A Sense of Humor During WWII

My husband's grandfather is 2nd to the left in front kneeling ~ Forrest Pointer ~ In Iceland during WW2 at  Camp Kwitchwebelliakin, a.k.a., Camp 'They-Got-A-Sense-of-Humor' . [Snort.]


A newspaper clipping from the Pointer Family Archives.


~C

Wordless Wednesday ~ Schlitz, Anyone?

I think this might be one of my all-time favorite Pointer photos ~ My husband's grandfather, Forrest Pointer [standing, 2nd to left]. A moment of relaxation stolen in the midst of war. Schlitz, anyone? And what I wouldn't give to hear the story that's being told.

Forrest Pointer [Standing, 2nd to left.] in Kodiak, Alaska during World War II.

Tombstone Tuesday ~ 'Family Stuff'

Just yesterday I tweeted the following:

"Why is it the collaterals with no descendants that capture my attention the most? It's like my heart adopts them automatically."

And

"Their faces tug on my heartstrings just begging me to tell their stories."

What inspired those? I had been sitting at my father-in-law’s table poring through more old photos and more of Pearl’s composition books.  I had originally gone over there to photograph an old family toy for an article that I’m writing for Shades of the Departed, when my father-in-law said, “Here’s some more family stuff.”

[Gawd. How I love that “family stuff.”]

Pearl (Williams) Pointer

That “family stuff” got me to thinking in several directions.  As I flipped through Pearl’s school composition books, where she’d dutifully practiced her handwriting and no doubt answered her math and geography homework questions, I wondered if any of my descendants would be as awed by my school homework? [That is, if I can keep my non-packrat husband from throwing it away. ;)]  Would they pore over every letter hoping that some curved line would reveal just an inkling of what I was thinking, feeling? Would they pull out their magnifying glass to analyze my boredom-induced doodles in the margins hoping to see if they revealed what my hopes, dreams, and regrets had been? [Yes, Pearl doodled. Lots.]

Then I flipped through the scrapbook album. Some of the photos I’d already seen thanks to Great-Uncle Donald and his awesome digitizing, but there were many that I’d not seen. This had been my husband’s grandfather’s album [Great-Uncle Donald’s younger brother], and it’s interesting to see what photos Grandpa Pointer included in his album and how he grouped them as compared to how Great-Uncle Donald had done. Perhaps I’m analyzing it too much [So sue me.], but it reminded of what Great-Uncle Donald had told me last summer about the dynamics of the relationships between brothers.  And yesterday I thought to myself how lucky I was to have so much of the family artifacts to look at.  It’s like hearing a different viewpoint of the family story, which is important, because, in my opinion, somewhere in there lies the truth.

Back: Harold, Lester, Wayne, Glen. Front: Forrest & Donald

Flipping towards the back of the album, I found Great-Uncle Lester’s high school diploma. And it brought tears to my eyes. [I’m such a girl. I know.] You see, Great-Uncle Lester [U.S. Navy] died during World War II of a brain tumor. He had been married, but had no children. And that’s what broke my heart. No descendants to wonder and mull over the “stuff” he’d left behind. No one to wonder if they had the same eye or hair color as Lester. No one to wonder what his hopes and dreams had been. No one to wonder what his handwriting reveals about himself in his letters home to mom [Pearl].

However, if all of the copies of the newspaper articles of his illness and death, and if all the letters and postcards of his that were saved over the years are anything to go by, he had made a big impact on his family.

But Lester wasn’t the only Pointer to be sacrificed in World War II. His brother Staff Sergeant Wayne H. Pointer (Air Corps) had been listed as missing in 1943 after his plane went down over Brazil, and he was later declared dead. He had not been married nor did he have any children. However, his letters home to mom were carefully saved and his photos were neatly stored by at least 2 of his brothers. Great-Uncle Donald even has specific stories about Great-Uncle Wayne in his memoirs.

It still saddens me whenever I find “collaterals” [siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.] that have no descendants to tell their hopes, their dreams, their regrets, their stories. And with each one that I uncover, I feel compelled to adopt them. To find and tell their story so they won’t be forgotten.

 As I look into their fading faces and as I read their fading handwriting, I just want to say, “Don’t worry. You won’t be forgotten. Someone will know your story.”

U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Lester Laverne Pointer. b. 26 Nov 1915; d. 14 Oct 1942;
buried at Arlington National Cemetery

~C

Pearl Earned It

Well, I went off and gave the beautiful Pearl (Williams) Pointer and the Pointer farm their own blog.  So check it out.  See what life was like back in the early to mid 1900's on a farm in Iowa.

Pearl's Day Books  [ http://pearlsdaybooks.blogspot.com/  ]

Pearl has 2 posts and 4 followers so far.

Image by justmakeit via Flickr

Purple Iowa Sky

Tombstone Tuesday - The Belchers

John C. and Mary (Shearer) Belcher, Jr.

John C. Belcher, Jr. was the brother of Emma (Belcher) Pointer [wife of Daniel Pointer], and after Emma's untimely death, John C. Belcher and his wife Mary Shearer, raised Harve Pointer [my husband's great-grandfather).  John and Mary's tombstone is located in Collins Cemetery in Collins, Story Co, Iowa next to Harve Pointer's tombstone.

The Shearer Sisters

Before the Pointer Sisters...

Courtesy of Share Seeking

There were the Shearer sisters.

That's right.  The Shearer sisters.  On the bottom right-hand corner is Julia Ann Shearer who married Jordan Williams.  And they were Pearl's grandparents.  [I wonder what she called Julia Ann.  Mee-Maw?  Nana?  Grandma?  Grandmother?  Personally, I think she looks like a Mee-Maw.  Plus, it's fun to say.]

Anywho, the sister in the top left-hand corner is Mary Shearer [Yeah. I know.  Another Mary. *sigh*], and she married John C. Belcher, Jr.  And together they raised little Harve Pointer [who became a handsome Harve later on].  I guess it's not really a mystery how Harve and Pearl met.  I wonder if it was love at first sight?  I don't mean to be greedy, but a diary would be nice.  Or perhaps some letters.  Or something.  [A genea-girl can dream.]

So the Shearer sisters lived near each other in Iowa, and were so gracious to sit down for this portrait.  A couple of days after the Pointer family reunion, Great-Aunt Dorothy showed me this photo and asked me if I knew who they were.  Right off the top of my head, I couldn't tell her, but I took a picture of it with my digital camera.  Turned out, though, Great-Uncle Donald had a copy of the photo.  And it was identified.  [Oh, how I love Great-Uncle Donald.]

These Shearer sisters look so serious in this photo.  I wonder, though, if they would've started dancing to Sisters Sledge's We Are Family.  I like to think that they would've.  Maybe in the kitchen while making bread.  And pies.  [Which reminds me.  Great-Aunt Dorothy makes a mean cherry pie.  My favorite.]  I can just see them shaking what God gave them.  Can't you?

Oh, by the way, there were some Pointer sisters in the family.  Remember Harve and Pearl's boys [one of which is Great-Uncle Donald]?  Yeah, well, before they had the boys, they had 2 girls.  Goodness, Pearl sure had her hands full.  But I'll talk about them later.

[ The direct link ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBpYgpF1bqQ ]

Credits:

Paper & elements from Purple Petals Designs by Erica Belton via DSP.

Elements from Ticket to Love Designs by Nicole Young via DSP.

Word Art from the Legacy Collection by Keri Schueller via Scrap Girls.

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Donald!

Wow! Is He Handsome, or What?

Is This The Pocket Watch?

Remember the post, "Does Time Reveal Mercy?" where I showcased what is probably Pearl's (Williams) Pointer's pocket watch [because it was labeled as such]?  However, the pocket watch looked quite similar to the pocketwatch that Mercy (Slingbaum) Haley was wearing in a photo that I found of her. The only problem was that the Haley's are a part of my husband's paternal grandmother's line, and the Williams are a part of my husband's paternal grandfather's line.

Confused?  Well, basically, my husband's grandmother (Myrtle Haley) on his dad's side is a Haley, and again on his dad's side, my husband's grandfather's (Forrest Pointer's) mother was Pearl Williams.  So, the question that I posed in my post about Mercy and Pearl and the pocket watch was "Did this heirloom somehow get mixed up after Forrest and Myrtle get married?"  I kind of doubted it at the time [and I still do], but I found it odd that the pocketwatch looked so similar [and it gave me something to blog about too].  In fact I probably never would have delved quite so deeply into Mercy's life.  Besides the fact that Mercy and her husband, Frank Edward Haley, never had any children [at least, none that I have found], Frank was adopted, and to the best of my knowledge was not blood-related to the Haley's.  Both of these facts had really pushed Frank Edward Haley and Mercy Slingbaum [Don't get me started on her maiden name. You should see the mutilation her name withstands in the census.  Snort.] down pretty far on my ancestor priority list ~ until I found that photo of Mercy with that pocket watch.

However, I've now found [thanks to Great-Uncle Donald] Pearl's and Harve's wedding photos.  And guess what she's wearing on her blouse?  Well, it looks like it could be a pocket watch.  And, of course, it's too blurry to see any detail of it ~ to confirm if, indeed, it's the pocket watch.  [That would be just too easy.  And why would we want that?]

So does time reveal Mercy?  Well, until I find that one definitive photo of Pearl with the pocket watch, I'm going to go with how it was labeled on the envelope containing the pocket watch.  That it is Pearl (Williams) Pointer's pocket watch.  So, yes, time reveals not only mercy, but pearls as well.  [I absolutely adore jewelry, don't you?]  And doesn't Harve Pointer look absolutely handsome [and dapper, and debonaire,...]?  I can see why Pearl married him.

Never Leaving Home

More About Those Williams Folks

I already introduced to you A.O. Williams who was the beautiful Pearl (Williams) Pointer's father.  And I also showed you his pocket watch.  Oh, and we can't forget A.O.'s cantankerous and contrary brother, Sim [a.k.a., W.S., Simeon and Uncle Sim].  Well, Sim's full name was William Simeon Williams.  Understandably, Sim didn't go by the name William.  I mean, really?  William Williams?  Could you imagine the confusion and the taunting?  Why, for heaven's sakes, did they name him William?  Maybe they liked the name William, but it may have something to do with the fact that his father's name was William.  [I kid you not.]  But apparently he never went by that name either.  In fact, Great-Uncle Donald [who turns 90 in a week], calls him by his middle name, Jordan.  In the census while growing up, he was always listed as William J. Williams or W.J. Williams.  But when he was an adult in the census, I noticed he always used the name Jordan.  Furthermore, research indicates that Jordan had an uncle named William Williams.  And the purpose of this discussion?  I dunno.  I just find it interesting.  I wonder if they just didn't like the name, or if they used their middle names to lessen the confusion.

Anyways, A.O.'s and Uncle Sim's father was William Jordan Williams [parents were Henry Williams and Harriet [?]].  Jordan was born on abt. 1833 in probably Montgomery County, TN.  [The "probably" is for the county, but I do know that he was born in Tennessee.]  At some point, Jordan and some of his Williams kinfolk moved from Tennessee to Wapello County, Iowa.

Jordan's wife, Julia Ann Shearer, was born 31 Aug 1833 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Valentine and Magdaline Shearer, who happened to be 1st cousins.  Now, this information wasn't easy to figure out because the Shearer family is huge [huuuuge].  Lots of siblings who had lots of kids.  Also, these Shearers were once Scherrers, and they descend from Johann Augustus Scherrer who came to America from Lachen Speyerdorf Bayern Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany [which is a mouthful] in 1730.  However, I'll talk more about them later.  Julia's family moved to Wapello, IA in February 1856, according to her obituary, which Pearl had cut out of the paper and pasted into her scrapbook that Great-Uncle Donald scanned and shared with me.  [Have I mentioned how much I love Pearl and Great-Uncle Donald?]   She married Jordan Williams 19 Feb 1857 in Wapello, IA, and they had 3 sons: Alvis Oliver "A.O." Williams, Henry V. Williams [who died young], and William Simeon "Sim" Williams.  A.O. and Sim both lived with Jordan and Julia even into adulthood.  And when A.O. married Nancy Catherine Odell, she moved in as well, which I had noticed in the census, but Great-Uncle Donald confirmed it for me in his memoirs.  

Hm.  I guess that whole idea of kids coming back home to live is not new.  In fact, A.O. and Sim never left.  And I don't know whether or not I'll tell my children this because they've already hinted to me [More like, they unequivocally stated...] they're going to live with me and my husband forever [shudder].  And I'd hate for them to have something to cite from their own family tree.  [rolling eyes heavenward] 

Anywho, below is a photo of William Jordan & Julia Ann (Shearer) Williams ~ my husband's 3rd great- grandparents.

Wordless Wednesday - Cantankerous?

They Shared These Too...

They may have been cantankerous with each other, but brothers A.O. and Simeon Williams loved those grandkids.

Back: A.O. Williams; Front LR: John Bear, Harold Pointer, Glen Pointer & Lloyd Pointer

Back LR: Mildred Pointer, Simeon Williams & Ramah Pointer; Front LR: John Bear, Harold Pointer & Lloyd Bear

Tombstone Tuesday: Together

"...Cantankerous, Contrary Old Cusses"

 I always wondered what the story was between Alvis Oliver and Simeon Williams.  Now, I already knew that no one called these 2 brothers by their full names.  They were known as A.O. and Sim, and you might remember A.O. by his beautiful pocketwatch that I've already shared with you here.  Also, A.O. was the father of the beautiful Pearl (Williams) Pointer [the wife of Harve Pointer], making Sim her "Uncle Sim".

With every census that I found them in, I found them together.  Even after A.O. Williams married his wife Nancy Catherine Odell.  I wondered why.  Perhaps I analyze the census too much.  [So sue me.]  But I was right to wonder why.  Lo and behold, there is a story.  And my husband's Great-Uncle Donald [one of Harve's and Pearl's boys] had it, and he shared it with me.  And here's part of what Great-Uncle Donald had to say in his memoirs about them:

Sim was my Granpa's William's brother and never married so he had always lived at home with his mother also, and when Granpa Williams got married I guess Grandma Williams just moved in with them...I never heard Granpa and Sim swear at each other but they argued almost constantly and always called each other cantankerous, contrary old cusses.  They may have swore at each other when they weren't around us boys but they might as well done it in front of us because we all knew how to swear...Granpa and Sim were always poor they made a living doing cement work, Carpenter work, Just handy man work like that.  They had a cement mixer that was powered by a single cylinder gas engine.  A team of horses and a buggy and a light buckboard type spring wagon which they used to go to work with and haul tools in...Their rent couldn't have been much seems to me if I remember about 5 dollars a month.  I don't know what they got for wages probably two to five dollars a day...They had to buy coal to heat with in the winter.  But they didn't have no light nor water nor gas bills to pay.  They did have to buy feed for the horses because they have to eat whether they work or not...I don't remember when Granpa and Sim had two horses I only remember the one they had left...His name was Sam.  He was a tall long legged black beautiful horse.  Of course I didn't realize that at the time, like a lot of other things, but I do now...and then Sam died of old age and that left Granpa and Sim afoot.  Sometimes I do remember them walking to our place but not together I think they needed all of their energy to walk with none to spare for bickering.  Uncle Sim used to say that walking wasn't very crowded but it was kinda lonesome.  Granpa and Sim never owned a home nor a car so I guess the only thing that they owned was their tools and what little household furniture they had.

Now, I still don't know why Uncle Sim never married, but I do know the "how" now [brown cow].  How A.O. and Uncle Sim never really got along.  But somehow they lived together.  And now they lie next to each other in the Collins Iowa Cemetery.  They shared a house.  They shared an occupation.  And they even share a tombstone. They just couldn't share the same dang road.  I think it's as funny as all get out.  [Sorry.  That's a Texas expression.]  I wonder if they're still arguing? [Snort.]

Sweet Lemonade

I know I've mentioned it before, but it bares repeating.  Don't forget to look between the lines.  You know.  The census lines?  That's where the stories are.  Somewhere between the ages and the places of births is where they are hiding.

Every time I see a household in the census with extended family members residing in it, it gets me to thinking.  [I know.  Uh-oh.]  If there was a nephew living in the household, I think, "Why?  What happened?  What's the story?  I mean, I know there's a story there."  How do I know?  Well, I've lived that story.

Remember my younger brother [of my heart], Patrick, who was also one of my sister's children?  And how the mitochondrial disorder that he was afflicted with and also eventually caused his early death was the same disorder that prevented my sister from raising and taking care of him in the first place?  And how my parents took him in and raised him.  Like their own.  Like our own.  And for all the trials, tribulations, and tears, I wouldn't have had it any other way.  Because at the end of the day, I got a younger brother.  One that I had wanted very much.

Well, my story isn't unlike other people's stories.

Harvey "Harve" Lewis Pointer

Take Harvey Lewis Pointer, my husband's great-grandfather, for example.   "Harve" was Daniel Pointer's youngest child.  And when Harve was about 10 months old, his mother Emma died.  And I guess Daniel felt that along with Harve's 5 older siblings, he wasn't going to be able to take care of little Harve.  So, Emma's brother, John C. Belcher, Jr. and his wife, Mary (Shearer) Belcher [Harve's uncle and aunt], took little Harve in and raised him.  Like their own.  Oh, and Harve gained 2 more siblings, as well ~ 2 sisters.  Minnie Etta and Effie.  Now, I don't know if Minnie Etta and Effie were happy about getting a younger brother like I was.  But got one they did.

Some might call this a tragedy.  But I don't think it qualifies as one.  A speed bump on the road of life?  Possibly.  But I think a detour on the road of life is more accurate.  Not sad or bad, but different.

You see, Harve still lived near his Pointer family ~ his father, brothers, and sisters.  Harve didn't lose a family.  He gained one.  And I find it interesting that Harve didn't even use the Pointer name until he married Pearl in 1906.  He called himself a "Belcher".  That says a lot about his relationship with the Belcher family, I think.  But, hey, don't take my word for it.  Nothing tells a story better than a picture, right?  Well, below are two pictures.  The top one is Harve as an adult with his Pointer siblings.  And the one below is Harve as an adult with his Belcher family.

Daniel and Emma (Belcher) Pointer's children.

BLR: Minnie Etta Belcher, Harve Pointer, Effie Belcher; FLR: John & Mary (Shearer) Belcher

See?  I told you he had 2 families.

And when I look into the eyes of Harve's Belcher sisters ~ Minnie Etta's and Effie's ~ I can honestly say I know a little something about how they felt.  About what their life was like growing up with a younger brother of their hearts.  And I also know it wasn't easy for either family ~ Pointer or Belcher ~ when Harve passed away prematurely at the age of 44 due to an accident.  I know it wasn't easy.

Because you gotta remember.  For all the forms, charts, dates, names, and numbers that we collect about them, our ancestors were just like us.  Flesh and blood.  With both good and bad things happening to them.  They had decisions to make from choices they didn't like.  They had things that they had to do when they didn't want to do them.

And just like them,

No matter how many lemons life serves us,

No matter how sour the situation is that we find ourselves in,

One fact remains the same that time cannot change.

We're just gonna add some sugar, water, and ice to those sour lemons and make sweet lemonade.

Wordless Wednesday - T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Trouble With A Capital "T"

I think Pearl had her hands full with her boys.  [Snort.]  If that ain't trouble, I don't know what is.   What do y'all think?

L-R: Glen (standing), Wayne, Donald, Lester (in back), Forrest, and Harold Pointer.

Tombstone Tuesday: Daniel and Emma (Belcher) Pointer

Daniel and Emmaline "Emma" (Belcher) Pointer are buried in Woodland Cemetery in Iowa Center, Story County, Iowa.  I mentioned yesterday that Daniel was the son of Lemuel and Sarah (Mountz) Pointer, and that Daniel was now off my "bad side" because Great-Aunt Dorothy showed me his [and Emma's] graves and that Great-Uncle Donald shared a photo of Daniel with me.  [Many thanks to the both of them.  These kinds of details add so much to the story.]

Daniel had a total of four wives [which originally helped to put him on my "bad side"].  His first wife was Harriet Johnson and they married in about 1862.  I think.  As far as I can tell, they had only one child together.  A son named John R. Pointer in 1863.  And what happened to Harriet?  I dunno.  That's a good question.  If I had to guess, I'd say she probably died because by the 1870 census, Daniel has married Emmaline Belcher [marriage was 8 Mar 1866 in Iowa], and John R. is listed as his son on this census along with, 2 daughters, Jeanette "Nettie" and Elizabeth.  Now. I say "probably" Harriet died because that would be the logical assumption since her son John R. is living with his dad and his dad's 2nd wife, Emma.  However, until I have some proof of her death, we can't rule out that maybe Daniel was into polygamy or that Harriet ran off with a carny to be in the circus or that Harriet divorced him and left John R.  [Who knows?  It could or could've happened.  I like to keep my options open.]

Daniel and Emma had the following children [as best as I can tell] all born in Iowa:

• Jennette "Nettie" B. was b.abt. 1867
• Anna Elizabeth or Elizabeth Anna, but they called her Annie was b. Jul 1869 [This is the one that married a man by the name of Charles Padelford, then when he died, she married a man by the last name of Ritter, then she moved to California, then Canada, and God knows where else.  She keeps me on my toes.  But I've got some photos of her.  Wait 'till you see her.]
• George Washington was b.4 May 1872 and died in Saskatchewan, Canada [Cuz, why make it easy?  But I've got photos of him, too.]
• William "Bill" was b.abt.1876  [And wait until you hear this man's story and see his photos.  He made the papers.  And not in a good way.]
• Lucille was b. Jun 1879 and died in 1909 in Long Beach, California.
• Harvey "Harve" Lewis Pointer was b. 28 Sep 1882 in Iowa Center, Story Co, IA and died 14 Jan 1927 in Collins, Story Co, IA.  [This is my husband's great-grandfather, and he's got a story, too.  Don't we all?]

Daniel's wife, Emma, died 16 Jun 1884 in Iowa Center, Story Co, IA and was laid to rest in Woodland Cemetery [a.k.a. Iowa Center Cemetery].


Daniel went on to marry twice more to first a Lena Sophia Knese 1 Jun 1892, and then married an Elizabeth Gates on 8 Jan 1902 [And, hey, what a coincidence.  That's my and my husband's wedding anniversary, too.  Um.  Just not the "1902" part.  I'm not that old.]  I don't know what happened to these wives of Daniel's, but I'm assuming they died until a better explanation comes along, or until I find the evidence.  [Again, I'm keeping my options open.]  To the best of my knowledge, he did not have any more children with anyone.  [But, who knows?  Maybe he did.  You can never be too sure about ancestors.]   Daniel passed away 12 Nov 1908 in Canbridge, Story Co, IA and was laid to rest next to his 2nd wife Emma.  Below is their shared tombstone and their "Mother" and "Father" place markers.

Daniel & Emma's shared tombstone from Emma's side.

Close up of Daniel's side and...

...Close up of Emma's side.

 

Madness Monday - Nanny Nanny, Boo-Boo

Yeah.  So.   I have quite a few ancestors that I'm mad at and/or about.  A mixture of crazy and frustrated.

And maybe it was because we attended the Pointer family reunion in Iowa last month.

Or it could've been because of Great-Aunt Dorothy's personal tour of the Pointer [and related] family tombstones.

Or maybe it was the morning Cousin Roger gave us a personal tour of the Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum in Ankeny that included Pointer family military uniforms and memorabilia.

Or perhaps it was when Great-Uncle Donald gave me the disc of approximately 1500 scanned Pointer [and related] family photos.

Or it could have been when Great-Uncle Donald gave me a disc of scanned digital images of Pearl (Williams) Pointer's scrapbook.

Or better yet, it could be when Great-Uncle Donald gave me a print copy, a digital copy, and a voice recording of his memoirs.

Or maybe it was all of the above that made me have "Pointer" on the mind when my daughter asked me yesterday, "Mom, if you could choose just one and only one ancestor to bring back to answer questions, who would it be?

Who would I rather mercilessly interrogate interview?  Have a sit-down, let's-unearth-all-the-family-skeletons chat?

Hm.  I've done a lot of work on my husband's 2nd great-grandfather, Daniel Pointer.  The birth, the marriage [or in his case, marriages], death [only one], residences, occupations.  You know, the usual.  And other than the whole "4 wives" thing, he hasn't really made me mad.  Crazy.  Frustrated.  In fact, I'm quite happy with Daniel right now.  Why? Because Great-Uncle Donald had a picture of Daniel, and Great-Aunt Dorothy took me to visit his grave.  [And it hasn't escaped my attention that it took 2 Pointer's to get Daniel Pointer off my bad list. *snort*]



Nope.  The Nanny Nanny, Boo-Boo Award goes to Daniel's father, Lemuel Pointer.  And here's just some of the questions I'd like to ask:

• I'm having some trouble with your origins, Lemuel.  I know you didn't just appear in about 1803.  Were you born in Virginia?  If not, where?  Who were your parents?  Was William your dad?  How about your siblings?  Aunts?  Uncles?
• I can't tell if you and your wife, Sarah Mountz, stayed together, if y'all separated or if y'all divorced.  Can you help me out?
• Depending on the answer to the above question, why did y'all separate the children?  And how did y'all decide who went with who?
• Oh, and wow.  You certainly liked to move around, didn't you?  A lot.  After leaving Knox, Columbiana Co, OH, you skippety-doodad your way through Iowa and then Kansas.  Why did you keep moving?  When and where did you die?  Where were you buried?
• Dude,  would it have killed you to leave me some more clues?  Hm?

Who makes me mad?  Crazy?  Frustrated?  Who would I love to question?

Lemuel Pointer.  
b. abt 1803 in maybe Virginia
m. 30 May 1826 Sarah Mountz in Columbiana Co, OH
maybe m. 15 Aug 1856 Fanny/Nancy Lotington in Boone Co, IA
d. some time after 1 Mar 1875 maybe in Kansas or elsewhere [You are dead, aren't you?]


That's who.  And Lemuel?  Stop the "nanny nanny, boo-booing".  It's so unbecoming of an ancestor.  [Rolling eyes heavenward.]

To Be So Close

Trains.  Locomotives.  What an addition to transportation!  A welcome addition to those folks who were used to traveling by wagon, coach, horse, and/or foot.

It's been passed down in my husband's family that the beautiful Pearl Williams and her family moved from Missouri to Iowa by covered wagon when she was about 7 years old.  In fact, my husband's Great-Uncle Donald explains in his memoirs that Pearl [his mother] and her sister walked most of the way behind the wagon, and that "...only when they came to a town did they get on the wagon and ride through town," on their way to Collins, Iowa.

About 200 miles.

Probably most of them dusty miles.

Quite possibly some of them wet and muddy miles.

Could you imagine?

I bet Pearl and her sister wished they'd been on a train.  It sure would've been much easier and faster.

I wonder, though, if she appreciated the irony of the situation when she received  the postcard below with a photo of a train on it from her son, Forrest Pointer [my husband's grandfather].  He'd been in Marshalltown, Story County, Iowa while in the U.S. Navy in 1946.  About 30 miles from Pearl in Collins, Story County, Iowa and not even able to go home and see his mom and family.


To be so close, and yet so far.

[This post is a submission for the Festival of Postcards hosted by Evelyn Yvonne Theriault on her blog A Canadian Family.]

Life's Not Fair

Like most parents [I'm sure], I go 'round and 'round with my kids to get them to do their chores.  In fact, right now as I write, my daughter is cleaning out her closet.  Under protest.  With big "sighs".  Rolling her eyes heavenward.  [I have absolutely no idea where she gets that from.]

My son this morning even exclaimed, "This isn't fair!"  That's when I rolled my eyes heavenward, and replied, "I don't care.  Life's not fair.  Get used to it."

I snorted and added, "You don't have any idea what you're talking about.  You have it so easy."  And they do. "I had to pick up my toys, to clean my room, to clear off the table after dinner, to feed and teach the 2 double yellow-headed and 3 double red-headed parrots how to talk,  and to feed and breed the hundreds of parakeets out in the aviary.  Oh, and in the summer time, that was on top of working for both my mom at her pet shop and my dad at his truck and trailer business."

[snort] And my kids complain about cleaning their rooms?  Give me break!

Well, all this reminded of Pearl and Harve Pointer.  You know, the beautiful Pearl (Williams) Pointer?  [She was a looker, wasn't she?]  I've recently been reading her account books, or day books, of the Pointer farm in Iowa from as early as 1918 through the 1940's.  Man, we had nothing on Pearl.  She really worked.  I mean, really worked.

These books are a treasure trove of what a midwest farm was like in the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's, and I can sum it up in just one word: work.

They list all the purchases and all the sales on the farm as well as yearly inventories and loans [both given and received].  From the car they owned in the early 1920's, to the road work performed in and around their farm, to the boys' allowances and pay for work on the farm.  Not to mention, what pastures different animals were placed in.  It's all there.  Below are some of my favorite entries:

Bought:
3 Oct 1922 flour, mittens, oil, thread, meat $4.80
[Just as varied as a Walmart receipt of today.]

10 Oct 1920 Hail Insurance $20.00

5 Oct 1937 hair oil, putty .30
[Gotta slick back Harve's and the boys' hair.]

15 March 1920 buggy top $8.50
25 Jun 1924 buggy tongue $3.00
[Gotta keep the buggy in working order.]

20 Nov 1919 lime, cement, sand $5.18
20 Nov 1919 work on chimney $4.50
20 Nov 1919 Thimbles on chimney $.50
[Um. You mean they didn't just call the chimney repair dude?]

[Speaking on calling...]
3 Dec 1919 telephone rent $5.25

14 Sep 1919 paint for wagon $2.05

20 Sep 1919 weinies and liver $1.05
12 May 1920 plants and bologna $1.50
[There are a lot of entries for "weinies".  Apparently they liked them.  And they're cheap.  And the bologna?  The BEST bologana I've ever had is the bologna that's made in Iowa.  I know.  Iowa's known for its corn, but the bologna is their best-kept secret.]


3 Jan 1922 Lester's suit $5.00
11 Jan 1922 Harold's suit $7.08
9 Nov 1921 Shoes for girls $8.50
9 Nov 1932 Shoes for boys  & hose $5.76
[There are many entries over the years for the kids' clothes, but what stands out are the school clothes and the suits.  And really, nothing's changed about that, has it?  Oh, and I'm pretty sure the hose were for the girls.]


20 Sep 1919 shingles for house $75.70
5 Jun 1923 wallpaper, hats etc. $10.60
15 Feb 1926 lumber for chicken house $53.00
[Um.  I don't see an entry for the labor for the shingle work.  S'pose they put 'em on themselves.  On one page is a listing of room dimensions of the house for wallpaper.  Then wallpaper was purchased here and there after that.  Again, no labor listed anywhere for the wallpaper or for the chicken house.]

8 Feb 1922 Valentine $1.44
[What I wouldn't do to see that Valentine and scan it and share it with y'all...]


29 Jan 1918 bought bull of Franklin's $50

[There are a ton of animal purchases and sales over the years, as you might expect.]

23 Jan 1918 glasses $6.00
1 Feb 1918 fur coat lined $15.90
18 Feb 1918 organ $6.00
18 Sep 1924 watch repair $1.35
11 Jan 1926 Radio $102.50
[Um. I wonder whose glasses these were ~ those listed above and those pictured here.  It's not clear if the glasses  pictured were Pearl's, but it's suspected.  This farm family was better off than others if they purchased a radio in 1926.  Also, I wonder whose watch was repaired?  The one pictured here was Pearl's daddy's watch [A.O. Williams].

In big handwriting the following was written on page 45:

$191.38 eggs sold in 1920. 374 2/3 number of dozens sold.

Yes, eggs were sold every year, but this was a big egg-producing year for the farm.  [Hm. I wonder who did all that work? *eyes big and round*]


The building and maintenance of the roads to, from, and around the farm were apparently kept up by those who owned the farms.  Listings of the work done and how much it cost exist for every year for the Pointer farm.  Here are a few of the entries for 1923:


Feb 15th & 16th - 1 day digging snow; 1/2 day getting dump boards
Apr 9 - 1/2 day fixing bridge
July 14 - 1/2 day get boards for culverts
July 16 - 1 day putting in culverts
July 17 - 1 day putting in culverts & getting boards
July 18 - 1/2 day putting in culverts
July 30 - 1/2 day putting in culverts


Wow.  Looks like they had more culverts than they thought.  And culvert work sounds like a lotta fun.  And easy too.  [snort]


Here's a much-needed purchase [I'm sure.]:
10 Jul 1937 lemons, ice 50 cents
[I wonder who, um, had to make the lemonade?   Bet that tasted reeeaaal good.]


Well, I'm sure you get the picture.  At least I do.  There was a lot of work to be done back then on a farm, and probably not enough hands to do it with.   I wonder what Pearl said to her kids when they said, "That's not fair.  I don't wanna do any more culvert work."  Yeah, me too.  I'm thinkin' she told 'em something like, "Life's not fair.  Get back out there and get that culvert work done."


[Note: I do believe I will make the Pointer Family Farm Daily Books required reading this summer on our trip up to Iowa for the Pointer Family Reunion ~ from a copy, of course.]

Wordless Wednesday: Thank You

A Veterans Day Thank You

 

Crazy Mercy In A Swimsuit

Well I finally did it.  I had enough guts to look at the keywords/phrases that people Google that lead them to Family Stories [provided by Google Analytics].  I say, "guts" because I've heard horror stories about the words and phrases that come up.  I mean, did I really want to know?  Now that I've gone over the report, oh yeah, I want to know!  While on our 3-mile morning walk, I was telling my husband some of the phrases, and we were laughing so hard that it was messing up our pace, which is a big "thing" for my husband.  I take my phone on our walk, and before we begin my husband always asks me, "Time?" and I always reply, "...to go back to bed."  [See, I'm just as funny in real life as in virtual life.]

I am very happy to report that the first 6 keyphrases that generated the most visits involved some kind of variation of "family stories".  Overall, there were 33 keyphrases that involved some form of "family stories" bringing a total of 310 visits with this phrase in the last 30 days .  That's a good thing since that's the title of my blog.  Some of the funnier ones were:

• "my family story" [Obviously, this person was hoping that someone had already done the research on their surname, My.]
• "sad family stories" [I have a few, but I know I don't really want to seek my own sad family stories out, much less someone else's.]
• "spanish stories about what your family does every day" [Que?]
• "stories about family problems" [Read on ~ I've got plenty of those.]
• "stories that include grandmother and family" [Hm.  Grandmother?  Stories?  I just might have a few of those around here somewhere.]
• "what are family stories" and "what is your family story?" [You have SO come to the right place.]

There were 21 visits generated from phrases that involved the word "Alamo" and most were concerning projects.  This indicates to me that there a lot of teachers that are assigning Alamo projects, and probably didn't appreciate my post, "Remember the Alamo!"  However, I'm real sure that the parents did.  It also indicates to me that there is a real need for a site/blog for Alamo and/or student projects, and if I could find a way to make money at it,  I'd be all over it like cheese dust on a cheetoh [What's in cheese dust anyway?].

There were 9 visits generated by searches that included the word "kringla".  I know exactly which blog post that this came from ~ Family Trees and Norwegian Kringla from Iowa.  Apparently, there are others out there that are seeking the secret of the kringla.  I am not alone.  Somehow, there is comfort in that.  Unfortunately for these seekers, my post does not unravel the secret, but it does provide commiseration.
There were 7 visits generated by searches that involved the phrase "swimsuit" [mostly from my posts "Family Stories: Swimsuit Edition" and "Remember the Alamo!"] including:

• "john wayne in swim suit" [Why is someone Googling this?  Never mind.  I really don't want to know.]
• "swimsuit accident stories" [What kind of accidents are there with swimsuits? Malfunctions?]
• "my sister swimsuit pics" [Eeeww, I think.]
• "family pictures taken in swimsuits" [Uh.  See previous, I think.]

There were 5 visits generated by the following 2 phrases: "stories of mercy" and "stories about mercy".  This was caused by my post "Does Time Reveal Mercy" which is the name of an ancestor of my husband's and was probably not what they were looking for, but I could be wrong.

There were 3 visits generated by phrases that involved the word "crazy" that were caused by my post, "Sometimes Crazy Works":

• (2) "sometimes crazy works" [I know what I meant by crazy.  What did they mean?]
• "crazy family living stories" [Were they just curious about crazy families or were they looking for some commiseration because I have that...And "living" as opposed to what? Dead?]

There were 3 visits generated by the keyword/name "Oscar" that were mainly caused by my post "What's In A Name: Oscar". [Amazing, right?]  Two of them were:

• "the story of name Oscar" [I definitely had one of those, but was it the one they were looking for?]
• "what do you think of the name Oscar" [Well, I think it's a fine name...especially for a donkey.  See my post.]

There were 2 visits generated by the keywords "mitochondria" and "organelle" caused by my post, "It Could".  I am real sure that it wasn't what they were looking for, but I think I could hold my own in a discussion of mitochondria.  I'm just not willing to bore my readers with all the details.  Here were the keyphrases:

• "funny short stories about organelles" [You know, I had everything but the "funny" with my post.  You can't please everybody.  Oh, and who is looking for and why, exactly, are they looking for these kinds of stories?  Are organelles really all that funny?]
• "what does the prefix mito mean from the word mitochondria" [I'm glad you asked.  It means "threadlike".  See, I can hold my own.]

There were some miscellaneous ones that were funny as well:

• "a girl and tin cup" [Was there someone else with a 2nd great-grandma who would get her tin cup filled up with Irish Whiskey in the back of a saloon? "I'd Bet My Tin Cup"]
• "angels in purple robes" [Did someone else have a naked grandma in heaven? "Becoming Aware"]
• "cajun historical stories" [I have one story about my cajun neighbor ~ probably wasn't what they were looking for, but hey, they stayed & read for seven minutes and forty seconds, or they got up to go to the bathroom with it still on the screen. "A Cajun's Who's Who"]
• "dad's name with extra d" [Daddy?  Buddy?  I don't know.  I need more to work with.]
• "how to start an orange orchard in the rio grande valley" [Plant an orange seed. Water. Pick oranges. Start over. From "Maybe I Could Touch Heaven"]
• "it's a family bag" [Hee-Hee.  I know they weren't looking for this bag: "It's In the Bag"]
• "slingbaum genealogy" [This is Mercy's maiden name.  Obviously, she was on the receiving end of some mercy when she married a Haley.  No offense to any Slingbaum's out there.  I give you permission to make fun of my name all you want to. "Did Time Reveal Mercy?"]
• "what are the pointer stories" [I'll show you mine if you show me yours.]

All joking aside, for the last 30 days, through Google search, I had 406 visits through 116 keywords with 96% new visits.  The longest time spent reading my stories was: 29 minutes and 14 seconds, or they fell asleep reading, or ate a meal with my blog site still on the screen.  Not really bad considering I wasn't trying.  So, if you see that my new posts have a whole bunch of keywords, you'll know why I'm doing it.  I'm just kidding.  I'm not going to do that. [Really.]

Letter to Mom

Postcard Friendship Friday: Letter to Mom

Here is a collage that I made of my husband's grandfather, Forrest Pointer.  The postcard is a photo postcard taken of Forrest when he was in the U.S. Navy in World War II.  The letter is one that he wrote when he was at the Alameda Air Base in California dated 2 Jul 1942.  He writes of the goings-on without being too specific, and he indicates that he's "in hopes" of seeing his brother Donald before he has to leave Alameda.  And who his mother?  Well, the beautiful Pearl Williams Pointer, of course!

[This is a submission for the Postcard Friendship Friday McKlinky sponsored by Marie at her blog Vintage Postcards~Cpaphil.  Go take a look at all the vintage postcards.  It's a virtual walk through time!  Have vintage postcards? Join the Postcard Friendly Postcard fun!]