Grandma's Diary, Part 29

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California."  All posts are listed there.)

Key:

The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.

Alice is her sister.

Kenneth is her brother.

Her parents.

          H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
          Delma = Hazel's little sister
          Earl = Hazel's brother
          Verda = Earl's wife
          Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
          Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
          Viella is Otho's wife.
          Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
          Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
          Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
          Herman (Williams) is Alice's boyfriend.

Sun., July 23:  "H. was over for dinner, & we made ice cream.  Alice went to Lancaster with Herman for a wk.  H. & I went to ball game, same Lester & Eva.  Went with Clara & Barney to Berdo."

Mon., July 24:  "Mama & I washed.  Chev. salesman came up to try & sell us a car.  It sure is hot.  Coopers' were over in the eve."

Tues., July 25:  "Chev. salesman took mama & I for a ride.  It sure rained about noon.  H. Hesser was here in the afternoon.  Essex salesman came also.  I went over to Clara's.  Saw H.  It sure is hot."

Wed., July 26:  "Mama & I went to town.  We had the car greased.  Ate lunch at Hazel's.  Visited Uncle Jont's awhile.  We went to see Norah at the hospital.  It was 107 today."

Thurs., July 27:  "Mama & I sewed.  I made me a dress.  Mama did most of it,.  It certainly is muggy & hot.  Mr. Cooper was over for a little while in the eve."

Fri., July 28:  "Mama & I washed.  In the afternoon I went to Millers then to Hazel's.  H. & I went to town.  Went to hospital & took sweet peas to Norah.  Then went to the show."

Sat., July 29:  "We ironed.  Mrs. Holloman came up with Knights & they were here for lunch.  Mama & I made me a dress."

 Images courtesy of http://sensibility.com/vintageimages/1930s/.

Those Places Thursday: Elsie, Michigan

Elsie, Michigan was where my grandmother, 

Ethel Ranney Tapley, was born and lived until the family

moved to California around 1920.

Grandma's sister, Alice, had tuberculosis so the doctor suggested
they move her to a dryer climate. 

View Larger Map

"Elsie is an incorporated place located in Clinton County, Michigan... it had a population of 978 people" and "a land area of 1.16 square miles...according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimate of July 1, 2009." (Courtesy:  MI Hometown Locator.) So it is still a very small place.  Elsie is classified as a "village" and is located about 35 miles northeast of Lansing.

Wordless Wednesday: Samuel Carter

My 3rd great-grandfather.

Can't ask for much more than what was written on the back of the photo!

Tombstone Tuesday: Theodora Price Tapley

Sarah Theodora Price Tapley

born14 Feb 1880

died 29 Jan 1970

wife of George Washington Sentell Tapley

daughter of Berry Price and Theodora Page Price

(Theodora Page Price was the sister of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Rebecca Page Tapley.)

So George Washington Sentell Tapley and Sara Theodora Price were first cousins.  This happened a lot in my family.

"Dora" is laid to rest at

Oaky Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery,

Johnson County, Georgia.

She was my grand aunt by virtue of being married to my grand uncle; she was also my 1st cousin, 2x removed.

George Washington Sentell Tapley and Theodora "Dora" Price Tapley

Motivation Monday: My Goals from time period ending July 17th

So I'm a week late writing this post... so much for motivation, huh? 

Actually, I did very well on the goals I had set for the two weeks ending July 17.  Here they are from my post of July 4th:

1. Finish reading one of my family history books that I have started.
2. Put the Harrell research I have done (and which is currently spread across my desk) in order, fill out family group sheets and research logs, scan documents related to the Harrells, and enter information found into my software program.
3. Find and scan some documents that are missing from a surname notebook I was scanning from during ScanFest.
4. Scan and stitch three very long pictures I have of my mother's days at summer camp and her high school graduation.  
5. Plan two trips:  

• The first for September during which my mother and I will drive "The Journey Through Hallowed Ground" corridor (in reverse) from Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson near Charlottesville, Virginia, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with several Civil War and other historical sites in between.
• The second trip will be in October when I will join a friend in North Carolina, and we will drive on up to research at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. for a couple of days.  I am in charge of the lodging arrangements, but more importantly, I have got to "get my ducks in a row" as to exactly what I need to research there!  I need to go prepared.

So here's how I ended up:

1.  I did NOT finish reading the book.  I swear every time I start reading it, I fall asleep.  Not that I think my family is boring, but the book is a little dry with all the names and dates.  I'm still slogging my way through it; I think I only have a couple of chapters left.
2. Not only did I get the Harrell research organized, scanned, and entered into Family Tree Maker, but I also did the Odom research the same way and fixed a fancy notebook to file the information in!
3. Done.
4. There were several more than three pictures, it turns out, but I did get them all scanned and stitched with my Flip-Pal.  Some of the pictures took 21 individual scans!
5. The trip from Charlottesville, Virginia to Gettysburg is planned with hotel accommodations made.  When it is closer to time, I will also book tours, etc.  Since a lot of the places we are going to visit are federal parks, Mom and I are keeping an eye on the government budget situation.  Our trip will be a bust if the federal government shuts down, along with the historical battlefields! AND... The motel is booked for the trip to NARA in D.C.  I have time before I need to plan the actual research I'm going to do.

I also got my scrapbooking room cleaned up.  I haven't been in there since, but it's clean!

So I had to go light on my goals for the next two week period ending July 31, since I am going to the beach for 5 days the end of this week.  There are only two... and I haven't even started on them!

1. Read another genealogy book that I recently purchased:  Trace Your Roots with DNA:  Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner.
2. Follow up on 23andme matches I received through my DNA testing.  

 I have a feeling these items are going to make it on the next goal list!

Sunday's Obituary: Benjamin James Lampp

From the Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Georgia, November 16, 1965, via GenealogyBank.com.

Benjamin, or B.J., was the son of Benjamin A. "Mann" Lampp and Tabitha Tapley Lampp.

He was my first cousin, 1x removed.

Grandma's Diary, Part 28

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California."  All posts are listed there.)

Key:

The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.

Alice is her sister.

Kenneth is her brother.

Her parents.

          H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
          Delma = Hazel's little sister
          Earl = Hazel's brother
          Verda = Earl's wife
          Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
          Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
          Viella is Otho's wife.
          Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
          Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
          Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
          Herman (Williams) is Alice's boyfriend.

Sun., July 16:  "Alice & I went down to S.S.  H., Mama, Alice & I went to the park for picnic with Livengoods.  In the eve. we went to the bowl to hear the Salvation Army Band."

Redlands Bowl, October 2010 (This is also where my mother's high school graduation was held in 1960.  It has been around a long time.)

 Mon., July 17:  "We sewed most of the day.  We washed in the morning.  Muffin is sick."

Ethel with Muffin the cat

 Tues., July 18:  "I picked strawberries.  We sewed again today.  Are having a terrible time making Alice's chiffon."

Wed., July 19:  "We went to Berdo.  Took Laura with us.  Tried out a Terraplane.  I sure would have liked to had it.  Ate supper at Laura's."

A 1935 Terraplane DeLuxe Six convertible coupe by Hudson.   (photo courtesy of http://auto.howstuffworks.com/terraplane-cars.htm)

 Thurs., July 20:  "Dad worked on the rock pile.  We made my organdy dress.  H. was here to supper.  He put a new top on the car, a very needed job."

Fri., July 21:  "Alice & Mama finished Alice's georgette.  We washed.  Tried to clean house a little.  I can't say it looks much better.  Norah had a son at 6 p.m." 

Note:  Georgette (shortened from crêpe Georgette or Georgette crêpe) is a sheer, lightweight, dull-finished crêpe fabric named after the early 20th century French modiste, Georgette de la Plante.  Originally made of silk and later of rayon or blends, modern georgette is often made of synthetic filament yarns. Georgette is plain or tabby woven, and like other crêpes is made with highly-twisted yarns. Georgette's characteristic crinkly surface is created by alternating S- and Z-twist yarns in both warp and weft.  Georgette is made in solid colors or prints, and is used for blouses, dresses, evening gowns, and trimmings.  It is springier and less lustrous than the closely-related chiffon  
(Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Georgette_(fabric)&oldid=407050421)

Sat., July 22:  "I went over to Clara's for awhile.  Then to Plumlee's till H. was done work.  In the eve. we went to town.  Herman came down in eve."

Wordless Wednesday: Alice and Ethel Ranney

Tombstone Tuesday: Lila Lee Lampp Newsome

Lila Lee Lampp Newsome

born 23 April 1913

died 09 March 1977

laid to rest at Powell's Chapel Methodist Church,

Johnson County, Georgia

wife of Clevie Newsome

 

daughter of Benjamin A. Lampp and Tabitha Tapley Lampp

Lila was my first cousin, 1x removed.

Unfortunately, Lila Lee does not have a headstone; just the funeral home marker.  I always find it very sad when someone doesn't have a tombstone.

Which Traits are you Passing Down?

The idea for this post came from Marian's Roots & Rambles blog. 

It's always neat to find common interests, vocations, or physical traits that we share with our ancestors.  My father told me that I walk just like his mother.  I am one in a long line of cat lovers which includes my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. 

If you could leave a note for your descendants, which traits would you tell them about yourself?  Now I do not have children, but I do have nieces and nephews, and I see myself in them.  I am fond of stating "He/She gets that from me" about any one of them when they say or do something familiar.

"Dear future generations,

While I will never meet you in person, I am happy to know that many of you carry a piece of me, whether it be a physical trait or a personality quirk.  I'd like to share some things you may have gotten from me: 

Thick hair.  So thick that combs have broken while trying to go through it.  It is heavy, hard to style, and has a mind of its own.  So if you have thick hair, you may have gotten that from me.

My love of animals.  I do not like to see any animal hurt (especially the non-predatory kind).  They are the most innocent of beings and domestic animals depend on humans for their well-being.  My home has always been open to cats, dogs, and even fish.  If you love animals, you probably got that from me.

My interest in history and genealogy.  If you find yourself visiting historic sites on vacations or staying up until the wee hours of morning searching through online census records, then you may have inherited my obsession.  This will be maddening and time consuming, but well worth it.  Trust me. 

There are many other things about me you may have inherited... My love of potatoes, Mexican food, and McDonald's french fries; my bluntness; my sarcastic sense of humor; my loyalty to those I love; my inherent kindness and generosity; my temper; my moodiness; or my ability to organize.  Embrace these things. 

Love,

Your ancestor, 

Aunt Lizzie"

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - My "Heritage Pie" Charts

From Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings:

Ah, Genea-folks, it's Saturday Night again - are you ready for more Genealogy Fun?

Your mission tonight, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  List your 16 great-great-grandparents with their birth, death and marriage data (dates and places).  [Hint - you might use an Ancestral Name List from your software for this.]

2)  Determine the countries (or states) that these ancestors lived in at their birth and at their death.

3)  For extra credit, go make a "Heritage Pie" chart for the country of origin (birth place) for these 16 ancestors. [Hint: you could use the  chart generator from Kid Zone for this.] [Note: Thank you to Sheri Fenley for the "Heritage Pie" chart idea.]

4.  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook or Google+.

Here's mine:

My 16 great-great-grandparents are:

1. George Washington Tapley, son of Canneth Swain and Sarah (Sally) Tapley, was born 02 May 1814 in Emanuel County, Georgia.  He married Elizabeth MNU on an unknown date at an unknown place.  He died sometime after 1880, presumably in Georgia.  
2. Elizabeth MNU, daughter of unknown parents.  She was born in 1824, presumably in Georgia.  She died after 1880, also presumably in Georgia.
3. Solomon Page, son of Solomon Page and Mary Horton, was born in 1800 in Sandersville, Washington County, Georgia.  He marred Elizabeth Scoggins on 14 July 1839 in Washington County, Georgia.  He died in 1860 in Washington County, Georgia.
4. Elizabeth Scoggins, daughter of unknown parents, was born in 1802 at an unknown location.  Her death date and location are unknown.
5. James William Drake, son of Francis Bryant Drake and Selina King, was born 19 December 1829 in Washington County, Georgia.  He married Mary Ann R. Brantley on 29 June 1856 in Washington County, Georgia.  He died 14 December 1908 in Emanuel County, Georgia.
6. Mary Ann R. Brantley, daughter of William Brantley and Eliza MNU, was born 19 December 1837 in Georgia.  She died 05 May 1891 in Emanuel County, Georgia.
7. William Robert Harrell, son of James K. Harrell and Nancy Beasley, was born 02 March 1838 in South Carolina.  He married Catherine M. Odom Riner on 21 December 1865 in Johnson County, Georgia.  He died 18 April 1908 in Emanuel County, Georgia.
8. Catherine M. Odom, daughter of Elijah Samuel Odom and Rutha Goff, was born 27 July 1841 in Emanuel County, Georgia.  She died 17 September 1875 in Adrian, Emanuel County, Georgia.
9. James Madison Tapley, son of George Washington Tapley and Elizabeth MNU, was born 29 April 1847 in Georgia.  He married Elizabeth Rebecca Page Horton on 18 February 1866 in Johnson County, Georgia.  He died 05 November 1912 in Johnson County, Georgia.
10. Elizabeth Rebecca Page, daughter of Solomon Page and Elizabeth Scoggins, was born 08 September 1844 in Johnson County, Georgia  She died 18 May 1924 in Johnson County, Georgia.
11. George W. Schwalls, son of unknown parents, was born 01 January 1837 in Germany.  He married Lincelia E. Claxton in 1866 in Edgefield County, South Carolina.  He died 21 January 1908 in Johnson County, Georgia.
12. Lincelia E. Claxton, daughter of Zachariah W. Claxton and Lincelia Bush, was born 10 April 1839 in Edgefield County, South Carolina.  She died 18 January 1882 in Georgia.
13. Comfort Ranney, son of Luther Boardman Ranney and Sarah Maria Carter, was born 07 February 1838 in Boston, Summit County, Ohio.  He married Mary Margaret Hesser on 18 December 1868 in Nevada, Wyandot County, Ohio.  He died 18 September 1920 in DeWitt, Clinton County, Michigan.
14. Mary Margaret Hesser, daughter of James Warren Hesser and Sophia Humphrey was born 17 July 1842 in Ohio.  She died 06 October 1920 in DeWitt, Clinton County, Michigan.
15. Charles K. Carter, son of Samuel Carter and Polly Marie Ozmun, was born 12 October 1843 in an unknown location.  He married Sarah Melissa Schoonover on an unknown date in an unknown place.  He died in 1916 in an unknown location.
16. Sarah Melissa Schoonover, daughter of Richard Schoonover and Sarah Ozmun, was born 13 July 1840 in an unknown location.  She died 23 May 1918 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan.

The birthplaces of my 16 great-great-grandparents are:

• Germany - 1
• United States - 15  

             Georgia - 8             South Carolina -2
             Ohio - 2
             Unknown -  3
            
Here are my "Heritage Pie" charts:

Grandma's Diary, Part 27

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California."  All posts are listed there.)

Key:

The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.

Alice is her sister.

Kenneth is her brother.

Her parents.

          H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
          Delma = Hazel's little sister
          Earl = Hazel's brother
          Verda = Earl's wife
          Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
          Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
          Viella is Otho's wife.
          Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
          Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
          Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
          Herman (Williams) is Alice's boyfriend.


Sun., July 9:  "Herman came last night.  We visited Wests' in the afternoon had ice cream.  H. & I went to ball game.  H. & I went to Trowbridges & had more ice cream.  Herman stayed all night."


Mon., July 10: " Herman went home at 2:AM.  I picked cherries at Shultzs in the afternoon.  I went to bed early as I was quite tired."


Tues., July 11:  "I picked cherries.  In the eve. H. & I went to the show with Barney & Clara.  H. made me mad because he had drank some beer."


Wed., July 12:  "I picked cherries.  In the eve. Alice & I went to Yucaipa to get some oil.  Saw H. a min.  We stopped by Wests on the way home."


Thurs., July 13:  "I picked cherries till noon.  In the afternoon Clara & I went to Wildwood swimming.  H. fixed the steering wheel in the eve.  Had supper there."


Fri., July 14:  "Mama, Alice & I went to Berdo.  Got my electric clock.  Mrs. West was over for supper.  Viella & Otho also came.  We took Mrs. West downtown to meet the bus."


Sat., July 15:  "We sewed.  Mama made Alice a dress.  Mr. Shultz took Alice & I down to the Wirths' Mentone Inn to a chicken dinner."

A bonus entry from child Liz:


"July 10, 1967:  My uncul died. after I was born."


I would have been referring to my Uncle Russ, John Russell Tapley. 

Wordless Wednesday: A Day at the Beach

At Jacksonville Beach (Florida)

with my Aunt Elizabeth (Taylor) Tapley

(for whom I was named) 

1973

Tombstone Tuesday: Leon Lampp

Leon Lampp

born August 7, 1929

died January 22, 1996

laid to rest at Rose Hill Cemetery,

Alma, Bacon County, Georgia

son of Benjamin James Lampp and Annie Jane Tapley Lampp

Leon was my 1st cousin.

Sunday's Obituary: James Marion Powell, Jr.

James Marion Powell, Jr.

died March 20, 1975 in
Swainsboro, Emanuel County, Georgia

laid to rest at Oaky Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Johnson County, Georgia

He was the son of James Marion Powell, Sr. and Elizabeth V. Tapley Powell.

He was the grandson of James Madison (Jim) Tapley and Rebecca (Beckie) Page Tapley.

He was my 1st cousin, 1x removed.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your Elevator Speech

From Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings:

Hey geneaphiles, it's Saturday Night, and time for another dose of Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

I saw Tonia Kendrick's post  and thought to myself "self, that would make a good SNGF - and lead more readers to Tonia's 31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy blog too" which may help all of us!  So:

1)  Write your Elevator Speech...see suggestions in #31WBGB: Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog.  The essence of it is:  "It’s a brief overview that can be delivered in the space of an elevator ride (hence, the name). “The idea is that you have a short and sharp piece that you can say about yourself when the opportunity arises..."

2)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook or Google+ post.

3)  Leave a comment on Tonia's blog post too telling her where she can find your "elevator speech."

"Do you like puzzles?  Well, for me, doing genealogy is like putting together a puzzle.  I start with the outside pieces (what I know for sure about my immediate family) and then I do lots of fun research to fill in the rest of the pieces.  It can also be like a good mystery.  You never know what you might find out about your grand uncle and his bootlegging business or your great-grandfather and the real reason he had to leave Germany and immigrate to the United States.  My blog is where I share the puzzle pieces and mysteries, and how I figured out both."

Grandma's Diary, Part 26

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California."  All posts are listed there.)

Key:

The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.

Alice is her sister.

Kenneth is her brother.

Her parents.

          H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
          Delma = Hazel's little sister
          Earl = Hazel's brother
          Verda = Earl's wife
          Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
          Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
          Viella is Otho's wife.
          Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
          Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
          Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
          Herman (Williams) is Alice's boyfriend.

 Sun., July 2:  "I picked cherries at Symmes.  We ate dinner at Sweeters'.  I saw H. after work.  In the eve. we had a watermellon."

Mon., July 3:  "We washed.  Canned more cherries.  In the afternoon Alice & I went to Yucaipa.  Took Clara some quilt blocks.  Saw Eva.  Scrubbed Wests' House.  Visited Hesser's, they gave me 2 dresses."

Tues., July 4:  "I picked cherries.  In the eve. I went down to H. & Delmas'.  H. & I walked to Yucaipa.  I stayed all night at H.  I picked 325 lbs. of cherries."

Wed., July 5:  "Mama, Alice & I went to Berdo.  Ate dinner at Laura's.  Mama bought me some material.  In the eve. Clara, H. & I went to the show.  Hessers' were over for supper."

Thurs., July 6:  "My birthday.  H. was over a min. before work.  We made ice cream in the eve.  Coopers were over for a little while.  Mama gave me material for a dress."

Fri., July 7:  "I picked cherries till noon  at Shultz's.  The car went dead at noon.  Had Clint come over & fix it.  I went to town with H. in the afternoon."

Sat., July 8:  "We went to Berdo. in the morn.  I bought & iron.  Mr. & Mrs. West were over for dinner.  I went to town with H. in the afternoon.  Saw Lucile.  H. & I went with Clara & Barney to Berdo. to the show in the eve."

Note:  I find it interesting that they did not seem to celebrate Independence Day at all. 

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Vacations

Week 27:  Vacations. Where did your family go on vacation? Did you have a favorite place? Is it still there? If not, how has the area changed?

Even though I do not have any children of my own, since I was a child at one time myself, I have a few definite ideas of things I believe are good for them:  sitting down to dinner as a family every night, being read to every night before bed, having the responsibility of caring for a pet, and taking a VACATION every year.  I have to give my parents their due:  We did go on vacation when I was a child.  It was almost always to the same place, but we went.

Our vacation spot was in Lake Lure, North Carolina every June (see map).  Its claim to fame now is that it is where "Dirty Dancing" was filmed.  We were going there before that.  We were usually there over my birthday, and my mom would make sure I had a birthday cake and gifts in our motel room to celebrate.

Image courtesy of The Town of Lake Lure official website

Lake Lure is in the mountains, and it was and probably still is a beautiful place.  I haven't been there in years and years and years, so I do not even know what it looks like today.  I am sure there are more motels now than there were back in the late 1970's.  The town's official website gives the history of the area and describes what it is like today.

I found some postcards and pictures I have from those trips:

Lake Lure

Bottomless Pools, Lake Lure

Where we stayed

See the specs in the bottom, left-hand corner of the pictures?  That would be me and a friend at Lake Lure. I'm the taller one.

Just down the road from Lake Lure was Chimney Rock.  You didn't visit one without visiting the other.  Here are a postcard I collected and a few pictures from there:

That would be me.

(Even as a child, I loved and collected postcards everywhere I went!)

I will post just one more picture... this is one of the beautiful mountain streams in the area:

My father, Gilbert Tapley, along with my grand-aunt, Alice Thornburg (with her back turned), me, and a family friend.