/Vorhies/Smith

Estella Vorhies Smith (1876-1959) was the first born child of John Mac and Ginevra Withrow Vorhies. She was born only a month after the family came to Greene County, Iowa in February of 1876. Estella was the older sister of Eugene and Leroy. Eugene's birth 3 October 1877 was followed by Leroy's birth 2 October 1879.  As discussed in early posts,  Leroy was a month or two younger than his aunt, Sarah Jane Withrow (1879-1896), youngest child of Sarah Jane Swartzell Withrow and Joseph Withrow. Unlike the younger Sarah Jane who only reached age 17, Leroy loved a full life as did his brother, Eugene.

The focus here is on Eugene who was well known in the Greene and Carroll county area. He was a farmer and served on the board of the Farmer's Cooperative Association ( now known as West Central Co-op) in Ralston, Iowa for 30 years. He was a life long member of the Christian Church and became a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1908.

By the time I was born and old enough to know Uncle Gene and Aunt Carrie, they had moved from the farm to Jefferson, Iowa. For clarification purposes, they were the aunt and uncle of my grandmother, Nina and her siblings.  This makes them my great-great aunt and uncle. They lived in a nice house on the corner of the main road going into town and a side street. That house has been replaced at some point over the years with another structure. However, when I drive by I still see their house in my mind's eye.

Uncle Gene and Aunt Carrie were married in South Dakota on December 22, 1909.  I don't yet know why they were in South Dakota. I had  always thought incorrectly that it was because  Aunt Carrie was from South Dakota. She was not. Her family was as local as Uncle Gene's.  This is information I have gained from my research. However, I do have a postcard sent to her in South Dakota from her future sister-in-law, Stella Smith, dated 1906. She would have been about 15 so maybe her family lived there for awhile.  I do not know how long they stayed in South Dakota after marrying but I found another postcard from Gene's brother, Leroy and family, addressed to Scranton in January 1910.



First postcard is dated April 6, 1906.  It reads:  Dear Carrie, Received your letter yesterday.  Glad to hear from you.  Hiram has made some early garden and I have 13 hens setting. Come and see us Easter Sunday.  Write again, Your Friend, Estella Smith.
The second card is sent from Yoder, Colorado in January 1910 shortly after Gene and Carrie were married.  Notice that it is mailed to Scranton, Iowa.   It reads: Dear Brother & Sister   Please accept our late congratulations.  Yours Truly, Lula, & Leroy Vorhies

 

Eugene Vorhies lived a long life, 86 years, eight months, and 2 days. He outlived both his older sister, Estella, and younger brother, Leroy, as well as his young son, Lester.  However, his wife, Carrie, lived to be 98!




 

This is the front side of the Easter card Estella sent to Carrie Kotas in 1906 when Carrie was in South Dakota.

 

Lester, Carrie, Gene, and Viola

I would guess this picture to be from the early 1920's. Lester was born in 1910 and Viola in 1912.

A Little Closer View from the Farm Photo

 

           Card of Congratulations to Gene and Carrie Vorhies from Leroy and Lulu Vorhies.

A Great Resource

     As a kid, I thought our small-town newspaper was so boring.  The "news" might be that so and so enjoyed Sunday dinner with such and such.  Any gathering, excursion even to the next town, out of state visitors and so on might find its way to the newspaper.  How happy I am now that I am piecing together ancestor and other relatives stories to have this newspaper resource.  Suddenly, I am glad I am from a small town instead of one of those big fancy cities where our family might have been anonymous.

     A few years ago, a project was undertaken to have the newspapers of the county seat, Jefferson, Iowa digitized.  What a treasure trove.  Anyone can access these records by going on line to www.jefferson.lib.ia.us.  Scroll to the bottom of the first page, look under Library Links to find  Free access to Jefferson Newspapers Online 1866-2013  or go to  http://jefferson.advantage-preservation.com. Type a name in the search box and have fun discovering what our family members and ancestors were up to many years ago.