A Favorite Photo

     This is the 2nd week for #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. This week's challenge is a favorite photo. The only thing wrong with this theme is deciding what to pick. I love the photo of Great Grandma Estella Smith and her father, John M. Vorhies, in the sleigh in 1939.  However, I might have already shown that one a couple of times. For sure, it can be seen here: Christmas 25, 2017.      
      I thought about a photo of my husband and me at his Military Commissioning Ceremony. He was the honor graduate of the class and telling a little more about that could be fun for future generations to read. I wouldn't even be concerned about publishing our picture because it is so old that no one would recognize us.
      However, I am focusing on a photo that I ran across a few years ago which surprised me.  It is a picture of my Grandpa Bert Grisso, and he is holding a toddler. The toddler is, Joe Johnson, my second cousin. Everyone was obviously at Great Grandma Smith's house. Joe was the grandson of Ardea, my grandmother's sister.  This photo is special because I came across it sometime after Joe passed away at the very young age of 58 in 2011. It was touching to see him with my grandfather. And I think his sisters would enjoy seeing it.
      This was not a grandfather who I ever thought of as gentle enough or had the desire to hold a toddler. By the look on his face, I was wrong. Or maybe Joe just brought out the best in him.

December 25, 2017

                          Merry Christmas

I have shared this photo before, but it makes me think of Christmas when my mother was a young girl. Pictured are Estella Smith, my great-grandmother, and her father, my 2nd great-grandfather, John M. Vorhies. She remembers the day as would her siblings, the parents of my cousins.

Grandma's first cousins

Remember in the last post I wrote, my grandmother, Nina Smith, was only 11 years old. She had 3 siblings and 5 first cousins in the family portrait.  At the time her cousin Fern was 8, Verl was 4 and Harold was a baby.  They were the children of LeRoy and Lulu Vorhies.

The following picture is from 1965. They would have been about 61, 57, and 55. I hope three of my cousins recognize the house where this photo was taken. I wonder if they have any memory of this day.

Another Way to Review

I am still thinking about ways to make the Vorhies Family more real to readers.  Below is a descendant chart of the children and grandchildren of John McLaughlin Vorhies and Ginevra Margaret Withrow Vorhies. They are my great-great grandparents. My great grandmother is their oldest child and she is the mother of my own grandmother. The chart shows three generations only.  I have underlined the family members that are shown in the family portrait in my last post. Vorhies Review . However, I failed to underline Ginevra as I should have.  If anyone is aware of information that will make this chart more complete or if there is a mistake, please let me know.

Vorhies Review

 This family portrait which was taken around 1912 is very special.  It shows so many of my our ancestors. I am sorry that it is not a little clearer. In order to enlarge it and not compete with the right side panel, I have moved it to the bottom of the page.

 

Seated in the center of the portrait is Sarah Jane Withrow, mother of Ginevra Withrow Vorhies who is seated to her left. Notice that Ginevra is a fairly large woman. The family group further to her left (the viewers right) is the family of LeRoy Vorhies, youngest brother of Great-Grandma Estella Smith.  My last post was about LeRoy.  He is almost cut off on the right side of the photo. I tried to place him between side panel interruptions. LeRoy and wife Lulu had three children: Fern, b. 1905, Verl, b. 1906 and Harold b. 1911 and seated on his father's lap.

 

Estella is standing in the back row with her father, John Mac to her left and husband, Hiram Smith, to her right.

 

On the opposite side of the portrait are Eugene, Carrie, Lester, and Viola.  Look carefully, Carrie is holding the baby, Viola, born in 1912. (This is how I guessed the year of the portrait). Lester is sitting on his father's, Eugene, lap.

 

The children in the middle are: Nina, Merroll, Ardea, and Neva. Nina is my grandmother and the others are her siblings. Two of Estella's children were yet to be born.

 

There is another couple in the portrait who are unknown to me. I wonder if they are Carrie's parents. I think I see a resemblance. 

 

 

 

 

  

Focusing on Estella Vorhies Smith, Eugene Vorhies, LeRoy Vorhies

 Review of my great-grandmother and her siblings

Estella Mae Vorhies Smith ( 1876-1959)
Eugene Vorhies (1877-1964)
LeRoy Vorhies (1879-1944)

These three ancestors were the children of John McLaughlin Vorhies ( 1850-1939) and Ginevra Withrow Vorhies (1855-1922), my great-great grandparents. I never knew my great-great grandparents but they lived where I grew up. They established the family in Greene County, Iowa along with Ginevra's parents, Joseph and Sarah Withrow. All of the above mentioned family members are buried in the Scranton Township Cemetery. Growing up, I used to visit the cemetery with my mother who told me about their lives. I have always felt a closeness to them.  This might be why I have chosen them as one of my first genealogy review blogs.

I did know two of the three Vorhies siblings.  Estella was my great-grandmother with whom I spent a great part of my childhood.
The post January 1, 1900 tells of her marriage to Hiram Smith. This was reviewed last post.

I also knew her brother, Uncle Gene. He was actually my grandmother's uncle but we just called him Uncle Gene. I wrote a blog about Uncle Gene titled Eugene Vorhies (1877-1964).  It is highlighted at the beginning of this writing. I hope you will review it along with Estella's wedding post.

The third son, LeRoy, died just the year before I was born. Stories made him seem like quite a character but one thought of highly in the family.  It was the summer of 2015 when I wrote about Uncle Gene. I also wrote about Uncle Roy, but left it in draft form and never published it. Why? I have no idea now. It may be that I wanted to research something else or I wished to include some yet unfound photos. Well, the time has come.  My next post will be from the draft I wrote of Uncle Roy.

Those Collaterals (siblings, etc. of direct line)

My whole purpose with writing this blog is to record and share with my cousins what I know about our family's ancestors. It is a way of organizing the papers, pictures, pedigree charts, and assorted slips of paper that came from my mother, the saver of everything. And in the case of genealogy, how glad I am that she did.

Growing up where my mother's family had lived for generations, I was very familiar with my maternal collaterals. My great grandmother's brother and sister-in-law lived close by. Their daughter, my first cousin twice removed, is the source of much of the Vorhies genealogy.

I thought I knew about my dad's side. He was born in Lake City where my great grandmother Emma Borden lived when I was young. She had a couple of sisters, Great Great Aunt Mae and Great Great Aunt Alice. They were the children of George J. DeHart. He seemed to be quite a prominent member of that community. He left Iowa and moved to Texas with his second wife and daughter ( GGrandma Emma Susan DeHart Borden's  half sister). I have written about George Jackson DeHart and found his grave in Dalhart, Texas a year or two ago. There is quite a lot of research already done on the DeHart side. The needed information for membership in Daughter's of the American Revolution traces back to Abraham DeHart. This is not new information.

So where am I going with this, you might ask. I mentioned in my Easter 2016 that I had recently received (on loan) some of my aunt's genealogy papers. I am just starting to look at them. The very first paper I read is a photocopy of the obituary of William Calahill  DeHart. I have come across that name when doing DeHart research but I would need to do a little more to confirm what I think. I think he is George Jackson DeHart's brother. And he lived in Lake City.
 
Who Knew? More collaterals in Lake City to explore.

The same thing has happened on Dad's side. I have mentioned in  Cousins  I knew very little about the origins of my Great Grandmother, Jennie Emily Olmstead Wright. After some late night obsessive explorations, I have found her parents. I learned that they along with Jennie's younger siblings  moved from Illinois to Sac City, Iowa.  This was about the time Jennie and her new husband, Charles Howard Wright, settled in that same community.

Who knew?

I am still amazed at the geographical closeness of these collaterals. Lake City and Sac City, both, had more ancestors and collaterals than I realized.

Thanks to my Aunt Bonnie, I now have more information on the DeHarts, the Wrights, and the Olmsteads.

My Aunt Bonnie and me.
She is so pretty, and I have a stupid curl on top of my head.

I imagine the  furtherest thing from her mind was that I would be picking up her genealogy research about 65+ years after this photo was taken.

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.

John M. Vorhies (1850-1939)

So, John Mac Vorhies lived another seventeen years after his wife, Ginevra Withrow Vorhies, who died in 1922. Many of these years he lived with his daughter, Estella Smith. He seems to be a loving ancestor who my mother, her siblings and cousins remember fondly. 

This is one of my favorite pictures and is part of my framed collection.

John Mac Vorhies and his daughter, Stella Smith
Photo Dec. 1938 or Jan. 1939

His obituary was on the front page of the Scranton Journal.  It reads as follows.

John Mac Vorhies Buried Sunday
----------------------
Long Time Scranton Resident Buried From
 Church of Christ on Sunday
------------    

     Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon, March 19, from the Scranton Church of Christ, for John Mac Vorhies.  The funeral sermon was given by the pastor of that church, Rev. M.R. Willson.
     Music was furnished by Mrs. Wilbur Peterson, Jean Willson, Milo Lawton and J.W. Mouw with Miss Lola Legore accompanying.
     The pall bearers were Sam Hall, Jesse Loomis, Ross Amsden, Andrew Foster, Alva Madison and Gordon Mac Donald.  Interment was made in the Scranton cemetery.
     The following obituary was furnished for publication:
     John Mac Vorhies, son of John and Jane Vorhies, was born in Knox county, Illinois, April 8th, 1850 and passed to eternal realms at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Estella Smith in Scranton, Iowa, on March 17th, 1939, at the age of 88 years, 11 months and 9 days. Death came following a two weeks illness with flu and pneumonia. He was the last of his family to go, having been preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and five sisters.
     When a small boy six years of age, he came with his parents to Marion county, Iowa, where he grew to manhood.
     He was married to Miss Ginevra Withrow on May 27th, 1875 in Jasper county and moved the following year to Scranton, Iowa, which has since been his home.  To this union were born three children, who service to mourn the death of their beloved father. Mr. Vorhies was preceded in death by his faithful companion and wife in August, 1922.
     Mr. Vorhies is survived by his children: Mrs. Estella Smith of Scranton, Eugene Vorhies of Ralston, Iowa and Leroy Vorhies of Granite, Colorado.  He also leaves ten grand children and nine great grand children besides many other relatives and friends to mourn his loss.
     Mr. Vorhies was a sincere earnest Christian man, a member of the Scranton Church of Christ for over 30 years.  He enjoyed his church and gave it a faithful service, for he was truly a servant of God. 
     "Servant of God, well done!
     Thy glorious warfare's past,
     The battle's fought, the race is won
     And thou art crowned at last"

Even though this appears to be the same picture as above, I have to wonder. The pictures do have
different dates. One might say they are dressed the same in both pictures, but how many cold weather outfits
do you think they would have had. I mostly want to point out the sleigh bells. Those bells are in my basement.
They would be a wonderful heirloom to pass on to a descendant of John Mac Vorhies. Any takers?

   

Looking Back

Grandpa Hiram Smith died in 1929 as has been discussed in the past three writings.  Grandma Stella lived another 30 years as a widow. They were married at the beginning of the century and had a loving marriage as indicated by her need to stay with him while he was hospitalized.  They had seven children burying one born on their 13th anniversary only a few days after her birth.

June 13, 1901 was the birthdate of the first born child.  She was named Nina Lorene (and became my grandmother).

Merroll M. was born November 24, 1902. It seems obvious that he was named for his paternal grandfather, George Merroll Smith. I have not pursued the M. of his middle name, but I imagine I will find it to be McLaughlin, the middle name of his maternal grandfather. I will get back to you on that one.

 The Young Smith Family
Merroll, Hiram, Stella, and Nina


Genevra Mary "Neva" was their third child born on February 18, 1909.  She was followed by Ardea Agnes Oct 21, 1910.  It seems obvious that great-aunt Neva was named for her maternal grandmother, Ginevra Withrow Vorhies. (Again, some problems with the Ginevra/Genevra spelling conflict). I think Aunt Neva probably was also named for her paternal grandmother as was Aunt Ardea.  Their paternal grandmother's name was Mary Agnes.

 This family portrait has been shown before but I just want to emphasize the addition of the two little girls in the center front. Ardea is on the left and Neva to the right.  Merroll and Nina are standing behind their great-grandmother, Sarah Jane. Hiram and Stella are behind and to each side of Nina.

Moving On

     My first blog series featured the family of Sarah Jane Withrow (1834-1922). I am not done with Sarah Jane nor with her daughters, Ginevra (1855-1922) and Anna Josephine (1857-1920).  I am still searching for their niece, Nellie Frederick (abt1881-?). After spotting the news article about her visiting her cousin, my Great Great Uncle Gene Vorhies (1877-1964 ) See post On the Track of  Nellie. I am happy to report that I have found a couple more references to her. She is listed as an out of town attendee of Anna Josephine's funeral. Anna was her aunt.  I have also found her as a teacher in Jefferson around 1900. These are clues for me to follow. But, I want to move on.  I think it might have been easier to write about the older ancestors. Moving down the family tree means more branches going in multiple ways. Which one will we take? I am leaning toward Hiram Lee Smith. ( 1868-1929)  Most of my second and first cousins remember his wife, our Great Grandma Estella Smith(1876-1959).  I spoke of her on the About Me page.

     On January 1, 1900, Estella married Hiram. Their marriage announcement is in the blog post titled  January 1, 1900.  
      They are very nice looking young people. The back of Grandpa Hiram's photo says 1899. There is only a name on Grandma's but it looks like it might be around the same time.

Estella Mae Vorhies Smith

Hiram Lee Smith
1899

The Family Grows and Grows

     My side of the family tree and that of my first and second cousins, is through the daughter of Sarah Jane and Joseph Withrow.
Their daughter, Ginevra, was their second born, first married, and last to pass away.  Ginevra was born in Butler county, Ohio, on March 5, 1855.  She moved with her parents to Iowa in 1866.  (I learned this date from her father's obituary. Before I just knew it was between 1860 and 1868 based on census reports and the birth of her sister,  Viola Emma.)  Clues, Clues, Clues. See why this genealogy "stuff" is such fun, but I digress.
     Ginevra married John Mac Vorhies May 27, 1875 in the Jasper county area. They moved with Ginevra's parents and siblings to Greene County in 1876.  They had three children as I have mentioned before. Estella Mae born March 21, 1876; Eugene on October 8, 1877, and Leroy on October 2, 1879.   In time I might tell some of what I know about these offshoot branches but for now I am working on direct line descendants and ancestors.
       I want to share a family portrait that I think is priceless. The copy is not the greatest on this blog. Also, I made the photo large enough to get some idea of faces so the photo extend over the edge of the writing field. Just another one of those technology tricks I have yet to learn. Although, I admit I have seen this on many other blogs.

 So, who are these people and why do we care? 
       Our existence is a result of them. Let's honor them with just a little of our time and attention.

     Seated in the center of the portrait is Sarah Jane Swartzel Withrow, who started this family along with her husband, of course. She is about 79 here.  Seated to her left is a large woman in a white blouse with a black neck bow. This is Grandma Ginevra, her daughter. Her approximate age is 58. Her husband, John Mac is behind her to one side and their oldest child, Estella, is on John Mac's right.  I guess their ages to be about 63 and 37 respectively. To Estella's right is her husband, Hiram Smith approximately 46 years old, and their four children who are circled around Grandma Sarah Jane Withrow.  The oldest is Nina about age 11, then Merroll about age, 10.  The little one to Sarah Jane's left is Neva about age 3 and to her right little Ardea about 2.
      The families of Eugene are seated to the right of Grandma Withrow  and Leroy's family is to the left. I know the identity of all in the photo except for the older couple next to Eugene.  (If anyone would like me to expand on these family, I will be glad to share what I know. Let me know.)
      I do not know the exact date of this photo but Viola, baby of Carrie and Eugene, was born in 1912. I am guessing ages based on this.
     My first cousins and I branch from Nina. My second cousins branch from Ardea and Merroll. Great Aunt Neva never had children. After this family photo was taken three more children were born to Estella and Hiram. I do not believe there are any descendants from these children.


      

Dear Cousins and my other followers ( I know of at least one :-)

      Well, I hope you have begun to realize that these ancestors are more than birth and death dates. They had full lives just like you and me.  If you could spend some time with one of them, who would you choose?  What would you ask them?

     I would ask Joseph Withrow if he owned land in Jasper County before coming to Greene County. I would ask him to tell me more of his family from Ohio. I know his father was Samuel and a little more. I know where Sanuel's grave is in Ohio, and hope I can visit there someday. 

     I would ask Sarah Jane about her Swartzel family. For a while, I was on the wrong track but now due to another found paper written about her sister's death, I think I have the correct information.  I would also tell her that my great aunt Neva wanted my mom to name me Sarah Jane when I was born. Neva was a little annoyed with mom because she did not abide by her aunt's wishes. As I have gotten to know Sarah Jane in my research, learned a little of her story, and feel I have connected with her, I would have been honored to share her name. 

     I would ask Mary Kate where her grave is.

     I would ask Ginevra just which spelling of her name is correct.
 
     I would ask Anna Josephine to tell me about her seven children and their descendants.  Did she and her sister, Ginevra, spend much time together after they started and raised their own families?

     I would ask Aurilla how she got her nickname Rilley and what happened to her baby. Did she grow up and is her name Nellie Frederick?

     I would ask Viola Emma if she knew she had a great niece named Viola.  The son, Eugene, of Viola Emma's sister, Ginevra, named his baby Viola.  Here is a clarification for all the visual readers:
Ginevra     sister to Viola Emma
   Eugene   son of Ginevra
      Viola   daughter of Eugene

     Viola, the great niece of Viola Emma, was also a family historian.  Many of my documents, information, and knowledge of the Vorhies family came from Viola.  As I have said before, who knows what relative with pick up the genealogy pieces and move the information forward. Viola was a first cousin of my grandmother, Nina, which makes her my first cousin twice removed. I am two more generations removed from our common ancestor, Ginevra.

      I would ask Sarah Jane if she liked her nickname Sadie. 

      I would ask Joseph Jr. if he worked the farm with his father and uncle, J.M. Vorhies. Did he have a girl friend?  What did he do when he was younger?

     So many questions. So little time.
    

    



    

January 1, 1900

   

     At the turn of the century, Ginevra and John Mac Vorhies were about to see the first of their three children marry.  Estella, my great grandmother, was married on January 1, 1900 to Mr. Hiram Smith.

     When my husband and I lived in Springfield, Illinois, we had a friend who was a judge. He preferred not to marry young couples that wanted to marry on January 1, 2000 thinking it was too faddish.  Personally, I thought it was cool that my great grandparents were married on the first day of the 20th century.

     I wonder who witnessed this marriage. Were Estella's grandparents, Sarah Jane and Joseph Withrow in attendance? My guess is that they were since they lived so close.

     The following is the newspaper article about the marriage:

      "Mr. Hiram Smith and Miss Estella Vorhies were married at the residence of the bride's parents Monday evening at 7 p.m., Rev. Snodgrass  pronouncing the ceremony.  This union is in every way a strong and happy one.  Mr. Smith is one of Scranton's exemplary young men.  His character is irreproachable, his industry indefatigueable and his manner that of a gentleman.  His wife has been one of the community's most highly esteemed girls.  In her youth she has borne well her part in society and church work, and she is especially well qualified for the responsibilities of womanhood.  Her parents rank amount Greene county's best and most substantial citizens, and it goes without our saying that Mr. Smith has drawn a splendid prize from the matrimonial lottery.  From such an auspicious beginning it is not enthusiasm to predict a happy and successful married life for these new sailors upon the matrimonial voyage.  May their bark sail in pacific waters for many years, and anchor, when anchor it must, in the harbor of comfort, safety and blessedness is the wish of their many friends amount whom The Journal wishes to be permitted a humble place."

      Wedding write ups were somewhat different a hundred plus years ago. I think you would agree.

     

On the Track of Nellie

     I told you about the Jefferson newspaper archives resource.  Have you tried it? I was searching for articles about Anna Josephine a day or two ago. In the issue I was combing through, I found a clue about Aurilla's daughter. Well, maybe it is her daughter.  A Nellie Frederick visited her cousin E. H. Vorhies.  I think I am on the track of Aurilla's daughter. This is so exciting.

     One more random point I wish to make.  I am trying to make the font size bigger than the default size.  Every once in a while, the normal size shows up on the post. I apologize for this. I think the larger one is much better, but maybe it is just my old eyes.

The Homestead

     My family story so far has been about Sarah and her family.  Her husband,  Grandpa Withrow and his son-in-law, Grandpa John Mac Vorhies ( Ginevra's husband) were farmers.  In November of 1875, Joseph entered into an agreement to purchase 160 acres of land for the sum of $2800 with a $700 down payment. Five more payment dates are outlined in the document ending on the 26th of December 1878. This transaction was made in association with Head Brothers Bank of Jefferson, Iowa. 

     In January of 1877, Joseph sold the west 80 acres to his son-in-law John Mac Vorhies.  By 1880, both the west eighty in John Mac's name and the east eighty which has been put in Sarah Jane Withrow's name was entered into the Register of State Land.  The land patent number 1855 is recorded in Vol 19 on pages 697 and 696.

     To me this means, that our ancestor Joseph Withrow bought his land from the State of Iowa and was the first to develop this 160 acres which was part of the Louisiana Purchase.  I have obtained three documents that show the transfer of land to Joseph A. Withrow and then to John Mac Vorhies  These documents were found in the archives of the Greene County Court House.  If anyone is interested in reading more of these documents, I would be happy to provide copies.

     This original 160 acres is in the NW quarter of section 16 of Scranton Township in Greene County, Iowa.  Directly to the north of Section 16 lies Section 9.  Part of this section also became part of John Mac's property.  This is how the 40 acres in Section 9 as well as 20 acres in the far NW corner of Section 16 came to be part of Great Grandma Smith's land. John Mac's property was divided among his three children: Estella, Eugene, and Leroy.

     This land was where my parents lived from March of 1942 until 1959/1960 when all of  Grandma's land was sold out of the family.  It was referred to as The Sixty.


This farm is across the road from the original land purchased by Joseph Withrow.  John Mac Vorhies purchased the Withrow land and land in the section across the road. The above farm was eventually inherited by Great Grandma Estella Vorhies Smith.  This is where I grew up.

Meet Sarah's family

    

     In November of 1875, John Mac and his father-in-law, Joseph Withrow, went to Greene County, Iowa,  and made a purchase of 160 acres of land.  In February of 1876, the family all moved to the new homestead leaving Mary Kate behind buried somewhere I have yet to discover. Sarah, Joseph, 5 children, and married daughter Ginevra, now eight months pregnant with her first child, and son-in-law, J.M. Vorhies, undoubtedly traveled together.
     Estella Mae Vorhies was the first born child of Ginevra and John Mac Vorhies, and the first grandchild of Sarah and Joseph Withrow. She was the first of our family born in Greene County, Iowa, and she was my great grandmother. Can you imagine the trek in 1876?  Did they move then because rivers would be frozen? Can you imagine being pregnant on the trip? Was great grandma born in the wagon when they got there? There couldn't have been time to build a house or was there? Did they even have a wagon?

     I will have more to say on the land when I write about the grandfathers. For now, I want to introduce Sarah and Joseph's children.

    As is the case in large families, the older children of the second generation might be older than the youngest children of the first generation.  Such was the situation with the Withrow and Vorhies family, Estella (1876) and her brother, Eugene (1877), were actually older than the last child of their grandparents. Joseph and Sarah's youngest child named Sarah Jane (26 Aug 1879) was born just a month or so before Ginevra and John Mac Vorhies's last child, Leroy (2 Oct 1879).

    So, Sarah and daughter, Ginevra, were busy having babies those first few years in Greene County.  What were the other kids doing?

    Anna Josephine was about 19 when the family moved to Greene County and Aurilla was 17. Wedding bells were probably in their futures. Yes,  Anna Josephine married William Cromwell 3 October 1876 according to her obituary. Anna Josephine will have her own post later.

    The 1880 census shows Joseph to now be 49 and his wife, Sarah Jane, to be 46.  The only children still at home were Viola Emma age 12, Joseph Jr. age 5 and baby Sarah Jane.  Joseph's occupation is listed as farmer.  Viola Emma and Joseph Jr. are list as "going to school".  Their school was in the southeast corner of Section 16 in Greene County. 

     Their oldest living daughter, Ginvera, is now 25 and John Mac, her husband, is 29.  Their children, Estella, Eugene, and Leroy are ages 4, 3, and 6 months old.

     Anna is now married to William Cromwell but their first child has not yet been born.

     Aurilla at age 20 is married to Mat Frederick. 

May I introduce...

Sarah Jane Swartzel Withrow
1834-1922

     This is the story as I know it of my 3rd great grandmother, Sarah Jane Swartzel Withrow.  If you are descended from one of my mom's siblings, one of Grandma Nina's siblings, one of Great Grandma Smith's siblings or her mother, Ginevra's siblings,  Sarah Jane is our common grandparent. You are my first, second, third, or fourth cousin.  I actually know who a couple of these fourth cousins are. Imagine their surprise when they discover this.

     Sarah Jane Swartzel was born in Montgomery County, Ohio in 1834 and is buried in the Scranton Township cemetery near Scranton, Iowa.  Many, many of her descendants are buried there as well.  The vague idea of an ancestor becomes real when I can actually take flowers to her grave. And I want her story to be told.

     In 1853, at age 19, Sarah Jane married Joseph Withrow in Ohio.  They had a total of seven children.  Only three of these children had families of their own.  Obviously, I am descended from one of these three.

     The first four of their children were born in Ohio. Mary Kate (1854), Ginevra (1855), Anna Josephine (1857), Aurilla Rosella (1859) moved with their parents to Indiana and then on to Jasper County, Iowa sometime between 1860 and 1868.  We know this because the 1860 census locates the family in Ohio. In 1868, Viola Emma was born in Jasper County, Iowa.  Followed by Joseph A. Jr. in 1874.  By 1879, the family was living in Greene County, Iowa where Sarah Jane ( named after her mom I assume) was born on 26 August 1879.

     Grandma Sarah outlived not only her husband but also 6 of her 7 children.  Her one remaining child (age 67) died only a few months after Sarah Jane. In my opinion, Grandma Sarah Jane Swartzel Withrow had a lot of sorrow in her 88 years.

    

    

    
  

Dedication

     Well, here I go.  But where will I start?  There are Grissos and Smiths, Wrights and Bordens, Augustus and DeHarts, Tolsdorfs and Beiers.  There are Grossmans and Vorhies, Kerins and Reeders.  You get the idea.

      I am starting with the Smith, Vorhies, Withrow line, and I am dedicating these first entries to two family members we lost in January of 2015.  First is my mother's brother, John Hiram Grisso (1924-2015). I was born on his 21st birthday on February 21, 1945 while he was serving in the Atlantic during WWII. This connection made him very special to me.  I felt his absence profoundly this year on our birthday.

     My second dedication is to his first cousin, Jean Stevens Johnson (1929-2015).  In genealogy terms, she is my first cousin once removed. She and my mother were first cousins. On January 2, I called Jean with the news of John's passing.  We had a sad but lively conversation.  I spoke of my discovery of the grave of the parents of my Great Grandpa Hiram Lee Smith's parents in Tucumcari, New Mexico far from our Midwest roots.  George Smith (1842-1932) and Mary Smith (1847-1924) were great grandparents of Jean and John.

     Jean was my go to person for family memories and fact checking.  As happens too often, our best resources are gone too soon.  Jean died four days after her cousin, John,  and two days after our conversation.

     My life is richer because of these two family members.