Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Week 8 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was "Heirloom."



Eight-nine years old, alive and well, the Ole Philco has been passed down for three generations in our family, from Grandma and Grandpa to Dad, and to me. It is destined for my son and grandchildren. This 1929 Philco radio originated in Philadelphia, lived in Illinois for 30 years, and since resided in Fullerton, Brea, and Hemet, California, and currently Buena Park, California. My first memory of the Ole Philco was Grandma and Grandpa walking out to the sun porch every evening at 6 pm taking their seats in large wooden rockers with black leather cushions, sitting back and listening to the news.  According to dad, this was their nightly ritual. After my grandparents sold their house in 1958, Dad acquired the Ole Philco.
In the 1950s, Minnie Pearl’s comedy routines belted out "How-w-w-DEE-E-E-E! I'm jes' so proud to be here!” Pearl told monologues involving her relatives. Other favorites were "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" on the The Shadow Knows. The Green Hornet or Mom’s favorite The Kate Smith Hour frequently played on The Ole Philco Every morning my sister and I ate breakfast with David and Rickie Nelson listening to The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
 Growing up, we listened most nights to Dad sing along, strumming his acoustic guitar, with Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Eddie Arnold using the Ole Philco as a karaoke machine before karaoke originated in the 1970s.
Its most legendary program broadcast on Sunday, October 30, 1938, when millions of radio listeners were stunned to hear radio news alerts announcing the arrival of Martians. They panicked when they learned of the Martians' brutal and seemingly relentless attack on Earth. What the radio listeners heard was a segment of Orson Welles' adaptation of the well-known book, War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Many of the listeners believed what they heard on the radio was real.
Dad kept the vintage radio in mint condition. Through the years he refurbished the oak cabinet and the beautiful cutout grille with the correct reproduction grille cloth. He scoured garage sales and Goodwill’s purchasing tubes to replace the worn out ones. He was proud of the Ole Philco. We all were. It brings back cherished memories of Grandma and Grandpa, Dad, childhood, and times gone by. Currently, its place of honor is a corner of my family room. It now plays mostly talk radio programs. Television, movies, CDs, MP3 players, and IPods have replaced the Ole Philco for music.
I love the quality of the sound that comes through the Ole Philco and it even smells good, too. It's a smell of age, of old cloth and wood. I’m proud to be the owner of The Ole Philco.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Week 7 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was "Valentine."

My Valentine
Tribute To Mom

This page is dedicated to all who preceded us and to those who will follow and to mom, Grace Lorraine Worthing, who gave a mother's love and encouragement as no one else could.
The more I learned about my mother, Gracie and her world, the more I admire her. I grew up not knowing much about my mother's childhood as much as I should have. Now after her death, I have put together stories she told us as we were growing up and this has helped me to understand and appreciate her more. I came to have a high regard for her fortitude, strengths in adversity, self awareness and genuine respect and love for other people. I marvel at her will to survive and thrive in the face of extreme circumstances. This seems to be built into her genes. She follows a long line of strong women.
Her grandmother Sarah Ingram Worthing, a Welsh immigrant, traveled by covered wagon to California and back to Ohio along with her husband, Richard with two children during the Gold Rush of 1849. Grandmother Julia set up three homesteads: Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin while raising four children.
Nancy Ames, her mother grew up on a homestead in freezing winters of Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin, later living in Milton Junction, Wisconsin near Janesville. Nancy was one of 10 children who was orphaned in the winter 1893 at the age of 10 years old. No one should have to have endured this at age 10 ... starving, freezing cold, living on a lake in a one room cabin with no heat and very little clothing and very little food Dad, Ira Daniel Ames fished for a living and really tried to keep his family warm and fed but they just couldn't seem to make it. They must have been so poor. The winter of 1893 was particularly cold. On the morning of March 5, 1893 a blizzard hit them hard. Nancy’s mother, Cornelia Palon Ames and her 2 month old infant actually froze to death and died from probable starvation heart broken over the death of his wife and child. He never really revovered. In 2 years Ira, too was dead. He died mainly of a broken heart on September 21, 1895. Nancy ended up in an orphanage in Sparta, Wisconsin. After Nancy got older, she met and married Ludwig Hansen. This marriage produced a child, Blanche. This was an unhappy marriage ending in divorce. After the divorce, Nancy met and married a young man, Charles Worthing,  from Iowa and they eventually settled in Truro, Iowa where Gracie was born.
Gracie entered the world at a mere 1.5 pounds. Grace was a fighter and was placed in a shoe box for a bed wrapped in cotton so the oral history goes. Her mother cuddled her, nursed her and held her lovingly praying the whole time to God to save her baby girl. God answered her prayers and Gracie started thriving and gaining weight. She made it! Gracie grew up very small and petite a happy life in Truro, Madison County, Iowa during the depression with her sister Blanche. Life was a struggle for food and shelter.
In the years 1928-1932 Gracie experienced two great losses, the loss at age 12 of her beloved mother from a brain tumor and at 16 the loss of her dad from pancreatic cancer. Both crisis occurred to a young woman at the same time her half sister Blanche whom she'd grown up with was sent to Illinois to live with a relative. I presume this makes one a stronger person. I cannot imagine losing a mother at age 12 nor then losing your father and then your sister. How tragic.
Mom, Grace remembers growing up in Truro during the depression era. America battled the Great Depression and the whole world seemed to be changing. The economy struggled: the average weekly wage for a family being only $2.39. Wall Street floundered as banks closed across the country. People lost their homes, their farms and bankruptcy was prevalent. For families, every cent counted, and none could be spared on frivolous luxury of any kind. Grace would have been 12 years old in 1929 and 15 at the heart of the depression in 1932. Grace's mom had died in 1928 and Blanche was now living in Illinois with Ludwig. Gracie was living with her dad, Charles Worthing who was ill during the Christmas season in 1932. Times were tough. They lived in town and Charley worked at the school as a custodian. Most of their other relatives lived on farms so in this way they were real fortunate as Gracie remembered trading eggs for pork chops and meat and milk. They never remembered going hungry. Iwoa winters were cold.
Grace survived and then went on to live with her half brother in Birds Run, Ohio until she was 18 when she joined her sister in Illinois.
In spite of all, mom survived to marry Robert, the love of her life, raise two girls, provide college educations for them, serve her community by volunteering at the American Legion, the PTA, and voter’s registration and giving of her time to care for sick and dying family members as needed.
I remember my mom and how loving she was and thoughtful. She loved her mother in law and father in law and always said they were like parents to her and you could “never find better people”. Aunt Lola, my dad’s sister was like a sister to my mom. She loved her dearly. Mom sat with grandpa when he was dying and stayed with Aunt Lola after Lola lost her husband Theron. Mom comforted and stayed with her cousin, Zola in Long Beach for a month when Zola lost her husband. She was there for her daughters when, Nancy’s husband died, for Kevin her grandchild in the loss of his dad and for Mary and her two boys when things did not work out. Mom always had an open door. Mom was one of the most CARING Individuals one would ever meet.
We were truly blessed to know this special woman and privileged to have
her as a loving mother, aunt, grandmother, and great grandmother.

Monday, February 5, 2018

Week 6 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was "Favorite Name."

NANCY


My grandmother, Nancy Ames Hansen Worthing, was nothing more to me than a name on a family tree before I took on the task of writing about her.  I was always curious about the grandmother for whom I was named. That curiosity led me to find out more about her.  I know a little about her from Mom’s faded recollections, census records, newspaper articles, divorce papers, pictures, and a death certificate. Nancy died from a brain tumor when Mom was twelve years old. My mom, Grace’s memories faded throughout the years. Mom remembered her walking her to school and as the mother who held her close, hugged her a lot, and read stories to her in bed on rainy days. To honor and remember her, Mom and her cousin Margaret named their daughters Nancy.  

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Week 4 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was "Invite to Dinner."

A Sprinkle of This and a Dash of That…

            Meals make memories. An important part of family life is food, so why not family history? Some of my fondest memories from childhood are the times I spent in my Grandma’s kitchen. Food and food traditions is an important ingredient in every family’s history.  To me food is a connection. It is what connects us to people and places and where we came from.  Memories are built around food.
I learned to cook from my Grandma. She cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, which I took for granted. Memories of making strawberry pie, jello and kekse are some of my happiest. Her  yellow kitchen was small and compact with a large window above the stove which filled the space with natural light and vibrant colors which gave it a feeling of a happy place.
When we cooked with Grandma we donned hairnets and aprons with big pockets to match hers. There was a special drawer in the kitchen for them and my Grandma had made two pint sized aprons for my sister, Mary and I to wear. 
Grandma made German beef roulade, kraut soup and beer brats to name a few ethnic recipes she got from her mother. Flour to knead, a pinch of salt, a sprinkle of baking soda, and sugar all characterize my Grandma’s recipes. Grandma’s generation (1887-1969) cooked largely from experience, not precise recipes. They needed no reminders to chop the onion, use a certain size pan, or pre-heat the oven. When sharing recipes with friends, they jotted down only the essentials.
            I remember hearing a story about Mom sharing a 4th of July Dessert Salad recipe with a friend. Mom gave Helen the list of Grandma’s standard ingredients for her “24 Hour Dessert Salad”. 
1 cup fruit cocktail
1 c pineapple
1 c coconut
1 c oranges
1 c marshmallows
1 c sour cream
2 c rice (about)
Mom heard no more about it. Weeks later Mom asked Helen how her salad turned out. Helen hesitated and then blurted out, “Yeah, I used it but you didn’t tell me I had to cook the rice and chill the salad over night.” As I said, they shared recipes by just jotting down the essentials. I too have fond memories centered around the kitchen and my family. Our family still laughs in jest over my first cake.  I’ll never forget my first cake. The recipe said to mix by hand…and that’s exactly what I did. Mom walked into the kitchen to see me with both hands right in the cake mix batter, mixing away. Of course I  cried  at my "big" blunder.  Now I can look back and laugh laugh at my memory of making my first cake.
            I love Grandma’s cookbook.  It has a special place in my cupboard.  I use it a lot.  In it are some of her best recipes, mock chicken legs, fried potatoes, homemade bread, and Christmas Kekse (cookies), German shortbreads and hazelnut macaroons. Her personal notes align the margins. “Too much salt”, use only ½ teaspoon” underlined or “add more sugar”. Grandma’s strawberry shortcake and pie were renowned. My sister and I watched Grandma make strawberry shortcake. She poured flour into a mixing bowl, added sugar, and a pinch of salt, some baking soda, warm milk and melted butter. Then, she stirred it with a fork.  When finished, she gave it the finger test, running her index finger around the edge of the bowl and licking the mixture. If it was not quite ready she added more flour or more melted butter or a pinch of salt. She never used a recipe, just mixed up the ingredients.  She then picked up the shortcake dough and rolled it around in the palms of her hands making small balls.  When ready, to her liking she placed them on the baking sheet. She gently punched the center of each one with her thumb making a slight indentation ready to pop in the oven after dinner. I can make shortcake without a recipe and mine turn out melt in your mouth delicious, just like Grandma’s.
Fried chicken was a specialty in Grandma’s kitchen.  She poured flour into a paper bag with salt and pepper and dried herbs from her garden. She dropped in the legs, thighs, breasts, and wings. Closing the bag, she shook it vigorously. It was fun for Mary and me to take turns shaking the bag. Picking the chicken, out of the bag with her hands she placed the evenly coated chicken in the frying pans filled with Crisco.  Grandma sprinkled paprika on the chicken and then browned the chicken on both sides. After browning she placed them in the roaster and put the chicken in the oven to finish cooking. We’ve never been able to duplicate the exact flavor of Grandma’s coating for her chicken. It’s not written down anywhere in her cookbook or recipe cards. I guess she kept it a secret just like Colonel Sanders.     
Custard was another specialty. Grandma scalded milk on top the stove, while beating up eggs, sugar, a pinch of salt, and some vanilla in another bowl.  She added the scalded milk to the mixture and stirred it with a spoon to melt the sugar. She gave it the finger test and if it needed more eggs she added them or added more sugar if not sweet enough.  Then, she poured the custard into a large baking pan. She inserted the baking pan into another larger baking pan filled with hot water and popped them into the oven for an hour. When finished she sprinkled grated nutmeg over the top.
I have a Cranberry Fluff Mold recipe of Grandma’s where she wrote along the margin. In the recipe she wrote and underlined, “add 1 pt of cream whipped and folded in.” Underlined “don’t beat anymore fold in”. When the mold was finished and ready to turn out on the platter she wrote “to remove set on platter over mold and turn upside down and decorate with leaves, lemon or Galex 35 ¢ at the florist shop and put canned peaches and pears over leaves and put some red coloring on the peaches and pears”. Along the margin of this recipe she wrote, “Dab just a spot of coloring on peaches and pears with your fingertip o”. I assumed the “o” meant the size of the spot. I am not sure what Galex is.
When Grandma finished baking or serving her dishes, her large brown eyes sparkled as she looked at her creations. She always said, “Das ist gutJa. Das ist gut“. These are just a few of Grandma’s recipes I was fortunate to preserve  for my family history. No fast food for Grandma. Everything was made from scratch.  

Friday, January 12, 2018

Week 2 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was "Favorite Photo."

One of mine is this photo of my Mother, Grace Lorraine Worthing Fermazin. February 9, 1917-April 2001.
 Grace Lorraine Worthing on her wedding day. February 7, 1942.  I have always liked this photo of my mother.  I selected this photo because my mother is so beautiful in this picture. She married Robert F. Fermazin at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Aurora, Illinois.

My mom was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.  I miss her so much!
Love you Mom.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks ~ Week 1 January 4, 2018: by Nancy Fermazin: Start~ Found the Maiden Name of Adolphus Ames' wife: Sarah Julia Rice daughter of Ephraim Rice and Sarah Whitney

  I have decided to accept Amy Johnson Crow's  "52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks" challenge. The first prompt in the challenge is "start", so I am choosing to start with a break through in one of my Brick Walls: Sarah Julia Rice wife of Adolphus Ames. Sarah Ames is my second great grandmother.

 I had a great genealogy break through this past week.  I found the death certificate for one of Adolphus AMES' sons: William Henry Ames

In the Ancestry hints I received a hint and verified the hint.  Henry Ames who was born in 1847 in Pennsylvania ended up in Michigan on the family's migration to Wisconsin. In Michigan he went by William H Ames.  On his Michigan death certificate he listed his parents as Dolphus Ames and Julis Rice!



I had my DNA tested on Ancestry DNA. I matched with Joel Rice who I had been following in McKean County Pennsylvania.  I suspected Joel Rice was the brother to my Adolphus' wife but I could not prove it.  Well now I am pretty confident that Joel Rice is Julia Ames' brother.

At least now I know that Julia's maiden name was RICE.  Have lots more proofing to do but I am on the trail. My mother's first cousin Roger Family Tree DNA matched with Ames in Michigan. I feel the Ames he matched in Michigan with are an uncle's family of Adolphus Ames, a Samuel Ames who is his brother.  

I also found that my William H Ames served in the Civil War.

 Name: William H Ames
Residence: Bainbridge, Michigan
Age at Enlistment: 17
Enlistment Date: 23 Mar 1865
Rank at enlistment: Private
Enlistment Place: Bainbridge, Michigan
State Served: Michigan
Survived the War?: Yes
Service Record: Enlisted in Company U, Michigan 24th Infantry Regiment on 25 Mar 1865.Mustered out on 28 Jun 1865 at Detroit, MI. [served 3 months]

Found  widow pension records for William H Ames wife.




On the death certificate it looks like he was buried in  Portland, Indiana.  Will have to pursue that lead also. 

LOTS MORE SLEUTHING TO DO. But THANK YOU Ancestry for these Ancestry hints.