RV to Old

Tuesday, September 3, 2013 Reader archives: 1940s fulltime RV family Reader Frances Grochowski of Texas was moved by a story we published regarding RV parks turning away clients whose – in their opinion – RVs were "too old," to mix in company with other clients. The image we included in the story struck a poignent memory chord, as it looked like a trailer she practically grew up in. Here's a photo Frances provided from her archives, and the rest of the story follows. Frances writes: "My Dad, Karl Bishop, was a pipe liner – a crewman working on pipeline building and maintenance. He always took the family my mother, Frances, and we four girls, Janet, Frances, Patty, and Linda with him. We often lived is a house, wherever my parents could rent rooms with kitchen privileges. Finding apartments were tough with four children and for short periods of time. We moved about every six weeks. When I was born, Daddy nicknamed me Butch, because he really wanted a son. "One summer day, another pipe liner brought Dad home from work; this was strange as Dad had his own truck. Dad had sold the truck and bought a travel trailer. Without the truck, how were we to move it? Dad told us not to worry, by the time the job was over he'd have the money to buy another truck. "Our 'new' trailer was 27 feet long; it had no hot water and no bathroom, and just one bed room. Getting along meant everyone went to bed at the same time. My oldest sister Janet and I slept together on the couch that folded down to make a bed. Patty slept in the breakfast nook, which also made into a bed. Linda, the baby, slept in a port-a-crib, which fit exactly between the couch and the breakfast nook. The folks had the bedroom. "We soon learned to manage living in such small quarters. The best thing was getting out of doing dishes. At that time, all the parks we stayed in had community bathrooms. Since Mom had to heat water fo the supper dishes, that was always a good time for my sisters and I to use the bathroom . By the time we'd get back to the trailer, Mother had heated the water and the dishes were done. Finally, one night Dad told Mom 'You know they do that on purpose.'" Mom said that she knew that. There was no fooling her. "Baths were also taken in the park bathroom, in a Number Two sized wash tub. Mom would fill the tub and then it was an 'assembly-line bath,' the youngest to the oldest. After the baby was bathed , she'd take her home and we finished up. I don't think Janet ever had a bath in clean water, as she was the last child to bathe. We never worried about some one walking in on us or trying to snatch one of us. We just had a good time. Mom would check on us if we took longer than she expected. "I remember a lot of good times in that house on wheels. They kept that 27-foot Zimmer until about 1950, when they special ordered a 36-foot Alma. Boy, we were up town! Each of us had our own bed and hot water. Unfortunately the trailer was destroyed by a tornado. Next came a 1953 New Moon, which I lived in until after graduation. "I lived in trailers, mobile home, etc. all my life. After I married, my husband, Fred, worked on the pipeline and our first travel trailer was a 1964 36-foot Pathfinder. Five years later we were told our rig was too old. When we convinced the owner it looked better than some of other residents, she still wouldn't let us park – because we had a dog. All the while there was a snippy, barking dog doing a dance around her feet, 'Part of her family.'" Our thanks to "Butch" for her recollections. Got a story you'd like to share? Give us a shout by emailing Russ at rvtravel.com. We've left proper formatting of the e-mail address out to confuse the "bots."

Long time-no writing

It has surely been a long time since I have written anything in my blog. I have been busy doing the mundane task of cleaning up my paper files. It's material I've collected over a period of time, newletters from family members, researched mateial, picture to scan, etc. I've also been adding the sources, which should have been done long ago, but to much of a novice to relize the importance of them. It wasn't that I didn't write down where the material came from, but was written much in the fashion of notes in the person file.

Back At Last

I just can't seen to remember to post when I work on the family. This past month I have been working on the Nelson-Washburn family. The infor on the Nelson family has been hard to come by in the past. But I finally hit the jackpot. I was able to discover who was Marie's first husband [Joesph Rolfe]and the name of her son [Joseph W.-born in North Dakota]. I found the info on the 1920 Census and again in the City Directories [1925]. I did not find her again until 1940 when she was married to William E Bill] Washburn and her son living with them. The story goes that Joseph W. married, had a daughther who evenutally married a movie producer in Hollywood. Joseph W. died in 1954. I remember Marie telling us that her estate would go to her grandaughter. I haven't a clue about her name. I need to look at her will. I also found picture of Marie and her sister Christine/Jim and their parents Peder M. and Petre C.Jasperson Nelson. Of couse one discovery lead to other twigs and leaves on the family tree. I found the Washburns back to 1789. The Rolfes to 1871. My grand-daughter is about to add another twig. She is having a daughter [Daisy Grace Childress] in October.

1940 Census

This past week I have taken time to search the 1940 census.  It provided me with all kinds of information.  It debunked a story as to how my mother (Frances Nelson) and daddy (Karl A. Bishop) met.  The story made us believe that daddy was riding in a rodeo in Huron, South Dakota and mama was waiting tables. They married in Dallas in Mar 1940.  Not so.  According to the census in 1935 they were in Ft. Pierre, SD. and they did come to Dallas to marry in March  1940 as proven by a copy of their marriage license.  But, they returned to South Dakota in time to be counted on the 1940 census, take 15 April in Britton,SD.  Daddy was driving truck and mama was a waitress.  My oldest sister was also listed as Janet Eileen Bishop age 1.  I know that Janet was not daddy's biological father, however he gave her his name.  Weather there was a formal adoption, I don't know.

I also found information on my Aunt Mildred and Uncle Sam Richards.  They were also living in Britton in 1940.  However, they were living in Dennison, Texas in 1935.  Why? Another mystery to solve.

Grandma Mamie Nelson was living in Britton, but married to Will Hardina.  I have a insurance policy that states Mamie is his wife, but on my trip to South Dakota several years ago I could not find divorce records for Mamie and Mons Nelson, or a marriage certificate for Mamie and William Hardina.  On the 1930 census Hardina was listed as a lodger in the Nelson household.  I need to look at the 1935 state census to see what it shows.

The 1935 State Census Mamie living in Britton and is divorced...Will Hardina was in Kidder, Marshall, South Dakota

Theodore Haney/ Edith Bishop

Last week I went to work on proving the hand written tree that has come down to me through my Grandparents, Karl and Edna Bishop. Karl's sister Blondene and Nellie had been the originator of the tree, with the last entry in 1953. I don't know when they started the work on the tree, however the first entry on the tree is Johnnan Gerard H. Bischoff and his arrival in 1839, Havana, IL.

I started at the bottom of the tree with the information regarding Theodore and Edith. I proved what information I had on them. I discovered Theodore had two other sons, by a previous marriage. I was able to prove their relationship and found them to be about the age of Edith when she married Theodore. Edith and Paul had only one son Paul, who had three children, Donald, James and Judith. I am now working on Donald having completed working on Paul. The hand written tree states that he liked swimming, scouting and Baseball,and was born Feb 1940. I found that he lived in Sacramento, CA. And now, back to the research.

Charleston, SC

I went to the NGS meeting in Charleston and visited with Drew Smith about how I had started a blog, but was having a hard time keeping up with it. So I'll try again. I am still busy transcribing Grandma B. diaries, writing MY story, doing a journal on prison life of an ancestor who left letters behind, volunteering my time with Find-a-Grave and Ramdon Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK), plus I've been made Web Master for Smith County Texas. A job I am struggling to full fill. Then there are genealogy meeting, and cemeteries to photography for the society (ETGS) that I belong to. Finally there is Mary Jane, my dear aunt who will be 100 in August. She is in a nursing home, however it is up to me to help her and visit as often as I can.

I have been able to do some research on my own family: Anna Gertrude Wessling via Sister Mary Pauline. She is the Grand niece of my Great grandfather Bishop. I had some information on her and wanted to verify it, so I spent days looking and finding her on censuses, tax roll, voter lists, city directories, but no death date. She had been in California for years and my information confirmed this, but no death date. Finally a member of RAOGK suggested I contact the Mother House of the Sisters of Mercy, her order. After she went to the home for the aged in California, they moved her to Council Bluffs, IA to their hospital, where she died and was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in Council Bluff, in the section reserved for Sisters of Mercy. Now it's on to another ancestor.

Still updating FTM

I still trying to source info in my FTM. It would have been nice to have done it in the beginning. I do take a "little" time to research new information. I found additonal sources for some of the Farrier family, births and marriages. I talked with my Aunt Mary Jane the other day and again she reminded me about a law suit between Grandpa Karl Bishop and a Jimmey Lemons. It seems that Jimmey took cattle to the Chicago Market for Grandpa, but never retuned to give him the money. Jimmey had kept it, causing Grandpa to lose the place in North Dakota. Later when Grandpa Bishop and family moved to Huron, SD, he was called back to ND to a trial in regards to the actions of Jimmey Lemons. Where and when I have no idea. The trial had to been after 1919 after GGG-Grandma Julia Reynolds Brooks died, because she died in ND.

Long time-no write

I relize it has been some time since I have added to this blog. I have been working on my genealogy, but not in the spector of researching. I have been cleaning up my paper files, from previous research; scanning photos; and coping newletters that I recently found and containing volumes of family history. The most tedious task of all is adding sources to my previous entries. I now know that I should have entered them at the time, but to much of a novice to relize the importance. I did put references at the end of any notes that I wrote, so it is not totally undocumented. In doing this I found five more ancestors to the Cronk line, but no sources listed from the on-line web-page. I also received a picture of Jacob Cronk, 4th gr.-grand-father.

Donald Lusby/Horace Brooks

I don't know why I choose these two to work on, but they were just staring me in the face. Donald is Cousin Jim's Dad, Mary Jane's husband. I was able to locate his mother, dad, and sister. Plus his enlistment record and a census which put them together as a family.

Horace is Grandma Edna Bishop's uncle. And her diaries she calls him and "outlaw"
Just what she meant by that I don't know. I find him in IL, KN, and MT. Married at one point and single or divorced at other times. But by 1925 he living with a lady and son in Kansas. In 1930 he is in California. Another mystery to solve.

Wonderful reading-Grandam Bishop's Diarys

It has been a long time since I have been on this site. I really have been researching, just not my family. I have been doing work for RAOGK (Random Act of Genealogical Kindness) and for Find-a- Grave. Since my last post, I have finished editing all the pictures that Doug Crabtreee and I took at the Chandler Memorial Cemetery and placed them on Find-a-Grave and made memorials for family members. I still have several that need work. Recently I started reading my Grandma Bishop (Edna)'s diary's. What A wonderful find. In the very near future I hope to transcribe them and maybe publish them. I wish I could get other family members to help. I learned of my Gr.Grandmother's middle name-Esther Maude Sturdevant. The also appears to be an outlaw, Horace Sturdevant. Evidently he was involved with the Perry Gang. (Illinois/Montana?) There were storied about my dad's and Mary Jane's birth. And lots of stories of every day living. I am placing some of the stories in the note section of my FTM. the 1943 book would be a history buffs dream. Grandma wrote daily of WWII as seen through the eyes of this new Texan, the happening in Dallas and how it affect their lives. It seems money was tight, little work, but some how they managed to go to the show (movies) several times a week.

Karl Henry Bishop

Today I did some work on Karl Henry Bishop, my grandfather. I was able to locate a copy of the 1915 State Census for North Dakota. It really didn't hold any suprises. It only confirms other data. I also found WWI Cicilian Draft Registration and Draft Cards. Again no suprise.

The Texas Department of Health pg 211, 1945 births, lists Robert Henry Bishop, my brother, as being born 7 Oct 1945, County 57, born to Frances Violet Nelson and Karl Allen Bishop. Again no suprise, just confrimation.

Finish orginzing some of the files

I am about got things ready for the lecture tomorrow. I finished organizing the Grochowski/Jaroszewski and the Ball (Biliok) / Wisniewska paper files and notebooks. Ball and Wisniewski (a) are giving me the most trouble today.

I know that Gertrude Ball Grochowski, mothers name was Carolina Wisniewski Ball, but that its. At some time the name was changed to Wines, but not all the family members went by Wines. There is a Bernard Wines, that is listed as a cousin on the 1930 census. Theresa Wisniewski Corda, Elizabeth Wisniewski, and Lillian Wisneiwski Rammel (all sister) are related to Carl and Theophilia Kozlowski Wisneiwski. Theophilia was listed as a sponsor when Gertrude was baptized, in Manistee, MI.

Bernard, Theresa, Elizabeth, Lilian all were born in MI. and are in Chicago in 1920, 1930, as is Bernard in 1930. Carl is also in Chicago in 1930, living with his daughter, Theresa.

The question is Carl and Carolina, related, perhaps siblings. That would certainly make Bernard a cousin. Who is Bernard's father?

Proud of Myself

Well, I can't believe it, but I'm finally getting a hold on my organization. I worked all morning on the GROCHOWSKI, file and notebook. I have it in great order, so I can find what do and do not have. Made a number of entries in to FTM, information and pictures that I have had for some time. I came across a Stanley Grochowski, who I have no idea, how he connects, except that he his a cousin?. Tells me a lot. Maybe that is this afternoon puzzle. But it's lunch time so I have to get a bite to eat, before I tackle anything new. Beside Stanley, there are ump-teen more files and notebooks to organize.

Nelson Family

Today I decided to organize my desk, files and folder since I have to give a talk in a couple of weeks on organization. But I soon bored with that and since the Nelson family folder was lying in front of me I decided research was more interesting.

Mons Christian Nelson is my maternal grandfather, my mothers father. I can trace his parents Peter and Petria; and sibling Frederick N, Valentine, Marie, Christina, Elmer, Mons, Annie thorough 1900 in MN and in 1910, except for Elmer and Annie. All are in MN, except for Christina and she is in SD.

By 1920, Mons is married to Bertha Cronk and they have one child, Mildred living in MN as is Peter Petria died in 1916 and Peter in 1920. Where, I don't know, but he is buried next to Petria in Atwater, Kandiyohi, MN. The rest of the children, Frederick, Elmer, Valentine, Annie, Christina and Marie, whereabouts is unknown at this time. We can assume Christina is in CA, since her son George was born in Las Angeles, CA .

1930 finds Frederick in SD; Valentine, now married to Lena has four children: Raymond, Bernic V, Lois Elizabeth and Virgina May are in CA. As is Christina and her husband Edward Ballert. Their son George born in CA on 5 Aug 1920, but is not listed on the 1930 census. Where can he be at age 10? Mons, Bertha and three children, Mildred, Frances (my mother) and Pearl are in SD.

I thought maybe I had the wrong George, but the California Birth Index, states his mothers maiden name is Nelson. The Texas Death Records agree on his birth date. He died in Henderson, Rusk, TX 24 Apr 1997. Family history and visits to him in Henderson collaberate the date. I will need to get his Death Certificate.

Todays reshearch brought forth more questions than answers. But I guess that is what reshearch is all about

Gerties' Birth Certificate

What a disappointment. I received a letter back from Manistee County, MI. No birth certificate for Gertrude Elaine Ball-Grochowski. They suggested I try the state files.

On a good note I did discover Alex Grochowski (Zawistowski & Grochowski)lived at 2200 NE 4th st, Mpls,. MN in the 1914 Mpls. phone directory. I had heard they always lived on Stinson Blvd.. This was Alex Sr. They must have moved in at the 2200 adress shortly after coming to the US in 1902. NE Mpls was and is predominately Polish.

Grandmother Bertie Mae Rogers Gowell

I did the late night, pj thing, last night. Untangleing the Rogers/Gowell family is proving to be as difficult as discovering Fred's birth mother parents.

I was able to track Bertie May in the 1900 Census and the 1905 Census for Minnesota, living with her parents, Herbert T. (L)?? with with his wife Carrie and 5 and 6 children resepectively. First in Eau Claire, WI and then in Mpls., MN. Birdie May's DOB agree with other sources. By 1910 she is listed with her parents as May Williams, married for 2 yrs, and with a son Raymond T. Williams age 1 yr 3 mo. She is missing from the family in 1920.

Raymond Williams shows up in 1920 as a 11 yr old, living in Deep Creek, MT. However his parents are listed as Joe T and Anna age 38? Raymond is shown as being born in MN as well as is his mother. Bertie Mae is listed as being born in WI. (Wrong family, possibly) No other Raymond Williams is found in the 1920 census at age 11, born in MN.

I have looked at death and birth records for Bertie May and Raymond with out sucess.

Fred's Birth Family

At long last, I am beginning to get a handle on Fred's birth mother. She has been such a worry for so long now. Very little was known about her. She was born, died and had several husbands and children.

Yesterday when I opened an e-mail from a man that said he had access to the Minneapolis Historical Society. He was able to find and send me Lillian Violet Gowell, birth and death certificates. Both opened up a world of information.

From there I learned Lillian's parents, grand-parents names, found land records, civil war records, death records as well as the usual, 1880, 1870 census, special schedules. I also found where Vandelia Gowell, great-grand mother lived in 1914, as a widow of Samuel in the 1914 Minneapolis Directory.

If only Fred had lived long enough to enjoy the harvest of research. Fred had met his birth father, William Farrier, as well as some of his siblings, so that was a blessing. After his death I was able to put together a fairly good history of the Farriers, with the help of family members and hard work.

Trying to orginize my thought and research

Back in November of 2007 I heard Drew Smith, MLS lecture on "Dear Diary: Today I made a great discovery. It was about using a blog in order keep track of your research. So I thought I'd give it a try. A computer genius I'm not, but here goes.

I am researching a number of families. They are:
Bischoff/Bishop -m- Wessling
Brooks -m- Sturtevant
Nelson -m- Jasperson
Cronk -m- Persian
Grochowski -m- Jarozewska
Bolik/Ball -m- Wisniewska
Pope -m- Kyser
Wright -m- Scarbrough
Mitchell -m- Riner
Smith -m- Spivey
Farrier -m- Gowell

How do I decide who I'll work on next. Well, it just depends on something I've heard, been asked about, the area of the country I'm in or I'm looking for something in particular.

A week or so I was asked if I was part of the Isaac Sturtevant family. I am, he was my great-great grandfathers uncle. So this morning I decided Isaac was it for today.

I was lucky and found him in the 1840, 1860, 1880 and 1900 Fed census. I also found him on the IRS Tax Assessment List, 1862-1918. Other information was found in the Histories of Cheshire County, NH; Sullivan, NH.; Town of Keene; AGBI Index and NH Census. Not a bad, for a days work.