The Discovery of a GGG Grandmother. Jane Tway. Williamson Line.

The burial place of our Great Great Grandparents, Whitty Victor and Nancy Morris

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamsons,
Tracing family history has brought me a great deal of satisfaction and an equal amount of frustration. The satisfaction comes from finding a relative you've been searching for and another branch of our family becomes visible. The frustration comes in finding a grand parent with nothing to go on. History doesn't easily give away its secrets. Sometimes I wonder why my numerous great grandparents didn't write their own histories. I'm guessing they thought no one would ever be interested in their common day to day lives.

I'll share an example. Our common Great Great Grandfather, George Matthew Williamson knew who his father was. He knew his grandfather and his aunts and uncles. He knew his family's oral history. It was common knowledge to him. The tragedy is that he never wrote that history down. I've spent dozens of hours over the last two years playing detective with our Williamson lines. I've followed every piece of evidence to its natural conclusion. Today, I'm nearly certain who our Williamson's were in Virginia, but not 100% and never will be. All this confusion because a great great grandfather didn't think it interesting enough to record and pass his history to his children and grand children

Today is a good day for our family history. Today a mystery is solved that I've been researching for a long time. Today we get to meet another Great Grandmother who's identity was unknown.
Her name is Jane Tway.

Shall we begin with a Relationship Chart?

Relationship Chart

Great Great Great Grandparents
Isaac Morris and Jane Tway
to
Great Great Grandparents
Nancy Morris and Whitty Victor
to
Great Grandparents
Effie Helen Victor and William Jonathan Williamson
to
Grandparents
Ima Della, Vennie, Inez, Lillie Ethel, Josie, Emmett, Walter, Charles and Maurice
to
Us

I've been working with Brent Heeren, a distant cousin through the Morris line on finding the identity of Great Great Grandmother Nancy Morris's parents. My thanks to Brent for doing most of the research and a special thanks for sending an email this week with proof positive. Nancy's parents were Isaac Morris and Jane Tway. I can now removed the "?" I had on this line in our family tree.

Brent sent the following obituaries on our two Great Great Grandparents. They are posted below.

Whitty Victor
Born Feb. 18, 1818 in Dover Kent County Delaware, Death: Mar. 17, 1903 Nodaway Adams County, Iowa, USA

Whitty Victor, whose death last Tuesday was mentioned in last week's paper, was 85 years and l month old. He was born of
Elijah VICTOR who was born on 6 January 1785 in Maryland, and Eunice Hitch, born of Christian parents in Essex county, Del,, near Dover, Feb. 18, 1818.

When Whitty was about fourteen years of age he removed with his parents to Cincinnati, O., where he grew to manhood and where he was married Nov. 6, 1845, to Miss Nancy Norris. A year later he removed to Blackhawk county, Indiana., and after several changes of residence he came with his family to Adams county in 1801. He lived near Nodaway for many years and in 1885 sold his farm and bought another six miles west of Corning in Douglas township. His wife died April 22,1886, and he then made his home with his daughter for a time. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Victor, of whom only three ate living, Mrs. Jane Barker of Douglas township, Mrs. Emma Lathrop of Conklin, South Dakota, Mrs. Effie Williamson of Rapid City, South Dakota. A brother and two sisters also survive him, Elijah Victor of Shelbyville, Ind., Mrs. Elvira Brown of Wellington, Illinois., and Mrs. Sarah Green of University Place, Neb. July 28, 1887, Mr. Victor was married again to Mrs. Mary L. Preston, who died in this city June 20, 1901.

Whitty was converted at the age of 43 and became an active and faithful member of the M. E. church. He was a devoted Christian man, a true Christian hushand and father and his Christian life and Christian teaching bore fruit in the family circle and in the community where he was known and respected as a faithful follower of the Lord. "Blessed are those that die in the Lord" The funeral was conducted Thursday from the U. B. church in this city by Revs. W. H. Drake and W. F. Wallace. Mr. Victor had selected for the scripture lesson the 90th Psalm and for a text Second Timothy, 7:4. The family has the sympathy of many friends.
Adams County Free Press, March 25, 1903, page 8

Nancy Morris Victor
Birth Feb. 22, 1822 Ohio, USA. Death: Apr. 22, 1886 Nodaway Adams County Iowa, USA

Nancy M. Morris was born February 18, 1818 in Ohio to Isaac J. Morris and Jane Tway. She married Whitley Whitty Victor November 6, 1845 Cincinnati, Hamilton County. A year later they removed to Blackhawk county, Indiana., and after several changes of residence they came with their family to Adams county in 1801. They lived near Nodaway for many years and in 1885 sold their farm and bought another six miles west of Corning in Douglas township. She died April 22,1886 in Nodaway, Adams County, Iowa, and her then made his home with his daughter for a time. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Victor, of whom only three ate living, Mrs. Jane Barker of Douglas township, Mrs. Emma Lathrop of Conklin, South Dakota, Mrs. Effie Williamson of Rapid City, South Dakota. She is buried on Lot 26 of On Lot With Benjamin C. and Whitty, 22 April 1886 in Methodist Grove Cemetery, Nodaway, Adams County, Iowa

Our discovery tonight is the inclusion of the Tway family in our Williamson history. The Tway's originate from Ireland.

I'll start researching this new family line and post my findings as time permits.

Simply,
Victor

Nearing the End of Grandma Violet's Photo Albums. More from Rapid City and a Time Long Ago.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Our train has stopped once again in Luneville, or at least you'd think so if you completely trusted my slightly warp memories of how things were in our simpler times. I will confess a naughtiness in my descriptions of how things once were. I can't resist. But know this, a kernal of truth in a shell of fancy lies at the heart of each paragraph.

These pictures from Grandma Violet's albums show a simpler more innocent time. Remember hopping on your bike and shouting to your mother that you're off to play? Remember your mother's admonition, "be careful". If you're mom was a worry wart she'd add "Where are you going?" In those days only the most fanatical of helicopter parents dropped the dreaded bombshell "Stay in the yard!" An order to "Stay in the yard!" was the death sentence to play. The kids in my neighborhood confined to their own yard had few friends. We felt sorry for them.

Today many children are lucky to get permission to step outside. These juvenile inmates watch the seasons change through their living room windows. They yearn to grow up, abandoning their childhood for the freedom of the teen years and an end to the confinement imposed by mothers fearful of unknown terrors lurking in every bush and around every corner.

Even after growing up, some never stray far from their comfort zones; never taking a risk, never testing their limits in a competitive university or work environment. These poor souls were bred in captivity, held on a leash and domesticated to the point of uselessness.

I saw something unusual as I drove home from the Space Center yesterday. Just before reaching 1100 North I saw a boy who looked to be ten or eleven years old. He was dressed in a nice golf shirt and shorts. He looked like he was about to go somewhere. He stood in a deep puddle at the end of his gravel driveway. Both his hands were at the bottom of the puddle dredging up the mud. He stood up as my car approached holding two handfuls of thick rich mud. "Is he going to throw that mud at my car?" I thought to myself.

He saw me. I smiled. He face brightened. He held out his muddy fists for me to appreciate. I gave him a thumbs up. Was he going to get a good thumping for getting so dirty? Perhaps, but the smile on his face told me that whatever the punishment, the experience of a puddle thick with mud was worth it. He was free. My faith in humanity was partially restored.

Speaking of mud and unkempt, unleashed children left to fend for themselves; may I present a few pictures of children who once lived on 38th Street, Rapid City, who only now in their advanced years, are showing signs of civility.



This is Jilane Williamson as she looked in the 1970's. Notice the high forehead? I think Luella was experimenting with polygamist hairstyles and fashion back then. That dress strengthens my theory. Honestly, doesn't Jilane look like your typical young Colorado City girl of today? Yep, there she is with her simple down home looks, walking home from school to her father, three mothers and 22 brothers and sisters.


Another picture of Jilane, now a bit older. A bit of a tom boy I think. She's sporting a new, almost human hairstyle. Luella was correct to hide her unnaturally high forehead. The freckles are more pronounced in this photograph, giving her that Tom Sawyer look. The yellowing teeth are a bit of a shock. Before you judge her dental hygiene, let me remind you that the color of one's chompers were not a concern back then like they are now. Black, yellow or white - it didn't matter. At least they were straight, making Jilane decently good looking for a South Dakota gal.


This is Annette, the youngest of the Williamson clan. Nettie was born practically perfect in every way; such an oddity in our family. Odd because it is my firm belief our family was a spiritual testing ground.

"Charles and Luella have married. It appears they plan on starting a family," I imagine one of their guardian angels saying to the other.
"Unlucky for them," the other answered.
"Why."
"They're slated for that odd lot of spirits over there."
"What, all of them?"
"Yep, all of them."
"Why, what have they done?"
"Their experimenting," the angel said as he pointed skyward. "They want to know what will happen if you place several of 'those kind' in the same family. They call it psychological sibling mixing."

I believe there were seven of us being held in that premortal corral, meaning Charles and Luella's eighth child was unexpected. A normal one was selected and sent along. Did she come willingly? I don't know, but here she is, our family's caboose, making the rest of us look well past our sell by dates. Yet strangely enough, she's taken to us. We're all counting on her to sneak us past the pearly gates when our time is called.

You're my favorite Nettie. Don't you forget that?

Princess Leia and Jabba the Hut in their early years. Both our handicaps are visible in this photograph. Kim's large protruding tongue and my beckoning for food to satisfy my insatiable appetite are easily seen. I believe I got my hands on that stuffed toy shortly after the photograph was taken. We have the photographer to thank for saving my life. He removed the stuffing from my windpipe just before I suffocated. The animal looked so delicious; I couldn't help myself. I knew Luella wouldn't let me slobber it down so I had to act quickly.

Kim and I, a few years later. Luella tells me I had a sore on my hand which is why I favored it so in this picture. Notice how Kim grew into her tongue?

I'm loving those suspenders! Amazing at how life repeats itself. I had suspenders then and am considering them today. Shouldn't every 50 plus male have a pair of suspenders on hand to keep his pants up?

This picture was originally black and white. Grandma Violet colored it by hand. Who could afford color photography back then? We were lucky this photo was taken on film and not a tin type. I'm guessing this was taken in 1963, just after the first film cameras were available at Rapid City's Sears and Roebuck Department Store. Notice my hair style hasn't changed in 50 plus years? Kim, on the other had, enjoys experimenting with her's (and not for the better). Why change a winning appearance from the past. Stick with what works.


This picture was taken in September 1959 shortly after our small family moved to 39 East Signal Drive, Rapid City. I'm standing, Kim is seated and Grandma Elda supports us. Elda was Charles's mother. She looks so young in this picture.

I just noticed the back lawn, or should I say weed patch. No wonder we all have allergies!


I'm on my throne.

My highchair was my favorite place in the entire universe. I knew food would be forthcoming when Luella strained to hoist me into that chair (and I mean hoisted - I had a big appetite). I loved food then and I love it now. I like it hot and in enormous quantities.

Keep it coming!

Luella tells me that I was picky in presentation. I'd toss my plate to the ground if any of my food touched when plated. Mixing flavors was a No No! Just a bit of juice from my canned peas leaking into my mashed potatoes would send me into a violent temper tantrum complete with kicking, screaming, head spinning, eyes bulging and obscenities shouted in a guttural Latin. I mellowed somewhat after the local priest paid us a visit and bathed me in holy water. He also advised Luella to wear a crucifix whenever she fed me.



And finally, my Pièce de résistance ! My one great masterpiece from my childhood. I was a struggling young artist, always looking for interesting subjects to draw and paint. Leonardo had the Mona Lisa. I had my sister Janice, reluctant as she was to see this creation with her school picture as it's centerpiece.

How did I get the $10 bill drawn correctly, having probably never seen one. Remember, a nickle in your pocket in those days was gold. It must have been dad's pay day. I'm sure Luella reluctantly surrendered the money after hours of begging and most assuredly kept a close eye on me as I worked in my basement studio.

This is yours Janice. You're welcome to it if you'd like. I thought about framing it and giving it to you for Christmas. Would you value the hours spent in its creation? Would you cherish it? Would you pass it on to your descendants? Hmmmm. Better keep it in my permenant collection.

(See Bob. You're not the only gifted artist in this family!)

Simply,
Victor

Angie's Research on our Seagram Line (Mattson / Pierce)

GGG Grandmother Isabella Seagrams

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello!

Today you eyes are granted a rest from reading another one of my entries. Cousin Angie did our research this week and sent the following for your consideration.
Thanks Angie. I believe you're spot on. I've updated this information on the Family Tree, which by the way is uploaded to Ancestry.com.

Before you jump into Angie's research, I thought it best to give you a Relationship Tree so you understand who she is researching:

Relationship Tree:

3rd Great Grandparents, Isabelle Seagrams and Andrew Jackson Pierce
to
Edwin Serman Pierce and Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler
to
Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
to
Luella, Linda, John and Marvin
to
US

And now, Angie's research:
Simply,
Victor

Hello Everyone,

Long time; No contact........until a few weeks ago, when Len Pierce sent me an email just checking up on me. I have been so engaged in my Dennis line research, that I haven't really put much focus on anything else. Well his email made me think about looking again at the Pierce line, and this is a very long email of what I have found in the last two weeks. (Note: Some of these links, you will need to have an Ancestry.com account to view, but I'll be specific to their content).

Victor's blog posting of Isabella Pierce is a great place to start:

http://atropesend.blogspot.com/2010/11/our-great-great-great-grandmother.html

This is what we already know:

Andrew Jackson Pierce married Isabella Seagrim February 21, 1860 in Margaretville, Delaware County, New York:

http://www.dcnyhistory.org/oldnewsidx/vrmmalz3.html

"PEARCE, ANDREW J. 02/21/1860 ISABELLA SAGRUM MARGARETVILLE 03/02/1861"

Andrew and Isabella had five children; Edwin (Len and Our Grandfather), Herbert, Ida Belle, Margaret and Jennie (Richard's Grandmother).

Thanks to Richard Carlton, we know that Andrew died from a bad fall in 1874 and is buried in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

Isabella remarried Hosmer Stevens and had no children with him.

In the last few years of Isabella's life, she lived with her daughter Jennie:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mobarry/news/7/barryfamilies116.htm

It reads:

"Aged Mother Passes Away

Mrs. Isabel Stephens died Wednesday evening February 13, 1918, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. George Joslin, in this city, at the age of 77 years.

Mrs. Stephens had made her home with her daughter in Cassville for the past three years. For much of that time she was in very delicate health and was given constant care by Mrs. Joslin. Everything which loving hands could do for her comfort was done.

Rev. L. H. White conducted a short funeral service at the Joslin home Thursday afternoon. Her body was sent to Iowa Falls, Iowa for interment. It was accompanied by Mr. Joslin."

Isabella Seagrim Pierce Stevens as buried in Hardin County, Iowa. This is a picture of her headstone:

http://iowagravestones.org/gs_view.php?id=4189

Ida Belle Pierce only lived six months, and she is also buried in this cemetery. This is a picture of her headstone:

http://iowagravestones.org/gs_view.php?id=4184

Ida Belle Pierce also has a "Find a Grave" link:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Pierce&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=1900&GSdyrel=before&GSst=14&GScnty=588&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=8145159&df=all&

I cannot find where Andrew Jackson Pierce is buried, although I suspect he is in this same cemetery, but may not have a clearly marked grave.

When I started my search a few weeks ago, I started my search on some information that I found on Victor's blog that Richard Carlton had sent him, it said:

"All I have on Richard is that he is thought to have been born in 1817 in England and that he had at least 2 male children before Isabella. I don't have a name for his wife, but only that she was born in Scotland."

So now.....this is what I have found:

Based on the information given by Richard Carlton, this is simply a family tree that I found on Ancestry.com:

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/14962919/person/190366435

It lists Richard Seagrim married to Margaret Lunn with one child, Mary Lunn born 1833 in Delaware County, New York. (which was a great sign of being on the right trail).

It also lists Margaret Lunn remarried to John D. Reside with two sons, Nelson and Charles.

If you click on Richard and Margaret's daughter Mary Lunn, you'll see that she married John Morse, and if you then look at their son Eugene, you'll see a "story". I have attached the contents of this story for those who don't have access to Ancestry.com. This is the paragraph of interest:

"My Mother, Mary Lunn Segrim daughter of _____Segrim & Margaret Se grim. I remember Great-Grandmother Lunn (Grand Mother and Great-Grandmother, both were weavers, by trade not by name)

After grandfather Segrim died, Grandmother married John D. Reside, who became by step-grandfather. I have heard Mother speak of a grand-father Malache and I have seen a Testament, given her by a grand father Elderkin."

This is what I have found on RICHARD SEAGRIM, I cannot be 100% sure on all of this information, but it's definitely note worthy:

I believe that this is an index of wills, Richard Seagrim is the last on the page:

http://www.dcnyhistory.org/willindexpage109.html

These are Naturalization Records of Delaware County, New York:

http://www.dcnyhistory.org/nat2.html

"Seagrim Richard 40 yrs old in 1838-02-14 1820 Plimouth (sic) England Andes .1329"

This record says that Richard was 40 years old in 1838, so that would make his birth date about 1798, not 1817 as originally thought. So either I'm understanding the documentation wrong (which is highly likely), or Richard Seagrim was about 34 when he married Margaret, who if born in 1818, as documented, would have only been 14 when she married Richard in about 1832......let's hope Margaret was really born in 1814, but I doubt it. Another theory would be that this link is Richard's father's record, and his name was also Richard, or maybe the Richard Seagrim in this link is not even our relative? More research will need to be done as to the content of the will to help determine this theory.

So we know that Richard Seagrim was born in England in either 1817 or 1798, no documentation to prove it. We know he married Margaret Lunn in about 1832 in New York, no documentation to prove it. We know he died after Isabella was born in 1839, so we can assume he died in about 1840 in New York, no documentation to prove it. This is all of the documentation I can find on Richard Seagrim. I cannot find any documentation on his immigration to America.

However, there is a lot of documentation on MARGARET LUNN, and this is what I have found on her:

She was born between 1814-1818 in Scotland, no documentation to prove it. I have not found any documentation on her immigration to America either. After Richard died in about 1840, Margaret Lunn remarried John D. Reside in about 1841 in Delaware County, New York, no documentation to prove it.

Based on the following link, I believe Margaret's father's name was Charles Lunn, and her mother's name was Mary Elder, and she had a brother named John:

http://www.dcnyhistory.org/bf2l.html

Also in this link, you'll see that Margaret's brother John Lunn married Eunice Pierce, who I believe is the same Eunice Pierce, who is the sister of our Andrew Jackson Pierce. So that would mean that Margaret's brother John married her son-in-law's sister. So Isabella's Uncle John married her sister-in-law, making John Lunn Isabella's brother-in-law AND her Uncle. I'll have to do more research to be certain.

The following is a link to 23 cemetery's in Delaware County, New York. Here you will find in Dunraven Cemetery in Middletown, Delaware County, New York, where Margaret Lunn (Seagrim) Reside and other family members are buried:

http://www.dcnyhistory.org/cemkit1.html

"Margaret Lunn, wife of John Reside, d. Dec 18, 1887 age 78 yrs
John Reside, d. Sept 18, 1905 age 82 yrs 9 mos 16 days, Co E 144 Reg NY Vol"

Now, the following link is the absolute proof of Isabella to Margaret Lunn and Richard Seagrim. It's an 1850 census in Delaware County, New York:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/M4DS-3L2/p_240668250

https://www.familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11686-149495-46?cc=1401638

In the household it lists John Reside and Margaret Reside, Children: Mary Seagrim, born in 1833, James Seagrim, born in 1835, Martha Seagrim, born in 1837, and finally, our dear sweet Isabella Seargrim, born in 1839, Nelson Reside, born in 1842 and Charles Reside, born in 1848.

These are the 1860, 1870 and 1880 Andes, Delaware County, New York census records for John and Margaret Reside:

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1860usfedcenancestry&indiv=try&h=46174431

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1870usfedcen&indiv=try&h=24931379

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1880usfedcen&indiv=try&h=1558659

*In the 1870 census, William Reside is John's brother, and Philip and Margaret are William's children.

Notes: Just some things I noticed in putting this puzzle together is that Richard and Margaret's first child's name is "Mary", and Margaret's mother's name was (possibly) Mary. Also, Isabella and Andrew named one of their daughter's "Margaret", after Isabella's mother. I wonder if Richard's father's name was James, as it is the name of his only son, and Margaret's father's name was (possibly) Charles.

End Comment;

There's only a hand full of people in the almost 7 billion people on earth that will find this stuff interesting. I'm so glad I can share my excitement with you! (I can only hope it's all the correct information, or at least a good start)

Love Always,

Angie

And Once Again...More From Grandma Violet's Photo Albums

Grandma Violet Mattson. Date Unknown. Place Unknown. Mood Unknown.
This picture is priceless. It shows Grandma Violet with her hair down :)
It was decided to put her in a retirement village shortly after this was taken so she could be properly monitored. Her apartment was near the top of the 10 story building. She rarely needed the elevator, being as handy as she was with a broom :)

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello From the Fortress!
Cousin Angie called me on Friday with good news. Angie made headway pioneering Great Grandmother Ida Tornberg's mother's line in Sweden / Finland.

Ida Tornberg married Albert Mattson
to
Walter Albert Mattson married Violet Mae Pierce
to
Luella, Linda, John and Marvin
to
Us

She is accumulating the information and will send it along for posting to this blog.

Angie and I discussed our frustrations springing from researching family history. Some of our family lines are well researched with names and dates taking us back hundreds of years. There are, however, several lines which dead end after the first or second Great Grandparent. Every week several hours are being spent by both Angie and I searching every document available which might shed light on the mysteries of these broken lines. It's a diet of doom and gloom for the most part, occasionally sweetened by a tasty morsel of information which might point you in a more promising direction.

I write this so you'll understand that although the number of posts in this blog may have decreased, the cause is certainly not laziness (although there are those nights where your only solace after a day in purgatory is the mental numbness of television) or loss of interest. The reason is that the easy names and stories have been posted. I call those ancestors the "low hanging fruit" in our family tree. We've moved beyond the lower branches and climbed up to the more difficult names.

I look forward to posting Angie's findings. Look for them this week.

And now we here at the Fortress are pleased to present another weekend of pictures from Grandma Violet's photo albums. Remember, they are in no particular order so if we jump several decades between shots you'll understand.

Aunt Linda
(click to enlarge)

Ida Tornberg married Albert Mattson. Vesta Althea Dennis married Walter Edwin Pierce
to
Walter Albert Mattson married Violet Mae Pierce
to
Luella, Linda, John and Marvin
to
Us

Remember, Grandma Violet took black and white photographs and colored them by hand. Linda's High School picture above is an example of Grandma's work.

Diana Pierce
(taken in the mid 1940's. Click to Enlarge)

Vesta Althea Dennis married Walter Edwin Pierce
to their children
Great Uncle Walter and Grandma Violet

Diana is the only child of Great Uncle Walter making her Luella, Linda, John and Marvin's first cousin.

Diana was, for the most part, raised by Great Grandmother Vesta in California. She visited the Mattson ranch on occasion with her Grandmother. Diana lives today in California.

Luella, a runner up for Homecoming Queen, Spearfish High School, 1956. (To this day she scowls when the phrase 'runner up' is mentioned in her presence). Strangely enough, the Queen mysteriously lost her balance and nearly fell backwards out of the convertible as it circled the football field before the homecoming game . She was saved by the attendant on her right.

Some thought our own Luella had something to do with the accident. She denies it to this day, although not as emphatically as she did back then.

Victor and Kim Williamson
Summer 1960. Click to enlarge

This picture of Kim and I was taken shortly after Luella and Charles moved the family to the dizzying heights of Signal Heights in Rapid City, South Dakota. Our actual address was 39 East Signal Drive. Our duplex still sits atop that hill overlooking the Robbinsdale section of town.

Kim and I are playing nicely, nothing unusual for me. Highly unusual for Kim. I'm struggling to get to my feet to escape my sister's torments. Kim, on the other hand, see's Luella with a camera and immediately stops pinching me and breaks into a perfect pose for the picture (Kim and Lisa are our two most photo ready siblings. Say "Camera" and watch their posture immediately snap to a nearly perfect 90 degrees; a smile worthy of Vanity Fair follows no matter what their disposition. Amazing!).

This picture was taken before our sandbox was installed. I loved the sandbox. The loose sand let me breath whenever Kim would tire of me and push my face into the sand to rid herself of a meddlesome and annoying brother.

I'd shampoo Kim's hair with fist fulls of sand when she wasn't looking. She'd scream and come after me. I'd do my best to escape by waddling away; a process made all the more difficult due to heavily laded, aromatic and drooping diapers held in place by sharp pins and moist rubber pants. Then came buckets of tears when she'd catch me and proceed to feed me sand and grit.

"Camera!" See what I mean?
Kim 1960.
Click to Enlarge

Victor (1960)
Click to Enlarge

I'm sure this was the photographer's eleventh attempt to garnish a smile, but what a smile! I'm proud of myself. The hair is somewhat of a let down. Surely Luella could have done something with it. Styling for its time? I believe today this is called a Flohawk?

There is a noticeable absence of stains on my shirt. My eating disorder (spilling half of everything intended for my mouth onto my shirt - a genetic trait passed on to me from Grandma Violet though her daughter Luella) developed later in my childhood. Today I have a closet full of unwearable ties because of it.

Notice the aura surrounding me? The camera captured forever on film that special magnetism most people sense in my presence. Please, don't pretend you haven't felt it. It's that feeling you get around me that causes the hairs on the back of your neck and arms to stand on end. This is accompanied by goosebumps and a measurable increase in blood pressure. Some feel it first in their stomachs, resulting in quick trips to the nearest bathrooms.

Shelly (age 4) and Shane (age 6 months) Mattson. 1970
Click to Enlarge

Ida Tornberg married Albert Mattson. Vesta Althea Dennis married Walter Edwin Pierce
to
Walter Albert Mattson married Violet Mae Pierce
to their children
Luella, Linda, John and Marvin
to
Us

Uncle Marvin married Pam Evans
to
Shelly and Shane

You've got to hand it to Aunt Pam. She knew how to get her children ready for a picture. Shelly and Shane are practically perfect in every way.

Shelly and her kids today

Shane and his wife Cari today


Great Grandmother Vesta (Violet's Mother) with three of Aunt Linda's children (Patrick, Michael and Brian). Early 1960's. Click to Enlarge.


Lisa Williamson, late 1970s. Rapid City.

And right out of the blue in Grandma Violet's album comes this picture of my sister Lisa, born in 1972. I was under the impression that athletics and Lisa, spoken in the same sentence, resulted in stuttering, so finding this picture surprised me. I say I'm surprised because of something I remember Lisa saying during her electrifying run for Miss Teen USA, representing the great State of South Dakota.

"My only sport is entrapment," Lisa was overhead saying to the contest from Wyoming as they readied to walk onstage for the question and answer part of the pageant.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Lisa asked.

"Yes," the girl from Wyoming answered through her heavily waxed smile.

"Not for long," Lisa whispered.

Ah yes, anything to shake things up. You're all nodding aren't you? You know I'm spot on :)

Jilane tells me that Lisa was quite the athlete in her time (when both women and men wore neck to knee swimming suits). Today, Lisa's athletic prowess is demonstrated by her speed and agility when making that perfect cup of morning coffee. The things you learn when you write and research family history.

Have a Great Week!

Simply,
Victor

More From Grandma Violet's Photo Albums (Four Generations in One Post!)

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Today in our digital family reunion we peer through the blinds into the past using Grandma Violet's Photo Albums as our vehicle. Invite Grandma to have a seat beside you as you enjoy her photographs. She'd enjoy being remembered. Click on each picture to enlarge to full size.

These photographs span four generations and are in the same general order she had them in her albums (Grandma wasn't much for order in her old age).

Click to Enlarge

Deaver's Ranch around 1925. The Deaver's Ranch was next door to the Albert Mattson Ranch in Montana. Grandma Violet met Grandpa Walter at school in Pinele, Montana. In those days Pinele had a hotel and several stores. The town slowly disappeared when highway 212 bypassed the town. Luella remembers Pinele still had its hotel and general store when she was growing up.

"I remember the smell of the pickle barrel. The brine smell filled the store," she remembered.

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Violet Mattson (third from the left) in Montana as a young girl, mid 1920's.

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Written on the back of this photo, "Vesta, Violet and Walter taken down at our ranch this fall" Great Grandma Vesta divorced Violet and Walter's father around 1919 and a few years later married Jim Deaver. They moved from Rapid City to the Deaver Ranch in Montana. This picture would have been taken in the mid 1920's.

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Luella Mattson taken during her sophomore year at Spearfish High School (1953). Grandma Violet colored it herself (the picture was originally black and white).

"My parents gave me the necklace for Christmas that year," Luella remembered. "I hated Christmas. We didn't have a lot of money and I hated the thought that my parents would be spending what little money we had on gifts for me."

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Spearfish High School (mid 1950's). John Mattson's football team. John Mattson is kneeling on the far left.

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Written on the back of this photo: "Don't we look good? What a swell couple. No Kiddin." This is a picture of Great Grandmother Vesta and her last husband, Jim Logan. Vesta and Jim rode the bus from California to South Dakota for Luella's wedding in 1956. They are standing in front of the Mattson home in Spearfish.

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Written on he back of his photo: "Two Birds and a log." Grandma Violet with her step father Jim Logan taken along the Needles Highway in the Black Hills of South Dakota, summer of 1956.

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We jump ahead several years to another section of the photo album. Beverly Mattson (married John Mattson) and her brood (left to right... Gina, Kirk and Joseph. Angie is on Bev's lap). The picture was taken in Spearfish, South Dakota.

"I don't know who the man is in the chair," Luella said when I handed her the picture and asked her to identify the year it was taken. She lost her magnifying glass yet once again.

"The ancient Irish used drops of water to magnify their stitching," she said as she reached for her bottled water. I kept quiet while she tried to get the picture to focus through the water and plastic. Another Luella moment. Priceless.....

"That Bev," I corrected her.

"Oh, her hair is so short," Luella responded. "This doesn't work," she added putting the bottle back on her table of multiple treasures beside her recliner. I call it her table of treasures because she keeps nearly everything she owns on it.

"If its here I don't have to get up so often," she explains when anyone asks. Most people are too polite not to.

I'm sure her magnifying glass is buried in the pile somewhere. We'll find it when we work our way through her things after she's, well......... you know.



This picture accompanied the one of Bev and the kids. I'm thinking it could be Thanksgiving? Aunt Bev will know. I'll wait for her verdict. The candles confuse me. Williamsons and Mattsons believe candles are only good for power outages. Why would anyone want to eat by candle light? We like to see what we are eating.

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Lisa Williamson's third Halloween (1975). She's trick or treeting the Holtz family next door. Lisa was independent at a young age. You can tell she dressed herself. I believe she tried to dress up as a cat.

Lisa's surprised by my camera's flash. She escaped from our house while the rest of us ate our traditional Potato Soup (made of potatoes swimming in a sea of watered down condensed milk, a sneeze of onion and Scotch Brand margarine). She wanted to get an early start on the doors. Lisa learned not to go trick or treating with us from her second Halloween. That year her bag of goodies was as empty on her return as it was when she left :)

We convinced her the purpose of Halloween was to scare the people who answered the door. We knocked, the door opened. Lisa shouted "Boo!". We shouted "Trick or Treat!" Lisa laughed, we all got candy and walked away. It's what happened on the way down the sidewalk that convinced her not to go out with us again.

"Lisa, let me see what you got."

The next house.

"Lisa, let me see what you got."

The next house.

"Lisa, let me see what you got."

etc... You get the picture. Sorry Lisa. And no, you can't sue to get that candy back. There is a statute of limitations on stolen Halloween candy. All older brothers and sisters will agree.

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Written on the back of this photo in Luella's handwriting: "Family picture. February 1973. Dad's funeral".

Grandpa Walter died in California. His body was brought to Belle Fourche for burial. Here's a test, can you name everyone in the picture (at least everyone with a face. I wasn't the best photographer back then. You've got John and Bev's kids. The Williamsons, Marvin and Pam's kids, Linda's kids etc).

This post's Hair Do of the Week Award goes to Aunt Pam. The Undo Hair of the Week Award goes to Janice (blue shirt, vacant expression). Screams were common whenever Luella tired to run a brush through that mess.

Have a Great Week!

Simply,
Victor

Our 10th Great Grandparents, Pilgrims and Founders of Wethersfield, Conn. (Williamson / Morris Line).

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamsons!
Our best wishes go to our family members on the Eastern Seaboard as they deal with the effects of Hurricane Irene. I was happy to hear the storm was downgraded to a Tropical Storm when it reached New York City.

Today in our digital family reunion we learn about our feisty 10th Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Deming, proof positive we descend from good puritan stock!

Great Grandmother Elizabeth was born about 1595 in Colchester, Essex, England. She died on July 28, 1683 in Wethersfield, Connecticut. She had seven children and was another of our first generation in America families.

Our 10th Great Grandfather, Nathaniel Foote was her first husband. She married Gov. Thomas Welles of the Connecticut Colony after Nathaniel died.

Elizabeth and Nathaniel Foote founded the village of Wethersfield in 1634 along with 9 other Puritan families hailing from Watertown, Massachusetts. The settlers were led by John Oldham and Nathaniel Foote. Wethersfield is the second-oldest town in Connecticut after Windsor. Along with Windsor and Hartford, Wethersfield is thought by some to be represented by one of the three grapevines on the Connecticut state flag signifying the state's three oldest settlements.

Let's begin with the Relationship Chart:

Relationship Chart

10th Great Grandparents. Nathaniel Foote and Elizabeth Deming
to
Elizabeth Deming Foote and John Crane
to
Sarah Rose Crane and Captain John Morris III
to
Daniel Morris and Mary Riggs
to
Daniel Morris and Hannah Armstrong
to
Isaac Morris and Rebecca M. Hathaway
to
Benjamin Morris and Mary Spinning
to
(?) Isaac Morris and Sarah
to
Nancy Morris and Whitty Victor
to
Effie Helen Victor and William Jonathan Williamson
to
Vennie, Ima, Inez, Lille, Josie, Emmett, Walt, Charles and Maurice
to
Us

The following is an article on the Deming Family and Great Grandmother Elizabeth:
source:  http://www.footefamily.org/elizno1.htm

Very little is known of the Deming family before they left England. Since the first Puritans left England to secure a better place to practice their religion. It might be assumed that the Demings left England for similar reasons.

That they held strong religious convictions is evident in the records they left in Connecticut. Elizabeth was born in England in the last part of the 16th century. In January of the year 1616, a short time after he finished his apprenticeship training, she married Nathaniel Foote in Colchester, Essex, England.

After the birth of their sixth child Nathaniel decided to sell his grocery business in Colchester and immigrate to the New World. By some he is considered to be the first settler of Wethersfield.

Whether or not that is true we do not know. We do know he was one of ten men who settled along the bank of the Connecticut River and named their settlement, Wethersfield. They are know as the "Ten Adventurers"

Elizabeth was the sister of John Deeming, who was one of the first settlers of Wethersfield Conn. in the year of 1630. John Deeming was for many years one of the magistrates of the " Colony of the Connecticut " and one of the patentees named in it's charter.

Since Elizabeth Deming married Nathaniel Foote who spent his early life in Shalford, Colchester, England, it can be assumed that

(1.) John and Elizabeth lived in the same area of England.

(2) Elizabeth and Nathaniel were known to have been in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay and residing in Waterton when it is recorded Nathaniel took the oath of a freeman.

(3.) The Foote family must have joined with the Demings in feeling some dissatisfaction with the manner of life in Watertown and joined with others in making the 100 mile trek in 1635 through the forests of the New World until they arrived at Pyquag on the shores western shore of the beautiful Connecticut River.

Nathaniel Foote was one of those named in the charter of patentees of Wethersfield. The Foote family became one of the leading families of the little Connecticut Colony. He became a magistrate, a leading land owner, eventually owning more than 500 acres of land in Wethersfield, some of the great meadow, and his home on the south end of the green, next to the present Broad Street.

The family was saddened by Nathaniel's death at age 61. Elizabeth was so respected that she was allowed to be executor of his estate. Elizabeth was left a wealthy widow, but did not remain in that status for long. In 1646 she married Thomas Wells who was a widower with several children from his first marriage. Thomas Wells served as Governor of Connecticut Colony for two terms, 1655-1658. When he was not serving as governor he was a Deputy Governor. He died during his last years of being deputy governor, 14 January 1659/1660.

Elizabeth was again a widow, having two families instead of one. She was in control of a large estate from both husbands.

Elizabeth Welles was a tenacious and feisty old woman. She had not only survived a perilous voyage from England but while tending to six exuberant children and a husband, she had made a new life for herself and her family in a world they knew nothing about. This world was inhabited by Indians who were not always friendly with those pale face people. The rigors of life and managing a household did not daunt her.

Things went quite well through the intervening years since arriving on shores of the newly discovered continent, until she reached old age. In 1676 as she approached the age of 80 years, she ran into trouble with one of her step-grand children.

This was Robert Welles, a favorite of grandfather, Governor Thomas Welles when the governor was alive. Robert had arrived at the Governor's home, there to be taken care of and educated.

But now his grandfather was dead and Robert and his step-grandmother disagreed. Maybe she did not think him old enough to be married at age 24. Never-the-less it was 1676 when Elizabeth brought Robert Welles to court, because he "...hath dammyfield her Barne by Parting with the other part of the Barne that did adjoin to it."

Exactly what he did to her barn is not clear. The court's decision was clear. He was ordered to repair the barn and also to pay his step-grandmother rent for it. Elizabeth made sure the barn incident was not her last word.

Two years later, in 1678, she made sure all of the Welles were taken care of when she made her will. She left them nothing. She stated someone outside the family would be executor of her will. Everything she had she left to her own family. That is the family she and Nathaniel has raised and nurtured. The Welles family got nothing.

Elizabeth died in 1683, at the age of 88.

The Williamson and Mattson Children. Rapid City and Spearfish.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Family,
Gather around and hush up, its time to get together in another virtual reunion to visit, ponder, reminisce and chuckle at a few treasures pulled from the yellowing, cracking pages of yet another of Grandma Violet's photo albums.

Scanning pictures from aging albums can be a tricky exercise, especially old albums with sticky pages covered by a sheet of clear plastic. Over the years the photos cement to the sticky pages. Surgery is the only way to separate them. Someday I'll post a picture of me in full surgical garb operating on one of these pages with scalpel and tweezers. If I'm not careful I can rip a picture with one tug, sending a beautiful pristine image to an early death.

Today we will walk down Memory's There and Back Again Lane to the late 1960's. The place, South Dakota (yes it was a part of the United States back then and no, contrary to what you may have heard, we lived in a real house with indoor plumbing and electricity). We will make two stops during our stay. 1. Rapid City and the home of the Williamsons at 2214 38th Street. and 2. Spearfish at the home of John and Beverly Mattson.


We start with the eldest of the six Williamson children in residence. Kim Williamson (now DelGrosso) was 12 years old when this picture was taken in September 1969. Notice how perfect. Notice the posture. Notice the smile. Notice the hair. Luella actually took her time with Kim's hair. The rest of us got the tale end of her patience on hair cuttin day, and believe me that is not where you wanted to be when Luella was holding sharp clippers.

Anyone passing the house on hair cuttin day would have heard lots of "Oops!" then screams then slaps on exposed thighs (her "giving us something to cry about") then more screams because she'd actually carried through with her threat and given us 'something to cry about', then the inevitable "Live with it," to shut down any further objections to the crop circle she'd executed on your scalp.

Did the Princess ever have to wear a cap for a month or so to hide the train wreck hidden underneath her cap? No.

I give you Princess Kim, the darling of the family, practically perfect in every way...........

Now guess, who was lucky enough to follow Madam Kim in the birthing order?


Me! This is Me in September 1969. I'm eleven years old. It seemed Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune and Luck had it in for me from the moment I was born. Notice the glasses. I got them in 4th grade. Who gets glasses in the 4th grade!? Mind you, they are good lookin for 1969.

Aw, who am I kiddin. Let me tell you about those glasses. I got marched into Standard Optical in Rapid City and told to sit down while Luella surveyed the wall of frames for something she could afford.

"Got anything made of tin foil?" she asked the optician. The optician laughed.

"How about frames made of pipe cleaners?" he chimed in not realizing Luella wasn't joking about the tin foil.

"Good Grief," I sighed and sat under a table.

"These are all too expensive," she pronounced after a two minute ponder. "No glasses for you. Tell the teacher you need to sit in front of the chalkboard and stay in from recess so you don't get hit in the head with a ball."
She took my hand to leave. The optician stopped her.

"Lady, I've got some hand me down frames. Would you like to see them?" He pulled out a box of used glasses kept under the cash register. The box was labeled, "For the Unfortunate Dakota Children. Love, Your Friends in Africa". He handed me the pair you see in the picture above.

"Those glasses once belonged to a Swahili Chief," he said. "He was very brave. He killed many lions and tigers and bears."

"There are no bears in Africa," I replied.

"Well, Giraffes then." He was frustrated.

"If these were his glasses, then why do I have them? What happened to him?" I asked.

"A lion got him. Didn't see it coming, did he?"

"Good Grief," I said looking through the crooked glasses. I suddenly felt very much like Charlie Brown.

By the way, go back and look at what I'm wearing in the picture. That shirt is 100% polyester. It snagged every time someone sneezed within 4 feet of me.

Notice I'm a few pounds overweight? My five brothers and sisters were bone skinny. What happened to me?

I wasn't stupid. I knew we didn't have a lot of money. I knew every meal might be our last for several days. I was a survivalist. I realized eating a few extra calories when food was available might be the difference between living to the next meal or starving to death under a pile of clothes in the jungle we called The Utility Room. If it was in the cupboard and eatable, I ate it.
It was "Every Man for Himself!" at the dinner table in our family. I was not going to go hungry, especially if I was the only one who had to wear glasses, and that's for damn sure.

Kevin Williamson, 8 years old in September 1969

Kevin Williamson, 9 years old. September 1970

Kevin came next in the birth order. Notice he got school pictures two years in a row. What's up with that? I got a school picture in 1969 and another when I graduated from High School in 1976 (and I had to pay for that one myself!).

Notice his hair in both. Didn't I tell you Luella and clippers were a dangerous combination when her patience was "shot to hell". You could tell what kind of hair cut you were going to get on Hair Cuttin Day (which came the day before bath day) by looking into her eyes. If her eyes were normal, you might walk away with a hair cut that let you blend in with the other home hair cut kids who sat in the back of every classroom in the 1960's.

If Luella's eyes were partially blood shot then the sides might look OK but the top might come out lopsided (a sneeze of hair on one side of the head, and a mop on the other). This wasn't good for Kevin because he loved to run. A lopsided top meant extra hair on one side of his head. The extra weight caused him to run in large, wide circles. Very amusing to the rest of us, especially at supper time.

"Kevin, its supper time. We called you and you didn't come. There's hardly anything left!"
Imagine a kid with a lopsided hair cut, running in large circles trying to get into the house before all the food was gone? Ah, those were good times.

If Luella's eyes were completely blood shot then there was no hope. You either ran away as fast as your little legs could carry you our you resigned yourself to a fate worse than death.

In case you were wondering, boys buttoned their dress shirts all the way to the top back then. I don't know why, but we did.

Finally, notice the large gap between Kevin's teeth in the 8 year old picture? I thought I'd point that out.


This is 6 year old Janice Williamson (now Burrows), Canyon Lake Elementary's Little Miss Congeniality in 1969. She nearly drove the photographer to drink.

"Smile," he'd say. Janice sat motionless, staring blankly into the camera.
"Come on honey. Give us a smile."
"I am," Janice responded in a monotone voice.
"Think of something happy," Janice's teacher suggested hoping to get her off the stool so the line of waiting children would start moving.
"What have I got to be happy about?" Janice was our optimist. Never a dull moment around her.

I'd like to point out something interesting. If you look closely at Janice's picture (click on the picture to enlarge if you want) you'll notice the faintest sign of a smile on both corners of her mouth. In my humble opinion, this picture of our sister Janice was the photographer's Mona Lisa.


Look, the smile is the same! That vacant, "no one is home" look is THE SAME! This picture of Janice is pure gold. It needs to be properly framed and donated to a local museum so future generations can admire it's beauty and hidden, very hidden qualities.

By the way, Luella's eyes were completely blood shot on the day Janice got her 'Picture Takin Day' hair cut and bath. Janice survived the ordeal. Her secret was the dress. Notice the hypnotic pattern of geometric shapes and colors? The dress kept people's eyes away from her face and hair. The dress mesmerized them. She wore that dress off and on until her graduation from High School.

6 year old Jonathan Ray Williamson in 1969

7 year old Jonathan Ray Williamson in 1970

Janice's twin. Our brother Jonathan also got his picture taken two years in a row. Is it just me or does it look like Jon didn't age that year?

Jon and Janice were opposites. Janice made a great place holder if you ever needed someone to keep your place on the couch while you went to the bathroom. Jon was full of personality and cheer. He loved strangers and spoke to them whenever he had the chance.

"Where's Jonathan," mother would ask at 11:00 P.M.
"He's outside talking to another stranger," we'd reply, and he most likely was.

Strangers gave Jonathan the love and attention he didn't get from the rest of us, being the kid stuck in the middle of a large family of six children. Of course in those days strangers weren't as dangerous as they are today. Besides, we all carried pocket knifes and could kill, skin and cook a bear in one hour - no problem. Remember, we're talking about South Dakota. You never knew if an Indian would break into the house and try to get you to part with your scalp in the middle of the night. Everyone carried some kind of weapon (Dad had his 22 pistol. Luella had her clippers).

Jon usually fell asleep in front of the TV late at night. Waking him up for bed was the family's real entertainment for the night.

"Jon, get up!" He wouldn't move.
"Jon, wake up!" Jon would sit up and look blankly around the room. "It's time for church. Mom's waiting for you in the car. Hurry."

Jon did just what you told him to do. He went outside in the winter at 10:00 P.M, opened the door of the Rambler, got in and sat - waiting for mom to take him to church.

Life was good in those days.



Jilane Williamson (now Bodily) was the youngest in 1969. She was five in the picture above. She needed glasses because of her wandering eyes. I believe her glasses came from the Swahili Chief's wife.

Because of her wandering eyes, you never knew who she was looking at. One eye pointed north while the other pointed south. She made an excellent compass if you ever got lost in the woods. For many years Jilane thought our family was composed of twin dads, twin moms and 12 brothers and sisters. She thought she had a twin double because of the double reflection she saw whenever she looked into the mirror. She spoke to her twin for many years. The neighbors suggest we institutionalize her. She had surgery to correct her vision when she was young. She was traumatized by the loss of her double.

Poor Jilane, she was always the last to get her hair cut. She was young and it really didn't matter what she looked like.

We called her Tootie back then. UNDER PAIN OF DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, CALL HER TOOTIE TODAY. She will kill you, then hunt down your children, grand children and will stay alive out of sheer spite to get your great grandchildren.

I wish we would have kept those glasses. I'd pay real American money to get them back if they ever turned up on Ebay or something. Priceless, that's all I can say.


AND NOW, SPEARFISH.

The following pictures were taken at the home of John and Beverly Mattson when they lived in Spearfish South Dakota. The home used to belong to Grandma and Grandpa Mattson.

Uncle John Mattson and 5 month old Gina.

2 year old Kirk Mattson entangled with 6 month old Gina.
Gina knew how to handle herself then and that hasn't changed one bit today.
To this day, Kirk still stays at least one arm's length away from Gina.
She never forgets a wrong done. Never.

Two year old Kirk and 6 month old Gina in their Spearfish home's kitchen.
I remember that kitchen well. Kim and I used to spend a week with Grandma and
Grandpa during the summers. I loved that kitchen. It had a real automatic dishwasher!

OK Folks. That's enough for today. Thanks for reading and spending some time down 'There and Back Again Lane'.

Simply,
Victor