Lost and Found: HAIGHT family mementoes

 Joyce McFarlane in Ontario has the following items to give to any descendant who wants them.

Have been going through some old boxes of parents stuff. I have come across, a picture, a bible, and hymn book. picture labelled Jay Haight, bible belonged to Mrs Claire Haight, and Hymn book, Clement Haight. Looking for any relatives that might want these.

 

 

 

 

 

You can contact Joyce through her Facebook page

Looking for an ancestor photo? See LostFaces.com!

 

Listowel Ontario Photo Album Found

Shelley C. posted on the Ontario Genealogy Facebook page:

I've "rescued" an old photograph album that belonged to the STRACHAN Family from Ontario, Canada. The album includes photographs of:

Jim STRACHAN (2 photos)
Ed STRACHAN
Nellie DAVIDSON
Alex STRACHAN
Kate CAMPBELL
Dale FRANKISH
Agnes STRACHAN MEEKS
Margaret PENOYER
Uncle Alex STRACHAN + CAMPBELL
Hugh & Maggie STRACHAN
Tom & George STRACHAN
Len MEEKS
+ six unidentified photographs

The photographs were taken in Listowel, Ontario, Canada; Watkins, NY; Canandaigua, NY; and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada in the 1870's through 1900's.

If you know the family you can either contact Shelley through Facebook or leave a comment on this post and I will see that she receives it.

125 Year Old Letter Found in Floorboards

"A letter written in 1894 and found between the linoleum and floor boards of a house being demolished to make way for Hobart's State Library will finally be returned to the author's family." ABC News

The letter was written by Sidney Hulbert on May 13, 1894 while he was in Sydney Australia and was found by Rex Nightingale during construction. He held on to the letter for 60 years and then turned to Social Media to find descendants. After being posted to ABC Facebook pages in both Hobart and Sydney, the letter was identified by its author's grand-niece Robyn Lobb.

Continue reading 125 year old letter found under floor to be returned to writer's family after social media search

Remains of Canadian Second World War Soldier identified

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have identified the remains of a Second World War soldier found near the Maas River in the Netherlands, as those of Private Albert Laubenstein from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Pte Laubenstein was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on March 28, 1914, and joined the Canadian Army in 1940. He served with the 102^nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Artillery and the 4^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps and the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.

Pte Laubenstein was killed during the Battle of Kapelsche Veer on January 26, 1945, and his body was interred with care in a battlefield grave, which could not be re-located at the end of the war. He was one of 50 fatal casualties suffered by the Lincoln and Welland Regiment during the battle and was 30 years of age at the time of his death.

Continue reading this story

Looking For Hurlburt Descendants

Charlotte G. posted about these lovely photos and I am posting them on Olive Tree Genealogy blog in hopes a descendant might read about them.

I'm hoping for some help to place a collection of Hurlburt family photos. The photos are of Heman Stanley Hurlburt taken in 1913. There is one of Horace Gordon Hurlburt with 2 others. There is a group photo of Stan, Helena, Gladys, Horace, Alice, Mary Ann, and Ann. There is also a photo of Alice, Gladys, and Helena Hurlburt with their grandparents. Research shows me that the Hurburts were in Hamilton, Northumberland and Mitchell, Perth areas in the 1800s. I'd love to give these lovely photos and letter to someone in the Hurlburt line.

 

 

If you are looking for photos of your ancestors, check out LostFaces.com

Found WW2 USA Soldier ID Tag Elmer E. Sheriff

Malcolm A. sent this photo of an American dog tag he found in the United Kingdom.

Hi I am a metal detectorist from the UK. Today whilst out searching I found an American dog tag from the World war II. I would love to re unite it with his family if there are any dependants alive. The name on the tag is Elmer E Sheriff. His next of kind was A J Sheriff. The address was 606 Main St. Bellwood. PA. The service number is 0-1104394. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you. PS I've found out that he died on the 5th November 1976 age 70 in Wickenburg Arianna.  He was married to Virginia Louise Pemberton  in Wickenburg Arizona. 

Lorine's Research: Friends, an Elmer E. Sheriff enlisting in WW2  can be seen online on the National Archives. His service number is 20323529

Fold3 shows an Elmer E. Sheriff in the Vietnam War with service number shown 0-1004394 (out by one digit).

The 1940 census for Bellwood, Blair Pennsylvania shows a 33 year old Elmer son of A.J. Sheriff (sames as next of kin on dog tag) and Edna. Veteran Compensation Files dated June 1950 show Elmer as born Feb. 3, 1906 in Bellwood and serving in the National Guard.

 

My brief research seems to indicate that Elmer was an only child and had no children of his own. His wife was married three times according to a memorial on Find A Grave. 

Can any of my wonderful readers find a living descendant so Malcolm can send the dog tag home?





 

Derr Photo Album Civil War Era

This is one of my favourite photographs from my rescued Civil War era photo album.

I call this the Derr Album and the photos that were in it can be viewed on my Lost Faces website. 

Most of the photos were identified, but not this one. It appears to be a older couple and either it is a very early photograph or they are wearing outdated fashion. The man's necktie is not usual for the 1860s. The woman's cap could is an older style. At first I thought it might be a Quaker cap but I'm rather puzzled by it.

The inscription inside the cover of this album reads:  -- and Richard -- Cleveland
 
The inscription on the front page Mr. & Mrs. R. Derr, Ney Defiance Co. Ohio

​Surnames: Derr, Prehn, Bartholomew, Stahl, Bushnell, Austen, Ward, Beavis, Brownlee, Garman, Gray, Green, Carter, Furst, Newcomb, Mott, Beck, Field, Wilson

Locations: Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania

Happy Ending for Rescued Dog Tag Case!

I received this email earlier this month about a very happy ending for the search for family of James J. Bell and of Idaho, and his rescued dog tag.

Dear Lorine,

Thank you so much for helping me connect with Mick, the gentleman who found my father's dog tag. He sent the tag, along with a compass, wings and maps of the Seething Airfield to me in care of my son who resides in Manchester, England. 

As it turned out, my daughter and I were planning a visit to my son this July, so we were all able to open Mick's package together.

I don’t know who was the most excited to see what Mick had sent me, my children or grandchildren. My 10-year old granddaughter Mariam had studied WWII quite extensively at her school and acted in a play about the Blitz. When she was studying, she had taken a copy picture of my father and his crew to show her classmates. My grandson, Adam was full of questions that you can imagine any 9-year old boy would want to know.

Everyone wanted to hold the dog tag. How amazing to be touching something that my father wore during those dangerous missions. It is hard to believe that out of all the dog tags that must be lost out there Mick would find my dad's.
Along with the dog tag, Mick sent a compass he found at the airfield and a set of pilot wings. When we examined the compass, my granddaughter exclaimed, “It’s stuck. That must be the direction it was pointing when it was lost.” When the children realized that it was lost almost 75 years ago, they were blown away. It is impossible to know who lost the compass and the wings. We can only hope that they survived the war and went on to happy lives. All the items will be kept together and passed on to my son and grandchildren.

My son and I spent quite a long time going over the maps. They must have been top secret when they were created in 1944. It is incredible to think that they were done with such precision in the time before computers. Drawing maps by hand is probably becoming a lost art.

I’ll be visiting my brother soon and will be surprising him with what Mick found. I’m going to start by having him read the post on Olive Tree.

I’m hoping that sometime in the future my husband and I along with all the family can meet Mick and go with him to the Seething field. We all want to see where he found the dog tag and get a feel for the place that was such a significant part of my father’s life.

Please thank everyone involved in this search. My father and I were very close. There are some people we lose in life that we wish we could have even five minutes more with. He is one of those people for me. Finding the dog tag was almost like getting those five minutes back.
All the best,
Catherine (Kit) Bell


P.S. This is a photo of my father that was taken when he completed his flight training. He gave it to his sister Betty.

WW1 CEF Soldier Charles H. Welsh

My husband has an outstanding collection of Canadian WW1 artifacts - photographs of soldiers who were in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), Pay Books, Medals, and more.

This is the Pay Book of Gunner Charles H. Welsh #335325 who attested on February 4, 1918. His pay book gives his next of kin as his father David H. Welsh, and his mother Mary Ann Welsh, both of Palmerston Ontario.

Charles signed up in Guelph Ontario and a note in his pay book refers to him having deposited a will in Ottawa Ontario in September of that year. At some point he went to England as a page in the book is stamped "1918. Milford Camp, Witley, Surrey"

 

There are a few loose cards tucked into the pay book.

1. Canadian National Railways showing he is in Lower section of Car E. (no date)

2. Card showing his quarters are on E Deck, Compartment Q and he has one hammock. His mess is in Compartment A2, second sitting

3. A non-personalized standard "goodbye" from Buckingham Palace wishing him a safe return to his home and loved ones, also thanking him for his service. Signed by King George (a rubber stamp)

Thanks to the digitization project by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) we can view Charles' full personnel file online.There we learn that his full name is Charles Henry Welsh and he was born July 1, 1897.

If you are interested, you can download his entire WW1 file.

Salden Heath, Top Hat and All, on Lost Faces

  
This is one of the photographs I have rescued and published online on my Lost Faces website.

The Civil War era photo album was in rough shape but most of the photos were identified on the album pages. The Album is online on Lost Faces along with 81 other rescued photo albums from the 19th century.

 Here is what the photo above looked like while still in the album

The name is challenging to read but I make it out as Salden Heath. Other names in the album are Ells, Smith, Turner, Harley, Stanley, Ennis, Knowlton, Phelps, Comstock, Gaylord, Watrus, Rush, Rust, Rogers, Heath, Andress, davis, Boughton, Palmer, Spratt, Morse
 

A Beautiful Confirmation Photo

This gorgeous cabinet card is one of the photographs in an antique photo album I rescued.

Her name is Elsie Steffenhagen and it was her confirmation day. The photographic studio was in Lake City Minnesota.

You can view more of the beautiful photos I have published online for all to enjoy at my new website Lost Faces

The Santelmann family photo album can be found at http://www.lostfaces.com/album-24-santelman.html

Enjoy!

Preservation of a Lost Faces Album Part 3

Please see Part 1 and Part 2 for the start of this process of how I rescue, archive, and publish on Lost Faces antique photo albums I save from disappearing.

After I have finished documenting every page in the rescued photo album, I sart the process of gently and carefully removing the photos. This can be a very laborious process are many are "stuck" to the pages with 100 or more years of dust and grime. I use a very thin plastic flexible ruler when necessary to gently assist each photo out of its slot. My goal is to not damage the album pages or the photo of course, so I do not want to just grab the photo and pull it out.

As I remove each photo, I assign a two letter abbreviation designating the name of the album and a number consistent with the order the photo was placed in the album on the verso (back) in pencil. If there is anything written on the album page that is not also written on the photo, I add that information to the photo back.

I also note (in pencil) the album number and name in the front inside page of the album. This allows me to reassemble the photos with the correct album in the future.

The next stage involves scanning, then storing each photo in an acid-free sleeve and storage box. More on that in my next blog post!

Continuing Preserving Another Photo Album for Lost Faces

A fascinating image on the right
identified as the daughter of Oscar Knapp

Going through the newly rescued photo album for Lost Faces was my fun time over the weekend.

It's a challenge for me to go slow, document each page before I start the process of removing the pictures from their pages.

Many of the album pages had identification of the people in the photos. The names were written in a  contemporary hand, and was not period handwriting or ink from the 1860s. My hope was that once I removed the photos I might find period handwriting on the backs.

If you are wondering why I'm being so fussy it is because any identification written at the time the photos were put into the album is bound to be more accurate than identification entered many years later.

One very interesting notation was entered on the album page below. This was  in the same handwriting as the rest of the album and reads "Great Grandfather and Grandmother Ostrander". What a great clue as to when these labels were entered on the album pages!

 

These photos appear to be Civil War era (early to mid 1860s).  I know that one of their great-great grandchildren wrote in this album. I am theorizing that this great-great grandchild was probably born around the turn of the century and may have written in the album as an adult, say around 1930 to 1960. I'll know more when I remove the photos, check the backs, and start my research on everyone who is identified in this album.

Removing the photos is a slow and careful project. You don't want to tear the album pages or bend the photos. Often they are stuck in the slots which is not surprising after being in there over 150 years! I use a very thin, pliable plastic ruler to help ease the photos out if I can't just slide them gently with my hands. 

I can hardly wait to get at that stage of the process! 

Please see Part 1 and Part 2 for the start of this process of how I rescue, archive, and publish on Lost Faces antique photo albums I save from disappearing.

Sprague Letter 1917

Annette P. has generously donated ephemera from various families to be shared on Olive Tree Genealogy. This set is a photo of a man and a 3 page letter signed "L. P. Sprague, Dowager" and dated October 3, 1917 from Lexington, Kentucky.

The letter does not have a salutation other than "My dear ---" but in the first paragraph Ms. Sprague writes that she isn't sure whether or not to address the letter to "Miss James" or "Mary Elizabeth" so we might assume the person she is writing to is Mary Elizabeth James.

There are many names in the letter: Mrs. Sprague, Miss Curry/Carry Breckinbridge, Miss Kraft, Miss McClure.

 

Unknown but with Sprague Letter

Postcard to Ruth Vessey from Elizabeth Finger 1910

Annette P. has kindly donated ephemera items to Olive Tree Genealogy for sharing with other genealogists. This is an early postcard, perhaps 1910 (date is hard to read) sent to Miss Ruth Vessey in Pennsylvania. It is from Miss Elizabeth Finger in New Jersey

 

 

Richter Family Ephemera to Phoebe Rockwell

Annette P. has generously donated several ephemera items from the Richter Family in Virginia to Olive Tree Genealogy for publication.

This postcard is to Miss Phoebe J. Rockwell c/o Mrs. M. Brown, Camp Star Acres, Eaton Center, [--]

It is signed "Grombie" in Falls Church Virginia. I suspect this is the original Richter Family writing to a granddaughter.

VIrginia USA Richter Family Ephemera

Annette P. has generously donated several ephemera items from the Richter Family in Virginia to Olive Tree Genealogy for publication. Here's the first one sent to Craig Richter in Virginia from Portugal in 1994

Lockwood Family Bible p. 2

This is the second page from the Lockwood family bible kindly sent to Olive Tree Genealogy by Annette P.

This is the page of MARRIAGES.

Obediah Johnson & Anna Sheldon
April 30, 1809

Sylvester Lockwood & Angeline Johnson
March 26, 1837

See page 1 of Births from the Lockwood Family Bible published on September 15, 2017 on this blog.

You might also like to check out the blog Family Bibles for more bible genealogy records.

Lockwood Descendants - Here's a Family Bible

With thanks to Annette P., Olive Tree Genealogy is pleased to share this page from a bible belonging to the Lockwood family.

These are BIRTHS in the left-hand column.

Obediah Johnson Feb. 26, 1788
Anna Shelden May 21, 1789
John B. Johnson Sept. 1, 1810
Lucy Johnson Oct. 10, 1812
Frances Johnson Dec. 31, 1814
Angeline & Emeline Nov. 25, 1817
Robert G. Dec. 2, 1821
Abel Douglas March 2, 1824
Reuben Oct. 1x, 1826

The right-hand column appears to be the marriage of Sylvester Lockwood b June 9, 1807 and Angeline Johnson b. Nov. 25, 1817 with a list of their children underneath. I have listed their names and years of birth below but the image provides full detail of date of birth.

Cornelia M. 1838
Martha Jane 1840
James 1842
Frank 1844
Irena 1847
Stephen 1849
Elizabeth 1851
Charles Herbert 1854
Willis 1858

I have another page from this Lockwood family bible and will be posting it here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog soon.

You might also like to check out the blog Family Bibles for more bible genealogy records.

1931 Autograph Book Found in Bookstore

A bookstore in London Ontario recently discovered an old box sitting in their basement. Inside were various items - school workbooks, a telegram and among the items, a small green leather autograph book inscribed "To Margaret on her 11th Birthday. Dec. 21, 1931"

This child's book, passed on and saved all these years, is now in the London room of the local library. Perhaps Margaret's descendants or relatives will find the book and enjoy reading through it to share what Margaret MacQueen's friends wrote to her so many years ago.

Thanks to Annette Fulford for spotting this story on CBC News.