52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 8 - Heirloom

Family Keepsakes

            When my mother passed away in October 1997, she was living with my sister Sharon in Palmdale, California. She was only 70 years old. Dad had passed way in 1995. There were only three of us now; Sharon, our brother George and myself.

            Sharon lived in a mobile home without a garage only a storage shed for seasonal items or “extra” stuff.  Before mom moved in, she had paired down her personal belongs and given away things she could no longer keep or store.

            About a month after mom’s passing, the three of us worked around our schedules and finally met at Sharon’s house to sort out mom’s effects. We don’t live close to each other, so it was hard to get together at the same time.

            We weren’t allowed to go into mom’s room unless she invited or asked us to get something for her. Walking into mom’s bedroom was surreal. She didn’t have much, mostly clothing and a few knick-knacks. Sharon started by opening closet doors and Mom’s dresser drawers. She pulled out items of clothing, laid them on the bed and said, “Take what you want.” We each made a pile of what we wanted to keep and started a Goodwill donation pile.

            I spotted a blouse that mom frequently wore. A memory flashed through my mind of her wearing this top, smiling and getting into a car. Another memory flashed in my mind, her wearing the top while we were shopping. I put the blouse in my pile in the living room. (I keep it in one of my bottom dresser drawers, next to a sweater dad always used to wear.)

            On mom’s dresser was an old, wooden, beaten-up box with a lift-off cover. She’d had the box for as long as I could remember. (It was small, only 8¾” x 6” x 2¾”.) The box had a strip of wood parquet design that ran all around the body of the box, inside and out. The parquet design carried over to the top and bottom of the cover. The cover’s handle is made of a flat piece of wood and is centered on the top.

            This box has great significance for me. It reminds me of when I was a little girl and my family home was in Chicago, we were still a family unit, and not torn by divorce.

Vanity like Mom's

            I picked up the old box and carried it out to the living room and put it with my small pile of keepsakes. Memories came flooding back to me. Growing up, Mom had a large vanity in her bedroom. It consisted of a large round mirror, four wooden drawers on each side, two shelves between the drawers, and a small chair. This wooden box was kept on the bottom shelf of the vanity. It was one of the few items we could touch, open and look through.

            I remember various items she kept in there through the years. The items would change so it was fun to lift the lid and see what was new. Rosary beads, holy medals, funeral cards, and a small manicure set. After we moved to California, she kept Disneyland ride coupons, rubber banded together.

            When I was talking to my sister the other day about the box, she said she didn’t know who had it or what had happened to it. I told her I had it and later sent her a photo. She too had memories of playing with the box.

            I’ve kept the box in different places in my home. Not always in a prominent place — such as on a shelf in my bedroom.

            In the last few weeks, my husband has been remodeling our master bedroom. Everything had to come out of the room and is now in various parts of the house. I discovered mom’s box on top of a pile of things I had placed for safekeeping. I emptied it, dusted it off, and took numerous photos from different angles.

            My brother, George, has a piece of furniture that was in our family living room. My sister, Sharon, has a knick-knack that belonged to our maternal grandmother. I’m starting an inventory sheet on the various family keepsakes we each have from our family household. I want my children to know the provenance of each item and not just one day toss it away. The box has become a family heirloom.

Copyright 2018, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott  #52Ancestors #genealogy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 2

Favorite Photo

I didn't know my paternal grandfather, Philip Ficarra, he died when I was three years old. My only memory is a very old, wrinkled man sitting in an upholstered rocking chair. 

I have several photos of Grandpa Phil, the photo below is a favorite. It was taken in Chicago, Illinois sometime in the 1930s. My father George, said he remembered his father wearing a straw skimmer hat all the time. Grandpa is wearing a tie, and with his shirt sleeves rolled up, it looks like it might be summer. I don't know what the event might be, or maybe he's at work and just stepped outside when the photo was taken. I got this copy from my sister, Sharon. She actually started on the genealogy journey in the 1980s. I picked it up in 2000 where she left off. She's been great to help me when I run into a snag with our family history.

Grandpa Phil was married four times. Two of the women happened to be both of my grandmothers. His second wife, Angie, was my father's mother, he married her 1922. He married his fourth wife, Jennie, sometime in 1946. Jennie was my mother's mother. I'm still looking for their marriage record. This is how my parents met. Father and son, married mother and daughter.

Grandpa Phil was my "brick wall" in my genealogy search. I couldn't get past him to his parents or grandparents. A few years ago, a friend of mine actually found his parent's marriage on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. I've been grateful ever since. I still don't have Philip's birth record and I can't seem to find his family in any census or New Orleans, Louisiana city directories. They have once again become my "brick walls."


Copyright 2018, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott
#52ancestors #genealogy #familyhistory

FGS Regional/WSGS 2017 Gene-A-Rama Conference – Day 2

Today, was day two of a two-day conference of the FGS Regional/WSGS 2017 Gene-A-Rama held at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, WI. Here’s the sessions I attended.

Speaker: Curt B. Witcher

“Fingerprinting our Families: Using Ancestral Origins as a Genealogical Research Key”

He has a way of stating facts differently than any other speaker would. Instead of “bread crumbs,” he used “fingerprints.” Really makes you think outside the usual box. Thanks Curt!

Speaker:  Antje Petty

“Max Kade Institute: Resources to help with your German-American Family Research”

Ms. Petty’s talk was an eye-opener. I’m researching my mother’s line of Germans the Rammingers’ of Sheboygan County, WI. Date range 1852-1900. The institute is in the Wisconsin State Historical Society at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I happen to have some German church records that need to be translated. She said to contact her this coming week at the library to take a look at what I have. Good info, handout and talk!

Speaker:  Grace Dumelle

“130 Years of Genealogy Gems: Delve into the Newberry Library’s Treasure House.”

As many times as I’ve been back to Chicago, I’ve never had the research time to visit this library. Glad I was able to hear Ms. Dumelle’s talk. An extra handout was passed out spotlighting the Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection. She walked us through the special collections; how to register online; what type of ID you’ll need; how to get a Reader’s card; what you can and can’t bring into the library, like personal scanners. I’ll definitely try and carve out some research time for this library.

Last and final speaker of the day: Rorey Cathcart

“After the Fire: Research Strategies for Besting Burned Counties”

Good examples of what could destroy county records, not just fire. Floods, tornados, loss, theft and malfeasance to name a few. Look elsewhere, use substitute records. What exactly was destroyed, what survived? Maybe the records you need were in another building and not in the courthouse after all. Determine if substitute or abstracted records were created. Ms. Cathcart’s handout, suggestions and tips are priceless.

My husband and I drove five days from California so I could attend this conference. The trip was well worth the trek.

© 2017, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott

Happy Dance

In genealogy circles, the term “Happy Dance” can mean Jackpot!, your research has paid-off big time! You found that elusive brother, sister, parent, cousin, grandparent, great-grandparent, (you fill in the blank) that you've been searching for that it makes you jump-for-joy, dance around the room, shout-out-loud, have a “zing” in your step and you can't stop smiling.

I was on Facebook the other day and came across a post, don't remember from who, that asked the question, “When did you have your last happy dance?”

With a smile on my face, I immediately clicked in the comments section and typed, “Last month!”

In the summer of 2012, my husband and I were on a cross-country road trip that brought us to New Orleans, Louisiana. A cousin in Chicago put me in touch with a collateral cousin of our family who lived in Metairie, Louisiana, his name is Philip Ficarra. I had never met him, only talked on the phone briefly a few weeks before we came. He was so glad to meet us and we felt the same toward him. Our talk turned to family stories and of course, our family's genealogy.

With the help of the family group sheets I brought, I figured out that his great-grandfather Salvadore, was the oldest brother of my grandfather Philip. Oh wow! One of my brick walls had just tumbled down! I knew there were cousins' in New Orleans, we just never met them. They in turn had heard of a branch of the family who moved to California. That was us!

Philip introduced us to his lovely mother Marguerite. Her husband had passed away but she was happy to fill me in on their branch of the family. As my husband and Philip talked cars, Marguerite and I swapped stories. Family talk eventually turned to a different branch of their family, the branch that had the “black sheep.” Philip's cousin Frank, had been murdered a long time ago. I sat up straighter in my chair. “WHAT??”

Marguerite said, “Frank had been shot in the back of his head. He had been messing around with a married woman, the husband came home, caught them, and Frank was shot.”

That story stayed with me for two years. I always wanted to see if I could find the newspaper article about the shooting and see if the details matched what Marguerite told to me.

Last month I renewed my subscription to GenealogyBank.com, a web site that has digitized historical newspapers, documents, and genealogy records. In the search box for the collection Newspaper Archives I typed: Ficarra. In the Date Range search box I typed: 1900 to 1940, then clicked on the Begin Search button. The results: 105 Ficarra Records.

I thought, “Well, not too bad. I can go through them slowly, see what I can find.”

Search result number 56 was an article on page two dated Monday, November 17, 1930, from the newspaper Times-Picayune in New Orleans. I clicked on the link and was taken to the article. It was the obituary for Frank Ficarra! Further searching brought up an article on page one of the same newspaper, same date: “Mysterious Killing of Former Convict Is Puzzle to Police.” “Brother-in-Law Held After Family Affray; Seven Bullets Supposedly Fired from Six-Shooter.” “Third Revolver Found Discharged.” “Frank Ficarro Killed With Own Pistol by John Occhipinti After Beating Wife, Witnesses Say.”

I read, then re-read the article two or three times. I later found two similar articles in a Baton Rouge, Louisiana newspaper. Frank wasn't killed by a jealous husband as Marguerite said.

The following is an excerpt from the newspaper article.

Mrs. Ficarro said she and her son were asleep when her husband came home about 6:30 on Sunday morning. She said her husband came into her bedroom and awakened her, asserting that he was tired of living there and wanted her to move with him somewhere else. She said he demanded that she get up and put on her clothes.

Fearing that she might be beaten unless she complied to his commands, Mrs. Ficarro told the police that she got out of bed. She said a minute or two later she refused to go with him and jumped back into bed. When she did, Ficarro, holding a revolver in one hand, began to beat her over the head with his fist.

Occhipinti is said to have told Ficarro to stop beating his wife, adding that “he did not want any more disturbance.” Ficarro, at that remark, is reported to have threatened to kill everyone in the house.

A moment later Ficarro, according to his wife, started running toward Occhipinti. “At that instant,” the dead man's wife said, “John grabbed the revolver from my husband's hand. When John took the gun, Frank quickly reached for his hip pocket to get another gun. When he did that John fired at him. I was so frightened. I don't remember how many shots were fired.”

I found the details of a collateral cousin's murder. This was my Happy Dance!

 

Copyright, 2014, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott

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1905 Wisconsin States Census

I've been updating my genealogy program this week. I noticed (duh!) that I hadn't entered any census information for my ancestors. Since I was working on my mother's maternal line, Bartunek, I thought, “Why not start with this line.” Wow, what a concept!!

My great-grandparents, John and Frances (Hajek) Bartunek were married June 1893, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Between 1894 and 1917, they had seven children. My grandmother Jennie (born 1901) was their third child. The first four children were all born in Chicago between 1894 and 1903. Children number five, six and seven were all born in Clark County, Wisconsin.

Since I hadn't been able to located them in the 1900 U.S. Population Census. I started looking for them in the 1905 Wisconsin state census on Ancestry.com. Yippee, I found them in Town of Hoard, Clark County! 

Schedule No. 1—Population.

Enumeration of the inhabitants in the Town of Hoard in the county of Clark, State of Wisconsin, on the 1^st day of June, A. D 1905.
Sheet No. 6

Column 1:

Number of family in the order of visitation.
#117

Column 2:

NAME of each person whose place of abode on June 1, 1905, was in this family.
Enter surname first, then the given name and middle initial, if any.
INCLUDE every person living on June 1, 1905.
OMIT children born since June 1, 1905.
(Line 1) Bartunek, John
(Line 2)        “         Frances
(Line 3)        “         Mary
(Line 4)        “         Bessie
(Line 5)        “         Jennie
(Line 6)        “         Joseph

Column 3:

Relationship of each person to the head of the family.
(John)   Head
(Frances) Wife
(Mary)  D
(Bessie)   D
(Jennie)  D
(Joseph) Son

PERSONAL DESCRIPTION.

Column 4:
Color or race.
(John)   W
(Frances) W
(Mary)   W
(Bessie)    W
(Jennie)    W
(Joseph)   W

Column 5:

Sex.
(John)  M
(Frances)   F
(Mary) F
(Bessie)  F
(Jennie)   F
(Joseph)   M

Column 6:

Age at last birthday.
(John) 33
(Frances)  31
(Mary)   11
(Bessie)   9
(Jennie)  4
(Joseph)  2

Column 7:

Whether single, married, widowed or divorced.
(John)  M
(Frances) M
(Mary)  S
(Bessie)  S
(Jennie)  S
(Joseph)  S

NATIVITY.

Place of birth of each person and parents of each.
Column 8:
Place of birth of this person
(John) Bohemia
(Frances) Bohemia
(Mary) Illinois
(Bessie) Illinois
(Jennie) Illinois
(Joseph) Illinois

Column 9:

Place of birth of Parents of this person.
(John) Bohemia
(Frances) Bohemia
(Mary) Bohemia
(Bessie) Bohemia
(Jennie) Bohemia
(Joseph) Bohemia

Column 10:

OCCUPATION, TRADE, OR PROFESSION
of each person FOURTEEN YEARS of age and over.
(John)   Farmer

Column 11:

Months employed.

OWNERSHIP OF HOME.

Column 12:
Owned or rented.
(John)   O

Column 13:

Owned free or mortgaged.
(John)   M

Column 14:

Farm or home.
(John)   F

2013© Gayle Ficarra Wolcott

Ramminger Cousin Visited

The next visit in Wisconsin was with my cousin Sue Ramminger.  She and her husband live across the state in Fond du Lac County.  Their father Eugene was my mother’s big brother.  When we were kids our family was in Chicago; Sue’s family lived in Milwaukee.  Our families would connect for family events; or see each other during the holidays at our mutual grandmother’s house.  Over the years, her parents’ divorced, our family moved to California, and then we lost touch.

Me and Sue

Since my mother still wrote the holiday cards and letters, Sue’s address was in mom’s address book when she passed away.  I contacted Sue and her sister Sandra; we been sending holiday cards ever since.

Before leaving home, I contacted Sue and let her know my husband and I were coming to Wisconsin at the end of July.  She was very excited; we made plans when we would meet up.  We hadn’t seen each other in about 55 years. 

We had a wonderful visit and got caught up with our families.  Sue didn’t know much about her father’s side of the family so she readily welcomed any information I shared.  While preparing for this trip, I started scanning family documents I had collected through the years; birth, marriage, death records, obituaries’, funeral cards, etc.  I also scanned family photos my mom had.  Any photo that included Sue’s father, I kept the scanned copy and gave her the original.

Sue helped fill in names and dates I had missing in her branch of the family tree.  I shared the Ramminger information Pauline had given me.  She was so amazed.  I had put together a shareable CD from my Roots Magic genealogy program to give to her and her sister.  Her sister Sandra was on vacation the week we were visiting so I missed seeing her. 

Other questions came up between us; she is going to check with her sister and mother and send the information to me.  I’ll update my genealogy program and send them another shareable CD.  This way I’ll always have a safe copy of the information outside my home.

Great visit, so glad we reconnected after all these years.

Road to Wisconsin

 In two weeks time, my husband and I are going to be “hitting the road” again. Yes, another road trip in the making. Last year we spent 47 days together out on the highways and interstates of USA. I had a genealogy conference in Springfield, IL (my home state) in September. I thought of flying in, getting a hotel room, meals out, the usual stuff. But he as very willing to do most of the driving across country (I can't help it, I just seem to fall asleep when in the car). So I said, “OK, let's drive.”

After the conference we went up to the Chicago area, stayed with a former school friend and visited my family and friends. Then to Allen County Public Library in Indiana; our daughter's in-laws in Ohio; more friends in Tennessee. My cousin put me in touch with my “brick wall” cousins in Louisiana. That was so cool! Spent some time in the “Big Easy” then headed to Austin, Texas to see our daughter and son-in-law.

This time we're heading to my mother's home state of Wisconsin. She was from the small town of Dorchester in Clark County. The reason we're going is to attend a family reunion. Not my mother's family unfortunately, but her cousins' family reunion. I'm more of a collateral branch of the family tree.

Back when I started genealogy I wrote to several of my mother's 1^st cousins and asked about their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The ladies who wrote back helped as much as they could, then gave my name and email address to a nephew who was also climbing the family tree. We've been collaborating ever since. His grandmother Bessie was my grandmother Jennie's sister. The sister's came from a family of six siblings; three girls and three boys. Their surname was Bartunek. Bessie married Harry Williams and my grandmother married Henry Ramminger. The family reunion I'm going to is for the Williams' Family. It'll be held at Dorchester Memorial Park on Saturday, July 28^th.

The Williams family held their first reunion at the same park two years ago. At the time we were having our kitchen remodeled and I couldn't attend. But I'm going this year! I've also been corresponding with another Williams' cousin who lives in Michigan.

Periodically, my mother would take us up to Wisconsin for a family wedding or 50^th anniversary party. Being quite young at the time, I can't remember all the “cousins” so this will kind of be a face-to-face meeting for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it.

1940 Indexing

Today I was able to get in some indexing time.  I did 40 records for Alameda County California.  40 records for De Kalb County Illinois, and 40 records for (I forget which county) Wisconsin.

I'm living in California and helping my local genealogy society; also my father was born in Los Angeles.  My home town is Chicago, Illinois so I always try and do some records for Illinois whenever I sit down for indexing.  My mother is from a little "village" in Wisconsin so I try and do some records for them too.  Earlier in April I was able to include Louisiana while indexing.  My paternal grandfather and paternal grandparents were from there.  Now the whole state is done so onto the others.

Indexing has been quite addicting and fun.  "Only a few more records, then I'll stop."  But then I'll download another batch and won't quit until they're all submitted.  Today I had a really blurry image for the Wisconsin batch.  Whew, glad I pushed through.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011

Here in southern California where I live, our temperature is 64º, it's bright but gloomy out.  Just the way I like it.  If going out, we might take a jacket along in the car "just in case" the weather turns cooler.

I've been sitting here thinking of the traditional Thanksgiving dinners we had when I was growing up.  When we were a family of five living in Chicago, and before my parents divorced.  My father fashioned a big plywood board over our kitchen table to make it over sized and have it fit not just our family but also the friends my parents would invite for dinner.



1983 Thanksgiving at Mom's



Mom got out the nice tablecloth, her "good dishes," the silverware, crystal water goblets, wine glasses, special serving platters, etc.  It was up to my sister and me to set the table.  Depending on how many people for dinner, my mother would either cook a 23 pound (or maybe larger) turkey or she might make a smaller turkey and a ham.  Of course mashed potatoes and gravy, mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows, a vegetable, biscuits, a dish with olives, celery, radishes and maybe pickles too.  A plate of jelled cranberry sauce (when I got older, it was sometimes me who sliced the canned sauce into "disks" and fanned them around the plate).  Oh I almost forgot, there would be a jar of spicy cinnamon-apple flavor, red crab apples. We'd put them in one of the fancy glass dishes.  These were a favorite of mine.

My parents and in-laws have all passed away.  I now have my mother's "good dishes" and used them in the past on Thanksgiving.  But not this year.  My married daughter now lives in Austin, TX.  She and her husband are having a house full of friends and co-workers over for dinner.  My brother lives in Reno, my sister is house sitting, elsewhere.  So this year its just our oldest daughter, my husband and myself for dinner.  We're going out to a nice restaurant.

Maybe I'll bring the dishes out for Christmas when there will be more people for dinner.

©2011, copyright Gayle Ficarra Wolcott

FGS Conference Road Trip - Day 6

We woke up early, got dressed, had a nice breakfast in the hotel.  Walked over to the Gateway ARCH.  It was sunny, warming up to be about 100 degrees.  I was watching my husband enjoying being here.  In 1989, we took a family road trip to Chicago with our two girls.  We drove right by the ARCH and said one day we'll have to stop.  Today was that day.

The sheer size of this monument is so awesome.  We've watch documentaries of how and why the ARCH was built but being at its base and looking straight up and then following the seamless structure to the other side of the park was just amazing to us.

We bought our tickets for the four minute ride up in a five passenger pod.  The only window was on the tiny door and all you could see was where they welded the sections together.  Luckily there was only another couple in our pod.  We got to know a little about them on the way up.  We exchanged cameras so we could have a photo of us on our own camera, we did the same for them. 

Curved floor & ceiling

After climbing out of the pod and up the stairs to the ARCH floor, I was a little dizzy.  Had to hold onto one of the walls.  It was almost like being in a carnival fun house, until you get used to the floor and ceiling being curved.   Hubby started snapping pictures like crazy. 

It isn't often you get the view we got that day.  On one side we looked out the windows and watched the Mississippi River.  On the other side we saw the city of St Louis and an extra bonus of the shadow of the ARCH overlay.  What a site!

Volunteering at FGS

Today I returned an e-mail in response to volunteering at the FGS Conference in Springfield, IL, Sept 7-10, 2011.  I signed up for nine volunteer sessions throughout the four days.  Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, network, and give something back to the genealogical community. 

FGS will reimburse volunteers a portion of their registration fee after the conference (if registered at the early rate, which I am) based on the following schedule:

8 hours = 25%     12 hours = 40%    16 hours = 65%

Volunteers do not have to be registered for the conference; but those not registered

may not attend sessions, monitor sessions, or receive any reimbursement.

I'm so looking forward to my four days in Springfield, IL.  After the conference, my husband and I are driving up to my hometown of Chicago to see cousins and school friends.  What a great trip we have planned, can't wait until September!