Seasons on Sixth

I was going through some old computer files this afternoon and came across something I wrote during the summer of 2009.  Although it is a couple years out of date, and it has been months since my last stroll down Sixth, I felt like posting this in memory of my many enjoyable walks through a much loved historic neighborhood. 

I have read that, "Sixth Street north of Ponca City’s Grand Avenue is a special place.  Stroll past the library on a summer afternoon, and across the tree-shaded sidewalks you'll see a flutter of activity.”

This neighborhood has a special place in my heart.  For the past year and more I've been a part of that "flutter of activity."  I work as the genealogy library clerk just down the street, and much of my recreational and study time is spent close by as well.  A handsome young man and I have been courting for many months now, and we love to talk while walking through our town’s neighborhoods – almost always beginning on Sixth Street.

We have watched the seasons change together; it was hot when we began, and it is hot again now.  I felt the change as everything cooled, and our walks seemed easier.  I was overjoyed by the colorful yellows and oranges on the many trees.  There is no better way to enjoy autumn than by taking a walk and hearing the crunch of leaves under your feet.  The park at the end of 6th Street is the very one where Zachary told me for the first time that he loved me.  A special place.

The weather continued to become colder.  I dreaded the frigid temperatures of winter, but nothing could hold us back.  We put on our heavy coats and gloves and continued our ramblings.  The homes in the historic neighborhood were flashes of color on an otherwise bland background.  I enjoyed all the homes for their differing characteristics; the windows, porches, swings, gates, and other decorative touches.  The additional lights around Christmas time added a playful touch to the grand homes.

To my joy and relief, our town became fresh with the arrival of spring.  Yellow daffodils proclaimed the coming of warmer days.  Soon, a myriad of colors awoke: green, red, purple, pink, and blue.

The seasons have come full circle.

“Clearly, it is a place of diversity.  Yet somehow, it's also harmonious and complete -- this tiny neighborhood, a mere three blocks long, sandwiched between the library and the park."

Citation: quotations written by Marlys Bush Thurber, September 2001.

Our First Advent

 

Zachary lighting the first Advent candle

I have many fond Advent memories going back to when I was a small child.  It is one part of the Christmas season untainted by commercialism, secular music, and the busyness so many people feel this time of year.  For me, it is a time to take a deep breath, be quiet, and focus... focus on Jesus' first coming as the baby Savior, His present working in my life, and His future return as King.

This is the first year I have been away from my parents, brother, and sister during the Advent season.  I miss them even as I relish an opportunity to begin something afresh with my husband.  The two of us -- our little family -- set aside a time for prayer, an Advent storybook and devotional, and the lighting of the first Advent candle last night.  I look forward to many more evenings spent the same way as we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Growing up, Thanksgiving was always one of my favorite holidays. The comforting fragrances of turkey and gravy, cornbread stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin would fill the house, and the rich, deep colors of autumn warmed our dining room and built our excitement.

Miniature paper Pilgrims and Indians ate their feast on the piano in sight of our own Thanksgivng meal, and my parents were faithful to teach us about the Separatists who came to the New World seeking religious freedom.  It was all very real to us since we lived in Massachusetts during my early childhood.  We were within an easy driving distance of Plimoth Plantation where “historical interpreters” spoke to us in first person about the journey across the Atlantic Ocean and early life in Plymouth.

Each Thanksgiving, our parents reminded us that, just like the Pilgrims, we had a lot to thank God for.  Often, we would go around the table and take turns naming something we were thankful for that year.

The story about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower voyage has always been part of my spiritual and national heritage, but there is added depth to my celebration this year.  Thanks to some genealogy research during the past year, it is all much more personal to me now.  The Pilgrim’s journey on the Mayflower and their harsh first winter, successful harvest, and feast of thanksgiving to God may now be recognized as part of my family’s history.  The Pilgrims are my forefathers in more ways than one!

I don’t have all the records lined up yet, but my research strongly suggests that William and Alice Mullins, John and Priscilla Alden, and Myles Standish can all be counted among my ancestors.  I am descended from five Mayflower passengers!

William Mullins was a shoemaker who traveled on the Mayflower with his wife Alice, children Joseph and Priscilla, and servant Robert Carter.  The Mayflower was comprised of two different kinds of settlers: the separatists who had just recently lived in Holland (Saints) and those who had been recruited by the separatists’ sponsors (Strangers).  From what I can tell, William Mullins and his family do not fit cleanly into either category.

According to one researcher, he had some legal trouble a few years before his Mayflower journey that “was most probably associated with the religious controversies of that time.” Neither his marriage or his children’s baptisms were recorded in the parish registers where he was from, so it is very likely he was a Dissenter.  The researcher continued, “William purchased a number of shares in the Pilgrims joint-stock company, becoming one of the Merchant Adventurers. However due to his previous religious values, I have to wonder if he was both a ‘saint’ and a ‘stranger’. William was also a signer of the Mayflower Compact.”

Unfortunately, William, his wife, son, and servant all died that first winter in the New World.  Only his daughter Priscilla survived, and she later married fellow Mayflower passenger John Alden.  John was a cooper (barrel maker) who was hired to maintain the barrels aboard the Mayflower.  He may have intended to return to England with the ship, but he did not.  Instead, he became one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact and lived to be a prominent member of the new colony.  It is thought by many that he was the first of the Mayflower passengers to step ashore their new land.  Regardless, he outlived all of the Compact signers and all but one of the passengers.

John and Priscilla’s daughter Sarah married the son of another famous Mayflower passenger, Myles Standish.  According to Wikipedia, Myles Standish “was an English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for Plymouth Colony. One of the Mayflower passengers, Standish played a leading role in the administration and defense of Plymouth Colony from its inception. On February 17, 1621, the Plymouth Colony militia elected him as its first commander and continued to re-elect him to that position for the remainder of his life. Standish served as an agent of Plymouth Colony in England, as assistant governor, and as treasurer of Plymouth Colony.”  He was also a signer of the Mayflower Compact.

I am currently taking steps to verify my lineage to the Pilgrims with solid primary sources, but that could take a while.  My research thus far leads me to believe that Myles Standish and John Alden are my 11th great grandfathers on the Beem side of my family, so if you are descended from Arthur and Irene Beem of Hornick, Iowa, this is your heritage too!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Groom and His Family

More wedding photos!

 Zachary and his parents

 A true gentleman: Zachary's dad

I love this one!

 

Such a blessing: Zachary's mom

Two generations of Mr. and Mrs. Pruett

Zachary's honorary grandmother, Mrs. Petersen 

Zachary's honorary grandmother, Mrs. Horner

Getting Rid of Stuff

I have been reevaluating some of my priorities recently.  Primarily, I have been thinking about "stuff" and what items are worth keeping vs. what needs to be given or thrown away.  It is so easy to accumulate souvenirs, gifts, craft and school supplies, old toys, music, decorative items, etc.  Where is the line?  How much of my stuff is worthy to be stored in boxes or closets if I don't have room to display them?

This is a current battle, so I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I do believe there is hope.

Every move or "spring cleaning" -- which tends to happen randomly for me regardless of the weather --  is an opportunity to organize and clean out.  Well, I was married earlier this year, and many, many things were deaccessioned from my personal "collection" at that time, but it wasn't enough.  I still had to ask my parents to store things for me, some items were actually abandoned in my room, and still others -- the things I am struggling with right now -- made it to my newlywed apartment only to be left untouched for months in boxes and closets.

By the way, "deaccessioned" is a tactful word I learned during my library days, and I couldn't resist using it here since it is practically useless in everyday life!

Now that Zachary and I have a little bundle of joy on the way, I am realizing that the stuff I have been putting up with will soon be even more in the way than it already was.  For example, the tote that (up until yesterday) sat in front of my dresser? I will need those bottom dresser drawers for baby clothes sooner than I may realize. I will not want to move a heavy box every time I want to dress the baby. One small victory: I did clear that and a few other areas yesterday and was able to deaccession a large box full to overflowing!

I was recently inspired by a blog post I read at Under African Skies.  Jessica and Rachel were closing their blog in anticipation of their move to New Zealand, and Jessica posted a follow up comment on their post that listed the few things she was taking with her.  She wrote:

We are excited about the move and it will be like starting a new life! We have sold/disposed of just about all worldly goods (All I have is a suitcase full of clothes and a few personal items, my Bible and a smallish box of things I just couldn't get rid of, and of course, my guitar!

It made me stop and think.  "Could I do that?  Would I be capable of leaving behind almost everything?"

What freedom would come if I stopped thinking, "What do I not have room for?" and instead focused on "What am I able to keep?"  In other words, being thankful for what I have room for and graciously giving up what I don't have room for.

In this season of thankfulness, I wonder, is thankfulness more than just being grateful for what I have right now?  Could it be a willingness to part with things I have kept for years while still having a content, grateful attitude?  The Lord has blessed me with more than I need, but that doesn't mean everything He blessed me with in the past is supposed to be part of my current blessing.  

So, the battle continues.  I threw a lot away yesterday, but there are more strongholds that need to come down.  We still need more room where the crib will go!

Coming Soon!

 Meet the newest member of our little family! 

Zachary and I went to our 20 week ultrasound this week. It was so exciting to see our baby! We do not know if it is a boy or a girl. We have a modest baby, and that is alright with us since we do not want to know the baby's gender before the birth anyway.

 the baby's foot

The baby is giving us a thumbs up!  Both hands are in front of the face.

The face's profile in 2D

 The baby has its arm and hand raised up to the forehead.

The baby in 2D

Some people have already looked at this picture and said the baby looks like Zachary!

Remembering Micah

My dad called me with bad news last night; Micah, my mom's Cockatiel, is dead.  I hate writing that so bluntly.  Dad put it much better when he wrote:

This afternoon, Christina and I spent a few moments with our Cockatiel, Micah, knowing that he wasn't feeling well. The little bird came to us in Massachusetts more than 13 years ago, shortly before we returned to Oklahoma. Before dusk this evening, he gave two short tweets and expired. Christina was his constant friend, so it's not easy. We do thank God for the beautiful animals he's created for us.

I took it really hard.  I was making Fettuccine Alfredo when dad called and told me.  I loved that bird.  We had him longer than any other pet, and he was a significant piece of my childhood.  Yet, he wasn't my bird; he adored my mom and thought she was the best thing in the entire world.  He laughed like her, whistled like her... there was no place he would rather be than on her shoulder.  So, on hearing the news, I didn't feel bad for me.  I was a distant star in Micah's world; my mother was the sun!  So, I felt sad for her and wished I was close enough to give her a big hug.

Even in our sadness, there is thankfulness.  God created beautiful animals, and we were privileged to have Micah as our pet for so long.  He was a blessing who brought joy to my mother and the many children who came through our door.

Reading the blog post I wrote about him two years ago brought back many fond memories.  You can read it HERE.

   
   

Word cloud made with WordItOut

My Grandma's Birth Story

From the very beginning, my grandma's life has been a blessing and a miracle. I am so thankful for her! Click here to read her birth story.

Jeanette Beem, Age 3

Wedding Quilt 2011

This week was momentous!  I finished my fifth quilt -- a wedding quilt to commemorate the beginning of my marriage with Zachary!  After much work, it is finally completed.  I love having a new quilt finished!

 

My main desire with this quilt was to use two fabrics only -- instead of the four or five that many patterns suggest.  A traditional, classic design in blue fits my style preferences exactly! 

The Future of Five Years Ago

Fall 2006

I came across a “random” question online today that made me think.  It asked:

“Today is the future of five years ago. Are you enjoying it as much as you thought you would?”

Five years ago, 2006, was the toughest year of my life thus far, and the fall was particularly difficult.  I still had high hopes for the future, however, and I think I am enjoying that future just as much – and probably much more – than I thought I would.  I serve an awesome God who cared more about my hopes and dreams than even I did.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

1841 -- The Moor Family Roots

In 1841, John Moor [my great, great, great, great grandfather], a farmer, was about 55 years old and living in the parish of All Saints in Saltfleetby – or “Soloby” as the locals call it – a village on the shores of the North Sea in Lincolnshire County, England.  This put the Moor family in the registration district of Louth and the sub-registration district of Saltfleet.

His wife, Sarah, was 50 years old.  The oldest boy at home was 25 year old John [John Parks Moore], and the youngest boy was 13 year old Charles.  Every member of the family was a Lincolnshire native and may have lived the entirety of their lives up to that point in the same county.

Also in the home were two men: 25 year old agricultural laborer Rowland Webster and a man about 20 years old.  In place of a name for this second man is the note, “n. k.” Since the census was supposed to include in each household the “Names of each Person who abode therein the proceeding Night” it is very possible that one or both of the non-family members may or may not have actually lived with the Moor family.  If “n .k.” stands for “not known” it is very likely this man “about 20” was only traveling through on June 6 – the day the census was taken.  The box for “born in the same county [Lincolnshire]” is not checked for this individual.

Some of the Moor family’s closest neighbors included the families of John Ricardson, a publican (so there was probably a public house nearby); 80 year old John Moody of independent means; William Richardson, the grocer; Thomas Madison, the blacksmith; Charles Osborne, a cordwainer (shoemaker); Edward Garton, a farmer; Mary Jaques, a nurse; William Harvison, a farmer; Robert Wright, a weaver of linen; and Richard Kelvington, a clerk.

View of the North Sea from the Saltfleet Dunes in Lincolnshire County, England

Too Much Soup

I made the Wedding Soup from the King Arthur Flour website this week and ran into some trouble.  It "suggests" that you have at least a 6 quart pot for the recipe, and my largest is just barely 3 quarts, so I planned to half the recipe.  Unfortunately, I only remembered that I was making less soup when I didn't need to remember, and I forgot when remembrance would have come in handy – when I was actually making the soup.  At that point, I forgot.

So, I had a pot full of cooked onions, carrots, seasonings, etc. and had already begun to pour in the chicken stock before I realized my mistake.  I didn’t have enough room for the rest of the chicken stock, never mind the spinach, meatballs and orzo that would go in last.  I couldn't divide as it was too late...

So, I ended up using all three of my pots and a stove safe metal bowl to finish the soup in.

Do you know how hard it is to make one soup in four containers!  It was a hot kitchen, but I had to stand by and watch very carefully.   There wasn’t much room at the top of each pot, so they would boil over quickly.

It is a good thing that exact measurements weren't required.  Each soup came out with a slightly different taste, and they also had varying thicknesses. One was soupy, one was stew like, and another was more like a regular pasta dish.  I ended up dishing up our dinner bowls from two separate pots!

1850 – Fords and Flansburghs: One Big Family

The Ford family came from New York, but when they moved to Michigan in 1841, they came in great numbers.  By 1950, there were 20 native New Yorkers carrying the Ford name in Sheridan Township, Calhoun County, Michigan. This does not include the Ford girls who married into other families.  Although I have not personally proven every relationship, it is likely that they came under the leadership of at least two brothers: James and Abraham Ford.

I do not know if Abraham married or had children, but James certainly did.  James died in 1848, but it is his wife Ruth and their children and grandchildren who make up the Fords of Sheridan, Calhoun, Michigan in 1850.

James and Ruth’s son Nathaniel (44), a farmer with real estate worth $1,000, seems to have been the head of the largest Ford household in 1850.  Eleven of the previously mentioned 20 were under his roof, and there were a total of 17 people in the household.  There was his wife Mercy (41) and their children Morris M. (20) Malvina (15), Oscar D. (16), John (8), and Jos H. [James Hammond] (2).  Morris and Oscar were farmers, and Malvina, Oscar, and John had attended school within the year.  Young James was the only one born in Michigan.

Also in the home were Nathaniel and Mercy’s married daughter Melissa O. Flansburgh (18) and her husband Clarkson (21) who worked as a blacksmith [The future parents of Evangeline].

I do not know who Saml (28) and Geo Armold (21) were exactly, but they lived with the Fords as well. Both were born in New York; Saml was a laborer with real estate worth $400.  Geo was a house carpenter.

Lewis Ford (27) – a farmer – was probably Nathaniel’s brother [although I have yet to solidly prove the relationship] and was also in the home with his Canadian wife Francis (27) and their children Charles W. (4), Elma A. [Alma Ann] (2), and baby William H who was just a month old.  Interestingly, the three children are listed as being born in New York, even though their births would have been after the main family migration.  This is either a mistake, or, since these birth places are listed the same way in the future 1860 census, it is possible that the Lewis Ford family followed the rest of the family to Michigan several years after the main exodus.  Their recent arrival – possibly just a month or a few weeks before the census – could explain why the family is staying temporarily in Nathaniel’s home.

The final member of the household was 71 year old Abraham Ford.  As I have said, I have yet to prove the relationship, but he was probably Nathaniel’s uncle.

Click HERE to go forward and read about the Moore Family in 1851.

1851 – Moore/Moor English Time

In 1851, nine years before the family first appeared on a U.S. census, 36 year old John Parks Moor[e] was living in the parish of All Saints in Saltfleetby, a village in Lincolnshire County, England on the shore of the North Sea.  To locals, Saltfleetby is known as “Soloby.”  Sea dunes and both saltwater and freshwater marshes are in the area.  For census purposes, the family was settled in the registration district of Louth and sub-registration district of Binbrook.

The church in Saltfleetby All Saints

Their home in Saltfleetby was only about five miles southeast from John Parks Moore’s birthplace in North Somercoates – a place which means "North Summer Grazing Area" since it is in the Marshes area of Lincolnshire and is only dry enough for grazing sheep and cattle during the summer.

In 1851, John Parks Moore worked as a servant – more specifically, he was a groom.  His wife Ann was 27, a native of Skidbrooke which is less than two miles away from Saltfleetby All Saints.  Both of their boys, however, were born in the local parish.  William was two, and his little brother Fred was 8 months old.

John Parks Moore and his family would remain in England for about five more years before immigrating to the United States.

Just next door was John Moor, the father of John Parks Moore.  He was 67 and worked as a brewer.  He was close to his native home, since he was born in the St. Clement parish which was also in Saltfleetby.  His wife Sarah was 61 and was the family member furthest from her birth place.  She was originally from Lincoln, a cathedral city about 36 miles away.  Depending on when Sarah left Lincoln, the imposing and beautiful Lincoln Cathedral would have been a familiar sight to her.

Still at home was John and Sarah’s 22 year old son Charles, a bricklayer, who, like his brother, was born in North Somercoates.

Also in the John Moor household was 28 year old lodger John Thornhill. Mr. Thornhill worked as a footman, but he wasn’t from Lincolnshire.  His birthplace was in Etwall in Derbyshire County – more than 100 miles from his 1851 home.

Click HERE to go back and read about the Flansburgh and Ford Families in 1850.

Click HERE to go forward and read about the Moore and Flansburgh Families in 1860.

1860 -- Moore, Flansburgh, and Ford Connections in Calhoun County, MI

Sheridan Township in Calhoun County, Michigan was the 1860 home of two families who may or may not have known each other but would eventually be very important to each other.  Eleven year old William Moore and seven year old Evangeline M. Flansby [Flansburgh] were just school children at the time.  So, even if they did know each other, they probably wouldn’t have guessed that they would one day be husband and wife.

William’s family had immigrated to the United States from England about five years before and was now settled in the village of Albion.  The closest post office was in Homer – a town about 9 miles to the south.  The head of the household, John Moore, was 45 years old and possibly working as a gardener [his occupation is difficult to interpret from the census record].  His real estate was worth $600, and his personal estate was worth $100.

As the wife and mother of the family, 37 year old Ann Moore was listed as a housekeeper.  Besides William, there were two other boys in the family.  Fred was nine years old and went to school.  The youngest, Thomas, was the only one born in Michigan and was two years old.  The only girl in the family was buried on American soil about four years before.

Outside of the village lived the Ford family where little Evangeline Flansburgh lived with her grandparents and uncles.  Nathaniel Ford (54) was a farmer with real estate worth $3,600 and personal estate worth $1,000.  He and his family were native New Yorkers who had moved west more than a decade before.  Nathaniel was once head of a large household, but there were only five others living with him in 1860.  His wife Mercy, the housekeeper, was 51 years old.  Their sons included Oscar (26) who was a clerk, John (19) who was a farm laborer, and Michigan born James (12) who was still a schoolboy.  The last member of the household, Evangeline, was the daughter of Melissa Olivia Ford Flansburgh – Nathaniel and Mercy’s daughter who died about four years before in 1856.  Born in Michigan on 23 Apr 1853, Evangeline was still in school.

Evangeline’s father, Clark [Clarkson] Flansburgh (31) – a native New Yorker – was remarried and working as a blacksmith in Summit Township in Jackson County, Michigan, about 21 miles away from his in-laws and daughter. The closest post office was in Jackson.  He had no real estate, but his personal estate was worth $150.  His wife Catherine was 23 years old, and they had two children at home; George (8), Clarkson’s son from his previous marriage [making him Evangeline’s full brother], and baby Cornelius.

Click HERE to go back and read about the Moore Family in 1851.

Click HERE to go forward and read about the Moore Family in 1870.

1870 -- Moore Roots: The Flansburgh and Ford Families

In 1870, Eva Flansburgh [the Evangeline who was later married to William Osborn Moore] was a 17 year old student living with her maternal grandparents in Albion, Michigan – a town in Sheridan Township in Calhoun County.  Her grandparents, Nathaniel (64) and Mercy Ford (61), were originally from New York but had been farming in Michigan for over 20 years.  Nathaniel’s real estate was now worth $7,000, and his personal estate was worth $500.

Also in the home were 29 year old John Ford and his family. John was Nathaniel and Mercy’s son who worked as a laborer on the farm. He and his wife Jennie (20) had a two year old son named Charles and a personal estate worth $700.

It appears as though Eva was fully incorporated into the Ford household from the time she was four years old – when her mother Melissa died – although there is a slight possibility she could have been a summer visitor at her grandparents and spent the rest of her time with her father’s family.  Eva’s father Clarkson Flansburgh and older brother George were living about 30 miles away in Leslie, Ingham County, Michigan, so even if Eva didn’t live with her father, it is likely she was able to visit him occasionally.

Clarkson Flansburgh (40), a native New Yorker and a blacksmith, married Kate (33) after his first wife’s death, so in addition to his son George (18), they were now blessed with a son, Cornelius (11), and a daughter, Mary (10).  Clarkson’s real estate was worth $1,000, and his personal estate was worth $500.

Click HERE to read about the Moore Family in 1870.

Click HERE to go forward and read about the Moore Family in 1880.

1870 -- The Moore Family by the Shores of Lake Michigan

By 1870, John P. Moore – a native of England – and his family had been living in their new country of The United States for about 15 years and were now settled in the village of South Haven in Van Buren County, Michigan.  Although born outside the U.S., by age 55 John was now counted as a citizen of his adopted country. He worked as a carpenter and his real estate was worth $2,000.  This was about average for the neighborhood.  Others had less, and a few had a lot more.

John’s 46 year old wife Ann – also English born – was unable to read or write, but she worked hard to take care of their home and family of three boys: William, Frederick, and Thomas.

In 1870, William (21) [the same William Osborn Moore from my previous sketches] and Frederick (19) worked as sailors on the Great Lakes while the youngest boy, Thomas (11 or 12), was still in school.  Thomas was the only member of the family born in Michigan, and there was quite an age gap between him and his older brothers.  Part of this was due to the death of their sister Sarah who had died shortly after the family’s arrival in the U.S.

Although settlers first came to South Haven in the early 1830’s, it wasn’t until the 1850’s that the first permanent residents moved to the area.  Of the ten families who shared the same 1870 census page with the Moore family, only the young people were Michigan born.  The others came from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Canada, or as far away as Ireland and England.  Of the neighbors, the Irish blacksmith was doing the best financially, but many made less as laborers, domestic servants, clerks, butchers, teachers, etc.

To John Moore and his family, the shipping industry and coastal scenery of South Haven would have been very reminiscent of the home they left behind in Saltfleetby in the county of Lincolnshire, England.  They would never be able to see the familiar sight of the North Sea again, but living so close to Lake Michigan may have helped them feel more at home in their new lives as Americans.

Click HERE to go back and read about the Moore and Flansburgh Families in 1860.

Click HERE to read about the Ford and Flansburgh Families in 1870.

The Bride with Her Parents, Siblings, and Grandparents

Sister, Friend

 

Best Brother Ever

The Three Moore "Kids"

My Fantastic Parents

Daddy's Little Girl

A Girl's Best Friend -- Her Mother

My Family

With My Maternal Grandparents

With My Paternal Grandpa