52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 12 "Membership"

My great-grandfather Frank J. Kain (pamapa) was a member of the Knights of Columbus in Creighton, NE. I know this thanks to the book "Knights of Columbus - Nebraska State Council Proceedings, 1905-1926." This book has been transcribed and appears on the Nebraska GenWeb Resource Center site under "Religious Information" and "Catholic Church." As far as I can tell, this is the only place in the universe that you can find it. Neither Worldcat nor Family Search has any mention of it. This mystery book contains the proceedings for each annual Nebraska Knights of Columbus state council held in May between 1905 and 1926.

Francis J. Kain (1861-1930)

According to the book, the Creighton Council sent its first delegates in 1907. Frank Kain attended for the first time as a delegate from Creighton in 1913. He went that year with his brother-in-law J.J. (John) Kennedy, who was also attending for the first time. They had known each other since childhood, having grown up together on adjacent farms in Clinton County, Iowa. In the following year of 1914, J.J. went as a Creighton delegate but Frank did not. 

Frank then attended in 1915, 1916, 1918, and every year of 1920 through 1929. J.J. and he attended together as the Creighton delegates in 1915 and again in 1927. Frank was on the Committee on Resolutions in 1915 and was also an alternate to a member of the Supreme Council that year. In 1916, 1918, and 1920 he was on the Credentials Committee. In 1924 and 1925 the other delegate from Creighton was B.J. Huigens, brother of Frank's son-in-law Joe Huigens (my grandfather). 

The book only goes through 1926. However, I did find Creighton newspaper articles from 1927, 1928, and 1929 that show he attended those years. In the 1930 US Census, Frank and his wife are living with their son in Yankton, SD. Frank died in December 1930 so 1929 was his last state council. 

1927

1928

1929

Frank is listed as a Grand Knight (the highest elected leader of his council) in 1921 and 1924 and as a Past Grand Knight in 1925.

But his shining moment appears in the 1921 proceedings:

Among the meritorious activities of Nebraska Knighthood must be included the courageous effort of Grand Knight Frank J. Kain of Creighton, unanimously supported by the entire membership of Count Creighton Council, to enlist the Supreme Officers in [sic] behalf of suffering Ireland. The correspondence on this question has been printed and circulated by the Creighton Council, and it shows upon its face that this council, in the interchange of letters and arguments with the Supreme Advocate, had decidedly the best of the controversy. And it bore fruit, for no sooner had the last letter of Brother Kain been received at headquarters, than telegrams from the Supreme Knight were despatched [sic] all over the country calling upon the state officers to enter vigorously into the campaign for Irish relief, In my opinion, the thanks of this State Council should be expressed and recorded toward Brother Kain and his council for their determined and successful efforts on behalf of the heroic victims of the most heartless and damnable militarism that has ever yet cursed the earth.

Both of Frank's parents were Irish immigrants, so this must have been an issue close to his heart. In May of 1921, when this state council was held, the bloody Irish War of Independence, begun in 1919, was nearly at an end. "Brother Kain" may have even known of cousins back in Ireland who were involved. For him, this "courageous effort" was personal. Good on you, great-grandpa. Good on you.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 6 "Social Media"

 I need to get caught up with the 52 Ancestors prompts. I plan to do several this week until I can get caught up. We'll see how this goes.

Social media. I thought I'd share a few items from the social media of its day: Newspapers. When I found the on-line archives of the Creighton News from Creighton, Knox County, Nebraska, I spent several hours playing around in it. So much to look for between my Huigens, Kain, and Fitzler paternal ancestors who settled there, and some Kennedy relatives, too. Like most small town newspapers there was a lot of local news about the goings and comings of locals and visitors. 

One of the interesting things I found was several mentions of my dad, Joseph Huigens, Jr. Shortly before he was born, his parents moved their family from Know County to Sheridan County on the other side of state. Nevertheless, news of his birth on 12 February 1927 was published in Creighton for his parents' friends in the area.

Creighton News, 24 February 1927

In the news about visitors, I was able to track many of the times  that my dad went back to visit his many grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

Creighton News, 10 Jan 1929

My almost 2-year-old dad would have been among those "and children."

Creighton News, 16 October 1930

A few month later my dad, then 3 years old, went with his mother to visit her parents and then to visit her in-laws. That was the last time my grandmother would see her father, He died later that year in December.

Creighton News, 19 November 1931

My dad, now 4 years old would most likely have been the "and son," He was the only one of his brothers and sisters too young to have been in school at that time. 

Creighton News, 3 December 1931

The recovery of my grandmother's mother did not last long--she died five days after my dad and his mother returned home. I'm glad my grandmother got to spend some time with her mother before she passed. 

Creighton News, 8 February 1934

Here is news of a visit on a happier occasion. At almost 7 years old my dad finally gets a mention by name. 

These are all the Creighton News articles that mention my dad that I have found so far. It's fun to think of this little boy going across Nebraska to visit his grandparents and other relatives. I wish I had found these when my dad was still alive. I would have liked to know what he remembered about any of these trips. 

Joseph Anthony Huigens (1927-2013)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 1 "I'd Like to Meet"

For 2023, as a way to get back into blogging, I'm going to try to take part in Amy Johnson Crow's "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge. This week's topic is "I'd Like to Meet."

I don't have any one ancestor I'd like to meet. My focus this year is on my four great-great-grandparents who came from Ireland in the mid-1800's and settled on adjacent farms in Hampshire Township, Clinton County, Iowa. These are the only 2xgreat-granparents that I have not been able to take back to the next generation. I would love to meet any one of them as they might be able to tell me not only about themselves, but also their spouse and their neighbors.

John Kain (1819-1892) and Mary Fox (1823-1890) were married in St. Louis, Missouri in 1848. They came to Clinton County in 1852. According to their grave marker they came from County Armagh and County Leitrim, respectively.

John Kennedy (1826-1913) and Hanora Collins (1830-1898) were married in Chicago, Illinois in 1854. They went to Clinton County that same year. According to the information on their grave marker, Hanora came from County Limerick. John's birthplace of King's Count (now County Offaly) comes from his obit in the Clinton newspaper. 

I have no idea how accurate the information on the grave markers is. For example, John Kennedy's age varies quite a bit in the records as he got older, so it is hard to pin down his birth year. 1826 is my best guess, but that is not what is on his marker. One of the items on my research list is to see if I can track down who had these markers erected and see if that might lead to the source of the info.

It would save me so much time and effort if I could talk to one of these Irish ancestors. It would be like a ladder over these backwalls and back to specific spots in Ireland. 

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Your Father's Mother's Patrlineal Line

Here's Randy's challenge for tonight:

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1) What was your father's mother's name?

2) What is your father's mother's patrilineal line? That is, her father's father's father's ... back to the most distant male ancestor in that line?

3) Can you identify male sibling(s) of your father's mother, and any living male descendants from those male sibling(s)? If so, you have a candidate to do a Y-DNA test on that  patrilineal line. If not, you may have to find male siblings, and their descendants, of the next generation back, or even further.

4)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, or in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook or Google Plus post.

1) My father's mother's name was Mary Julia KAIN.

2) Her patrilineal line is:

• Francis Joseph KAIN(1861-1930) who married Margaret H. KENNEDY(1864-1931)
• John KAIN(1819-1893) who married Mary FOX(1823-1890)

3) My Grandma Julia had three brothers and one adopted brother.

• Richard John "Dick" KAIN (1892-1972), who married Mary A "Mame" DARCY (1896 – 1989). They had one daughter: Margaret Clare KAIN (1918-???)
• Francis Joseph "Fritz" KAIN (1898-1970), who married Helen E. BAKER (1909-1962). They also only had one daughter: Mary Anne KAIN (1943-2000)
• Edmund Henry KAIN (1904-1982), who married Corene A. CUNNINGHAM (1914 - ???). They had three sons and a daughter, Living KAIN (1954 – ).
• Living? KAIN (1939 – ???), who married Living? RUDOLPH (1944 - ???). They had one daughter born in 1964.
• Living KAIN (1940 – ???), who married Living AIGNER (1943 – ???). They had two sons born in 1965 and 1966. One of them has a son born in 2002.
• Living KAIN (1956 – ???), who married Living HUGHES (1958 – ???). They have two sons born in 1983 and 1989.

So my best bet for a Y-DNA test would be one of my dad's three male first cousins, if they are still alive, or one of their sons. Last resort would be the great-grandson of Ed Kain, who is twelve. It's also possible that one of my second cousins has had another son since I compiled this information. The only way to find out is to locate them and reach out to them for info on their families. The information I can find on them shows them living in various places in Minnesota.

I'm glad I didn't have to go back another generation. My great-grandfather, Frank KAIN, was one of seven sons. Two died in childhood and one never married, but I know I can find loads of living male KAINs through his other brothers.

NE/SD Family History Road Trip (part 3)

Day 5, Wednesday, Oct. 23

Before leaving O'Neill, we stopped off at the quilt store so I could drop off the family history of our parents’ family that I had written in 2006 for my dad’s 80th birthday. My cousin Julie wasn't there yet, so I left it with one of her employees and my wife bought a pattern for a patchwork quilt skirt for our granddaughter. Then it was on to Creighton, NE.

We were early in arriving in Creighton so we drove around a little (very little since it’s so small) and saw the Catholic church, which is a newer construction than the building where my grandparents were baptized and married and where their kids (except for my dad) were baptized.

We went to the café and Pat arrived with her 86-year-old aunt, Flora Jean, who was married to my dad’s first cousin, Lawrence Mattern. Pat is my second cousin through one of my dad’s other Mattern cousins. Phyllis, one of my dad’s other cousins who still lives in Creighton, had business in Norfolk, NE that day so she was not able to join us. I learned that Mary Ann, another of my dad’s cousins with whom I had corresponded had passed away a couple of years ago.

Flora Jean knew our great-grandparents, John and Mary Huigens. She remembers them as very kind and warm people. I shared some of the documents and pictures I had brought about John and Mary’s life near Henry, IL and that of their parents. They told us how to find John and Mary’s old house in Creighton, but did not know where the farm was located. I had been unable to get the 1903 Knox County plat map I have to match up with Google maps and was counting on someone there being able to direct me. Pat and her husband own an appliance repair business and have a current plat map, so she took a copy of the old map with her to figure out who lives there now. Flora Jean also gave me a wonderful photocopy of a pair of large photos of John and Mary.

After we said good-by to Pat and Flora Jean, we drove by John and Mary's house. 

Julie knows the location of the house of our other great-grandparents, Frank and Margaret (Kennedy) Kain, but she couldn't figure out a good way to explain how to find it. She didn't know the address, just how to find it if she needed to.

Our next stop was St. Ludger's Cemetery. My brother and mother had been to Creighton three years ago and had sent me lots of photos of grave markers, but it was nice to be able to visit in person and pay my respects. My brother said it was strange seeing our rare name all over on tombstones. It did seem like every few feet Anne Marie and I were finding another Huigens grave marker. Not to mention Tharnishes and Matterns. We found the graves of both sets of great-grandparents who are buried there and that of a great-great-grandmother, Mary's mother.

Although we didn't find the Kain's house in town, I had, been able to find their farm in the 1903 plat map and had succeeded in locating it’s location on Google maps. We drove by the farm and I collected a small sample of dirt from it on our way out of town after visiting the cemetery. It felt good to be at the site where my Grandma Julia had been born. 

As we headed north to South Dakota, we passed through the little town of Bazille Mills, which my grandmother claimed as her birthplace.

Later that evening, we crossed over the Missouri River into South Dakota, land of my birth. OK, so I was born hundreds of miles from where we were, but still. We spent the night in Vermillion, home of the University of South Dakota, where several of my high school classmates had attended college. We stayed across from the street from the Dakota Dome, the schools stadium. I had been to USD a couple of times with the high school French Club to attend plays in French by Moliere and Ionesco. I probably also played there with the high school marching band. That was so long ago, I don’t remember everywhere that we played.

(to be continued)

NE/SD Family History Road Trip (part 2)

Day 4, Tuesday, Oct. 22

On Tuesday, we drove from Grand Island to Osceola, NE to visit my mom’s sister and her husband, Roselyn and Alan. They have a lovely home that, like ours, is next to a fire station and has freight train tracks running nearby. Their basement walls are covered with family photos of their five children (my first cousins including Nancy who lives in Grand Island), their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren. Several years ago they made a trip to Sweden and visited Locknevi, where my great-great-grandparents, Carl Jacob and Christina (Jonsdotter) Johnson, lived when my great-grandfather Gustaf was born. They even have a painting of the house where he was born.

After lunch with them, we drove 122 miles north to O’Neill, NE. This is a photo of a barn quilt square we saw on our drive. 

In O’Neill we visited my cousin Julie, who I had not seen since our Aunt Toots’s funeral in 1976. Julie is the daughter of my dad’s sister, Berneice AKA Babe. She manages a quilt shop in O’Neill, which is where we met her. (The quilt leitmotif to this tale was for the benefit of my wife, who loves all things quilt related. I really appreciate her for making this trek with me and tried to do everything I could to keep it interesting for her.)

Julie and I talked a lot of family history. She says I look like my father, which I get a lot. She shared with me the story of how her parents met. Her mother served in Europe as a WAC in WWII. After she returned from the war, she took a job as a switchboard operator in O’Neill. She used her GI Bill money to take flying lessons out at the airport. One day she met Louis Coker, who was a pilot, and he became my Uncle Louie. Her mother did get her pilot’s license, but never had a driver’s license.

One of our great-grandparents, John and Mary (Fitzler) Huigens, our parent’s paternal grandparents, died 38 miles due east of O’Neill in Creighton, NE during the blizzard of 1949. The roads were impassable, so Louie flew Aunt Babe to the funeral. There are advantages to knowing how to fly a plane.

She also told me the story of how our parent’s mother, our Grandma Julia, came home from church one Sunday, opened the trunk of the car and discovered she had forgotten to deliver the Memorial Day flower arrangements. She uttered a four-letter expletive for manure, a word I cannot imagine my grandmother using. This caused my Aunt Babe and Aunt Sis to laugh until their sides hurt, although my grandmother saw no humor in the situation.

Julie then took us out to the cemetery where her mother is buried, so I could pay my respects. We both had a good cry. Then she showed me the grave of our grandmother’s sister and her husband, Leo and Margaret (Kain) Carney.

After we said good-bye to Julie, we headed to our hotel in O’Neill, NE. That evening I got an email and a phone call from a second cousin from Creighton that found me through this blog. I had let her know that I would be visiting and we made arrangements to meet at a café in Creighton the next morning. 

(to be continued)

SNGF : 3rd Most Recent Unknown Ancestor

Randy Seaver's challenge for this week:

1) Who is your TMRUA - your Third Most Recent Unknown Ancestor? This is the person with the third lowest number in your Pedigree Chart or Ahnentafel List that you have not identified a last name for, or a first name if you know a surname but not a first name. 

2) Have you looked at your research files for this unknown person recently? Why don't you scan it again just to see if there's something you have missed? 

3) What online or offline resources might you search that might help identify your TMRUA?

4) Tell us about him or her, and your answers to 2) and 3) above, in a blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a comment on Facebook or Google Plus. 

So, first post since June. Long time no blog.

My third most recent unknown ancestor would be #40, the father of my great-great-grandfather John Kain. As far as I know, John was born in Armagh, Northern Ireland. I still need to verify that by tracking down his St. Louis marriage record and other information that might give me insight into his parents and where he came from. I also have a David Kain in a census record showing him on the Clinton Co., IA farm of John Kain's sister-in-law (widow of John's wife's possible brother). David Kain might be a brother of John and the only record I have of him is the census record. It's a clue that might help trace back to John's parents.

Ice Cream

In my family, ice cream is king. My dad had to have a dish of ice cream before bed each night. He inherited this from his mother. A weakness for ice cream is a sure sign that you are descended from them.

I was looking for some information on my grandmother's uncles who all settled for a time in and around LeMars, Plymouth County, IA. Her uncle Richard "RH" Kain served three terms as mayor of LeMars.

Imagine my surprise when I came across the following here:

Le Mars is recognized as "The Ice Cream Capital of the World" because more ice cream is made here by a single company (Wells' Dairy, makers of Blue Bunny) than in any other city in the world -- more than 100 million gallons. Enjoy the annual Ice Cream Days festival each June, and the popular Plymouth County Fair, Iowa's second largest.

Well that sure explains  a lot! My great-great-uncle was mayor of "The Ice Cream Capital of the World." I think I'll go have a dish of vanilla to celebrate.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 13 - Local Societies

Week 13. Local Societies: Local genealogical and historical societies are the lifeblood of genealogy. Members and volunteers give their time and money to preserve local history and promote family history. Tell us about a local society for which you are thankful.

I am most thankful for the Clinton Co.IA Historical Society. I've only visited there once, but I found Clinton and Lyons city directories that helped me place my Iowa Irish ancestors over the years. Plus they have a huge county map from 1865 that shows the location of the Kennedy and Kain farms in Hampshire Township. The one thing they have that I need to go back for is a book of wills that has a will for a John Kennedy. I'm hoping it's my John Kennedy and his brother-in-law of the same name.

The other historical society that is a must visit for me some day is in Creighton, NE.  I've corresponded with someone there, but have yet to get out there. They have photos and other information that covers the area where the two halves of my father's ancestry linked up. They also have the wedding dress of the bride of my grandmother's uncle, John Kennedy, Jr. I'll get there some day and spend a day or two absorbing information about and photos of my ancestors and relatives.

Wordless Wednesday: The Kains of Creighton #2

These are my grandmother's younger siblings. This picture was probably taken at the same time as last week's. In this one, left to right, are Iona Kain, Margaret Kain and Edmund Kain.

Wordless Wednesday: The Kains of Creighton NE #1

In the back is Richard Kain. The others, left to right, are Nora, Francis and Mary Julia Kain. Mary Julia is my grandmother; the others are my dad's aunts and uncles. The picture was most likely taken in Creighton, NE in about 1902. The rest of the children will appear next week.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun; Limerick

Randy Seaver's SNGF challenge this week is:

1) Make up a limerick about genealogy - it should be A-A-B-B-A in rhyme (don't worry about iambic pentameter and all that). 

Ah, well, he was born in County Armaugh, not Count Limerick, but he'll do.

My great-great-grandpa John Kain

Did not leave the old sod in vain.

Mary Fox was his wife

And they spent their life

On an Iowa farm growing grain.

May God bless and keep all my Irish ancestors until I can find them,

Kevin

Surname Saturday: My Irish Lines

For St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd recap my Irish lines of Kain, Kennedy, Fox and Collins.

1. Kevin Joseph HUIGENS

2. Joseph Anthony HUIGENS
3. Shirley Ann OGDEN

4. Joseph Andrew HUIGENS (b. 9 Mar 1891 near Creighton, Knox Co., NE, m. 18 Feb 1914 at St. Ludgers Catholic Church in Creighton, Knox Co., NE, d. 8 Nov 1957 in Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE)
 (b. 19 May 1896 in Knox Co., NE, d. 29 Apr 1979 in Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE)

10. Francis Joseph "Frank" KAIN (b. 14 Oct 1861 in Clinton Co., IA, m. 14 Feb 1888 at St. Iraneaus Catholic Church in Lyons, Clinton Co., IA, d. 12 Dec 1930 in Yankton, Yankton Co., SD)
11. Margaret H. "Maggie" KENNEDY (b. 9 Sep 1864 in Clinton Co., IA, d. 8 Dec 1831 in Creighton, Knox Co., NE)

20. John KAIN (b. 11 Jun 1819 in Armagh, County Armagh, Ireland, UK, 2 Jul 1848 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in St. Louis, St. Louis Co., MO, d. 16 Nov 1893 in Lyons, Clinton Co., IA)
21. Mary FOX (b. 29 Sep 1823 in County Leitrim, Ireland, UK, d. 12 May 1890 in Lyons, Clinton Co., IA)

22. John KENNEDY (b. 2 Jun 1826? in King's County, Ireland, m. 10 Nov 1854 in ?, d. 6 Nov 1913 in Clinton, Clinton Co., IA)
23. Hanora COLLINS (b. 25 Mar 1830 in Glenbrohane, County Limerick, Ireland, d. 24 Nov 1888 in Clinton, Cinton Co., IA)

44. Michael KENNEDY (b. ? in Ireland, m. ? in ?, d. ? in ?)
45. Unknown NOLAURD? (b. ? in Ireland, d. ? in ?)

Future research plans include getting Iowa death records for all four of my Irish great-greats. I also need to look for the will for John Kennedy at the Clinton Co. Historical Society. I want to do more research on Mary Fox's brothers: Thomas, who died young in Clinton Co. and Patrick, who I believe was a teamster in St. Louis.  I also need to reconcile John Kennedy's account of his early years in the US with that of his probable sister, Mary (Kennedy) Lawler Kennedy. I also need to find out more info on Hanora (Collins) Wallace Kennedy's early years in the US with her first husband. Naturalization records for John Kain and John Kennedy are also on my to do list. Once all that is done, I can begin the search back in the Old Country.

Tombstone Tuesday: Kains in Creighton, NE

This is the grave marker for my great-grandparents, my father's maternal grandparents. They died when he was still an infant. They are buried in St. Ludger Cemetery in Creighton, NE.

Fearless Females: Day 2

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 photo of my great-grandmother, Margaret (Kennedy) Kain. She is my father's maternal grandmother. Her parents were Irish immigrants. I don't when the photo was taken, but since she died in 1931 at the age of 67, it was probably taken sometime in the 1920s. I chose this photo because it's the only one I have of her. I wish I had more. I have pictures of most of my other great-grandparents when they were younger, but only this one of her. 

February 2012: Status of research on Mary Julia Kain

Here is the status of my research on my paternal grandmother. Currently all of this information is in a Google doc document file. I'm playing around with Evernote and am considering moving each of these to a note in an Evernote notebook. I'll let you know how that works out.

5. Mary Julia KAIN
What was her full name?
        Mary Julia KAIN: SS-5, delayed birth record w/reference to baptism certificate
        Julia M: 1900, 1920 US Census record

Julia: 1910, 1930 US Census record

Miss Julia KAIN: Marriage License

Julia Marian KAIN: JAH2 Birth Certificate 1927

Julia HUIGENS: NE state death record

To do: St. Ludger baptism record, newspapers, children’s vital records

Who were her parents?

Francis Joseph KAIN and Margaret KENNEDY: SS-5

Frank KAIN and Margaret KENNEDY: delayed birth record

Frank J and Margaret H KAIN: 1900 US Census

Frank J and Margaret KAIN: marriage license

Frank and Margaret KAIN: obit, 1910 US Census

Frank KAIN and Mary KENNEDY: NE state death record

To-do: St. Ludger baptism record, newspapers, parents’ obituaries

When was she born?

19-May-1894: Grave marker, obituary, funeral card, SSDI, marriage license, SS-5, NE state death record, delayed birth record

May 1894: 1900 US Census record (Age 6)

1894: 1910 (Age 15 before her 1910 birthday), 1920 (Age 25 before her 1920 birthday) US Census records

1896: 1930 US Census record (Age 34 after her 1930 birthday)

To-do: St. Ludger baptism record, newspapers

Where was she born?
        Creighton: Obituary

Creighton, NE: SS-5, delayed birth record

NE:1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 US Census records

In 1903, Kain farm house was SW of Bazile Mills and NW of Creighton (Closer to Bazile Mills  than to Creighton), NW corner of SW quarter of section 8 of Creighton Twp. : 1903 Knox County Atlas

http://beta.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/103214/Creighton+Township++Bazile+Mills

/Knox+County+1903/Nebraska/

To-do: find location of family in 1894 in land records, county directory, newspapers, children’s census records

Where did she go to school?
        To-do: NE school census, St. Ludger school records
How long did she go to school?

At school: 1900 US Census, attended 3 months in the previous year (she would have been 5 or 6 years old)

1910 US Census states she had attended school sometime since 1-Sept-1909, when she was 15

        To-do: NE school census, St. Ludger school records
Where did she live?
Rushville, NE in Mar. 1947: SS-5

See father’s and husband’s info

When did she move across the street in Rushville?
To-do: check land records at Sheridan Co. courthouse, Rushville city directories
When did she die?
        29-Apr-1979: Obituary, grave marker, NE state death record

24-Apr-1979: Funeral card

Apr-1979: SSDI

To-do: Rushville Immaculate Conception records, probate records

Where did she die?
        Parkview Nursing Home, Rushville: Obituary
Parkview Lodge N. H.: NE state death record

To-do: Nothing

What was the cause of death?
Pneumonia, Debilitation, Lymphocytic leukemia: NE state death record
        To-do: Nothing
Where is she buried?
        St. Mary’s Cemetery: funeral card, grave marker photo, NE state death record
To do: Nothing

The only important question is where here parents were living when she was born. Her birthplace is given as Creighton, NE, but, if she was born at home, they were closer to Bazile Mills, which currently has about 29 residents. My desire for detail leads me to want to know exactly where my ancestors were born. Since I can seldom know exactly where a mother was when a child was born, I should probably limit myself to the county rather than trying to pinpoint the exact location of a farm and where the house was on that farm.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 7 – Historical Documents

Week 7 – Historical Documents: Which historical document in your possession are you happy to have? How did you acquire this item? What does it reveal about your ancestors?

This one has me stumped. I don't actually have any historical documents in my possession. I have copies of a bunch of things and printouts of microfilmed records, but no actual documents.

Of what I have, my favorite would be the delayed birth certificate for my paternal grandmother.

This document is important to me because it resolved, once and for all, the issue of her "official" name.

SNGF: Two Degrees of Separation

1) Using your ancestral lines, how far back in time can you go with two degrees of separation? That means "you knew an ancestor, who knew another ancestor." When was that second ancestor born?

All of my great-grandparents had died before I was born. So the middle person will have to be one of my grandparents. Here are the earliest born ancestors that each of my grandparents may have known.

Joseph Andrew Huigens (1891-1957) had to have known his grandmother, Anna Helena (Schmitt) Fitzler (1833-1904). They both lived near Creighton, NE according to the 1900 US Census. He would have been 13 when she died. It's possible he also met his other grandmother, Katherine (Toemmes) Huigens Wend (1827-1899). She died in 1899, when he was eight. In 1895 she was living in Iowa with her daughter's family. She died four years later in a mental hospital in Illinois.

Mary Julia (Kain) Huigens (1894-1979) only had one grandparent who did not die before she was born, her maternal grandfather, John Kennedy (1826-1913). She would have been 19 when he died. I have no idea if she ever made the trip to Clinton, IA to meet him, if he ever came out west to Nebraska or if they met somewhere in the middle in Iowa for a family gathering at her aunt's.

Emery Julius Huigens (1896-1984) probably knew all of his grandparents. He was 14 when the first of them died. They all lived near each other in south-eastern South Dakota. His paternal grandfather, James Robert Ogden (1836-1910), was the oldest and the first to die. Emery would have been 14 then. It's also possible but unlikely that he met his great-grandfather, John Jacob Adlebusch (1817-1901). He lived in Sheboygan Co., WI and was almost 80 when my grandfather was born. I doubt that my grandfather was taken to Wisconsin or that my great-great-great-grandfather made the trip to SD at his age.

Esther Louise (Johnson) Ogden (1902-1984) probably knew all three of her grandparents who were alive when she was born. The oldest of them was Harriet Alice (Howard) Strayer (1829-1914). They all lived in the Quad City area in Iowa and Illinois where my grandmother was born.

So I'm pretty sure the farthest back I can go is Esther Louise Johnson to her maternal grandmother, Harriet Alice Howard, born in 1829. There are two other definite possibilities in 1826 and 1827 with a very, very slim chance of 1817.

Thanks, Randy, for another great topic.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 4: Free Offline Genealogy Tools

For which free offline genealogy tool are you most grateful? How did you find this tool and how has it benefited your genealogy? Describe to others how to access this tool and spread the genealogy love.

I had a hard time figuring this one out until I read some other posts. Then I had lots of ideas.

But the first thing that occurred to me was the Clinton IA Public Library Root Cellar. My Irish immigrant ancestors settled in Clinton Co., IA. I've made a couple of trips across Illinois to visit this library and go down in the basement to the Root Cellar. It has been a tremendous resource in discovering details about my Kain and Kennedy ancestors. It was there that my wife and I learned about the possibility of the crossing of paths of my great-great-grandfather, John Kennedy, and her grandfather, Albert Crowe. I have a long list of resources to check there the next time I find time to cross the Mississippi River into Iowa. The Root Cellar librarians are very knowledgeable and helpful. I wish I lived even closer so I could spend more time there.

Feb. 2011, Weeks 1-4: Mary Julia (KAIN) HUIGENS

Last week we pretended it was the last week in Jan. so I could wrap up what were supposed to be four weekly posts on my paternal grandfather, Joseph Andrew HUIGENS. This week my procrastinating self is going to cover the four planned Sunday blog posts for February in one day. Here then is the info on my paternal grandmother, Mary Julia (KAIN) HUIGENS.

Week 1: Birth

My Grandma Julia was born 19-May-1894 near Creighton in Knox Co., NE. This is supported by her marriage license, SS-5 application, the SSDI, her grave marker, obituary and funeral card. It also corresponds to the US Census for 1900 through 1930. My notes say she was born in Bazille Mills, a small setlement north of Creghton. I cannot locate any source to support that. That assertion may have come from my mother’s genealogy research and may come directly from my grandmother. County directories and land records may reveal exactly where the Kain family was living in 1894. My grandmother may also have filed a delayed birth certificate in order to apply for her Social Security card. That would only provide secondary information, but it may be the best I can get.

Week 2: Children

I covered her marriage to my grandfather here. So for the women’s second week, I’ll cover their children.

1. Paul Joseph HUIGENS, b. 26-Nov-1914 in Knox Co., NE, d. 28-Nov-1914 in Knox Co., NE. He is buried in St. Ludger’s Cemetery.
2. Arnold Francis HUIGENS, b. 4-Apr-1916 in Knox Co., NE, d. 9-Oct-1993 in Newton, Harvey Co., KS.
3. Lawrence John “Bud” HUIGENS, b. 31-May-1917 in Knox Co., NE, d. 15-Sept-1996 in Strasburg, Adams Co., CO.
4. Rita M. “Sis” HUIGENS, b. 1-Aug-1918 in Knox Co., NE, d. 1-Aug-1991 in Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE.
5. Frances Rosalie “Toots” HUIGENS, b. 2-Sep-1919 in Knox Co., NE, d. 16-Sep-1976 in Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE. She was married to Willard LAHAYE. I remember attending her funeral in Rushville. She is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Rushville along with my grandparents and my Aunt Sis.
6. Berneice [sic] Margaret “Babe” HUIGENS, b. 21-Jun-1921 in Knox Co., NE, d. 26-Apr-2008 in O’Neill, Knox Co., NE. She was married to Lewis COKER. She was the last of my dad’s siblings to die.
7. Joseph Anthony HUIGENS, b. 12-Feb-1927 in Sheridan Co., NE. This is my dad.

Week 3: Death

My grandmother died on 29-Apr-1979 at Parkview Nursing Home, Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE. I don’t have the cause of death. For that I need to order her death certificate. I have the funeral card, an obituary and photos of her grave marker. I remember visiting her at the nursing home when I was home from college for Christmas break in 1978. She died a few months later. I was not able to make it back for her funeral. She is buried next to her husband in St. Mary’s Cemetery. I visit their graves on those rare occasions I get back to western SD where I grew up.

Week 4: Misc.

I previously wrote about the uncertainty of her name. The only other detail on her life that I’d like to know is her schooling. I have the same questions and research plans as I have for my grandfather. Did she go to public school or the Catholic school at St. Ludger’s in Creighton? How far did she make it in school? I’ll need to investigate any existing Nebraska school censuses and St. Ludger’s school records to answer these questions.