Happy Birthday to my sister, Judy

My sister, Judy, is celebrating a BIG birthday today, but I won't tell you which one.  Happy Birthday to my best friend!

I only have this picture of us in my collection.  As is the case with most second children, there aren't as many pictures of her.  It  use  to make her crazy when she was little, so my parents would fib and tell her that other kids in pictures was her.

Letter from Selma to her older sister, Emma

Selma would often keep copies of letters she sent in her diary.  This letter is dated July 1, 1918.  Letters are a great source of information as the writer tends to share the going ons of their life:


Dear Emma: 
      I received your letter and we all were glad to hear from you.  We were also glad to hear that your babies are all well.  Emma can't you and Walter come to Akron with darlings sometimes this summer?  We'll pay your way if you can manage to come.
      We did not go to Cleveland yesterday but are going there for the fourth.  We went to Miller's farm yesterday afternoon, and in the evening Art and I, Lydia and Harold, Linda and our Walter went to the Liberty.
      Mama made Rhubard (sic) and Pineapple Marvelaid last week.  Mrs. Loose gave her the Rhubard (sic), Walter and Louise went to the Fish Fry last week which the choirs gave, it cost a dollar a plate, and then they went in the hole.  Walter was told to come so he did not have to pay, he could not get over it.  He said "I thought I was still in Zanesville".
      Last Wednesday Night the young people of the Concordia Lutheran church gave a "lawn fete" or ice cream Social.  The boys on my team helped me make a stand and I got off in the afternoon, then in the evening I sold the tickets and on the side sold thrift stamps.  I sold almost $25 worth.  I was afraid this would cause hard feelings with the other teams but instead they told me they thought it was a pretty good stunt, and wish they would have thought of it.  I now have $51.00, and have a $50.00 order.  I am now ahead in our thrift stamp campaign and I hope I will stay ahead.
     Last Friday afternoon the Commissioners gave the other girl in our office and me complimentary tickets to go to the Horse Races at the Fair Grounds.  The races were very good.
      We also received a letter from Papa and also one from Edna Burhenn.  Papa is now in Baltimore and said he was having a good time.  They also sent two pictures, one of which is Edna Burhenn dressed in a Red Cross Costume, the other is one of Rev. dressed in an uniform.  Beside his work, he preaches at one of the camps.  Papa wrote he went to the camp with him and was treated like an officer that is Rev. Burhenn was also saluted by the other.
      Our minister will do that work.  Next Sunday will be his last sermon for a long time, will also have communion. Last Saturday we received a letter from Victor Brugge (I guess that is the way it is spelled.  It seems so funny to write the name like that) is in Cleveland.  He said he was working during the week so the only time in which he could come up was on Sunday and would be much obliged if we would arrange a date for him to preach here either in English or German, but he preferred to preach English
      Next Sunday our Sunday School class "Live Wire" are going out to Springfield Lake and have supper at Mable Buerhle's cottage.
      I am enclosing a picture of Art and I, Lydia and Harold, and Linda and Cletus Lohr.
Your loving sister
Selma

The Marriage of Peter Maybury and Sarah Blakemore

Peter and Sarah were the parents of Peter Sylvanius Maybury (the father of Lizzie Maybury Riley).  They were married on this day in 1835, at least I think so.  Unfortunately, this is two years before records were require to be kept.  I am somewhat confused though, as two of his children were born before the marriage.  It may have something to do with the fact that Sarah was 30 at the time, an old maid by the standards of the day.  Peter was 60 at the time of the marriage (born in 1775).  He died only four years after the marriage.  It's too bad we'll never get this story put together.  I will order his death certificate and see what it tells us.  There must be some story there.

Frank and Marie Glawe's Anniversary

I love when emails come with a picture and a story.  I received this from David Glawe.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 is Mom and Dad’s (Marie Dorothy Krausman and Heinz Frank Wilhelm Glawe) 65th Wedding Anniversary.  Some of their early dates consisted of Frank accompanying Marie on the bus, to and from the hospital to visit her dying Father, Otto.  He said he rarely went into the room but waited downstairs on in a waiting room.  They married less than 6 months after his death.

The picture is the earliest I can find right now.  It was taken at Grandma Louise’s house.  The part of the cabinet that is at the back on the right is a TV.    I don’t ever remember being that small. 

Hope your summer is being enjoyable.

David Glawe.

David, Marie, Frank and Karen Glawe
Christmas 1955

Edwin Brueggeman's Family

I thought I'd share information on Edwin's children.  I realize I don't have any pictures of Edwin, his wife and children other than those taken at reunions.

Family Picture Friday: Some Riley Boys

There aren't many pictures of the Riley boys.  I thought I'd share this one that includes Tom, Ray, Mark and Ron.  If you know them as adults, it is pretty easy to pick out which one is which.

L-R  Tom, Ray, Mark, Ron

Same day, different pose

Tom, Ray, Ron and Mark

Birth of Edwin Louis Brueggemann missed posting it....

Edwin was the only child of EA and Emma Brueggemann to be born in Michigan.  He was born 19 Jun 1893 and was eldest son.  His baptismal sponsor was Louis H. Brueggemann, EAB's brother.    His other sponsor was  Emma's sister Elizabeth.

This is the earliest picture of Edwin that I have

He  was in WWII.  

He is the first record on the list and EAB is the 2nd
He registered for the draft in Pennsylvania.

He attended Carnegie Mellon University.  He was in college when he registered.

88th Brueggeman Reunion 2011:

I have received many visits to the blog lately where people have been searching "Brueggeman Reunion"

I don't have many details but the reunion is July 10, at the same farm where it has been held for many  for years.  I have the email for the organizer, Sue Brueggemann Usner Miller.  If you want to contact her, respond with a comment or send me an email.

Gene Fiocca Part 2

I received the following email from Sue Brueggeman Usner (she has recently married but my readers know her as Sue Usner).  Remember, Gene is married to Sue's sister Ann.

Versatiles (Playboys) / Makin' Change

Akron, 1953-76
The Versatiles were started by some University of Akron students to play for school rallies and booster group events. Piano player Gene Fiocca started playing in post-WWII big bands as a young teenager, as did sax/flute player Dick Maloyan. After hearing the sounds of Bill Haley and Elvis, the guys turned to rock-n-roll. The band was rounded out with Tony Taormina (drums) and Newman Williams (bass).
Around 1957 Gene wrote "Sweet Talk" and Gene and Dick collaborated on "Crazy Daisy". They hooked up with Zipp label owner Cliff Rogers and cut the songs at Audio Recording in Cleveland. Dick Maloyan plays sax on "Daisy" and flute on "Sweet Talk". When the 45 was released, the band was called Playboys, just as a way of riding the buzz that name had at the time. The Playboys name was never used for anything but the record, as the group continued to be called the Versatiles. The 45 got some airplay, and Rogers got the 45 to Imperial records, who released the songs, but the record did not catch on. About this time, Gene wrote a song called "This Moment Of Love". Ferlin Husky was riding high with his big hit "Gone", and when Husky was in Akron for a performance, Rogers got him the song, which Husky performed in the movie "Mister Rock and Roll". The song was a moderate hit when Capitol released in on 45.
While the band's recording of "Sweet Talk" was not a big hit, the song did find its way into the book of Boots Randolph, who recorded it, even using it for the title track of an album. The recording even made its way onto a John Belushi lead "Saturday Night Live" skit back in the mid-late 1970s.
The Versatiles were a rock-n-roll band who played clubs in the Akron area, including 3 nights a week at Portage Lakes for several years. They also played at Reds, and for a while, leased a club and served as the house band.
While the Versatiles only released one 45, they were involved with recordings by Akron singers Wayne Perdew and Jonni Sue. Gene wrote Wayne's rocker "Up Beam Baby" and the music was cut by the Versatiles down in Cliff Rogers' basement recording studio. Jonni Sue was a young teenage girl, somewhat similar to Brenda Lee, whom Rogers found. Cliff got financial backing from a guy in Arkansas and cut the songs, written by Gene Fiocca, down in Nashville. Both the Wayne Perdew and Jonni Sue records were released on Zipp. The Versatiles also did some commercials for the Goodyear tire company when it was still based in Akron.
The Versatiles disbanded for a few years in the 1960s, but reunited to play until 1974, when they changed name to Makin' Change. That band lasted until 1976. Gene also sat in with the oldies styled band Rich Underwood (formerly of the Majestics/Styx) and Monopoly. Gene Fiocca continues to play in his own Gene Fiocca band (www.genefioccaband.com), which had included Tony Taormina for many years. The current Gene Fiocca band includes dance band standards that Gene had played back in the Big Band days.

Gene is on the lower right

Gene is in middle

Baptism of Eleanora Potsko

I just want to report that a Riley grandchild was Baptized on Wednesday, June 14th.  Her grandparents were in attendance (Dave and  Nancy Riley)

Dave and Eleanora

Nancy and Eleanora

Dave, Nancy, Uncle Paul and 1 of Paul's boys

A Brueggeman Family Business

Ray and I were talking about Elmer Brueggeman this week and he mentioned that he owned a rubber company.  I googled it and found the company's web site with this article about its history.

It continues to be run by Elmer's son-in-law  (Gene Fiocca) and two of his grandsons.

A True "Family" Success Story Rubber Associates was started in 1953 by 5 former executives of Seiberling Latex Inc. These five associates founded Rubber Associates by molding high precision industrial rubber diaphragms and seals. By 1960, spin-offs and attrition left chief chemist Elmer Brueggeman as majority owner who in 1964 moved the plant to its present location in Barberton, Ohio. Elmer’s son-in-law, Gene Fiocca joined Rubber Associates Inc. in 1974. As President,  Fiocca expanded the company’s based into the pharmaceutical and baby bottle nipple markets as well as achieving top quality status with the OEM automotive industry. Gene purchased controlling interest in the company in 1975 as well as the real estate. The growth pattern continued though 4 major expansions of the manufacturing plant adding injection molding capacity to its full service compliment in the custom molded field. In 1987, the third generation of the Brueggeman/Fiocca family joined the company.  Gene’s older son Kris Fiocca started as Office Manager responsible for administration and cost analysis.  He was named Executive VP in 2001 and now heads up the engineering and design staff. Through the last 50 years, Rubber Associates Inc. has continued to grow and now proudly employees over 100 people which support top quality manufacturing practices for all of our 300+ customer base. Younger brother, Kip Fiocca has been with Rubber Associates Inc. since 1990.  His primary responsibilities include Human Resources and plant equipment purchases.  All four men are graduates of the University of Akron.

Elmer Brueggeman Founder Gene Fiocca, CEO Kris Fiocca, President Kip Fiocca, Vice President

Louise Ottilie Barlag: Grand Daughter of Clamor

I posted about the Barlags here, here and here.  I thought I'd write about Ottilie.    She was the daughter of Anna Marie Brueggeman.  She was born in December of  1876 and she died at age 83 in 1959.

She married William Keske in 1901.

Burial Records as a source: Charles Long

Records from cemeteries are great resources to help track family history and relationship.  Ray, Nori and Max went to Springfield and stopped by the cemetery where Charles Long is buried.  He is buried in the same cemetery as Abraham Lincoln.  Here is the record:

He purchased the plot on September 19, 1866 to bury Lorette H Long.  The record is misspelled as I know they had a daughter, Lisette Wihelmine (their first child) who was born  November 13, 1865 and died September 17, 1866.  The next record is for an infant child who died April 6, 1869.  I didn't know about this child.  I assume this child was still born since it wasn't named.  This is information that no one had before looking at this cemetery information.  When Ray got this record, he wrote on it and the name written beside the infant, really belongs to the first record.


The next listing is for George Miller, husband of Elizabeth Long.  I am very confused by the date listed.  It cannot be 1850 since it would have been before he was born (1869) but 1950 seems out of order since the rest of the burials are sequential.  


Charles Long is listed next which confirms information I already had,  February 4, 1902.  What I did find on this record was his cause of death was Heart Disease.


Lousie Nagel Long's sister, Mary  was buried next, at least I think it is her.  I am very confused as I found a wedding record for her and Herman Merkle at Trinity Lutheran Church.    I really don't know what is right since she is listed as Mary Nagel in the cemetery record.


Louise Long (again misspelled) is next.  She died in Wisconsin (1923) as she was living with her daughter Anna Long Griese.  They brought her back to be buried in Springfield. 

The last is Elizabeth K Miller.  She is the daughter of Charles and Louise and wife of George Miller and sister of Emma Long Brueggeman.  She died  June 11, 1943.


As you can see, much information can be gained by getting the burial records.

Harry Maybury (Lizzie's Brother) Marriage

I think that tracing Harry Maybury's family is our best bet to finding living Maybury relatives.  He was the youngest Maybury sibling and he had two sons.  Unfortunately, the 1911 British Census hasn't been released for all areas.  

At the time of his marriage, he was a tool maker.  The witnesses for the wedding were likely his wife's (Emily Glew) siblings.  Lizzie was already in the US.  I am still trying to find her older sister, Carrie.

Hilliards School House

In pictures that Selma left was this picture.  I had overlooked it until today.  It is such a great picture of the school house that the Brueggeman children attended.  Selma frequently only labeled her father, herself, and one or two of her sisters.  

Be sure to double click on the picture to look at it bigger.  I am sure the picture includes some, if not all, of her older siblings.  I would guess the boy on the far right side in the dark shirt is Gus (August) as his hair surely looks like "Brueggeman hair". Selma was born in 1899 and if she attended school at this time, this would make the picture from around 1905.    We should be able to find Louise (approximately 15-16), Emma (14-15), Edwin (11-12), and Gus (9-10).  Linda is marked and she would be approximately 7-8.  Ernst August looks so young standing next to the bicycle.

Family Picture Friday: Clamor Brueggeman and Family Members

I love this picture.  Clearly he is a very old man in this picture. Can anyone identify the others in the picture.  The man looks like Martin and not Louis, with whom CLVB was living with.  Maybe someone will recognize the women and let me know. 

Celiac Disease Risk and DNA

As I have posted before and here, Ray had his DNA tested.  I haven't covered the information on Disease Risk.  It isn't explained if the increased or decreased risk factors are from the maternal or paternal side.  Most of his risk factors were not significantly higher or lower than the general population except for Celiac Disease.   The risk factor in the general population is 0.1% but Ray's DNA shows a risk factor of 2.5% or a 21.32%  greater risk when compared to the average. We don't know of any cases in Ray's brothers.


From the 23 and Me website: Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye—collectively called "gluten". When someone with Celiac Disease eats gluten, his or her immune system is activated and mounts an attack on the tissue of the small intestine. Symptoms include diarrhea and abdominal pain, but many people with Celiac Disease do not show any overt symptoms. About 1% of the global population is affected by Celiac Disease (approximately 2 million people in the United States). Celiac Disease can strike at any age. Like many other autoimmune diseases, the condition is two to three times more common in women than men. The only treatment for Celiac Disease is adherence to a completely gluten-free diet. Luckily, this completely alleviates symptoms for most people with the disease and allows the damage in their intestines to heal.


I discussed this with my doctor and he stated that it isn't a new disease, but rather one that probably always existed but people didn't know what was causing the symptoms.  

Graduation Time

Since we are in Graduation time, I thought I'd share a picture of Thomas Roberts Riley II and Sid and Selma at his graduation from Medical School/Ohio State.

Here is a picture from 1960 when he was an intern:

Documenting other "Family" members

Pets occupy an important role in our lives. In most cases, we don't know about our ancestors and the role pets may have played in their lives.  Of course, pets didn't occupy the role they do now and probably weren't as important to them.
I have this picture of Tom and Lizzie's dog, Toni

Here are Judy and I with our dog Spook in Winchester,VA

Make sure you document pets as part of your family's history!

Paul Bennhoff

I had posted a picture of Paul Bennhoff and other Brueggemann family members here.  Here is a close-up of Paul:

David Reinhardt has made contact with one of Paul's sons, Christ Bennhoff from California.  Here is an excerpt from his email to David:

Another website called “Life of Riley” I found for Brueggemann. That one has a picture of my DAD as a toddler standing on a chair for a family group picture, making it abt 1898. Boy. .  that one stopped me in my tracks!  Another person doing research on our dad, found his ‘draft registration cards’, for WWI 1917/1918, there in Cleveland. I’m getting so many surprises!! As you probably know, everything links back to Ancestry!! 

I never know who visits my blog so it was fun for me to get this email from David.  As I credited in the original posting, this photo came from David Reinhardt.  Below is the the WWI draft registration card mentioned:

Paul was 22 years old and his employment says he was a banker for Clark Ave Savings Bank.  He was unmarried at the time.  I will email Chris to get more details about Paul.  Just to help you keep it straight, Paul would be the great grandson of Clamor.

Happy Birthday to Me

Looking for something to blog about tonight and I am going to cheat and do an easy posting.
Today is my birthday.  I was born in the same hospital as both my parents, Akron City Hospital.
I have always said I was born under a lucky star- great, great parents.

Here is a picture of me with my Grandparents:  Eunice and Dwight Cork and Sid and Selma Riley.

Naturalization Records Not Found

I have just spent hours searching through the Naturalization Records from Northern Ohio and have found no records (using all the various spellings) for any of the Brueggemans born in Germany.  It doesn't appear that Clamor nor his wife nor his sons ever applied for US Citizenship.  Wives didn't apply on their own but rather where a part of her husband's application. For example, in Philadelphia prior to 1922, there were less than 50 records of Naturalization of women.  


During the 19th century, the only reason for an alien to become a citizen was in order to achieve the right to vote. He (or she) did not need to become a citizen in order to buy or sell property, hold a job, get married, or to do anything of a personal or social nature. Many aliens lived most of their lives in this country and never began and/or completed the process of naturalization. This connection between naturalization and the franchise explains why the majority of naturalizations occur during Presidential-election years. During any year, the majority of petitions are filed in the weeks just before the primary or general election. It also explains why very few women bothered to become citizens on their own (http://www.phila.gov/phils/docs/inventor/natz.htm)

I guess they didn't feel it was important to their success in the US to go to the trouble to file for Naturalization.

The Riley Boys and the Spelling Bee

Some of my readers probably don't know about the Riley boys and the Akron Spelling Bee.  In case you missed it, the finals for 2011 were on ESPN last night.  The winner was a  fourteen year old girl named Sukanya Roy. She cinched the win by correctly spelling “cymotrichous,” which apparently means “wavy hair.


The winer  For some reason, lost to time, Selma wanted her boys to be competitive spellers.  The eldest son, Norm, made it to the National Spelling Bee in Washington DC in 1939.

Mason School Children organized a Parade honoring Norm's win of the Akron City
Spelling Bee.

David was the runner-up in the Akron City Bee in 1941.

 Tom competed in 1948.

Richard R Gratton

I thought I'd google Richard R Gratton and found this notation in the 2009 Stanford Medical School list of Benefactors:

Olga S. Gratton Estate: $588,000 

to the Richard R. Gratton, MD Fund 

to support scholarships for medical 

students

Olga Siska was Richard's wife.  Poor Olga outlived both of her children.  Elizabeth Anne Gratton died 10 Jan 2001 and a month later she lost her son, Richard.  Olga lived until 2007 and died at age 89.

Stacey Gratton Part 2

I was looking again at the 1930 census for Stacey Gratton and family.  Actually, it lists Richard Gratton as a stepson rather than his son.  Richard was using the Gratton name so I don't know if it was for convenience or if Stacey adopted him.  There is also a difference between the 1920 and 1930 census regarding his year of immigration.  The 1920 census shows 1910 (he would have been 19) and the 1930 census shows 1914.
Richard was born in 1915 and his given name was Richard Hitchcock.  His mother was May S.  Hitchcock.  Richard died in 1990 in San Francisco. Richard is listed in one record as Dr. Richard Gratton.  I looked for Richard's family and discovered he had a son, Richard Gratton.  I was really hoping to find a living Gratton but he died at age 54 in 2001.
Stacey other son was Donald B.  He born in 1922 in Alameda County, California and died there in 1984.

I would love to find a living relative of Mary Riley.  Her only daughter died at age 39 and had never married.  There another brother, James Maxwell Gratton.  He went to "Public" school in England and I wonder if Ezra helped pay that bill.  It seems like a luxury for a Methodist Minister to send his son to such a school (Kingswood School).

Stacey Gratton: Nephew to Thomas Roberts Riley

Tom's eldest sister Mary had two sons and a daughter.  The eldest son Stacey came to the US at age 23 (in 1914).  In the 1921 San Francisco city directory, he is listed as an Accountant.

 The 1930 Census shows us that he was specifically an accountant in Ladies Apparel in San Francisco.  He paid rent of $95 per month, which seems like a lot to me during the depression.

At the time of World War II, he was living in Berkley and working for the Treasury Department.

He died in 1980 at age 88 in Oakland.  He had two sons, Richard and Donald.

Fred Brueggemann and Dietrich Fortlage

Fred Brueggemann (son of Clamor) was a Hardware salesman as reported on several census forms.  On the 1900 Census, there was a 12 year old boarder listed on his family's record.  The boy was listed as in school and his name was Dietrich Fortlage.  Fred's daughter Marie Catharine Dorothea Brueggeman married Adolph Fortlage in 1900.  Dietrich was Adolph's youngest brother.  Fred and his wife seem to have taken Dietrich in after his parents died.  Dietrich's father died in 1890 and I couldn't find the date of death of his mother.  He clearly wasn't a boarder but a member of the family.  He lived with them until the time of his marriage.  He also followed in Fred's footsteps and is listed in 1920 and 1930 censuses and in his WWI and WWII draft registrations as a Hardware Salesman for the George Worthington Co. in Cleveland.

The GEORGE WORTHINGTON CO., one of the nation's leading hardware wholesalers and industrial distributors, began in 1829 when 16-year-old GEORGE WORTHINGTON† came to Cleveland from New York. Noting the lack of proper tools being used in building the OHIO AND ERIE CANAL, Worthington returned to New York, purchased picks, shovels, and other implements, and shipped them to Cleveland. When the supply sold quickly, Worthington doubled his money and opened his first hardware store at Superior and W. 10th streets. In 1835 he acquired a competitor, McCurdy & Conklin, and relocated the store to Superior and Water (W. 9th) streets. The advent of the railroad and the Civil War stimulated the company's growth, and by 1868 Worthington built a new store and warehouse at 802 W. St. Clair Ave. By 1870 the firm began issuing yearly catalogs as sales reached $1.5 million. After the store burned in 1874, a larger store was erected on the same site, and the company expanded its headquarters there to a complex of 13 structures. Under president JAMES BARNETT† the George Worthington Co. incorporated in 1887. With a sales territory extending through 10 northeastern and midwestern states by 1920, Worthington discontinued its retail business and devoted the firm's resources to the wholesale trade.