#2-2020. Favorite Photo. 52 Ancestors in a Year

#2-2020. Favorite Photo.  52 Ancestors in a Year

As the recipient & keeper of many, if not hundreds of family photos, it was very hard to choose just one favorite photo.  So I chose 2 related photos.

Yes, I really do have lots of family photos and luckily most are identified.  Thanks to my grandfather, John F. Shaffner and my cousin, Donnee Shaffner Stibal, most are identified in the Shaffner family line. 

My mother, Helen Lloyd's family also had many family pictures and most are labeled.  In both sets of inherited collections there those unlabeled ones that I am always looking for clues on.

This is picture is favorite because it is the only picture I have of my great great grandmother, Margaret Maria Fetter Shaffner.  The plus to the picture is her holding Walter Ruskin Shaffner, the youngest brother of my grandfather.   

Margaret was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1820 and died 10 November 1903 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 83 years of age.  

Walter Ruskin Shaffner was born 7 September 1899 and his mother died 17 November, 1899.

I believe the picture would have been taken about 1900-1902.  

Margaret Maria Fetter Shaffner, daughter of Jacob George Fetter III & Margaret Maria Ernest (or Ermet) married Gabriel Shaffner in 1845 in Pennsylvania.  Their son, John Martin Shaffner, born 15 July 1855 married Elizabeth Deborah Fletcher in 16 September 1880 in Whitesville, New York.

I suspect that Margaret helped out raising Walter Ruskin until his father remarried.  

John M. Shaffner married Emma Reamer, but she did not like his children.  The younger children all went to live with older siblings. 

Walter Ruskin Shaffner went to live with his sister, Cecelia and her husband, Richard Daggett in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.  He died December 1916 at the age of 16.  Probably from appendicitis, but the death certificate said acute indigestion.   

His older brother, John F. Shaffner, intended to bring him to Montana. He always regretted that and named his 2nd son, Walter.

This is the Shaffner Family Bible that my grandfather, John F. Shaffner,  took from his Pennsylvania home after his mother died.  Emma was not happy about that according to Grandpa.  But what a treasure it is.  

Included in the Bible was Margaret's family history which I believe are in her handwriting due to the old style of cursive script.

Don Shaffner, my father, holding the Shaffner Family Bible

#1-2020. Fresh Start 52 Ancestors in a Year!

#1 for 2020.  A Fresh Start

52 Ancestors in a Year

I am back!  With a Fresh Start for the New Year!

I have anxiously awaited the topics for 2020 and have them in hand.  I have been making notes of ideas!  I almost have my list ready.  

As I look towards I fresh start, I consider the family lines that I want to focus on for 2020.  I am good at jumping from one line to another, but hope to change my ways!  A New Year’s resolution???  (probably like all the rest and broken within a month!)

Since 2020 is the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower, I am going to found out if Leroy’s ancestor did come on the Mayflower.  And research hints that I had an ancestor on the Mayflower—the same person!  Wouldn’t that be fun to discover!  

Watch for the Mayflower float in the Tournament of Roses Parade.  Celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower!  How cool is that!  A Voyage of Hope!  

Didn't all of our ancestors have a Voyage of Hope at sometime in their life?  I know many of mine did.  

So, off I go on a hunt!  

#52 You. 52 Ancestors in a Year

#52 You. 52 Ancestors in a Year

The last blog of the year!  And the blog challenge topic is “YOU”!  

“You” is a definite challenge!  

But “YOU” are the readers that read my blog!  Thank YOU for taking the time to read it.  

I will never run out of ancestors to research!

I use the blog as an opportunity to share my family stories and history.  Some of the readers are family and others are just interested in family history.  

Because I inherited many pictures along with family stories the blog seemed the easiest way to share.  The addition of the blog challenge makes me write for “You” each week.  Hopefully I have material to write about, but now at the end of the year; I guess I have!  I have successfully completed the challenge of 52 Ancestors in a Year!

So what’s next for “YOU”?  

Well….I will continue the blog and next year’s challenge of 52 Ancestors in a Year.  Different topics (I’m told) so hopefully I have material!  I really don’t make anything up!  

Creating the blog and stories forces me outside of my zone.  I have to learn more and research more.  Two things I like doing!  I truly have enjoyed the year of blog challenges.  

So….hope YOU continue to read and encourage me to write in 2020!

#51 Future-priority for Sydney. 52 Ancestors in a year

#51 Future. 52 Ancestors in a Year

The topic for the blog this week is Future.  While there are times I would like to go back in Time, I must think of the Future!

Who wants to help sort pictures?

And the future of genealogy and my genealogy future.  

I have a few items on my checklist to accomplish in 2020. A BIG list!

I am lucky to be researching in this era of digitization so I can research from home by accessing on-line records.  In my pajamas, usually in the early morning hours with my coffee!  There are still records to find!  Since some are not digitized that means I have to find them.  

My priority list for 2020:

1.  A research trip to Pennsylvania.  There are Shaffner’s and Kurtz’s to find!

2.  Research at the National Archives in Washington D.C.  

3.  Research a common ancestor that perhaps Leroy and I have that came over on the Mayflower!  Preliminary research indicates a common ancestor, so records need to be found!

4.  Blog again for 52 weeks!  There will be another 52 Weeks of Ancestors in 2020. 

5.  Attend a national genealogy conference.

6.  The most important task on the list is organize pictures!

7.  Inspire others to work on their family history.

#50 Tradition. The Christmas Angel

#50 Tradition  Angel for Christmas Tree

Created in 1972 by Clarice Gabel

Placing the angel on the top of the Christmas tree is a tradition in our house.  Angel is placed on top, after the tree is decorated!

When we married, my mother-in-law created the angel for our First Christmas.  It is crocheted.  I believe she stiffened it with sugar and water but I am not sure.  And she can’t remember what she did.  

So for 47 years, after the tree is decorated, the angel is put on the top.  The honor of placing the angel on top was often given to our children.

After Christmas it is returned to the original box that she gave it in.

If anyone knows how to stiffen crocheted items, please let me know!  

#49 Craft. Family Quilts

49 Craft

Quilts have been created by my family over the years.  I cherish and admire each piece of work.  But I don’t quilt!

My 3rd great grandmother, Lois Jasper Lloyd, created this quilt.  We think she created it for their 50th wedding anniversary in 1908. She used ribbons they received at Pioneer Association meetings for traveling the Oregon Trail and observing that my 3rd great grandfather was an Indian war veteran.

Crazy Quilt with ribbons

I think Lois created this quilt.  It was just a top and I think Mom had it quilted.

My mother, Helen Lloyd Shaffner,  created quilts.  The cathedral window quilt is my favorite.  I remember her working on it for years, all hand sewn. She sewed many of our clothes as we grew up.  Even remodeling clothes.  

Cathedral Window Quilt

My sister, Gail, also quilts.  I am the lucky recipient of her work.  From quilts, table runners to pillows.

Quilt

A small quilt with family pictures

Quilted table runner

Pillows with family pictures.

#48 Thief. Newspaper gave Ancestor's name!

#48 Thief

Witness in Court-Tom Gabel

As I began genealogy research, I discovered a family in Jefferson County, Nebraska in the 1910 Census that almost matched Leroy’s great grandfather’s family, Philip Gabel.  But ages were correct for the children but names were different for the twins that born in 1909 in Nebraska, after the family arrived in the United States from Russia.  The twins were named Ferndinand and Adolph.

I was quite sure that this was the family I was looking for, but when I questioned members of the family; they assured me that I was wrong.   The twins had been known as Tom and Otto.  Of course there was the issue of location as no one in the family knew  they had been in Jefferson County, Nebraska.  

Archived newspapers are a great source of information.  I love and hate them because they are fantastic reading, contained incredible information and I end up wasting time reading them!  But one snowy day I decided to search the Gabel family.  It is always helpful in genealogy research to search for information on siblings.  So I began with Tom Gabel.  

And what a gold mine I discovered!  In February of 1928, there was a cattle rustling trial in Forsyth, Montana.  The chief witness for the state was 18 year old Tom Gabel.  Tom was employed by a rancher and aided in the theft of the cattle and helped cut away the original brands.  Tom stated on the stand that he left the employment when he was ordered to steal 50 head of cattle.  

But the newspaper reporter wrote about Tom Gabel’s life!  He stated that Tom had been born in Nebraska and had been on his own since age 16.  Tom grew up in the Billings and Huntley area and worked on the Cold Springs ranch near Forsyth.  The reporter stated that “Tom was christened Ferdinand”.  As Tom was growing up, Tom Mix was the western movie actor that Ferdinand Gabel admired.  Ferdinand was nicknamed “Tom” by his friends!

I remember letting out a yell….I was right!  And doing a genealogy happy dance!

Staff Correspondent, “Spirit of the Old “Wild” West Prevades at Forsyth Trial of Rancher for “Rustling”, The Billings Gazette, (Billings, Montana), 20 February 1928, p. 1-2, image copy, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/413320267 : viewed 9 December 2019)