This is The Face of Genealogy

This is my face of genealogy.  This is a picture of the DeFisher family, which includes my grandmother, her parents and all of her siblings.  This is the part of my family that first got me interested and exploring back when I was in college as a health education major doing a project on medical health history.

Military Monday: Memorial Day 2011

In honor of Memorial Day 2011 I thought that I would write a little about my grandfather, Vincent "Budd" Haskins.  He served in World War II.  He was in active duty from May 23, 1944 until January 23, 1946.  He was a Seaman, First Class in the United States Navy.

His initial training or boot camp took place at Sampson Naval Training Center which is located in Seneca County, NY.  I didn't learn that this is where he did his boot camp until today when I started asking questions about his military career and started looking at documents and pictures.  Interestingly enough this old naval base is less than 45 minutes from my house and is now a State Park with a museum.  We will soon take a visit to check it out!

After his time in Sampson he went to a Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island and then went on to Portsmouth, Va.  He was on the then newly commissioned  USS Shangri-La. from September 15, 1944 until November 25, 1944.  He was on the ship's maiden voyage. While on board he worked in the boiler room and was assigned bunk and locker number 52.   After his brief time on board,  he was stationed at the US Naval Operating Base in Trinidad BWI.  Here his main job was helping to pull seaplanes out of the water.  Rumor has it he stole or "creatively acquired" as I like to say a large tractor from the sea bees.  As the story has been told, the tractor made his job easier and he was able to pull a plane up on to the beach in less than a minute.  I'm not sure exactly how much of this is true!  I plan on actually ordering his military records to get more of the specifics. Needless to say he served his country proudly and helped to protect the freedom we enjoy today.  I do know that he was awarded the World War II Victory Medal.   Happy Memorial Day Grandpa.

 

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History - Spring

Spring. What was spring like where and when you grew up? Describe not only the climate, but how the season influenced your activities, food choices, etc.

When I think of spring....................I think of daffodils, lilacs, lilies of the valley, little league, birthdays and Easter.

Easter meant chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, Sunday church with a new spring dress and Easter brunch with the family.  On Easter Sunday the Haskins family would go to Cinelli's in Sodus for brunch.  It was one of my favorite family outings.  We would all get dressed up and go our for a fancy meal.  Grandpa would order us Shirley Temples.  I also remember getting pumpkin ice cream pie for dessert.  There was one year that it was especially muddy and our big Green Ford LTD got VERY stuck in the mud.  It took the whole kitchen staff to get the car out.  There was mud everywhere!!!

One of my favorite things to do when spring arrived while I was growing up was to go look for the daffodils that were up and over the back hill behind my grandparents house.  I still like to do this but it is harder to find them now, the brush has grown up making it more difficult.  After the snow melted and things started turning green during the weeks between April and May you'd wait for a warm weekend day to take a hike up over the hill.  It was still a little muddy but it was always fun to try to locate the exact spot of the patch of daffodils.  They are located down in a gully back in the thatch.  It was always such a joy when you spotted them.  You'd pick a small bunch to bring back with you; still one of my favorite sights of spring time.

I live very close to Rochester, NY.  So spring also means lilacs and the Lilac Festival.  It is by far my most favorite festival.  I love just getting to walk around Highland Park and smell the fragrance of massive amounts of lilac bushes.  In recent years this has become how I like to spend Mother's Day, however this year the festival doesn't start until the week after Mother's Day.

 

Fearless Females: March 19th

March 19 — Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? What was it and how did you learn it? How did you feel when you found out?


I think one of the most surprising things that I have uncovered so far is the story of my great grandfather's sister, Julia Haskins.
 
Julia was born on August 3, 1891 in Waterbury, CT.  We are not completely sure of the birth location but that is what is believed at this time.  She was the daughter of George Haskins and Sarah Drake.  Around 1893 Julia moved with her family to Rochester, NY where she lived until her mom and siblings moved to Sodus, NY.  Once in Sodus they lived with Sarah's parents; Charles Drake and Augusta West.
 
During May of 1898 Julia was out playing with her brother, which we believe to be my great grandfather.  They made a bon-fire and their play went terribly wrong.  Here is a transcription of an article that appeared in The Record, Sodus, NY Friday May 20, 1898.

Fatally Burned!  Little Julia Haskins Loses Her Life By Fire.  Lived Thirty-Three Hours After the Accident.

Last Saturday morning one of the most distressing accidents that ever occurred in Sodus resulted in the death of Julia Haskins, the little six years old daughter of Mrs Sarah Haskins of Rochester.  About eight o'clock that morning Julia and her four years old brother made a bon fire, as they had frequently done before.  They were having a jolly time at their play when the little fellow playfully threw a piece of burning paper at his sister.  It caught on her dress, which was cotton, and in an instant she was enveloped in flames.  Her cries attracted the neighbors.  George Brown was the first one to reach the child.  He picked her up and carried her into the house, where a quilt was thrown around her and the flames were smothered.  Some one sent for the physicians and doctors Myers and Richardson were soon by her side.  They made an examination and found that her abdomen, chest, face, right arm, right side and thigh were horrible burned.  Her hair was also badly scorched as were her lips.  The physicians announced that her condition was most serious and that she was injured internally as a result of inhaling the intense heat from the flames.  They did all they could to relieve her terrible sufferings, but about half past six o'clock the following day she passed away.  During the hours of suffering she bore the great pain with fortitude and seemed to appreciate all that was done for her.  The funeral was held Tuesday afternoon at the residence of Mrs. Charles Drake, Rev. Smith Ordway officiating.  It was deemed best to inter the remains at the Rural cemetery in the village.  The pupils of the public school marched to cemetery in a body, where they deposited a bouquet of flowers in the grave.  Julia came to Sodus last December with her mother, who  is a daughter of Mrs. Charles Drake and they have been with Mrs. Drake since that time.  Julia became a pupil at the public school and her bright face was frequently seen with the other children as they passed through the streets for school.  Her long golden curls and rosy complexion made her an exceptionally attractive little girl, and her cheery disposition made her a favorite with all who knew her.  The sympathy of the entire town goes out to the mother and sorrowing relatives.

I found out this information about 8 years ago when I first started digging into my family tree.  There always seemed to be many secrets surrounding the Haskins side of my family.  No one talked about anything, especially my great grandfather.  I have a feeling he held a great deal of guilt about what happened to Julia, as he was the four year old little brother that was playing with her.  I was saddened by the story, but I think the worst part is the fact that she was buried in the rural cemetery or potter's field.  Her grave was never marked and we don't really know where she was buried for sure.  Her mom, brother and grand parents all were buried in their family plots in Marion.  Julia died a horrible death and was basically forgotten.  I am happy to honor her for at least one small moment in time.

One Lovely Blog Award

Many thanks to Lisa at The Faces of My Family blog for the One Lovely Blog Award.  It feels nice to be recognized and to see that at least someone is appreciating my attempt at blogging some parts of my family history.  I am happy to accept and to pass it on.  Plus this is a great way to explore other individuals' journeys as well.



The rules of acceptance are :

1.  Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.

2.  Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.

3.  Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

The blogs that I am passing this honor on to are below.  Please take time to explore and enjoy.

1. The Scrappy Genealogist
2. Trace Your Dutch Roots
3. Are You My Cousin?
4. From Little Acorns
5. Grace and Glory
6. The Historian's Family
7. Branching Out Through The Years
8. Documenting The Details
9. My Ancestors and Me
10. Ancestors Live Here
11. Confessions of  Gene-a-holic
12. Family Tales
13. Keeper of the Records
14. Calling All Cousins
15. A Sense of Family

Fearless Females: March 12 ~ Working Girl

During the month of March the Accidental Genealogist is providing 31 days of blogging prompts to celebrate Women's History Month.  I has missed the first 11 days...but I'll attempt to try at least a few of these during the rest of this month.

March 12 — Working girl: Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.
I'll start with my grandmothers.
 
My Grandma Derks attended school through the 8th grade.  After her schooling she went to work on the family farm, or the muck as we like to call it.  The farm's main crops were onions and potatoes.  She continued to work on the farm during my mom's childhood.  She recalls being dropped off after school at Aunt Lizzie's house and then walking down to the muck while grandma worked.  They also spent many summers on the farm.  Other things that my grandmother did included working at the senior care house that was next door.  It was run by Mary Kellar, she took in elderly individuals.  My grandmother helped her to take of the people that stayed there.  She also Marion Canning Factory and later worked and retired from Garlock's in Palmyra.  She worked on one of the lines in the factory.
 
My Grandma Haskins didn't finish high school either.  She worked at Kodak in Rochester with her sister.  She did this until she got married and continued working there until my grandfather went into the military during World War II.  At that time she moved to Marion and lived with my great grandparents.  She then worked in the canning factory.  My dad tells me that during the early 1960's she worked  at a local Marion restaurant.  I don't ever remember her working, she was always at home.
 
My mom graduated from high school in the late 60's.  After an initial  attending college at SUNY Oneonta she went to the Genesee Hospital School of Nursing in Rochester.  She became an RN and worked at the Genesee Hospital as a nurse on the OB floor.  After she had kids she stayed home to take care of us.  She baby sat for a long time which allowed her to stay home.  When we were older she went back to work as a nurse at the Fairport Babptist Nursing Home.

Thankful Thursday - Fountain Hill Cemetery, Deep River, CT

I have had the best genealogy week!  I had spent the better part of eight years relentlessly searching for my great great grandfather; George Henry Haskins.  This past fall I believe to have found him buried in Deep River, CT. in the Fountain Hill Cemetery.   Pieces of the puzzle just started coming together - new information, better census data via Ancestry.com and the luck of a google search.  It was an exhilarating find. The kind that gets your blood pumping, mind spinning and creates the inability to sleep.  Since my find I have been trying to locate additional information to source my findings and confirm that this was in fact my George Haskins. 

In my quest to accomplish this task I have been trying to get his death certificate.  Keyword, trying!!  I have not found success.  I have however found very wonderful helpful people in Deep River, CT.  Based on George's burial in Deep River and his last census record stating that he was living in Saybrook, which later became Deep River I sent a request for his death certificate to the town offices.  They couldn't find him, but the town clerk was great.  She emailed me a few times, looked in different places with no success then finally gave me the name, address and phone number of the caretaker of the Fountain Hill Cemetery.  She said that he might be able to give me the burial information that could assist me.  I called the phone number got an answering machine so....I decided to write him a letter to request the information.  I included as much information as I had related to George's death and vital statistics.  Through additional research I now believed that George's sister Julia Haskins Frank and her family were buried in this cemetery as well as his sister Alma Haskins Foster with her husband Willis.  I wondered if they were buried together, etc.

I waited.  I didn't hear anything and then on Tuesday of this week the phone rang.  It was the caretaker of the Fountain Hill Cemetery.  Jackpot, he had so much information.  It was a great discovery!  I am so thankful for the time and energy that he put into helping me find additional clues and facts to build my tree.  In speaking with him he discussed how he and his wife have be recreating the records of the cemetery.  Much of the original documentation had been destroyed and lost.  They have been going through each individual buried in this cemetery creating a data base for individuals like me who are looking for family information.  We also realized through our conversation that we are distantly related; our trees connect with my 9th great grandfather John Hoskins born in 1659 in Dorchester, MA.  He went on to become one of the founding families of Windsor, CT.  We live in a very small world.  He and his wife are also planning to send me photos of my family members' headstones. 

This summer I would love to get to Deep River.  There are things that I'd like to follow up on.  I was informed that the local paper at the time of George's death was the New Era.  I'd like to try to access it to look for an obituary.  My trip will also include a visit with my new long lost relative, he said that he would be happy to show me around.  Thanks for all of your help.  The genealogy community is very generous and we couldn't find all of the vast information out there without people like the individual caring for the Fountain Hill Cemetery.  Thanks!!