Brick Wall People – Part 18 – Henrich Christian Schrøder

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Name: Henrich Christian Schrøder

Birth: 1790, Slots-Bjergby, Denmark

Death: unknown

Marriage: 1817, Slots-Bjergby, Denmark

Location(s): Slots-Bjergby, Denmark

Relation to me:Henrich Christian Schrøder was my father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father. Which makes him 7^th generation before me.

Alias(es): None known at this time.

Parents: unknown

Spouse(s): Anne Sorensdatter

Children: 3 known – Birthe Marie, Niels, Caroline

Other Family: none known

Details: Henrich is a very recent discovery that I have yet to prove, but the information matches my Birthe Marie's, so I believe that he is the right father for her, or at least am inclined to until I am proven wrong. As it is, I know nothing about this man, given that he is such a recent discovery. I look forward to learning more about him and his family.

Proof:

1)      The only proof I have of Henrich is a PAF file I found at Family Search, so the information is sketchy at best at the moment, until I can find more, but the Birthe Marie in the file definitely matched mine, so it matches in that way, at the very least

Needed:

Anything on this man. All I have came from the PAF file, so I have no absolute proof one way or the other that its information is valid at all as of yet. I am pleased to see that the family seems to have been located in Slots-Bjergby for at least three generations, given his granddaughter was also born there.

As always, if my family or anyone out there has any more information on this family, I'd love to talk to you about them. I'd love to learn more on any of them, if at all possible.

Matrilinial Monday – Selina Howells

The Howells ca 1885, shortly before the move to Canada

Name: Selina Roberts

Called by Grandkids: Grandmother Howells, I think

Birth: 1846, Duffryn, Wales

Death: 1933, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Spouse: Gabriel Howells

Marriage: 1874

Children: Ellen Catherine, Howell Gabriel, Selina Jane, Gwen Mary, Hugh Cadvan, Eliza Anne, Catherine, Edward Gabriel

Parents: Hugh Roberts and Ellen Griffiths (or possibly Pugh)

Siblings: none I'm aware of

About: I know little of Selina's early life. Only that she was born and raised in North Wales, where she met and married her husband Gabriel. Gabriel was from a long line of weavers and stone masons in the area, and so he made a living there for a time while they started a family together. Unfortunately, in 1877, a whooping cough epidemic swept through the area and the couple lost their eldest two children. They had three more after, but eventually the couple decided to leave, hoping to find a more hospitable location for their family.

They moved to Southern Wales, where Gabriel took a job in the mines doing Masonry. It was hard, dangerous work, and soon enough, the couple decided to move again. By this time, they had six children. They moved across the ocean and settled on Gabriel's brother's farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Unfortunately, between the two families, there simply wasn't enough space, and Gabriel really wasn't a farmer at heart, so the family moved again, settling in Winnipeg. The children all grew up there, and began their adult lives there.

Hugh served during World War I, and he was the first to move away from the area, settling in BC. The rest of the family soon followed, most settling in and around Vancouver, BC. Selina and her husband eventually followed, wanting to stay close to their children.

The couple lived long enough to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary, surrounded by nearly all their children and grandchildren, even one branch that had travelled from California to be at the event. At the time of her death, Selina had 6 children, all of whom were married, and at least eighteen grandchildren.

Gabriel & Selina's 50th anniversary, with most of the family in attendance.

Brick Wall People – Part 17 – Else Katrine Ivarsdatter

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Name: Else Katrine Ivarsdatter

Birth: unknown

Death: unknown

Marriage: unknown

Location(s): Vejle, Denmark

Relation to me: Else my father's mother's father's mother's mother's mother. Which makes her 7^th generation before me.

Alias(es): None known at this time.

Parents: unknown, though her father's name is likely Ivar, or some variant.

Spouse(s): Kresten Christensen

Children: 2 known – Ivare Kristine and Katrine

Other Family: none known

Details: Else has been on my family tree with her husband from the beginning. She was added to the tree by my grandmother's cousin, who was her father's aunt's daughter on this side of the family. Unfortunately, the only other time I have seen her anywhere was on a family tree at Family Search that had some misleading information, so I have been unable to get further back.

I have no idea where to start looking, given the sparse amount of information on this side. Likely the family were farmers, and therefore there are likely few records on them. But I intend keep looking, though for now, this branch is on the back burner.

Proof:

1)      The only proof I have of Else is the information given to us by our distant cousin, who would have been her great granddaughter. Aside from that, I have no other information on her.

Needed:

I have no BMD information on Else, but I do know she was from Denmark because that is where this part of my family is from. I do have a record of her death in Vejle, so I know she lived there for at least a short time, if not before. I have not been able to find proper census information on this branch, though I do continue to look in hopes of finding some, but they are right on the edge of the time where even that is available. The best I can do is hope to find church book information for this family.

As always, if my family or anyone out there has any more information on this family, I'd love to talk to you about them. I'd love to learn more on any of them, if at all possible.

Matrilinial Monday – Hannah Jones

Name: Hannah Griffiths

Called by Grandkids: Gu (pronounced Gee, Southern Welsh for grandma)

Birth: 1849, Newcastle Emlyn, Wales

Death: 1933, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales

Spouse: Benjamin Jones

Marriage: before 1882

Children: Daniel Thomas, David, Joseph, Jack, William, May, Sophia

Parents: unknown

Siblings: unknown

About: Hannah was born near the west coast of Wales. I know nothing of her early life, only her birth date and location. I do know that she and her husband settled in the town of Merthyr Tydfil after marriage, and raised all their children there. They ran the town post office, though I am not sure when they began to run it, and she continued to run it even after her husband's death in the early 1900s.

Most of their children stayed close to home. I don't have specifics on most of the boys, but my great-grandfather, whom I believe was their eldest child, travelled to Canada with a group of friends, and ended up staying there and marrying a nice Welsh girl he met in Vancouver BC. The family came back to Wales to visit once or twice before Gu's death, and my grandmother remembered her fondly.

David, fondly called Davey, was recovering from a bout of flu when his mother's hat was swept away by a gust of wind and landed in a pond. He insisted upon retrieving it for her, and ended up with pneumonia and died. She always blamed herself for his death. Of the other three sons, I have no further information beyond names. May and Sophia married and settled happily with their husbands, staying near their mother. Sophia and her husband had at least three children I am aware of. Though I suspect that there were other children in the extended family, I have no record of them at this time.

I actually know relatively little about Hannah's life and how she lived, so any information from family would be greatly welcome.

Hannah with Eliza, Basil, May, Sofia and Ivor ca 1924.

Brick Wall People – Part 16 – Kresten Christensen

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Name: Kresten Christensen

Birth: unknown

Death: unknown

Marriage: unknown

Location(s): Denmark

Relation to me: Kresten Christensen was my father's mother's father's mother's mother's father. Which makes him 7^th generation before me.

Alias(es): None known at this time.

Parents: unknown, though his father's name is likely Kresten as well, or some variant.

Spouse(s): Else Katrine Ivarsdatter

Children: 2 known – Ivare Kristine and Katrine

Other Family: none known

Details: Kresten has been on my family tree from the beginning. He was added to the tree by my grandmother's cousin, who was her father's aunt's daughter on this side of the family. Unfortunately, the only other time I have seen him anywhere was on a family tree at Family Search that had some misleading information, so I have been unable to get further back than him.

I have no idea where to start looking, given that Christensen is one of the most common names in Denmark, and so the name Kresten Christiansen just doesn't stand out. Not to mention the fact that his family were likely farmers, and therefore there are likely few records on them. But I keep looking.

Proof:

1)      The only proof I have of Kresten is the information given to us by our distant cousin, who would have been his great granddaughter. Aside from that, I have no other information on him.

Needed:

I have no BMD information on Kresten, but I do know he was from Denmark because that is where this part of my family is from. I also assume he was living in or near Vejle in his lifetime, as I know that is where his daughter, my 3-greats-grandmother lived when my great-grandfather was a child. I have not been able to find proper census information on his branch, though I do continue to look in hopes of finding some, but he is right on the edge of the time where even that is available. The best I can do is hope to find church book information for him and his family at this point.

As always, if my family or anyone out there has any more information on this family, I'd love to talk to you about them. I'd love to learn more on any of them, if at all possible.

Goodbye, Grandma

We said goodbye to the last of my grandparents today. She died last year, and I've been overly quiet about it because it's been hard for me to sort through everything along with the other stresses of my life when it happened. At the time, we had a lovely memorial, and her remaining friends and neighbors came, as well as the lady who ran the home she lived in the last few years of her life, and family from all over, including my grandfather's cousin.

Today's group was much smaller. Grandma's four children, two of three spouses plus a girlfriend, both granddaughters, both great-grandkids, three nieces plus a beau, one grand-niece, and all of that grand-nice's children. The weather was gorgeous. We took the ferry (pre-arranged), and at mid-point in the trip, they slowed, and my uncle threw her ashes into the water, and then several roses were thrown after. The ferry blew its horn three times, and that was it. They gave us a certificate to memorialize it. It was nice. I'm glad I got to go. Afterwards, most of us had lunch at a nearby restaurant, and sat and talked about her and about family... I think she would have been pleased.

I miss her, but it's hard to come to terms with the fact that all my grandparents are gone now, so it's been hard to put it all into words. Of that generation, I only have three great-aunts left. and one is in very failing health, and I think another is not doing too much better. I just remember them always being there, and now they're just gone. I miss them all, each in their own way. I wish I'd talked to them more, asked more questions, been braver in asking the questions I was scared to ask when they were alive. I wish I could hug them all once more.

I guess if I could talk to them one last time, it would just be to say thank you. For being there, and being so strong. For the lives they gave us all, and the sacrifices they made for us over the years. And that I hope, in whatever afterlife there is, that they are together with their spouses and happy. And that I love them very much.

RIP Merle Tydfil Bordewick 1915 -2012

Matrilinial Monday – Lizzie Park

Robert & Lizzie & friend at Mary's wedding in 1917

Name: Elizabeth Curran

Called by Grandkids: Grandma Park, I think.

Birth: 1862

Death: 1954

Spouse: Robert James Park

Marriage: 1883

Children: Jennie Curran, Helen Brown, Robert Curran, Elizabeth, Mary Dunlop, Rhoda, Margaret, George Dunlop, Florence

Parents: Thomas Curran and Jennie Blair

Siblings: Anna, Sarah, John, Thomas, Sarah Jane, Joseph, Rhoda

About: Elizabeth was the eldest child of Thomas and Jennie Blair according to my records. She had seven siblings I know of, and it's possible there were more, though at one time, I only knew of her and two of her sisters, Sarah and Rhoda. She was born in Antrim, Ireland, possibly in or near Belfast, or possibly in the town of Antrim. Though I know little of her early life, I am pleased to have found this much, and hope to eventually find more.

She and her husband likely married in Ireland before emigrating to America and settling in Philadelphia, where they raised all their children. Two of their children, their eldest two died in infancy. They lived in a larger Irish immigrant community, but when times got difficult in America for immigrants, she and her husband decided to move the family back to Ireland. They settled in Belfast for a time, where most of their children grew into adulthood. They were there for less than ten years, though, when one of their daughters married and moved to Canada, then wrote letters back to the family speaking of her new home country in glowing terms, and so the rest of the family migrated there as well, settling in Vancouver, where most of them met their spouses and lived for the rest of their lives. Elizabeth and her husband lived happily in Vancouver until their deaths, his in 1930, and hers in 1954. She was lucky enough to meet three of her great-grandchildren before her death.

Lizzie (right) at grandson George's wedding, with his other grandmother Harde on the left, 1939