Tombstone Tuesday - Floyd F. Fowlie

This is the tombstone of Floyd Frederick Fowlie at Rosehill Cemetery, Rockwell City, Iowa. Floyd was the 13th and last child of Mary (Kiesel) and Alexander Brown Fowlie. He was the youngest brother of my Great Grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie.

His tombstone indicates he was a Corporal in the 70th Infantry Regiment, 10th Infantry Division. According to The US Army in World War I - Orders of Battle by Richard A. Rinaldi, the 10th Division was Regular Army, organized in July 1918 at Camp Funston, Kansas. An advanced detachment was sent to France in November 1918, but the war ended and the majority of the division did not deploy overseas. The division demobilized February 18, 1919. It is likely that Floyd Fowlie did not deploy to France for World War I.

According to his obituary and my notes, Floyd married Ruth McCoy in 1926. They moved to Minnesota and my notes say he died in Grand Rapids, Itasca, Minnesota. There are no children listed as survivors in the obituary, and I have not been able to determine where Ruth McCoy-Fowlie is buried or what happened to her after his death.

More after the jump...

Happy Memorial Day 2011

The gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery are graced by U.S. flags, April 30, 2007.

Memorial Day is an opportunity to remember the sacrifice of soldiers and sailors that died in service to their country. Here is a listing of some of the relatives I would like to remember this Memorial Day.

Korean War:

• Jack Duane Alexander (1929-1950), PFC, US Army, missing in action July 12, 1950 and died in Hanjang-ni POW camp, November 19, 1950. He was my 1st Cousin, twice removed on my mother's side.
• Harry Brassfield (1911-1951), M/SGT, US Army, captured November 2, 1950 and died in captivity July 31, 1951. He was a 4th cousin to my Great Grandfather, Floyd Gipson Brassfield

World War II:

• Vilas D. Parker (1917-1944), S/SGT US Army, member of Merrill's Marauders, missing in action May 22, 1944. He was killed when the C-47 he was being transported in crashed in Burma. His remains were not recovered until 1987. He was my 1st Cousin, twice removed on my mother's side.

Civil War:

• Benjamin W. Firman (1800-1862), Wisconsin 16th Infantry, Company H. Died May 5th, 1862 of disease after the Battle of Shiloh. He was my 4th Great Grandfather, on my mother's side.
• Henry Stotler, PVT, US Army, 115th Illinois Infantry, Company "B". Died in Cincinnati, Ohio, November, 1862. Nephew of my 3rd Great Grandfather Hiram Stotler.
• William Stotler, 115th Illinois Infantry, Company "B". Died at Covington, Ky., October 21, 1862. Nephew of my 3rd Great Grandfather Hiram Stotler.

See my Veteran's Day 2010 post for a list of Veteran's in the family. There are more that are still living, but one of my policies is to not list names of living persons on this blog.

The above image is by Kathleen T. Rhem, US Department of Defense via Wikimedia Commons.

Sunday's Obituary - John Hunt

John Hunt

The following is a typed obituary for my 2nd Great Grandfather, John Hunt. My copy is simply hand typed, with no indication of a source or publication date.

OBITUARY OF JOHN HUNT

John Hunt, 96, of Riverside, California, died Wednesday December 29, 1965. The funeral will be held at the Preston-Rasmussen Mortuary in Riverside.

Mr. Hunt was born October 3, 1869 in Johnson County, Iowa. He was married to Jennie Johnson in 1896 at Blair, Nebraska. They moved to Coleridge, Nebraska where they farmed and reared their family. He lost his beloved wife in 1914 and continued on farming until 1919 when he moved with his childeren [sic] to Fairfax, So. Dakota, where he had a Creamery and Produce business. He has lived with his son Theodore, in Riverside, California for the last twenty years.

He leaves to morn his loss a daughter, Mrs. Thelma Brassfield, of Portland, Oregon, a son, Theodore, of Hoquiam, Washington. Sixteen grandchildren, 36 Great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren. A sister, Mrs. Ida Gilbert of West Covian, California.

Mr. Hunt took great pride in his grandchildren and their families. Up until he was 90 years old, he spent his time traveling across the county visiting each of them. His loss will be felt by the host of relatives and friends he has gained clear across the continent.

The fi[n]al service and burial will be in the Coleridge Cemetery at Coleridge, Nebraska.

I would add that my notes say he was born in Downey, Cedar County, Iowa, which is about a mile east of the Cedar County-Johnson County border. Perhaps the family lived in Johnson County, but he was born in Cedar? I'll have to dig a little deeper on that.

My notes also have John Hunt and the family living in Precinct 17, Cedar County, Nebraska January 1920 during the 1920 census, so the obituary may be inaccurate on the date for the move to Fairfax, SD.

There is another discrepancy in the obit, it says he lived in Riverside, California with his son Theodore Hunt, but also that Theodore Hunt was of Hoquiam, Washington.

I'm not certain of his middle name, I have "Elwood?" written in my notes. Is that right?

Arthur Brassfield at the Battle of the Coral Sea, May 1942

A U.S. Navy Grumman F4F-3 in non-specular blue-grey over light-grey scheme in early 1942.
It is similar to one Art Brassfield would have flown during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

I've mentioned Arthur James Brassfield (1910-1976) in a few previous blog posts. He was a 6th cousin to my Great-Grandfather Floyd Gipson Brassfield. The connection is very distant and you have to go back to Thomas Brasfield who was born in 1656 in Beaulieu, Hampshire, England.

I've pretty much finished the book The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway By John B. Lundstrom. I have to say, it's a well researched and well written reference book. Lundstrom goes into great detail about the crucial Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway and focuses on the activities of the fighter squadrons involved. These two battles were key defenses and stopped Japan's plans to occupy Port Moresby and Midway Island.

Funeral Card Friday - Elizabeth J. Brassfield

This card is from the funeral of my 3rd Great Grandmother, Elizabeth J. (Fansler) Brassfield. According to my notes, she was born in North Carolina April 28, 1831. She married Wiley D. Brassfield April 15, 1851 in Kirkville, Wapello County, Iowa. They had at least 7 children, six boys and one girl. She died in Woodbury, Woodbury County, Iowa October 2, 1900. She was buried at Woodbury Township Cemetery, Woodbury County, Iowa.

Her youngest son, Elvis H. Brassfield, was my 2nd great grandfather.

Wordless Wednesday - Rainbow Bridge

Rainbow Bridge viewed from replacement bridge just downstream

This is a photo of the rainbow bridge located south of Lake City, Iowa spanning the North Raccoon River. I remember trips to visit Great Grandma Clara (Ross) Fowlie in the early 1980s and this bridge was one thing we occasionally visited. She liked to tell the story of the old resort from the 1920s that was there. It may not be directly related to genealogy, but since my father's family lived a few miles from the bridge, I'm sure the location holds many family memories.

Tombstone Tuesday - Stotler plot at Crown Hill Indianapolis

A couple months ago I wrote to Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana and requested cemetery records and photos of the Stotler plot. They were very prompt in sending a detailed response and even waited until the grass was green to before taking the digital photos I paid for. The photos and records confirmed the information I have for Dr. George Henry Stotler, but also created a further mystery.

As you can see in the above photo there is a main stone that says Stotler and has the "Woodmen of the World" seal on it. I mentioned this stone in a previous post last October.There is also a smaller stone that says G. Henry Stotler M.D. 1865 - 1902. This matches the information I have for Dr. George Henry Stotler. Apparently George preferred to go by the name Henry.

Dr. G. Henry Stotler

The cemetery provided me with 3 detailed maps to assist in locating the plot, which is in section 36, lot 47. If you're look at this post in blogger you'll see I've pointed to the approximate location in the "location" field below. The records Crown Hill provided state that Mrs. Emma Stotler and John H. Stotler purchased the north 1/2 of lot 47 on Feb 19, 1902 for $200. My records indicate the G. Henry Stotler died the day before, Feb 18, 1902. Emma was G. Henry's wife (of just under 4 months) and John was his brother. G. Henry and John Stotler were the brothers of Mary Hay (Stotler) Ross, my 2nd Great Grandmother.

The cemetery records also listed the interment time as 2:00, February 20, 1902. Date of death, Feb 18, 1902 age 37, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cause of death was listed as "Nervous Prostration", which apparently is equivalent to a serious nervous or mental breakdown of some sort. Those are all interesting details and except for the cause of death, I already had most of that information. So far so good, right? Not quite.

Hiram Stotler

The second burial location in the Stotler plot should be G. Henry's father, Hiram Stotler, at least according to the information I have. Unfortunately, cemetery records don't match that, so I have some conflicting information. Their records say that G. Henry's brother John H. Stotler was buried in the second spot, grave 8, lot 47, section 36 on June 14, 1920. They also provided a copy of the lot interment order that says the same thing. Unfortunately, there is no headstone for the plot, so there is no information that can help.

I've mentioned John H. Stotler before, he is somewhat of a roadblock for me. There was some indication that he died in a flood in Columbus Ohio, in 1913, but that was apparently not the right John H. Stotler. So I'm stuck with only the 1900 Census record for Rev. John Harrison Stotler and his wife Anna (Perry) living in Wabash County, Illinois. After that, I can't find much on John, though apparently his wife died in 1910 in Columbus, Ohio. Beyond that, I'm stumped on John H. Stotler.

Family history passed down to me indicates that Hiram Stotler died June 10, 1920 in Rockwell City, Iowa. His body was shipped to Indianapolis, and he was said to be interred at Crown Hill Cemetery, with his son. These dates match up with the interment dates listed by the cemetery, only the name doesn't match.

So what does all this mean? Well, my guess is that the cemetery records are misleading. Since the records say that John H. Stotler owned the lot, I'm guessing that they just put his name on the 1920 record. I don't think Hiram died a wealthy man, so my working theory is that he was buried in John's lot and for whatever reason, the paperwork did not match. It is a bit troubling to me that my 3rd Great Grandfather is basically buried in an unmarked spot, under the wrong name, but there isn't much I can do about that. I'm certainly not in the position to prove who is actually buried in that location. I'm still not any closer to figuring out what happened to John H. Stotler, perhaps he died prior to 1920.

I'm open to alternative theories and documentation, so let me know if anyone has anything on John Harrison Stotler or proof that Hiram was buried at Crown Hill.

Wordless Wednesday - Former Ross Home

Here are a couple of photos of the former John and Mary Ross home on "the Corner" in Lake Creek Township, Calhoun County, Iowa.

Tombstone Tuesday - Mary Ross Gillespie

This is the tombstone of Dr. Mary Ada (Ross) Gillespie located at Lake Creek Cemetery, Lake Creek Township, Calhoun County, Iowa. She was my great grand aunt and the sister of Clara (Ross) Fowlie. She is buried adjacent to her parents and several siblings.

The tombstone is transcribed as follows:

Daughter
Mary (Ross)
Gillespie
M. D.
July 18. 1894
Jan. 6. 1987

Photo of Arthur J. Brassfield

Ensign Arthur J. Brassfield, USN, of Fighting Squadron 42 (VF-42) oversees engine maintenance on one of VF-42's F4F-3A fighters, on the flight deck of USS Yorktown (CV-5) at Casco Bay, Maine, 13 November 1941.

I've mentioned Arthur James Brassfield (1910-1976) in a previous blog post. He was a 6th cousin to my Great-Grandfather Floyd Gipson Brassfield. The connection is very distant and you have to go back to Thomas Brasfield who was born in 1656 in Beaulieu, Hampshire, England.

I'm reading the book, The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway By John B. Lundstrom. As the title indicates, it is a detailed history of US Naval Aviation in the Pacific Ocean starting with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and ending with the Battle of Midway. On December 7, 1941, Ensign Arthur James Brassfield, Art, was attached to the fighting forty-two (VF-42), a fighter squadron, which was flying Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats. The squadron was ashore at Norfolk's East Field. East Field no longer exists, but apparently was located in nearly the same location as the current airfield at Naval Station Norfolk. Their carrier, USS Yorktown (CV-5), was berthed at Norfolk undergoing repairs. By December 16th, they were underway for the Pacific.

 I'll spare everyone the blow by blow details, but it's an interesting look at that time period. I've always had an interest in naval history and World War II, and it's even more interesting knowing that I have a distant relative that participated in several key Pacific battles and even became an ace fighter pilot during the time period.

The above image is public domain and is courtesy of the National Archives via the US Naval Historical Center.

Wordless Wednesday - McVay Hospital

This is a photo I took of the former McVay Hospital in Lake City, Calhoun, Iowa. My father and his two brothers were born at this hospital. It is located on the northeast corner of Jefferson and Center streets. It is now a condominium.

Tombstone Tuesday - George A. Ross

This is the tombstone of George A. Ross located at Lake Creek Cemetery, Calhoun County, Iowa. George was my great grand uncle and the brother of Clara (Ross) Fowlie. He is buried adjacent to his parents and some of his siblings. I don't have many details about George, but they match the details on the reverse side of the tombstone. I have some information that he moved to Wyoming prior to 1920 and his youngest son was born there, but died prior to 1930.

It is transcribed as follows:

Son
George A. Ross
May 5, 1890
Oct. 2, 1980

This is the reverse side of the tombstone. It is transcribed as follows:

Father of
George A. Jr.
Gretchen B.
Bernard Ray O.
Kenneth E.

Clara Fowlie Christmas 1971

This one is captioned "Clara - Christmas Day 1971". It is Clara (Ross) Fowlie at their home in Lake View, Iowa. The photo includes a poinsettia, a lava lamp and a view into the kitchen of their home.

Clara Bernice (Ross) Fowlie was my great grandmother.

Wordless Wednesday - Clara and Frank Fowlie June 1976

This is a photo of Clara (Ross) and Frank Fowlie dated 1976. Her 79th birthday was June 1, 1976 and it looks like they were in Wisconsin, possibly Fort Atkinson. I think that coffee cup is in my kitchen cabinet right now.

Clara and Frank were my great grandparents.

Tombstone Tuesday - John Ross Jr. tombstone

This is the tombstone of John F. Ross Jr and his wife Lulu Grace (Scroggin) Ross located at Lake Creek Cemetery, Lake Creek Township, Calhoun County, Iowa.

The adjacent stone to the left is John's friend Edna Moeding. It is my understanding they were well acquainted in the last years of his life. She is also pictured in several of Clara (Ross) Fowlie's photos.I'm not going to speculate on the nature of their relationship, but I can only assume they must have been quite close for her to be buried adjacent to John.

John F. Ross Jr. was my great grand uncle and was Clara (Ross) Fowlie's brother.

Sunday's Obituary - George A. Fowlie

This obituary is from the Rockwell City Advocate, Rockwell City, Calhoun County Iowa and is dated June 22, 1967.George A. Fowlie was the brother of Frank Fowlie, so he was my great grand uncle.

According to my notes, he was the 3rd child of Alex and Mary Fowlie and was born January 27, 1878. His obituary says he was buried at Rosehill Cemetery, but I forgot to look for his tombstone during the last trip. Guess I'll have to add that to the list for next time. My database has Alexander as his middle name, but another source suggests Arthur. I think it's probably Alexander for his father, but I'll keep my eyes open for further evidence.

George Fowlie Service Friday

Lake City - George A. Fowlie, 89, Lake City, former Rockwell City resident, died June 13, [1967] at McVay Memorial Hospital, Lake City, of infirmities of age. He had lived at Anderson Nursing Home, Lake City, for three years.

Son of Alex and Mary Keisel Fowlie, he was born January 27, 1879 [sic] at Blairstown [Benton County, Iowa]. He was never married. He had farmed for some years near Rockwell City, and was a member of the Baptist church.

Survivors include three brothers, Frank Fowlie, Lake View, Alex Fowlie, Winnebago, Minnesota, and Henry Fowlie, East St. Louis, Illinois, and two sisters, Mrs. Mary Hull, Gowrie, and Mrs. Maggie Samsel, Bellflower, Calif.

Funeral services were Friday at Huffman Memorial Chapel, Lake City, with Reverend Timothy Hollinger, pastor of the Lake City Baptist church officiating.

Pallbearers were Oliver Ross, Donald Mapel, Walt Moberg, Carl Moberg, W.J. Pitstick, and John T. Lang. Burial was in Rosehill Cemetery, Rockwell City.

One tidbit about McVay Memorial Hospital is that it was on the corner of Center and Jefferson and is now a condominium.