Special Wedding Photo Genealogy treat for Mothers Day

Isn't this a special treat. What we have here is a never before seen Wedding Photo of Herman and Annie. It seems to include the witnesses and Flower girls. This Photo is not enhanced. Perhaps on another day, I will. It locked up on me a moment ago.



Now who is everyone. I think that Herman's brother, Fred was a witness. I don't believe Fred was married then yet. And I think the other witness was one of his sisters. I hate to say with out checking first. If I recall correctly, I think both of his witnesses died shortly after.



Anyone recognize the faces in the photograph. Looking into the photo notice on the bottom right side a young blond. I bet she is Gertrude. I am not sure who it is on the left. I had not even imagined that she had flower girls in the wedding. How did she pick among her little sisters for that job. Perhaps just the youngest two.



I shall have to get out some dates of birth for her sisters and the exact date of this wedding to make this an accurate post.

I have also forgotten where I got this special Wedding photo?

For now enjoy this as it is.

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh Young Dwight with his Chick.

I altered the picture. Somehow the alteration was too shiny for the picture. I tried to cover the bent part. I had the picture protected, but not enough. somehow it got bent in the envelope. Which I will regret to my dying day.

So unfortunately you see here with all it's noise and the scratch on the photo. Also, there is not enough contrast between Dwight's clothing and his chick. perhaps an easier way to fix scratches is to go to straight black and white. I do wish I had a good photo restoration program like I had before. [sigh]

You see here Dwight is slightly older than the last time you saw him with his chicks. He is still a successful farmer, just not as fanciful dressed.

And Now Dwight has selected a slightly Older chick.

I still love this photo the most though. I love the grass and his bare feet and that hat. Annie was definately going for a certain type of Photo result. I think she achieved it. It is adorable. Or they are adorable.

Air View - Photo of Sunnyslope Farm

Long gone now in this photo is the old victorian house, which held Herman and Annie's wing, and the August Seil's wing. Long gone too is the name as Sunnyslope Farm.


What we see here is the modern view of the current house, which was built about 1945-6 on the same spot that held the old house on the Sunnyslope Farm.


The View: Looking from East to the West at Sunnyslope was taken about 1979 or so. The chicken house seen in so many earlier photographs had by this time burned down to the cement. From our left to right we find the Hog building, which might be gone by now. We can see the newer buildings, the Cement Barn,and a Corn Crib.

On the front left next to the gravel road you see freshly plowed large dirt patches. The first one closest to the road was the family vegetable garden with a large strawberry Patch. The one above that was a fenced in area that was for calves and sheep in 1960's. Later it became another vegetable garden area. I was told that in the victorian years it had been a garden area for William and Annie Seil. But it seemed sandier and was less fertile than the other rich earth of the most eastern garden plot.

On the right side near the road, the plowed area had been cultivated and planted by Dwight, maybe the ten years or so before this photograph. For years in the 1950's and 1960's it was sheep pasture. They ran in and out of the woods until sheep farming was finished. In later years Dwight had decided to farm as much land as he could. Here too was the view that the neighbors the Mosels/Reeds saw from their windows.

Everything behind the large grove of trees was farming land. Except for the grassy pasture area on the left, beside the barn. This was grazing land for the dairy cows who waded and drank from a narrow shallow creek which ran below the sunnyslope of north and west slanted hills.

This farm acreage was one fourth of the square mile. Directly west behind the Meyer farm was The Slew. It was owned by the Game farm. They raised and released their pheasants in that area. On the right [north] side of the slew was the cultivated and planted farm land of Ben and Emma Johnson. And a bit north was the farm land of his son Fred Johnson with his wife Mabel.

On the east side of The Meyer farm was land at one time owned by Mary and Albert Kaizer. His farm was taken over later by Jerry Sill. His family lived on the east side of the gravel road. Eventually the gravel road reached the end of the square mile. If one reached this end, one could then turn onto Highway 60 [located north of the Sunnyslope Farm] .

If you came west on highway from Madelia, the family farm was about 6 - 7 traveling miles. If you went to St. James on this highway it was maybe about ten miles. Then coming from the south from Lewisville village on highway 15 or the blacktop road and then to gravel roads, it probably was about three or four miles.

I think I shall have to produce a small map soon of the local neighborhood.
Perhaps too, a small discussion on the neighbors, is in order.

Casual Christmas day picture of some of the Meyers family.

Left to right. Herman William, JoAn, Steve, [Grandpa] - Herman Henry. Here the Meyers are in the happy after glow of the Christmas celebration.

Looking at the picture, I wonder what Grandpa Herman was thinking while looking at something.

Before or after little Herman's acquisition of that basketball, a hoop for it was put up by the corn crib.

I suppose you thought little JoAnn would be wearing a holiday party frock. You got to love those coveralls of hers, which I can say, made her as colorful and festive as the Christmas tree.

I have always loved little Steve with his Daniel Boone coon skin hat in this picture. His grin is priceless.

Lyle, Amanda and Mary had visited the San Antonio, the city of the Alamo and brought back the Coon hat for Steve. I wonder if that is howcome the family had a Daniel Boone lamp. I'll have to show it to you sometime.

The children didn't always get much, and they rarely asked for a lot. So when they did get what they had wanted, or felt the love, it did bring pride to their faces. I guess, they didn't always know what other children were getting!

Someday, I will figure out what year this photo was taken. I'll have to ask the cousin to see, if she knows when they went to Texas. It must have been around 1958 or 1959.

just me jo

Tuesday Time to Tell about Lyle

And his friends. Who ever they may be? Maybe time will tell us.



Note: I should check Madelia papers to see if He or his football team were in any write ups.

just me jo

Monday Memories - Dwight R. Meyer

It's a good day to dive into memories of Dwight since his birtdate was yesterday. He was born on Feb. 8, 1918 to Herman Henry and Annie {Seil} Meyer. He was second born child.
The photograph has been behind glass, so it has suffered a little from that.

Would you know the little one pictured there is Dwight. Or would you think he was a little girl. Sylvia always said that his mother had him looking like a little girl. But then too that was the style back then.

Dwight was Annies last baby and she gave him all the attention she could. In her later years she suffered from some kind of diabetes problems. So much so that she lost some of her leg. I am sure he felt his early loss of her most of his life. Though she was there for his formative years. Later after she was gone, he and his family had housekeepers.

I am not sure where they had the little pictures taken. Aren't they called penny pictures?




Here we see Dwight as a young man. Sylvia said he was spoiled so much that during early marriage years he still wanted to have a lot of fun. I think she spent a lot of time trying to keep him home. I am not sure exactly what that meant. But he must have had good fun with neighbors and friends from School in his youth.

Annie and his father were involved in the local school. In fact Dwight himself had to take over duties of the Fieldon Hall meetings. I remember he was secretary for a few years.
Minnesota Census indicated the lodger they had for a time was a teacher.
As a farmer he was a member of a creamery and other farm organizations. On weekends he would haul the cream to the creamery in Lewisville. He would take his children along and sometimes he stopped to see his brother, who ran a service station. When that happened he would leave behind his daughter to play with her cousin. Later he would pick up JoAnn or she would stay over night. Or he went to the pool hall. He played cards or observed others, who did. I am sure he was aware of little ears which had big eyes and big mouths, who would tell all about the visits to the pool hall.

Dwight and his wife, Sylvia played cards together and did this as they visted back and forth with neighbors and nearby relatives.

When Little Herman went before the draft board in the late 1960's he returned back by bus with his new friends. They stayed with Dwight and Sylvia nearly a year.



In the 1960's Sylvia and Dwight liked to Help the newly married couples out, whenever they could.
Pictured here was Glen husband to Judy who was probably taking the picture. Originally friends of young Herman. In fact Sylvia and Dwight considered the possibility of taking care of their daughter Glenda. That is a long story.

Nearly about the same time maybe for a year or two before their nephew Jerry and his freind, who went to Vietnam came by to stay too.

Their home was always welcoming to everyone.

People knew when work time occured and visited accordingly. Here we see Dwight in his work attire. He liked them for all his heavy duty farm work. I don't think he liked a tight belt and and pants. I am not sure if I ever saw him in Blue Jeans.


He is pictured here in very later years going along the sidewalk which seems to be cracked there. In 1970's Sylvia convinced Dwight to remove the deep raspberry red Rose and Bridal wreaths there which faced the driveway. The rose went to a spot across the driveway near the chicken house. I think the Bridal Wreath bush disappeared. Sylvia developed her big flower bed. For many years in the 50's and sixty's that space was shaded by a huge maple which was east of this new patch of garden along the driveway. It was cut down sometime in the late sixties. You can see it was a long driveway. Lined on the north side with evergreen and big maples on the south side of the driveway. On the other side of the maples was the lawn and fishpond which were original plans of landscape by his ancestors still intact. I am sure Dwight would never have considered altering it in anyway. He did add apples at the east most end by the gravel county road which ran by the farm place. He had supported his sons' efforts to sell for FFA by buying the trees and other merchandise that his son sold over the years.

They still had their strawberry patch and big garden futher southeast of the house.

Dwight would help pick strawberries and vegetables. He didn't help pull weeds out of her flowers all that much because he had the big vegetable garden to weed. He helped by hauling her piles of weeds away. Or bringing in a little topdressing for her beds.

He had milking chores and often after his father had passed he did help Sylvia the pick up the eggs under the chickens. Egg cleaning with automatic egg cleaner washer. Feed the chickens, and prep for the cleaning of the chickens. Though their children helped with that, unless they were old enough to take care of their own animals and feed his for FFA or able to drive the tractors in the fields. Since Sylvia did not drive he helped deliver the chickens, once they were cleaned.

When time was crucial in the fields especially during haying, the children brought lunch to their dad in the fields. I have often wondered if it was her way to get the kids out of her hair for a few minutes. Because once there they usually stayed to do something or found something to do on the way back.

Dwight also supported his wifes efforts with her quilting. During the long winter months as they were retired empty nesters he would help her cut her quilt blocks. And when the time came he would help her set up her quilt racks for the tieing of the quilts.

This last picture could have been taken when Dwight had developed alzheimers.

Monday's Memories - Steve

ondays'emories !


Our person today you see for Monday Memories is

teve Meyer. He comes to us from the Sunnyslope farm. Here he is as a Boy at Sunnyslope mixing with his families maternal side,


Peters.



I have been having so many memories of him this last month, especially since I realized I totally forgot his birthday. I mean several months before I kept thinking I will send a card. etc. Then all of sudden I find it's after the birthday. I keep hopeing I sent the Christmas Card. So many did not get done this year. Still laying in a spot all of their own. [If your address hadn't changed, you probably got one. [If your address has changed last fifteen years, probably not] I will do better next year. Hopefully I will start earlier.

So I kept thinking of him and thought of a special post in his honor. I thought since I did do his brother two months ago, why not honor him with a post. I hope he sees it and likes it. [After all we all have different perspectives or opinions on many things.]

At any rate inspite of my doing no phone calls, no cards, and the poor pictures that I have here, he is very special and well loved.




In time I will dig up a few more and add them.

He is a wonderful spouse, father, brother and friend to many.

Happy Belated Birthday Steve.

Ohh So Sweet!

Mary Linda. Lyle and Amanda Meyer's daughter.

Lyle Meyer's Family

Llye A. Meyer born May 24, 1913 in Lewisville. He was babtized in Lewisville. They married 9 February 1937 in St. James, Minnesota. His family attended zion Lutheran church in Lewisville.
He moved off Sunnyslope farm to live in Lewisville. He ran a service gas station at the eastern rural edge of town for many years.
His wife Amanda, and daughter Mary Linda. They had a son born September 1948 which they lost
He died May 7, 1970 in a Hospital at Martin county due to Heart Problems. He had heart problems for many years. Buried in the family cemetery at Mount Hope at St. James, Watonwan county.

Amanda's mothers family came from Norway and they had settled at Rosendale Watonwan area. Her stepfather's family came from a documented line in Nottingham, England.

William's Family From his First Marriage. He is son of Juergen Hch. William Meyer

First born son of William and Mary (Heinz) Meyer was Little William born [1873] in Oldendorf an der Goehrde.[Bleckede] Not far from Oldendorf at the church of Nahrendorf, Johann Heinrich Wilhelm was babtized. Johann Wilhelm married [oo]- on 23.May.1900 with Dorothy CARSTENSEN [b. 1878 in Greene county, Iowa to Godber and Dorothea (JOCHIMS) Carstensen]. Their children were Walter, Mabel, and Ellnora Meyer. He died +14.05.1952 at Fairmont though he was buried at Dawson cemetery at Paton, Iowa. His first wife preceded him by two years.

He married his second wife Adele Matilda Grote born *5.03.1887 at Gutting Germany md.[oo] 27.03.1950 in Fairmont, Martin county, Minnesota. Her father August GROTE and Mother Dores also attended the St. Peters Lutheran church at Farnhamville area. The family came from Bleckede. Adele died +17.aug.1955 at Fairmont, Minn. but she was buried at themReading Cemetery at Farnhamville, Calhoun County in Iowa.

[Note: Wlm. Naefke parents were Deitrich and Dorethea Ahrens from Oldendorf and Bleckede.] [Ahrens from Bleckede are Related to Elmer and Herman Seil spelled Siel in photo of clipping about the Christ Lutheran church because their father Henry Seil had married Marie Ahrens from Bleckede. Henry Seil was from Oldendorf.]
[Note: In 1885 Iowa state census of Butler of Calhoun county, Iowa, Harmon, age 3 Meyer, wlm Meyer age 11, and rest of his family live next to Wlm Naefke's [b.1878] family.

Adele [Grote, Naefke] Meyer had three children previously: Amanda [Naefke] Kuhlman, Bertha (Naefke) Kuhlman, and Arnold Naefke. [Welter, Hawthorne ]



Grandpa Willie [ or Juergen Hch. William Meyer] in the Center of His Grandchildren in Iowa.


Wordless Wednesday Post. In order to read the captions and see a larger picture you have to click on the pictures. I guess it is cut off at the bottom. The story goes is that He [Jerris] gave his life at the Battle of the Bulge in France. HE was in France because he did not want to fight his ancestors in Germany. Someone told me once that may not be where he really died. I don't know why that person thought that. But I guess this person is somewhat of a military Historian. ?? Someone should check into it. I don't have a military mind, so I leave it up to someone else.

1. MEYER, Walter Godber Henry *20.06.1901 Greene county Iowa. He [oo] married 25.Dec. 1932 with Charlotte SCHNEIDER of Farnhamville, Iowa. They lived at Jefferson, Iowa. Her parents were Henry and Catherine SPARRENBERGER. Other Descendant Family surnames are Cole, Nielsen and Williams.

2. MEYER, Mabel Dorothea Maria * 4.04.1903 - +22 03.1928 Greene county Iowa. She died nine days after giving birth to Dorothy O. Married [oo]-[25.Aug.1923] C. Roscoe ROWE [born *1897] from Corydon, Indiana. They lived at Paton, Farnhamville, and Webster city, Iowa. His Parents were Albert Rowe and Anna TIREY. Roscoe and Mabel had three children:
a. ROWE, Jerris R.,- *30.Nov.1923 Lohrville Iowa - +26. Nov.1944 buried at Dawson Twp. Cemetery at Paton, Iowa.
b. ROWE, Darwin T.,- *1.04.1926 Greene county Iowa.- +3.03.1931 at St. James, Watonwan county, Minnesota while living with his grandparents William and Dorothy Meyer. He was buried at Dawson Cemetery at Paton, Iowa
c. ROWE, Dorothy O.,- *13.03.1928 Greene county Iowa - +6.11.2003 Hazord Sherman, Nebraska. Dorothy married - [oo] 18.Aug.1950 Scottsbluff, Nebraska to Donald L. Cummings. She has changed her name legally minus the O. Donald and Dorothy had three children. Donald Wray [1950 's Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Jerris Lee 1950's plus; Kim Robert 1950's also. I don't at this minute know who they married.

3. MEYER, Ellnora Wilhelmina b.* 22 May 1906 Greene county, Iowa. married [oo]1.10.1924 in Farnhamville,Calhoun county, Iowa. with Virtus Jacob J. HASS b.*21.03.1902 Low Moor, Iowa. His parents were Frederick H. and Dorothea H.(LAU)Laue?] Hass. Ellnora and Virtus lived and farmed at any of these residences- Churdan, Low Moor, Camanche, Lost Nation and DeWitt, Iowa. Some surnames that were mentioned in the Meyer book that you will find in this family are Shelton, Jungck, Lenth, Lawson, and Passig.



Click on the picture for a larger view.


For a better view and identification of Mabel and Ellnora, click on the picture.

I have been told a story by Gary Sorenson whose mother was Louise Jaeschke. A almost unbelievable thing happened after Dorothy O. Rowe's mother died nine days after her birth. Gertrude Jaeschke walked in and just took baby Dorothy O. Rowe. William and his wife Dorothy Meyer were living in St James or Fairmont at this time about 1928 or 1929. They were raising the two older sons of Roscoe and Mabel Rowe. According to Christi Chance, Grandmother Dorothy Meyer had been dealing with her own Illness and one of the older Rowe brothers was sick as well. I have been following the census of Mn and Iowa. On and off Gertrude was staying with Herman and Annie (Seil) Meyer at Sunnyslope Farm. My mother said that she met C. F. Leonard while living in Minnesota. She is married at age 21 and living with him in Iowa state census of 1925. The census cites her and her husband living with August H. Jaeschke, her brother, at Reading [district], Farnhamville [town], Calhoun county Iowa. [Later she also lived at Rockwell City in Iowa.] Gertrude JAESCHKE LEONARD pictured below.

I am going to add a little interesting tidbit to this story. I found that Dorothy O. Rowe's name was mentioned as beneficiary of Annie (Seil) Meyer's insurance papers. Somewhere along the line of my investigation into the name and Herman H. Meyer role; I learned that he was godparent to Dorothy O Rowe. I gathered that that is why Annie and Herman developed more than a passing sympathetic interest in little Dorothy. I am sure Gertrude, and Annie had heart felt feelings about poor little Dorothy whose grandparents couldn't take her in. They had lost their real mother and both of them were raised by August W. SEIL. Annie was completely raised by her Grandfather and his new wife Anna VOGEL.. When Annie Meyer died 24.May 1936 from complications of her Diabetes, Dorothy still did not get her money until she was eighteen or twenty one. I hope at least she got the interest of the invested sum as well. Dorothy graduated from High School at Rockwell city In 1945. In 1949 she graduated from Nurses training.

Christi Chance, this families record keeper, did a good job on these scans. She sent me these, when she found me back in 2001 at the message boards on Ancestry.com and Roots Web. I had just started into Genealogy with nothing on my family. She gave me a good starting point. I would not be nearly where I am today without her help.

Well, while giving credit where it is due, I shall say Verl Matthews too has been a big help.

I would like to especially thank Jerry Cummings for his contribution of personal Information he had on the Cummings / Rowe family. Jerry Cummings was named after Gerald Cummings. He graciously sent me some information on the family all the way from Belgium. I hope to Post that soon.

Okay, I admit it, it wasn't Wordless Wednesday after all. Now tell the truth, did you really think it would be?!

Note: Document Information from Meyer book written by Jean Delores Wieland Everhart. Information was also contributed by many families over a nine year time span.

Note: Documents of Dorothy Cumming's obituaries are online newspapers.
Note to self: Find out when exactly Gertrude took Dorothy. and If she legally adopted her. Find document of Gertrude's marriage and if divorde to Leonard. Find document, if possible of her getting the Insurance Money.Find and copy obituary. Record name of newspaper source.
More to come on the Rowe, Cummings family

Since Today is Wordless Wednesday it's a Done Deal

Among the Meyer photos I found this card that Gertrude sent Herman Henry Meyer for the Holidays. Which she must have done nearly every year. Whether from Rockwell City in Iowa or from Kearney, Nebraska, she kept in touch.
.

Herman, Herrman, Hermann Meyer Names In The Meyer Family

Herman means something like gentleman in translation from German. There are not many Herman names in our family. [ My guess the reason is because it became outdated. ] If there are more, maybe someone should quick tell me before I become a lire.
I wish I knew which ancestor was the carrier of the name Herman [Herrman] and responsible for the first Herman [Henry ] in the family that I am aware of in Records and print I do know, who his birth god parents were, but neither were in full view on the baptism records in any variation of the name Herman.
Herman William 11 seems to have his future destination laid out into his little hands! Did he become a farmer? Maybe at some points in his life we can say that. I can tell you that at one time Herman the second did become a Future Farmer of America. [smile]

Note: THE ST. PETERS AND CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE: Front row- Ellnora Meyer, Mary Schroeder, Herman Seil, Herman Jaeschke, and Elmer Nahnsen. Back row- Louise Burger, Rudolph Nahnsen, Alfred Nahnsen, Arthur Burger, Elmer Seil, August Froehlich, and Fritz Schroeder. Note: Herman Seil is from another Seil family and are not related - Yet!

I think the reason the name was lay ed upon Herman 11 might be because of the Jaeschke family member who stayed and grew up with Herman seniors children. August and Anna Seil lived in another wing of the same house with Herman and Anna Seil. Annie Seil's step brother Herman stayed with them. [Along with Gertrude] More on Jaeschke and Seil later.

Maybe Herman 11 had a god parent with the name Herman in it?. His god parents were Ferdinand and Lucille Borchart. They were also members of the St. Pauls Lutheran church where little Herman attended. Ferdy Borchert family came from Farnhamville area of Iowa and carried connections to our Emma Gollwitzer Meyer family in Truman and Iowa. I am currently trying hard to find more on Ferdie's family which is difficult because they only had one child - Lucille.
Note: Check back for More to come on that connection of Gollwitzer.

HERMAN THE GENTLEMAN & HERMAN THE GRAD.



We should congratulate Herman William 11 on his marriage in early December.
Sorry, I have no wedding photos to share.

Congratulations Herman and Virginia!