#26-2020. Middle. of the Family Bible

#26-2020.   Family Bible

What is in the middle of a Family Bible?

Many people have heard of a “Family Bible”, but many have never seen one or knew they exist.  

 “Family Bibles” were an important part of our ancestors life.  It is where they recorded the births, deaths & marriages of a family.  A "Family Bible" was a cherished possession in a family and passed down through the generations.  They are a treasure for a genealogist!

John M. Shaffner was my great grandfather. John M. Shaffner married Elizabeth Deborah Fletcher on 16 September 1880.  Their first son, Willard Fletcher Shaffner, was born on 10 July 1881.  I would presume that is when they began recording their family information.  A Family Bible could have been given as a gift.

The Shaffner Family Bible held by my father, Don Shaffner

In the middle of the “Family Bible”, are pages to record births, deaths and marriages in the family.  Many times these births were home births and or the vital records were not kept by a city/county/state office.  

John M. Shaffner wrote the information on his first marriage.  His wife died in 1899 and he remarried.  He wrote about that too.  

Often there are other gems of information in the middle of the Bible pertaining to family history.

The Shaffner Family Bible had loose pages of information about family.  The handwriting indicates an older style of cursive.  These are in archival protection so  hard to photograph.   Most of the information is about my 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Maria Fetter Shaffner's family!  Interesting there is not much information on her husband, my 3rd great grandfather, Gabriel Shaffner.  The information is birth dates, complete with time of both.  There are also marriage recorded with dates!  Since it was before civil registrations, these are the best records available for a genealogist. 

Does your family have a "Family Bible"?  

Keep looking and asking; you might be surprised what you find in the "middle"!

#25 Unexpected. A newsreel gave the information.

The story of events was told to us by my mother, Helen Lloyd many times.  The story always had a sadness of the way the family learned that Tony was a POW. Unexpected

Tony and my mother were cousins. (1st cousins 1x removed).  Although Tony was about 10 years older than my mother, the Lloyd family lived in the same community.  Family was important and suddenly one of their's was in WWII.  

Tony Boynton Lloyd was born 12 March 1915 at Waitsburg, Washington.   His parents were Wesley and Ina Lloyd.  

He joined the military after completing four years at the University of Washington in chemical engineering.  Tony was called up with other reserve officers in August of 1940 and was transferred to Fort Mills, Corregidor in the Philippines in September of 1941.   

In Tony's file, created by my mother, was a picture of Tony in the Philippines in April of 1942.  My mother marked the picture that it was in Life magazine.

 It was there at Corregidor  that he was taken prisoner by the Japanese in 28 April 1942.  

With limited information to the public, the family was never certain if Tony was a POW or had died.

Wes & Ina were at a movie and a newsreel was shown as was the custom in those days.  The newsreel  was showing a Japanese film of the surrender of American troops at Corregidor.   They recognized their son as POW.  The theatre reprinted a picture from the newsreel for the family.  That was the first time that they knew their son was a POW.    Can you imagine receiving news like that?

Unexpected.

It was at Christmas time in 1945 when the family received a telegram from the War Department that  their son had died in a prison camp in Japan on 7 January 1943.

Telegram Following is the text of the message received:  "The Secretary of war has asked me to express his deep regret that your son, First Lieutenant Tony B. Lloyd, died in Japan, January 7, 1943, as a result of malnutrition while a prisoner of war of the Japanese government.  I regret that unavoidable circumstances made necessary the unusual lapse of time in reporting your son's death to you.  Confirming letter follows.

For 2 years, the family after his capture by the Japanese, his family would hear rumors, giving them hope.  

It was thought he later escaped.  Consistent rumors had him serving with Filipino, and later, Chinese guerrillas, where his resourcefulness and skill with weapons were being utilized against the common enemy.  Now it is known that following the surrender he was variously at Billbid prison, Cabanatuan and finally Kokura, Japan on Shokuku island.

#24-2020 Handed Down. Shoes!

#24. Handed Down. Shoes from my Great Great Grandmother

In my collection of family artifacts are a pair of shoes!  And also a dress or two!


They belonged to Lois Jasper Lloyd.  Her nickname was Tiny Weenie Grandma.

Lois was born in Kentucky in 1841 and died in Waitsburg, Washington in 1930.  She had interesting life, heading west on the Oregon Trail in 1854, moving to Waitsburg in 1859.  

I believe the shoes say it all!

They are very small & dainty.  

But the shoes required lots of lacing!

I wonder which dress she wore them with!

A black dress?

Or a blue/gray dress?

Or the black dress located at the Bruce Memorial Museum in Waitsburg, Washington?

https://www.waitsburgmuseum.org

The Bruce House-Memorial Museum is owned by the Waitsburg Historical Society

#23 Wedding. Mom & Dad's wedding

#23 2020. Wedding. July 14, 1946

Seventy four years ago, Helen Lloyd married Don Shaffner.  My parents, Helen & Don had met at Washington State College in Pullman, Washington.

 Don & Helen

July 14, 1946

Helen was from a pioneer family in Waitsburg, Washington while Don was from a ranching family in Dillon, Montana.  Don was in Veterinary College after serving in WWII in the South Pacific.  

Helen lost her father 6 weeks before her wedding.  The wedding had been planned before his death.  Helen had graduated from college in 1946.  

While I have looked at their wedding picture for years, it wasn’t until I gathered up the pictures for the blog, that I "read" the story and “looked” at the pictures.

The description of the wedding was so interesting.   Mother carried a prayer book from Eastern Star, with orchids and stephanotis.  A rose point handkerchief which had been carried by the groom's mother at her wedding!  Where is the handkerchief today???  The bride's mother wore aqua blue gown with a corsage of white gladioli while the groom's mother also wore a gown of aqua blue with black accessories. The attendants were Mom's sister, Betty Race, who wore a gown of pink jersey with an overskirt of pink net and carried a colonial bouquet.  The groom's attendants were his brother, George and a younger brother Dean, was an usher along with Betty's husband, Robert Race.  

The wedding story in the newspaper.

I do not know which newspaper.

Don & Helen's wedding party

On the left:  Betty Race, Della & John F. Shaffner

On the right:  George Lloyd and George Shaffner

Calla Lloyd (Helen's mother)

This family group picture was great!  There are Don's parents in 1946 as well as Helen's mother! 

The best part of researching this blog was finding the Bride's book and looking through it.

The invitation to the wedding.

Also included in the Bride's book was a handwritten list. Typical of Helen to include all information,  the headings were Present received, Article, Sent by, Sender's address, Where bought, Thank you written.  The list includes gifts given at her wedding showers. There is also a list for announcements, including addresses.  Which is pretty informative for a genealogist looking for information on relatives in 1946!

Mother wrote in the book about getting her engagement ring.  (information for another blog!)

There were newspaper articles/notices about her wedding showers, and a luncheon where she was honored.

Helen even filled out a brief family tree for the bride and the groom.  Limited information, but even in 1946 my mom knew her genealogy!

In the book was a listing of the wedding party.  Since her father, George Marvin Lloyd, passed away 6 weeks before the wedding; her cousin Milton Lloyd walked her down the aisle standing in for her father.  An interesting note written by Mom;  "After wedding rehearsal the wedding party went out home and were served ice cream & cake.  After that they got served something a mite stronger.  Don initiated some of the new glasses we got as wedding presents."

The Bride's book also was used as a guest register.  

And a list of all the gifts received and from whom received! 

Included in the book is the diary of their honeymoon! (another blog perhaps???)

#22-2020. Uncertain Thomas Lloyd & Revolutionary War

22-2020.  Uncertain.  Thomas Lloyd

Was he a Revolutionary War Soldier or Not?

Thomas Lloyd is my 4th great grandfather.  

The extensive Lloyd files that I inherited contain information that he was a Revolutionary War solider.  

In the 1840 Census of Grainger County, Thomas Loyd is not listed as a pensioner for Revolutionary war or military service.

I believe this note is from Angeline Lloyd Aldrich:  Thomas Lloyd, Revolutionary soldier, was appointed Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War, April 9, 1781 and served to April 17, 1785 in the North Carolina Brigade.  

Angeline was the great granddaughter of Thomas.  Angeline was approved for admission to the Daughter of the American Revolution  (DAR) in 1924.

Thomas Lloyd’s grave in Grainger County, Tennessee was photographed in the 1920’s by  Angeline Lloyd when she made a genealogy trip to Tennessee.  I would suspect she made the genealogy trip to research information for her application to DAR.

Angeline Lloyd Aldrich 

Thomas’s grave in Grainger County, Tennessee was honored on 30 April 1954 as a Revolutionary War soldier.  It is interesting that several of his descendants attended the ceremony.  Since he had 12 children, I suspect some descendants were living in Tennessee at that time.

Thomas Lloyd's headstone

The newspaper article in The Knoxville Journal, Friday, April 30, 1954

Military information on Thomas Lloyd.  Is it accurate?  More research is needed.  The children are correct but I need further confirmation on his military service.  This record is the first time I ever saw a middle initial used.  The family files of information do not have a middle name or initial.

Lloyd, Thomas S  (b 12-26-1763 NC/d 4-15-1857 Grainger Co.) Bur in Lloyd Family Cem on farm of Henry Cabbage at Rutledge, TN, 4 mi S Rutledge on Hwy to Jefferson City, TN.  Grave marked 1856.  Rev. Sol. appointed Lt 4-9-1781 in NC Brigade.  Served to 4-17-1785.  m 1785 MARTHA JANE McCULLOUGH b 1-8-1768/d 4-28-1785 and bur near Rutledge, TN.  Ch:  George; James b 12-4-1787 m 1820 Elizabeth McNair; John b 8-22-1796 m Nancy Walker; Elizabeth b 1798 m Charles Cates; Robert b 10-17-1800 m Sarah Gibbs; Anna b 2-20-1803 m Benjamin Mitchell; Deborah m Pierce Cody; Joseph; Abner; Polly.

Ref:  DAR #447538; Office of Sec. of State, NC  TN DAR 41-41 Yearbook, p 102; SR 41-42, 42-43

Roster of Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution, Buried in Tennessee 1974, complied by Lucy Womack Bates, Chairman.  revised 1979 by Helen Crawford Marsh.  Published by Tennessee Society, NSDAR pages 106-107

Yet the DAR will not allow any other descendants to join under his name until further and accurate military service is documented. 

I am uncertain if Thomas Lloyd actually served in the Revolutionary War.  Genealogists have been looking for his parents, including Angeline.  We are uncertain about so much of Thomas Lloyd’s history.