Restless Spirit - Truth Revealed

I wrote Restless Spirit for the 58th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: Halloween Hauntings...Fact or Fiction. It was written just days before before a huge event at work and I assure you you I was under way too much stress to have done any creative writing of my own.

But is the story true? Honestly, I don't know. I came across the story while looking for newspaper articles about the Hollington branch of the family, a branch I know very little about. I can't say for certain that I'm even related to that particular family but I've come to believe that anyone with that surname in Syracuse is related, I just haven't figured out how.

The story originally appeared in the Syracuse Herald Journal, October 31, 1982, page L1

Navigational Error

I really don't know whether to laugh or cry over this one! OK, anyone who reads my other ramblings knows that I've been having a bad couple of weeks and laughter is the only way to go.

Back in April when I was in Michigan I visited LaGrange Cemetery aka Whitmanville Cemetery in Cass County. I had trouble locating the cemetery driving up and down M62 but I finally found it. I was disappointed that the headstones for my 3rd great-grandfather, David Glover, and other family members were no longer there.

I just reconnected with a Glover cousin and I was going through the headstone pictures that I took in April and re-looking at the records at Find A Grave. I took pictures of several headstones for no particular reason. You visit a cemetery, you take pictures. I noticed that many of the ones I had taken pictures of weren't listed in Whitmanville at Find A Grave.

So I put in one of the names from the pictures I took and it came up in Van Riper Cemetery. Van Riper is located just off M62. I haven't looked at a map to see how far off I was but I must have driven by Whitmanville and missed it. :(

The good news is that the headstones are probably still right where they should be. I am hoping to get to Lake County, Illinois in April and Michigan is on the way. Maybe I can get better directions and a good map before then!

Wordless Wednesday - Halloween 2003

Memories on Monday - Halloween Candy

Thomas wants to know what candy we had as kids. A pleasant trip down memory lane.

Trick or Treating on Halloween was always a great time. Dad would take us around the neighborhood and Mom would stay home to answer the door. We lived in a small housing tract where we could go to plenty of houses, get tons of candy and still not be out too long, an important factor when you consider that it was often very cold. I'm sure that some years there must have been snow but at my age I've developed a selective memory!

My favorite was Necco wafers although I don't care much for them any more. Sweet Tarts were (and still are) another favorite. We always got lots of the fun size chocolate bars and they are what we always gave out. Back then many families made up trick or treat bags full of small pieces of candy; Fireballs, pieces of gum, Tootsies Pops, Sour Fruit Balls, etc. We also got popcorn balls from a couple of families. Candy cigarettes were a favorite that I'm quite happy are no longer available. Sugar Babies, wax teeth and Jujyfruits are others I remember fondly. Mom and Dad got all the Mary Janes, Licorice and Salt Water Taffy that ended up in my bag.

Nestles had a plant just north of Syracuse in Fulton, NY but we got just as many Hersey bars as we did Nestles. The Nestles plant has been closed for a few years now but Nestles Crunch and White Chocolate were always favorites of mine.

At the Safety Expo this year I was refilling the candy bowls and opened a bag of Sour Patch Kids and suddenly I became very popular. None of it made it out to the stations as it was gone as soon as I opened it, my son and grand-daughters at the head of the line. I've never had them but maybe I should give them a try.

Wordless Wednesday - Today

Michael Camfield

Mikel Cumveldt was born March 15, 1822 in Alsace-Lorraine, an area on the border of France and Germany. He spoke German and immigrated to the US about 1833-1835. On his arrival he was separated from his family and bound out as an indentured servant to an upstate NY farmer to pay for his passage. We do not know the correct spelling of his surname. The farmer that took him changed his name to Michael Camfield to sound more American. The name was often recorded as Canfield. He was indentured for seven years. I do not believe that he was ever reunited with his family. I’ve been told that he came with his parents, a brother and a sister. His death certificate lists his father’s name as John.

When he had earned his freedom he got a job driving horses on the towpath of the Erie Canal. His job took him by the farm of William Wisner in Orville (now Dewitt) William’s daughter, Sarah, liked to sit along the bank of the canal as the boats traveled by. In this way Michael and Sarah met. Even after seven years, Michael’s English was broken. William was not happy when Sarah announced that she planned to marry an illiterate immigrant. They married about 1846.

They had a son, Joseph, in 1847. In 1849 Sarah’s father and the rest of her family moved to Avon, IL. Michael and Sarah remained in Onondaga Co. It is not clear when they headed west or where they went first. They took in a foster daughter, Sarah Ann, who was born in 1855 in NY. The story is that her mother died and her father asked the couple to look after her for which he initially paid them. Eventually the payments stopped but by then she was a part of the family.

At some point they ended up in Waukegan, IL between Avon and Chicago. Here he drove an ox cart through the mud of the streets of Chicago. Eventually he moved his family to Berrien Co, MI and later to Branch Co, MI where he farmed 80 acres.

Michael’s great-grandson, Cecil Camfield, tells the following stories:

“I spent a lot of time with my uncles who told me stories of Mike: Once Mike had a pair of colts, one he showed at the Fair. The judge couldn't decide between Mike's colt and another for first place. They were showing, "under harness" which meant their heads were held up by a "check rein." Mike suggested that they uncheck them. When they did the other colt's head dropped to the ground while Mike's never quivered. Later Mike was offered $100 plus a team of old nags for the colts. Mike needed the money so made the deal. Later one of the Warner boys facetiously asked him how he liked his new team. "Me gotum, me gotta like um," was Mike's answer. (That reply has become my philosophy.) In the summer-time Mike's dog would lie in the stock-watering-trough to cool off. When Mike found him there he would haul him out by the scruff of his neck and kick him. One day Fred found the dog in the trough and administered the usual treatment. Mike saw it, got his gun and shot the dog. "Nobody kicks MY dog!" Mike was - - - shall we say, strong minded? The night before he married he went out with is friends on the Canal saying, "This will be my last drink." It was. When Mike and Sarah got on the "outs" they wouldn't talk to each other. Then he would say to Fred, "Tell the old woman so and so." And Sarah would reply, through Fred, " Such and such."

Michael died in 1899 in Batavia, Branch Co, MI.

[Originally published at The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree, January 30, 2006. I am reprinting it here because I will be transcribing some of the Camfield letters here in the near future.]

Did You Catch These?

Tex is still on a Blogging Pause. She is on a "medical mission" and her blog, All My Ancestors, is still blocked as a malicious site. I have no idea what's up but I'm sending good thoughts her way.

Another friend who is MIA is Janice at Cow Hampshire. I hope all is well and I'm sending good thoughts her way too.

Way back in July, Amy's Genealogy, etc. Blog had a great link to Spring Grove Cemetery and all of my Cinncinatti Carlisle's are there. Thanks Amy!

Salute to the Old Timers! at kinnexions. Becky takes a look at some of the active geneablogs that she has followed the longest. I'm flattered that Apple's Tree is one and in very good company.

Becky also had a great tip for making illegible inscriptions on headstones legible!

T.K. has an amazing link at Internet Buffet. I may just have to but some markers! Of course I don't know as I have enough artistic talent to pull it off.

Kathryn Doyle, at the California Genealogical Society and Library blog, had a great reminder that some of the published genealogies out there really need to be verified. I've never before run across a work citing "occult powers." Have you?

I've played a little with trying to make a migration map but nothing I've done comes close the the map Judy made at Nevada Genealogist. Check it out!

Fall is a very busy time for me and I don't get to travel much, therefore I really enjoyed Nature Girls pictures of Mt Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY.

J.L Bell had an interesting piece, Driving the Battle of Brandywine, at Boston 1775. I admit that I did not pay attention in history class when wars were covered but I didn't remember ever hearing of this battle before.

Another piece of history I missed in school was the Whiskey Rebellion. Thanks to Les at Family Genealogy.

Eerie Facts or Spooky Fiction?

The 58th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy was a lot of fun and is now posted at Creative Gene. Which of the 22 entries were true and which were products of talented and creative writers? I can't wait to find out! Kathryn threw out a challenge at Looking4Ancestors to leave at least ten comments a week on blogs we read. I challenged myself to do this with the articles submitted to the CoG. This edition just invites comments so check them all out and let the authors know if you think they're fact or fiction.

The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: Politics and Our Ancestors. The next edition of the COG will be published on Election Day in the U.S. (November 4). So it's the perfect time to research and reflect on what we know (or can find out) about our family members' involvement with the election process. Did one of your ancestors run for office? Who was President when your immigrant ancestors first set foot on American (Canadian, Australian, etc.) shores? What do you know about your grandparents' voting record? Which of your ancestors was first eligible to vote? Do you have any suffragettes on your family tree? What did the electoral process mean to your ancestors? Do you have a personal Election Day memory you'd like to share? Think about it, write about it, and submit it for the next COG! The deadline for submissions is November 1.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

A New Game of Tag

A new game of tag is in progress, Randy seems to have started it and now I've been tagged by both Jasia & Thomas. How fast will this one fly around the geneablogs? A fun way to learn a little more about each other.

10 Years Ago I...

1. .. became a grandmother.
2. .. traveled to Hawaii with most of my family.
3. .. had time to read 3 or 4 books a week.
   
4. .. was driving bus #156. It retired this year. I didn't :-(
   
5. .. got my passport. It's time to renew!
   

5 Things on Today's To-Do List...

1. Make signs for Safety Expo
2. Buy more bicycle helmets for the Expo
3. Inventory supplies for the Expo
4. Get flyers out to all of the drivers
5. Write the announcement for the Elementary school

Our annual safety expo is this Saturday and although I know everything will fall into place I'm a wee bit stressed.

5 Snacks I Enjoy...

1. Peanut M&M's
   
2. Milk chocolate
   
3. Half Moon cookies
   
4. Plain donuts
   
5. Oatmeal cookies
   

5 Places I Have Lived...

1. Syracuse, NY
   
2. Clayton, NC
   
3. Pennellville, NY
   
4. Akron, NY
   
5. Liverpool, NY
   

5 Jobs I Have Had...

1. Harvesting Tobacco
   
2. Cashier - Cooks, Price Chopper
   
3. Insurance policy auditor
4. Travel agent
5. School Bus Driver
   

Here are 5 Genea-Bloggers I'm tagging:

• T.K. of Before My Time
• Becky of Kinexxions
• Jessica of Jessica's Genejournal
  
• Tim of Genealogy Reviews Online
• Bill of West in New England
  

Pass it on!

Wordless Wednesday - For Terry

For Terry.

Mom's "pet" rabbit. August 2008

Restless Spirit

I'm not certain how the family would feel about my retelling of this tale, so, for now, I will refrain from sharing any names or locations as this story is fairly recent.

My cousin was only 45 years old when he died, leaving a widow and several children. His death was sudden and unexpected. Fatal heart attacks in one so young are rare.

Beginning the day following his death his wife and all but one of his children noticed brown streaks on their hands. Off and on over the following weeks the phenomena inexplicably continued. Was the one child spared this trauma because she was adopted?

There were other odd occurrences that happened over the next several weeks. The freshly made bed would appear to have been sat upon, even though no one had entered the room. Items flew through the air; an ashtry, an iron stand, a laundry basket.

Several weeks after his death, his widow was preparing dinner and her finger started to burn, right under her wedding band. The skin under the band had turned a very dark brown color. She tried to scrub the stain off to no avail. The next morning the stain was gone so she replaced the ring upon her finger. And the stain returned. This cycle was repeated several times until she simply stopped wearing the band altogether.

Once she stopped wearing her wedding band for good there were no more stained hands or fingers, nothing flew through the air and the marital bed no longer appeared to have been sat upon. Had my cousin been urging his family (and especially his widow) to move on?


This was written for the 58th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: Halloween Hauntings....Fact or Fiction? So is this story true? Or do I just have a vivid imagination? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I'll reveal whether or not my story is true on October 31st.

Ella McKiinon to Annie Carlisle - last letter

MRS. E. L. MCKINNON
MAPLETON MINNESOTA

Well Anna I thot I was going to get ahead of you this year but I could not get up town the streets have been so full of snow a person with two good legs had a hard time to get around. so I will send you a card & a letter in the same envelope

I am getting along fine get around pretty good my knee is still somewhat stiff but seems to be improving all the time

Excuse this apology of a letter will write you a better one some of these days.

With love
From Cousin Ella

This is the last of the letters written by the descendants of Maryetta Wisner Hall. It was undated and so short as to give me no clue as to the year.

Annie Camfield Carlisle died in Buchanan, Berrien, MI on 24 August 1930. Ella out-lived all of her siblings and her Camfield cousins, passing away 30 November 1930 in Blue Earth County, MN. (I assume in Mapleton, where she had lived most of her life)

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Margie's Ancestors - McKinnon Pictures



McKinnon, Ella Hall (Mapleton, Minnesota) to “Anna” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. Undated. Digital Image. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, Undated c. 1900-1940, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Wordless Wednesday - October 1963

Apple, South Bend, Indiana, October 1963

Ella McKinnon To Annie Carlisle Aug 17, 1929

Mapleton Minn Aug 12th 1929

Dear Cousin Anna

I know you were disappointed when you did not get the letter but Anna I know you will excuse me when I tell you I was sick last week I was taken with the stomach flu on Sunday morning and I did not feel like writing or any thing else all the week. I was os weak from it I got around enough to get our meals & do just what I just had to do my stomach felt so mean all the time so I know you will forgive me this time.

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My how I would have loved to have taken that trip with you mine was not or will not interest you so much as yours did me as you do not know the country as I did where you were. But you said you saw where Myrtle’s grave was Father’s & Mothers were in the same lot lying just to the north of hers side by side with her. Herman & Emmit were buried in Waukegan but I do not know if in the same cemetery or not but I think they were in the Methodist cemetery. Elizabeth was buried in the Spaulding cemetery about 4 miles out from Waukegan & Jen was in the cemetery at Antioch. But Anna it was at Hainesville not Libertyville that aunt Mary Hall White lived ever since I can remember. It will be 27 years this Sept since I was in Ill. last.
My bur we are getting old arent we. Eunice was 80 in June six years older than we are.

Well my trip took me about 300 mis. North in the woods only there is not much woods there now as it has been

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burned over & chopped over until it is mostly brush there. I like it to go for a trip that way but I am not so in love with it up there that I would care to live up there and I really cannot remember the places we went through so I could tell you just where we went so as to interest you for there were so many swamps & it would be several miles at a time that we would not pass a house or only one that was empty & falling down they could not make a living on it and it takes lots of money & hard work to

Page 4

clear up the land there than the soil is light & if the rains do not come pretty often they do not have much of a crop it is so long before they get much of a place and if they do not have hay they cannot feed the stock in the winter. hay was $24 a ton last winter up there they raise a good many Potatoes up there but if the rains don’t come in the right time they don’t have them last year they had lots of them but no sale for them as hey were plentiful every where he could not sell them at all

Page 5

some just carried them out to the dump yard and some got just what they could for theirs about 10c a bushel. but there are a lot of small lakes around there with fish and lots of folks go up there for an outing & fish there are a lot of cottages around the lakes some places just like a village only close on the shore only the drive between them & the lake the roads are all gravel & are just fine unless they have to repair some we drove thro in about 10 hours with stopping for dinner & a stop to rest and walk around some so as not to get too tired I did not get tired I can stand a long drive in an Auto but I would have been so sick if I had to go by train. That is one reason I have never been down home I could not stand the trip by train

Well I have written quite a long letter and have not said much either

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but it did seem good to get back home again & get to work I do not like to go visiting very well I get more tired doing nothing that when I am at work

I guess I will close now for I am sure you will get tired reading my scribble if you can make any thing out of it

With lots of love & best wishes
I am as ever your loving
Cousin Ella

Ella's recap of Annie's trip is helpful. I wonder who she traveled with? Annie's husband, Isaac Ashley Carlisle died 2 January 1929 at home, Buchanan, Berrien, MI. Perhaps there will be something more about the trip in letters from her children.

Now I have cemetery locations to check for Ella's siblings.

I'm guessing that Ella traveled north to visit with one or two of her sons. John Albion McKinnon lived in McGrath, Aitkin, MN, about 220 miles from Mapleton. Neil Hall McKinnon was in Smokey Hollow, Cass, MN in 1930, about 240 miles from Mapleton. Both places are dotted with lakes. I wonder who drove her?

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Margie's Ancestors - McKinnon Pictures


McKinnon, Ella Hall (Mapleton, Minnesota) to “Dear Cousin Anna” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 12 August 1929. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1929 - 1939, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Ella McKinnon to Annie Carlisle Aug 7, 1922

Mapleton Minn Aug 7th 1922

Ever dear Cousin,

I suppose you do not think you are very dear to me as I am so long answering your letter but oh it is so hard for me to get at any writing it don’t take long when I really make up my mind to write but I do not like to begin.

Your last letter was dated in March and I am just ashamed to tell it.

Well I hardly know what to write now I got started but I remembered it was about birthday time again so thot I just had to send you word some way & did not have a card to send

page 2

but accept congratulations just the same & many more happy birthdays to you.

Yes Anna I belong to the Auxiliary we have about 80 members and more to come in soon. we have not done any work in that way but in other ways I do not remember now only they have sent several lounging robes to the sick in some of the Hospitals and now there is a delegation to go to the State Comvention at the same time & place as the Legion boys have their convention. My boy is one of the delegates I will be gone a week any way

My pen will not write tonight so will have to finish with a pencil

Crops here are pretty good altho we have had a very dry & warm summer the days were just simply but the nights were so nice & cool one could sleep with a covering over them very nicely I know I could & I generally fell the heat as well as any of them

Are you having lots of fruit out there not so very much here it all dried up it was so dry I have not got much canned but will get some apples

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& there may be something else to get yet

Well I am tired writing and I have run out of material too I guess I have written one before this & ought to write 4 or 5 more but ma not going to tonight I am going to send you lots of love & a good night kiss here it is [scribbles]

Ever your loving Cousin
Ella



For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Margie's Ancestors - McKinnon Pictures



McKinnon, Ella Hall (Mapleton, Minnesota) to “Ever dear Cousin” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 7 August 1922. Digital Images 1-2. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1921 – 1922, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

I Read it in the News!

Jasia, at Creative Gene, has published the 57th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - I Read It in the News! and it's another huge edition.

I read many of the entries as they were published and most of us seem to have gained a wealth of information from newspapers. Some were sad, others entertaining and some were loaded that facts that any genealogist would love to have. You never know what great idea or bit of research help you may find in a COG post and in this edition I found a great tip John Newmark's article, Family History in Newspaper Articles, at Transylanian Dutch. I didn't know that death certificates might be available from a funeral home.

The COG continues to grow and there are a several entries from writers that I'm not familiar with so I'm off to read some of them now.

And now it's time for a Call For Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the COG will be: Halloween Hauntings... Fact or Fiction? We're going to have some fun with the Carnival of Genealogy this time around. Halloween is coming up in a few weeks. In keeping with the spirit of the season, write a story about or including one of your ancestors. It can be fact or fiction. Don't tell which it is (until after October 15 when the COG is published), let your readers guess. We should all get some great comments as readers try to determine if our Halloween genea-story is fact or fiction! Was your ggg grandmother a witch? Did you live in a haunted house when you were growing up? Were there bats in Aunt Betty's belfry? Did you ever meet up with a ghost when you were looking for an ancestor's grave? See if you can stump us! The deadline for submissions is October 15th.

To All COG Participants: Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blogcarnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Introductions for your articles will not be provided for you due to the volume of articles submitted. Thank you!

Write up your eerie tales and submit them to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Artifacts, Relics, Effigies and Findings

Back in July my mother received a birthday package from my brother, Dallas', family. Part of the gift was a series of books written by Mary Anna Evans. Of course any books my mother gets eventually end up on my reading pile. Mom really didn't say much about them, other than that she had enjoyed them.

I like a well written mystery and these books deliver. What took me by surprise were all the references to genealogy!

In the first book in the series, Artifacts, we are introduced to the two central characters. Faye Longchamp, an archeologist, and her sidekick Joe Wolf Mantooth. They live on a Florida island, in a ramshackle old plantation house that Faye inherited. Faye is bi-racial and learns about her ancestors from an old diary. I hate to give away the story line but murders both old and new must be solved. This first book sucked me right in and the pages flew by.

The second book, Relics, finds Faye working on a project away from home, in Alabama. The team are studying an isolated population and must compile detailed genealogies. Genetic genealogy along with oral histories also come into play. There is another murder for Faye to help solve.



Book three, Effigies, did not highlight genealogical research as the first two books did but had a lot of Native American history that I never learned in school. This one is set in Mississippi. I didn't enjoy this story quite as much as the first two but I couldn't put it down either.




I haven't read Findings yet but Mom has finished it so I hope to pick it up next week and I'm looking forward to another page turner!

Effie McFarlane to Anna Carlisle March 12, 1922

Moline, Ill Mar. 12, 1922

Dear Cousin Anna,

Remembering the letters exchanged between mother and Aunt Sarah and your own letters at the time of her death I thought you might be interested to know of mother’s passing. She left us Jan. 20 and we took her to our old home, Waukegan, Ill., and laid her by my father. She had a light stroke of paralysis the 1st of Oct.

Page 2

but recovered quickly and almost entirely. She had her second stroke Jan 8. and lingered till the 20th. She was unable to speak after the second stroke. She just gradually slept away the last week.

She has always lived with me and I am terribly lonely but glad she didn’t linger long in that state. My little three year old daughter is lost of company and comfort.

Truly yours,
Effie Belden McFarlane
404 – 4th ave.



For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Margie's Ancestors - McKinnon Pictures



McFarlane, Effie Belden (Moline, Illinois) to “Dear Cousin Anna” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 12 March 1922. Digital Images 1-2. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1921 – 1922, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Ella McKinnon to Annie Carlisle Feb 22, 1922

(1922)
Mapleton Minn Feb 27th

Dear Cousin Anna,
I know I have been very negligent but not meaning to be but I ought to have kept you informed of Elizabeth. She had her last bad stroke the 8th of Jan and lived only until the 20th and suffered a good deal her girl wrote to me. I thot I had written you some time ago that her gorl was married. she has been for about 6 years I think it is will be this spring and went to Moline Ill. to live and she has a little girl 3 years old now. Elizabeth was 74 the 17th of Jan & her granddaughter was 3 the 19 so their birthdays are pretty close.

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yes they always lived together would not be separated hardly over night.

Martha’s husband died several years ago they found him dead in his bed he lived alone I believe but some of his children were near him but he went to bed feeling pretty good but passed away some time in the night. her boy has been working for Effie’s husband I do not know whether he is there yet or not. they had not been in Nebr for a good while they were in Ill when Martha died & he has or rather both of them have been all around since they were in Florida with a daughter of his for a while & lived in Iowa a while he was there when he died.

Page 3

Aleena Porter Nelson lives in Libertyville now has for a couple of years they lived in Antioch for a good while she can get around some with crutches but not very well I guess.

We had a terrible ice storm Last Tuesday & Wednesday it just misted in the day but Tuesday in the evening we had a regular summer Thunder storm it thundered & lightened so bad as I ever heard in the summer wednesday it was so icy it was hardy safe to step out door then we had a have shower in the evening again then it snowed some so it was not

Page 4

quite so slippery yesterday it thawed quite a little but the ice is not all off the trees yet and it grew colder again tonight is like a winter night it is so cold.

I have three other boys all married and homes of their own but two of them are so far away that I do not see them very often they were both home last summer tho’

I keep so well this winter have not had much of a cold even nothing to mention the same as some have had

Well I guess I have told you all the news that will interest you & my paper is full so I say Good night & Pleasant dreams
Love to all Cousin Ella

Before this letter I had no death date for Elizabeth or birth date for her granddaughter. As her granddaughter may still be living I will refrain from publishing her name here.

Martha Hall Fairman died in 1893. Her husband was Gallio Hamilton Fairman and I have an unverified death date for him of 7 December 1917. Their only child together was Wirt Hall Fairman 1891-1962. At the time of the 1920 census he was living in Dixon, Lee, IL and in 1930 in Maine, Cook, IL. Wirt married Cathrena Maxwell 1896-1966 and they had at least one child, a son who I believe is still living and in his 90's.

I have not had much luck with Aleena Porter Nelson although I admit I have not tried very hard. I did not find her on either the 1850 or 1860 census for Avon, Lake, IL which is where Ella and Annie would have gone to school together.

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner
Margie's Ancestors - McKinnon Pictures


McKinnon, Ella Hall (Mapleton, Minnesota) to “Dear Cousin Anna” [Sarah Ann Camfield Carlisle]. Letter. 27 February 1922. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1921 – 1922, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Wordless Wednesday - 1952

Mom 1952