Obituary for Eric Albert Erickson

In a writing group, I was challenged to craft an obituary. I could choose to write my own (creepy!) or one for a deceased ancestor. It's a bit harder when it's someone you never met, obviously, but it was an interesting exercise. Here is my attempt to capture the life of Eric Albert Erickson, my second great-grandfather, in an obituary. 

E. Albert Erickson

     As a young man, growing up in a small Swedish village, Albert Erickson dreamed of living in America and the opportunities that could be found there. He worked hard, saved money for the voyage and, at just eighteen years old, bid farewell to his childhood home, friends and family and left for NordAmerika. Born Eric Albert Erickson in the Spring of 1869 to Eric Jansson and Johanna Charlotta Pehrsdotter, he was raised in the village of Östra Vingåker, Södermanland, Sweden . He died at the age of 83 in his home in Renton, Washington, on Sunday, July 6, 1952 after a lengthy illness. Albert’s bravery, adventurous spirit, and willingness to work hard to reach his goals served him throughout his life. 

     Soon after arriving in America, Albert settled in Mahaska County, Iowa, one of only a handful of Swedes in the area, where he immersed himself in the process of becoming American. He quickly learned the language, completed the naturalization process, and set about making a life for himself. Josie Lena Moore, a young woman native to the area, caught his eye and became his wife in March of 1892. Josie’s father and step-mother were of German heritage, so she brought those customs into their home to blend with Albert’s Swedish upbringing. They were members of the Friends Quaker community in Oskaloosa and attended services with Josie’s family. The couple was blessed with seven children, four daughters and three sons. Sadly, their firstborn son, Walter Dewey, died at only three months of age. Even in adversity, he remained joyful with faith in his God, and the goodness of his fellow man, his buoys. It was rare, indeed, to see Albert without a happy grin on his face. 

     By 1910, the Erickson family had moved to Grant County, Washington, settling in the brand-new community of Ephrata. It was hard work to clear the dry desert land of sagebrush and prepare it for farming and building. Albert’s eldest two daughters helped support the family by working in a restaurant, while Albert worked as a farm laborer. After ten difficult years in Ephrata, he once again chose to make a drastic change. This time, he packed everything up and headed for the city. Albert, Josie, and the four youngest children moved to Seattle.

     City life suited Albert. He was a happy, jolly man and enjoyed the people he encountered at work and at home. He found employment with the City of Seattle Water Department, where he remained until retirement. He and Josie cheerfully welcomed the spouses of their children and all the grandchildren that became part of the rapidly expanding family. Albert will be remembered for bouncing them all on his knee as he sang out, in his native Swedish, children’s rhyming songs of his youth. His zest for life and willingness to work hard for his dreams have left a lasting impact on all who knew him. 

     Albert is survived by his wife of sixty years, Josie; two sons, Roy (Marie) and Earl (Margaret) Erickson, both of Seattle; four daughters, Eda (Peter) Peterson of Cashmere, Chelan County, Katie (Art) Cavanaugh of Selah, Yakima County, Rose (Theodore) Cox of Wesley, California, and Pearl (Clyde) Morrison of Seattle. He also leaves 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

     Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 1 o’clock in Stokes Chapel, Renton, Washington, with burial to follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery. While his family will long mourn his death, they will forever remember Albert with fondness and strive to live as he did, finding joy in each day.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 45

This postcard is #45/100 from a collection of postcards dated between 1908 and 1914 that was found in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death in 2015. Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace (Sisson) Brown (1897-1978), was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895. They remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. Their collection of memorabilia was passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin, and is now in my possession.

This card is to Edith Duffield Sisson from her sister, Eva Duffield Green.

Entrance to Ravinia Park  Chicago, Ill.

This card was sent from Eva's home in Dayton, Illinois, so I suspect that she had picked up a bunch of postcards on her last trip to Chicago and just chose one to jot a note to her big sister. I like to think that cards were chosen because the purchaser actually visited the place pictured, but in this case there's no way to tell from the message or the postmark. I'm curious about the park, though, so looked it up.

Built on 36 acres bought by the A.C. Frost Co., the park began life in 1904 as an amusement park, complete with a skating rink, a carousel, a toboggan slide, an electric arm swing and a pavilion where audiences could enjoy performances of classical music. "It began as an amusement park but with a musical complement. The music was always there," Goldstein noted. from the Chicago Tribune, May 23, 1993

                                                   
Now the park is host to open air concerts all summer long and draws huge crowds. The electric rail will only stop at Ravinia Park when there is a concert scheduled. Now that I know a little more, I really hope Eva had a chance to visit and play in the park with her husband, because life at home in Dayton was full of work. The Green's had a dairy farm and Eva was responsible for feeding meals to the workers, keeping the house and raising the chickens. I would guess that they sold eggs, too, but I'm not certain. They hadn't been married long, so Eva was still setting up housekeeping when she sent this card to "Ede", her pet name for Edith.

Postmarked October 17, 1910 in Dayton, Illinois

Addressed to:

Mrs Charles Sisson.

Ottawa,

Illinois.

408 Marcy St.

Dear Ede - 

I can't call you up, so I

thought I would send this

card. We were at the folks

to dinner yesterday and when

I got home I found 11 little

chickens just hatched and

the old hen brought them for

something to eat. They are

awful nice but it is so late.

Wish Vick would bring you 

up and stay longer. I am done

cleaning house all but putting

the carpet down in the front -

continued sideways across the top:

room I have

it bought

but not home

yet. I have my

curtains all

hung and you

can bet I

feel better.

I won't

have to 

work quite

so much

now. 

Eva.

I've never raised chickens, but I know midwest winters can be bitter cold and they have to be kept warm for the first few months of life. Here she was in mid-October with a bunch of new babies and worried about their chances of survival. I think she really missed her sisters, too. She mentions "Vick" in the note - Victoria was another sister and the girls were all very close.

Cordelia Francis (Hammond) Nicholas Dye (1877-1970)

Cordelia Francis Hammond was my 2nd great-grandmother. She died when I was 4 years old and I have no memory of her. I asked my great aunt Velma, Cordelia's granddaughter, to tell me about her grandma. Aunt Velma wrote the following and mailed it to me several years ago:

Cordia was daughter of Thomas & Martha Hawkins Hammonds. Cordelia Francis Hammond (nicknamed Cordia) was born March 5, 1877 - passed away June 7, 1970 she was 93 years old, plus three months & two days. She was married at Pouhatan, Arkansas to David Lincoln Nicholas. She later married Joseph Dye at West Plains, Mo. She was born in Howell County, Mo. Cordia & Joseph Dye lived at Koshkonong, Mo. 18 miles east of West Plains, Mo. on 63 Highway, she lived with my mother in Kansas City her last few years until she got where she couldn't take care of her. She died in a nursing home in Independence, Mo. a suburb of Kansas City, Mo. Cordia had one brother Willie Hammonds lived at Sturkie, Arkansas, one sister Gracie Lemmons of Phoenix, Arizona. 10 grandchildren, four step-grand kids, 28 great grandchildren, & 16  great great grandchildren.

Cordia and Joseph are buried in Koshknong, Mo. Cemetery. We go Decorate their graves every year. Cordia was a nurse during the war, she put a string of asfidity around her neck & never did get a disease. They lived close to Railroad Tracks in Koshkonong. I used to visit when I was a child, I would run hide every time a train came by. When she lived at my mothers she had to have peaches for supper every night. Grandpa Dye had a Service Station in Koshkonong. He was married before, then his wife died. Her picture is hanging in Bobs front room. Joseph Dye died in 1956. I don't know much about Grandpa Dye but he was a great man. We loved him.

Cordia Hammonds & Dave Nicholas got married but I don't know when. They had 4 daughters Belle, Hattie & Beulah. They had a small daughter to die, I didn't know her name.

Researching Cordelia, I found that most of what Velma wrote was accurate. I enjoyed the little extras, like the peaches for supper. Cordia was living with her daughter Hattie Cobb, who happened to grow and can the best peaches ever, so no wonder she wanted them each evening. 

My favorite photo of Cordia. It's an undated postcard print.

The first evidence I can find of Cordia is in the 1880 census. She was listed with her family in South Fork Township, Howell County, Missouri. The birthdates and birthplaces of the children tell us that the family came to Howell County between 1875 (a daughter's birth in Arkansas) and 1877 (Cordia's birth in Missouri).

The 1890 census records were destroyed in a fire, so that year isn't available to use for documenting the family.  I do know that Thomas and Martha had additional children after 1880. Siblings Willie and Grace were listed in Cordia's obituary and I found records for children born as late as 1897.

I found Cordia's marriage record in 1893 to David Lincoln Nicholas. It's difficult to read, but interesting to note they were under the age of eighteen and their fathers both had to consent to the marriage. They are listed as living in Moody, Howell County, Missouri.

Ancestry.com, Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002, Image 259/280, accessed 14 Sep 2017.

I haven't been able to locate Cordia and David in the 1900 census. I need to take some time and look through the images page by page because it's possible the name was hard to read and they were indexed incorrectly. I found them in 1910 on the census records living next door to Cordia's oldest brother John and his family in Washington, Fulton, Arkansas. It was here that their daughters were born. 

• Nora Belle Nicholas was born on April 3, 1897 (married David Ward)
• Hattie Eugene Nicholas was born on June 3, 1899
• Beulah M. Nicholas was born on October 9, 1901 (married Walter Wallace)
• and that infant daughter Aunt Velma mentioned was born and died before 1910. She is sort of listed on this census. It asks how many children the mother has had (4) and how many are living (3).

The family was still in Washington, Fulton, Arkansas in 1920, though Hattie was the only child still at home. The two older daughters had married and started their own families. Daughter Beulah and her husband were living right next door. Hattie followed suit soon after, when she married Henry Clay "Kay" Cobb in 1921. Aunt Velma mentioned in her notes that Cordia was a nurse during the war. Because of her age, I assume World War I, though I really don't know. If that's the case, she may have been out of the house for some of the time right before this census. I had never heard of "asfidity" so I had to look it up. I found this blog post that explains the folk remedy. Apparently people believed that wearing certain herbs would ward off the flu, polio, and other illnesses. The herbs were kept in a bag that was either pinned inside the clothes or worn on a string around the neck. So now we all know.

Sometime between 1920 and 1923, Cordia and David Nicholas were divorced. No one alive seems to know why. In 1923, Cordia married Joseph Dye, a widow seventeen years her senior. His first wife had died young and he had her portrait made for $300, so the story goes. Cordia wouldn't allow it to hang in their home, so he hung it in his office. Like my aunt Velma mentioned, the portrait now hangs in the living room at Bobby Cobb's home in central Missouri. I photographed it when I was there to visit in July. It has a big elaborate frame that I sadly didn't capture in my picture. $300 back then, in rural Missouri, was a bunch of cash to spend on a wall portrait. It's really spectacular. Uncle Bob said his Grandpa Dye wanted to be sure that the portrait was always taken care of and hung where it could be seen. Uncle Bob promised he would see to it. Even though she was not a blood relation, it's a sweet love story and a promise is a promise.

Portrait of  Sarah Rainwater Dye, 1st wife of Joseph Dye, as it hangs in the home of Bobby Cobb.

While at my Uncle Bob's this summer, he also brought out an envelope with a handwritten note documenting the marriage of Cordia and Joseph along with their marriage certificate. I just had my phone, which was almost dead, so I quickly snapped a photo of the note before it died completely (see below). Cordia and Joe lived in Koshkonong, Missouri, a little town along the highway. Velma said Joe owned a service station. Uncle Bob remembers that he had a business of some kind and that's where Sarah's portrait was kept. In 1930, on the census, they were recorded living on Luyster Street and he was a "buyer" of "ties". Railroad ties? I looked at a map and Luyster is a long street that intersects with Hwy 63. The railroad runs closest to the street on the highway end of Luyster. Aunt Velma remembers the scary trains, so their farm must of been in that area.

"J. F. Dye and Corda F. Hammond was married April 25 (27 is written below 25) 1923"
Handwritten note possessed by Bobby Cobb, unknown by whom written.

Cordia was widowed in 1944 when her husband Joseph Dye passed. She lived until 1970 and from what I understand was quite eccentric. My mom and her sister both recall going to visit at their great-grandma Cordia's home, but they weren't permitted in the house. They would wait on the front steps where they were allowed to eat grapes from the vines that grew there. Another vivid memory was the view inside her home from the front door. In her later years, Cordia became what we know now as a "hoarder". She didn't throw things away and from her front door all one could see was a narrow path down a hall. Things, papers and magazines and who knows what, were stacked along both walls. When my mom told me the story, she said it was a good thing that house never caught fire.

Later, when she was unable to care for herself, Cordia went to live with her daughter Hattie. Cordia was a quiet woman. In fact, my aunt doesn't remember ever hearing her great-grandmother speak. Sadly, she was just kind of in the background. Peaches, however, was something my aunt did remember. She thinks Cordia had a bowl of Hattie's peaches at every meal!

5 generations - Cordia Dye, Hattie Cobb, LeRoy Cobb, Louise Cavanaugh & Shannon Cavanaugh (me).
Taken in Kansas City at Hattie's home in 1967. 

Cordia died in 1970 in Independence, Missouri. I think Aunt Velma may have copied some of the information she sent me from this funeral card as it matches up with her note (above), even the error in death year for Joseph Dye.

Obituary from the back of Cordia's funeral card.

Cordia Dye's funeral card .

Pallbearers at Cordia's funeral were grandsons J. D. Cobb, Bobby Cobb and Roy Cobb (Hattie's sons), Wayman Womack (husband of Hattie's daughter Velma), Jewell Ward (Belle's son), Gary Proffitt (husband of Belle's daughter Virginia), and T. J. Waters (husband of Beulah's daughter Imogene).

The grave of Cordia, not Pauline, and Joseph Dye in Koshkonong Cemetery, Koshkonong, MO.
Photo taken July 2017.

I know this is the grave of Cordia and Joseph Dye. The dates are her birth and death date. Joseph's dates are correct. It's the grave Aunt Velma decorated every year in Koshkonong. I haven't figured out for sure where the name Pauline comes from. I have an idea, though. I scribbled the name Cordia...

Cordia, scribbled, could maybe be mistaken for Pauline...

...and I think I can see how maybe if the name was sloppily written it might have been mistaken for Pauline by the cemetery. I don't have a copy of Cordia's death certificate. It won't be available online until 2020 as Missouri makes digital copies available 50 years after death, so we can look at it then and see if my theory pans out!

The Basics of Family History Research, or what I've learned along the way

I've been researching my family history for a long time and I forget how some of the basics that are second nature to me can be completely foreign to someone who has never even thought about genealogy. Like a lot of genealogists, I didn't start out knowing how to do this. I winged it. And I screwed up a lot. Over the years, I have learned a lot about how NOT to do genealogy research! Because of that, I have a pretty good idea how I'd start if I were to do this all over again. Did you know that's a thing? Genealogists, like me, that didn't know what they were doing when they started, sometimes decide to REDO the whole thing! I'm not planning a Genealogy Do-over, but if I were to start again, I would follow these same suggestions.

• Start by gathering family documents and jotting down the stories you've heard from older family members. Begin creating your family tree, or pedigree chart, by filling in these details that you know. Pedigree charts, also called lineage or ancestral charts, can be found online for free. Just google "free pedigree chart to print", choose one and print out a few. Beginning with yourself, fill in that information you already have. List full names (tip: always use a female's maiden name on your chart), birthdate and birthplace, marriage date and place, and death date and place. It's good practice to consistently log your date and place info. For example, I list dates as DD Mon YYYY (13 Sep 2017), and I list places as City, County, State, Abbreviated Country. However you decide to enter the information, you'll be glad in the end that you stuck with a consistent format. When you fill in the first chart, you start another chart for each of the last generation, placing them as person #1 on the new chart. 

This is my family tree. My tangible version that isn't online.
 I keep it on the wall in my office and you can see I still have a lot of blank spaces.

• Your goal is to fill in all the blanks. But don't expect to fill in ALL the blanks. Kudos to you if you can, but it's a lofty goal. Once you have compiled all the known information, take a look at your chart and determine where the blanks are that are closest to your starting person on the chart - You. Generation one and two are probably pretty complete. Maybe three is, too. Find the first blank, maybe it's your paternal grandparent's marriage date and place. Formulate a research question, "When and where were my paternal grandparents married?" As you conduct family history research, you will tackle countless blanks that will all require research. Set yourself up for success by always starting with a plan. It can be as simple as a blank page in a spiral notebook with your research question written at the top. Your pedigree charts and research plans and notes can be handwritten on forms or can all be digital. There are software programs specifically for family history research. I use RootsMagic, but it's one of many programs available. You can also create your family tree online on Ancestry.com ($) or FamilySearch.org (free). 

Spiral notebooks are great research companions.
I buy a bunch each year when school supplies go on sale!

• Begin your research with the basics. Is there someone living who may have the information you need? A simple telephone call, email or visit may yield results. If you're lucky enough to have a relative to interview, TAKE NOTES! Or record the conversation, with their permission, of course. If you can't locate someone to ask, records may be available for the period and place you're searching. The best way I've found to find out what records are available is to use the FamilySearch Wiki. FamilySearch is a website you'll want to get to know. It was created by the Church of Latter Day Saints and is free to use. Click on the Search tab at the top and then choose Research Wiki. Follow the directions to the location you're searching and there you'll find what records are available for the time period. Look for birth, marriage and death records first and get familiar with them. Many of these records are digitized, so you can look at the actual image. ALWAYS examine the document if you can and extract all the information it holds. Try to use documents created near the time of the event. For example, proof of a birthdate is likely more accurate on a birth certificate than on a death certificate. The accuracy depends on who the informant was and if they were present at the actual event.

I snapped a photo of this picture that was hanging in my great uncle's bedroom
as he was giving me a tour of his home. These were his great-grandparents and he remembers them. They were my 3rd great-grandparents and I would have never known who they were if he hadn't told me.

• Keep detailed records of your research. This is where most people stumble. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of finding answers to your questions and rush ahead to the next event or the next ancestor. But, and I mean this, SLOW DOWN. I tell myself all the time, slow down and document your findings. What happens if you don't? Fifteen years from now you'll return to that family to research some more and won't have a clue where you found the record that you now want to have a new peek at. Believe me, it happens. So, use the notes field in your software program or write it down in your research log to be filed away with your research on that family. Note the repository, the title of the book, the website address, the page number, the image number, the date you accessed...whatever information you think you'll need to retrace your steps someday if you should need to. And don't think you won't need to, because you might. Or someone else picking up your research in the future might. Start doing this from the beginning and you're research will be better for it.

• Verify everything. Please don't blindly copy someone else's family tree. Please don't count an index as undeniable proof. And please don't read it in a book someone wrote about a family and assume it's the truth. Absolutely use all of these things as CLUES, but look for the source information and try to find and verify the information yourself. One wrong name on your chart can skew your research and make a real big mess. Imagine, you copy the names of parents of someone into your family tree and research those two people. For years. And later you find out they were the wrong couple...it happens. And it really, really sucks. From the beginning, verify everything and build yourself a solid tree. You'll create something to be proud of and pass on to your family.

• Don't keep it all to yourself. My last piece of advise is to SHARE your research. Talk about the family history, especially with young people. Ask your elders to tell you stories about the people you're researching. Organize family reunions. Write a blog. Write a book. Create a family facebook page to share photos and stories. I've done some of these things and I can tell you, not everyone is interested. I get some rolled eyes and blank stares sometimes. Oh well... Other times, I find there are people interested in the things I've learned and the stories I've uncovered. Share your research. It brings generations closer when there is a strong connection to the past. 

A group shot at one of our family reunions.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 44

Masonic Temple, Hammond, Ind.

This card is from a collection of postcards dated between 1908 and 1914 that was found in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death in 2015. Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace (Sisson) Brown (1897-1978), was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895. They remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. Their collection of memorabilia was passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin, and is now in my possession.

The Stiles family were neighbors and very close friends of the Sissons in Ottawa, but moved late in the summer of 1910 to Hammond, Indiana. George and Carrie Stiles had two sons; Milan Arthur "Art" Stiles was born in 1894 followed by Teddy Aussem William Stiles in 1897. The family had moved to Hammond because of son Ted's health and remained there for several years. This is a note from Ted to his "Auntie" Stiles in October, 1910.

A card featuring the Masonic Temple may have been chosen because of Mr. Sisson's association with the lodge in Ottawa. Teddy would have knowledge of Charles Sisson's affiliation and, perhaps, his own father was also a Mason. This temple was the first in Hammond, Indiana, and had been recently completed. 

Postmarked October 13, 1910 in Hammond, Indiana

Addressed to:

Mrs. Chas Sission

408 Marcy St.

Ottawa,.

Ill.

Dear Auntie

Am sitting

up now. Hope to

get to school. Nurse

went to night.

Hope you people

are well.

Ted.

P.S.

Write and tell

me when they get

another case of beer

Ted recovered eventually and went on to live a normal life and have a family of his own. Whatever the illness, it was serious enough to force the family to move and employ a private nurse. The reference to another case of beer is a mystery. I think it hinted at an inside joke and showed that even in his sickness, Ted Stiles maintained a sense of humor.