Popcorn Balls at Christmas

I was making some cookies at Halloween and wanted to make the frosting orange.  I have several types of food coloring in the cupboard, but I found an old combination box of food coloring that I thought must be pretty old.  I forgot about it and finished my cookies.  Just about a week ago, I was at the store and saw the combination box of food coloring on sale and decided that I should get a new box.  When I got home and put away my groceries, I decided that I needed to get rid of that old box...and I was curious as to how old that box really was.  I looked all around for a date and found a date of 1975.  The more I thought about it...the more I started to remember what we used that food coloring for.

When I was a little girl, my Mom taught music lessons for piano and voice from about one o'clock in the afternoon to as late as seven o'clock in the evening.  Most of the time, she would have a casserole ready or something in the crock pot so we had dinner ready, when she came upstairs.  Mom did that so we would be able to be in swim team, boy scouts, girl scouts, camp fire girls or anything else we were involved in.  Mom also did that, so she could spoil us at Christmas.

Mom made Christmas special at our house.  I can still remember the tree dripping with tinsel that we had gone out in the woods to get.  It was never perfectly shaped and it seems that Dad was called on to drill holes in to insert branches.  Nothing was perfect...because she let us help with the decorating. Mom also did a lot of different candy and cookies.  I still do that, but I have never been able to make divinity successfully.  One of the things that I can remember is making popcorn balls at Christmas.

This was a relatively cheap gift but it was a lot of fun to make.  Mom would do the popcorn and the candy to make the popcorn stick.  She would use that food coloring to make any color combination that you could think of with those four basic colors of red, green, blue, and yellow.  I can remember having a popcorn ball Christmas tree that we decorated.  I can also remember popcorn balls wrapped up in plastic wrap that we could give to our friends as gifts.  The process was kind of fun.  We would rub butter all over our hands, then take the hot gooey popcorn and form balls.  We would finish one batch and color, and start the process all over again.

I have so many memories of Christmas that are wonderful and I feel incredibly lucky to have had the wonderful childhood that my parents gave us.  I hadn't thought about those popcorn balls for years...I would have a hard time eating them these days.  I can't have all the sweets and popcorn isn't very nice to my teeth.  I almost wonder if I should keep that old box of food coloring for posterity.  It is a nice reminder of Christmas popcorn balls and the fun we had making them!

A Pearl Harbor Pennington

Yesterday, I was watching the Fox broadcast for football from Pearl Harbor.  I had DVR'd it so I could watch it when I got home.  Even though many of the games had already been played, I wanted to see what they had highlighted from Pearl Harbor.  They listed all the names of those who had died that horrible day on 7 Dec 1941.  I looked for Elmer Hicks...because he was a classmate of my grandmother and great uncle from the 1939 class of Potlatch, ID.  After that, I kept glancing down at the names and to my surprise, a Pennington showed up...something I hadn't known.

Raymond Pennington was born on 3 Apr 1924 to Harry Spears Pennington and Frances M in Colorado.  By 1930, he is recorded with his parents in Los Angeles, CA and in 1940 he is in Inglewood, CA and it is just Raymond and his father Harry...his mother had died in the intervening years. Raymond is listed in the 1942 Inglewood High School yearbook as having died on Pearl Harbor day and is listed as a Marine private.  He was originally buried at Oahu Nuuanu Cemetery in the Hawaiian Islands and his remains were moved and interred at Golden Gate National Cemetery on 21 May 1948.  (Find A Grave #3619767) This was according to the forms from the US National Cemetery Internment Control Forms.

I was able to establish that Raymond was the son of Harry Spears Pennington and Harry was the son of William T Pennington and Martha "Mattie" Crockett.  Harry was born 4 Dec 1890 in IL and died on 5 Sep 1943 and is buried in the same cemetery and listed as a Chief Radioman US Navy (Find a Grave # 3619765) I find it ironic that he died just a few years after his only child died in the same war.

I did a quick search to try and figure out which group this Pennington came from...it was a quick search.  This is the line I was able to find:

Raymond Pennington
Harry Spears Pennington m. Frances M
William Thomas Pennington m. Martha Ray " Mattie" Crockett
John Pennington m. Matilda Coon
William Pennington m. Anna Maria Brown
Jonathan Pennington m. Oscie Doty
Timothy Pennington m. Mary McCallister
Ephraim Pennington III m. Johanna Davis
Ephraim Pennington Jr m. Mary
Ephraim Pennington

I believe that this is Group 1...but it certainly deserves a lot more research!

Genealogy Wanderings - Harden

Genealogy research is so different today than when I first started almost 20 years ago.  I think that I have it so much easier than those who first started researching before the age of computers and the internet.  I can remember the struggles that I used to have to find information that is now at my fingertips.  There are more and more databases available at places like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.com – and I have learned a lot of things that spur me forward.  I am going to try and write a few blogs about some of these curious things that I have found of late.

Some pictures that a cousin took for me of Middleburgh Cemetery, in NY

My fourth great grandfather was Ebenezer Gallup.  He was born in 25 Sep 1795 in Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., NY and died there on 8 Oct 1865.  He is buried there at Middleburgh Cemetery with his wife, Susan Harden.  Ebenezer’s parent’s died when he was quite young (Father Silas Gallup b. 9 Mar 1749 d. 28 Oct 1796 and mother Sarah Gallup b. 29 Dec 1751 d. 18 Aug 1799 see Silas Gallup & Sarah Gallup in NY) and based on family stories, I know that he was raised by his sister Silence Gallup Brewster (See Silence Gallup Brewster and Silence Gallup Brewster – Part 2 – A Further Exploration)  I have always found his family interesting.  I wonder why his parents died…I am sure it was some disease and somehow he escaped it.  Was there something genetic in the family that caused five of the ten children to die young?  Ebenezer’s siblings Silas Gallup Jr b. 1782 d. 1783, Lois Gallup b. 1784 d. 1784, Hannah Gallup b. 1785 d. 1785, and Silas Gallup Jr b. 1789 d. 1790 all died very young.  Perhaps there were more siblings between Eli b. 11 Feb 1791 d. 4 Apr 1882 and Ebenezer b. 1795 or perhaps Ebenezer was a surprise.  His mother, Sarah Gallup, would have been 45 years old.  Sometime between 1791 and 1795 the Gallup family moved to New York.  I know there was a family group of cousins and brothers who moved their families and I wish I knew what prompted them to move from Connecticut to New York.  I can guess…but I don’t know if I will ever know.

Susan Harden hasn’t been an easy person to search.  She was born 8 Jul 1808 in Duanesburg, Schenectady Co., NY and died 9 Nov 1884 in Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., NY. Susan married Ebenezer Gallup on 19 Nov 1826 in Middleburgh, NY.  Since she died as late as 1884, I spent the big money and got her death certificate (I think the NY death certificates are $27 – which are quite expensive and took the full 8 weeks to receive it)  From that I learned that her parents James Harden and Margaret.  I have found a James Harden who was born in 1788 in Duanesburg, NY and died in 1849 in Tioga, NY.  I think that he is the likely father of Susan and according to links in Ancestry to “The New England Historical & Genealogical Register” he is the son of James Harden b. 1755 VT d. 27 Apr 1828 Schenectady Co., NY and Susannah Manard b.  1764 d. 4 Mar 1826.  They were both buried at Tripp Cemetery in Schenectady, NY.  Finding that little bit of information made me wonder what the significance of the Tripp family was to this James and Susannah.  It is a family name that I am familiar with as it is one of my ancestors on my Gage family.

So my genealogical wanderings have now taken me to completely different place.  I did a search on Find A Grave to see what other Harden’s were buried in Tripp Cemetery.  There I find a Benjamin Harden who was a listed son I had found for James Harden and his wife Susannah.  This Benjamin Harden turned out to marry a Phebe Tripp, so that explains why they are buried in that cemetery.  Only problem is now I have to figure how Phebe Tripp fits in.  

So, as you can see, these new records take you on completely different avenues to search.  I am not sure that James Harden and Susannah Manard are my 4^th great grandmother’s grandparents – but it seems likely.  The biggest lesson that I have learned while doing genealogy is that the family patterns are important, and don’t be surprised to see your family lines mixing together a little too closely for comfort

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today would have been my mother’s 74^th birthday or as she might have put it “the 45^th anniversary of her 29^th birthday!)  Mom (Betty Jean Tannahill Johnson) died on 26 Dec 2005 of lung cancer, so this is the 10^th birthday that we have been without her.  So much has happened in the last 10 years but in some ways it feels like we just lost her.

My Mom was many things.  She was probably one of the most creative and intelligent people that I have ever known.  Anything that she turned her attention to – she did well.  Mom was known as spectacular musician whose voice and talent is still remembered by those who heard her sing and play.  We had some of the most beautiful flowers and roses at our house when I was a teenager and young adult.  Like most things, it was impossible for Mom to only to what was necessary, she had to put her own touch on everything.  Mom got a computer for Christmas one year from Dad – it took her just a few weeks to get past the possibilities of that computer and pretty soon, Mom and Dad were taking a loan out for a state of the art computer and printer.  (This was back in 1980 – I think it cost $ 5,000 for the computer and the printer)  She did things on that computer that most people would never have attempted.  Mom was an early user of the internet, she scanned pictures, she did databases and spreadsheets and publishing all on a computer that operated on two 5 ¼ inch drives.  Mom was talented when it came to organization and used to organize her class reunions and managed the swim meets when I was a child.

Everyone in Mom's small family is gone.  Her father (Oliver Richard Tannahill) died in 1947 and stepfather(Gwen Dean Shearer)  in 1987.  We lost Grandma (Capitola Friddle Tannahill Shearer) in 1985 and Mom's sister (Joan Tannahill Kemp Towle Keeler) survived her by several years, but we lost her three years ago.  

Mom could also be incredible stubborn and impossibly demanding.  She was never satisfied with whatever she did and always wanted to improve on what she was doing.  I wish she would have stopped smoking many years before she did.  Even though she had quit 15 years before she died, it was still a smoker’s tumor that killed her.  We missed Mom so much during these past 10 years – at her grandchildren’s graduations from high school and two from college, two of their weddings.  I don’t have to pick a day to remember Mom, she is always there in my mind.  She has helped me make countless decisions through the years because of the things she taught me.  I have had several friends who have lost parents through the past years and I usually tell them that they will never stop missing them.  I then point out how lucky they were to have a parent like they had.  My mom was unique and only my siblings and I know all that she did for us.  I know that each one of us is thinking about her today and there might be a tear, but there is also a smile!

Probably the way I will always remember Mom - in red with her signature red lipstick!

Earliest picture of my mother - probably spring 1942  (She was born in 1941)

I am guessing Summer 1942 - Everyone has a bathtub baby picture, right?

Belinda Willey Pope

Belinda Willey is my 3^rd great grandmother (Find A Grave site with Gravestone).  She was born 10 Mar 1817 in Orleans Co., VT to Eber Willey and Elizabeth McFarland.  

She married Francis Pope in 1835.  

Francis was born 18 May 1812 in Shipton, Quebec and died 7 Feb 1888 in Danville, Quebec.  He was the son of Winslow Pope and Mary Wheelock. 

They are the parents of: 

• Leander Pope b. 1835 d 1914 m. Ann Maria Braidy
•  Polly Pope b. 1836 d. 1910 m. Jasper Edward Emerson 
• Sherman Thomas Pope b. 1839 d. 1919 m. Hannah Nottingham 
• Winslow Lonsdale Pope b. 1839 d. 1842 
• George Luna Pope b. 1841 d.1908 m. Elsie Avery Blake 
• Hiram Pope b. 1843 d. 1894 
• Nancy Maria Pope b. 1845 d. 1914 m Thomas Hewes Hunkins 
• Winslow Lonsdale Pope b. 1847 d. 1928  m. Martha Rutherford m. Nancy Ann Marie Lyons m. Susan Emma Cutter 
• Charles Henry Pope b. 1849 d. 1932 m Ellen Eliza Williamson 
•  Adelaide Lutheria Pope b. 1851 d. 1865 
• Plumer Francis Pope b. 1854 d 1928 m. Florinda Lane 
•  Viola Belinda Pope b. 1857 d. 1888 m. Freeman Austin Lyons

When I first started learning about Belinda Willey and Francis Pope, I found it interesting to find that they seemed to move back and forth between Canada and the Vermont/New Hampshire.  At first glance, it would be easy to assume that her family were on the side of the British during the Revolutionary war – but that can’t really be the case.  Belinda’s grandfather was a Revolutionary War soldier…so why did they move back and forth between Canada and the United States.  

I asked a cousin about this migration between the US and Canada.  It was a very simple explanation…economics.  These families were going where there jobs were.  They were loggers following the jobs.  That makes sense to me.  

Winslow Pope - taken about October 1928 shortly before his death

Her son, Winslow Lonsdale Pope, was a wanderer who lived in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and eventually back to Massachusetts.  Perhaps it was a family trait.

I am still learning about her family and thus far it stretches back several more generations.  I feel as if I have much more to learn.  I am still wondering what I will find! 

40 Miles From Town

One of my grandmother’s favorite memories was the visit to her Uncle George’s in 1934 as they were traveling to Idaho.  My great grandparents had sent their furniture on a train to Idaho and they were driving their Model T from Philip, SD to Dover, ID. This was a trip that was accomplished in 1934 without paved roads (or interstates) and in a vehicle that had few of the modern conveniences that we enjoy today.  Not only that, they had seven children in the vehicle as well.  So, in November 1934, my great grandparents made a stop at the George Shawver ranch.  The nearest town of any size was Jordan…and it is 40 miles away.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Jordan, MT and the George Shawver ranch (part of a family reunion).  This visit has convinced me that I am glad that my great grandparents went on to Idaho.  Not that it isn’t beautiful country – but it is very different than what I am used to.  We had a wonderful time visiting and meeting various family members.  This reunion was organized to mark the 100^th anniversary of the George and Clara “Midge” Shawver homestead.  One of the activities was to visit the original home place. So, as we traveled the road to ranch, I tried to picture what it must have been like to travel there in 1934 in November near Thanksgiving.  There was a concern that we wouldn’t be able to make the trip because they had a rainfall that morning.  This made me wonder if we were having that problem in the middle of the summer, what occurred in November?

Pictures I took along the drive to the ranch.

Uebra Post Office

They took us to the local post office that served the area.  It was an old cabin that wasn’t in top condition.  We found that the name of the post office was “Uebra!”  It turns out that whomever made the application for the post office had handwriting that was difficult to read…and instead of “Nebra” (for Nebraska) it came out as “Uebra!”  This little post office served about 10 families and the mail came in once a week.  Each family would travel to the post office once a week to get their mail…and in the case of the Shawver family it was about 10 miles on a horse…and for a number of years the postmistress was Clara Bacon Shawver aka “Aunt Midge” and later her daughter in law, Marguerite.

After we had stopped to learn the story of the post office, we moved on to the ranch.  The landscape reminded me of the badlands – lots of sandstone that had been shaped by the wind and rain.  I can understand why there are a lot of fossils found in the region.  We also saw a lot of areas that had hay bales scattered throughout. I asked the question later of how many cuttings of hay they got in a year (near Jordan).  We (Lewiston ID) generally get two and in some areas three cuttings – I was told that they got one cutting.  In land area, the ranch was very large.  I was told that they had 13 – 640 acre plots which equals 8,320 acres.   I know that this was a cattle ranch and I have pictures from my great grandmother of her brother, George, and his Charolais cattle, which I have been told were prize winning cattle.  When George & Midge first moved to the ranch, we were told that they lived in a dugout on the ridge for a few years.  I can understand that it was probably the easiest and most accessible form of shelter, but I certainly have a hard time imagining living in such a place.  They had also built a ranch house after a few years and that has been torn down to make way for a manufactured home.

The comment was made several times “I am glad the grandfolks came to Idaho,” however, I am sure many of my Montana Shawver cousins feel differently.  It is a beautiful landscape and being that remote would be ideal for many people.  It reminds me how different our lives are as Americans.  You have people who live in bustling cities and couldn’t imagine living somewhere so far from civilization and others who live in remote areas and couldn’t imagine living so close to so many people.

Shawver Ranch from above

Uncle Duane in front of the old barn

I remember meeting Uncle George when I was a little girl.  He had come out to Idaho for a celebration of my great grandparent’s 60^th wedding anniversary.  My great grandmother was one of 17 children and she was especially close with the 10 siblings that she grew up with.    I think at that point, only one of them had passed.  I think that it is rather remarkable how many times our families from near and far have gathered for a family reunion.  In our case, we drove the distance to Jordan, MT for the 100^th Anniversary of the homestead for George & Midge Shawver.  It was a little different for me…there were many new faces and I only had an inkling of who many of the cousins were. I am used to knowing nearly everyone at family reunions.  I think that we figured out that we had members from Jessie Shawver Gallup Bacon’s family, Dewey Shawver, Florence Shawver Gage (my line), Harold Shawver and of course many members of George & Midge Shawver’s family. 

My grandmother would have enjoyed this family gathering so much.  It wasn’t hard for me to imagine her sitting there visiting her dear cousin Mary in person instead of email or the phone.  Mary was there for some brief periods and along with her sister, Clara. They are the last surviving children of George Shawver and Clara Bacon.  (Mary has just recently passed away.)  I couldn’t help think of that long ago trip that my great grandparents had made.  It was memorable time where the older children had the chance to go and play…whether it was horseback riding or a few local dances with some of the locals providing the music. 

Full house - when time to eat!

There were probably at least four generations of Shawver family members at that reunion in Jordan, MT.  I missed out on the group picture – had run back to town to get my computer.  (This time it wasn’t on purpose on my part )  There were members who were in their 80’s and even 90’s and young babies and even a pregnant momma.  As someone who spends a great deal of time studying family history, it is a visual tableau of what a family is.  For that special few days – it was a time to share stories and perhaps a few tall tales as well as pictures and a potluck to share a few special recipes.  It was everything that family reunion should be.

The handwritten tree - to try and explain the branches of the family who were present!

Shirley, Never Forgotten!

Shirley & Gene - 1941

Anne, Shirley & Gene in back

Ever since I was a young child, I have been fortunate to experience the warmth of not only a close family but a close extended family.  My youthful memories are tied up with so many wonderful people from my great grandparents, grandparents, great aunts and uncles, cousins, and my aunts.  There are a few of these people who always stand out – and my Aunt Shirley was one of those people.

Shirley was my Dad’s next sibling, younger than him, by a year.  When they were growing up – he, Shirley and their sister Anne were always a trio.  (They also had two younger sisters – but as younger siblings they are not always in the mix with the older siblings – as a youngest sibling, I have experienced that)  They all got married in 1958 and 1959 and began their lives together with their new families.  All of their children were born from 1958-1967 with myself being the youngest.  Between my Dad, Shirley and Anne – there were 13 of us born in that eight year span.  Even though we didn’t see each other as often as we liked – we were close.  During the last 15 years, Dad and his sisters became even closer.  All three couples became close friends as well as siblings and in-laws.  We lost my Mom almost 10 years ago, and Anne lost her Bill in 2012, and yesterday we lost our Shirley.  Mom and Bill had both had illnesses that made their deaths not that shocking – but Shirley, we all thought she would out live all of her siblings.  Her death is a huge shock and has left a huge hole in our family.

Left to Right:  Gene, Karl, Shirley, Marian, Tom w/ Fran behind
Anne with Bill behind - Taken 2010 - Marian's 90th Birthday Party

The best way to describe Shirley was someone with a big heart who would do anything to help anyone.  If you needed something, she was there.  Whether it was a hug, sounding board, or advice.  She was a devoted daughter, adoring wife, loving mother and grandmother and beloved sister.  When I woke up this morning, one of the first things that came to mind – is that for the first time in my life – my aunt Shirley was no longer with us.  I always try to think of people as they are and “not on a pedestal,” and Shirley had her faults – and she would be the first one to tell you that, but she had some of the most wonderful qualities.

Mother's Day 2011 - Fran, Anne, Gene, Mary Kay,
 Shirley with Marian in front

Shirley was happiest when she was doing for others…I don’t know if there was a selfish bone in her body.  She took care of everyone around her and for her husband and children – she was their stable rock and the heart of her family.  I am sorry that those great grandchildren will never know their grandmother personally – they will have to know her through their parents.  Her grandchildren knew their grandmother as a strong loving force in their lives and her children knew her as the hub of their family.  Her love surrounded them all.  Shirley’s husband Karl is a broken man today.  For him – he has lost a loving life partner.  He told me that she would always be with him while he pressed his heart. 

Shirley & Karl - Wedding (24 Jan 1959)

So today, I cry selfishly for losing a much loved aunt who had become my friend and confidante especially during the last decade since I lost my mother.  I weep for my father and his two remaining sisters who have lost a childhood playmate and a sister who was much more than just a sister but a friend.  No more will we be able to shake our heads in disbelief and wonder and the generosity and love that Shirley showed every day of her life.  So this weekend, as we gather for our family reunion, we all will celebrate the niece, cousin, aunt and sister as well as the mother, grandmother and beloved wife.  There is a hole that can never be filled or replaced.  We will not ever see her like again and how we’ll miss her sweet smile, loving touch and generous love.

Shirley's Family - 2010 - Marian's 90th Birthday Party