Sunday, May 30, 2010

TG for photo editing programs!

The original of this photo is 3 X 4 inches, and faded to sepia already.  It's too small to see much detail, but that's definitely Mom and her brother Reinhard on the left.

It's one of those family pics that just makes me smile.  Mom's informal, slightly pigeon-toed stance, and the third friend leaning into the group--and they were laughing...but you really can't see faces much.  So, scanning, darkening and enlarging it gives us a WAY better view:
I'd guess it was taken the winter following the 1939 California trip, since mom's holding the Camera, and the woman on the right looks like Marjorie Albright, her friend from the cities.
Looks like they're about to go skating...there's no snow on the skates, their mittens or knees.  Was Reinhard the driver, or did he just go along to kibbitz?

I don't recognize the place.  It could have been in Minneapolis, rather than Buckman, and Rhiney was visiting, so he didn't have his skates along. 

(I love imagining the set-up for a photo--the fifth person here, the photographer, said "Wait! Let's get a picture now before we're all too cold to stand still!")

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Postcards from Balzfeld & Dielheim

"Greetings from Dielheim at Heidelberg"



"Greetings from Balzfeld"

(Found online by our fav researcher ☺)

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

RURAL MANHOOD MAGAZINE

Yes, there really was a magazine called Rural Manhood.  It was from the non-city branch of the YMCA, and was published, ten issues a year, from 1910 to 1920.  The premise was that boys in farming areas (generally in the South) were leaving the farm in droves to go to the city, but it was aimed at adult farmers with sons.  The emphasis of the YMCA, and the magazine, was to help keep boys on the farm.
 
Whatever the politics and effectiveness, Rural Manhood is interesting to 'page' thru (click here for an issue from 1919). 
It seemed to try to cover way too many bases at once.  Check out this "purpose statement":



It's true that the early 1900s were a zealous time.  It was a new century just packed with promise--and there were thousands of young men (like Anton Janson) who were born in Europe and who wouldn't have had such a spectacular future there.  But grandpa didn't seem to want to leave Buckman, tho he realized how much hard work farming was.  His thoughts tended toward finding new methods to make farming more mechanized and efficient, and way less back-breaking.  This magazine wasn't aimed at him...lol

These next two clips from issues of Rural Manhood were supposed to be "inspirational" pages, I suppose...but they mostly make me scratch my head.  Who were they trying to convince, and about what?

 
(Just some interesting history for ya, that's all).

Monday, May 17, 2010

The newest Janson

Aunt Jeanette emailed this morning to say Keith & Shelby will be in Buckman this weekend with their new son, Logan, born April 1.  WOW--another generation!  How COOL ☺!!

Update--Aw, what a cute baby--he looks just like Keith!  They seem pretty happy with that little boy...

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Who named St Michaels Church?

There's a book called "The Spirit in Central Minnesota: Parishes, priests and people" by Vincent Arthur Yzermans, published in 1989:

"Michael Oestreich and Michael Sand pooled their resourses to the amount of $75 and thus had the privilege of choosing the parish's patron saint. Father Joseph Vill, OSB, assistant pastor of St. Joseph's parish, was in charge...."
 
So the family story was mostly correct ☺.  Great grandpa Mike Sand was part of naming it, but not because he hauled the most rocks for the foundation....lol
 
Another THANKS to Larry!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Being PROVEN right is wonderful ☺

My mom's dad was Anton Janson, and her mother was Margaret Naber.

Margaret's dad was Gerhard Naber, and her mother was Elizabeth (Richels) Naber, the second Elizabeth he'd married.  (The first was Elizabeth Rupipper, who died in 1870). 

Gerhard and Elizabeth Rupipper had four kids--Herman, Bernard, Henry and Mary Anna.
Gerhard and Elizabeth Richels had five more kids--Elizabeth, John B, Katherine, Margaret and Gerhard.

Gerhard Naber died in 1891, and by 1905, Elizabeth II and her five kids had moved to Buckman, Minnesota.

 I knew only that mom's mom was Margaret when Mom died in 1996, so when Larry and I began delving into Naber history, we had no idea that there ever was a first Elizabeth, let alone a second Elizabeth.

We checked censuses, wrote to the parish in Petersburg Iowa for records, and found confusing hints in death certificates and family trees online, but when Larry suggested that maybe there were two different wives named Elizabeth, we started using that as a hypothesis.  Eventually, we were satisfied that he was right.

Then, this week, Larry was rumaging around on the new version of FamilySearch and found THESE lovely RECORDS:
(The dates and places we know are filled in in italics, ok?)

Groom's Name: Gerhard Naber
Groom's Birth Date: 1 April 1829
Groom's Birthplace:  Salzburg, Hannover, Germany
Groom's Age: 29
Bride's Name: Elizabeth Ruppiper
Bride's Birth Date: 7 June 1839
Bride's Birthplace: Germany
Bride's Age: 19
Marriage Date: 18 May 1858
Marriage Place: Dubuque County, Iowa (New Vienna, Delaware Co, Iowa)
Groom's Father's Name:  John Naber
Groom's Mother's Name:
Bride's Mother's Name:
Groom's Race: W
Groom's Marital Status: Single
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race: W
Bride's Marital Status: Single
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M02570-7
System Origin: Iowa-EASy
Source Film Number: 1035386
Reference Number: bk 2 p 32 cn 150
Collection: Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992

AND

Groom's Name: Gerhard Naber
Groom's Birth Date: 1 April 1829
Groom's Birthplace: Salzburg, Hannover, Germany

Groom's Age: 42
Bride's Name: Elizabeth Rikel              
Bride's Birth Date: 2 April 1846
Bride's Birthplace: Westfalen, Germany
Bride's Age: 25
Marriage Date: 16 Feb 1871
Marriage Place: Petersburg, Delaware Co, Iowa
Groom's Father's Name: John Naber
Groom's Mother's Name:
Bride's Father's Name:
Bride's Mother's Name:
Groom's Race: W
Groom's Marital Status: Widowed
Groom's Previous Wife's Name: Elizabeth Rupiper
Bride's Race: W
Bride's Marital Status:
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M02571-0
System Origin: Iowa-EASy
Source Film Number: 1035392
Reference Number: Page 159
Collection: Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992

Pretty cool, huh?

Monday, May 3, 2010

Poor Flossie!

I imagine this was the kind of "progress" / "labor saving" grandpa had in mind.
From Farm Journal magazine, 1919

Orlinda and friends

It's funny--I never looked closely before at the photos from mom's trip to California in 1939, but now I realize most of the pictures were of her and the same three women: Marjorie Albright, Flora Hauser, and Marie Klinkert.  Next to mom (left) in the photo is Marjorie, then Flora and Marie.

This color photo was the S. S.Catalina, the boat that took them to visit Catalina Island.  Mom took the photo to the right--and on the back it says "S.S. Avalon--Los Angeles, Catalina Island" in her handwriting.  Click the sepia photo--there's a raft, with swimmers on it amid all that boat traffic! 

Saturday, May 1, 2010

A letter from Grandpa Janson

In January, 1936, Grandpa answered a letter from his daughter Orlinda (mom) that she saved.  She was at Business College and must have asked for cash as most college kids do.  Heres a transcript of it:
-------------------------
Rt. 1, Pierz, Minn. Jan. 29, 1936


Dear Orlinda,

We are in St Cloud today chasing up and down St Germain.
We have bought a new harness here for the new team of
horses that we bought yesterday. We are on a $5.00 a month in
the harness, and a Bank debt for the horses.
So we are lined up for the years' program here. Ben on the road
with two horses, and Reinhard with three horses at home.
Ben will be home every weekend, as usual. So we can catch up
with any work which might come along in a rush.
We also have the steadying effect or benefit of his Ideals
and enthusiasm and we hope to eliminate the one draw back
of whiskey--which we did since the Thanks-giving hearth break.

Ben is thinking up these good Ideas and that is something. It is
the right slant. So Reinhard has got his fine new horses that he
has been wanting for years. He thinks the world of Ben
and I am glad of it.
Reinhard's reading of True Story Idealism and the companionship
of a manly thinker and actor will bring Reinhard out on a
good road to the future so you see all three of you will be
well cultured and educated as I always wanted you to be.

Now about your college pay. I do not know that we can spare
this money. So far as I know we must come across with halve of
Lorettas bill, and you know if somebody kicks me in the pants
like that and I can not back off the danger zone the money
usually comes across. Take that as a hint and do your stuff,
perhaps it will come to you. It(s) all up to you.
D.
(Margin on the first page:)
Received your Electricity on the farm, typed sheet, and letter. Thanks.

(Margin on the second page:)
Send the typed material as soon as convenient.
 ------------------------
Note: "Electricity on the Farm" was a magazine grandpa subscribed to, and
"True Story" was a magazine published by Bernarr Macfadden's empire.

------------------------
The letter brings up questions, as usual.  Mostly, WHO was Ben?  This is the first I've heard of him, altho he seems to have been a definite part of their lives then. 
It's interesting to note also that Uncle Reinhard was only 15 in 1936, and in the biography Mom wrote she said
"My father insisted that I ought to go to college at St Benedicts, and he was actually going to mortgage the farm, but the farm was in a precarious condition because of the Depression as it was. In 1936, I went to Drew’s Business College in St Cloud followed by the Minnesota School of Business in Minneapolis for a short time".
I think grandpa started the letter when they were in St Cloud (where mom was at the time!) and finished/sent it from home. 
Another mystery!