Friends and Family or Family and Friends?

Which is it?  Friends and Family or Family and Friends?  Sometimes they are two distinct groups of people.  Sometimes one is greater or more important or in greater numbers than the other.  But sometimes in our family tree we have a line where the roles of family and friends are blurred.  Sometimes our family and friends are both.

For my maternal grandmother, Clementine (Stenger) Miars this is indeed the case.  She was born in August 1913 on the family farm in Kickapoo, Illinois.  Her immediate family was large with 7 children in all.  But it is her extended family that was very large.  One time I counted and she had over 90 first cousins.  As a point of reference...I have five.  That means both her parents had very large families.  It also means that her second and third cousins numbered in the hundreds.  Many of them lived in Kickapoo just like Clem.

She went to school with her extended family at St Mary's School in Kickappo.  Most of them would have also attended St Mary's Catholic Church with their families.  She grew up not just with her siblings but her extended family in close proximity.  Her siblings and many of her cousins and their families were to be lifelong friends as well.

I recently came across this photo from Clem's "stash of stuff" that I think illustrates this situation very well.

L-R:  Wilma (Schmitt) Johnson, Clementine (Stenger) Miars, Flossie (Gilles) O'Toole, Rose (Stenger) Inskeep, Mary (Stenger) Carman; ca. mid 1930s

L-R:  Wilma (Schmitt) Johnson, Clementine (Stenger) Miars, Flossie (Gilles) O'Toole, Rose (Stenger) Inskeep, Mary (Stenger) Carman

The five women in this photo that I think is from the mid 1930s were all raised together in Kickapoo and attended the same school and church.  Their families were connected by blood in multiple ways.  They played baseball together as kids and young adults.  They were friends and family and also family and friends.  Who's to say which bond was the stronger between them.  The reality is that it changed over the years.

Their family bonds are complex.  Clem, Rose and Mary were sisters.  Wilma was a both a second and third cousin to the Stenger siblings through her parents, Albert and Cecilia (Stenger) Schmitt and Clem's dad, Joseph L Stenger.  Cecilia (Stenger) Schmitt and Joseph L Stenger were 1st cousins.  Albert Schmitt and Joseph L Stenger were 2nd cousins.  (Does your brain hurt yet??)

Flossie (Gilles) O'Toole was a 2nd cousin of the Stenger siblings through their mothers.  To make matters more confusing both Flossie and the Stenger sisters had mothers with the name Lucy.  Flossie's mother is Lucy (Brutcher) Gilles and Clem, Rose and Mary's mother was Lucy (Loescher) Stenger.  The two Lucy's are first cousins.  Lucky for us though I do not think that Wilma and Flossie were related.

But just as importantly, these five young women pictured above were friends and had known each other all of their lives while growing up.  Yet even after they married some of these bonds of friendship were to continue.

Wilma, Flossie and Clem, all found themselves married and living in Brimfield, Illinois during the 1940s and 1950s.  It was not far from Kickapoo.  These three women had children who also went to the same schools and church together and had lots of social activities together.  Their lives continued more as friends and neighbors than anything during this time.  Each of them had a daughter that would be in the same class (1959) at Brimfield High School and would remain close as they married.  It has continued on into the third generation of these three women when some of their grandchildren found themselves in the same class at school and attending the same church in Brimfield in addition to social activities.

Wilma was the first to pass in 1964 as a young grandmother.  Mary Carman was gone in 1973.  Rose, Clem and Flossie lived to be old women into their 90s and beyond.  Clem and Flossie remained good friends and neighbors until Flossie passed in 2005.

I have said this before that Clem kept so much stuff.  At times it is overwhelming how much there is to sort through, identify and preserve.  But it is when I find these gems that I am so grateful that she did. What a blessing this is!  I had no idea growing up that some of my friends were also my cousins and that our grandmothers had been friends  in decades long past. This is truly a great gift to see this photo and reminisce about their lives growing up, as young mothers and now about the connections their grandchildren have made.

The Picture -
The picture above was cropped so that we could see the faces better of these five women.  But here is the uncropped version for more context.

Does anybody know where this was taken or the occasion? What about the guitar that Flossie (Gilles) O'Toole is holding?  Did she play?  Please let me know if you know any more details about this.

The reason I knew who all of the people were in the photo is that somebody had written on the back of the photo who everybody was (Thank you whoever you are!!!!).  Once I read the names and then looked at the faces in the photo again I recognized them all.  All five of them have daughters that today resemble their mothers which made it easier to confirm the names on the back.

Wilma (Schmitt) Johnson, Clementine (Stenger) Miars, Flossie (Gilles) O'Toole, Rose (Stenger) Inskeep, Mary (Stenger) Carman, photo, ca. mid 1930s, location unknown; digital image 2019, from the Clementine (Stenger) Miars collection, original privately held by Jana (Miars) Minor.

Ewald Pruschwitz (1814-1895) - Happy 205th Birthday and Happy Arrival Anniversary!

Ewald Pruschwitz is another of my 3rd great grandparents on my Minor line.  Today is his 205th birthday!  In pulling together the information for this post I realized it is also the anniversary of his arrival in the US as well. Two anniversaries on one day!

Relationship to me:  me > my dad > William Minor Sr > John R Minor (1880 - 1937) > Pauline (Pruschwitz) Minor (1856-1939) > Ewald Pruschwitz (1814-1895).

Ewald was born on 3 November 1814 in Ligenitz.  This village in southwest Poland is now called Legnica. [1]  In census records Ewald lists his birthplace as "Prussia". [2] At the time of his birth what we know today as Poland was part of Prussia. It was very exciting to figure this out because he is my only ancestor (so far) from eastern Europe.

At some point prior to 1850, he married Caroline Buffee in Prussia. [3] In 1855, Ewald, Caroline and their two children, Augusta and Wilhelm packed up their belongs and set out for America.  They boarded the ship D Kohlmann in Breman, Germany. [4] They arrived at the Port of New Orleans on 3 Nov 1855. [4]  Ewald was 41 years old on the day of his arrival into the New World.  How cool is that!

"New Orleans, Passenger Lists, 1813-1963" This family starts on row 122.

The passenger list record indicates they were headed to Illinois to settle. [4]  Did my ancestors have family or friends in central Illinois that they were coming to be close to?  History would tell us that is a likely supposition.  Many new immigrants came over with other families that they were going to settle with or they met up with family and friends from home that had already settled in a particular place.  There are other passengers on the ship's manifest going to Illinois so both of these ideas are possible.

From New Orleans the Ewald Pruschwitz family would take a boat up the Mississippi to St Louis, Missouri.  If their initial destination was Peoria, Illinois where they were living in 1860 [5] they may have taken a second boat up the Illinois River.

By 1860 Ewald and Caroline are settled in Peoria, Illinois with their family. [5]  My great-great grandmother, Pauline (Pruschwitz) Minor was born there on 15 or 16 May 1856; less than a year after their arrival in the US. [6]   By 1860 also it appears that their son, Wilhelm has died as he is not listed on the census for that year.

In the passenger list, Ewald lists his profession as "joiner". [4] Wikipedia defines this term as "an artisan and tradesperson who builds things by joining pieces of wood, particularly lighter and more ornamental work than that done by a carpenter, including furniture and the "fittings" of a house, ship, etc." [7]  He seems to have carried on this trade in Peoria because in the census records for 1860, 1870 and 1880 his occupation is listed as carpenter or cabinet maker. [8]  I wonder if he made cabinets for some of the big homes on the east and west bluffs?  What older buildings in town still have cabinetry items made by great-great-great grandfather?

Both census and city directories also indicate that Ewald and Caroline lived on Jefferson in Peoria from at least 1860 until Ewald's death in 1895.  Starting in 1875, the city directory identifies their specific address as 106 West Jefferson. [9]  This is just a couple of blocks up from the river.  Also, this address is just a few blocks from where my Nufer ancestors were living.  Did they know each other?

Ewald died on 24 Mar 1895 in Peoria. [10] Caroline lived on a few more years.  They are buried together in Springdale Cemetery in Peoria. [1]  They both lived long enough to see their two daughters married and their grandchildren all born.  I now realize that my great-grandfather, John Minor (1880-1937) would have known them both.  He was a teenager when his grandfather Ewald died and a young adult when his grandmother passed.

Entry for Ewald is on record 170 at the bottom.

This sketch was a good deal of fun to do.  It is so nice when our ancestors are found where they are supposed to be and doing what we expect them to be doing!  So it was with Ewald and Caroline.  They came to Peoria very soon after arriving in New Orleans and pretty much stayed in the same location until their deaths.  They left a number of records which made it easy to find and trace them.

Next step....see if they can be found in records over in Poland or Germany!

Related Blog Posts -
Francis Grant Minor (1852 - 1918)

Bibliography -
[1] For birthday see: Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 November 2019), memorial page for Ewald Pruschwitz (3 Nov 1814–24 Mar 1895), memorial no. 119510306, cemetery marker in Springdale Cemetery and Mausoleum, Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois, USA; maintained by "Stephen Cantrell," contributor no. 48212706. Also see: Peoria County, Illinois, death records register, database and images, book 2 (26 Jan 1889 - 1 Nov 1899), p. 38, Peoria County Clerk (http://www.peoriacounty.org/documentcenter/index/1858 : accessed 3 Nov 2019), entry for Ewald Pruschwitz, 24 Mar 1895, entry no. 170.  For birth location see: "New Orleans, Passenger Lists, 1813-1963," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 3 Nov 2019), entry for Edwald Pruschwitz, 3 Nov 1855, Port of New Orleans; citing "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1820-1902," NARA, Washington, D.C., NAI no. 2824927, record group 85.
[2] 1860 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Peoria Ward 2, p. 106 (penned), line 5, household 818, family 840, Ewald Pruscewitz; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Nov 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication T653, roll M653_216,  FHL microfilm 803216.  Also see: 1870 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Peoria Ward 1, p. 3 (penned), p. 228 (stamped), line 15, dwelling 18, family 18, Purshwitz Ewalt; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Nov 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll M593_267, FHL film 545766.
[3] This couple's oldest known child, Augusta (Pruschwitz) Schader's birth day is listed on a death index as 17 Jun 1850 in "Ligmitts, Germany".  Ewald and Caroline would likely have married prior to that year.  See "Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : 14 Apr 2019), Augusta Schader, 19 Nov 1922; citing "Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916–1947," index, FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2010.
[4] "New Orleans, Passenger Lists, 1813-1963," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 3 Nov 2019), entry for Edwald Pruschwitz, 3 Nov 1855, Port of New Orleans; citing "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1820-1902," NARA, Washington, D.C., NAI no. 2824927, record group 85.
[5] 1860 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Peoria Ward 2, p. 106 (penned), line 5, household 818, family 840, Ewald Pruscewitz; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Nov 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication T653, roll M653_216,  FHL microfilm 803216.
[6] Peoria County, Illinois, death certificate no. 30714 (27 Nov 1939), Pauline Minor, Peoria County Clerk, Peoria.  Also see for conflicting date: "Mrs. Pauline Minor," Brimfield (Illinos) News, 30 Nov 1939; microfilm, Brimfield Public Library, 2007.
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joiner
[8] See [5].  See also: 1870 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Peoria Ward 1, p. 3 (penned), p. 228 (stamped), line 15, dwelling 18, family 18, Purshwitz Ewalt; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Nov 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll M593_267, FHL film 545766. Also: 1880 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Peoria, Enumeration District (ED) 203, p. 10-D (penned), p. 28-C (stamped), line 42, dwelling 100, family 113, Awalt Brushwick [Ewalk Pruschwitz]; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Nov 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 240.
[9] O. E. Root, compiler, Root’s Peoria City Directory 1875  (Peoria, Illinois:  O. E. Root, Publisher, 1875), p. 179, entry for "Pruschwitz Ewald"; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Nov2019), "U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995," Illinois > Peoria > 1875 > Peoria,Illinois, City Directory, 1875.  See also: Franks Peoria Directory Co., compiler, Franks Peoria City Directory for 1892 (Peoria, Illinois:  Franks Peoria Directory Co., Publishers, 1892), p. 520, entry for "Pruschwitz Ewald G."; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Nov 2019), " U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995," Illinois > Peoria > 1892 > Peoria,Illinois,City Directory, 1892.
[10] Peoria County, Illinois, death records register, database and images, book 2 (26 Jan 1889 - 1 Nov 1899), p. 38, Peoria County Clerk (http://www.peoriacounty.org/documentcenter/index/1858 : accessed 3 Nov 2019), entry for Ewald Pruschwitz, 24 Mar 1895, entry no. 170.

Pearl (Walkington) Towne Miars (1898-1960) - First Wife of William J Miars

My great uncle, William "Bill" James Miars (1894-1968) has been somewhat of a mystery to me over the years.  He is the oldest of my grandfather's siblings but they are twenty one years apart. When the Miars family sold the homestead in Tazewell County around 1916-1917 and moved to Jubilee Township in Peoria County, Illinois he made the move even though he was a young adult and could go where he wanted.  He was well into his 40s before taking a wife but the details of that marriage were rather sketchy as I tried to piece together this part of his life.

I grew up hearing about his second wife, Julia (Toye) Miars.  Probably because their marriage took place a few months before I was born and likely met her before she died in 1966.  But what of his first wife?  All I really knew was that her name was "Pearl" and that they had lived in Omaha, Nebraska where Uncle Bill had been living.  Census records were not much help in learning more about their marriage and life together.  Only the 1940 enumeration records are available publically.  Uncle Bill is listed as living in his mother's home in Brimfield, Illinois in 1940. (1).  So when and why did he go to Omaha and how and when did meet and marry "Pearl"?

Finding marriage information for Bill and Pearl seemed to be the place to start.  When researching family history and genealogy we are taught to start with what you know and what you have.  I found a hand written history of my grandfather's family that was created by his sister, Mary (Miars) Best.  For "William James" it listed his first wife's name as "Pearl Walkington Towne." (2)  Now I have a full name!  It also listed their marriage location as St. Louis but no date.

Frank Miars Family History report in the handwriting of Mary (Miars) Best

My search of records online did not find any marriage records for this couple.  I did find city directories for them in Omaha in the 1940s and 1950 so that at least narrowed down my search for marriage information to the early to mid 1940s,  After more online searches I decided to search newspapers.  The Brimfield News is the hometown paper for the Miars family and Uncle Bill.  This paper is online and searchable now through the website of the Brimfield Public Library Historic Newspaper collection.(3)

A search of this website came up with this item in a section of the paper called "Everybody's Business." for the edition from Thursday, November 19, 1942.

Brimfield News, 19 Nov 1942 (4)

This articles indicates that Bill and Pearl were likely married in October or November 1942 and started their married life in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  But it is the last sentence of this article that caught my attention:  "Mrs Miars was formerly Pearl Towne a cousin of Mrs F O. Wight."  Who is "Mrs. F.O. Wight?"  Because this is mentioned in this newspaper I began to speculate that somehow Pearl, my uncle's wife, may have some connection to his hometown or local area.  But how?

The surname "Wight" is familiar to me from the Central Illinois area.  I did some searches for "F O Wight" in the Brimfield News, Find A Grave and other online sites but did not find anything helpful in figuring out this new mystery.  I decided to focus my research on Pearl herself now that I had a maiden name and the surname of a possible first marriage.  This effort turned up what I was looking for.  I found a her delayed birth certificate.  This certificate was created in 1953 so it is not really a primary source for the date and place of her birth.  The people listed on the certificate were not present (except for Pearl) at the time and place of her birth.  BUT....it not only lists the names of her parents but also their birth places. (5)

Delayed Birth Certificate of Pearl Amelia Walkington - Council Bluffs, Iowa (5)

Pearl (Walkington) Miars is the daughter of Frank and Mary (Murdock) Walkington who were both born in Princeville, Illinois.  Bingo!!  This couple were both born in Peoria County not far from Brimfield.  It appears that after they married they moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa where their daughter was born and raised.

But this is likely how Bill and Pearl came to know each other.  Pearl had relatives and friends of her parents living in Peoria County where Bill was living.  It does not seem to me that they were random strangers in Iowa and Nebraska that met and married.  It seems that they had a connection somehow through Pearl's parents.

Once they married as the newspaper article indicated they made their first home in Council Bluffs, Iowa but not long after it seems that they moved across the Missouri River to Omaha.  Bill was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad as a sheet metal worker.(6)  They  must have come back to visit his family and friends in Brimfield a few times during their marriage given the photos of them that Aunt Mary Best left as well as small articles in the Brimfield News about their visits.

Pearl passed away first in late October 1960 in Omaha, Nebraska. (7)

Obituary for Pearl Miars from the Brimfield News (7)

Uncle Bill continued to live and work in Omaha.  He remarried in 1962 to Julia Toye but he outlived her as well.  He passed away in 1968 after retiring and moving back to Brimfield.

I still need to find their exact wedding date and details of her death.  I'll also be interested to look them up in the 1950 census when it is released in 2022.  But the mystery of who "Pearl" is and her connection to Central Illinois has been solved.


Related Blog Posts -
Clara (Miars) Barker - 123rd Birthday
Mary (Miars) Best

Bibliography -
(1)1940 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Brimfield, Enumeration District (ED) 72-3, sheet 8-A (penned), p. 32-A (stamped), line 24, household 175, William Miars; digital image, Ancestry (http://ancestry.com : accessed 1 Aug 2014), citing National Archives microfilm publication T627, roll T627_864.
(2) "Frank Miars Family," handwritten report by Mary (Miars) Best, ca. 1970s; from the Mary (Miars) Best collection, currently in the personal collection of the author.
(3) I am very grateful to the past librarians of the library who lovingly kept copies of this paper going back to the 1870s.  Then the library board had the foresight to have them microfilmed and ultimately digitized so they would be freely available for researchers today and the years to come!!
(4)“Everybody’s Business,” newspaper article regarding "Mr. and Mrs. William (Bill) Miars," Brimfield (Illinois) News, 19 Nov 1942, p. 4; digital image, Brimfield Public Library (http://brimfield.advantage-preservation.com : accessed 23 Jun 2019).
(5)"Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1856-1940,", database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Jun 2019), entry for Pearl Amelia Walkington, 10 Jun 1898, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County; citing State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines.
(6)William J Miars pension file, SS no. XXX-XX-1567, claim no. A879563, 1968; Records of the Railroad Retirement Board, 1934-, National Archives Record Group 184, Atlanta, Georgia.
(7)“Funeral Services For Mrs. William Miars Are Held Oct. 27,” obituary, Brimfield (Illinois) News, 3 Nov 1960, p. 1; digital image, Brimfield Public Library (http://brimfield.advantage-preservation.com : accessed 25 Jun 2019).

A Teacher's Teacher - Lulu (Petty) Eicher (1877-1972)

You never know when doing family history research where the road will lead.  A few days ago I was going through pictures and artifacts left to my mother by my great aunt, Mary (Miars) Best.  I found this picture that was not familiar to me.  Thankfully, when I turned the photo over there was helpful writing!!

In pencil on the back of the photo it says "To Mary From Mrs. Eicher".  But who is that? I have never heard this name. Below that writing in pen and in different handwriting it says "My 1st Grade Teacher".  Now my first question was answered - this is a photo of Mrs. Eicher who was Mary's first grade teacher.  But who is Mrs. Eicher and which Mary (there are several in my family!)?

Thankfully, very quickly I recognized the handwriting in pen as that of my great Aunt Mary (Miars) Best. (See related post below for link to a post about Aunt Mary.) She was an elementary school teacher in Peoria County, Illinois for most of her adult life.  How cool is this to find a picture of her teacher!!  But I still didn't really know who "Mrs. Eicher" was or where she taught.  Aunt Mary Best would have attended elementary schools in Elm Grove, Tazewell, Illinois as well as Jubilee, Peoria, Illinois.  It didn't take long to get the answers I was looking for.

Some fellow family history researchers are going to cringe when I say that my first stop was Find A Grave. (1) I searched for anyone with burials in Tazewell County, Illinois and the last name "Eicher".  I came up with a list of several people but when I excluded the males from the list I only had about three female names remaining. I had no first name on the photo to go by so I looked at each of the memorials to see if there were any clues in them.  One of the memorials had an obituary included which after reading it I knew that this was not my person.  Also, all but one of the remaining people were born in the 20th century so I excluded them as well.  Aunt Mary was born in 1906 so no person born after 1900 was going to be who I was looking for.  That really left me with two potential people left.  There was nothing on their memorial page to indicate that they were or were not my person so I had to keep looking.

Next I turned to census records and started with a global search on Ancestry of females in Tazewell County, Illinois in 1910 who's last name was Eicher.  I chose 1910 because I knew that Aunt Mary would have attended school there in the early part of that decade.  By 1920 her family had moved to Peoria County.  This search yielded several different kind of records for a "Lulu Eicher".  There were records for the census for several different years as well as an obituary.  One of my remaining possible memorials on Find A Grave was named "Lulu Petty Eicher"!  How exciting!  Could this be my person?  I opened up the census image for 1910 in Ancestry and saw this person had an occupation listed as "Teacher"!!!  (2)

One thing I have learned as a researcher is to look at the pages before and after the subject family.  Many times our ancestors lived close to other family members which could be listed on census pages close to our family. Well...sure enough when I turned to the census page before the one I found Lulu on there was the enumeration for my great grandparents, Frank and Katie Miars with Aunt Mary listed in their house. Mrs. Eicher and her husband, Jacob, lived just a few houses/farms away from my family!! 

I reviewed the other documents I found in my ancestry search just to be sure that I had really found my teacher.  There were census records for other years, city directories for this couple and Lulu's obituary. 

The Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL) 8 Jun 1972. See (3) in Bibliography below for citation details.

After the review of the 1910 census, other records on Ancestry, and her obituary I am sure that I've found Aunt Mary's First Grade Teacher - Lulu (Petty) Eicher.

While living in Elm Grove Township in Tazewell County, Illinois, Aunt Mary and her siblings attended Elm Grove School.  It was just north of their family farm where they were living until about 1917.  After that the farm was sold and the Miars family moved to Peoria County.  It is possible that Mrs. Eicher also taught Aunt Mary's older siblings.  But it seems that she and Mrs. Eicher connected as she kept this picture for many decades.  Maybe it was a farewell present from Mrs. Eicher when the Miars children moved away from the Elm Grove school. I also wonder if Mrs. Eicher and Aunt Mary ever crossed paths again in later years or if Mrs. Eicher knew that one of her students had gone on to be a teacher too.

I do not know the whole story or the details of why Mrs. Eicher gave a picture to her student who then kept it for the rest of her life.  But how nice it is to find this now over 100 years since the photo was likely taken and what great details we now have about the lives of Aunt Mary and her siblings in Elm Grove.  These memories are truly priceless.


Related Blog Posts -
Mary (Miars) Best - Happy Birthday!

Bibliography -
(1)Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 22 October 2019), memorial page for Lulu A Peltey Eicher (13 Jun 1877–6 Jun 1972), Find A Grave memorial no. 76569860, cemetery marker in Mackinaw Township Cemetery, Mackinaw, Tazewell County, Illinois, USA; maintained by "Alvin Oglesby," contributor no. 47049777.
(2) 1910 U.S. census, Tazewell County, Illinois, population schedule, Elm Grove, Enumeration District (ED) 0134, sheet 13-B (penned), p. 61-B (stamped), line 60, dwelling 151, family 152, LuLu  A Eicher; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 Oct 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll T624_328,  FHL microfilm 1374341.
(3) "Mrs. Lulu Eicher," obituary, The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), 8 Jun 1972, p. D-10; digital image, Publisher Extra collection, Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com : accessed 22 Oct 2019).

Mary (Miars) Best (1906-1886) - Happy 113th Birthday!

My great aunt, Mary (Miars) Best is much loved and missed in our family.  She and her husband, Uncle Bob Best were additional grandparents to my mother and her sisters as well as to me and my siblings.

Her relationship to me is as follows:  me > my mom > Robert T Miars > Frank and Katie (Saltonstall) Miars.  Aunt Mary is the older sister of my grandfather and daughter of my great grandparents.

Mary Eva Miars was born on 23 Oct 1906 in Sugar Grove Township, Tazewell County, Illinois. (1)  She is the seventh child and fifth daughter of her parents, Frank and Katie (Saltonstall) Miars. (1)

There were to be nine children in the home after my grandfather was born in 1915.  No doubt there were many chores to do both inside and outside the home.  She lived until about the age of ten or eleven on the Miars homestead, started by her great grandparents, Martin and Ann (Hodgson) Miars, in Elm Grove Township, Tazewell County, Illinois.  Around 1916 or 1917 the Frank Miars family moved to their new home and farm in Jubilee, Peoria, Illinois.  Here she was to spend the rest of her school days.

She graduated from Brimfield (Illinois) High School in the mid 1920s.  Her wish was to be a school teacher.  She believed that education was the path to opportunities in life.  She graduated from Illinois State Normal University and began a career of teaching elementary students in small, rural public schools and beyond for the rest of her life. 

Aunt Mary is on the first row at the far right.

Aunt Mary married Robert "Bob" J Best on 29 May 1941 at the Union Church in Brimfield, Illinois. (1)  I found this newspaper clipping in her papers with a handwritten year of 1940. (2)  However, I do not think this was correct.  This couple was married the year after my grandparents who were married in 1940.  Uncle Bob's best man at his wedding was my great uncle, Frank Stenger (son of Joseph L and Lucy (Loescher) Stenger of Kickapoo.  The newspaper clipping also notes that Aunt Mary was a teacher "in the local school" which I believe was the Brimfield, Illinois grade school.

See (2) below for citation.

After their wedding Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob lived in the upstairs apartment of M.R. and Lorena (Reed) Clark in Brimfield.  It was a two story white house with a wrap around porch. I always thought this house was one of nicest in town.  They would make their residence there for about 20 years.**  In the early 1960s they bought their own home up the street (Galena Avenue) from the Clark house.  That would be their home for the rest of the married life.

She and Uncle Bob enjoyed spending time with their families, especially that of her youngest brother, Robert T Miars (my grandfather) who was raising his family in Brimfield during the 1940s and 1950s.  When my grandmother, Clementine (Stenger) Miars was in the hospital having babies, Aunt Mary would stay with her nieces during her time away.  When Robert and Clementine had a stillborn baby in May 1954, Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob were at the graveside service in Kickapoo in support of their family's loss.
.

By the time my siblings and I were old enough to interact with Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob they were starting to retire.  From time to time one or two of us at a time would be invited to stay visit and stay overnight at their house or go on some sort of outing with them.  They would take us out to Jubilee for picking hickory nuts and raspberries or a trip to the donut shop in Princeville.  I was spending the night at their house on Labor Day weekend in 1967 when my Grandpa Minor's business (Brimfield Motor Company) burned to the ground.  After hearing the sirens all night they explained to me what was going on.

Aunt Mary always had puzzles and school workbooks at her house. They were much more fun to do at her house than at school! There was always time for a game of cards (Rummy or King's Corner) it seemed.  One time visiting her I remember telling her how irritating my two younger brothers could be.  She said "Oh no.  You don't get to complain about them.  I had four brothers!"  I remember being very surprised about that and could not imagine what that must have been like.  Then she told me about her younger brother, Albert "Dutch" and how he used to "wonder off" on their walk to school sometimes.  That is really the only complaint I ever remember her making about her siblings.

She died on 14 May 1986 (3) and is buried in Brimfield Township Cemetery with Uncle Bob.
To me she was a wonderful aunt and great aunt who taught all of us so much about family and the importance of learning. I am so grateful to have known her and gotten the benefit of her wisdom and examples over the years.

Related Blog Posts -
Clara (Miars) Barker - 123rd Birthday

Bibliography -
(1) Mary (Miars) Best, "Frank Miars Family," handwritten report by Mary (Miars) Best, ca. 1970s; originally in the personal collection of the report's author, currently in the personal collection of the author of this blog post.
(2) Robert Best and Mary Miars wedding announcement, undated and unidentified newspaper clipping; privately held by Jana (Miars) Minor, Aurora, Illinois, 2017.  Newspaper is likely The Brimfield News.
(3) Peoria County, Illinois, death certificate no. 806  (14 May 1986), Mary E. Best, Peoria County Clerk.

**After Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob bought their home on Galena Avenue, my parents lived in the upstairs apartment at the Clark home.  This was my first home as well.

Frank and Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Stenger) Schlink

My great grandfather, Joseph L Stenger was the second youngest in a family of nine children.  His second oldest sibling was Elizabeth "Liz or Lizzie" (Stenger) Schlink.  Sometimes couples with no children in a family group get somewhat overlooked because of the lack of descendants and so it is I think with this couple.

Relationship to me:  me > my mom > Clementine (Stenger) Miars > Joseph L Stenger.  Elizabeth is the older sister of Joseph L Stenger.

Elizabeth Stenger was born on 16 Feb 1867 on the family farm in Kickapoo, Illinois (1).  She was the second child and daughter of her parents, Frank and Ann Maria (Schmitt) Stenger.  Eventually she would have 8 other siblings so it was a busy childhood for her which included lots of household, child care and farm chores each day.

Frank Schlink was born on 9 Dec 1860 in Rosefield Township, Peoria County, Illinois. (2).  He is the son of John and Mary (Schular) Schlink who were Germany immigrants to Peoria County. On 30 April 1889 at St Mary's Church in Kickapoo, Illinois he married Lizzie Stenger. (3)

From the Arlene (Stenger) Callear collection.

Farming was to be Frank's life work. (4)  The 1910 census lists the couple as living on Southport Road in Kickapoo Township farming the land. (4)  By 1920 the couple seem to have retired and moved to Peoria Ward 6 living in a home at 1610 Smith Street. (5)  Here they lived for the rest of their married life.  Lizzie's obituary lists this address as her home at the time of her death in 1949. (6)

Frank and Lizzie were frequent visitors in the home of her brother, Joseph L and Lucy (Stenger) Loescher.  They seemed to be present for family gatherings and celebrations over the years. One such gathering occured in the mid 1940s (after Frank had passed) when Joseph L and Lucy's son-in-law, Theodore "Ted" Inskeep returned from his service in WW II. There was a big celebration for his return at his in-law's home in rural Kickapoo.

My mother recalls that a significant snow storm happened while the party was happening and it prevented some people from returning home.  My mother and grandparents as well as Aunt Lizzie and others were forced to stay until the next day.  Evidently it was quite crowded at Joe and Lucy's that night and bed space was quite limited with everybody sharing anyplace they could find.  My mom, though, because she was quite young and small got to share a bed with Aunt Lizzie!

Aunt Lizzie was also present at the wedding of her niece, Rose Stenger to Theodore (Ted) Inskeep on 22 Apr 1939.  Not sure if Frank was in attendance also as we were not able to identify him in this picture.

Frank died first on 25 Oct 1940 from stomach cancer. (2).  Aunt Lizzie had a stroke and passed away on 26 Aug 1949. (1).  They are buried in St Patrick's Cemetery, Kickapoo, Illinois close to many other family members and friends. (7)

They have no children and descendants to remember them but they are not forgotten.

Related Blog Posts -
Anna Maria (Schmitt) Stenger - 177nd Birthday 14 October 1842
Joseph L Stenger - Kickapoo, Illinois


Bibliography -
(1) Peoria County, Illinois, death certificate no. 51925 (26 Aug 1949), Elizabeth Schlink, Peoria County Clerk.
(2) Peoria County, Illinois, death certificate no. 32635 (25 Oct 1940), Frank Schlink, Peoria County Clerk.
(3) Peoria County, Illinois, marriage license no. 188 (30 Apr 1889), Frank Schlink and Lizzie Stenger; Peoria County Clerk.
(4) 1900 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Kickapoo, Enumeration District (ED) 0078, sheet 10-B (penned), p. 131-B (stamped), line 77, dwelling 194, family 195, Frank Schlink; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2014), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll T623_333.  See also: 1910 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Kickapoo, Enumeration District (ED) 0058, sheet 9-A (penned), p. 28-A (stamped), line 35, dwelling 134, family 135, Frank Schlink; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 Mar 2016), citing National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll T624_317, FHL microfilm 1374330.
(5) 1920 U.S. census, Peoria County, Illinois, population schedule, Peoria Ward 6, Enumeration District (ED) 116, sheet 12-A (penned), p. 125-A (stamped), line 27, dwelling 285, family 288, Frank Schlink; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed  13 Jul 2014), citing National Archives microfilm publication T624,  roll T625_399, image 254.
(6) "Mrs. Schlink," obituary, Peoria (Illinois) Journal Star, 29 Aug 1949, page D-7; microfilm, Peoria Public Library, Peoria, Illinois.
(7) St Patrick's Cemetery (Kickapoo, Peoria, Illinois, US), Frank and Elizabeth Schlink marker; photograph taken by Diane Minor, 2007.  Also see: Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 19 October 2019), memorial page for Elizabeth “Lizzie” Stenger Schlink (16 Feb 1867–26 Aug 1949), memorial no. 55210056, cemetery marker in Saint Patricks Cemetery, Kickapoo (Oak Hill), Peoria County, Illinois, USA; maintained by "Stephen Cantrell," contributor no. 48212706.

John Minor (1819 or 1820 - 1885) - Happy 200th (or maybe 199th) Birthday!

John Minor of Peoria, Illinois is my 3rd great grandfather.  Today is either his 200th birthday or his 199th.

Relationship to me:  me > my dad > William Minor Sr > John R Minor (1880 - 1937) > Francis Grant Minor > John Minor.

Details about John Minor's actual birthday are sketchy at best.  His Civil War draft registration entry lists his birthday as 19 Oct 1919 (1).  However, his cemetery marker list his birth year as 1820. (2)  More research is needed on this important item to figure out which is correct.  He was born in Pennsylvania and likely in Greene or Washington County, the son of John Updike and Rebecca (Maxwell) Minor.

At some point in the 1840s he married Martha Neal who was also born in Pennsylvania.  They appear in the 1850 census in Wood County, Virginia.  Today this is part of West Virginia.  But their oldest son and second child, Francis Grant Minor, was born in Peoria County in 1852. They must have made the trip west to central Illinois in the early 1950s.

Springdale Cemetery (3014 N. Prospect Road, Peoria, Illinois), John Minor marker; photograph taken by Diane Minor, 2007.

Census records indicate they lived in Woodford County, Illinois for a short time before returning to Peoria where they seem to have stayed for the rest of their days.  This couple had five or six children.  Their oldest may have died as a young child.  Louise, Francis Grant, Margaret (Minor) Miles, California (Callie) (Minor) Tripp and Edna are all buried in Springdale Cemetery with or close to their parents. (3)

John died in 1885 but the exact date is not known to me yet. (2)  The state did not require death records until 1916 so death records are very few in Peoria at this time.  I did check the online index that the County has put online and his name is not listed.  I'll have to check Peoria papers for an obituary next time I'm there.

Much more research is need on this man and his family to fill in all of the details of his life.

Related Blog Posts -
Francis Grant Minor (1852 - 1918)

Bibliography -
(1). "U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Oct 2014), entry for John Minor, residence 2nd Ward, Peoria, Illinois; citing "Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records," entry 172, record group 110, NAI 4213514, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
(2). Springdale Cemetery (3014 N. Prospect Road, Peoria, Illinois), John Minor marker; photograph taken by Diane Minor, 2007.
(3).  Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 17 October 2019), memorial page for John Minor (1820–1885), memorial no. 68667130, cemetery marker in Springdale Cemetery and Mausoleum, Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois, USA; maintained by "Denise Parsons," contributor no. 47102203.

Copyright 2019.  All Rights Reserved.  Do not use photos or narrative without the express written consent of the author.