Wordless Wednesday - Frank Fowlie portrait at Fort Sill

This is a portrait of my great-grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie (1892-1977) while stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma during World War I.

Tombstone Tuesday - J.P. Johnson

This is the tombstone of J.P. and Hannah (Branshus) Johnson at Blair Cemetery, Blair, Washington County, Nebraska. They are my third great grand parents and the parents of Jennie (Johnson) Hunt (1878-1914). According to the 1900 census, they had 17 children, 9 of which were still living as of 1900.
A transcription of the tombstone and more info after the jump...

Sunday's Obituary - Mary Fowlie Hull

This is the obituary for Mary Anne (Fowlie) Hull from 1974. Mary Anne Fowlie was my great grand aunt and was the sister of my great grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie.

Unfortunately, the copy I have does not list the newspaper it was published in. The obituary was likely written by a friend or family member and published by a paper in Webster or Calhoun County, Iowa. It is transcribed after the jump...

Funeral Card Friday - Mary Fowlie Hull

This is the funeral card of Mary Anne (Fowlie) Hull. Mary Anne Fowlie was my great grand aunt and was the sister of my great grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie. I transcribed the funeral card after the jump...

Wordless Wednesday - Frank Brown Fowlie

This is a photo of my great-grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie (1892-1977). No date was provided, but it is likely to be the mid 1910s.

Tombstone Tuesday - Mary Fowlie and Clarence Hull

This is the tombstone of Mary (Fowlie) and Clarence Hull located at Callender Cemetery, Callender, Webster County, Iowa. Mary Anne Fowlie was my great grand aunt and was the sister of my great grandfather, Frank Brown Fowlie.

Mary was born prior to the move from Benton County to Calhoun County. According to the notes, she was born April 27, 1884 in Garrison, Benton County, Iowa. The family moved to Calhoun County between July 1886 and March 1887. She was the 7th child of 13.

Mary was married to Clarence Edward Hull on May 23, 1908 in Des Moines, Iowa. They were still living in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa at the time of the 1910 census. They never had any children of their own, but in 1920 their 14 year old niece Pearl Bishop was living with them in Lake Creek, Calhoun, Iowa. Pearl was the daughter of Mary's sister Sylvia, who died in 1916.

By 1930, Mary and Clarence Hull were living near Callender, Webster County, Iowa. Clarence died in 1944 and Mary remained in Callender until at least 1949. She was living in Gowrie, Webster County, Iowa by 1967. She died at the Gowrie Care Center April 17, 1974.

I took this photo at the Callender Cemetery, which is quite large. By chance I started the search on the west side of the cemetery and parked the car within 100 feet of the tombstone, which I located in less than 15 minutes. I marked the location with GPS and you can see it on the map, by the green arrow, after the jump, so click read more for that.

Wordless Wednesday - The Ross children with Zip the dog

This photo shows Clara, Mary, George and Mason Ross with "Zip" the dog. Clara (Ross) Fowlie was my great grandmother and these are her siblings. This photo was apparently taken around 1900 and was grouped with a number of photos from a visit by uncle Henry, George Henry Stotler.

Tombstone Tuesday - John and Susanah Beistline

This is the tombstone of Susanah and John R. Beistline (Beistlin) located at Blair Cemetery, Blair, Nebraska. They are my 4th great grand parents. The parents of my 3rd great grandmother, Sarah A. (Beistline) Hunt. Sarah was the wife of Samuel Hunt, they were the parents of my 2nd great grandfather, John Hunt. John Hunt's daughter Thelma married Floyd Brassfield. Hopefully some of those names are ringing some bells.

Veteran's Day 2011

Memorial plaque for my 1st cousin (2x removed), Vilas D. Parker.
MIA, presumed dead for over 43 years. Recovered in 1987.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the armistice ending World War I was signed. November 11th became a day of remembrance for that war, it was Armistice Day. Following World War II, November 11th became a day not just to remember World War I, but to honor all American veterans.

So on this day, I'd like to point out some of the veterans that I am connected to. The list is not complete, so I'm sorry if I've forgotten someone. Out of respect for privacy, I'm not going to mention veterans still living, but I am still grateful for their service.

All gave some, some gave all. The list is after the jump.

Wordless Wednesday - Ross family with Uncle Henry

George Henry Stotler, uncle Henry, with his sister Mary Stotler-Ross. Mary is holding her son John F. Ross Jr. Her children, George, Mary, Clara and Mason Ross are in the front row. Clara (Ross) Fowlie is my great grandmother and Mary (Stotler) Ross is my 2nd great grandmother.

John Ross Jr. was born in May 1899 and George Henry Stotler died in February 1902, so that is the time frame of this photo. This photo was probably taken during a visit by Uncle Henry to Calhoun County, Illinois. He was visiting from Mahomet, Illinois or Indianapolis, Indiana. He lived in Indianapolis at the time of the 1900 census. That would be about a 9+ hour, 570 mile trip by car in 2011, but in 1900 it's hard to imagine what it would have taken to make that trip.

Tombstone Tuesday - Elvis and Abigail Brassfield-Stout

This is the tombstone of Elvis Stout and his wife Abigail (Brassfield) Stout located at McGinnis Cemetery, Madison County, Iowa. Abigail was my third great grand aunt, she was the sister of my third great grandfather, Wiley D. Brassfield.

Abigail is buried within a yard or two of her mother, Sarah (Hill) Brassfield and there are several Stout's buried nearby.

According to my notes, Abigail was born in Indiana and Elvis Stout was born in Bartholomew County, Indiana. My notes also indicate that they were married January 11, 1853 in Mahaska County, Iowa. There are not many instances of the name Elvis in my database and Elvis Stout is one of the earliest. I don't know this for a fact, but it is possible that my 2nd great grandfather, Elvis H. Brassfield, was named for his uncle, Elvis Stout.

Worldless Wednesday - Helen and Oliver Ross

This is a photo of my great grand aunt Helen Ross (later Helen Ross-Whitted) and great grand uncle Oliver Ross. It was captioned "Helen age 3+, Oliver 9 months" so it's from around 1906. They were living in Lake Creek township, Calhoun County, Iowa during this time frame. They are the siblings of my great grandmother, Clara (Ross) Fowlie.

Tombstone Tuesday - Victoria Naomi Brassfield

This is the tombstone of Victoria Naomi Brassfield at McGinnis Cemetery, Madison County, Iowa. Victoria is my 1st cousin, four times removed. She is buried adjacent to her grandmother and my 4th great grandmother, Sarah (Hill) Brassfield. Victoria was the daughter of John D. Brassfield and Martha A. McClelland. According to my notes, she was born July 15, 1868 and died May 22, 1871. I also have May 2, 1871 down, but the 1959 McAllister book, Brasfield-Brassfield genealogies, and tombstone both say May 22.