#23 Namesake Don 52 Ancestors in a Year

#23 Namesake   Don

The blog for this week was easy to think of, yet hard to write.   I have spent the week looking for the right pictures.  

My father’s name was Don.  When his brother, George and his wife, Estella, had their first child, she was named after her uncle Don.  Donnee Shaffner.  She was born in 1943, while Don was serving in World War II.  Donnee’s middle name was Rea, after her grandmother, Della Rae Shaffner.  

Don & Donnee

George was the oldest son of John and Della Shaffner and Don was the 3rd son.  Don and George were very close.  In fact, at any gathering, Don and George would be in the corner talking.  Like they hadn’t seen each other for days and it might have been the day before when they were in another spot talking.  They didn’t exclude anyone from their conversation, if you could talk about cows.  If you couldn’t talk cows—don’t even consider entering the conversation!  

They loved cows and ranching and lived it every day.  While Don became a veterinarian, his family was there at graduation in 1949.  Donnee was there too.  She would have been 6 years old. 

Donnee Shaffner Stibal

Donnee was the oldest grandchild.  She was the favorite and had the limelight until I came along 7 years later.  She always laughed and said I stole her thunder!   I am so glad she was the favorite of Grandpa’s as he worked with her on the family history.  Thanks to them, our family has a rich treasure of photos and stories.

When Donnee’s daughter’s had children, the name Don was figured into their names.  Anna Donn and Kenadie Donn.   The legacy of 2 people important in so many lives are carried on as namesakes.  

Family History was important to Don and Donnee.  Yet, I could find no pictures of them together as adults.   So the challenge to the family--please look through your pictures and see if you can find one for me!  I would add it to the blog if you can!

And if you didn’t get the name Don in your name, we grew up respecting and loving the Don’s!

#22 At the Cemetery. 52 Ancestors in a year

Dowsing for Graves

One of the Gabel stories that I heard from my father-in-law involved a burial at the Huntley Cemetery by his grandfather Philip.  The story included a burial at night, outside the boundary of the cemetery of a male who, claimed my father-in-law was not wanted by his father Phillip Gabel.  Part of the story included that the male was given to the “Weber’s” to raise.

My father-in-law claimed he knew where the grave was located.  He wasn’t sure how old the male was or even what year the burial occurred.  Maybe when the Spanish flu occurred was his response.    Alas, I never got him to show me the spot.   

Since we farm the land around the cemetery, I thought he must know the location of the grave.  And I wondered if someday they would plow up the grave.

Fast-forward to a class I took at the genealogy seminar about grave dowsing.  A light bulb moment when I realized if I learned grave dowsing, I could find the grave.  (not sure what I would do if I found the grave). But it would validation to the story.  

Would it work?  Would I have the power?  I have no idea how dowsing works, but I had to try.  

My husband made my dowsers from coat hangers.  He thought I was crazy to even try because of course, dowsing does not work.

Our first class was at an unmarked cemetery at the poor farm.  There is no way to tell if we are accurate, unless unearthing occurs.  And that is no going to happen on my watch!  But somehow the rods move.  And when a headstone was discovered at the location of the rod movement, I discovered I have the “power”.  I became a believer!

Upon retirement I undertook the project of recording the Huntley Cemetery for billiongraves.com. I had an ulterior motive to find the headstone of Molly Gabel, daughter of Philip Gabel, who died in 1913.  Her name was recorded in the cemetery book published by the Yellowstone Genealogy Forum.  Members were asked where they obtained that information, but no one could remember.  No one in the family remembered a headstone.

I know there are no records for the cemetery, cemetery claims they were burned in a fire.   

I didn’t find a headstone for Molly, but several depressions indicating graves were prevalent in the cemetery.  Knowing that there are no records for the cemetery, I began grave dowsing.  When indication were that there was someone buried, my husband came with a stick and shovel and we located headstones when possible.  Many were sodded over.   

Our process of uncovering led us to a marker for ‘Henry Gabel”.  No dates.  There was a memorial marker to the left of Henry, which was sodded over too.  But no name on it.  To the left of Henry Gabel was a memorial marker with the name “Weber”.  No first name.  No dates.

I was there one day when the cemetery groundskeeper arrived and he had a book of where people were buried!  I questioned him about Gabel burials and he had 2…(1) no first name, Gabel, Female; (2) Henry Gabel, no first name.  And next to Henry… Weber.  No dates….on any of the 3. 

Do you think I found Molly Gabel, and the male from Gabel family?  And who is Weber and how is he related or connected??

#21 Military 3 Shaffner Brothers-One gave all. 52 Ancestors in a Year

3 Shaffner Brothers.  All Gave Some.....Some Gave All


John and Della Kurtz Shaffner, living in Beaverhead County, Montana, had 4 sons in World War II.  Three of 3 sons were drafted or enlisted.  John and Della not only endured and suffered the death of a son, but had 3 sons in the South Pacific at the same time.  Communication between them was by letters, sometimes taking months to arrive and often censored.  Grandmother Della kept all their letters which have been transcribed by Donnee Shaffner Stibal.

 Veterans Memorial Park-Dillon, Montana

In Honor of those who served

The second son, Walter Shaffner, enlisted.  After graduating from high school in 1936, he enrolled at the University of Montana graduating in June of 1941 with a degree in forestry.   Walter enlisted in Marines in 1942 as a private, received his commission to 2nd Lt.  He was promoted to 1st Lt in the field.  In the Dillon Tribune issue of 5 February 1943 there is a picture of Walter F. Shaffner with a Resing submachine gun.  The article beneath the picture states that ...A Dillon Marine Corps officer, Second Lieutenant Walter F. Shaffner is eligible today for assignment to a combat unit or specialist's school for final training after completion of reserve officer's school at Quantico, Virginia, according a release from Marine headquarters in San Francisco.  Lieutenant Shaffner, while training in Quantico qualified as an expert with both the rifle and pistol.  He also was sent to the South Pacific.  He died at the battle of Pelieu.  A genealogy serendipity moment, gave us more information about Walter and the Battle where he lost his life in a.  (Blog on 4 October 2015   https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?tab=wj&blogID=7596178773686018896#editor/target=post;postID=628125828511203359;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=46;src=postname

).  

I never knew Walter but my father often talked of his brother.

Walter's medals

My mother created the display of Walter's medals

The third son, my father, Don Shaffner,  joined the 163rd unit of the Montana National Guard 16 September 1940 because the wage from weekly attendance helped contribute to his living expenses while at college at Montana State College.  And then to his surprise, his unit was activated as part of the 41st Infantry  Division in World War II.  The unit was first sent to Australia, and Don served much of his time in New Guinea as the pay sergeant.  

Don was an Administrative non- commissioned Officer:  He served as personnel sergeant major in an infantry regimental headquarters operating in the Southwest Pacific Theatre; supervising and compiling  morning reports, service records, payrolls, and general headquarters correspondence and reports:  He supervised the work of 20 to 30 people. 

Don told of flying over the mountain (the humph) in New Guinea to deliver paychcks/money to soldiers.  I remember a few stories of the trading the military did with the natives in order to obtain food when their supply ship didn’t arrive.  

Don at Veterans Memorial Park

He was very proud to see his name, his brother's names and his friends names on bricks.

My Dad’s younger brother, Dean, Shaffner joined the Army.  He too, served in the South Pacific.  

Dean served in the Army at General MacArthur's headquarters.  He had to type sport reports coming in on the radio.  Dean registered for the World War II draft 28 December 1942

#20 Nature-The Good and the Bad-Homestead Years

#20  Nature. The Good and the Bad

A dryland farm in Montana is a tough place to live but a drought during homestead years made life tougher.  Montana’s drought began in 1916 following years of rain which had created the record farming yields.  Advertisements for the prosperous farming conditions in Montana had been an inspiration for many to move to the plains and homestead.  But in 1916 weather changed and the rain quit falling beginning the series of events leading to the dirty 20’s & 30’s.  Even though the advertisements raved about the crops that could be grown, no one considered what a drought might do. 

My grandmother, Della Kurtz Shaffner, and her brother, Oliver Berlin Kurtz, found themselves living on homestead’s in Montana.  But a brother and a sister made the best of their homestead life with their families.

Oliver moved to Dillon, Montana about 1900.  He married Bertha Fjelsted in 1901.  They filed for a homestead, receiving his patent in 1916. In 1911 the family had moved to a dry farm southeast of Dillon, where they lived until 1921, except for one year in Sheridan, Montana where Oliver worked to get money to put in another crop.  That crop was never harvested because of the drought. By 1916 Oliver and Bertha had 4 boys and were trying to eek out a living on mediocre ground.

Oliver & Bertha Kurtz and sons

Oliver, Norman, Lester, Jim, George & Frank

(birth order)

Della followed her brother to Dillon in 1913 where she married her husband John Shaffner in September.  They were lucky as he had a job with the railroad as telegrapher.  As soon as they married they moved to Simms, North Dakota where he was stationed with the Northern Pacific Railroad Co.  One son, George, was born there.  But family was closer in Montana than Pennsylvania where the rest of the family lived.  And land was free if you homesteaded.   So west they came beginning with a telegrapher job in Custer, Montana.  

John & Della on dryland farm where they homesteaded

John filed for his homestead in Beaverhead County in 1915.  Oliver Kurtz was a witness on his filing paperwork.  His final certificate was filed in 1921, where he received a patent to the land. He completed a house on the land on September 1, 1916.  He stated that he and his family lived in town during the cold winter which enabled him to work for wages as a telegrapher for the Union Pacific Railroad.  When the drought  hit, he and his family moved to a farm north of Dillon for several years.

Shaffner Homestead Cabin

John was lucky to have the job and he was then able to buy other homesteads when the owners dried out and left.

Oliver’s homestead was about 10-15 miles from his sister’s and his brother in law.  It was rough country, still is.  Not suited for farming but for stock raising.  

The dry years hit and took a toll on homesteader’s trying to make a living from the land.  John was lucky, he had a railroad job in Dillon.  He & Della had 4 boys to feed by 1924.   Oliver & Bertha struggled on 280 acres with 6 boys to feed.  He moved off working for neighboring ranches.  But with 6 growing boys to feed, he eventually took a job as janitor at the high school in Dillon.  Oliver was so loved and respected that the students gathered money to pay for his headstone.  

Don Shaffner had many recollections of Oliver & Bertha.  Don remembered the house at 249 N. Railroad which had a front room with a pump organ.  The Shaffner's rented a house next to it for one winter.  Don told of many holidays that the family shared together.  Many in the family rave about Bertha’s cooking.  And yet, no recipes have been passed down to the next generation.  

Thanksgiving Day 1934

Shaffner & Kurtz Families

The families stuck together during tough times and holidays.

¹LORNA THACKERAY.  Dreaming on the Land.   Billings Gazette, https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/dreaming-on-the-land/article_86e65bab-dc0c-5a44-a9d3-19fe8a256fa6.html, 15 May 2005, 

#19. Nuture A Rose. 52 Ancestors in a Year

#19  Nurture. A Rose came west!

 Nurturing a rose for 216 years.        A legend or a family story!

When visiting the city in Waitsburg where ancestors are buried, my mother always told the story of the rose bush. That it was carried west on the Oregon Trail by my 3rd great grandmother and her family in 1854.  The story began with her father William Heath who “slipped” the rose in the Carolina's and brought the rose to Kentucky in the between 1803-1807.   Kentucky is where  Mary (Polly) Heath married John Jasper in 1828.   They moved to Missouri in 1841 where John died in 1845.  In 1845 Mary and her family went west to Oregon carrying the rose.  Her daughter, Lois married Albert Gallatin Lloyd in 1858 moving to Waitsburg, Washington in 1859.  And rose came too!  After losing her twins in 1877, the rose was planted besides their graves at the City Cemetery.  

I used the year I believe William Heath moved to Kentucky (1803) making the rose 219 years old.  (Give or take a few years!)

My mother “slipped” the rose and brought it to Dillon, Montana after her marriage.  It flourished there and the story repeated again as we weeded the flower beds.  A few years after I married, I received a “slip”.   The rose now flourishes in Huntley, Montana.  It has survived numerous human attacks in Huntley, notably burned when an irrigation ditch was burned.  It is known as the “family rose” and “Do Not Touch”.

The first story on the left was written by Norman Olsen and was in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin, 21 August 1968, page 22

The story on the right was written by Eric N. Aldrich, grandson of A. G. and Lois Lloyd. 

It was published The Times, Waitsburg, WA, 30 September 1965

Morgan & Jace Kuntz standing beside the rose in Waitsburg.

They are great great great great grandchildren of Lois Jasper Lloyd

The blooms on the rose are beautiful.

The rose in Huntley, Montana

  In the story written by Norman Olsen about the rosebush he wrote:

"The rosebush shows a continuity of things to the people who care to look at it.  It has outlived the people who planted it more than a century ago.  It is a line with the past.

#18 Road Trip-Oregon Trail. 52 Ancestors in a Year

#18  Road trip. Oregon Trail   

I can’t help but wonder what Nancy Walker Lloyd said when her husband announced that they were going to Oregon!  The work that it took to prepare for the trip is beyond my imagination.  And the work on the trip for each person had to be hard as well as difficult.

 My 4th great grandfather, John Lloyd wrote letters to his brother before leaving for Oregon and after arriving in Oregon.    The original letters are a source of information.  (They have been digitized and are held at the Fort Walla Walla Museum in Walla Walla, Washington)

He write in 1844 to his brother, Robert in Grainger County, Tennessee from Elm Grove, Missouri on 10th of June 1844.  The letter tells of his 9 children, with the youngest 3 years old.  He tells of the oldest Jane, being married the year before.  He continues to write information of his farm and the size of his barn.  He says he has “as handsome a place as in Clay County”.

Yet 1845, John and his wife set off for Oregon,with 8 children; daughters, Mary Ann (20), Nancy(16), Elizabeth (14), and Melinda (11) and sons; Abner (18), Albert (9), John (7) and William (4).    

Researching the trip, I discovered several articles.  The article, which I think is the best, has excerpts from Captain Sol. Tetherow’s journal, wagon master in 1845.   The following information is from this article.  A meeting of those interested in emigrating to Oregon was held at Elizabethtown on 5 April 1845.  At this time a constitution was adopted and the wagon train was to be known as the Savannah Oregon Emigrating Society.  The constitution established rules and standards for the wagon train.  They were to meet at Wolf River between the 15th and 25th of April.  Each outfit would be required to of 150 lbs of flour or 100 lbs of flour & 75 lbs of meal and 50 lbs of bacon for every person in the Company excepting infants.  The wagon had to be capable of bearing 1/4 (one fourth) more than their load and the Team able to draw 1/4 (one fourth) more than their load.  The number of loose cattle would never exceed 33 to one driver. 

At the meeting of the Oregon Encampment, Missouri bottom, April 28, 1845, John Lloyd was elected to the executive council. 

The census of the wagon trail lists John Lloyd with 3 armed men, 11 persons, 2 wagons, 500 lbs of meal, 1700 lbs of flour, 600 lbs of bacon, 11 lbs of powder and 19 lbs of lead.   There were 4 females over 4, 1 female under 14,  3 males under 16. His son Abner  was the cattle driver for the Lloyd wagons. John also had 24 loose cattle, 18 oxen, 6 mules & horses, 5 guns and pistols.   On May 6th at a meeting, it was determined that the wagons should be numbered in 4 Platoons, so as to form a hollow square at night.   The wagons were charged for their share of hiring a guide to get them to Independence Trace;  John Lloyd paid $0.50 for 2 wagons.  The committee decided that the wagons would start at 8 o’clock in the morning and travel from ten to fifteen miles every day.  And committee decided to go ahead on May 7th.

The Oregon Emigration Wagon Trail of 1845 had a total of 66 wagons, 293 persons with 100 armed men.  The wagons were carrying 10450 lbs of meal, 37289 lbs of flour, 13980 lbs of bacon, 354 lbs of powder and 752 lbs of lead.   There were 63 females over 14, 56 females under 14, and 68 males under 16.  There 624 head of loose cattle, 398 oxen, 74 mules and horses and 170 guns and pistols.  I am amazed at the expense of outfitting a wagon for the trail.  

Since John Lloyd had a farm near Smithville, Missouri, which is near Independence, Missouri.  I suspect that he joined the wagon train near Independence Missouri. I am not sure of where Elizabethtown or Wolf River camp was located at or where he might have crossed the Missouri.    My bucket list is to discover the locations of where they departed for Oregon.  

The next letter in the collection is John’s letter to his brother Robert Lloyd on 25 March 1847 from the Oregon Territory.  The envelope is stamped with a postmark from St. Joseph, Missouri in July of 1847.  He writes to his brother about their travels and country climate and production.  He stated that they were on the trail 6 months and 3 days from the time they left our old home until we got to Linton on the Wallumette [Williamette in Oregon] .  He said they had no bad luck more than is common for Oregon Immigrants. He stated that they lost 18 head of cattle out of 37 head and one horse.  He continues on stating they found the road passable, a good natural one but many bad places.  He stated that neither of his wagons got turned over on the trip.  It is hard to read portions of the letter but I believe he writes that the the trip is almost without timber most of the way.  Writing about grass and water he indicates that grass was tolerable.  I wish I could read his thoughts about water.  In their emigration he writes (and I presume for the year 1845) that there were 700 wagons and 10-12,000 head of cattle and a good many horses and mules but little rain and dust in abundance.  He writes that they did not all travel all in the same company but a good many small companies.  They were not molested by Indians but they stole a good many horses.  While they crossed all the water without difficulty except the Green River which they had to raft across and the Deshouts [Deschutes] River where they had to take their wagons apart.  We know from research that he chose to take the “Terrible Meeks Trail”.  

And what about the food?  He writes the provisions held out with the exception of flour which got somewhat scare.  They had bacon, coffee, sugar, tea, rice and dried fruit and we got to our journey’s end.  He wrote that the trip from the states to Oregon is a journey that can be performed with very little ease.  

He asked his brother to write to him and direct the letters to Missouri Clay County Elm Grove and the letters must be in there by March as there is no mail from the states to Oregon and the emigration starts about the last of April.  

¹ Lloyd, John. Elm Grover, Missouri to Robert Lloyd, letter, 10 June 1844. Letter. Digitized copy privately held by Sydney Gabel.  Original letters donated by Sydney Gabel to Fort Walla Walla Museum in Walla Walla, Washington. 

² Lockley, Fred.  Captain Sol. Tetherow, Wagon Master.  Published by Fred Lockley, 1243 East Stark St.  Portland, Oregon.  https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/defaults/12579t43z

Gerald W. Williams Collection

³ Ibid, page 17

⁴ Ibid, page 18

⁵ Ibid, page 20

⁶ Ibid, page 21

⁷ Ibid, page 24

⁸ Ibid, page 25.

⁹ Ibid, page 20

¹0 Ibid, page 21

¹1 Lloyd, John, Oregon Territory to Robert Lloyd.  25 March 1847. Letter. Digitized copy privately held by Sydney Gabel.  Original letter donated by Sydney Gabel to Fort Walla Walla Museum in Walla Walla, Washington.

¹2 Clark, Kenneth and Lowell Tiller.  Terrible Trail: the Meek Cutoff, 1845.  The Caxton Printers, LTD. Caldwell, Idaho 1966,  LOC No. 66-23403