Grace and Glory

My Flanders Connection to Architect John James Flanders

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 02:24:00 +0000

A few days ago my cousin Veva Young posted the photo below at left and asked if we were related to John James Flanders, the famous architect in Chicago, Illinois. The chart I drew up shows our relationship.

Cemetery Photos Bring Me Cousins and Stories

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 23:06:00 +0000

My husband and I frequently visit nearby cemeteries to photograph headstones that I add to individual accounts on FamilySearch. Recently as we were slowly driving through the Weiser, Idaho Cemetery, I noticed this small headstone with the name "Mudd Main" on it.

I was intrigued that a mother would name her son "Mudd"! As I reviewed the family as listed in FamilySearch, I discovered several more intriguing facts. Andrew Parker Main (1849-1932) and Sarah Elizabeth Hack (1853-1912) were the parents of 12 children. Notice their names:

Odus Olen, Lonnie Loren, Byard Bolen, Made Marian, Nina Noble, Harry Harmon, Carry Clifford, Flo Fountain, --Main (1891-1891), Rell Rencie, Mudd Marble, and Eela Elas.

I don't think I've ever seen that pattern in naming each child with the same letter starting the first and middle names.

The "Memories" on Family Search offers this photo of Mudd Main, at left with his brother Flo at right.

Further digging into the "Memories" of the family revealed a very sad story involving another brother of Mudd, namely Carry Clifford Main. Here's the story:

Isn't this a sad story? The children of Carry (1885-1943) and his wife Lily Jones (1888-1934) were:

Cecil (1908), John (1910), Kenneth (1912), Gladys (1914), Clarence (1917), Claudia (1920), Elmer (1921), Laura (1922), Pearl (1924), Clifford (1028), Edith (1929), and Beulah (1933-1934).

So when Lily and her 11-mo-old daughter Beulah were burned to death in the house fire, their 11 children, ranging in age 26 to 5, lost their mother. And if the 4 oldest were out of the house, living on their own, that still left 7 children at home for the father to care for.

I don't know the family's circumstances, but this story really hit me hard. When we see headstones in the cemetery, we see only a tiny fraction of the family's story!

As I reviewed the pedigree charts of the family members, I discovered that this Lily Jones Main who died at age 46 was the half-6th cousin, two times removed of my husband, as shown in the chart.

And I discovered that I'm an 8th cousin, once removed of Mudd Marble Main, as illustrated in this chart.

Perhaps this is why his headstone caught my attention! But now I know a new story about one of my distant relatives and that make the family seem more like "family" to me.

Another Sterling Sill Book Reveals a Cousin Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 19:46:00 +0000

I seem to be on a roll here with Cousin Connections discovered in my purchases of books by Sterling W. Sill. During my most recent visit to the Deseret Industries Thrift Store in Nampa, Idaho, I found 3 books by Sterling and of course grabbed them up at $2.00 each. In my previous blog post I explained my discoveries from my research into a book's former owner, Ross E. Butler.

Today I'm sharing what I discovered from my purchase of the book The Upward Reach.

Amazon offers this introduction to the book: This volume is made up of fifty-two different, interesting, uplifting and highly motivating discussions based on Victor Hugo's thought that, "Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come." It is thought that for many people who are interested in raising the spiritual level of their lives and in bringing about a more substantial general success, that a regular weekly association with this stimulating book will prove most valuable.

After I lifted the book from the bookshelf, I opened it to leaf through it. I saw this name label inside:

I recognized the Fullmer name as one I had entered into my genealogy database. Of course I could hardly wait to look into the connections when I got home.

Sure enough I found a connection! This chart shows that I discovered that my (adopted) son is a 4th cousin, two times removed of Darrell D. Fullmer.

I know this won't strike most people as significant. But I'm always easily amazed when I discover "Connections"!

One of my Favorite Authors Links Me to More Cousins

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 19:21:00 +0000

In my most recent post, I shared my discovery of LDS author Sterling W. Sill and my newly discovered connection to him as my Cousin. On my latest visit to the "religious" book section at Deseret Industries in Nampa, Idaho, I discovered THREE more books by this wonderful author! I purchased them at $2.00 each! They are "The Glory of the Sun", "The Upward Reach", and "The Miracle of Personality".

Before I put any new purchase in my shopping cart, I open it and leaf through the pages. I noticed in the book above that the former owner stamped his name on the first page.

Since I live right across the Snake River from Ontario, Oregon, I was very curious to see what I could learn about this "Ross E. Butler". And boy! was in in for a surprise! The information I found showed me that he and I are distant cousins and that his wife is a distant cousin of my husband, William Thompson. I've illustrated this in the chart below.

As I read further about Mr. Butler on his FamilySearch.org page, I learned that he joined with friend F. Nephi Grigg and his brother Golden Grigg to form the company that became Ore-Ida Foods, Inc. I was just blown away! Ore-Ida Foods is also in Ontario, Oregon, right across the river from me.

I've often commented that "I'm easily amazed"! I'm happy that I'm the kind of person who would look inside this unknown-to-me book and discover the name of its former owner, then research that individual to learn more about who owned and surely read this book.

Of course I couldn't stop with Ross Erin Butler. I had to see what I could learn about his friend and partner Francis Nephi Grigg. In the chart below, you can see that I'm the 9th cousin one generation removed from Nephi's wife Addie Crummet Grigg (pictured below).

Now that I've made these interesting connections to fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and learned great things about them by reading the 'Memories' posted on their accounts at FamilySearch.org, I need to put my laptop down and read my new books!

I Found My Cousin Connection to a Favorite Author

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 01:57:00 +0000

I prepared this chart that shows me (Mary R Margheim) as a descendant of Steven Flanders and Sarah Blaisdell. You can see that Rosel James Hyde was also a descendant of Steven and Sarah. Rosel was married to Jane Driggs. Their photo is shared directly below their names on the chart. You can also see by looking at the descendants of Austin Cowles and Phebe Wilbur, that Sterling W. Sill is also a cousin of Rosel James Hyde. So Sterling Sill and I share Rosel Hyde as our cousin.

You'll notice that I have Jane Driggs's name in red, and it appears at the top left again. This time it shows that Jane is a cousin of my husband, William Thompson, as they are both descendants of Urial Driggs and Hannah Ford.

The chart at the bottom of this post shows the direct connection how Sterling Sill is my 7th cousin twice removed!

I only recently learned of Sterling W. Sill as I discovered a book he authored named "The Majesty of Books". It's pictured below. I'm a book lover and as I've aged, I've selected books by LDS authors as my primary reading material. As I've begun to read Sterling's "book about books", I realize I found the written word that stimulates and agrees with my philosophy on many topics. I love what he has to say and how he says it.

My greatest wish now is that I'd have known about this book while my dad was alive. He was a "semantics" person and loved the study of "words". He became a member of the LDS Church late in life and would have LOVED reading Sterling Sill's book. He certainly would've seen the MAJESTY in it! And he'd have been very proud to learn of this great author and fellow Church authority! I'm blessed to have found it at the nearby thrift store Deseret Industries. I will have it read by Thursday, August 8 in celebration of what would have been my father's 103 birthday! But it's a Keeper and I'm sure I'll refer to it time and again. Such value for the $2.00 I spent to purchase it!

The SWEET Family Experiences Weren't Always Sweet

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:53:00 +0000

In my previous post, I wrote about the discoveries I made when my husband and I visited the Montour-Sweet Cemetery in Sweet, Idaho. We enjoy visiting the graves and reading headstone engravings. Every single one tells a story. I photograph as many as I can on a single visit and upload the ones who are members of families who are listed at familysearch.org.

Our most recent visit to a nearby cemetery was to the Mann Creek, Washington, Idaho Cemetery.

I was amazed to find a headstone there that was for a member of the SWEET family!

The headstone on the left above is for Sarah Dreamy Mullenhour Sweet (1858-1906). (Isn't that a cool name?!) At right above is pictured the headstone for her son Bert Sweet (1888-1958). Many of the headstones in this cemetery are marked like Bert Sweet's, with an aluminum plate screwed into a concrete block, with the name and date hand tooled.

As I searched for a listing for each of these individuals on Family Search, I discovered an astounding story! Sarah was married in 1878 to Francis Marion Sweet (1857-1905) and together they became the parents of 10 children between 1878-1900. There were 2 newspaper clippings already entered in the Memories section for Francis Sweet. And they were heart-wrenching. You can read them here.

www.familysearch.org/tree/personal/memories/L85N-C6Q

I'm happy that I'm able to subscribe to Newspapers.com. I searched for Francis Marion Sweet and found an abundance of articles that I was able to add to his Memories at FamilySearch. In brief, this is the story they tell:

This was published in the Topeka (Kansas) Daily Capital, Dec. 6, 1905.

I prepared this chart that shows my Cousin Connection to both Ezekiel Sweet, the Founder of the town of Sweet, Idaho, and to Francis Marion Sweet, the subject of this blog post.

I feel blessed that my interest in Genealogy leads me to discoveries like this. I realize that every person buried in a cemetery has a story besides just the name and dates engraved on their headstone. And one discovery leads to another. So when I found Francis Sweet on FamilySearch, I discovered the events that led up to his death. Further searching of newspaper articles provided very interesting details. The story aroused compassion, sorrow, and my interest in the entire Sweet family, as I gave thought to what Sarah "Dreamy" Mullenhour Sweet experienced toward the end of her life and what their children experienced in their lives.

Our First Look at Sweet, Idaho and our Connections There

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 23:08:00 +0000

To relax and enjoy a quiet Father's Day this year, my husband and I took a ride to explore a town he'd seen only on the map: Sweet, Idaho. Of course, being a family historian, our first stop was at the Cemetery.

It's my custom to photograph a few headstones as we walk around to see some of the names of local residents of the past. William and I each study the facts revealed by the birth and death dates and we get a picture of the trials the early residents endured.

The headstone of Ezekiel and Isabelle Sweet, along with their 2-year-old daughter Etta, drew our attention, as it was fenced and was the most notable in size and decoration.

When we came home on the evening of Father's Day, which was June 16 this year, I browsed online for information on this Sweet town and family. Wikipedia tells us this:

"Founded in 1885 by Ezekiel Sweet, the community initially was a supply location and post office for framers and ranchers in the nearby Lower Squaw Creek Valley. I grew significantly as a result of the later Thunder Mountain Mines gold strike. By 1900 it supported 3 saloons, 3 hotels, several businesses, and a newspaper, which lasted until the gold mines had petered out. Several subsequent fires destroyed most of the historic downtown. Today a smaller Sweet is the location of a restaurant, butcher shop, repair shop, lumber mill and a post office."

I found that this picture of the Sweet headstone was already included on FamilySearch in that family's "Memories". But I learned, and was amazed by, the fact that Ezekiel was my 7th cousin, twice removed! MY COUSIN! FamilySearch offers the chart that shows our connection.

Pictured above are the headstones from 1915 of Ephraim and Florence Yergenson. There are quite a few headstones belonging to members of this family. On Family Search I discovered this beautiful family portrait of them.

The fact that amazed me the most was that Ephraim was born on June 15, 1865. We were standing at his grave on June 16, 2024!

My eye caught this tiny headstone of Ada Ann Baird. It tells us that she died Sept. 20, 1871 at the age of 1 year, 5 months and 12 days.

Again, I found this Relationship Chart available on FamilySearch, showing that I am Ada's 7th cousin, twice removed. Here's my little cousin's headstone!

I'm happy that I'm a person who is easily amazed when I learn of "family connections". I lived the first 40 years of my life in small town Kansas. Then moved to Colorado where I resided for 33 years. I've just been an Idaho resident for 3-1/2 years. I had no idea I would find Cousins in Idaho, even though they lived here long before I was born!

Of the 19 headstones I photographed on Father's Day, all but one are of people who were related to me or a member of my family! We loved the serene, fresh, peaceful feelings we experienced as we explored Sweet, Idaho and will certainly return sometime to explore it further!

Surprised at a Church Connection to my Dad's Western Music Days

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 20:30:00 +0000

I have quite a collection of books on the topic of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as I want to continue to learn, to understand what's behind me and ahead of me and what that can mean in my life today. A few years ago I was able to weekly watch "Scripture Roundtable" on BYU-TV and became very fond of the comments and thoughts of Robert Millet. As I've delved into the many books he's written, I've felt like he's talking directly to ME and I easily understand his messages. So he's become one of my favorites.

If you've followed any of my blog posts, you know I'm easily impressed by "connections"! It amazes me when I learn of a family connection between people who may not have known it, or at least that I hadn't known about.

I was looking up the ancestry of my favorite author Robert Millet recently and saw that his father, Lou Millet, was listed on the site Hillbilly-music.com. This site lists many of his recordings and hits from the 1950s. https://www.rocky-52.net/chanteursm/millet_lou.htm

The reason I was so fascinated by this discovery is that my Dad, Ernest Margheim, is also listed on Hillbilly-Music.com.

I feel like I have something more in common with Robert L. Millet now. Not only do we share the same religious beliefs, but our fathers were both involved in the western music of the "early" days of the 1930s-1950s. I just found this to be really cool! My dad would be fascinated to know this too!

Never Ignore a Prompting

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 02:45:00 +0000

If I still had my blog entitled "Promptings" in an active status, I'd publish this brief story on it. But I discontinued using it as I retired and turned my attention to other things.

Today my husband and I made a trip to the neighboring town of Nampa, Idaho to shop for a tool shed. It's our habit to visit Nampa 2-3 times each month. I shop for $1-$2 books at the Deseret Industries Thrift Store while my husband ventures across the parking lot to the Lowe's store!

It was Lowe's where we were going to hopefully purchase a small tool shed, so my husband suggested I take a few minutes first and browse the books at 'DI'. I had been there recently and was not expecting to find a new book to buy. And I only shop for books related to the subject of my LDS Church. At this point in my life, I want to spend my reading time LEARNING and I am always happy to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our plan for life here on earth and life in the hereafter, etc.

As my husband finished his quick visit to Lowe's (we went back later to buy the tool shed), he came into DI and stood by me to see if I was done shopping for books. At the same time I told him I hadn't found anything new, I noticed a colorful book that piqued my interest. It was titled "Why I'm a Mormon". Well, I KNOW why I'm a Mormon, but as I browsed through the Table of Contents I saw many popular names listed who had contributed to the book, and I became curious to read their reasons! So I put the book into my shopping basket.

Here's the back story: I have 678 religious-topic books in my home library. I got to the point where I couldn't remember if I had a book or not, as I shopped the books shelves in the store. So this Spring I typed up a list of the books in my library and saved it to Dropbox, so I could refer to it from my phone as I browsed the books in the store.

This afternoon as I grabbed the above-pictured book off the shelf, my husband said "Are you sure you don't have it?" I replied "Oh no, I've never seen this book!!" But....I felt prompted at that moment to grab my phone, open the listing and double-check. MUCH to my surprise, it was listed! I already owned the book.

I was reminded to always listen to mental or heart-felt "Promptings".

My Stepmother kept Marion and Mary in her Family

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 03:25:00 +0000

In March, 1951, Phyllis Jean Jones became the Stepmother of me, Mary Rebecca Margheim, and my twin brother, Marion Dennis Margheim. She's pictured here as she took us around the block on roller skates when we were 4 years old.

As I look into the genealogy research I've done, I'm always amazed when I find interesting Connections, or make fascinating Discoveries. I noticed today that Phyllis's paternal grandfather was Marion Malone Smith and her paternal grandmother was Mary Frances Hawkins. They're pictured below.

So our "Mom" went from being the granddaughter of Marion and Mary, to being the step-mother of Marion and Mary!

It's a somewhat insignificant realization, but one of those that I wish I could mention to her in person.

Hidden in my Hometown Newspaper 1942

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 20:05:00 +0000

I'm grateful that my dad was a saver and that I had the privilege of cleaning out his house at the end of his life! I recently moved some of the items from his "archives" in my house and two copies of the Great Bend (Kansas) Daily Tribune from July, 1942 caught my eye. They are brittle and need to be handled with great care. It's my hope to send them to the Barton County (Kansas) Historical Society for permanent storage so others can enjoy their contents.

Here's the reason Dad saved these copies.

This photo from the July 9, 1942 edition of the Daily Tribune shows the men who were recently inducted into the Army.

In this photo, my father is shown as being among the inductees. He's Ernest Margheim, 5th from left. It's interesting to note that this was printed in the July 9, 1942 edition. Exactly one year later, on July 9, 1943, Dad was home on Leave and married my mother, Ruby Flanders. This clipping is also from that edition of the Tribune:

We Brought T Polidor from Vermont to Idaho

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 02:11:00 +0000

Shortly after my husband and I moved from Colorado to Idaho in 2021, my son moved from Colorado to Vermont. Since we had retired 6 months earlier, we were able to visit my son and offer our help in remodeling the house he'd purchased.

As my husband William was demolishing a doorway, he noticed a nameplate on the doorway. Written in a fancy script was "T Polidor".

William saved that nameplate and the piece of wood it was attached to, and brought it home. To my amazement, he turned it into a light pole that holds a solar light in our front yard garden.

Since I have a strong interest in Family History, I had to do some research on this family from Springfield, Vermont.

Theodore Polidor was born in 1904 in New York and married Rebecca Weston on Nov. 6, 1937, as announced in this newspaper clipping. My research revealed that Rebecca Weston Polidor was an 8th cousin 3 generations removed of my son Matt, who had purchased their former house.

I'm proud to have the solar light accent in our garden and happy to know the story behind it.

I Discovered One of my Favorite Authors is my Cousin

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 04:32:00 +0000

God Knew! He's Been with Me My Entire Life

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 02:21:00 +0000

I’m putting facts about my life on paper so that first-hand facts will be known by my descendants if the time comes when anyone is interested. I became interested in my family history at age 51 and realize the importance of documenting facts and details about a person’s life. I haven’t wanted to go into too much detail, as I realize how boring that would be. I’m eliminating many personal thoughts, impressions, and judgments as I do not want to pass those along. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s reputation and I realize many of my thoughts are simply my own personal opinions and reactions to situations, so I’m choosing to leave those out. I will try to be brief, but want to share some of my memories and also document the major events of my life. Since I’m posting this in public on my “Grace and Glory” blog, I’ve eliminated names of any living people, specific dates and all photos that were contained in the original document. I’m going to try to depend on someone to post the full version on Family Search.org upon my death.

I was born in 1947 in St. Rose Hospital, Great Bend, Barton, Kansas at 10:27 pm. My mother, Ruby Nadine (Flanders) Margheim had just delivered (with the help of Dr. Don Kendall) my twin brother at 10:07 pm.

At the time of my birth, my dad, Ernest Ludwig Margheim, was employed as a bookkeeper at Thies Packing Co. in Great Bend, KS. My mother was a homemaker and our family lived in the basement house at 2201 Jefferson, Great Bend, Kansas.

My mom and dad had met at a community dance while Dad was playing guitar in Earl Haines’s Western Music dance band. From the stage, Dad saw Ruby dancing with Raymond Buehler, who turned out to be a lifelong friend of Ruby. Dad came off the stage and asked Ray who the woman was that he’d just danced with. Ray refused to give Dad her name. But obviously Dad found out because they were married July 9, 1943 in Dad’s hometown of Hoisington, Barton, Kansas.

In 1949, my mother left her marriage to my dad and moved to Manhattan, Kansas. Dad and Dennis and I moved to Hoisington, Kansas to live temporarily with his parents, John Ludwig Margheim and Amalia “Molly” (Koleber) Margheim. In 1947 my dad’s younger brother Leonard and twin sister Laverna had just graduated from high school. When we “moved in”, Leonard was serving in the United States Army and my Aunt LaVerna was still living at home. I have early memories at age 3 of spending time riding on Leonard’s shoulders when he was able to be home for a visit, and having my hair washed and fingernails polished by my Aunt Laverna. My Grandpa Margheim worked as the Head Custodian at Hoisington High School and occasionally allowed Dennis and I to go to work with him so we could play in the gymnasium or visit the ladies in the office. I remember watching Grandma Margheim wash her laundry on a “wringer” Maytag washer that was set up in the back yard, then hang her clothes on the clothesline to dry. At times we watched her make soap in the back yard, or stir up and bake cakes from “scratch”. We spent many happy hours playing with the children of the Demel family next door.

At age 4 (1951) my brother and I began taking piano lessons from our Aunt Laverna on her baby grand piano in Grandma’s house. That old ruler came out to slap my hands if I didn’t play with my fingers curved!

At about this same time, on March 18, 1951, Dad married Phyllis Jean Jones at Emmaus Lutheran Church in Hoisington. A new house for our family was built on top of the “basement house” at 2201 Jefferson in Great Bend.

Upon moving to Great Bend, my twin brother and I started Kindergarten in Miss Aileen Williams’ class at E.E. Morrison Elementary School, which was a close 4 block walk from our house. On Sundays we attended Concordia Lutheran Church in Hoisington, then would enjoy some of Grandma’s fried chicken and homemade (butterball) noodle soup for our Sunday dinner.

My memories of Kindergarten in 1952-3 are of painting on our easels, making wax candles, partnering with my brother to show him how to tie his shoes, and getting stung by a wasp as I left the classroom one morning. I remember my first day of 1^st Grade since I was frightened and cried to go back home. My teacher, Miss Reba Hay, was patient with me and I soon felt secure and adjusted, enjoying learning to read and write in manuscript. I thought Miss Hay was really “old”, (actually the Census shows she was just 54 at that time, but she had white hair and appeared much older to me). I was happy when my 2^nd Grade teacher was a new young teacher named Miss Delores Temple.

Through 2^ndGrade I often experienced anxiety and insecurity. It was during this time that my Dad and “Mom” (Phyllis) went to court with my natural mother (Ruby) over the custody issue. As it turned out, an arrangement was made that Dennis & I would visit Ruby and her husband Don (Donald Lee Craine) from Blue Rapids, Kansas) the fourth weekend of each month (I remember it was from 9:00 AM Saturday until 2:00 PM Sunday), then for two weeks in the summer. Ruby was a homemaker, Don drove a truck for the Santa Fe Trucking Co. and they lived in Wichita, Kansas.

Don & Ruby had their first child in 1953. I think it was about this time too that the visitation schedule was changed and both Dennis & I started visiting Ruby on the 4^th weekend of each month, alternate Thanksgivings, the week from Dec. 26 to New Year’s Day, and for 6 weeks each summer (July 1 @ 9:00 am—August 10 @ 2:00 pm). It’s immaterial today, but I mention it here because that schedule was such a structured part of my childhood and had quite an impact on me emotionally. On those weekend visits, we always spent the weekend in Stafford, Kansas at the home of Ruby’s parents, my Grandpa (Milo) and Grandma (Nannie Becker) Flanders. We played with our cousins, went to the movies on Saturday night and attended Sunday School each Sunday morning at the Stafford Christian Church.

In 1952 my brother and I started taking piano lessons from Mrs. George “Maude” Maddy in Great Bend, KS. She was an elderly lady (65 at that time, but with white hair and thick glasses) and only allowed us to play Classical piano selections. In July, 1956 we performed in a recital of our own at Park Elementary School. We each played 10 solos by memory, then closed the recital with two 2-piano duets.

It was in 2^nd grade in 1954, at age 7, that my brother & I began taking tap dancing lessons from Carol Kutina. The two routines I remember learning and presenting at public programs was the “black face” routine where I was “Mandy” and my brother was “Rastus”, along with the “Hector the Horse” routine, where he was the front legs of the horse and I danced as the back legs, covered with a fabric (horse cover). A fine position to be in at such an early age!

By 1956 I entered 3^rd Grade and my teacher was Mrs. Jean Nossaman. I enjoyed my role as a pilgrim in the Thanksgiving play. I remember learning a lot about birds, was introduced to the SRA reading/study program, and really enjoyed the stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder that were read to the class each day.

In 4^th Grade, in the class of Miss Delores Quasebarth, I remember learning multiplication and division. I don’t remember anything that was very remarkable while I was in fourth grade.

I think I liked 5^th Grade the most because I absolutely adored my afternoon teacher, Mrs. Elinor Haneke. I hung onto every lesson she presented, memorized the clothing and jewelry she wore and decided to grow up and be a teacher myself. In the mornings, our class was taught by Mrs. Pearl Dodd, who also served as the school principal. She was strict, but a good teacher. The hardest part of my school week was when Mrs. Kline came in to give the music lessons, as she was strict and I don’t remember ever seeing her smile. I did enjoy the art lessons given by Gordon Zahradnik.

Our weekly piano lessons continued each Thursday afternoon, until we graduated from high school and on Wednesday afternoons I continued attending the Midweek Bible School class at our church, Trinity Lutheran Church. I attended Midweek Bible School from Third Grade through Ninth Grade in preparation for my confirmation at Trinity. The course of study was Luther’s Small Catechism, which we were required to memorize.

Since I’ve told you who all my school teachers were so far, I’ll tell you that Mr. Leo Lake was my teacher in the mornings of 6^th Grade (and he served as the Principal that year), and again Mrs. Eleanor Haneke was my afternoon teacher.

It was during sixth grade that Dennis & I started taking “Arthur Murray” ballroom dancing lessons from Mrs. Herb (Hazel) Smith. Each weekly lesson cost $.50/hour and my mom thought it was better to pay $.50 per hour for a lesson to learn how to dance than to pay it to our babysitter. That was a lucky break, because I really enjoyed dancing lessons and that was “the class to go to” in my crowd of friends back in 1957! We learned such dances as the jitterbug, waltz, fox trot, rhumba, samba, tango, and cha-cha. We continued to take the weekly Friday afternoon lessons through 10^th grade.

In 7^th Grade I attended Harrison Junior High in Great Bend. It was a new school, 1959 being its second year open. I played the flute in the school band...the instrument I had started playing in the fifth and sixth grade bands. I chose the flute because while I was in the 5^th grade, I got braces on my teeth and was told the flute would be a good instrument to play while I wore braces.

Shortly after starting my 8^th grade year in 1960 and having turned 12 years old the previous November, the visits to see our mother and step-father, Ruby and Don Craine stopped. I mention it because it was a rather traumatic experience for me...to meet with my mother (Ruby) at 9:00 am on July 1, 1959 and tell her (upon instruction from our parents) that Dennis & I would no longer be visiting her at all. By that time Ruby and Don had three daughters.

We continued to attend Harrison Jr. High through the 9^th grade. Piano lessons with Mrs. Maddy were still part of our weekly activities. Our step-mother Phyllis required us to practice one hour each day, to prepare for each Thursday’s lesson. In 7^th and 8^th grade I was able to practice after school, before I worked on homework. But in 9^th grade, I turned 14 years old and was able to start working each day after school and on Saturdays at Jones Laundry, the commercial laundry in town that “Mom” managed and was owned by her father, Henry James Jones. I wrapped up the clean clothing “bundles” that the employees had ironed throughout the day, and I waited on the customers. Mom and I closed the laundry each evening at 8:45 and got home for supper at 9:00 pm. After supper it was time to do my homework.

My brother and I each had to practice piano for an hour every morning before school, so we alternated practicing 5:30-6:30 and 6:30-7:30 am. Music was a big part of our lives as we grew up. As I’ve previously mentioned, our Aunt LaVerna Margheim was an accomplished pianist and started giving us piano lessons at age 4, so when we moved back to Great Bend in 1952 we took those weekly lessons from Maude Maddy.

Our lessons continued until we graduated from high school in 1965. My brother was exceptionally talented and capable on the piano. At age 10 he took organ lessons from Deaconess Mertice Spaude at our church, Trinity Lutheran in Great Bend, and was hired to play for weekly Sunday services at age 11. He played the pipe organ there clear through high school.

We also played musical instruments in the school bands from grades 5-12. As I’ve previously mentioned, I played Flute and he played the French Horn in the school marching and symphonic bands. In grade 9, I also sang in a small vocal group of girls, called Triple Trio at Harrison Jr. High. We both sang in our church choir through Junior and Senior High School.

My brother and I were blessed to be able to join a group of Lutheran Youth and attend the International Convention of the Walther League (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Youth Group) in Washington, D C in 1963. We joined High School Seniors on a Senior Trip to New York City in 1965 and visited all the tourist sites. We were fortunate to attend the Youth Retreats with our Church Youth each summer and I often served as a teacher in the Vacation Bible School program at our church.

As I grew up with my parents working long hours at their respective jobs, I enjoyed time at home, doing household chores such as cleaning, ironing, mowing the lawn, and helping Dad with planting his many gardens. I didn’t have much desire to get involved in social events. I had no burning desire to attend college, but knew it was expected by my parents. My grades throughout school qualified me for the Honor Roll, so my mom, Phyllis, suggested that I go to college at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, and major in Elementary Education so I could become a teacher. Her reasoning was that I’d get off work every day at 4:00 pm, have weekends and holidays off, as well as 3 months each summer. That was attractive to her since she worked 80 hours per week at Jones Laundry! So I took her counsel and attended Ft. Hays and majored in Elementary Education. While in college I resided in the dormitory McMindes Hall and earned a paycheck by serving as a Resident Assistant.

The two incidents that stand out in my memory from my college years are these:

1. I was reunited with my MOTHER! As I’ve already told you, when Dennis and I were age 12 we were instructed to tell our mother Ruby Craine that we’d no longer be available to visit her weekends and summers per the Court Order of 1954. So our contact with her came to an end. However, as we moved away from home and attended college (I was in Hays, Kansas and my brother was attending Wichita State University in Wichita, KS), we were free to make whatever arrangements we desired with visiting our mother and step-father. Our mother Ruby lived in Valley Center, KS, which was a small town near Wichita, KS. Ruby learned through her sister Ethel where we were attending college. Aunt Ethel was working as a Housekeeper for our Great Bend neighbor and read in the Great Bend Tribune where the high school graduates were attending college. Upon contact with my brother, after no contact for 6 years, plans were made for him and our mother to come and get me in Hays, KS for a weekend visit! In November, 1965, I was reunited with my mother. I must note that as I got in the car with them, I noticed that I was carrying the VERY SAME PURSE that my mother was carrying! We arrived in Valley Center late that evening and were greeted by a long peek from behind a wall at us from my youngest half-sister, who was only 6 at the time and of course had never met us, or even known about us. We enjoyed the weekend together, and got reacquainted with our two older half-sisters. We maintained contact with our Craine family as we became adults and were able to do so.

2. My twin brother was drafted to serve in the Army and was ultimately stationed in Viet Nam in 1968. He served one year there and on the day before he was to be shipped back to the U.S. he was wounded, survived, was shipped home, and was awarded the Purple Heart.

Upon my graduation from Ft. Hays in May, 1969, I was hired to teach Second Grade at Grace E. Stewart School in Salina, Kansas. I enjoyed my experience there 1969-1971.

On June 6, 1971, I married Bill Klein at Trinity Lutheran Church in Great Bend, KS. I was able to retire from teaching and become a homemaker, which had been my dream. Bill was a Master Electrician and formed Klein Electric, LLC in May 1974. I served as the bookkeeper and was able to work from home.

After 5 years of marriage I was blessed with the greatest blessing of my life as Bill and I adopted our son.

When he was six months old, we moved to a new house at Bissell Pt, a housing area north of Great Bend. As our son was in grade school, we hired my mom Phyllis to work as our Secretary/Bookkeeper at Klein Electric so I was able to be at home with him. Her father “Jim” Jones had died in March 1976 and she closed Jones Laundry, so was available for her new job. Mom worked as our Secretary until 1984, when she became employed at Thies Packing Co, where my Dad worked as Comptroller for his 54 year career.

My years throughout my son’s childhood in Great Bend, near my parents in Great Bend and grandparents in Hoisington, KS were so enjoyable and fulfilling. I could write a lengthy and in-depth account of my wonderful and fulfilling days as the mother of my son as he grew up. But I remind myself this publication is the story of MY life. I won’t take the liberty to expose his personal life except to stick to the facts.

As an economic recession hit Kansas in 1984-6, Bill “shut the doors” (his phrase) on Klein Electric and in 1986 we sold our house and bought a house in Derby, Kansas. He had gained employment in Wichita, KS to install the site lighting on the Marriott Hotel that was being built there. I was hired by Ruffin Properties as the Secretary to the Project Manager on the building site of the Marriott Hotel. Bill quickly learned, after the site lighting was installed, that his employer had no more work for him and he was laid off. He gained employment in Sept. 1986 with a local company that was engaged in a project in Blue Springs, MO, so we promptly put our house on the market and moved to Blue Springs in Dec, 1986. That necessitated another transfer of schools for our son and a necessary termination of employment for me. We quickly learned that the job offered to Bill in Blue Springs was a temporary assignment and he was laid off Jan 2, 1987. Since we owned and enjoyed our log cabin in the mountains in Colorado, we decided to seek employment near there. In March, 1987 we moved to Canon City, Colorado. Bill was able to earn his Electrical Master’s license in Colorado and gain employment, eventually establishing Klein Electric in Fremont County. In May, 1987 I went to work as the Office Manager at the Canon City Chamber of Commerce where I directed tourists to the local attractions and did all the bookkeeping and secretarial duties. In 1989, as a Bookkeeper, I moved to employment at Fredrickson Brown Insurance Co and Fredrickson Brown Financial Services.

My marriage to Bill Klein came to an end in Jan 1990. I continued to reside in Canon City while changing my employment to that as Office Manager for a local Certified Public Accountant.

As a divorced woman, in 1990-91 I attended a local Divorce Recovery Support Group, whose motto was “Become a happy single person instead of a bitter divorced person.” My parents had visited me soon after my divorce and my mom encouraged me to join a Support Group. In July, 1991 I met a new attendee in the group, Larry Jamison. We became friends and enjoyed the company of many other attendees. I was diligent in attending a bi-annual Divorce Recovery Workshop in Colorado Springs sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church. I certainly wanted to be a happy woman instead of a bitter divorcee!

In March, 1992 I moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado and became employed as the Secretary to the President of Schmidt Construction Co. I prepared the monthly newsletter and served as Secretary to the President of the company and to the staff of Estimators. It was my job to also plan the annual summer picnic enjoyed by the employees.

As my employment in Colorado Springs continued, my relationship with Larry Jamison also developed. He was a fellow participant in the Divorce Support Group and we enjoyed outings with the other participants.

Larry & I were married in 1994 as I continued my employment at Schmidt Construction Co. In September 1996 we made the decision to move back to Canon City, CO. I was hired as the Parish Administrator at Christ Episcopal Church and went to work there Oct. 14, 1996. Larry & I bought a 3-story house that had been built in 1904 and had quite an interesting history.

As I was married to Larry, I was taught by him about the Doctrine of his church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was raised with strong faith and good instruction in my Lutheran Church. But as Larry taught me, I came to believe that I was finally learning “the rest of the story”. On May 13, 1995, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As residents of Canon City, we attended the Canon City Second Ward. I was immediately called to prepare the Sunday bulletins since I was a Secretary and had access to printers and copiers. As it turned out, I prepared those weekly bulletins for 24 years. I served in many other “callings” while a member of that Ward. I served as Relief Society Secretary for 11 years, Cub Scout Committee Chairman for 2 years, FamilySearch Center Consultant and teacher for 19 years, Ward Historian for 24 years, and taught many classes on Family History and Temple Preparation. I participated in many activities, groups, functions and prepared many publications (reports, flyers, newsletters, etc), with great pleasure!

My son moved into our home with me and Larry in Colorado Springs in 1995, after residing with his father in Canon City 1990-94. He graduated from Canon City High School and furthered his education at Pueblo, CO. Following his Education he directed his interest in and employment in the field of Electrical Contracting.

My husband Larry Jamison was the father of six children born 1970-1984. Upon his divorce in 1991, he gained custody of his three sons, and regular visitation with his youngest daughter. So I became a step-mother to a large family! As such I served as hostess to every holiday family dinner and acknowledged every birthday, graduation, marriage and any other family celebration.

Larry Jamison was employed as a Scenic Artist with Highland Film Productions, a company owned by his brother and sister-in-law Richard L. and Linda Jamison. That employment offered us the privilege of traveling to Madisonville, Tennessee, Oakland, California and Laie, Hawaii as they prepared film sets for LDS movies and Temple Visitor Center renovations.

As I was employed in Colorado Springs, CO at Schmidt Construction (1993-96), I was afforded the opportunity to attend a class to learn how to use Microsoft Publisher. That gave me the instruction needed to prepare the monthly newsletter at Schmidt. So after I moved to Canon City, CO and began working for Christ Episcopal Church, I also was assigned the task of writing and publishing their monthly newsletter. Somehow word was spread of my ability, so I quickly took on the tasks of preparing monthly newsletters in Canon City for Mother Nature’s Health Food Store, The Fremont County Retired Teacher’s Association, the local PEO Chapter, Canon City After 5 Club, our Canon City Second Ward at Church, and the Ward’s Relief Society newsletter.

It was Larry who introduced me to the exploration of our family’s history. He encouraged me for many weeks to visit the Family History Center in Colorado Springs, CO. I held off for personal reasons, until the day I finally agreed to “just take a look at their computer resources”. I discovered the listing of MY MARGHEIM GRANDPARENTS, who were Germans from Russia and very strong members of the Lutheran Church. I was truly amazed and slightly intrigued. I knew I had to look into this. I gave it serious consideration and decided I would only explore records to the extent that I could prepare a 4-generation pedigree chart for my son, one that I could mount on the wall.

It was 1999 and I installed the Family Tree Maker software on my computer and began the hunt online. I found a site where my cousin Kathryn Keller had submitted her family’s genealogy. I didn’t personally know “Kate” but noticed that she had entered the birth date of me and my twin brother in error. So I had to contact her to correct that mistake! I entered what information I had into the database on FTM. I was going to limit my activity to that! But as I entered the names of my parents and grandparents I noticed the software was asking for the names of “THEIR” parents, etc. I had to keep going! And I haven’t stopped.

As I’ve developed my interest and activity in the study of my family’s history, I’ve taken advantage of the resources offered by Family Search, especially. With my supportive husband Larry, I was blessed to be able to attend the annual RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City from 2012—2018. During those years, I developed several blogs online, to share my findings and my interests. They were:

· A Joyful Spirit: My personal web site

· Canon City Family Search Center: News for Consultants

· Canon City 2^ndWard Relief Society: News for our Relief Society

· Ernie’s Journeys: A blog written about and by my 90-year-old father, Ernie Margheim

· Grace and Glory: my genealogy stories of findings and discoveries (still active at beckysgraceandglory.blogspot.com)

· Gramma’s House: our family news and events

· Our Son Matt: Matt’s life stories that I shared with his Birth Mother

· Promptings: Promptings I’ve received from the Holy Spirit

· Somewhere in Time: My husband Larry Jamison’s life-ending stories

· Tuberose: my personal thoughts and favorites

On Feb. 24, 1997, my step-mother Phyllis passed away, leaving my dad to live alone in Great Bend, KS. Dad drove to Canon City in November, 1998 to attend my son’s wedding and we discussed his potential move to Canon City so he could be near us. That move was facilitated within two months and was a blessing for us all. As his health declined I was able to accompany him to his medical appointments and help him with household chores. In 2012 he entered permanent residence at Progressive Care Center, where my husband Larry and I were able to tend to his needs, as well as visit him daily.

Dad passed away in the early morning hours of May 13, 2014. It was a blessing, as his age was 92 and he was ready. I attended a “Care Conference” with him and the staff at the Care Center on April 29, 2014. At the close of the interview, the nurse asked Dad if he had any questions. This was his final question: “Why won’t God just let me die?“. Knowing he felt that way helped me deal with his loss of life. His cremains were buried in the Great Bend, KS Cemetery on July 24, 2014.

During the years 2007-2018, my husband Larry Jamison experienced many health concerns, including major back and shoulder surgeries. In 2016 we made the decision to move out of our 3 story house and move into a one level home to eliminate stairs. In Nov. 2016 we moved just 6 blocks east of the home we had occupied 1996-2016.

As I shared previously, I had begun my employment as the Parish Administrator at Christ Episcopal Church in Canon City, CO on Oct. 14, 1996. I was blessed to still be working there when my husband Larry passed away on Nov. 13, 2018. I was comforted by the many friendly and helpful gestures I received from my friends at work and those who also attended the Second Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canon City.

My final gesture, as it turned out, as a loving, caring and considerate step-mother to Larry’s six surviving children and their families, was a Reunion in July 2019, in my home, where I was able to distribute to them all the remaining Jamison family heirlooms I believe they were entitled to. There had always been a story passed around the Jamison family about Larry’s grandfather, who had remarried and upon his death, the second wife would not allow the distribution of any of the grandfather’s heirlooms. I certainly didn’t want to be guilty of that and be remembered in the Jamison family as that nasty step-mother!

As I’ve experienced the trials and situations that life has dealt me, I’ve often uttered the phrase “GOD KNEW!” God blessed me with a twin brother who was by my side from the moment of my birth. It was comfortable to have him by my side as we experienced the changes brought about at the time of the divorce of our parents, relocation of our residence with grandparents at age 2, then the adjustment of residence with our new, and very loving step-mother in our new home at age 4. He was in the back seat with me as we were driven to our monthly and annual visits with our mother Ruby and step-father Don Craine. He was seated on the organ bench as he offered the beautiful music during my weddings to Bill Klein in 1971 and Larry Jamison in 1994. And he was at the organ again at the funeral of my husband Larry in 2018.

And “GOD KNEW!” that after I had experienced widowhood for 2 years, I was ready to again offer my love in a relationship with a qualifying man. I was very blessed to draw the attention of a recently-divorced gentleman at my church, William Thompson.

William and I were married in Colorado Springs, CO and on Dec. 31, 2020 we each retired. We began the New Year as we arrived at our new home in Fruitland, Idaho. Since I was born in Kansas, I was drawn to living near the agriculture fields of Idaho. William was born in the agriculture part of California and is much more comfortable at this Idaho elevation than he was while briefly living at the 6,000 ft. elevation in Colorado.

Again I experienced a situation where “GOD KNEW!” after we established our home in Fruitland. We were quickly called in our Church to serve as the leaders for the 8-11 year-old Girls Activities. Through that service we’ve met and been blessed with the friendship of many of the members of our Ward and have felt right at home here.

My Reading Keeps Connecting Me to the Richards Family

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 04:24:00 +0000

Two days ago I added my most recent post to this blog and told of my connection to a Richards family who were early leaders in the history of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This year in our Sunday School class we're going to study the Book of Mormon in depth. I was blessed last week to find this book at Deseret Industries in Nampa, Idaho, where I frequently have the privilege to buy religious books for $3.00 or less!

As you can see, "A Case for the Book of Mormon" was written by Tad R. Callister. I feel especially drawn to this author as I had the opportunity to hear him speak in a church service many years ago when I lived in Canon City, Colorado. This afternoon I sat down to read this book and was amazed that I had only gotten to page 4 !!! when I read that Tad Callister referred to his ancestor Willard Richards while discussing the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. This chart show his connection to Willard Richards, as well as his connection to me. (I'm the Mary R. Margheim at the lower left).

I love discovering "connections" and then creating the charts to illustrate them. I'm just amazed (but I'm easily amazed!) that I was so fascinated last Saturday by the book I had just bought that I wrote about it in my previous post. It was formerly given as a gift by Mr. and Mrs. Franklin D. Richards.

And today I picked up a new book to read and discover another connection to this Richards ancestry!

This Book Spoke to Me Right Off the Shelf

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 22:25:00 +0000

Since I'm now retired, it seems I've picked up a new hobby of buying books at Deseret Industries in Nampa, Idaho. They range in price from $.75-$3.00! At this point in my life, the only subject matter I'm willing to spend my time pursuing is Religion and the many topics it encompasses.

I was drawn to this book for several reasons. It's in very good condition, was published in 1955, and was autographed by Helen and Franklin D. Richards on June 11, 1960 as a gift given to "The McCarreys". I immediately recognized the name "Franklin D. Richards" as a former Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When I got home I did a little research on this Franklin D. Richards, who I learned was the GRANDSON of the Apostle Richards. Without going into a lot of detail, I will show you the results of my quick research. One thing I've learned about myself during my years of doing genealogy research is that I'm very interested in, and amazed by, family connections. So I worked up this chart showing how I'm connected to this Richards family. I'm the Mary R. Margheim at the bottom left.

This chart shows that my cousin Robert Lund Judd was married to Louise Richards, the great-granddaughter of Franklin D. Richards and Jane Snyder.

I also learned that Franklin D. Richards' grandson by his wife Nancy Longstroth was LeGrand Richards, the well-known author of "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder". That was one of the first books I read after joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1994.

I feel blessed to have discovered this autographed book this week and blessed that my husband encourages me to buy books to which I'm drawn! As a side note, I might add that while I'm shopping for books, he walks across the parking lot to the Lowe's store and indulges his passions too!

This 6th Grade Song Surprises Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Sun, 25 Jun 2023 02:29:00 +0000

In my last post, I shared a story about Lloyd J. Dotterer, the Illustrator of the New Horizons music book I learned from in First Grade. As I was looking through the 6th-grade music book we used at E. E. Morrison School in Great Bend, Kansas, I noticed this entry:

We can see the sub-title "Mormon Hymn". This book was copyrighted in 1946 and 1952 by Silver Burdette Company. This hymn is currently in the hymnal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as #30, titled "Come, Come, Ye Saints".

I don't remember learning this song as a 6-year-old. But I'm surprised to see that this song was included in the public school music book at that time. For one thing, I'm surprised to see any Church Hymn in our elementary school music book. And I'm mostly surprised to see a "Mormon" hymn in a public school music book for 6th graders, in Kansas!

I will certainly add that while I'm surprised, I'm quite happy to have made this discovery. While attending Morrison Grade School, I was a very devoted member of the local Trinity Lutheran Church. In 1995 I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have happily sung "Come, Come, Ye Saints" in our Church services. I just had no idea this song was in my 6th-grade music book. Small discoveries like this just blow my mind! And I'm grateful for that.

Connecting my 1953 First Grade Songbook to my Family

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 01:20:00 +0000

In my previous post from last year, I told of my discovery of a family connection to a historic residence in my son's place of residence in Vermont and the resulting connection to my grade school 4th-grade music book.

Last week while on vacation from my home in Idaho to my cousin Michele's home in Colorado Springs, I was presented with the actual 1st-grade music book (pictured at right) that belonged to my twin brother, Dennis Margheim, while we attended E. E. Morrison School in Great Bend, Kansas.

When I returned home from vacation, I dug out my grade school music books and found that I still had my own copy of the Grade 1 book. As I opened it, I read that all illustrations in the book were drawn by Lloyd J. Dotterer.

The name "Dotterer" sparked a memory from my previous genealogy research. I found the name in my RootsMagic database and had to go to Family Search to extend the line I'd researched to include this "Lloyd J. Dotterer". Of course, as is my usual practice, I looked deeper into the Dotterer line and found the connections that I've included on this chart. I'm Mary R ("Rebecca") Margheim on this chart.

Through my subscription to Newspapers.com, I found this information about Lloyd Dotterer, published 15 Nov 1945 in the "Public Opinion" paper in Chambersburg, PA.

Here are a few samples of the beautiful artwork Lloyd Dotterer provided for the Grade 1 edition of New Music Horizons, published by Silver Burdett Company in 1944.

My next blog post will share another amazing discovery I made while looking through my Morrison Grade School "New Music Horizon" music books! Watch for it this week.

My 1956 and 2021 Connection to a Distant Vermont Cousin

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 21:51:00 +0000

Last summer my husband and I made our first trip to Vermont to accompany our son as he relocated from Colorado. As we were visiting Springfield, Vermont, my son’s mother-in-law told me of the Hartness House Inn.

You can read about it here:

"The Hartness House Inn, 30 Orchard St, Springfield, VT, is small enough for an intimate Bed & Breakfast vacation, yet large enough to host weddings and other events. The Inn is located in Springfield, Vermont just minutes away from I-91.
The Hartness House was built in the early 1900’s for James and Lena Hartness. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. James Hartness was a man of many interests and accomplishments. He was a successful businessman, engineer, inventor with over 100 patents, amateur astronomer, aviator and the 58^thGovernor of Vermont.
The Hartness family, James and Lena with their daughters, Helen and Anna, hosted many guests in their years at their home. The 35-acre property includes lawns, gardens and woodlands."

Since my "obsession" is Genealogy, as I learned of the Hartness House, I researched it online and discovered that Helen Hartness, daughter of the founders James and Lena Hartness, married Ralph Flanders! My mother's maiden name was FLANDERS! So I had to dig deeper and see how I might be related to Helen. This chart shows my connection:

Ralph Flanders, husband of Helen Hartness, was the 5^thcousin of my great grandfather, Lewis Flanders. So the son of Ralph and Helen Hartness Flanders, James Hartness Flanders, is my 6^th cousin 2 generations removed.

I was recently showing my sister-in-law my small collection of school books from my childhood and years as a student at E. E. Morrison School, Great Bend, Kansas, among which I found "New Music Horizons" for Grade 4 in the State of Kansas. I casually opened it to show her the songs, but first read the list of Contributors on the first page. To my complete surprise, I noticed that Helen Hartness Flanders and Arthur Wallace Peach were the contributors of the song "Jolly Old Roger" (shown below), from A Garland of Green Mountain Song, copyright by the Committee of Traditions and Ideals of the Vermont Commission of County Life." This is the same Helen Hartness Flanders who's married to my Cousin!

I'm always "blown away" when I discover family connections! I know many people, even members of my own family, who would react "So what!" But I'm so easily amazed and impressed that I look at discoveries like this as blessings. I never imagined that someone who contributed a song to my 4th-grade music book was married to a cousin of mine, and then to learn that she's noteworthy in the town to which my son recently moved. I just had to share this story with my genealogy friends!

I Discovered my Favorite Teacher was my Cousin

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 01:19:00 +0000

In 1957 I attended fifth grade at E E Morrison School in Great Bend, Kansas. In the mornings, the teacher of our class was Pearl Dodd, the Principal of the school. Right after lunch, Elinor Brining Haneke arrived and taught us through the afternoon. In 1958 when I was in the sixth grade, a new principal, Leo Lake, taught us in the mornings, and again Elinor Haneke taught us in the afternoons. My mother proudly told us that she attended high school with Elinor. I thought that was special. But it was Mrs. Haneke's personality that endeared me to her. I loved her! A couple of friends and I would get back to school before the 1:00 bell rang and watch for Mrs. Haneke to arrive. When she got out of her car, we'd run to her and walk her into the building. I adored Mrs. Haneke. I studied her demeanor, what she wore, how she graded papers, her personality. I've always remembered her November 13th birthday.

This is a picture of our 6th grade class. I'm standing in the 2nd row, 4th from the right.

Leo Lake and Elinor Haneke plan the lessons for the day.

Today I was reviewing my genealogy database and noticed the Brining name as part of a descendancy chart of my relatives. I quickly searched for more information in Family Search and discovered what's shown in this chart.

You can see that Elinor Louise Brining, wife of Ralph Haneke is the 7th cousin of my mother, Ruby Flanders. So my beloved teacher, Mrs. Haneke, was my 7th cousin, once removed. Discoveries like this are meaningful to me. Yes, I'm a woman who's very easily impressed. I'd give anything if I could tell my mom that I'm actually related to her high school classmate, and my favorite teacher!

Discovering another family CONNECTION to my Husband

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 03:27:00 +0000

One of my greatest joys in researching my family's history is discovering Connections. I may not be directly related to certain individuals, but if I can find a family connection, I'm happy!

Since I'm newly married to William Thompson, I've been adding some of his family's ancestry into the Family Tree at FamilySearch. And in adding family names from FamilySearch into my RootsMagic database, I've had the opportunity to discover NAMES and PLACES of his relatives. When I see names that are familiar in MY family, lights go on in my head and I start studying any connections.

I traced a connection that I discovered, so I prepared the chart above. You'll see me (Mary R Margheim Thompson) at the bottom left and you can see the connection of our families over to my husband, William Thompson at the bottom right. In the text below the chart, I explain: "William Thompson's cousin Jessie Lane was married to Robert Schneider. Robert's brother Albert Schneider was married to Olinda Michaelis, whose cousin John Frederick Michaelis was married to my grandaunt Eva Margheim."

I find it significant simply because my husband, who was born and raised in California, has a connection to my family, who were early Kansas residents. Who would have ever guessed this possibility!

It all goes back to Ulysses, Kansas

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 21:18:00 +0000

Throughout my childhood, I had limited opportunities to associate with my mother (Ruby Flanders) or her family. I knew, however, that one of her older brothers, Cleo Flanders, resided for many years in Ulysses, Kansas. I seem to also remember riding on a train as a young child to Chanute, Kansas to visit Uncle Cleo and his family. He and my Aunt Berta (Alberta Smiley Flanders) are pictured below with their son Ron and daughter-in-law Fran.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have come to know a little bit about Sheri Dew, who serves as the CEO of Deseret Book. Here's a brief bio of her from that company's website:

Sheri Dew is a native of Ulysses, Kansas, and a graduate of Brigham Young University. She has written a number of books, including the biographies of three Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Presidents Russell M. Nelson, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Ezra Taft Benson. She served from 1997 to 2002 as second counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency and is executive vice-president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corporation.

I was privileged to hear Sheri Dew speak in person a few years ago here in Colorado Springs. This is one of the pictures I took of her that morning.

I admire her intelligence, faith, talents, and personality. Since I was born and grew up in Kansas too, I've considered her a "fellow Kansan" and often wondered if she had as classmates any of my cousins, the grandchildren of my Uncle Cleo. Today I discovered that one of Uncle Cleo's granddaughters was born just months after Sheri, also in Ulysses, KS. They must have known each other in school.

I've wanted desperately to learn of an ancestral connection between me and Sheri and my research today uncovered that connection! As this chart shows, Sheri and I are 10th cousins. I'm thrilled!

In the months to come, I'll be in a position to learn more about the descendants of Uncle Cleo and Aunt Berta and will follow up with more on this story about the possible acquaintance of "my hero Sheri Dew" with my cousins and their families. I'll bring you up to date when I know more!

Nearing 500 Stories in 10 Years and a Cousin's Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 01:28:00 +0000

It was on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 that I created my blog “Grace and Glory” and wrote my first post on the blog. It was a short post, so I’m sharing it here:

Two of My Favorite Words

For my first blog post, I want to explain why I've chosen 'Grace and Glory' for the name of my blog. Simply, they are two of my favorite words. I love the name "Grace"; I love the act of Grace--to honor or favor, to give beauty, elegance or charm, to reprieve. I love the meaning of Glory: intelligence, beauty and splendor, perfect happiness, honor, praise, distinction, height of achievement. How can you beat that?

I will be talking about my life and the people in it, the thoughts I have about it, the lessons I'm learning from it, and since genealogy/family history is my passion, even those in my family who have gone before me and who have come together to make me who I am. I can reflect and recall with grace--to honor my life and family. And I can reflect and recall in Glory--remembering beauty, intelligence, happiness, and achievement. The way I see it--it all fits!

I'm just getting started, and this is my first Baby Step!

The Blogger statistics tell me that I’ve written 492 stories in the past 10 years. I was hoping to hit the 500 mark, but have been busy these last few weeks helping my husband adjust to new health concerns. I haven’t been able to study and share my ancestors’ stories or do any new research into my family history.

I was very blessed, however, to have spent the past three days enjoying a personal visit from my first cousin Nancy Flanders Orrick. Nancy’s father Albert Flanders, was an older brother of my mother Ruby Flanders Margheim Craine.

Here’s a picture of my mother with her brother Albert in the late 1930s.

I lived my childhood with my twin brother Dennis, my dad Ernest Margheim, and my step-mother Phyllis (Jones) Margheim. Dennis & I visited our mother Ruby after her divorce from our dad and spent a few weekends throughout our early childhood in Stafford, Kansas with her family members. So we did meet and get acquainted with cousins and our grandparents, Milo and Nannie (Becker) Flanders. But as visitors, we missed a lot of interaction with our biological family.

So when I’ve had the opportunity to spend days with my cousin Nancy, it’s been a real blessing. She has provided ancestor and family information that I’d never have secured otherwise. And more than that, she’s provided a very personal connection to me from that side of my family. I’d have received that from nobody else! We lovingly call ourselves “Sisters”.

Thank you, Nancy, for making a very special effort to come to Canon City, CO and spend time with me and Larry, and for sharing your friendship, your stories, your insights, your time, and your love with me. It's the best way for me to have celebrated being with FAMILY at the time of the 10-year anniversary of my personal and family history blog "Grace and Glory". You've given me the meat for one more post here in my family journal. Only 7 more to go to hit that magical 500 mark.

Cousin Connections to a Local Notable

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:56:00 +0000

Last week the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center here in Canon City, Colorado posted this story on Facebook about a local notable, Charles C. Rittenhouse. (Charles C. Rittenhouse; Copyright Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center. The information presented in this article is compiled using research conducted by the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center.)

The post says:

16 AUG 2018 / ROYALGORGEHISTORYCENTER

Today is the birthday of Charles C. Rittenhouse, one of the most prominent architects in Cañon City. Charles C. Rittenhouse lived in the city for less than 20 years but in that time he left his mark in numerous buildings and residences he designed.

Rittenhouse was born in Van Wert, Ohio in 1852 where he first learned the trade of carpentry. He studied architecture in Fort Wayne, Indiana and in 1887 he was hired to draw the plans for the Hastings State Hospital in Nebraska.

Rittenhouse likely arrived in Cañon City in 1890 and began the designs for many of the buildings here in the city. Some of his buildings include the Burrage Building at 506-508 Main St., the Frank L. Smith Building at 501 Main St., the First Presbyterian Church at 701 Macon Ave., and the Cañon City Public Library at 516 Macon Ave. Residences built by Rittenhouse include the Deputy Warden’s House at 105 Main St., the Fred Whipple home at 805 Rudd Ave., and the J.D. Biggs residence at 1103 Macon Ave. His offices were in the Central Block on Main St.

Rittenhouse lived in California by 1910 and passed away in July 1937 at the age of 84. He is remembered through his work as an architect and the buildings that still stand here in Cañon City today.

Happy Birthday Charles C. Rittenhouse!

I recognized the name Rittenhouse because my step-mother had a close cousin named Rittenhouse Baird. And I knew my sister-in-law’s maiden name was Baird. So I took note at this article about Charles C. Rittenhouse. From the information already in my RootsMagic database, I was able to prepare this chart below that shows cousin connections from Charles C. Rittenhouse to my step-mother Phyllis Jones Margheim and my sister-in-law Linda Junice Baird Jamison.

It’s a bit difficult to read because the chart got so big in order to show the generations necessary. But the point is made that Charles C. Rittenhouse of the Canon City fame had a cousin who was also a cousin to my mom, Phyllis Margheim, and to my sister-in-law Linda Jamison. My mom would be so surprised to know this.

“It is Well with my Soul” for my mother and step-father

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Thompson) — Sat, 28 Jul 2018 22:13:00 +0000

The song "It Is Well With My Soul" was written by the successful Christian lawyer Horatio Gates Spafford. His only son died at age 4 in 1871. In 1872, the great Chicago fire wiped out his vast estate, made from a successful legal career. In 1873 he sent his wife & 4 daughters over to Europe on a summer trip on the ill-fated SS Ville du Havre. Since he had a lot of work to do, he planned to follow them later. The Ship sank and he lost his 4 daughters with the wife being the only survivor. She sent him a famous telegram which simply read, "SAVED ALONE...." On his return home, his Law firm was burned down and the insurance company refused to pay him. They said "It's an Act of God". He had no money to pay for his house and no work, he also lost his house. Then while sitting and thinking what's happening to him, being a spiritual person, he wrote a song - "Whatever, my Lord, You have taught me to say - It is well, it is well with my soul". (Shared by Claude Schroeder on Facebook, June 18, 2018). In doing further research on the ancestry of H. G. Spafford, I noticed a common ancestor with my step-father Donald Lee Craine. This chart shows that cousin connection.

My mother and stepfather, pictured below, would be happy to see this cousin connection. They surely both sang this song, as they sang many duets in their Baptist church throughout their marriage. I can imagine my mother, Ruby Flanders Craine, playing this by ear on the piano, as her talent allowed her to do so often.