THOSE OLD MEMORIES

"Sharing Memories 2012 (Week 1): First Childhood Memory"

2012-01-02T00:46:00.001-07:00

My first real memory that was really seared in my mind was this little yard pool and leopard suit! I think I was about two years old. For many years that memory was with me although not quite so vividly as it was later. Mostly it was the leopard swim suit that I did remember...I wonder why that in particular? I was a great fan of the Tarzan movies that were so popular in the late 1950's and early 60's and never missed going to see a flick with my cousin at the Saturday matinee. Maybe I was destined to be "Jane" at an early age!

Blacky and Cheri, taken about 1954

"Jane"...quite the fashion statement!

It was not until about 5 years ago when I started going through the hundreds of 35 mm slides that my Dad had taken that I came across these two old slides and digitized them. It was just as I remembered and the added bonus of the photos was that my first dog, Blacky, was in one of the pics and it is the best photo that I have to remember him by. I treasure the memory and feel so lucky to have the photos that my Daddy took and can enjoy them so many years later.

Katie Marie Coleman-Ashley... Day 6, A Week of Veteran Salutes

2011-11-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

As today is Veteran's Day for 2011, I will end my week of salutes to family members with my beautiful niece Katie Marie Coleman. She proudly took the reins and followed in the footsteps of her 5th great Grandfather, John Shepherd Coleman, my featured ancestor here on this blog on Thursday the 10th, 2011. His story is here http://goo.gl/DXANC
Honor, bravery and love of country surely must be a few of the factors that lead our loved ones to serve as they left children and loved ones at home while they gave of their time for their country.

Katie Marie Coleman-Ashley held the rank of Specialist, her job was as an Automated Logistical Specialist. Maintaining and distributing the Army's large inventory of food, medicines, ammunition, spare parts and other supplies is an incredibly important job. The Automated Logistical Specialist is an integral member of the Army's supply and warehousing specialist team, responsible for supervising and performing management or warehouse functions in order to maintain equipment records and parts. Some of Katie's most important duties were making sure that the right supplies were delivered at the right time to help ensure the safety of Army troops in the field and on the front lines.

Katie Marie Coleman-Ashley served in HHC 9th Battalion of the 101st Airborne out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She was a proud member of the famed "Screaming Eagles". The distinguished history of the 101st goes back to WWII and has continued into today's world with service in Iraq and Afghanistan. When the division's second deployment began in 2005, Katie eventually was called to go abroad. She left her young son in the care of his Grandparents back in Nebraska as she deployed to Iraq for a year of service.


Homecoming for Katie Marie with her son,Tyler, at Ft. Campbell

Mom is home from Iraq!

We love you Katie and honor you for your service. Our pride in you will shine forever! ♥

John Shepherd Coleman...Day 5, a Week of Veteran Salutes

2011-11-11T01:45:00.003-07:00

John Shepherd Coleman served as a private in Company D, 23rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. According to records in the Indiana State Archives he enrolled on July 12 1861 at New Albany, Indiana and was mustered on 29 July 1861 at the same location. John Shepherd was mustered out on 23 July 1865 at Louisville, Kentucky. He married Margaret Jane Sharp(e) on 7 Feb 1852 in Harrison County, Indiana when he was 22 years old and he was thirty one when he enrolled in the Union army.

John's trade was that of a blacksmith as was his father and his son after him. I have often wondered if he might have served as a unit farrier during the time of his service although that is not known at this time. The 23rd infantry was involved in many actions of the war which included the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee; the advance on and siege of Corinth, Mississippi; the assaults on and surrender of Vicksburg; the siege on Atlanta and they were also involved in the surrender of Gen. Joseph Johnston and his army just to name a few. Over all the 23rd Regiment was a busy unit and involved in many actions against their enemy during the war. They are known to have participated in the Grand Review of the victorious armies in Washington, D.C. on May 23-24 of 1865 shortly before they were mustered out in Kentucky.

John Shepherd Coleman 1830-1912

John returned to Indiana where he spent the remainder of his life after the Civil War. He died on 20 August 1912 in Jennings Twp., Crawford County, Indiana where Margaret and he are buried in the Dillman Ridge Cemetery of that county.

Gravestone of John Shepherd Coleman

His gravestone says "THE MORNING COMETH" and I hope that someday when it comes again, we can meet as great great Grandfather and Granddaughter so that I might pay true honor to him for his service.

Honoring Our Uncles...Day4, A Week of Veteran Salutes

2011-11-10T01:23:00.000-07:00

"Brothers-in-law"

Robert Wayne Harvey was born 29 June 1923 at Greyrocks, Platte County, Wyoming to Robert Earl Harvey and Hilda Marie Larson. At age 20 he enlisted in the army at Fort Francis E. Warren in Cheyenne, Wyoming as a private. He worked up through the ranks to become a Staff Sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps and part of his time of service during WWII was spent stationed on Okinawa.

Robert passed away in Kirkland, Yavapai County, Arizona on Jan 7, 1987. His memorial is located near other family members in the Pine Bluffs, Wyoming cemetery.


Robert Wayne Harvey -- Army, WWII

__________________________________________________________

Gene L. Casey Jones was born 15 October 1925 in Wheatland, Platte County, Wyoming to Lester Leroy Jones and Esther Vosberg Watson. In 1943 at the age of 18, Casey enlisted in the army at Fort Francis E. Warren in Cheyenne, Wyoming as a private and worked his way up to the rank of Sergeant. He was stationed in Austria during the latter part of the war.

Gene "Casey" Jones died while living at Yuma, Yuma County, Arizona on 27 November 1988 and is buried in the Wheatland Cemetery, Wheatland, Platte County, Wyoming.

Gene L. "Casey" Jones -- Army, WWII

Gone, but loved and not forgotten.

Charles Gray McComsey...Day3, A Week of Veteran Salutes

2011-11-09T03:22:00.002-07:00

In honor of our third great Grandfather, Charles Gray McComsey, during this week leading up to Veterans Day 2011. If only we could go back in time...just to be able to see his face, give him a big hug and tell him how proud we are of his service to his country during the Civil War. Our honored Grandfather was a private in the Union army and served for three years of the war. A short but pertinent excerpt from the complete history of the 112th Illinois Infantry at the Illinois State Department of Archives states that "The Regiment actively participated in all the campaigns in East Tennessee, in 1863, and, up to February 4, 1864, sharing in the glory of redeeming that truly loyal people, and in wresting what was regarded as the key to the rebellion from rebel rule. Being always at the front and often at great distance from the main body of the army, it was kept constantly on the alert, and compelled to perform the severest of duties and always on short rations."

In honor of our third great Grandfather...1838-1920

He became a respected pioneer in western Nebraska after the war and made his home near and later moved to Gering, Nebraska. Several of his children and grandchildren are buried in the West Lawn Cemetery in that community along with Charles and his wife Mary.

Obituary of Charles McComsey


Family gravestone

Thank you for your service and the life and legacy that you passed to us all!

Millard R. Coleman...Day 2, A Week of Veteran Salutes

2011-11-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Millard and Helen Coleman- Alliance, Ne. about 1943

Millard Coleman was my uncle, my Dad's younger brother. Even though we lived far apart for all of my life, he was always an important part of our extended family. He and his family came to Nebraska to visit at least every other year and Mom and Dad and I would drive to Boise, Idaho to visit them on occasion. We always had great fun...Dad and Uncle Millard were very close and both were fun loving and always laughing about an old story or reminiscing about old times when they were growing up. That is what I remember most about Uncle Millard is his wonderful little laugh, I do not think I ever saw him without a smile on his face or heard anything but kind words from him. His kindness and thoughtfulness which stemmed from his love of the Lord were what really set him apart.

When I was a little girl and would stay over with my Grandma, one of the most fun activities was pulling down an old hat box from the top of her wardrobe and going through it's contents. It was a Navy hatbox that her son, Millard had sent her while he was in the Coast Guard. In that box were some of her lifelong treasures...her hanky collection! That collection was so special to go through as a little girl but the box is what has stayed in my memory all these years. What I would not give to have a photo of that box on top of that old wardrobe now. Grandma was so proud of her son for his service and she was a lifelong member of the Navy Mother's Club in his honor.

Millard Coleman was born on May 21, 1919 in Broken Bow, Nebraska to Opal Edith Gardner Coleman and Frederick M. Coleman. He grew up in Alliance, Nebraska where he graduated in 1936. He met his wife, Helen Lyon in Alliance and they were married in Salt Lake City in 1941. During WWII, Millard joined the Coast Guard and during the war he and Helen lived in various places during his service years and they eventually settled in Boise, Idaho where they spent the rest of their life working and raising two children. Millard Coleman passed away in 2008 and is buried in Boise, Idaho.

♥Remembering our uncle, Millard R. Coleman, with love and honor.


Millard Coleman with his Dad, F.M. Coleman, about 1943

Brig. General Maurice M. Beach...A Week of Veteran Salutes

2011-11-06T15:25:00.004-07:00

With the approach of another veterans day, I will be posting some of our family service members to honor our loved ones.

I have written before about Maurice M. Beach and his exemplary career, that full biography article can be found here http://goo.gl/2dg8l

Maurice M. Beach...drawing made of him in England, 1945

General Beach had an extraordinary military career during the active years of WWII and continued to serve as he commanded his troops and assisted in airlifting the wounded from Normandy.

During the years immediately following the war, there was a multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany. The Soviet Union blocked the Western Allie's railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin that were under Allied control. Their aim was to force the western powers to allow the Soviet zone to start supplying Berlin with food and fuel, thereby giving the Soviets control over the entire city. In response, the Western Allies organized the Berlin Airlift to carry supplies to the people in West Berlin. The United States Air Force and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force were aided by several other allies and flew over 200,000 flights in one year, providing up to 4700 tons of daily necessities such as fuel and food to the Berliners. Both General Beach and his wife were actively involved in the actions of the Berlin Airlift while he was stationed in Europe.

It is with great love that I honor uncle Maurice M. Beach. Our family misses you so much!

Holy Smoke...Going Out With a Bang!

2011-10-18T23:44:00.004-06:00

Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter of October 14, 2011: "Turn Your Loved One Into Live Ammunition" sure did present what may seem to be a strange new way of honoring your loved one who has now passed on...to most of his faithful readers who commented it was an idea that was indeed just down right weird so with this posting I am sure to offend some of my genealogy friends and maybe even family members. They may think for sure that this writer has officially lost her mind!

Early photo postcard from my shooting collection

Over the years I have seen many strange things show up in the way of honoring our ancestors and loved ones. Burials in vehicles or huge carved vehicles of stone above, a five foot sundial, a statue of Mickey Mouse to mark the final resting place and jewelry made just to hold a speck of ash in order to keep the loved one near to heart...so why not the product that the company HolySmoke LLC has to offer? Live ammunition filled with ashes to be kept or "fired" in the appropriate setting in honor of one's life.

I should explain that there are as many ways to be buried or remembered after cremation as there are flavors of jelly beans and just as many reasons why some people choose one way over another. Personal beliefs, cost of a funeral, dislike of conventional ways, are but a few to mention. I am one who has rather unconventional views on the matter. My husband and I have conventional lots in our local cemetery, next to my beloved grandparents and parents. That is where our gravestone will someday be as I do believe that a final little plot of land on this earth is all that we can physically leave behind in addition to our offspring, a little spot for family to come visit and for future genealogists to someday discover us and our history. I will not be "living" at the location of my gravestone as my requests to my children have already been to have my ashes placed, spread -if you will, in places that I have grown up and loved. Places where I have felt the closest to the loved ones who have gone before me and where my family has experienced great joy together.

I guess this is "tooting my own horn"!

On to the point of this rambling on! I grew up learning to shoot, hunting with my Dad from age eight. I was the girl with two much older brothers and when they were grown and gone I had all of Daddy's attention and love. We were shooting and hunting buddies and I was spoiled rotten! Those were some of the best times of my life and yes, guns and shooting have always been a big part of my life. I met my husband on the shooting line of a trap club and we have traveled to hundreds of shooting ranges and have shot millions of rounds together over our 40 years of marriage. In 1971 while in college I was the National Collegiate Women's Trapshooting Champion. I am a family genealogist, my other love interest in life but I have the great outdoors in my blood and burnt gunpowder is my favorite smell so naturally being "shot" out of a cartridge or better yet out of a shotgun shell when my days on this earth come to an end is an awesome idea to me! I can't think of a better send off or a better resting place for my ashes through eternity than being spread over the land I love. I can just hear my sons saying "there goes Mom -dead bird!" (The call on the trap field for a scored broken/hit target.)

All strange, morbid and funny thoughts aside for now, I hope I have not lost all my readers! If you are the unconventional or adventurous type, go ahead and check out the Holy Smoke website if you too want to GO OUT WITH A BANG!

Civil War Conference - Alliance, Nebraska - July 8-9, 2011

2011-06-25T23:43:00.004-06:00

If you love genealogy and history, this is one conference you won't want to miss! The Heritage Seekers Society and the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center in Alliance, Nebraska are hosting a two day Civil War Conference on July 8th and 9th. Coming up soon! One you won't want to miss.

Titled "Remembering the Civil War...150 Years Later", this will be a premium offer for anyone interested in this part of history. We have been planning this conference for many months and it will be a first for our brand new museum facility. We have one of the finest new museums in the midwest and invite all to join in our conference as we honor the Civil War Sesquicentennial and the memories of those who fought.

We are offering seventeen (17) educational, genealogical and historical presentations over the two days (lunch included both days) and you can attend all classes and presentations, no need to choose only a few. We will have many great prize drawings for attendees throughout the conference. Our 11 speakers are all professionals and well qualified in their field of study and will offer classes on genealogy researching as well as historical presentations for your enjoyment. This is a top quality conference and we invite everyone to contact us for more information.

To our local residents, your new museum is hosting this awesome event and we encourage you to support the facility and come see what is new!

Here is a sample of what we are offering along with even more...

Civil War research classes

History of the Kansas/Missouri Border Wars

Historical programs on Civil War quilts, along with a quilt show and a local quilt shop will display their wares.

Civil War character portrayals

Classes on the GAR and Lincoln's war time rule

Program featuring firearms of the Civil War........

plus much more!

We hope to see you all there on July 8th and 9th for a great learning experience.
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For a 4 page copy of our brochure in PDF format, click on the word Brochure below. You can save and print it if you like. It takes a minute to load so be patient!

Brochure

If the link fails, email me!

Email me: clchopkins@gmail.com I will email you a copy of the brochure in PDF

Contact for more info:
Knight Museum and Sandhills Center
Alliance, Nebraska
308-762-2384
museum@cityofalliance.net

Remembering My Dad..Father's Day 2011

2011-06-15T23:57:00.002-06:00

On this Father's Day of 2011, I hold the memory of my Dad so very near to my heart and even now, twelve years after his passing I miss him every day. My Dad was one of the truly special people in the world and a great Dad to his three children. Even now as I will soon near 60, my oldest brother nears 75 and we have lost one sibling...I look back and we were blessed and given the greatest gift of all, our Dad.

Frederick Dale Coleman

born March 9, 1914 in Broken Bow, Nebraska

married Irene Dorothy Moore- March 20, 1936- Alliance, Nebraska and lived his life, worked and raised his children in Alliance, Nebraska

died Oct 5, 1998 in Denver, Colorado

buried in Alliance Cemetery- Alliance, Nebraska

Daddy was of course special to each one of us in our own way but to all three of us he taught the greatest things in life. We learned to love the outdoors and nature, our love of hunting and fishing and the respect for our natural world, those things all came from our Dad. He saw them all with eyes of wonder and a heart full of love for what was around him. His lessons about history, loving our country, learning about it's past and protecting it's future were all precious to us and imparted to us that same ability to hopefully pass that love of history and country down to our own children and grandchildren. My brothers and I were so very fortunate that our Dad gave to us all those treasures as nothing could have been a better legacy. We were loved and we were taught to love and respect our family, our Mom and ourselves.

Dad was a man of so many talents and a love for life, yet his first priority was always his wife and children.

His talents, skills and loves were many:

-Dad worked in his youth a a motorcycle delivery man with his own business

-house and interior painter as a young man, learning from his father-in-law

-raced motorcycles for years, and rode the first motorcycle to the top of the highest point in the Black Hills in the 1930's

-toured with a motorcycle for nearly 70 years, often with Mom or me along for the ride

-he was an artist and painter all his life

-Dad made beautiful hand tooled leather goods which he enjoyed as a lifelong hobby

-he was a hunter and avid fisherman from the time of his youth and taught his children to follow in his footsteps

-The family went along on hundreds of fishing and camping trips and learned the history of the mountain man with Dad as we attended many a re-enacted rendezvous

-we all learned to make things with our hands and do repairs if necessary, Dad was always there to encourage the job

-he played the violin and the banjo with great joy

-collecting western art, coins, firearms, and banjos kept him busy in his spare time, his own private hobby room was filled with the things he loved to collect

-learning history was always foremost in his love of reading, he treasured any book that he was given and read them all

-he tinkered with photography, leaving behind several thousand slides and he and mom kept many albums of photos

-he even tried his hand at wine making...many years ago

-he was great to help Mom with the yard work and weed killing, even though the occasional flower bed also bit the dust

-Dad loved all his grandchildren and followed their lives with enthusiasm as to sports, band etc and even though he could not be there for all the events, he followed with enthusiasm

-pride and upkeep of his home, vehicles, motorcycles, and campers taught his children to appreciate what they had later on

-my dad was a hardworking conductor on the Railroad for nearly 50 years, and well respected by all his friends and fellow workers

-his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.... and my Mom, those were his greatest treasures

-Mom was the love of his life..for almost 70 years, including 63 years of a loving marriage

These are but a few of the special attributes and loves of my Dad, it would take volumes and much better words than I can write to truly impart what a great Dad he was and how much he was loved and is missed on this Father's Day of 2011.

Freddie Coleman, my Dad, with his painting, 1957

At the early age of not quite five years old, my Dad painted a picture for me which I count as my most prized possession. It says: "to Cheri by Dad 1957" and it has hung in a place of honor in my home for 40 years now as it did in my own bedroom at home all the years of my youth. I love looking at the American Indian lady as much today as I did many years ago...because she carries within her eyes the love from my Dad. ♥

Another Take On Local Museums - an Overlooked Genealogy Treasure Trove!

2011-05-12T00:14:00.000-06:00

Knight Museum and Sandhills Center houses Heritage Research Room

The very recent article by Lorine at Olive Tree Genealogy sure does hit home and prompted me to add my comments on using your local museum sources. Be sure to stop over at Olive Tree Genealogy Blog and read her entire article.

Our local museum just recently re-opened in its new location and we have a wonderful Heritage Room that was specifically designed for local history and genealogy research. We are so lucky to have a great facility here and ours could easily be used as prime example of how local museums can integrate their record holdings into the over all public use of their facilities. The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center in Alliance, Nebraska is a state of the art facility in a small city setting. We house many records that not only pertain to Box Butte County, Alliance and the surrounding communities but also many which center on western Nebraska. Our museum is also the caretaker for many older records that were once housed at the court house here. You can read a full listing of the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center holdings on a post by Nebraska Roots and Ramblings blog which can be found below.

Our museum director has been instrumental in building up our fine researching facility and she and her hard working staff spend several hours each day working with organizing the holdings as well as helping with the many local patron and distant inquiries from all over the country for records. Our museum will do simple research on past area residents, scan or copy nearly any document in their growing collections to help with genealogy requests or historical projects. We are so lucky as genealogists to have places locally that will help in our quest for information. Like Lorine stated in her blog, a donation to your local facility will help to insure the future of these repositories for us all. Libraries have traditionally been the keepers of records but many museums have holdings of documents that are often an overlooked source, especially the museums in small towns and communities.

Be sure to check out your local museum or those from your family ancestral areas for unexpected treasures, you may just find more than you ever thought possible. Museums now are often so much more than places to view beautiful displays of "times gone by". Your family stories or photos just may be lurking in a forgotten corner or drawer, just waiting to be discovered!

Knight Museum and Sandhills Center - Alliance, Nebraska

Nebraska Roots and Ramblings (describes holdings of the Museum Heritage Room)

Poetess in the Family, Part Four.....Ruth Harvey Douglass

2011-04-21T13:54:00.002-06:00

This is the last part of Ruth's story and poetry. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading of her family and walking with her as she wrote the poetry of her memories!

Leila Ruth Harvey Douglass

‘The Prize’

While walking in the hills one day along a hogback rise,

In glancing down, to my surprise,

lay a treasure to be prized.

With glinting side, serrated edge and needlepoint so fine,

I picked you up and held you tight.

For now you were mine!

Who made and fashioned you so fine?

And did you fall from beaded pouch

or shot from bow to kill a bird

With feathers prine?

Though many years have passed

since you were dropped that day

I’m still wondering who he was

that passed along that way.

Was he a chieftain of his tribe?

Or was he a renegade,

with buckskin clothes,

feathers in his hair and

painted for a paleface raid?

The wild wind blowing o’er the plains,

he rode his pinto where?

Fifty years have passed and gone

since I found you there.

With winter snows and summer rains

how long had you lay there?

To me, you are my treasure yet

and still no answer why or where.

And as I add you to my treasure store,

I guess your age…

Two hundred years or more.

Ruth Harvey Douglas

1969

‘Reflections’

As I am dreaming and communing with my god

I think of friends I knew and those beneath the sod.