She always had her sons, A.O. and Sim, living with her, and so I wasn't really surprised to find that they rest near her in Collins Cemetery in Collins, Story County, Iowa. In fact, they are right next to her.
Showing posts with label Story County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Story County. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tombstone Tuesday - Near Her Sons
Julia Ann (Shearer) Williams
She always had her sons, A.O. and Sim, living with her, and so I wasn't really surprised to find that they rest near her in Collins Cemetery in Collins, Story County, Iowa. In fact, they are right next to her.
She always had her sons, A.O. and Sim, living with her, and so I wasn't really surprised to find that they rest near her in Collins Cemetery in Collins, Story County, Iowa. In fact, they are right next to her.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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 |
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 |
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.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wordless Wednesday: The Richardson Bros.
Richardson Bros. of Iowa ~ Not Quite Black & White
Are These the Richardson Boys of Story Co., Iowa?
I found this photo postcard with my mother-in-law's photos of her Richardson family [her dad's family]. With the telltale signs of the age of this postcard indicating it was created between 1904 and 1918, I'm fairly certain that these are the Richardson brothers. [AZO paper as indicated around the stamp area with 4 triangles pointing up in the corners are the telltale signs.] In the 1910 census my mother-in-law's [Linda Jo's] father ~ Oliver Richardson ~ is just 5 months old on the day the census was taken, 23 May 1910 in Palestine, Story Co., Iowa. His siblings are as follows:
The Great Gatsby
I also looked up their hats, and found that the eldest in the photo, who I think is Thomas, is wearing a newsboy cap [also known as a Gatsby]. Their father, John R. Richardson, came to America from Norway in 1867. Their mother, Belle T. Weeks, was born in Iowa, but her parents were born in Norway. I featured them in another Wordless Wednesday post [one that was truly wordless]. I mention this because in Norway, this cap would've been called a "sixpence." [...just a little trivia] It's worn in this picture kind of "pouffed" up and you can see the points in the crown, indicating this was an 8-panel newsboy hat. The 3 middle boys in the photo, who I think are Richard, Martin, and Elmer, are wearing what looks like to me low-crown bowler hats. Both types of hats were worn in the early 20th century.
The Barn Rocks
I absolutely adore this photo postcard, but I also wish someone had identified these boys for me. Although, I'm fairly certain they are the Richardson brothers. Of course, their father, John R. Richardson, had brothers of his own who immigrated with him to Story Co., Iowa and had children of their own. So, anything's possible. I love the buggy, the barn, the horse, and those boys. Whoever they are, they look like a handful, and that, I do know, is "black and white."
Note: This is a submission for the Festival of Postcards Carnival hosted by Evelyn Yvonne Theriault on her blog, A Canadian Family. The theme is anything to do with the word "white."
Are These the Richardson Boys of Story Co., Iowa?
I found this photo postcard with my mother-in-law's photos of her Richardson family [her dad's family]. With the telltale signs of the age of this postcard indicating it was created between 1904 and 1918, I'm fairly certain that these are the Richardson brothers. [AZO paper as indicated around the stamp area with 4 triangles pointing up in the corners are the telltale signs.] In the 1910 census my mother-in-law's [Linda Jo's] father ~ Oliver Richardson ~ is just 5 months old on the day the census was taken, 23 May 1910 in Palestine, Story Co., Iowa. His siblings are as follows:
- Thomas R., 12 yrs old
- Richard M., 10 yrs old
- Martin J., 6 yrs old
- Elmer J. 2 yrs old
The Great Gatsby
I also looked up their hats, and found that the eldest in the photo, who I think is Thomas, is wearing a newsboy cap [also known as a Gatsby]. Their father, John R. Richardson, came to America from Norway in 1867. Their mother, Belle T. Weeks, was born in Iowa, but her parents were born in Norway. I featured them in another Wordless Wednesday post [one that was truly wordless]. I mention this because in Norway, this cap would've been called a "sixpence." [...just a little trivia] It's worn in this picture kind of "pouffed" up and you can see the points in the crown, indicating this was an 8-panel newsboy hat. The 3 middle boys in the photo, who I think are Richard, Martin, and Elmer, are wearing what looks like to me low-crown bowler hats. Both types of hats were worn in the early 20th century.
The Barn Rocks
I absolutely adore this photo postcard, but I also wish someone had identified these boys for me. Although, I'm fairly certain they are the Richardson brothers. Of course, their father, John R. Richardson, had brothers of his own who immigrated with him to Story Co., Iowa and had children of their own. So, anything's possible. I love the buggy, the barn, the horse, and those boys. Whoever they are, they look like a handful, and that, I do know, is "black and white."
Note: This is a submission for the Festival of Postcards Carnival hosted by Evelyn Yvonne Theriault on her blog, A Canadian Family. The theme is anything to do with the word "white."
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
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