Now this is a tiny photo! You probably can’t tell how small exactly, but it’s the 1896 law class from the University of Wisconsin squeezed onto a cabinet card (about 6 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches). Ambitious. To maintain photo … Continue reading
This is the whole 8th grade class of 1928 Reynolds School in Meadville, PA. In the top row end on left is Thomas Vetter at about age 13. In the 1930 census, two years after this photo was taken, Thomas … Continue reading
Olive Margarete L. Bowers was Senior at Plymouth High School in 1931 in Wayne County, Michigan. She was either Olive or Margarete depending on which census record you look at. In 1920, 8 year old Margreathe L. Bowers lived with … Continue reading
For a change of pace I’m going back to the Willaimsville Township High School class of 1934. There we find Velma Cook. A great smile AND coif! Williamsville Township HS was in Williams, Illinois, part of Sangamon county. Only one … Continue reading
At first I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find much on H. B. Dye of Manzanola, first in line in the “bottom row standing.” With only initials to go on making an ID can be tough. But, I remembered … Continue reading
We’re still visiting rural Colorado in 1910 with the introduction of George Ingalls. Any fan of Little House on the Prairie would want to find out who this man was. Well, George W. Ingalls was born in Connecticut around 1860. He was the son of George Ingalls and Phiania; both of whom were also born in Connecticut. His grandfather was George S. Ingalls. But the line of George would end with George W.
George Ingalls of Ordway, Colorado, 1910
Here’s the wonderfully abundant timeline of his and his family’s life thanks to census records:
1850 – George’s father (George) was 24 living with his father (George S.) a blacksmith, aged 63 and his siblings: Eliza, Nancy,and Ellen. They lived in Pomfret, CT. His mother had apparently already passed away.
1860 – Still in Pomfret, CT. Father George had now married Phiania and had two children of their own Clarissa (5) and Henry (2). They still lived with grandfather George S. who was still working as a blacksmith.
1870 – Pomfred, CT. The tables had turned George S. was no longer Head of household. At age 80 he lived with son George and Phiania. They were farmers. Our George now entered the picture, he was 9 years older with siblings Clarissa and Henry.
1880 – The family made a move to Stapelton, Chickasaw, Iowa. Our George was 19, Clarissa, 25. George S. had died 5 years earlier in February of 1875. Tragically so had big brother Henry. Henry died about one month before grandfather George at the young age of 17. Both are buried in Windham County, CT.
1885 – George & Phiania lived alone still in Chicksaw, IA; still farming.
1900 – Our George has married! According to the census in 1882 he and Gertrude married and at some point moved to Otero county, Colorado. Probably before 1885 since they are not in that census. They have two children: Clarissa and Henry. Clearly George was very close to his brother and sister. George’s occupation was Stock Raiser.
1910 – the year of the photo: Ordway, Otero county, CO. George W. was a farmer (when he wasn’t busy with the Reception Committee for the 4th of July!) Daughter Clarissa, now 25, was teaching and son Henry aged 26 had no occupation listed.
1920 – George W., Gertrude, and Clarissa now live in Manzanola, CO. George’s occupation was Bee Man in a Apiary! Clarissa was still teaching and Henry has moved on to bigger things.
1930 – Another big move, this time to Basin, Big Horn county, Wyoming. This appeared to be George and Gertrude’s retirement home. No occupation is listed.
1936 – A short 6 years of retirement; George W. died and is buried in Mount View Cemetery in Basin, WY. Gertrude died later that same year and is buried with him.
The Ingalls’ Family Tree
Reception Committee – July 4, 1910
Now this is a great photo! What’s not to love about a 4th of July celebration? These guys were definitely taking it seriously. According to the very detailed, typed information on the back of the photo, this was the Reception Committee for a July 4th, 1910 celebration in Riverside Park, Manzanola, Colorado. Lot’s of “honorables” were in attendance that day. From La Junta, to Rocky Ford, to Pueblo and Manzanola. Most of these small towns are in Otero county in the southeast quadrant of the state (so convenient having a square state).
Louis Sickenberger, kneeling on the left
This post will focus on one of these men, the Honorable Louis Sickenberger. He is the first person kneeling on the left in the close up photo. I say “honorable” is unconfirmed only because nothing I found described him as a public official elected or otherwise. He is listed as a farmer in every census. But in these small western towns that may have been a mere formality. He was at least once described as “an honored and prosperous citizen of the community” per the Denver Rocky Mountain News.
Louis was born William Louis Sickenberger in 1862 in Illinois. His parents were Phillip and Elizabeth Sickenberger. Not surprisingly they were from Germany – where else can you get a last name like that? Dad was a miller in Illinios. They lived in Tyrone, Franklin, IL in 1880. Lewis was 19 with younger brother John 14. By 1900 however Louis (often referred to as WL) had moved to Otero county where he would stay. He was married to a Mary a few years his senior and his mother lived with them as well. Louis and Mary appeared to have no children.
Now in 1910 (the year of this photo) Wm. Louis lived in East Rocky Ford, Otero county with a new wife Anna. Ann was 10 years his junior. They too would have no children. I can only assume that Louis and Mary divorced at some point. She doesn’t seem to have died until 1947. The wedding of Louis Sickenberger and Anna was no small affair. They were married a few months before this photo on April 23, 1910. The article in the Denver Rocky Mountain News describes the beautiful and elaborate ceremony.
Later that year, in late July of 1910, Louis was elected Director of the Manzanola Commerce Club and in 1919 chosen President of High Line Canal Co. at Rocky Ford. He certainly prospered in his adopted state. If only there were descendants equally interested in this honorable man. Find a Grave website has Louis, Anna, Phillip, Elizabeth, and John’s memorials listed. All are buried in Manzanola Mountainview Cemetery.
Julia Mikloda, 1932 class of Wakeman HS in Huron County, OH
UPDATE, Sept 2014: An email from a family member has shed more light on the Mikloda family,
“My great grandfather was Jacob Mikloda. Jacob was married to Susan Filko and had several children including my grandfather, John. John changed the spelling of the family name to McLoda, but I have never been told why. John died in 1958…I have heard the story before of Jacob becoming angry and burning his barns. I have also heard that his arrest caused him to be deported back to Czechoslovakia.”
From the least common name to one of the most common, Julia Mikloda (later Julia Green) was born in Pennsylvania on March 2, 1914. Her parents were Czechoslovakian immigrants in the early 1900s. Julia was the sixth of nine children born to Jacob Mikloda and Susan Filko. Most if not all of her siblings attended Wakeman High School as Julia did. This is her graduating picture in 1932.
The family moved from PA to OH around 1920 and farmed in the area for the rest of their lives. But all was not happy. In 1933, one year after this photo, the Sandusky Star Journal reported that on September 12th Susie Mikloda filed for divorce from husband Jacob. Mr. Mikloda was being held in the local jail for allegedly burning down two barns on the Mikloda farm. That same newspaper reported on December 7, 1933 that Mr. Mikloda was found guilty and the divorce granted.
That explains why Susie and 5 of her 9 children were living without Jacob in 1940. Two of her sons were farming and two daughters were maids. Julia was married by then to Lyle Green and was a new mother. The whole family seems to have stayed in or near Huron county, Ohio and most are buried in Camden Cemetery. Matriarch Susie died in 1950. Julia lived until 1997, outliving her husband by over 20 years.
I’ve not found anyone searching for this family – but when they start it will be easy going. Everything I found on the Mikloda name was about this family!
Helen Gutz, 1938 Osmond, Nebraska
I will thank my lucky stars for easily found obituaries once again. I would not know much about Helen were it not for hers. This is a splendid photo; I love the clasp on her shirt, the hair style. Helen is another 1938 graduate from Osmond High School in Osmond, Nebraska.
Helen was born October 4, 1919 to Amandus and Alvina Gutz. She was the 2nd youngest of about 8 children. The family lived in Foster, Pierce county, Nebraska in 1930 and 1940 – the same county as Osmond. There appeared to be a link to a Mr. Gansebom as her husband. But I had little evidence to go on – until I found her obituary in the Norfolk Daily News mobile site. She died on November 17, 2008, several years after her husband Everett Gansebom.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess she was Lutheran (here are a few quotes from the Norfolk Daily News):
She was baptized on Oct. 26, 1919, at Immanuel Lutheran Church by Rev. William Brueggemann and confirmed on April 9, 1933, by Rev. Eric Holstein.
She attended school at District 34, a rural one-room elementary school, Immanuel Lutheran Parochial School and graduated from Osmond High School in 1938.
On Sept. 8, 1946, Helen was married to Everett Gansebom at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Osmond by Rev. Theo Weiting. They farmed southwest of Osmond and operated a diversified grain and livestock operation until they retired and moved into Osmond in 1982. Helen’s greatest joys were her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also enjoyed working with her flowers and in her garden.
She was a member of the Immanuel Ladies Aid and the LWML. She regularly attended Tuesday morning Bible class and the ladies Wednesday Bible study. She was also a member of the VFW Auxiliary. She taught Sunday school for many years.
Now that’s a lot of great info packed into one obituary. The Lutheran’s were lucky to have you Helen!
Weaving together someone’s life story from a few census records and death certificates constantly leaves me longing to know more. Miss Altje Roley is no exception. Her name gave me some issues as I misread her last name as Roby. Finding no one with a first name of Altje, I considered that it might be a nickname. But, upon further inspection, I decided the last name could be Roley – and then her life opened up.
Altje (a germanic name meaning noble kind) Roley was born on June 23rd, 1905 in Ohio. Her father Otto Roley and mother Vesta Pearl Roley were also native to Ohio. It was Otto’s grandparents who were from Germany, and the culture seems to have stuck for a few generations considering the name choices. Altje appeared to be Otto and Pearl’s only child. In 1910 the family lived in Hilliar, Knox, Ohio where Otto was a tailor. By 1920 they had moved to Liberty, Fairfield, Ohio where this high school graduation photo of Altje was taken at Liberty High School in 1923.
I was unable to find Altje in the 1930 census, but in 1940 a very confusing census listed her as a male head of household named Altje Larrence – although it should have been Torrence. Otto and Pearl were living with her though their last name was misinterpreted as Raley. She had 3 children who were mistakenly listed with the last name Raley as well. I was able to piece together that between 1923 and 1930 probably, Altje married John Henry Torrence. John Henry died of basal meningitis in Canton, Ohio in 1936. Altje was likely pregnant with their youngest child at the time. It makes sense then that she would choose to live with her parents again for help. In 1940 while she/he is listed as head of household, Altje didn’t have an occupation. Her father Otto however owned a restaurant in Basil, Ohio.
At some point Altje remarried. She is buried in Old Basil Cemetery with Elza Weaver, who preceded her in death by 9 days. Otto and Pearl and John Henry are also buried in this same cemetery. An interesting life that I wish I knew more about. Good luck Altje!
Unclaimed Ancestors 