Hiatus Apology

I have to apologize for the delay in posting my blog. I had to take a break from my genealogy for a few different reasons.

1. Spring has sprung and there is much work that needs to be done in the yard.

2. I needed a break from genealogy since I have genealogy overload. I guess that can really happen!

3. I have some personal issues that have kept me from writing lately and am dealing with them at this time. We were facing some pressing problems where I work but they have been resolved so things there are back to normal which is quite a load off my mind.

Hopefully I can be back to writing soon and keep sharing the history of my family. For those of you coming to the Pettyjohn reunion in Salmon Arm it will be nice to see you there. Unfortunately I have fallen behind on my "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" but I still hope to catch up or maybe it will become "52 Ancestors in 104 Weeks", who knows!

Thank you for your patience,

Dennis

Greenland The Daniels Farm at Valens, Ontario

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Taxes

On my recent visit to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, I was able to look at the Tax Assessment records for Beverly Township, Wentworth County, Ontario, Canada. At the time it seemed a very tedious task scanning all these records, from year after year, but it did turn up some interesting tidbits of information.

Greenland The Homestead in Valens, Ontario around 1900

In 1868 the land was valued at $740.00, and Robert McDonald was a “freeholder,” which means he owned the property. Robert was fifty-nine years old and listed in the reserve militia roll. Frederic Daniels was listed as nineteen years old and was in the first class service militia roll. These two columns of information were only found in this year’s assessment records. This could be the reason my grandfather joined the militia, following in his father’s footsteps.

In 1874 Frederic was 25 years of age and was listed as a tenant farmer with Robert McDonald. The land was valued at $650.00.

Assessment of Ratable Property 1847

In 1885 Frederic took over the farm and was listed as “freeholder.” There was a column that was marked, one death. Robert McDonald had died and left his farm to Frederic.

From 1888 through 1891 Frederic shared his land with John and George Dickson, and John Robson. In two of those years, their total assessed values were combined.

At age 21 in 1897 Robert Daniels, Frederic’s eldest son joined his father as a “freeholder.” 

In 1898 he farm was valued at $1600.00. Robert Dalziel, Frederic’s nephew, was included in the tax assessment due to his income. He was living on the farm and working as a mason.

This is where my research ended with the tax assessment records. As you can see, there are some interesting tidbits of information even from boring tax records.

Former Daniels Farm in 1997
Picture courtesy of Jerold and Evelyn Daniels

Thank you for joining my search!

Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

The Discovery of Anna Marie Daniels

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Maiden Aunt

This is not an image of Anna Marie Daniels
Image from page 154 of "When I was your age" (1894)
Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe

On my recent journey to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, I learned about the online French civil records. My last day there I took the time to go through the records for Sotteville-Les-Rouen, where my great-grandfather Frederic Daniels was born. It was possible that Frederic’s two sisters Sarah and Mary were born in Sotteville-Les-Rouen, since some of the Canadian census records had them listed as being born in France. It was possible that his brother William, was born there too, because he was just a year older than Frederic. I assumed I would find their birth records in Sotteville-Les-Rouen, but I didn’t. Who I did find was Anna Marie Daniels a younger sister to Frederic, but, alas her death record also.

This was the first I had ever heard of Anna Marie. She was born April 8, 1850, to John Daniels and Jane Wootten. Anne Marie died the same year on July 10^th at three months of age. There was no reason given for her death.

The discovery of Anna Marie evoked an array of emotions for me.  I am left with a somber feeling when I think of her being forgotten for so many years, and sad she died so young. On the other hand, I was excited to find her and happy that I brought her story back to life.

Wikipedia

Below are the translations of the records that I found. The original French records are posted on FamilySearch.com as I added Anna Marie to the family there.

Genealogy Record Translation
By GenealogyTranslations.com

Source: Archives départementales de Seine-Maritime, Sotteville-lès-Rouen > Registres Etat Civil > Naissances,Mariages, Décès. 1850, Cote 3E 00999, image 92 of 364 available at
http://recherche.archivesdepartementales76.net/?id=recherche_guidee_etat_civil_detail .
Location: Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France

Translation:
#157
Birth of Anna Marie Daniels
The year 1850, April 10th at 10am appeared before me, the mayor of the Communne
Sotteville les Rouen citizen John Daniels, mechanic, 37 years of age, residing at the same
commune, rue Cecille and declared that on the 8th of this month at 7:30 in the morning
in his house from his wife of legitimate marriage concluded in England with Jane
Wootter, no profession, 29 years of age, the child was born, and presented us the female
child, and declared that she was given the name Anna Marie. On this declaration I
registered the act in presence of Louis Andre Richard, driver, 30 years of age, residing at
the same commune, rue Cecille # 27 and Aim? Verrier , 52 years old, 1 resident of the
same commune. This act was read aloud and signed by me and two present, except the
second witness who is illiterate.
(signature) John Daniels
(signature) J.A. Richards
(signature) Vergne (unreadable), Mayor.

Translated and annotated by Kirill Chashchin
Kirill Chashchin March 30, 2018
© Translation 2018 GenealogyTranslations.com


1 I cannot determine profession

____________________________________________________________________

Genealogy Record Translation
By GenealogyTranslations.com

Source: Archives départementales de Seine-Maritime, Sotteville-lès-Rouen > Registres Etat Civil > Naissances,
Mariages, Décès. 1850, Cote 3E 00999, image 185 of 364 available at
http://recherche.archivesdepartementales76.net/?id=recherche_guidee_etat_civil_detail .
Location: Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France

Translation:
#308
Death of Anna Marie Daniels
Year 1850, 16th July at 3:30pm. Anna Marie Daniels died today at 10:30 in the morning
at the house of her father located at the same commune, rue Cecille, aged 3 months,
born in this commune on 8th of April 1850, daughter of John Daniels and Jane Wootter,
residents of the commune de Sotteville les Rouen. Upon the declaration of Mr John
Daniels, mechanic, 37 years of age, resident of this commune and father of decedent, and
Charles W Lellan, tailor, 35 years old and resident of this commune, Grande Rue this act
was signed by me and both of them after reading aloud.
(signature) Charles W Lellan
(signature) John Daniels
(signature) Vergne (unreadable), Mayor

Translated and annotated by Kirill Chashchin
Kirill Chashchin March 30, 2018
© Translation 2018 GenealogyTranslations.com

Thank you for joining my search!

Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

Barnett Presley Donaldson

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Misfortune

Barney and Nancy's home

Years ago my mother gave me a copy of the Biography of Barney P. Donaldson. Barney was my great grandfather and I can remember how it made me cry when I read it. Barney seemed to have more than his share of misfortune. It is tough to measure that against other forms of good fortune which Barney also had in his life. I will try and summarize his biography here. 

The misfortune starts with him losing his father at fifteen years of age, “just at the time I needed a boss.” Three years later his mother died, and he wrote “I never realized what a friend mother was until she died.”  Barney married Nancy Jane Myers 16 February 1879, and they moved out to the farm his father had left him, married life was starting out good, but then financial misfortune seemed to stalk him. He sold that farm or in his words “gave it away” bought more land in another county stayed two years and then gave that place away also. He was losing every time he sold. He moved his family another ten or eleven times, working mostly at hauling freight from cream to dead hogs his longest sojourn being in Coffeen, Illinois for twenty-four years.

Barnett Presley Donaldson

One day after having his place all paid for he was having dinner with his sister and commented how he was the “happiest man in Coffeen.” Later that evening at home his barn caught on fire with four horses, his tack, new buggy, and feed inside; all were lost in the fire. They managed to save the house with the help of the town folk, but he had no insurance to cover his loses. Within two hours he went from the happiest man in Coffeen to down and out. Thankfully donations were raised, so he was able to buy another team and work again, but the loss in his words “took all the vim out of me; my loss was a great deal more than that.”

At one point in his life he contacted “sore eyes” and was nearly blind for three years so much he could hardly tell the children apart. Nancy picked up the slack doing most of the farm work with help from her sister Nelly.

Barnett and Nancy

When Barney was writing his biography he had just discovered he had cancer of the jawbone. He had been having trouble opening his mouth for several months. This is how he ended his story:

“I stop and look at my good old hands, that worked so hard to raise my family and how could I think that my Lord would-will take me home; I have not the least fear of it. But then, to young people, I want to say that the better you serve the Lord the better here on this earth it is, because it shows more humanity for each other. God says, “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto me or you,” as you might write it. Enough for that. I will just take my fate the best I can; I don’t care for myself so much, but for my companion that has been by my side for 50 years or there about, and sure is a real one, never was found lagging always was up and doing for the family. God bless her, this is a sad eve for me and Mam. We take turns in crying goodnight, the 21^st of January 1929.”

This summary and excerpts were taken from the Biography of Barney P. Donaldson, Coffeen, Illinois, 14 January 1929, (Reprinted 24 October 1958)

Thank you for joining my search!

Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

Genealogy Luck

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Lucky

Many times it has felt like I hit the brick wall of genealogical research, but I’m pleased to say that other times luck has been on my side. This week I am going to write about the luck I have had in searching for ancestors, particularly on a visit to Onaway, Michigan.

www.weather-forecast.com

In 1992 on the return trip from a family vacation to Windsor, Ontario I wanted to stop in Onaway, Michigan where my grandmother Emily Bush was born. We took highway 23 up the east coast of Lower Michigan to Hoeft State Park and camped there for the night. It was a beautiful spot on the shore of Lake Michigan. We were able to go down to the lake and walk along the shore skipping rocks and watching the ships in the distance. Later after nightfall we got a little scare form the racoons investigating our campsite. The next day we stopped at the Ocqueoc Falls for some photos before driving on to Onaway.

The idea of visiting the birthplace of my grandmother was one thing, but knowing what to do once getting there was another. I had no plan in place, and I didn’t think of visiting the cemetery back then. We saw the Chamber of Commerce building, so we stopped in there and bought a town history book and then found out that the courthouse had been converted into a museum. What an idea to visit the museum! But when we arrived, the curator was away and the person filling in for the day did not know how to help us. This is where luck comes into the story. Leota Wregglesworth, visiting the museum worker, knew how to help. She took us through some map books, where we did find the Bush family, and then she took the family information and said she would look into them further and get back to me.

Later on that summer I received a letter from Leota and she had found a lot of information about the family. Not only that, her father remembered playing in the home of Lucellia Sayer, my great great grandmother. What are the chances that that one day in July 1992 I would encounter this one individual in that museum in Onaway, Michigan? Some call it fate, but I felt lucky that I was able to discover more of this branch of my family.

Information I received from Leota Wregglesworth. This was when I discovered Ivanilla

Thank you for joining my search!

Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

Minerva Sayer (Bush)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Strong Woman

Minerva Sayer (Bush)

I am choosing Minerva Sayer as my strong woman. I did not know my great grandmother she died a year before I was born. I have recently learned more about her and do know some of the circumstances of her life.

She was born September 5, 1867, in Watertown, Jefferson County New York, USA to Thomas Sayer and Lucelia Wilcox. The family moved to Michigan where she met my great-grandfather, Wesley Hiram Bush. Wesley and Minerva were married in Onaway April 19, 1882. They had their first child Ivanilla, December 12, 1884. Ivanilla died and infant on August 27, 1886. I have never lost a child but I can imagine that would be hard on a young mother. In 1887 Myrtle was born, in 1888 Charles then 1890 Frank. Shortly after this Wesley up and moved his family to Nebraska. While in Nebraska another child was taken from Minerva when Frank Wesley Bush died as an infant August 8, 1892. Minerva carried on, and Lucelia was born in Nebraska in 1893. In 1894 Wesley and Minerva packed up their family and moved back to Michigan. Emily was born in 1896, Minerva in 1899, Vernon in 1901, Daniel in 1903, and Alzira in 1906. Then in 1910 the family moved to Saskatchewan, Canada and settled near Robsart. My great grandfather built a sod house where he and Minerva would make their home and finish raising their children. Farming must not have been so good after several years there they moved again to McLaughlin, Alberta. Wesley Bush died May 18, 1935. Vern and his wife Mary lived with Minerva on the farm and she continued to live with them until she died January 21, 1955.

Family and Friends in front of the Bush family sod house

As I look at Minerva’s life I see a strong woman. She carried on when life was not easy and raised her children while enduring the loss of two infants. She managed the move of her family several times, over great distances and in the end a god-fearing woman that still knit socks and mittens for her grandchildren.

Thank you for joining my search!

Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

The Will of Charles Bush

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Where There's a Will

I was introduced to the will of Charles Bush by my cousin Bill Smith. Bill sent me quite a bit of information on the Bush family and copies of the will he had found online. There are several papers to a will such as Letters of Administration, Letters of testamentary, Minutes and Orders of Probate, Probate of the Will and the Record of Last Will and Testament. A good lesson in searching is to ensure that you dig to find all that you can.

Firstly Charles bequeaths to his son Hiram Wesley Bush the sum of one hundred dollars, his bedstead, the bedding that belongs to the bed, and his chest and its contents.

Secondly, he bequeaths to his daughter Alzira Jane Bush the sum of fifty dollars.

Thirdly, he bequeaths to his daughter Elizabeth Ann Bush the sum of fifty dollars.

Fourthly, he bequeaths to his son Charles Alvin Bush the sum of twenty-five dollars.

Fifthly, he bequeaths to his son Daniel E. Bush the farm of eighty-four acres with all the teams, tools, stock and everything else.

It is hard to know why Charles left his eldest son out of the will. Stephen Franklin Bush was running the farm with his wife and children at the time of his father’s death.  Stephen and Daniel had reached adulthood at the time of this will, but the younger four had not so they would have to wait until they reached the age of twenty-one to collect after their father’s death.

Bill told me that Daniel refused to be the executor of his father’s will and moved to Nebraska. By 1880 Stephen was living on the farm and working it with his brother Alvin, and they continued to farm in the district until the 1920’s.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYZ9-9CGG"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-24601-35782-88?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Will index 1830-1955 A-M > image 95 of 490; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YZS-CSL"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24602-8181-16?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Letters of administration, Letters of testamentary 1868-1873 vol 5 > image 115 of 453; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YCY-9BW"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24597-1746-36?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Wills 1869-1872 vol 11 > image 274 of 441; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YZS-SWN"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24602-1996-19?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Minutes, Orders 1868-1872 vol 9-10 > image 490 of 716; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YZS-SWK"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24602-1999-10?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Minutes, Orders 1868-1872 vol 9-10 > image 498 of 716; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YZS-91P"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24602-1793-14?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Minutes, Orders 1868-1872 vol 9-10 > image 499 of 716; county courthouses, New York.

Thank you for joining my search!

Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

Heirlooms

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Heirloom

It is week number eight. Today I am going to post a couple pictures of items I got from my parents that belonged to my grandparents.

 This salt and pepper shaker belonged to my grandmother Sarah Melissa Donaldson (Pettyjohn).

This watch belonged to my grandfather Frederick Walter Daniels

I do not know anything more about these items or the story behind them. I do remember my mother giving the the salt and pepper shaker and my dad giving me the watch.

Thank you for joining my search!

Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

Peter and Amanda Pettyjohn

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Valentine

“Two buried in one grave aged man and wife together in death at Marysville.”[1]

This is a story of my two times great grandparents, Peter and Amanda Pettyjohn.  Peter and Amanda were married December 15, 1852, in Van Bruen County, Iowa. They spent their married life together living in Iowa and Missouri farming and raising eleven children.

On February 4, 1920, Peter passed away. Amanda was seriously ill at the time of her husband’s death but not so much that her death was anticipated. When the preparations for Peter’s funeral began that day, Amanda cried, “Wait only a short time and we will go together.”[2] Approximately twenty-one hours after Peter died Amanda departed to join him.

Peter and Amanda had spent sixty-seven years together in marriage and died very close to Valentine’s Day. I do not know what their day to day life was like but in the end, Amanda did not want to go on without Peter. This year on Valentine’s Day I will think of them.

---

[1] “Peter and Amanda Pettyjohn,” obituary, Knoxville (Iowa) Journal, 20 February 1920.

[2] Ibid

Thank you for joining my search!
Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

William Moses Pettyjohn

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Favorite Name

Moses about 1900

My maternal grandfather was William Moses Pettyjohn. He was referred to by his middle name Moses and most times “Mose.” Mose was born 29 June 1882 in Marysville, Iowa. He was the first born of ten children to James and Elizabeth Pettyjohn. I know nothing of his life growing up in Iowa other than he had eight brothers and one sister. He would tell people there were nine boys in the family and each one had a sister.  

Moses and Sarah Wedding picture

February 19, 1902, Mose married Sarah Melissa Donaldson, and they started their family together.  I do not have any land records at this time, but he did place a for rent ad in the Chariton Herald for a small house and six lots in the East Chariton district. While living in Iowa, Mose and Sarah had four children: Mary Violetta, Vienna Mae, James Preston, and Joseph Lee. Mose and his family are in the 1910 US Federal Census living in Chariton, Lucas County, Iowa. In 1911 they showed up in the Canadian Census in the Regina district in the Province of Saskatchewan.

Canada's appeal for settlers in the West

They lived in Riceton before taking up the Canadian government’s offer of cheap land in Southwestern Saskatchewan where they settled in the community of Merryflat. Mose farmed there for many years raising cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, chickens and turkeys. Another five children were born into the family, William Ernest, Austin Barnett, Glenn Chester, Eva Irene, and Lorne Hayes. Around the year 1925 he rented out his land to his oldest sons and moved into Maple Creek. I do not know what Mose did those years, but four or five years later he moved back to the farm. He did work at the Bible school in Robsart purchasing food and doing maintenance while Sarah cooked.

William Moses Pettyjohn 1953

Eventually, he retired and moved into Maple Creek. Mose died December 6, 1958, two years after I was born so I do not remember him, even though my mother told me that I would ride on his wheel chair. I was taught at a young age the story of Moses in the Bible so I was always impressed that my grandfather had the same name. It was not until I was older that I would know his full name as William Moses Pettyjohn.

Thank you for joining my search!
Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

1900 US Federal Census

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: In the Census

The Twelfth Census of the United States Population Schedule No. 1 always held a bit of mystery for me over the years.  It has to do with the family of my great-grandfather Wesley Hiram Bush living in Waverly Township, Cheboygan County, Michigan. In 1992 I had learned that Wesley and Minerva Bush had a daughter Ivanilla. Ivanilla was born in 1884, died in 1886 and was buried in the Waverly Township Cemetery.  When I found the family in the 1900 US Federal Census I was surprised to see Iva listed and being 15 years of age.  

This mystery baffled me for the past three years. Had she died as an infant or did she live longer? Was the Iva in the census a different person than the Ivanilla who had died? Then I learned about another member of the family. Frank was born in 1890 in Michigan and died in 1892 in Nebraska. Wesley had moved his family to Nebraska to try farming there with his brother Daniel. They only stayed for three years and then moved back to Michigan. Frank was buried in Lexington, Nebraska but he also showed up in the 1900 census at nine years old. This added to the mystery and I took a closer look at the census record. Minerva’s information stated that she had seven children but only five living, but all seven were listed in the census with their ages. Ivanilla and Frank were listed in order of when they were born in the family with the ages they would have been if they had lived.

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 31 March 2018), memorial page for Ivanilla Bush (26 Dec 1884–27 Aug 1886), Find A Grave Memorial no. 131903202, citing Walker Township Cemetery, Fingerboard Corner, Cheboygan County, Michigan, USA ; Maintained by Jan (contributor 47036759) . 

I do not know why they were included in the census, but it was a good lesson for me to look further into what the census was saying in the other columns. I may have figured this out sooner than I did.

Thank you for joining my search!
Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist

John Daniels and Jane Wootton

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Invite to Dinner

For week number four I have chosen to invite my two times great-grandparents John Daniels and Jane Wootton to dinner. There are a few mysteries I would like answered about their lives, and it would be good to chat with them. Information on John and Jane was my first significant find in genealogy. I went to the local Family History Centre and with the help of a co-worker there began my search. The background information that I had was from a baptismal certificate of my great grandfather, which had his parent’s names listed: John Daniels and Jane Wootton. I started out by finding their marriage record.

John and Jane were married 9 November 1839 in Corsham Parish, Wiltshire, England his profession being a labourer. John’s father was Robert, a soldier who had possibly fought in the Napoleonic war. I heard a family story about a watch, which may have been worn by Robert in that war, which he passed down to John.

 John and Jane’s first child, George Turner Daniels was born 30 May 1840 in Corsham. At least three more children were born to this union, Sarah Ann, Mary Jane, William, and Frederic. Frederic was born in France, and possibly Sarah, Mary and William, but I have no documentation at this time other than census info that changes every ten years. The family shows up in the 1840 England census where John is listed as Joseph. I am not sure if that was his middle name or just put down wrong. They live with Jane’s Father in his home at Thingley Bridge, a small settlement just outside of Corsham. The same person who was a witness at their wedding also is living there, William Webb.

I believe John took his family to France to help work on the railroad building as the French had hired a British company MacKenzie and Brassey. From France, John took his family and found his way to Canada. The remaining information is from family oral history.

Not actual accident referred to in this story

John began working on building the railroad in Ontario and was driving an engine to haul rock to Copetown where it was used for the railbed. The problem at Copetown was they were building over quicksand, and it took a lot of rock to fill the hole. One day when John was driving up to the hole the engine overshot, jumping over the end of the track. Both the engine and John were lost in the quicksand. My aunt wrote that young Frederic would always run to meet his dad when John came home from work, but this day John did not come home. Within a few months, Jane died of a broken heart and the family was separated.

This was the spring of 1854, and I do not know what happened to George. Sarah went to live with her uncle George and aunt Rebecca. Mary went to live with Aunt Rebecca’s brother, Richard Quance and his wife, Alice. William and Frederic were taken to the Hamilton Orphan’s asylum.

It would be very interesting to have dinner with John and Jane, and hear all the stories of their lives. What it was like to travel back then when trips took weeks and not hours. When pulling up roots and moving far away to a distant land held the promise of a brighter future. How I was a result of their love so long ago.

Thank you for joining my search!
Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow Certified Genealogist

My Mother Eva Irene Pettyjohn (Daniels)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Longevity

This week I am writing about my mother Eva Irene Pettyjohn (Daniels). She lived to just over 96 years of age which was sixteen years longer than any of her siblings. Matter of fact the average age in her family was 69.4 years. She would always say that she did not know why she lived so long but the good Lord must have some purpose for her.  She was in a care facility for the last eighteen months of her life, but overall she had a life of good health.

 She was born in Merryflat, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1920 and was delivered by her father, the only doctor that her mother had during the birth. There were nine siblings; one was a boy who died at birth they named him John and buried him on the family farm. She had two older sisters, five brothers and one younger brother. She was lonely at times because her older sisters had married and moved away from home when she was only one year old.

Her fond memories growing up were playing many games around the farm; anti-I-over, volleyball over the clothesline, run sheep run and horseshoes. Inside games were Chinese checkers and Dominoes. Music played an integral part in her childhood. Her mother Sarah would play the piano, and the family would gather around and sing. Her cousin also played the banjo, and the two of them would sit out by the gate and sing “Red River Valley” and “The Old Spinning Wheel,” and other songs as the coyotes would join on in.

Her parents worked hard raising Cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, chickens and turkeys, while tending to a large garden. They butchered the pigs and made salted pork, sausage, bacon and ham, and render the fat for lard. This is where my mother learned her skills at being a homemaker, and I say that with all the respect that I would give any trade.

Evangelical Christianity became an important part of her life as she she gave her heart to God as a teenager. Her father, mother and younger brother moved to Consul, Saskatchewan where her mother cooked at a bible school, the first year it operated.  The next fall the four of them moved to a bible school in Lemmon, South Dakota, where my mother attended, and her mother was positioned as the cook. The following year they moved back to Canada. My mother attended bible school in Robsart, Saskatchewan as the school had moved from Consul, not sure if her mother continued as cook or not. This is where she met my father Robert Clive Daniels. She would dictate the class notes and he would type them up in the wide hallway of the old hospital, which had been converted into the bible school. This way she got to spend time with him without getting demerits for fraternizing with a boy.

In October of 1940 she married Robert and moved to Rolling Hills, Alberta where they raised a family of eight on the farm. She was shy and insecure, but she would take part in community events. She raised her niece from three years old as part of the family admitting that she did make many mistakes but felt blessed for having her in her life. She and Robert retired into the town of Rolling Hills. Robert died in 2003 leaving her alone, but she continued to live in her house being active in the senior club and quilting. At 85 she took up golf and enjoyed the outings very much. She passed away in 2017 leaving a large family as her legacy.

Thank you for joining my search!
Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow Certified Genealogist