More Past Pictures

This couple was married 
15 June 1927

Jennie Phoebe Gunter
B. 4 Nov 1904
D. 23 December 2000
Jean's Grandmother

Stephen James Shavlik
B. 26 Dec 1899 
in Linwood, Saunders, Nebraska
D,.2 Jan 1975 
in Chambers, Holt, Nebraska
Jean's Grandfather 

Here they are holding their first Grandchild

Jean Marie GESCH

Photo 1953

Past Pictures

I'm starting to go through pictures for saving to the Family History Files.  Here's a Golden Oldie!  Who can guess who this picture is?  I'll be posting lots of pictures this week as I work on history files.

SLOCUM ALERT!!!! I am looking for pictures of George and Etta Mae SLOCUM and Alonzo and Salinda SLOCUM

Chester CUNNINGHAM and his wife Onieta Mae HALL

Another picture that more of you may recognize:

Mike SLOCUM and his wife Jean GESCH

Love of History Makes Me Travel the Genealogical Path

I love history, maybe that's why I love Genealogy.  I especially love searching for ancestors then studying what was happening in history while they were alive and often guessing what role they played in that history.  It's said that we need to study history so we can learn to not repeat the mistakes of the past.  I don't know if we do that very well, being human and all.  Seems sometimes we need to be hit on the head with a brick before we get it.

I've been told that I 'live in the past'.  I've thought about that a lot.  Wondering............just what does that mean?  All I know is that when I work in genealogy I work in peace because the folks I'm getting to know are normally all gone and they never yell at me or give me grief.

The end of 2014 is nearly upon us, what have we accomplished in it?  Our footsteps have been set for someone in the future to ponder.  My life is nothing special, you say?  I say not so.  Let your footsteps offer encouragement to trudge on through adversity, enjoy the taste of victory or the peace found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Your life will and does speak to someone.

In 2014 we've had the blessing of breaking down some brick walls:

Delmar Slocum 1857-1911
the son of Delivan the
 Brother of Ira Slocum 
father of Alonzo Slocum

Through the wonder of Genealogical DNA we have broken through what genealogists call "the brick wall', when the trail runs cold, and discovered more about IRA SLOCUM, Mike's 4th Great-Grandfather.  He does exhist! Thanks to DAVE BUMP for getting his DNA done so we could find the match to Mike SLOCUM.  Dave's father was adopted and Dave knew that his father was a SLOCUM and wanted to find out more.  We hope to get to Indiana this next summer to visit him!  This break-through was wonderful and opened more doors and will continue to do so. Delmar, pictured here is the 1st cousin of our Alonzo H. Slocum.  Check out that red hair, proving my husband is Scotch/Irish through and through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This picture is believed
to be August GESCH, Sr

This encouraged me to pound on the door of my GESCH family.  Whatever happened to August GESCH, Sr who arrived in the United States in 1893 and his wife Augusta?  Where are they buried?  Does anyone know anything about them?  Are there any pictures?  I'm still pounding on that wall but it's beginning to crack.  I ended up contacting the local Genealogical Society and hiring someone to do some searching for me since I have the toddler (we adopted a granddaughter in May 2014) and this lady has found some encouraging information and we hope to find burial locations and be able to pull death certificates that may name the parents of these folks and open even more doors.  The biggest information on the GESCH family was the Y DNA that showed them to have ASHKENAZI JEWISH (from the tribe of LEVI) background which explains GESCH on the holocaust lists.  From what I have found all of the five children who came with August and Augusta from Berlin, Germany practice the LUTHERAN faith.  We'll keep chiseling on this wall in the new year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joining the  American Germans From Russia Society in 2015 is an expensive venture and will send me on a year long search for more information on my grandmother Mary Elizabeth (Marie) REBENSDORF and her ancestors.  My new year for Genealogy has been mapped out for me with this, working on my new filing system and the beginnings of writing the books on each family tree line.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are You A Slocum?

There are Slocum's and then there are Slocum's.  The Slocum family who settled in the Arcadia/Litchfield area in Nebraska was a real brick wall for several of the cousins who worked on the family history.  I think there is now a crack in that wall and I have been moving full steam ahead and getting lots and lots of information on the ancestors.  Still plenty of questions but real break threws have occurred.  I've even gotten tips of one of Ira's sisters who moved to the Hebron area.

There still seems to be some skeletons here and there.  Appears Alonzo's father, Ira, was a moonshiner and he and either one of his son's or a nephew built a large still in a barn for which they were taken to the Superior Court in Indiana to pay for.  The two felt they should be able to take the full cost of the still off their rent to the owner (Ira's son) and the owner didn't think so.  SIGH family issues.

I inherited a box full of pictures from Mike's mother when she passed.  We are starting to go through the box.  The above picture stood out to me for the first picture for the Slocum's.  I know who it is and the writing on the picture does give it away.  As I get other pictures I will post them.  If there are family members who want the picture I post they can just get in touch with me, pay the postage and they are yours.

The above picture is of Cecil Slocum, Son of George Washington Slocum (picture at top of page).  George Washington Slocum's father was Alonzo Slocum who was the son of Ira Slocum of Indiana.   This picture of Cecil was taken in 1946 and I'm guessing it's his High School graduation picture.

Picture Friday

Can you guess who the folks are in these pictures????

This picture was taken at Lancaster Manor, Lincoln, NE

Who's in this picture and what's the event?

When going through pictures I couldn't resist this one and the following.  Guesses?

Oh my goodness!

My favorite men!

Tombstone Tuesday

I BREAK FOR CEMETERIES!

Here is the most recent addition to my Tombstone file collection.  The stone is very hard to read but it is the INFANT MCHENRY stone at the Olive Mennonite Church Cemetery in Elkhart County, Indiana just north of Wakarusa, Indiana.

This baby was born to James A Mchenry b. 1848 and Salinda Madlem b1841 who were married 28 May 1876.  The stone does not give a birth date but does give a date of death as Feb 1877.  We will be getting a rubbing of this stone sometime in May.

Picture Friday

This weeks picture is of GEORGE W. SLOCUM who was born 23 November 1881, Arcadia, Nebraska.

This picture appears to be his graduation picture and from the way he is dressed and the ribbon on his chest he was probably the class valedictorian.

Can you guess how old he is in this picture?  Give us his age and what year you think this is.

Interestingly none of his children graduated from school having to work the farm due to the depression.

Monday's Moments

It's A Matter Of Faith

I am gathering information for an article about the faith of our fathers. What do you know about the religious life of your ancestors. If you are part of our families please EMAIL me with what you know.

Sometimes an apparent lack of faith in one of our ancestor's can give us a clue of many things. Are they hiding their faith? Were they persecuted for their faith? What do you know about your ancestors faith? Did they have a favorite Hymn or Song? How did they live out their faith?

Watch for my progress in this area. REMEMBER our goal is to make these people 'real' and not forgotten and not just names on a Family History Genealogy sheet.

First Family

I am still working to put together my proof of WILLIAM A. HALL as a first family.  After a day trip to Falls City, Nebraska I hope to put the paperwork all together and send it off the the Nebraska State Genealogical Society by the end of the week.  Interestingly enough in getting information together for this I discovered another family that qualifies, that of the MASTERS family.  Since William's father Equillar came to Nebraska in 1866 I think that also qualifies him as a First Family so I'll have to look into that also.

Mikes mother was Dorothy (CUNNINGHAM) SLOCUM whose parents were Chester CUNNINGHAM and Oneita HALL.  Oneita HALL's parents were Burton W. HALL (son of William A HALL) and Esther MASTERS.

In 1870 William A. Hall raised Durham Cattle (Shorthorns), Poland China Hogs, plus Norman and Clydesdale Horses


The Anglo-Norman horse was a warmblood horse breed from the old province of Normandy in northern France. From early in the 19th century, local Norman mares were crossed with imported English thoroughbreds, Norfolk Roadsters and half-breds, which themselves had Norfolk Roadster and Mecklenburg blood.  Three principal lines developed: a light draught horse, which became the Norman Cob of today; a fast harness-horse which was the origin of the present-day French trotter; and a general riding horse suitable for military use, the Anglo-Norman.  In 1958 the Anglo-Norman was fused with other regional warmblood saddle-horses such as the Angevin, the Charentais, the Charolais, the Cheval Limousin and the Vendéen in order to create the national warmblood stud-book, the Selle Francais or French saddle horse.

An Anglo-Norman mare, book illustration from 1904, after a painting by Thomas von Nathusius

The Anglo-Norman horse excelled in jumping. Winners included Lutteur B, an Olympic gold medal winner at Tokyo in 1964.

Monday This 'n That

Articles in this post: MIA, It's A Matter Of Faith, Nebraska's Best (Decendents News), Upcoming Nebraska Genealogy Events and Meetings

MIA
Yes, I've been missing in action of late. We've been having lots of babies here on the farm. Plus the garden has kept me from being infront of the computer plus the scanner portion of my printer went on the fritz so I had no way of sharing photos with you like I wanted.

I am now the proud owner of a wand type portable scanner and will be scanning pictures this week. Soooooo..............we are on a role again! I've got some great projects going!

Nebraska's Best (Decendents News)

The Monday's This 'n That post every week will include important information on the site, a DECENDENTS NEWS section where the family can make announcements, etc on current news. Does anyone remember what Decendent means?

Decendent: Proceeding from an Ancestor.................WHAT? Basically when working on your family history you choose a starting point. Generally that point is you. Everyone behind you are ancestors and everyone going forward (your children, grandchildren, etc) are decendents. However, in the instance of your decentents, you are an ancestor. There have we gone in a perfect circle now?

Basically we'd like to hear from the family about what is going on with you and your children. Keep it general and basic please since we're on the net but do keep us a bit updated. From the perspective of this BLOG the decendents of Michael and Jean Slocum are:

Billie Jean (Slocum) Hansen (5 children), Sean Michael Slocum (4 children plus caring for/adopted Kimberly's), Christopher Gene Slocum (2 children), Kimberly Jean (Slocum) Coffman (4 children) and Katrina Marie (Slocum) Shlick (2 children).

We would like to hear from the cousins of Michael Slocum and Jean (Gesch) Slocum. This means we want to know more about your families and discuss the possiblility of getting together with you for some kind of Cousins Event. It also means that we want to hear from the children of the Children of Chester A. Cunningham and Onieta Mae (Hall) Cunningham, George W. Slocum and Etta Mae (Sinclair) Slocum, August F. Gesch and Mary Elizabeth "Marie" (Rebensdorf) Gesch and Stephen J. Shavlik and Jennie Phoebe (Gunter) Shavlik.

If you are 'cousins' as described above can you let us know more about you and your children? You can EMAIL us or post on this message. We can't wait to hear from you!

It's A Matter Of Faith

I am also gathering information for an article about the faith of our fathers. What do you know about the religious life of your ancestors. If you are part of our families please EMAIL me with what you know.

Sometimes an apparent lack of faith in one of our ancestor's can give us a clue of many things. Are they hiding their faith? Were they persecuted for their faith? What do you know about your ancestors faith? Did they have a favorite Hymn or Song? How did they live out their faith?

Watch for my progress in this area. REMEMBER our goal is to make these people 'real' and not forgotten and not just names on a Family History Genealogy sheet.

Upcoming Nebraska Genealogy Activities and Meetings

Nebraska Educational Television's (NET) documentary of the OCGS "Tombstone Tour" can be found at: Tombstone tour: Finding the value in Nebraska cemeteries

Sunday, June 3, 2012:  2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Walt Branch Library,  6701 South 14th St., Lincoln.  Rayma Shrader will be at Walt Branch Library from 2-4 PM to assist LLCGS members and anyone else interested in genealogical research.  Bring your questions about 1940 census, puzzles related to where to search next, etc. Invite folks who are curious about genealogy and they can learn how to begin using library resources. 

5 June 2012: Family History Library (Latter Day Saints) 8:30 pm 3000 Old Cheney Road, Lincoln. IMMIGRATION

7 June 2012: Tri-State Corners Genealogical Society (includes Richardson County) Meetings are 7:30 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the Pioneer Plaza Meeting Room, 1820 Barada Street, Falls City, NE.


16 June 2012: Family History Library (Latter Day Saints) 8:30 pm 3000 Old Cheney Road, Lincoln. EMIGRATION

16 Jun 2012: The Otoe County Genealogical Society will be hosting a presentation on "Witching Unmarked Graves" from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Unadilla Cemetery in Unadilla, Nebraska, and afterwards at the Park Hill Cemetery in Syracuse. Cost is $5.00, which includes a witching rod and presentation material. Checks need to be made out to "OCGS" and mailed in along with your name and contact information by June 1st to P.O. Box 465, Syracuse, NE 68446. If you would like more information regarding this event, please contact OCGS president, Mary Hanke at hankemary@cox.net.


16 Jun 2012: The Greater Omaha Genealogical Society will be hosting a FREE gernealogy class, titled, Part I: "Finding Family on the Internet—Is It Accurate?" Once thought to be primarily the tool of business and science, the internet is being taken over by genealogists. What’s out there? Part II: "There’s More in the Courthouse than Vital Records." Learn what helpful records can be found in the courthouse to document your family history. This class will be held from 9:15 a.m. to 12:00pm at the Mormon Trail Center, 3215 State Street in Omaha. Classes are free, but pre-registration is requested. Please call (402) 706-1453 or email at genclass@aol.com.


23 June 2012: Extra! Extra! Read All About It – using newspapers for genealogy research.
Presented by Susan Petersen of LongLostRelatives.net  11:00 am W. Dale Clark Library, 215 S. 15th St, Omaha, NE 

Photo Trivia Thursday

This weeks photo:  Can you guess who this might be?

Last Weeks photo:

This photo was taken when Clarence 'Mike' and Dorothy SLOCUM were living on an acreage near Denton, Nebraska.  At the time they were working at the steak house in Denton.

The photo includes:  Dorothy M. (Cunningham) SLOCUM (daughter of Chester A. CUNNINGHAM) and daughters, Shirley (Slocum)  MAHONEY and Kathy (Slocum) ROBOTHAM holding puppies from a family dog names Ringo.  We think the little girl in the front is Sherri Decker daughter of Deanna Jean "Dee" (Cunningham) DECKER, who is the daughter of Dean O. CUNNINGHAM, Sr. the son of Chester A. CUNNINGHAM

Thursday This n That

Well this is it. Today is Answer Day! For three days every week we either have a Trivia Question or a Challenge and Thursday is Answer Day! 

Additionally Thursdays might include some kind of search hints, or reports on trips I've made to various cemetaries, meetings or conferences.

Since this is our first week we only have the two Trivia Questions to Answer.

Tuesday's Family Trivia

Marie Gesch told Jean that she had always wanted a daughter one day when Jean was staying with her.  She pointed to the doll, pictured above, and said that she had always wanted to have a daughter and if she had, she would have named her Susie.  Jean Gesch Slocum has the doll Grandma Gesch called Susie and the small rocking chair that Susie always used to sit in was last known to be in the possession of Herman Gesch, Jr.

Photo Wednesday

George Washington Slocum 

(see Slocum aka McHenry page)

The picture is in honor of  his

High School Graduation

probably late 1800's to early 1900's

The ribbon he wore probably designated him as Valedictorian.

Interestingly enough, none of George's Sons (raised during the depression)

graduated from High School