52 Ancestors Weeks Challenge: Week 7; Who was the Owner?

Genealogy as discovered for this family. Thomas Thorn was born 1687 in Virginia, and died October 31, 1717 in Richmond Co., Virginia.  He had son, Merryman Joseph Thorn, born 1712 in Richmond Co., Virginia; died Bet. 1787 - 1790 in Granville Co., North Carolina.  Who had a son, Presley Thorn, born Bet. 1755 - 1760 in North Carolina; died 1849 in Madison Co., Alabama. Whose son was Thomas Thorn, born 12 Apr 1803 in Chester, South Carolina, USA; died 18 Sep 1879 in Franklin County, Alabama, USA.

Thomas had a daughter, Sarah H Thorn who had a daughter Mary B. Hughes, who had a daughter Emma Self, who had a daughter Lenorah Gildon.

To make a long story short, Lenorah gave the Mason's apron to my cousin. The framed apron had a typed note taped to the back of the frame which said, "Royal Arch Mason's apron brought by Thomas Thorn to the United States to America. Passed down to Emma Self Gildon; last worn by Tilman Self at the Grand Prarie Lodge in Texas."  The apron was made of silk not lambskin.

Experts in Mason's aprons, said it was most likely from the Thomas who came from South Carolina as that was the first entrance of the Mason's into the United States.  I recently found a note about the Royal Arch Mason's which said. "Fredericksburg Lodge in Virginia lists a conferral of the Royal Arch degree on December 22, 1753"  If that is the case, maybe it was Merryman that earned the Royal Arch degree and passed it down to Thomas who brought it to Alabama from South Carolina. It does not appear that the apron came with our first recorded ancestor.  Someone knew he came from England. that is a plus.
This is a post,  I made previously regarding the apron.  http://branchingoutthroughtheyears.blogspot.com/2009/06/masons-apron.html 

Every once in a while I return to the apron to ponder on which one earned it, and where they were when they earned it.  I love genealogy mysteries.

52 Ancestors Weeks Challenge: Week 3; Lillie Langley Thole an Example for Everyone.

Lillie Lillian Langley Thole Birth 22 Feb 1924 in Pawnee, Oklahoma, USA Death 01 May 1963 in Wichita, Sedgwick, Kansas, USA

I have written about my Aunt Lillie before,  about how she is my role model of what type of person I want to be like.  I had included some aspects of her life from her second daughter’s perspective. (This is the daughter that did the DNA with me, we match so close.) The reason for choosing her for this post is that I am blessed to have been reunited with her oldest daughter , Barbara, who agreed to share her perspective. 

Anyway I approach it, Lillie Lillian Langley Thole, was a remarkable woman of worth.  Proverbs 31: 10 – 31

Lillie had thick dark brown hair, laughing eyes, and had the hint of smile always at the edges of her mouth.  She was happy and had a wonderful sense of humor. We all hoped to be like her, she never held grudges or hurt others feelings.

Digitized picture of a sketch which was of
of the photo Elmer carried through WWII in his pocket.

Grandma Langley told me and Barbara, her daughter, affirmed that she had Bright's disease as a child. Bright’s disease is an archaic term. It would now be some level of acute or chronic kidney disease.   Barbara’s Aunt Thelma told her the doctors said she should never have children.  She had 5; 3 girls and 2 boys. 

I wonder if she may have had anemia because she told Barbara, she had to eat lots of liver as a child.

Lillie and Barbara's Aunt Thelma were best friends growing up.  Thelma and Elmer saw(dated) each other before Lillie and Elmer got together. Thelma married Elmer’s brother Timothy Thole.

Barbara remembered Lillie saying her mother made her wear long skirts and high stockings to school.  Grandma wouldn't let her wear modern clothes;  that all the girls had gym shorts but she had to wear knee length bloomers.  I am fairly sure this is from Grandma Langley’s upbringing in the Church of Christ in the 1800s.  

Lillie adored her dad; his death was life changing for her.  Barbara never remembered visiting grandma after that, until Grandma Langley  was taking care of her mother, our Great Grandma Gildon. Barbara adored her. 

Lillie and all her family were close.  This I actually found third party evidence of in old newspapers. 

Social notation in the Pawnee Chief, that Lillie's sister and parents went to visit
her and Elmer when he was home on furlough.

The sisters had a bond that was to be envied, until...Grandma Langley upset Aunt Lynn (something none of us little ones were never told about).  Aunt Lynn stormed in and slapped Aunt Dora at a family gathering.  I have written this story here. Barbara said her mother was beside herself. She gathered her children, up and left.  They did work it out but not until they were 60.   Lillie would let her children go visit her sisters in the summertime.  They loved their nieces and nephews, who had wonderful time learning about small town and farm life. 

Lillie was a great seamstress, who never used a pattern.  She would put a newspaper up to us, pencil it, cut it out and sew it up.  

Matching Dresses happened for holidays

Everyone was always in awe of what she could design and sew.  Barbara said during that time, every woman did needle work.  Barbara went on to say, “She crocheted and embroidered and her work was all over the house, doilies, runners, pillow cases, dish towels, all the good stuff those moms did.  She was a great cook, nothing gourmet, just good old country cooking.  She played games with us, Jacks, pick-up sticks; she would use spaghetti for the pickup sticks. She played hopscotch, and would participate for a minute in about anything we were doing.  

She worked as a waitress to help make ends meet.  She worked evenings, 2 pm -10 pm.  She rode the bus to work and dad brought her home.  One of them was with us almost all the time.  Mom was up, cooking breakfast, sent us to school, Dad was home by 5:30 with his lunch bucket to open and give us cookies out of it every day.  Then he was in charge of us.  He and I cooked the evening meal and Jerry and I took turns doing the dishes.  Mom wore a white uniform to work.  She was always spotless and smelled clean all the time.  I never knew her to wear perfume of any kind.  She would say "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" to all of us; hard to argue about taking a bath after hearing that.

Mom had week-ends off which left the family free to go to Fall River.  She loved to fish.  She loved the outdoors.  We had a one room cabin about the size of an over sized storage shed that had double bed bunk beds in it, that we all piled on.

 There was an apartment sized cook stove that mom cranked out her meals on and a little table and chairs.  She was always in good spirits and funny, teasing in nice ways, always positive ad uplifting.” This we have proof positive from both pictures and sibling stories.

 Barbara could never remember her mother hanging her head about anything.  “Dad was good to her.  He adored her. They were always hugging and kissing.  

We think this is was taken when they were married.

For the most part they agreed on how to raise kids.  Once in awhile, they would differ but nothing they couldn't work out.  If they ever argued, they never did it in front of us, nor did I ever hear them raise their voices against each other.  Anger was just not a part of our life.  If we did something wrong, we were disciplined and that was the end of it.  Mom had one thing she called her own.  That was her flower beds.  That was her quiet time.  The only time we were shut out of her life.  She would plant, preen, weed, and admire her off limits gardening.  As a result, none of us girls grow flowers or plants or anything of any kind.  Occasionally, I have tried it, but somewhere in me it's off limits and I can't enjoy it.  If she had known, she would have took us by the hand and taught us what she knew, but it was herself pretty preservation and I understand that.  Mom was pretty anti-social.  She was who she was and wasn't going to dress up, dress down, or do anything for other people's approval. She didn't visit with the neighbors.  She knew them all but was not interested in anything more than that.  Mom went barefoot all the time.  She was going in and out of the house hanging out clothes, and three of the neighbors were sitting in lawn chairs watching her.  One of them hollered and said "Hey Thole, we're going to take up a collection and buy you a pair of shoes"  Mom said "Don't bother, come on over and I'll give you all a pair of the damned things".”

Mom always said it like it was.  She never lied to us or anyone else.  She was sweet, the model wife; she never did anything without dad's approval, on the other hand, neither did dad.  She deeply believed in God and taught us right from wrong usually in moral ways.  Have absolutely no bad memories of my mother.  She was an angel not long for this earth.  We just didn't know.” ~ contributed by Barbara Thole Taylor

I am right there Barbara, I never had a negative moment in the presence of my Aunt Lillie, nor did I ever hear a negative word spoken of her from any of my Aunts, Uncles, or Grandmother. She was and is held in high esteem by those who remember her.

Post Christmas Whew... Finally Some DNA Responses.

This year was another hard one.  You would think after 5 years it would be easier at Christmas not having the Hero with me. I guess not, because I really wasn't motivated to put up the tree. On the other hand I had fun Christmas Eve putting the tree up and decorating it when my son came over.  I have to wonder how my grandmothers felt each year after the death of their spouses. Especially my mom's mom who still had 6 children to raise at home and had a need to make holidays as normal as possible.

                                                                                                                                         

Mattie Roberts Whitson 1930

Lenorah Gildon Langley 1958

There were a couple of unexpected Christmas presents.  Two responses to my DNA tests.  
One was from Gedmatch.com that still has me wondering.  "I notice on Gedmatch that your DNA matches my three kits (F#, F#, and F#) on Chromosome 14 between about 69 and 80.  The segment is of particular interest to me because the admixture tool Dodecad World9 shows that it contains Native American ethnicity."  I can not find the person on Gedmatch myself, nor any information about this statement.
This has been a hope of mine to prove Native American ancestry or disprove it. This is my William B and Mary Burleson Self line.  Mary's father is Moses Burleson and his mother's line Weatherford are supposed to of Native American ancestry.  Some debate going on here.  Then there is William B Self''s mother who is said to be of Native American Indian ancestry... No proofs found here, that I can see.  Wish a gene Fairy would come along with real source.  Sigh.
The second response was much clearer. A solid match for William Hatcher b 1680 in Virginia .
Both are on my dad's side.  Hmmm looks like DNA maybe heavier on the dad's side... or just no one doing my mom's side; time will tell.
Learning about the searches, and different areas of DNA research is a Big learning curve.
Let you know if anything comes forth.

Blog Caroling -- "While Shepherd Watch Their Flocks"

This year I am learning.  I have picked a hymn to share in a version I had not heard before.  I just learned my Gildon family came from the Yorkshire area of England.  In my search for a hymn about the Shepherds, I remembered a hymn often sung at our LDS ward meetings at Christmas time, and discovered it has a 300 year history of being sung in Yorkshire... 'While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks'.  The words are attributed to words attributed to Irish hymnist, lyricist and England's Poet Laureate, Nahum Tate (1652-1715). The Music is an Yorkshire carol (ca. 1800).

It has been set to numerous other tunes, but I have chose the YouTube English version from Yorkshire.
"While Shepherds Watched - The Yorkshire Version by Stamford Bridge Singers"
They make it an exciting time. The Wikipedia has more information if you would like to read.

This is a meme that Footnote Maven does every year.  She has been a wonderful example of hope, and joy in the midst of her own challenges this year. I can't say enough to praise for her magazine, "Shaded of the Departed" and her personal outlook on life. Thanks Footnote Maven for being the kind of person you are.
If you want to participate hurry on over to her blog for the instructions. http://www.footnotemaven.com/2013/12/fms-tradition-of-blog-caroling.html

Finding and Proving who was the son of Charles Gildon Jr

I received this request made by John T Gildon, great, great grandson of Charles Rawles Gildon II. 

“I was wondering if you have any records of what happened to U.M. Gildon, first son of Charles Gildon and Elizabeth Massey?  One record by you states that he was a medical doctor in Henderson County, Texas. Also, Georgia death records state that his twin brother died at birth.  Is this correct?”

Only known published information on U. M. Gilden connecting him to Charles Gildon was by Judy Self Yegee[1].  “Now, again little nuggets, on the 1870 Henderson County Texas census I found U. M. Gilden, 28 years old, physician, born Georgia in 1842.  In the same household there was an A.P. Gilden born Georgia 1851, a retail grocer.”  In an addendum to the book she concludes this was the son of Charles Gildon left in Georgia. 

John T Gildon wants to know if there are any records of what happened to U. M. Gildon. 

The problem no research had been done confirming the relationship.

Limitations of the research many records are not online. 

The following records were found online on Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.com, and Fold3:

Census Records:  Ancestry and Fold3

Confederate Soldier Records:  FamilySearch and Fold3

Death Records:  FamilySearch.

Based on the census records, marriage records, and death records which are all written as Gilder and the location of J. P. Gilder, born 1817 Georgia, head of household in 1850 and 1860, it is unlikely this person is related to Charles Gildon born Connecticut, lived Chatham, Jones, and Twiggs counties. 

There are no early marriages listed for Twiggs County, Georgia on FamilySearch.org the records start at 1845 too late for Charles Gildon and Frances Elizabeth Massey.

An excerpt in the Southern Recorder gives this:  Mrs. Frances Gildon consort of Charles Gildon died September 27, 1841 in Twiggs County at her father’s, Daniel Massey, residence. 

From an article in the Macon Weekly: In Feb 15 1842, Mr. Gildon was reported as a missing man form Macon Georgia.  The article says he had been married, but his wife died shortly after giving birth to a son, for whom he continued to express the warmest attachment to.  This lets us know he did have a son before 27 September 1841, and he was still living 15 February 1842.  Research has not found this child in the 1850 census.  The family did not have knowledge of this marriage or birth until research in newspapers uncovered it. 

There isn't any evidence to link Uriah Mitchell (U.M.); born July 1841 Georgia as the son of Charles Gildon.  It would appear that Judy Yegee assumed they had misspelled Gildon as Gilden, thinking that the r was an n.  The name was always spelled Gilder.

The first search was be made to confirm the assertion of Ms Yegge that U. M. was in Henderson, Texas in 1870.  Once this fact is confirmed, the next step was to find him in previous and subsequent United States Federal Censuses, and other pertinent documents.

U. M. Gilden was found on the Texas 1870 United States Federal Census in Rusk, Precinct 5,

P. O. Box Henderson.  It is difficult to make out the spelling of the last of the name here.  His last name was indexed as Gilder. He was a physician and does have A.P. Gilder with him.

U. M. Gilden was on the Texas 1860 United States Federal Census in Tyler, Smith County with a J. P. Gilder as head of the household.  They were from Georgia, and A.P. Gilder was in the household. They were indexed as Gilder.  U.M. is 17 years of age and born in Georgia.

In the Civil War Soldier Service Records on Fold3 there are 14 records of U. M. Gilder as a Confederate Soldier in Texas with the 1^st Texas Infantry from 1861 to 1864. The 14^th card is the record of an injury in battle in Georgia, ‘minnie ball passed through the forearm between the bones’.  This caused paralysis.

U. M. Gilden was on the Georgia 1850 United States Federal Census in Fayette County, the 29^th District with J. P. Gilder as head of the household. U. M. is recorded as Uriah M. age 9 years of age born in Georgia.

J.P. Gilder could be the Jacob P. Guilder who married Aletha A. L. Ponder in Monroe County Georgia. Found on FamilySearch.org.  This would match the J. P. and L.A.L. Gilder of the 1860 census in Texas.  L could be for Letha, she is also enumerated as Lucinda.  Jacob P. Gilder is on the 1840 census in Fayette County, Capt. Simmons District, Georgia.  They have a daughter, and are near U. M. Gilder in Fayette.  U.M. is also in the 1860 census in Tyler County Texas. He is the same age as Jacob.

Found on Ancestry.com, Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 and 1966-2002: 

Name: Dr. U. M. Gilder, Gender: Male, Marriage Date: 21 Dec 1871, Spouse: Mrs. Mattie E. Deston, Marriage City: Rusk, Marriage State: Texas, Source: Texas Marriages, 1851-1900

Uriah M Gilder is found on the 1880 United States Federal Census in Coryell County, Gatesville page 423. Uriah is married to a Martha.

There is a Uriah M Gilder was on the 1900 United States Federal Census in Ellis County, 0023 Justice Precinct 3 (northwest part), image 2.  He is head of household, born July 1841, married 17 years, wife Eva, they have 1 child. The other child with them would be from Martha. He is listed as a farmer.

Death Certificate found on FamilySearch.com did not yield parents, name. He had committed suicide with a gun.  Data on the certificate was sparse.

Found on Ancestry.com, Directory of Deceased American Physicians, Birth Date: 1841, Death Date: 6 Nov 1916, Death Place: Gatesville, TX Type Practice: Allopath, Practice Specialties: Gatesville, TX, Feb 16, 1915, Practice Dates Places: Gatesville, TX, Feb 16, 1915, Medical School: New Orleans School of Medicine, 1869, (G)

Found on Ancestry.com, U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006: Name: Uriah Mitchell Gilder, Service: Confederate States Army, Birth Date: 16 Jul 1841, Death Date: 6 Mar 1916, Cemetery: Odd Fellows Cemetery, Cemetery Address: Gatesville, TX 76528

There are some trees on Ancestry.com that take his line back to Jacob Gilder in Fayette, Georgia.

My Conclusion was U M Glidner is not the son of Charles Gildon, however, further information was needed.

Once again, an old newspaper held the answer.  

Searching on Twiggs County, Ga. American History and Genealogy Project , I came across what I thought, at first, was repeat of the obituary for Charles wife, Frances Massey Gildon.  Instead,  it was the obituary of Charles's 9 month old son, Francis Massey Gildon. He died 4 months after Charles arrived in Nacogdoches, Texas.

The long mystery of what happened to Charles Gildon Jr.'s son has been laid to rest.  I am glad that we have the correct child with Charles and Frances Gildon.

 Sources:

1840 Census: Year:   Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Citation: 1840; Census Place: Capt Simmons District, Fayette, Georgia; Roll: 41; Page: 231; Image: 486; Family History Library Film: 0007043.

1850 Census:  "U.S. Census Population Schedule, 1850” ([http://www.familysearch.org]accessed July 2011) entry for U.M. Gilder, age 9; citing Census Records, Georgia; from United States Census Office. 7th Census. National Archives, Washington, D.C... FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Film number: 7065

1860 Census:  "Unites States Census, 1860." index and images,  FamilySearch(https://www.familysearch.org]: accessed July 2011). entry for U.M. Gilder, age 17; citing Census Records, Texas; United States Census Office, National Archives, Washington, D.C. FHL microfilm 805306. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

1870 Census:  Year: 1870; Census Place: Precinct 5, Rusk, Texas; Roll: M593_1603; Page: 481B; Image: 382; Family History Library Film: 553102.  Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

1880 Census:  Year: 1880; Census Place: Coryell, Texas; Roll: 1298; Family History Film: 1255298; Page: 423C; Enumeration District: 23; Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

1900 Census: Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Justice Precinct 3, Ellis, Texas; Roll: T623_1630; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 23. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Civil War Service:  "Texas, Civil War Service Record of Confederate Soldiers,1861-1865: index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: entry for U. M. Gilder age 20; citing Civil War Records, NARA publication M323, NARA roll 10-10; War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Orem, Utah, United States.

Marriage: Ancestry.com. Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 and 1966-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Burial:  Ancestry.com:  National Cemetery Administration. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.  Original data: National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator

Ancestry.com. Directory of Deceased American Physicians, 1804-1929 [database online]. Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2004. Original data: Hafner, Arthur Wayne, ed. Directory of Deceased American Physicians, 1804-1929: a genealogical guide to over 149,000 medical practitioners providing brief biographical sketches drawn from the American Medical Association's Deceased Physician Masterfile. Chicago: American Medical Association, 1993.

Death of Frances Elizabeth Massey connecting as wife of Charles Gildon:  Genealogybank.com, “Mortuary Notice”, Macon Weekly Telegraph, Oct. 26, 1841, page 3

“The Missing Man” giving gender for Charles and Frances Gildon child:  Genealogybank.com, “The Missing Man”, News Article, Macon Weekly Telegraph, Feb. 15, 1842, page 2.

Death of Francis Massey Gildon connecting as son of Charles Gildon, Twiggs County, Georgia, American History and Genealogy Project, Excerpt extracted from Federal Union newspaper.

[1] Judy Self Yegge, Our Deep Roots and Tangled Branches, n.d.,  self published and printed as

requested. 

COG August Scrapbooking Your Family History Oklahoma Land Lottery Love

I saw Linda's post at Flipside and decided I would try my hand at Scrapbooking some of my family pictures.  I wasn't aware I was going to discover new information about my grandparents.  I always knew they were married in Oklahoma Territory.  I had heard that my grandmother's father Levi Gildon in the upper left hand corner had participated in the Oklahoma Land Lottery.  I have not been able to get hold of the records to confirm that he did win a piece of land.  My findings included that up until at least June of 1901 Levi and his family lived in Freestone County, Texas.  I thought they had come earlier.  The land lottery was in Aug 6 1901 in Kiowa Lands of Oklahoma Territory.  Benedict Langley in the lower right hand corner already lived in Cloud Chief, Washita Count, Oklahoma in the 1900 census.  My grandparents were married on September 9, 1901 at her parents house in Washita County.  It appears that Levi came up to Oklahoma from Texas for the Land Lottery and his daughter fell in love and married an older man, my grandfather, he was 7 years older.  She was only 16 when they married. 
Thank you, Jasia over at Creative Gene for the challenge, I would not have caught this if I had not been trying to be correct in my presentation.

Whether I made the carnival or not it has been worth it!  Awesome night!

Surname Saturday Knapp/ Gildon

I wish I could find the descendants of this line.  they seem to be the line that prospered in children the most of my Charles Gildon Line.

Tombstone Tuesday Emma Gildon

Ancestor Approved Award

I have procrastinated all day thinking on this award.  I do thank Joan at Roots 'n' Leaves   ,  Carol from Reflections From the Fence , Lindalee at Flipside  , and Karen at Ancestor Soup  for this award.  I don't know why I would deserve it, but I will honor their gift. Now I am trying to hurry (sure, it just took me a day to get this done) so I can go visit the other blogs they awarded it too.



As a recipient of this award, I am to list 10 things I have learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened me and then pass the award on to 10 other genealogy bloggers who I feel are doing their ancestors proud.
I can not imagine doing this quickly.  I include my husband's genealogy with mine.  As we became one when wed, our families became one in my mind.

1. I was surprised to find a son of John G Porter that had never been known before.  Extensive research had   been done on this family, but they apparently had never read the actual probate records.
2.  I am frequently humbled by the story of my grandmother Matilda Roberts Whitson who persevered  raising 6 of 13 children and 2 grandchildren after her husband died of cancer and the creditors took everything.  It helps me keep things in perspective.
3.  Enlightened by my study of the Mason's Apron which belonged to Thomas Thorn and the amount of interest of others that was generated by the story.
4. Surprised by a newpaper article I found at Genealogybank.com that points to a possible change in the history of my great grandfather and who his father was.  I am still exploring this.
5. Humbled by the history of the times my ancestors live through.  As my own children have moved many states away from our home, I have developed empathy with the mothers that must have sobbed at night knowing they probably would never see their children again that had gone west.
6. Surprised when I found the true story of my grandfather Charles Gildon moving west from Georgia.  My father had some of the truth, but it was steeped in lore that was not true.
7.  Enlightened when I read the book "Of Plymouth Plantation" by my ancestor Governor William Bradford.
It was wonderful to hear the story of the pilgrims in the words of one who had lived it.
8.  Surprised and elated when after 3 years of searching for the Hero's great grandfather, I looked on the opposite side of the index page and found him out of alphabetical order.  Silly me.
9. Enlightened by new methods of research.  DNA nailed an ancestor James Alexander Vance that many were sure about, but much had been circumstantial.
10. Enlightened, when I discovered in Old Wyoming Newspapers the true nature of my great grandfather Richard Whitson's death.  Family had always said he died in a gunfight...Highly romantic, he died of pneumonia.

Hmm looking at my list I would say not much has surprised me, but I have been greatly enlightened by study and certainly new facts can surprise one.  LOL

Now the 10 bloggers to pass the award on to and then the fun part of going to their blog and letting them know.  They are not in any particular order and you can visit them by clicking on their Title.

1. Lisa at The Faces of My Family
2. Travis at TJLGenes:Preserving Our Family History
3. Robin at Where I Come From
4. Jo at Those Who Went Before
5. Terri at The Next Chapter-Page 2010
6. Heather at Nutfield Genealogy
7. Barbara at Life From the Roots
8. Laura at It's All Relative
9. Kathy at I Will Remember
10. Donlynn at Homestead Origins

Sharing Memories Week 14 Grandmothers

I have been joining The Olive Tree Genealogy Blog  (clicking on this will take you to her memory)in the Sharing Memories on my personal blog because they were associated with my personal memories of myself.  This prompt was to share memories of our grandmothers, so I thought this blog would be a better place for my participation. 

My Grandmothers were alike but different.  Interesting you say.

My mother's mother talked some about her youth, and she was always engaged in doing something.  She was not a sit still person.   I have looked at some newspaper clippings of her activities as a community hostess for Eastern Star meetings, Methodist Church Women's meetings, etc.  She was actively engaged.  I will give you some background on her. 

Mathilda Roberts Whitson is on the right.

If you click on the picture you can view it in a larger size.

She was born in Elk Falls, Kansas.  She was the ninth of 11 children.  They moved to Oklahoma after some very hard winters in Kansas.  When her father obtained land in Oklahoma, they lived in a tent near an Indian reservation.  One of her favorite story to tell, was of her sister (who is shown with her above) and her going down to a near by village.  The Indian women were cooking and doing other chores.  They ventured near one tepee, and the woman smiled at them and while stirring the pot, gestured for them to get some bowls for food.  Then she said, as they started to dip the spoon in," hmmm, dig deep, puppy in the bottom".  My grandmother would give a hearty laugh when she told this.  It was almost always when we were stirring a pot of stew.  

She loved sports.  I don't remember days associated, but if there were a bowling league on TV or baseball game (she loved the Yankees) she was there watching it.  Interestingly she had arthritis all her life.

She was a good cook.  Her rolls were to die for.  I think that the recipe book her recipe was written in was ruined when in storage.  My favorite cooking memory was of making a spice cake with her.  We did it together, and some how when we took it out, it looked like a ski slope.  I was distressed.  She laughed and said, 'failed cakes taste the best' and proceeded to show me how good it tasted.  That stuck with me to share when my grandchildren have been distressed when a food did not come out as they planned.  

Her other talent was sewing.  She pieced quilt tops, and when she was young, quilted them also.  When I was 15, she gave me two quilts.  One for then, and one for when I would get married.  The admonition was:  I was to use them, not put them up in a box.  I used them, and now I am salvaging pieces to make pillows for my children to have a piece of their great grandmother's handy work.

She died when I was 16.  She was a mother of 13 and raised 2 grandchildren a widow when my mom was 2.  That subject will be for other posts.

 

Lenorah Gildon Langley with youngest daughter Lillie

My dad's mother was around a lot more than my mom's mother.  My dad kept trying to take the roll as care giver of her by purchasing homes for her live in.  We ended up having 4 rent houses near ours, because she would live in one for a while, then go off to another child's home.  I had fun while she was there.
She was a quiet person.  She didn't talk about her youth or family at all. [ I did know her mother.  She lived with my grandmother until I was 5.  I remember she always had nickels  in a pocket book and gave one to a great-grandchild when thy came to visit.]
My grandmother would sit daily and read the scriptures.  She had a devotional calender every year that she would mark off the scriptures as she read them.
She would take me to church with her.  My dad said his father was a Church of Christ evangelist. 
Her favorite thing to do was to make fried bread and jam for me when I got home from school.  I can still remember the great taste.
She loved sewing.  She would embroidery, piece, and crochet.  I learned my love of sewing creativity from her.
If you gave her what she considered a treasure, the gift went into a trunk.  When she died, my aunt  gave some pillow cases my grandmother had put back in the trunk for when I got married.  She died two years before I married.  I was to have been given the trunk, but lightening burned the barn it was stored in at my aunt's farm.
They were two similar women in that they loved creating and cooking, but different in that one was out going and the other was not.  I was blessed to get to know each.

Sentimental Sunday A Walk in Oklahoma

My aunt Della Langley Whitaker was a jewel.  When she was young, she always had on a hat.  She considered herself the trend setter for her younger siblings.  Interestingly enough, she never came to the family holiday dinners.  Of course her children were just a bit younger than my father.  I remember we would go to visit her, and later we lived in the same town.  I would walk over to her house after school and stay with her until my father got off work. 

Jesse Whitaker and Della Langley Whitaker

 Della, Lenorah Gildon Langley, Emma Self Gildon

with Della's daughter in law and new granddaughter.

My dad grew up playing with her sons and all his life he was very close to them.  Things I remember most about her was her Indian fried bread. If we came at any time of the day, she had her bowl of flour and would cook some bread with hot cocoa in the winter, iced tea in the summer.  She was ready to offer some of her special comfort food to the visitor.

 Della, granddaughter, Jesse

She was very family oriented, and would write letters to me while I was in college.  She knew all her grandchildren's birthdates, and would worry if she hadn't heard from someone in a while.  She never drove, my uncle always took her to where she wanted to go, then her sons took her after their dad's death. It was always fun to go and visit her and hear stories of her youth.  Although even she did not have the correct name of her dad's mother's maiden name.  I looked for years for the wrong last name until another relative found my grandmother's marriage license and the correct name was on it. There are some things like solitare, and Indian fried bread that just bring a warm fuzzy feeling to mind of open arms.

Treasure Chest Thursday

When I was just a little girl, I asked my father.... That song just popped into my head.... When I first started researching my family history, I asked my father, where did his grandfather come from?  His answer was "He came across the Mississippi River and he lost his wife and child while crossing.  My mother never talked about it."  I was also led to believe they were from Oklahoma, but that's for another post.
I searched and finally found the true story of Charles Gildon Jr.  It was not my dad's grandfather rather his great grandfather who had come across the Mississippi River.  He had lost his wife but it had been apparently in childbirth and not in the river an it was in 1841.  In 1842, a man called Charles Gildon Jr was advertised for in the Macon Telegraph and presumed murdered.  That was about the time Charles showed in Texas.  Two newspaper articles proved to be my treasure chest and provided me with more mysteries.  I had only transcibed copies until I searched the newspapers on GenealogyBank.com and there were my articles.  It is great to have the 'Real McCoy' and not hope that it had been abstracted well

Reaching Across The Gulf Of Time

I spent the other day cruising through the website "Find a Grave".  I have contributed pictures for people from my area, but had not really searched and looked at the website itself.  I was excited to find the grave of my ancestor in Savannah, Georgia from the Colonial times.  I had heard about it from several different members of the family who had been able to visit it and was always sad I could not go there myself.  As I was reading the site, I realized it was not a family member who had presented the photograph, but a kind person who was assisting in building virtual cemetries yards.  Finally, I saw the call for someone to sponsor the page so it was not an advertisement.  The cost was not great and I thought, I never knew this ancestor, but she and her son and her grandson had had a huge effect on my family.  I decided, I must sponsor this site to let others know that she was a loved and cared for woman.  So many of graves of our ancestors from the 1800's and before are not remembered any longer, partially because we live so far away from where our origins were. 
I am thankful to those who conceived the idea of a virtual cemetery and made it possible for those of us far away to pay our respects to our kindred dead.   Sophia Sellick Gildon's Memorial

Happy Fourth Of July!

I will be with half of my family having a picnic and celebrating the Fourth in the style of my fathers ancestors...we will be at a Tea Party...Our version is inspired by the Boston Tea Party, that was inspired by Samuel Adams.
To the left is my great grandfather Levi Gildon. His gr gr gr grandfather set a precedence for our family in loving our country. Richard Gildon took to heart the expressed feeling around the first Tea Party and answered the minute men call in Connecticut! He fought at the battle of Lexington.
I have been a lover of the Fourth of July since a little girl sitting on the court house lawn in Pawnee, Oklahoma watching the fire works after a day of picnicking and fun with the cousins.
Now it is not just fun, but a wonderful opportunity to teach my grandchildren about why they celebrate.
Hope your Fourth of July day was wonderful too.

The Mason's Apron

Mary Thorn with Levi Gildon Family

I made a post earlier about having found controversy over the apron at the right.
The elderly lady on the left of the picture is Mary "Bride" Thorn Self. That too is controversial, because researchers can not agree as to her middle name. The only concrete information is that her initial was the letter 'B'. Whatever the outcome on her name, it is blatantly known that she was a caring woman who loved her family. She traveled from Alabama, to Texas, to Oklahoma with her family. She kept safe the Mason's apron that belonged to either her father Thomas Thorn or Great grandfather Thomas Thorn, who came from England (the other controversy). The original owner had hand drawn the figures that you see on it. It is my understanding that Mason's do hand draw the figures as they progress in their growth in the organization. This is another example of personal work being preserved. If you right click on the picture, it will open the picture in another for you to be able to see the figures.
However, long term preservation of an artifact was not well understood by my family. Mary passed the apron to the daughter on the left in the picture, Emma Self Gildon. Emma then passed it to my grandmother's family. My grandmother is the young girl in the center in the back row. Her name was Lenorah Gildon Langley. She passed it to my cousin who had it mounted on a piece of cardboard (I can hear some of you cringing) and placed under glass. When she gave it to me, the silk (it was not on lambs skin as I had heard) was beginning to yellow and deteriorate, because the cardboard was attacking the silk. We had it removed and archived by a professional in an acid free library box. It now resides in a dark dry place, which bothers me. I keep thinking it needs to be available for viewing by the rest of the family. Does anyone know, if the Masons were to have the apron, would it available to the public for viewing?