Sunday, June 29, 2014

Sunday's Stories, 52 Ancestor Weeks, Week # 26, Donald Eugene Bowen II

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence


This is week 26 of my participation Amy Johnson Crow's, once a week challenge to blog about one ancestor a week, tell their story, biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on that one ancestor. More about the challenge can be found at her Blog, No Story Too Small.

On Friday afternoon, my brother, Don, was golfing and had a massive heart attack and passed.

Those who knew Don, will all agree, I believe, that it was a good way for Don to leave the earthly bonds, on a golf course, he so loved golf.


Don leaves a mother, a wife; a son; sister (moi); half-sister; many dear friends including his ex-wife, the mother of his son (they had the most remarkable relationship); nieces and nephews..

Five years ago, when Reflections was rather new, I wrote about my brother. Today, in his memory, one of the “better” stories, a fond memory.

Don't always trust your brother

Summer 1982, Man, Moi, 3 sons, my brother and Man's mother all pile in vehicle for 2 week vacation to see family in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. We decide to drive part of the Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive. Brother reads brochure, finds a "short" hike to a spectacular view, decides we need exercise and convinces us to stop.

Eldest son, Man, Moi and Brother decide to take the hike, others refuse or are not allowed.

Brother leads. Brother, Man and Son #1 get a good bit ahead of Moi, all I hear are their peals of laughter. As I round the bend, all they hear are my moans and some choice words (not repeated here). I am wearing plastic shoes and find myself scaling rocks that are 10 to 20 feet tall.

Short hike, ya, maybe, short in distance, not short in time! Yes, the view at the top was pretty special.


Photo above, Moi and Son # 1 on the way down. Photo below, Brother, also on the way down. Miracle that day was that no one got hurt.


Rest in Peace Don.



* Additional source data can be obtained by contacting me, see the right hand column for a yahoo email address.

** 52 Ancestors Weeks Button courtesy of Amy Johnson Crow.

*** I use many resources to research, FamilySearch.org is a free site.  Ancestry.com is a pay site for which I pay, no discounts, etc.  Fold3 is a pay site for which I pay.  Find A Grave is a free site. None of these sites have asked me to review them, or use them.  See my Disclaimers page for further details.

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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Mammoth Caves, The Tour

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Man and I had never been to Mammoth Caves.  We have been in quite a few caves, cross the country, but, never Mammoth.  We have now.


We arrived at the Visitors Center.  We had actually checked in on our first visit, about 36 hours prior.  We had our tickets, so, we just went to the "gathering/starting" place.  We entered the caves via the historic entrance.  It is an easy walk down that hill, not so easy coming back out!  SIGH  You'll have to trust me, it was wicked coming back out.

We had booked what they call the "Gothic Avenue Tour".  On the brochure it is described as:  2 hours, 1.5 miles, 230 total stairs, elevation change 140 feet, difficulty: considered moderate.  Features hundreds of candle-smoked signatures and monuments of stacked limestone.

Photography is allowed, but no flash and no tripods are allowed either.  So, many of the photos were just a blur, many pixelated.  A few were pretty good.  I'll share some of each here.  The photos for the most part are just as they came out of the camera.  No color enhancements were done in prep for posting.  Auto enhance really did not change the photos.  So, other than size, here they are, au natural.

Entering the cave via the historic entrance, somewhere around 130 steps up and down.  I did not count them. Like I said, down is easy.


This will give you a bit of an idea of how tall the ceilings can be.  Of course, because these are caves, sometimes the ceilings were much lower and sometimes, much higher.


These "pipes" are trees that were hollowed out to carry water around.


Including this less than stellar photo to show you a "kids" only tour leaving the caves.  My grandtwins have done this tour.  The current "kids" only tour is called the Trog.  It includes spelunking, belly slides through the cave!  They suit up in overalls and the lighted helmets are provided.  Almost 3 hours and 1.5 miles of kiddie fun!  Ages restricted to 8 to 12 years.  These youngsters were all marching along at a great clip, waved at us, and really seemed to have enjoyed their adventure.


Ceiling writing with candles.  In the high places they would place a candle on a stick.  There is one example of a name written backwards, they used a mirror - - and got the mirror image on the ceiling!


Same area, more names.  Really, lots and lots of names.  The Ranger had stories about some of them.


Our National Park Ranger guide and our tour group and some stalactites.


Closer view of those stalactites.


Writing on the ceiling and large columns and monuments.  The monuments were collections of the rocks found in the caves, laying on the floors.  If my memory serves, the Ranger said the stuff on the floors, those rocks, had been on the ceilings and had fallen, many, many years ago.  They had to clear some to make "walkable" pathways, so, monuments and walls and such were the result.


Monument, walls of rock.


Same monument and more signatures on the ceiling.


Now, those of you who have been reading Reflections for some time may remember the photo the phone took and self posted to Facebook.  This is NOT the same photo.  This is what it looks like deep in Mammoth Caves when they turn off all of the lights.  Black.  Could be the same photo that the phone took.  But, it is not!


And, this is what it looks like with just a lantern lit.  After looking at that first photo, can you imagine being in these caves and loosing your light source?  Ewww.  Just ewwww!


This photo depicts some fairly realistic lighting that we experienced during our tour, much darkness, some lighting, a stalactite, walls of stone. The ceilings were not real high in this area.


The end of the Gothic Avenue Tour.  This photo does not reflect how deep this next area was.  Or how large.


We had a slow walk/hike in.  The walk out was much faster as we had used up a good part of our 2 hours allotted for the tour.  I was at the end of the line of visitors leaving, I was moving a bit slower than the young ones.  I am a bit more careful on rough surfaces since the December 2013 and the" two for one step" incident.  Add darkness to the mix, and yep, I end up at the end of the pack.  This photo is really pixelized, but, it does show, the large size at this particular area of the cave.  The lights on the stairway at the back of this photo were quite pretty.  If I could have stopped trotting to take the photo, it might have been better.


And, there are the stairs, from darkness to daylight, just about 130 steps between the first to the last.  Huff Puff.


We stopped at the top of the stairs to rest.  Then, we had to tromp up that hill.  We were thankful for each and every bench along the way.  Yep, we stopped, and used em all!

All in all, we were quite pleased with our tour, we got in, we saw, I managed a few nice photos, and we got out and lived to walk and talk about it.

The cave tour was our last major stop of our tour home, except for my research days in Fort Wayne.  Next I will return to posting about THE Tour, THE Encore'.  Really, I will.




*  By the way, if you are a descendant of N. White and E. Ford who visited the caves in 1837, their romance is well sourced, right there on the ceiling:



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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

In Retrospect - - 15 years Ago - - Computers, Genealogy And That New Fangled Thing They Call the Internet

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Fifteen years ago I was the president of a local genealogy club.  I wrote a column for each newsletter.

July-August 1999.



Monday, June 23, 2014

Horse Cave and Sand Cave, Mammoth Caves National Park, Kentucky

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Our second day in Kentucky we spent a few hours over in Horse Cave, visiting the American Cave Museum. We did not do the cave tour, and NO, we did not do the rappelling.  We did spend time in the museum.  We felt it was well done and we learned lots of tidbits about caves and their history.  Caves have been used as fallout shelters, to age beer and wine, as ice houses (storing ice), sanatoriums for treatment of TB (deemed a fail!), burial places for prehistoric ancestors, mining of gypsum, salts, chert (projectile points), Selenite crystals and satinspar (perceived magical powers) and saltpeter (75% of common gunpowder comes from saltpeter).

This cave, the Horse Cave, also know as the Hidden River Cave. After visiting the museum we went outside to watch some rappelling. The sun was blinding me as I tried to shoot, forgive the sun spots please.  The mouth to the cave, note the lines.


Here they come!


Another group, shoving off!


They also have zip lines, and nope, Man and I did not try those either!   LOL

Time for a drive in the beautiful Kentucky hills.  Love barns.


We drove some more back roads of Mammoth Caves National Park.  We stopped at Sand Cave Trail and decided a short walk would be nice to stretch the legs and enjoy the quiet.


Along the way we look at dogwoods in bloom, from their level.  It is a nice change not looking up on the blooms.


The entrance to Sand Cave.  In February of 1925 Floyd Collins was trapped 60 feet below ground.  (Floyd's story is quite fascinating, involving failed rescue attempts, and one of the first major news stories to become a huge sensation of the new technology -  amateur radio.  His story is responsible for at least one film documentary, a number of short songs by cavers, several books, and a museum.)  There are two Find A Grave memorials for Floyd, one, and two, the second memorial has a photo of his final resting place with headstone.


Closer view, water dripping down the hillside.


The following day Man and I would visit Mammoth Caves via a guided tour.  And, we survived the walk out (gracious that is a LONG walk out).




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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Sunday's Stories, 52 Ancestor Weeks, Week # 25, Sheridan Lashbrook

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence


This is week 25 of my participation Amy Johnson Crow's, once a week challenge to blog about one ancestor a week, tell their story, biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on that one ancestor. More about the challenge can be found at her Blog, No Story Too Small.

Sheridan (sometimes found in family tradition and official records as Sherman) Lashbrook was born about 1863 to Moses Lashbrook and his second wife, Chestina (nee Lush) Lashbrook.  Some sources indicate he was born in Joliet, Will County, Illinois.  I question this, but continue to search for truth, or proof.  His parents were married January 26, 1863 in McHenry County, Illinois.  Joliet is about 90 miles from Harvard, McHenry County, Illinois, not too far to have moved. Further research may give me some hints here.

Sheridan was found with his parents in the 1870 US census for Harvard, McHenry County, Illinois.

It appears that he is enumerated twice in the 1880 census, as we find him with his parents in the 1880 US census in Fairfield District, Harlan County, Nebraska and Sheridan Lashbrook  is also found in the 1880 US census for Alma City, Harlan County, Nebraska, age 15, servant/laborer, born Illinois, father born New York, mother born Canada, he was living with the Suiter family.

In 1885  we find Sheridan enumerated with his parents in Orleans Village, Harlan County, Nebraska

At some point many members of the Moses Lashbrook family move to the Kansas City area.  They seem to move back and forth between Kansas and Missouri.

On October 3, 1888 we find a marriage indexed in the "Kansas Marriages, 1840-1935" for one Sheriden Sashbrook, born 1866 and Rosatia I. Eastman, born 1872.  They were married at Wyandotte, Kansas.  Nothing more is known about Rosatia.  Note the spelling Sashbrook, that darned handwriting, I see Lashbrook on the document, don't you?


Sheridan is found in the following city directories:
     1893 Kansas City, Missouri: Sheridan, r ss W'port ave 1st w of Mill (living with his father, Moses).
     1895 Kansas City, Missouri: Sheridan, team r 3041 Wyandotte, living at the same house hold are Herbert, Isaac, and Moses Lashbrook.
     1896 Kansas City, Missouri: Sheridan, team r 2309 Main, living at the same address is Ernest, Herbert, Jas. and Moses Lashbrook.
     1897 Kansas City, Missouri: Sherd, team r 2114 B'Way, also living at the same address are Ernest and Moses Lashbrook.
     1898 Kansas City, Missouri: Sheridan, foreman AM Ice Co. r 1819 Walnut
     1899 Kansas City, Missouri: Sherman, team r 2540 Jefferson, also living at that address are Ernest and Herbert Lashbrook.
     1900 Kansas City, Missouri: Sherman, team r 128 2 33d, also living at that address are Ernest, Herbert and Moses Lashbrook.
     1903 Kansas City, Missouri: Sherd, stableman r rr 1523 Wyandotte.
     1905 Kansas City, Missouri: Shirden grading contr 36th sw cor Brooklyn.
     1906 Kansas City, Missouri: Sheridan grading contr 3603 Brooklyn.
     1907 Kansas City, Missouri: Sheridan lab r Agnes ne cor 37th
     1908 Kansas City, Missouri: Sheridan Contractor For Grading and Excavating 2739 Gillham rd.
     1910 Kansas City, Missouri: Sherd contr rear 2749 Gillham rd.
     1911 Kansas City, Missouri: Sherd contr rear 2749 Gillham rd.
     1912 Kansas City, Missouri: Sherd contr 2749 Gillham rd.
     1914 Kansas City, Missouri: Sheridan r 2749 Gillham rd.
     1915 Kansas City, Missouri directory:  Sheridan, lab AA Nicol Heating & Plumbing Co., r Rosedale.

I currently have not found Sheridan on the 1900, 1910, 1920, or 1930 census enumerations.

Sheridan's obituary was published in the Tuesday, March 28, 1938 issue of the Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri:
     "LASHBROOK - - SHERIDAN LASHBROOK, Mr. Lashbrook, 1602 S. 7th st., K.C., Kas., passed away March 26, 1938, aged 74 years.  Services will be held Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (time very hard to read) at The Chapel on Paseo at Brush Creek Blvd and 9 a.m. at St. Louis Catholic church, 58th and Swope parkway.  Interment St. Mary's. Rosary will be recited Monday, 8 p.m."

There is no stone on Sheridan's grave at Mount St. Mary's Catholic Church Cemetery.

Wish list for Sheridan: Census reports.  Death certificate.  Photo.  Discover what happened to Rosatia.




* Additional source data can be obtained by contacting me, see the right hand column for a yahoo email address.

** 52 Ancestors Weeks Button courtesy of Amy Johnson Crow.

*** I use many resources to research, FamilySearch.org is a free site.  Ancestry.com is a pay site for which I pay, no discounts, etc.  Fold3 is a pay site for which I pay.  Find A Grave is a free site. None of these sites have asked me to review them, or use them.  See my Disclaimers page for further details.

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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Wabbit, Wabbit

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

We have driven past this several times and each time I have failed to get the photo.  Not this year.

Near Anderson Indiana,  state-of-the-art factory and distribution center, opened March 2009.  Driving I 69.





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Friday, June 20, 2014

Now THAT is a LONG Rig!!

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Spotted somewhere in Indiana in late April at a rest stop.

WOW!





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Thursday, June 19, 2014

Mammoth Cave National Park, The Ferry and Little Hope Cemetery

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Our kids had been to Mammoth Caves, however, we had not.  On the way home from Florida this spring, we decided we needed to correct that oversight.  We booked a tour of the caves.  We left Chattanooga with regrets, and onward north we traveled.  We took 24 to Nashville.  We found it to be a delightful drive, a bit curvy in a spot or two and some mountain grades.  Jolly and Man handled the situation with grace and ease.

When we arrived in Cave City Kentucky at our campsite, we decided to take a run over to the park and check out the when and where of our tour.  We spent a few leisurely hours doing just that.


Driving around we found the Green River Ferry:


According to signage, ferries were used in the area before 1885.  There were 8 former ferry crossings listed on the signs.  Crops and wagons and people all used the ferries.  This ferry is one of two left in the park.  This ferry is the only one currently functional.




We decided to skip trying to get Jolly on that ferry, figuring he would not have fit, so we moved on.  (Later research shows that indeed Jolly would not have fit, there is a length restriction of no more than 16 feet.  Jolly is much longer than 16 foot.)

So, back to investigating the park on other roads, when we came upon:


Dogwoods and redbuds were blooming beautifully:


A few of the headstones, may they Rest in Peace.






Note, the Mammouth Cave National Park website maintains some cemetery data.  There are quite a few cemeteries within their boundaries.

Little Hope Cemetery is represented on Find A Grave, currently showing 273 burials.

Two days later we would visit the caves, I'll show you soon.  First tho, we spent a day visiting Horse Cave and take another nice ride around in the National Park.



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