Sunday's Obituary - Roy Fowlie was killed by lightning 100 years ago today

Royal James Fowlie (Roy) was my great grand uncle, and the brother of my great grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie. According to my notes, Roy was born March 30, 1887 in Rockwell City, Calhoun County, Iowa to Alexander Brown Fowlie, of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and Mary Kiesel.of Kankakee County, Illinois. He was killed by lightning July 31, 1911 and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery, Rockwell City, Iowa, August 2, 1911. He was never married. The 1910 census shows that he was living with two brothers, Alexander and Henry, and his mother on the family farm in Twin Lakes Township, Calhoun, Iowa.


This is from the Rockwell City Advocate, August 3, 1911.

Killed By Lightning

On Monday afternoon Roy Fowlie, a young man who was working for P. McGinty, southwest of town, was struck and instantly killed by lightning. At the tine of the sad occurrence he was handling grain bundles on a wagon on the Robert Moore farm where threshing was going on. The bolt seemed to strike him on the head and go through his body, burning his clothing almost entirely off. The team, owned by Mr. McGinty, became frightened and started to run but was caught and the burning grain thrown from the wagon. The shock was only slightly felt by the other men in the field. The young man was in his twenty-fifth year and was a steady hard working lad. The sympathy of the community goes out to the sorrowing parents, brothers and sisters in their sudden and awful bereavement. The funeral was held yesterday morning from the Catholic Church in this city and the body was followed to its last resting place in Rose Hill cemetery by a large concourse of sorrowing friends.

Tombstone of Roy Fowlie, 1887-1911

Wordless Wednesday - Elvis J. Brassfield at 3 months

This is a scan of a portrait of my grandfather, Elvis J. Brassfield (1920-2006). The photo is captioned "Elvis John Brassfield 3 months." This would date the photo to around February 1921. Elvis J. Brassfield was the son of Floyd and Thelma (Hunt) Brassfield.

Tombstone Tuesday - Marvin D. Reimann

This is the tombstone of Marvin D. Reimann at Roselawn Memorial Park, Monona, Dane County, Wisconsin. Marvin was one of the twin sons of Norma (Polsfuss) and Conrad Reimann. Norma was the sister of my great grandmother, Alma (Polsfuss) Schauer. Marvin would have been a first cousin to my grandmother, so he was my first cousin twice removed. He is buried adjacent to his parents.

Marvin D. Reimann
Jan. 15, 1926
Aug. 22, 1984

Amanuensis Monday - John H. Stotler holds revival meetings

Christian Church at Mt. Carmel, Illinois c. late 1890s.

The photo above is said to be the church where John Harrison Stotler preached for 5 years in the late 1890s and early 1900's. It is from my grandmother's collection of photos and is captioned on the reverse with "Christian Church Mt. Carmel, Ill" and "where uncle John preached for 5 years." John Harrison Stotler was the brother of my 2nd great grandmother, Mary Hay Stotler-Ross.

According to Genabloggers, "An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts."

Tonight's transcription is from The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, November 30, 1897 edition, "Pew and Pulpit" section on page 1:

Revival meetings are in progress every night at the Christian church. Rev. J. H. Stotler, of the Christian church at Mt. Carmel, is doing the preaching. His subject tonight will be "Hindrances to Christian Growth," Gal. 5:7; Wednesday night. "The Intermediate State of Man, or Future Probation," 1 Peter, 3:19; Thursday night, "The Mission of the Church." Services begin promptly at 7 o'clock. All are invited to attend the meetings, as they will continue only for a short time.

This was followed a few weeks later with this item from The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, December 24, 1897, "Pew and Pulpit" section on page 1:

The revival meetings at the Christian church, conducted by Rev. J. H. Stotler of Mt. Carmel, closed Wednesday night. They were very successful and the interest aroused was great.

I find this interesting since Edwardsville is on the western side of Illinois while Mt. Carmel is on the eastern border. It's about 120 miles straight line distance, but about a 2 1/2 hour drive in modern times. It's curious that the meetings were publicized so far away.

Sunday's Obituary - Marvin D. Reimann

This is the obituary of Marvin D. Reimann, my first cousin twice removed. He was the son of Conrad and Norma (Polsfuss) Reimann. Norma was the sister of my great grandmother, Alma (Polsfuss) Schauer. Marvin would have been a first cousin to my grandmother, and that's the "twice removed" part of the equation. He was a twin brother to Melvin Reimann, though I don't know if they were identical or fraternal twins.

This is from the August 24, 1984 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal.

Reimann, Marvin D.
MADISON — Marvin D. Reimann, age 58, of 4318 Odana Rd., died Wednesday, August 22, 1984, at Wausau WI, unexpectedly. He was born in Madison WI, on January 15, 1926. He was an Insurance salesman with the Wausau Insurance Company. He was a graduate of Madison East High School and of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was also a member of Madison's South Rotary. He was a very active member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and served In many of the church offices. He Is survived by his wife, the former Lois Zastrow; a daughter, Julie of Lacrosse; a son, Thomas of Madison; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Reimann of Madison and a brother, Melvin of Madison. Funeral services will be held at IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1021 Spaight St., at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 25, 1984. Burial will be in Roselawn Memorial Park. Friends may call from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 24, 1984, at the GUNDERSON FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive. Memorials may be made to the Immanuel Lutheran Church Foundation or to the South Madison Rotary Foundation.

The above obituary is from the Wisconsin State Journal, August 24, 1984. It was probably written by a member of the Reimann family and not the newspaper itself. I'm publishing it here for educational and genealogical purposes.

Funeral Card Friday - Norma E. Parker

This is the funeral card for my great grandmother, on my mother's side, Norma Elizabeth (Alexander) Parker.

In Memory Of
Norma Elizabeth Parker

Date of Birth
March 25, 1902

Date of Death
September 28, 1970

Place and Time of Services
United Methodist Church
in Westfield
Thursday, October 1
at 2:00 P.M.

Clergyman
Rev. Lyndon Veil

Place of Interment
Russell Flats Cemetery [aka Oak Hill Cemetery]

Arrangements by
Schultz-Thalacker
Funeral Home
Westfield, Wis.

Wordless Wednesday - Floyd and Thelma Brassfield

This is a photo of my great grandparents, Floyd Gipson Brassfield and his wife Thelma Sarah Hunt. It looks to me like it might be a combination of two photos.

Tombstone Tuesday - Christoph and Ella Muehrer

This is the tombstone of Christoph and Ella (Polsfuss) Muehrer located at Westfield East Cemetery, Marquette County, Wisconsin. Ella was the sister of my Great Grandmother, Alma (Polsfuss) Schauer, so she would be my great grand aunt.

The tombstone is transcribed as follows:

MUEHRER

Father
Christoph A
1889 - 1961

Mother
Ella E.
1888 - 1964

Sunday's Obituary - Conrad Reimann

This is the obituary for Conrad G. Reimann. He was my great grand uncle, on my mother's side of the family, through his marriage to Norma T. Polsfuss. Norma was the sister of my great grandmother, Alma (Polsfuss) Schauer. He was known to my family as "uncle Con". Unfortunately, I don't have any photos scanned of Conrad Reimann.

This obituary is from the Wisconsin State Journal, February 19, 1986. I have added the items within brackets to clarify.

Conrad G. Reimann
MADISON — Conrad G. Reimann, age 86, of 4806 Regent Street, died on Monday, February 17, 1986, after an extended illness. He was born on March 15, 1899, In Newton Township [Marquette County, Wisconsin]. He was married to the former Norma Polsfuss on June 29, 1928, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Newton Township. He had worked as a barber with Baron's for over 30 years retiring In 1965. Mr. Reimann was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and had been active in Immanuel Church Organizations for the past 60 years. Surviving are his wife, Norma; a son, Melvin Reimann (Caroljean) [sic] of Madison; a daughter-in-law, Lois Reimann of Madison; three grandchildren and a brother, Alfred of Boscobel. He was preceded In death by his son, Marvin in 1984. Funeral services will be held at IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1021 Spaight Street, at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 20, 1986, with the Reverend David Susan officiating. Burial will be in Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may call from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19, 1986, at THE GUNDERSON FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive and on Thursday at the church from 10:00 a.m. until time of services. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been suggested to Immanuel Lutheran Church and to Oakwood Lutheran Home.

The above obituary is from the Wisconsin State Journal, February 19, 1986. It was probably written by a member of the Reimann family and not the newspaper itself. I'm publishing it here for educational and genealogical purposes.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your "Heritage Pie" Chart

Randy at Genea-Musings posted this week's idea for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your "Heritage Pie" Chart. Since I have a weakness for charts and graphs, I thought I'd play along.

Your mission tonight, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  List your 16 great-great-grandparents with their birth, death and marriage data (dates and places).  [Hint - you might use an Ancestral Name List from your software for this.]

2)  Determine the countries (or states) that these ancestors lived in at their birth and at their death.

3)  For extra credit, go make a "Heritage Pie" chart for the country of origin (birth place) for these 16 ancestors. [Hint: you could use the  chart generator from Kid Zone for this.] [Note: Thank you to Sheri Fenley for the "Heritage Pie" chart idea.]

4.  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook or google+.

My list and chart is after the jump...

A different kind of disaster - the need for blood

Elvis J. Brassfield's 2 Gallon pin

On Friday I contributed a "double red cell" donation to the local Red Cross. Summer is a slow time for blood donations and this year they were already low due to decreased donations in prior months. Double red cell donation give people a chance to donate 2 pints of just the red blood cells. It takes a little bit longer than a regular 1 pint whole blood donation, but you can wait twice as long between donations.

I already posted a photo of this artifact last November, but here it is again. It is a 2 gallon pin that apparently belonged to Elvis J. Brassfield dated June 19, 1973.

From www.redcrossblood.org

The Red Cross has issued an appeal for blood donors of all types due to a critical blood shortage across our nation.

In May and June, donations were at the lowest level the Red Cross has seen in this timeframe in over a dozen years, while demand for blood products remained steady. Because of that, the Red Cross needs blood donors now more than ever. All types are needed, but especially O negative, which can be used to treat any patient.

We highly encourage all type O negative blood donors who meet the eligibility requirements to double the difference by becoming a double red cell donor.  If eligible, you can give to give two donations at once.

The Red Cross also posted a special message from Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore on YouTube titled A different kind of disaster.
Check out the video after the jump...

Funeral Card Friday - Dr. Mary Ross Gillespie

This is a scan of the funeral card for my great grand aunt, Mary Ada (Ross) Gillespie. She was a sister of my great grandmother, Clara (Ross) Fowlie.

The card reads as follows:

In Loving Memory
Dr. Mary Ross Gillespie

Born
July 18, 1894 Calhoun County, Iowa

Died
January 6, 1987 Phoenix, Arizona

Services from
Huffman Memorial Chapel
Lake City, Iowa
Saturday, January 10, 1987
1:30 P.M.

Service of Worship by
Rev. Ray Hill

Casket Bearers
Don Lauver
Mike Stotts
Paul Hiler
Charles Burley
Roy Tapps
Merrils Petzenhauser

At Rest
Lake Creek Cemetery
Rural Lake City, Iowa

Tombstone Tuesday - Norma and Conrad Reimann

Reimann

This is the tombstone of Norma T. (Polsfuss) and Conrad G. Reimann located at Roselawn Memorial Park, Monona, Dane County, Wisconsin. They were my great grand aunt and uncle. Norma was the sister of my great grandmother Alma (Polsfuss) Schauer, on my mother's side of the family. The lot is located in section R, I have marked it in the location field at the bottom of this post.

The tombstone is transcribed as follows.

Norma T
1904-1989

Conrad G.
1899-1986

Reimann

Roselawn Memorial Park entrance sign at north end of the cemetery off Femrite Drive.

Sunday's Obituary - Norma T. Polsfuss Reimann

Today's obituary is from my mother's side of the family and down the line to the Polfuss surname. Norma T. (Polsfuss) Reimann (1904-1989) was my great grand aunt, the sister of my great grand mother Alma (Polsfuss) Schauer (1895-1977). They were the daughters of Gottlieb (~1860-1939) and Hulda (Schulke) Polsfuss (~1866-1946). Unfortunately, I have no photos of Norma scanned at the moment to post with this obituary.

This obituary is from the May 8, 1989 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal page 6A. I added the material in the brackets the clarify. There is also some question on the number of siblings, my notes have 8 children for Gottlieb and Hulda. She had 3 sisters and 4 brothers, but one brother died only a day old and a sister died around age 16 or 17, so they may have been omitted from the obituary by its author. I don't have dates of death for her oldest sister Ella (born 1888) and her youngest brother William Palfuss (born 1901). Her oldest sister Ella died in 1964, so according to my notes she was preceded in death by three sisters, Ella, Ida and Alma.

Reimann, Norma T.
MADISON — Norma T. Reimann, age 85, of 4806 Regent Street, Madison, died on Saturday, May 6, 1989, at her home. She was born on January 26, 1904, In Newton township, [Marquette County, Wisconsin] the daughter of Gottlieb and Hulda Polsfuss. She married Conrad Reimann on June 29, 1924, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Newton. He preceded her in death in 1986. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Madison for many years where she had been active in several of its organizations until the time of her death. Survivors include: Melvin (Carol Jean) Reimann of Madison; a daughter-in-law, Lois Reimann of Madison; and three grandchildren. In addition to her husband, she was also preceded in death by: her son, Marvin Reimann in 1984; three brothers; and two sisters. Funeral services will be held at IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1201 [sic (should be 1021)] Spaight Street, at 10:30 am on Tuesday, May 9, 1989. Reverend David Susan will officiate. Burial will be in Roselawn Memorial Park. Friends may call from 5:00 until 7:00 pm on Monday, May 8, 1989, at the GUNDERSON FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Immanuel Lutheran Church.

The above obituary is from the Wisconsin State Journal, May 8, 1989. It was probably written by a member of the Reimann family and not the newspaper itself. I'm publishing it here for educational and genealogical purposes.

Updated to reflect that I found the year of death for Ella (Polsfuss) Muehrer.

Funeral Card Friday - George Henry Fowlie

This is a scan of the funeral card for George Henry Fowlie. He was the first cousin of my great grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie. Basically, George was the son of William Fowlie. William was the brother of my 2nd great grandfather, Alexander Brown Fowlie.

The card reads as follows:

In Memory of
George Henry Fowlie
August 1, 1870 - - - August 1, 1949

Services From
Fowlie Residence
Wednesday, August 3, 1949, 2:00 P. M.

Clergyman Officiating
Rev. Walter T. Leeper

Music By
Mrs. Paul Wilson - - Mr. R. E. Conley

Flower Committee
Mrs. Clyde Roby -- Mrs. Ray Archer
Mrs. Joe Lynch

Pallbearers
Ernest Foley Joe Lynch
Clyde Roby Claude Jenks
Kelly Williams George Stoltz

Final Resting Place
Rosehill Cemetery, Rockwell City, Iowa

Funeral Conducted By
Wolff Funeral Home
Rockwell City, Iowa

Tombstone Tuesday - George Henry Fowlie

This is the front and back of the tombstone of George Henry Fowlie and his wife Laura (Shaffer) Fowlie located on the west side of Rosehill Cemetery, Rockwell City, Iowa. George was the first cousin of my great grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie. In the bottom image, you can see the Dallenbach tombstones. George's daughter Alice (Fowlie) Dallenbach died around age 20, in 1920 and is buried in the Dallenbach plot just west of this tombstone.

George Henry Fowlie was born August 1, 1870 in Iowa to William Fowlie of Scotland and Fidella Sheriff of Canada. George was married January 1, 1897 to Laura Rachel Shaffer of Iowa. They had two daughters, Alice A. and Alta M. Fowlie born around 1900 and 1902 respectively. George died August 1, 1849 and Laura died in 1951. According to George's 1949 obituary, he was survived by his daughter Alta (Fowlie) Gidel of Mallard, Iowa as well as 4 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

Interesting items from the census, George A. Fowlie was living with George H. Fowlie's family in Logan township, Calhoun, Iowa. George A. Fowlie was the brother of my Great Grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie. At the time of the 1930 census, Alice M. Dallenbach, their 10 year old grand daughter was living with George H. and Laura Fowlie. Their daughter Alice A. died sometime after January 20, 1920 within weeks or months of her daughter Alice M.'s birth. Apparently the father, David D. Dallenbach re-married and George and Laura raised their granddaughter. There is probably a complicated back story there, but I don't have any more details.

Gottlieb Polsfuss Family of Marquette County, Wisconsin

Gottlieb Polsfuss Plot at Westfield East Cemetery, Marquette County, WI

This is a first attempt at posting a family group sheet to the blog, so I don't know if this is what I want to do in the future, but just trying it out.

Gottlieb Polsfuss was my 2nd Great Grandfather on my mother's side. His daughter, Alma Marie (Polsfuss) Schauer was my Great Grandmother.

Looking at the group sheet, there are still a few questions to answer. Did Ella Polsfuss get married? Last I can find her is 1905. She married Christoph A. Muehrer after 1905.

I have no children listed for Reinhold and Vera Polsfuss. Social security death index has them dropping an S and named Polfuss, living in Wautoma, Waushara, Wisconsin.

I have three children listed for William C. Polsfuss, but I don't have his wife's name and I don't have many details about him, but apparently he changed the spelling of his last name to Palfuss prior to 1930. He was a realtor in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area for many years.

I have twin sons listed for Norma and Conrad Reimann, both deceased, but no other details listed. Oddly, I don't have any burial locations listed for Norma and Conrad, but I think I was at their funerals, or at least the visitation. They are buried at Roselawn Memorial Park, Monona, Dane, Wisconsin. I found obituaries for Norma, Conrad, Melvin and Marvin Reimann in the Wisconsin State Journal.

The group sheet is after the jump... (click read more)

Funeral Card Friday - Frank Brown Fowlie

This is a scan of the funeral card for my great grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie.

It reads as follows:

In Loving Memory
Frank Brown Fowlie

Born
September 19, 1892
Rockwell City, Iowa

Entered Into Rest
June 27, 1977
Manning, Iowa

Services From
Huffman Memorial Chapel
Lake City, Iowa
Thursday, June 30, 1977
10:00 a.m.

Words of Comfort
Rev. Chris Nettles
Organist - Mrs. Daryl Johnson
Duet - Mrs. Herbert Doty
Mrs. Von Pierce

Casket Bearers
Herbert Doty Jack Carisch
Frank Heath Charles Burley
Clifford Von Ahn Gerald Toms

At Rest
Rosehill Cemetery
Rockwell City, Iowa