Womens History Month -- Week 1

In honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month, and I'm going to play with her prompts weekly, just to keep myself sane, as I don't think I could manage daily.

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would... like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.

This one's hard for me, but I think if I were to answer without thinking on it too hard, I'd have to say Dora Hillinger nee Kresch, my paternal grandfather's mother. I know quite a bit about her later life, but almost nothing about her life before she came to Frankfurt in the late nineteen-teens. I have a guess at a town, but I have yet to find anything that has made the name of the town definite for me yet. I know her parent's names (Benzion, possibly Benno, and Feige Golde (Reich) Kresch), and that she had at least one sibling, whom she named her first daughter for. Unfortunately, with her, I have my work cut out for me, but my plans are to write to/talk to two of my grandfather's sisters (soon) and see what they know about their mother, particularly when she was young.

March 2 — Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?

This is a picture of my great-grandfather's grandmother Ivare Larsen nee Christensen and her sister Katrine. We've got a number of similar shots, and I love them all—focusing on a pair of sisters, but this one is a special favorite of mine for a few reasons. Because it's a new shot I'd not seen before this past year, and also because it's so old. Ivare lived until 1932, but even so, having a photograph of someone six generations removed from me is just incredibly special to me, and I treasure every one of them I do have.

March 3 — Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

I don't. I have a very unique first name, but it's not a family name. We do have a number of odd/unique names in my family, depending on your point of view. The Welsh and Irish sides are all fairly common names, but the Norwegian, Dutch, and Jewish sides all have some interesting names, if more common within those communities.

I think I'll go with my great-grandmother, Oline, pronounced Ol-ee-nah. I'd never so much heard the name before starting to research her. It was actually her middle name, but it was the name she used every day. Looking up the name, I don't find an exact match, but it seems to be a form of the name Olin, which means "ancestor's heir," which I find even more interesting.

March 4 — Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.

I know where both my grandparents and all four sets of great-grandparents were married, and when, and I have wedding photos for all but two pairs, though I do have a shot of the wedding invitation for one of them:


Alex Hillinger and Dora Kresch were married in Frankfurt, Germany on October 31, 1919. Unfortunately, I don't know much about Alex and Dora, given what they went through with the Nazi rise and leaving the country to escape what would eventually happen there. (the invitation translates roughly to: "We hereby have the honor to announce, on Friday 31 October, at 1 O'clock, The Wedding of our children Dora and Alex. We respectfully invite you. Mrs Kresch, Leon Seneft, Frankfurt a.M. in October 1919." and location and contact information.)


Holger and Oline Hansen were married September 14, 1918, in Cleveland, Ohio. The two settled there together and raised three children together before my great-grandmother's death in 1929.


Bjarne Bordewick and Mary (May) Park (pictured here with his brother and her sister on the left of the photo) married on June 14, 1917, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The two had both been born outside of Canada, and only fate had brought them both to the West-coast city, where they met, married, and raised two boys.

Daniel Jones and Eliza (Bessie) Howells were married on May 23, 1911 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. They met there, despite having both been born in Wales, only because my great-grandfather tossed a coin and decided to come west.


George Bordewick and Merle Jones, my maternal grandparents, were married November 10, 1939, in Vancouver, BC, Canada, right before my grandfather was sent to the east coast to finish his training before being sent to the war. The two met as teenagers, and aside from the war, spent the rest of their lives together until my grandfather's death in 1991.


Sam Hillinger and Margaret (Maggie) Hansen, my paternal grandparents, married in Frankfurt, Germany on June 12, 1948.

March 5 — How did they meet? You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit. Do you know the story of how your parents met? Your grandparents?

My parents met at the University of Washington in an English class, and began to talk. They fell in love and ended up marrying March 29, 1969 in Bellevue, Washington.

As I said, my grandparents, George and Merle, met as teenagers when my grandfather joined a youth group that my grandmother was already part of. The two began to date, and never dated anyone else, marrying in 1939.

Sam and Maggie met when they both decided to take the USO up on a trip to Switzerland. The two met on the train there, and spent most of the trip together, where they learned to ski, a love which followed them through their married life together until Sam's death in 2000.

Where We're From – Germany

Like Canada, this list will be relatively short, if in slightly a different way. Once I looked into it, it turned out longer than I expected. I considered putting Galicia on this list, but I think I will give it its own list, as it was a separate state, and passed from country to country, even if the original state was more German than not.

A map of these locations:

View My German Roots in a larger map

1. Frankfurt
My father, like my mother, was born out of the country. Unlike my mother, he was actually born a US citizen, as he was born on a military base while his parents were still stationed there. He did not live there long before the family moved back to the US.

My father's father was also born in Frankfurt, or more precisely, Frankfurt am Main, in the Jewish area of the city. He and all of his siblings were born there before things began to get bad for the Jews in Germany, and shortly after his youngest sister was born, the family escaped to France before immigrating to the US, sometime in the early 1930s.

My grandfather's parents moved to Frankfurt shortly after the first world war. My great-grandfather Alex moved there after being expelled from England for being a German national. My great-grandmother, Dora, moved there with her sister from their small town in hopes of finding a better life in the big city. The couple met there and married in 1919, raising their six children there before leaving in the early thirties.

2. Lübeck, Gelting, Schleswig
The Linkhausen family also originates from Germany, though I have only recently discovered this. Leonharde, my great-great grandfather's first wife, was born in Norway, but her father Ditlev was born in Lübeck, Germany, and most of his family seems to have lived in that general area for many generations before Ditlev moved to Norway.

3. Bardowick (Lynesburg), Holstein
My several-greats grandfather, Hans Heinrich Bordevick, was born 1769 in a suburb of Lynesburg, known as Bardowick, and this is where our family name comes from on this side of the family. As a young man, he left Germany and moved to Norway, becoming a citizen there and marrying.

4. Brunswik, Kiel, Holstein
Ditlev's mother Anna Margaretha died here in 1812.

5. Gelting, Schleswig
Ditlev's mother Anna Margaretha was born here in 1754, his father Detelf Anton died here in 1809, and his grandmother, Anna Johansen died here in 1765.

6. Niesgrau, Schleswig
Detlef Anton Linkhusen was born here in 1738, and his mother, Anna Johansen Grot was born here in about 1697.


And currently, that's all I know for both sides of the family. There is a branch of the Hansen tree that may trace back to Germany, but as of yet, I haven't firmed up that connection, so I left it out. As I said, Galicia is still to come as its own entry, even if it will be quite short. I am hoping someday to learn more about my family in that country, so for now I want to keep it separate, even though Galicia was basically a German state. As always, if my family reading this knows more, I'd love to hear it.

Coming Next: England

ETA: More locations in the Schleswig/Holstein area of Northern Germany.

Where We're From – Canada

Today's list is going to be much smaller than the US list. As far as I'm aware, my direct family really only lived in a few locations in Canada, but it's possible there were others that I'm not aware of.

Map of the locations in this list:

View My Canadian Roots in a larger map

1. Vancouver, BC
Two generations of my mother's side of the family were born here. Both of her parents, and she and all her siblings were born in the area.

My grandparents George Bordewick and Merle Jones met in Vancouver as teenagers, and married in 1939 before my grandfather went to war. Once he returned, they raised 4 children there before moving down to Washington state in the early 60s.

The Howells arrived in Vancouver sometime in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Many of their children settled in the area with their families, and my great-grandmother Eliza eventually met her husband there. The two settled there and raised four children there, all of whom also settled in the area with their familes.

The Bordewick family, Henrick Bergthon and Leonharde Marie and their three sons came from England to live in Vancouver in the early 1900s, about 1910, and their son, my great-grandfather Bjarne settled there, eventually meeting his wife, Mary. They married there in 1917 and raised their two boys there together.

The Parks, Robert and Elizabeth and most of their seven children, came in the late 19-teens, I believe, where one of their daughters had moved from Ireland with her husband. Most of the children settled in and around the Vancouver area with their respective spouses. My great-grandmother Mary met her husband there, and lived there until the 1980s when my grandfather moved her down to a Washington rest home so he could be closer to her.

Daniel Jones came to Vancouver sometime before 1911, where he met and married Eliza Howells, and the two married and settled there together, raising their three children there and living there together until his death in the 1960s.

2. Winnipeg, Manitoba
After arriving in Canada in the late 1800s, my great-great grandparents Gabriel and Selina Howells settled on a farm with his brother, Lewis Howells, but after about a year, Gabriel decided farming wasn't for him and went to live in the nearest city (I believe), Winnipeg. My great-grandmother Eliza grew up there before moving to Vancouver as a young woman, where she met and married her husband.

3. Saskatchewan
After looking up my family in the Canadian Censuses that are available, it looks as though Gabriel's brother's farm was in Saskatchewan, and not in Manitoba as I believed, so I'm adding it as a separate location, though I'm not sure where in the provence his farm was, and I know my great-great-grandparents and their kids didn't live there too long. About a year.


And that's it, really. Those are the ones I'm sure of. This doesn't touch on Daniel's full trip through Canada. I'm not even sure all the places he stopped on his trip, though apparently he visited Winnipeg before Vancouver as well. If my family reading this knows more, I'd love to hear it.

Next up: Germany

ETA: Added Saskatchewan.

Heirloom Quilt

As I've mentioned before, I knew both of my great-grandmothers on my mother's side of the family growing up. So it was through memories more than objects that I knew them both. I know we have a number of heirlooms for each of those sides of the family, but for me what's always stood out was what I remembered of them.

This past year, with all the research I've done and photos I've looked at, that's changed a lot. And in the past ten years, I've started to become more aware of the heirlooms as well. I've mentioned in this blog that I have a necklace of my Nain's. I got it from my grandmother for my 21st birthday, and apparently my Nain got it from her parents for her 21st birthday. It's one of the few things I have of hers, so I treasure it dearly. I never thought too much about what I had from my other great-grandmother until this past month, though.

My granny (my grandfather's mother) lived in Vancouver with her younger sister when I was small. They did very well together until the late seventies, when my grandfather wanted her closer so that he could take care of her. He moved her into a nearby Masonic nursing home, here in Washington so that he could visit her more frequently.

She wasn't too happy to be there. Though she was born in Philadelphia, she didn't like the United States. It seems her parents, Irish immigrants, hadn't been treated too well here, so they left about 1910 and went back to Ireland. She never forgot her early life here in the states, and would have preferred to stay in Canada. Unfortunately, my grandfather was her only living child, and since he lived here in Washington, she had no other choice.

She spent her time in the home doing projects with the other ladies there, including quilting from cloth they'd been given to occupy their time. My sister and I each received a quilt from her for Christmas one year during this time. My pre-teen self wasn't too impressed at the time, as I recall. The one I received wasn't my favorite colour – it was yellow/gold/tan – whereas my sister's was hers. And I had never had a true quilt before. It was cool to have something she'd actually made, and when she died soon after, it became a bit more precious to me, but I spared it little other thought.

It's been well-used over the years, though it is still not my favorite blanket. The wear and tear is definitely beginning to show, thirty-odd years on. When I told my mother-in-law about it, she offered to look it over and fix it up for me, and I began to realize just what a precious artifact it is. This is something that was made by my great-grandmother, and something that connects me to her.

I think, once I can, I'll pass it on to one of my sister's kids. Given that she has the other blanket, they can each have one. And I can tell them both the story of why it's special, and where it came from. And who made it. And maybe they'll feel a bit more connected to her because of it. That's my hope, anyway.

Granny, me, sis, aunt D behind us--the blanket isn't the quilt, but I thought it appropriate.

Mystery Monday: Nice Dress

If the style of this dress wasn't from the latish 1800's, I would think this was my husband's father's mother, Anna Leona Matlack (née Walker). It could possibly her mother, Anna Leona Walker (née Potts), but I don't think it quite looks like her. Here is a picture that includes them both at a reasonably young age. my guess is that this is one of Anna Leona Walker's sisters. There parents were named Levi Boyer Pott and Sarah Potts, and the daughters I have listed for them are Cassadella Potts, Anna Leona Walker and Lila Potts. Anna Leona was born April 11, 1869 in MacLean, Illinois.

BRUE (Norway)

Meaning/Pronunciation: Pronunciation: Brew Meaning: May possibly come from French origins, a location name.

Origin: Norwegian.

Variations: Bru

Relation to me: This is my mother's father's father's father's father's mother's mother's father's surname.

Ancestors:
i: Brue, Anders Olsen, ca 1759 – 1824, Sunnfjord, Norway; Anna Maria Anderstatter Brunn, 2 daughters, 1 son; Marta Kjellsdatter, 2 sons, 1 daughter; Sophie Dikke, no known children

Looking for:
I know almost nothing about this branch. It's one of the newest discoveries on my tree, so I already have more than I need at the moment. It's also so far back there that it can wait a little longer before I start to work on it.

Looks like he was trying to compete with his granddaughter's husband. Still, didn't even come close… ;)

Where We're From – United States

So now that my Surname Saturday posts are wrapping up (the last will be posted tomorrow), I've been trying to decide where to go next. I've been working up lists of things to do like the Visual Family Tree and the Surname posts that can be series, as those sorts of things seem to keep me going.

So one new idea I had was to highlight the places my family was born/lived around the world. I'm going to start with the most recent locations and work my way back. We'll see how this goes.

Map for the locations (and a couple others not really on this list):

View My US Roots in a larger map

1. Seattle, Washington
Most recently, all our direct line has lived in or around Seattle, Washington.

Dad's parents, Sam and Maggie, moved here in the early 50s (1952, I believe) after Sam graduated from Ohio State with a degree in accounting. Their second son was already on the way, but neither liked the cities their families lived in. Chicago and Cleveland were too industrial and grungy, and they just didn't feel at home there. After narrowing down their choices, they chose Seattle because they'd heard good things about the growing city, and because of its close proximity to Ski Slopes—the two had met on a trip to Switzerland while still in the service, and had learned to ski together.

Mom's family didn't move down from Canada until the early 60's. George was looking for a new and better-paying job, and found one in the Brewer Company, where he did the books and eventually became a vice president in the company. It didn't hurt that Bellevue (a neighboring city to Seattle) was so close to the Canadian border, where all the rest of their family still lived.

2. Chicago, Illinois
Sam's family moved to Chicago after several locations throughout the US, finally settling here shortly before Sam was drafted into the Army. Most of his family still lives here today, and both of his parents died there, Alex in 1948, and Dora in 1969.

However, before the Hillingers lived there, my family had another connection to Chicago. Oline Hansen, my grandmother Maggie's mother, lived there for a time, working for families as a housekeeper, cook, and occasionally a seamstress, until she moved to Cleveland and married in 1918.

3. Hot Springs, Arkansas
Before Chicago, Sam's family settled in Arkansas. Dora worked for a hospital to make money because Alex was no longer able to work. It was here that Sam graduated from school. (he's the second picture on the first row) It was the same school that President Clinton would later graduate from.

Also, one of the locations my grandmother was stationed during the war was here.
Other places she and my grandfather were stationed in the US: Him--Camp Crowder, Missouri. Her--Des Moines, Iowa; Daytona, Florida; and Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Both were then sent to Europe (he much sooner than her).

4. Memphis, Tennessee
After arriving in the US in 1933, the Hillingers lived with a relation in Memphis (Alex's sister and her husband, I believe) for a time. Unfortunately, after their arrival, Alex got sick, and had a stroke, and Dora had to go to work to support their family.

5. Cleveland, Ohio
My great-grandparents, Holger and Oline married and settled in Cleveland, and raised their three children there. My grandmother Maggie, their eldest daughter, remembers growing up in a fairly tight-knit community of Danes, several of which were men who worked with her father building houses in the area.

6. New York, New York
The Hillingers passed through here, and I believe one of Alex's brothers lived in the city until his death, but my true connection to New York was Holger Hansen. After leaving Vejle, Denmark, he settled her with his mother's sister and her family, and began to take work as a brick layer, making quite a bit of money. It was enough to let him visit Denmark in 1916, and it was on that trip he met the woman he was to marry, Oline.

7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Irish branch of our family came over in the mid to late 1800s and settled in Philadelphia. Robert and Elizabeth Park were from Northern Ireland, and seeking a better place to live. They had 9 children there together before things got bad in the early 1900s, and returned to Ireland around 1910.

8. Kassen County, Minnesota
My earliest known American ancestor was Ole Larsen (uncertain of the spelling at this time, but this is my presumption based on his daughter's given surname, and how Danish naming practices work). He was Oline's maternal grandfather, and came to the US in the early to mid 1800s, and set up a farm in Minnesota. We know very little about him because he had almost no contact with his wife (at least I assume she was his wife) and daughter after leaving Denmark.


And that's where my ancestral line has lived in the United States.

I may be missing a few locations – where Oline first lived when she arrived in the US, and ditto if Holger lived elsewhere between New York and Cleveland, and I didn't include my grandparents' military postings in the states, or Sam's first job out of school, because I'm not sure where he was living at the time. There's also the period while he was at Ohio State—I'm not sure where he, my grandmother and my dad lived then, though I assume it was near campus.

Family—feel free to offer info if you've got it. :)

Next: Canada.

ETA: Sam and Maggie's posts in the US during the war.