ADGD Attention Deficit Genealogy Disorder

 When I was a child I began looking through family Bibles at my grandparents. I determined that both my parents were seventh generation Americans, both Church of the Brethren, one German descended, the other Scots-Irish. That made me eighth. For maybe 30 years, if the subject ever came up, I said, "I'm eighth generation American."

Then I discovered genealogy using the Internet.  I joined a genealogy listserv for Church of the Brethren which was very helpful in determining maiden names and found surname websites and county histories. Then I found out about Cousin Dan Wenger who had a massive database of over 3,000 pages of my "closest" relatives.  I let my software manipulate my branches and found out I was 13th instead of 8th generation American.

Poet from the past on my aunt's refrigerator, Arthur Frederic Otis

My cousin Dianne copied some of the clippings from her mother's refrigerator for us to enjoy. Her funeral was two weeks ago yesterday. Pastor Ginny of the Church of the Brethren had used some of her clippings in her eulogy. My husband said, probably thinking of our own top drawer, that he really enjoyed "The top kitchen drawer" by Arthur Frederic Otis. Just because (I'm a librarian), I checked this author in Google. I didn't find a lot, but more than what most people have. He was born in 1895 and died in 1984--a very long life for someone of his generation--almost 90. As near as I can tell his publishing life began rather late--the first thing I could find was from the mid-1940s, and he had a number of poems, verses, and short fiction published in the Saturday Evening Post, and The Rotarian, and I even found a few songs.

But sadly, the first thing I found was a death notice for his son, Arthur Frederic Otis, Jr. in an Illinois veterans' database: "Otis, Arthur Frederic Jr., Pfc., USMCR - Son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur F. Otis Sr., 600 Riford Rd., Glen Ellyn." In 1945, Arthur Sr. published (apparently privately) a book titled, "Forever nineteen." Searching a little deeper, I found this title listed with other books about WWII battle of Okinawa, where young, very young, Arthur was killed in action, June 20, 1945. How the family (I found 2 sisters in a historical society obituary notice) must have grieved, and I wonder if this publication, written when he was 50, started his writing career. Arthur Otis was also in the University of Illinois alumni database, but I don't know what his professional life was. In November 1948 he filed for copyright for a book of poetry, Dancing Shadows, 128 pages. However, I think his best creative act was the smiles of his readers, like Aunt Muriel, with his light verse about ordinary things like cluttered drawers, flat tires, and the things of everyday, mundane life.

Aunt Muriel (94) with her newest great grandson (7 weeks) a few days before she died. And if Aunt Muriel were alive, she would have loved this story!

Monday Memories--Weybright farm sale

These aren't my memories, of course, but about 106 years ago the two oldest sons, Josiah and George, of my great-grandparents Jacob and Nancy Wenger Weybright were selling off their deceased parents' property, a farm near Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County, presumably to be divided among the living children.  My own grandfather was still a teen-ager when his mother died and was only 8 years old when his father died.  The date of this poster is 1894, so that means with the help of her older children Nancy lived on the farm until her death in 1892.

According to my genealogy notes, George continued to live on the home place and something messy happened in an agreement with his daughter and husband to look after him in his old age, because he outlived his daughter, was taken in by a niece, Ethel Shoup, and I believe he died in a nursing home in 1962, but I'm not sure. *

Josiah, the other name on the bill of sale, married Rose Johnson, moved to Bloomington, Indiana and when I was living in Indianapolis in 1960 I think I may have met some of his daughters at a funeral I attended to "represent" our side of the family--Iva Bates, Edith Boruff, Isabelle Terhune and Margie Lowdermilk.

If I were a better researcher (or had the energy) I could probably find out what happened to the farm one half mile south of Union and one half mile north of Harrisburg, Ohio on the Dayton and Covington Pike. Nothing is forever; certainly not real estate or farmland.  However, the family Bible in which Nancy wrote all her children's names is in Canada with my cousin Sharon.

*The Wenger Database lists his death much earlier, but I think that is incorrect based on family correspondence I've read.

Update: " Find a Grave" gives his death as 1964.

Friday Family Photo--The Weybrights

This is a very clever way to display as many people in a family tree as possible. Line the photos up on the cover. The woman who compiled this list, Elizabeth Miller Lane, wasn't even related--she just enjoyed doing genealogy and must have found all her own family! The fellow in the upper right hand corner, Jesse P. Weybright, is the one who got me interested in genealogy. He wrote a small book, "Genealogy of Martin Weybrecht; Weybright Waybright also Martin Waybright Highland County, Virginia 1800" in the mid-1930s and I inherited a copy from my grandmother, who had purchased a copy for each of her children. I was never able to figure out the numbering system of the generations, but fortunately, grandma made a few notes around 1938 before I was born--because her family was left out and she wrote them in. (I suspect grandpa got the inquiry from his cousin Jesse and he just tossed it--as 2nd cousin once removed James says, it's usually the women who keep track of these things.) If we were there, we'd be on p. 48, Vol. 2 Book II. Chapter 7, v. 7, sect. 8.