Gone With the Wind

Historical novels give valuable insight into the lives of people who lived in certain times. A good author puts a lot of research into the history of the places and events in which the characters are placed. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is such a novel. Her thorough research provides lesson after lesson into the history of Reconstruction in Georgia--lessons that are not taught in public schools. Setting aside the loathsome characters of the hero and heroine, I recommend this book for anyone desiring a clearer picture of what really went on in the years during and after the War between the States.

Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_with_the_Wind_(novel).

See What Our Family Was Up to During

. . . The Reconstruction of the Southern States

1865-1920
Deckner, Garvin, Madden, Meigs, Moore, Nicholas, Pucket, Reagan, Rowland, Thaden

Much of our family lived during the time of Reconstruction in the South after the War Between the States. Among the various families, there were some very interesting things which occurred.

The Scots-Irish families of Moore, Garvin, and Madden lived in the Upcountry of South Carolina. The men in the family had made a fair contribution and some, the ultimate sacrifice, during the war preceding Reconstruction even though none owned slaves. Their livelihood was in the land, and even though their carefully saved Confederate money was now only good for the wood stove, they probably survived well enough after the war since Union troops did not harass this area on a large scale. Their frustration was felt, however, in the fact that, as former Confederates, they were kept from voting in any of the elections to determine the new political leadership for their district and state.

William H. Moore, a small child during the war, later owned a mercantile store in the town of Seneca. During Reconstruction, he did quite well. He had a beautiful white house built a few blocks away from the store on the edge of town, and his three lovely daughters, Mary, Nannie, and Willie Fay, took music lessons, helped out in the store, and went to college. They later became school teachers. Like so many folks from the Upcountry, Will’s son, Luther, found his opportunity in east Texas, where he raised his family. In 1920 and at the age of 25, Nannie was caught up in a whirlwind romance with a man twenty years her senior. Their marriage ended six years later with his death.

In the neighboring state of Georgia, the Meigs, Reagan, and Pucket families found themselves in a worse situation. The Union troops were not at all easy on the folks in Georgia. They went through towns, such as Rome and Newnan, destroying bridges and railroads, thus isolating them from the rest of civilization. They burned homes and cotton bales leaving many homeless and penniless. They ransacked the farms of everything edible and any valuables that could be sold later, leaving the families to starve. Newly freed African field hands left the farms as there was no more work or food and congregated about the Union soldiers, who were garrisoned in the towns imposing Martial Law. Since newly found freedom for former slaves included exemption from the usual law enforcement, they often engaged in lawless behavior.

The Pucket family farmed around the town of Newnan and had owned a few slaves prior to the war. It is suspected that Rebecca (Pucket) Rowland was given a female slave at the time of her marriage, who became a house maid and continued to stay with the widowed Rebecca during and after the war.

Nancy Reagan and her daughter, Rachel Meigs were also widowed before the war. They lived together in Rome raising Rachel’s son, William, and her younger siblings. They stayed in Rome during the rebuilding of that town and were taken care of by Rachel’s brother James, who remained unmarried throughout his life. Both mother and daughter were deeply religious, and at Rachel’s death it was recorded that she saw Jesus and remarked how He had come too soon.

Rachel’s son, William, had moved to Newnan and found a bride shortly before the war. He was the publisher and editor of a small newspaper called The Southern Literary Companion which, no doubt, conveyed anti-Union sentiments. Reconstruction found him a veteran of the war and struggling to survive with his wife and five small children. His newspaper shop was most likely destroyed.

Meanwhile, two Germans moved to Atlanta as soon as the war was over. Frederick Deckner and his family seemed to be doing quite well in Wisconsin, but at the war’s end they packed up for Atlanta. Interestingly, his two oldest sons, William and Charles were Union veterans. Frederick must have seen the vision of opportunity like so many carpetbaggers of the day looking for cheap land on which to establish themselves and their businesses. Unfortunately this land was confiscated from the prior owners and sold cheaply. At that time the only buyers came from the northern states as the Southerners had no money. In this way, Reconstruction of the South could be facilitated with thousands of Yankees moving in.

Herman Thaden,  the other German and recent immigrant, also found himself in Atlanta, and he soon hooked up with the Deckner family. Not only did he marry one of Frederick’s many daughters, Pauline, he also established himself in the community, alongside her brother, Charles, as a horticulturist. In addition to their farm acreages north of Atlanta, Herman owned greenhouses in which he grew flowers to be sold from his florist shop, and the Deckners raised vegetables, which were sold in the family's truck farming business. Both Herman and Charles belonged to the Horticulture Society and often gave speeches regarding farming and gardening.

About 1875, William Meigs moved his family up to the newly rebuilt Atlanta, where he found employment with another printer. His last child, Mattie Love, was born here. Tragically, he was killed in his mid-40s by a moving train as he was crossing the tracks on foot in the rail yard. Mattie was just four years old.

Mattie, the daughter of a Rebel soldier, grew into a lovely young woman and married Charles, the son of the well-to-do Herman Thaden and grandson of a carpetbagger. Charles worked for his father in his box factory and had four children with Mattie, the second of whom was stillborn. Like her father, Mattie’s life was sadly cut short in 1915 when she was hit by a car on a rainy night as she was walking home from a church meeting. She was only 37 years old.

For some years after the turn of the century, Herman dabbled in inventions. He patented some that were useful for farming, and he also patented certain devices to aid in vertical flight, which was still in its experimental stage. At the same time he investigated Eastern Mysticism, being unhappy with his Lutheran upbringing. He looked forward to visits from the Hindu guru, who gave speeches regarding this religion. And interestingly, just prior to the World War, he found himself under an over-zealous investigation for traitorous behavior due to alleged anti-American statements. It is suspected that nothing ever came of this investigation.

Shortly after Mattie’s death, the bereaved Charles Thaden moved to Jacksonville, Florida, taking his teenage son, also named Herman, with him. His two young daughters remained in Atlanta with relatives. Charles remarried and Herman became a night watchman. At this time, the Jacksonville fathers were making efforts in their own town’s reconstruction by inviting immigrants, who were streaming into Ellis Island, to consider making Jacksonville their new home.

By 1920, there was a sizable colony of Syrian merchants in Jacksonville operating business of all sorts. It was the young Herman Thaden’s job to walk his beat throughout the night, shining his flashlight into the store windows and rattling the front doors to make sure they were locked. Perhaps this is how he met his future wife, Angelina Nicholas, a young Syrian American girl.

Image from https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/.

Grandfather's Flying Machine

"Old German Near Atlanta Is Builder of Machine
Has Made Short Flight
He Has Guarded the Machine Jealously and Has Been Working On It Ever Since the Wright Boys Flew Kites in Dayton.
Reported from Telegraph Bureau, Kimball House.
Atlanta, Oct. 25.
A made-in-Georgia airship, the darling of its inventor's heart and the fruit of ten years' hard work, is to be one of the most novel exhibits at the Great Southern Automobile show in Atlanta from November 8 to 15. It has made but a short flight so far, but its maker believes it will pass the clouds when a larger motor is put in.
H. Thaden, an aged German truck farmer, just outside of Atlanta, has been working on his airship since the days when the Wright boys were flying kites in the Dayton suburbs, and getting laughed at for their foolishness. But he did not follow the usual lines. His airship looks more like a boxcar than an aeroplane, its propellers fill both sides of the big structure, and the driver's seat throws the center of gravity so low Mr. Thaden is positive his craft can never turn over.
The old man has kept his queer ship hidden jealously for several years, but now that it is completed he is willing to show it to the public. He will be in personal charge of the exhibit and explain the workings of his ship to the interested visitors."
The article goes on to say John Philip Sousa's band and practically every automobile dealer in Georgia and the southern territory will at the auto show. They were proud to say they would have on display the first new models from all the factories several months in advance of the exhibits in New York and Chicago.--Macon [Georgia] Telegraph, 26 Oct 1913, p. 6.

Herman Thaden patented his airship in 1910. He was so very interested in aeronautics. He read the Aeronautics magazine and wrote a letter to the editor in 1911. As I read his letter, all his thoughts and concepts went right over my head. Such a technical letter. I marvel at his command of the English language. I admire him for his genius. I wish I had a photograph of his flying machine. There is supposed to be one in the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian. Perhaps one day I will find it.

Burial in Arlington National Cemetery

The funeral of Henry B. Thaden, long-time resident of the District, will be held from his home, 2317 M street at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. The burial will be in Arlington cemetery. He was seventy-two years of age, and a veteran of the civil war. His widow, Mrs. Marie Thaden, survives him.--Evening Star [Washington, D.C.] 6 Jun 1910.

Singing in the Choir

This is a picture of Peck Memorial Presbyterian Chapel, the church to which Charles B. Thaden and his wife, Lydia, went each Sunday. They were married at this church in 1908.

"Last night at Peck Memorial Chapel Miss Lydia Dalton Hodgson, daughter of Mrs. John E. Hodgson, was married to Charles Thaden by the Rev. James M. Henry, pastor of the church. The bride entered with her brother, Mr. John W. Hodgson, who gave her in marriage. Her dainty dress was of soft white French lawn, trimmed in valenciennes lace. She carried a shower bouquet of bride roses and lilies of the valley, and her tulle veil was fastened with lilies of the valley. Mrs. Grace Schlosser, as matron of honor, wore white swiss and carried Golden Gate roses. The four brides maids wore dainty dresses of white organdie and carried bridesmaid roses. They were Miss Vannie Fauth, Miss Doris Denham and the Misses May and Irene Yost. The ushers were Mr. W. Shipley, Mr. Arthur Payne, Mr. W. Beckwith and Mr. William Cartwright. Lucien Thaden was best man for his brother. Mr. George H. Ward, organist of the church, rendered several selections and two wedding marches. The chapel was prettily decorated with palms and daisies by the members of the church. Mr. and Mrs. Thaden left soon afterward for Atlanta, Ga., where they will be the guests of Mr. and Mrs. H. Thaden, who are to give a reception in their honor next Thursday night."

Interestingly, the best man and and bridesmaid Doris Denham later became husband and wife. Mr. and Mrs. H. Thaden in Atlanta were Charles' uncle and aunt.

Lydia sang soprano in the small church choir. There were three other sopranos, two altos, two basses, and a tenor. They were accompanied by organ. One year they gave a special evening Christmas song service and sang "Sing, Oh Heavens," "Behold I Bring You Tidings," and "Holy Night."

The Peck Chapel was located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and M Street. It was founded in 1886 as a mission outreach church in Georgetown, which provided vocational education for minorities and disadvantaged youth.  The church was sold to another organization in 1938 and was finally demolished in 1951.  The above photo shows an image of the church photoshopped into a current image to show its location. https://georgetownmetropolitan.com/2015/12/09/now-and-a-long-time-ago-pennsylvania-and-m-st/.

Halloween 1906

I came across an article about Lucien Hayo Thaden and a Halloween party he attended in 1906. When reading this article, I was struck by how Halloween parties have come through a vast evolution. Here is the article:

"A Halloween party was given by Miss Irene C. Boyne at her home at 204 H street northwest. Games were played and vocal selections, accompanied by Miss Boyne on the piano, were rendered by Miss Edna Kaiser of New York city, Miss Bessie Hurt of this city and Mr. J. H. Brotbeck of Chattanooga, Tenn. Mr. William W. Norris gave several solos on the piano. Dancing then followed, after which supper was served in the dining room, which was very artistically decorated with autumn leaves and jack o'lanterns. Those present were Mrs. I. B. Boyne, Mrs. A. H. Anadale, Misses Frances Moyer, Edna Kaiser, Virginia Raines, Irene C. Boyne, Bessie Hart and Lillie V. McCullum; Messrs. William W. Norris, Lucien H. Thaden and Michael Holleran, and Edmund E. Hellerstadt, J. H. Brotbeck and Wells H. Hall of Chattanooga, Tenn."-- Evening Star [Washington, D.C.], 4 Nov 1906.

What a lovely little gathering. I learned a few things about Halloween parties of yesteryear from the Firelands History Website blog (https://firelands.wordpress.com/tag/halloween-1906).

“Halloween at the beginning of the 20^th Century was as much about romantic love as it was about ghosts and goblins . . . .

. . . [M]ost young men and women . . . would attend parties hosted by the young women in their homes. The women would treat their guests to a meal and the young people would entertain themselves with dancing and games. As with most social events of the day, activities at Halloween parties were a way for young men and women to flirt and gauge the suitability of potential romantic partners while under the watchful gaze of their parents.

The games especially were a great way to get acquainted. Some are familiar today, like bobbing for apples. A variation of that game popular at the time was called Snap Apple, where boys and girls would attempt to bite an apple suspended from the ceiling by a string. The first to succeed would be the first to marry. Another game involved the host hiding a dime, a ring and a thimble in mashed potatoes or a similar food. The guest who found the ring in his portion would be destined to marry soon, the one with the thimble would spend his or her life alone, and the lucky one to get the dime would have good fortune.”

I also learned through the Heritage Square blog (https://heritagesquarephx.org/news/halloween-hullabaloo/) that it was common at these parties to have “bubbling pots of candy that would be poured over a plate of nuts, then cooled, broken into smaller pieces and eaten.” We call this peanut brittle today. They also ate candied and carameled apples.

"Halloween parties had live entertainment – in the form of parlor games, fortune telling (likely with someone dressed up as a gypsy or witch to play the part), and readings. The parlor games involved many that would supposedly foretell a young person’s marital future, including pouring molten lead from a spoon into a pan of cold water, and the ensuing 'fanciful' shape would reveal the kind of husband a young lady would later marry."

Lucien was 20 years old at the time. Perhaps this was a reunion of high school friends or maybe a collection of young people who lived in the neighborhood. I notice none of his brothers attended so this was definitely Lucien's circle of friends. 

The postcard image came from http://tracystoys.blogspot.com/2013/10/antique-halloween-postcard-apple-bobbing.html.

Henry Thaden Class of 1909

Henry Bernard Thaden graduated from the Linthicum Institute housed in this building in 1909. I located a newspaper article reporting on the commencement exercises in the Washington Post dated 27 May 1909. Henry was 16 years old.

"Boy Students Give Plays.
Commencement Feature at Linthicum Institute.
Medals and Cash in Gold Awarded Winners of Prizes for Highest Standing in Studies.

Commencement exercises marking the close of the thirty-fourth school year of the Linthicum Institute in Georgetown were held at the school on O street before a large audience of relatives and friends of the hundred or more students of the institution. High honor was paid to the name of Edward Magruder Linthicum, formerly a prominent business man of Washington, who in his will left $75,000 for the erection of the school where poor boys might obtain a free education after working hours.

Boys of all ages who are on the rolls took part in the interesting program last evening, of which the principal numbers were three one-act plays. . . . The sketches were done well by the boys, and kept the audience in laughter for more than an hour and a half. [There were several piano numbers by an alumna.] Rev. J. T. Marshall, pastor of the West Presbyterian Church, offered prayer.

At the close of the program prizes for work during the year were presented by . . . a member of the board of trustees. He complimented the students on what they had accomplished in the year, and told of the close contest for the various medals. [H. B. Thaden was not among the prize winners, but he was listed with others receiving 'special mention.']

After the exercises had been concluded the visitors were taken through the school building and shown the clever work of the students in the several classrooms. . . ."

Henry's parents and three older brothers were likely in attendance at this graduation program. They were probably quite interested in looking at Henry's classroom and desk where he sat with his school work. The school was located about 15 blocks northwest of their home at 2317 M Street NW. It appears there was probably a street car line going right down O Street in front of the school.

From The Chronicles of Georgetown, D.C., from 1751-1878 by Richard Plummer Jackson, published in Washington, D.C. by R. O. Polkinhorn in 1878 on pages 238-244.:
Edward Magruder Linthicum grew up poor, but through hard work, he attained success and retired in comfort. An extract of his will reveals that he believed ". . . knowledge and piety constitute the only assurance of happiness and healthful progress to the human race. . ." He gave $50,000 [not $75,000 as the 1909 article stated] to his friends to become his trustees and establish and maintain "a free school for the education and instruction of indigent white boys and youths of Georgetown in useful learning, and in the spirit and practice of Christian virtue . . ." The trustees worked with the Georgetown city school system in building a large school house opposite St. John's Church between High and Market Streets. It was agreed "to set apart, free from rent, a room on the ground floor of the main front" of the building for the Linthicum Institute. The school was opened 1 Oct 1875 in the Curtis School Building. Night school classes were held for working boys from 7:00 to 9:00 every evening, except Saturday and Sunday, in penmanship, bookkeeping, drawing, arithmetic, geometry, chemistry, and physics. Two other schools operated separately in this same building.

The building no longer exists, but it was located across O Street from St. John's Episcopal Church, and next to the Hyde School; both of these buildings are still standing. According to a 1890 map of Georgetown, Potomac Street lay between Market and High Streets, which were mentioned in the above article. A close comparison of this map and a current map shows that High Street is now Wisconsin Avenue NW; Market Street is now 33rd Street NW; and today's O Street NW was once called First Street. The Curtis School Building more accurately sat at the northeast corner of Potomac and O Streets. The Hyde School playground now occupies the spot.

Image of Curtis School Building from The Georgetown Metropolitan, "Survey of Historic School Buildings in Georgetown, 9 Nov 2009, accessed 21 Nov 2018,
https://georgetownmetropolitan.com/2009/11/09/survey-of-historic-school-buildings-in-georgetown-hyde-school/.

Managing the North Sea

Guest Post by Elizabeth Thaden Stewart

One of the biggest obstacles presented to the Fresians living in Dornum in the seventeenth century was the North Sea. Both friend and foe, the North Sea presented many opportunities for the Fresians to prosper, but it also proved to be a mighty force to be reckoned with. On the one hand, the North Sea made seafaring possible, an opportunity that the Fresians took advantage of. In fact, the Fresians were the chief seafarers of the day before the Vikings began using the seas. The North Sea also made the land quite fertile for farming and raising livestock. However, living on the water’s edge also brought plenty of trouble. Over the years, the North Sea crept above the land due to the melting ice from the north and south poles. This combined with the gradual sinking of the earth draws a pretty clear picture of the problem the Fresians were presented with. The North Sea was overtaking their land. It was necessary for them to claim it back to preserve their lives.

Conquering the sea and recovering their land was no easy feat. The Fresians had to build mounds on which they could construct their homes and other buildings to keep them safe from the rising waters. They also constructed dikes, which are long barriers that prevent flooding. The Fresians also turned to the windmill (pun intended J), which they used to pump water out of the lowlands back into the sea. The historic Blockwindmühle, constructed in 1626, still stands today as a fully functioning mill. (It was restored in 2010.) 

With the waters of the sea better managed through the construction of mounds, dikes, and windmills, the Fresians were able to retain their lifestyle of farming, trading, and breeding horses.

http://www.fhana.com/the-fresian-horse/friesian-history

http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/The-Netherlands.html 

Photo by http://wunderkammertales.blogspot.com/2015/01/i-have-sailed-over-rungholt-town-today.html

Learning More from the OSBs

I found an interesting naming pattern among the Ostfriesen people in the 1600s and early 1700s.  For instance, Gerd Jacobs Thaden was the son of Jacob Meints Thaden, who was the son of Meint Jacobs Thaden, who was the son of Jacob Ulfers.  At this point, the surname is not used.  So when surnames came in use, a child's middle name was always the first name of that child's father.  This was also true of daughters.  All of Meint Jacobs sons and daughters had the middle name of Meints.  Some of the names, when used as middle names will have an s added on at the end.  This is an indication of possession.  That is, Gerd was Jacob's son and Jacob was Meint's son, and so on.  If the father's name ended in an e, such as Folke or Thade, then an n was added to it when it became a child's middle name--Folken or Thaden.

The OSB took me only so far back in time, to the 1600s.  I suppose this must be about the time when the Lutheran church there in Dornum was organized.  So I suspect that Thade was the name of an ancestral father of Jacob Ulfers.  Perhaps Ulfer's name was Ulfer Thaden.  Then his father's first name would be Thade.  But at this point, we are getting back to people who probably didn't even keep records.

All of this sparks my curiosity in the history and culture of Ostriesland.  Where did these people come from, and how did they live?  What kinds of things did they eat and how was it prepared?  What natural resources did they use for their survival?  How did the ocean influence their lives?

Time to study now.

The Ortssippenbuch of Dornum

"The Ortssippenbuch (OSB) is a book of the compiled records from a parish and sometimes from other local sources that organize people and their events into family groups. Each family group is usually assigned a number within this book and that family number leads to other family numbers so that you can connect numerous family generations together. Dates are given for births/baptisms, marriages and deaths and burials. It lists all the children that are born in this village and also if parents have come from elsewhere as well as other useful information. You might even find a reference if your ancestor immigrated to another country."--https://familysearch.org/blog/en/ortssippenbuch-shortcut-german-family-history-research/.

Not every region in Germany has them. Many of the towns in the region of Ostfriesland have OSBs, local kinship books, and more are being added all the time.  We are very fortunate that the OSB for Dornum was published in 2012.  This two-volume set cost me a pretty penny, but it has been worth it.  

Brothers Herman and Bernard Thaden emigrated from Dornum to the US in the 1860s. In the OSB, I have found them listed with their siblings and parents. This OSB lists quite a few Thaden families going back several generations.  It is a goldmine of information.  Above is a picture of a typical page within an OSB.

Of course it is written in German, and I have to have the Google translator open while reading the entries.  The symbols are intriguing.  An asterisk (*) appears before a birth date like it's the day the child burst forth into the world.  A tilda (~) appears before a christening date.  It looks like baptismal water.  An infinity symbol (∞) appears before a marriage date.  That's kinda cool since some people belive in eternal marriage.  The Christian cross (†) appears before a death date.  That's logical.  And an open box symbol appears before a burial date.  It looks like a coffin.

I have learned that most christenings took place in the family residence with three or four witnesses.  Emergency christenings took place when a baby had but little time to live.  And the infant mortality rate was really high.   

I really love the OSBs.  They are a valuable genalogical tool.  

The Lower East Side Tenament Museum

I would love to visit this museum some day.  Concetto and Santa (Romeo) Pappalardo lived in a tenement like this in New York City after they arrived in America.  They later moved to Connecticut. Nicholas and Elizabeth (Yazigi) David stayed for a short time in a tenement here before moving on to Jacksonville, Florida.  It would be fascinating to get a glimpse into their lives by spending some time in this museum.

Oh Sophia

   Stephen B. LaSalle married Addie Deckner around 1878 in Atlanta.  Together they had two children, and when the youngest child was two years old, Stephen married Addie's younger sister, Sophia.  In Atlanta!  Stephen and Addie had two more children, and when the youngest one of those two was six years old, Stephen married Sophia again!!  But seven years later, Stephen and Addie appear on the census together as a couple who had been married for 23 years.  Stephen never appears in the city directory without Addie.  Surprising is Stephen's occupation of city marshal.

   So what is going on here?  Bigamy? 

From Wikipedia: In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another.  Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other.  

   How can a man with a high profile government job be married to two women at the same time, who live in the same city, who are also sisters?  Were Addie and Sophia really unaware that their husband was the same man?  And if Stephen and Sophia just wanted to carry on an adulterous affair, why did they bother to get married in the same town where Addie lived?  Or why did they bother to get married at all?  And why did they get married twice?  Talk about a family scandal!

Addie and Sophia are the sisters of Pauline Deckner Thaden--my 2nd great grandmother.

Picture from http://www.dre1allianceent.com/married-three-times-pastor-charged-with-bigamy/

Single, With Dependents

A while ago, I found my dad's World War II Enlistment record on Ancestry.  At the bottom of the form was a sweet piece of information noting that my dad, in 1946, was single, with dependents.  He was just 17, but I smiled when I remembered that I had been told long before that he had an allotment taken from his Army check each month and sent to his widowed mother.

Today I just discovered that Uncle Jack (Jack R. Hahn) also enlisted in the military during World War II when he, too, was just 17 years old.  Like my dad, he was single, with dependents.  I have no idea who is referred to by the word dependents.  They may have been his siblings, the youngest one twelve. Or the word dependents may have referred to his half-siblings, all of whom were younger than twelve.  Perhaps his wife, Ethel, was the dependant.  They were not quite married at the time, but very soon to be.  Or, his dependants may have simply been his parents, farmers trying to recover from the depression of the 1930s.  Whoever they were, I am left with feelings of admiration for Uncle Jack, who took upon himself, at such an early age, the financial support of someone else.

http://www.realnews247.com/wwII_soldiers.jpg

My Grandmother's Rings

My grandmother Thaden was often observed caressing her wedding rings with the fingers on her right hand. My cousin told me this as she gave me the golden bands, one topped with a sparkly diamond.  Grandmama must have loved Granddaddy very much.  The rings were passed to my cousin after our grandmother’s death, but my cousin always thought our oldest cousin should have them, or maybe me since I was named after our grandmother.  After forty years, she chose me. 

My grandmother was a very small woman, and even though her fingers were thick, her rings did not fit me.  I felt like one of Cinderella’s step-sisters trying on the slender glass slipper.  Recently, with some sudden weight loss, I decided to try them again.  This time I was like Cinderella, because the rings slid right on and now join the gold band put there by my husband.  Now it is my turn to caress the rings as I admire the sparkle and think of my grandmother.

Holding a Silver Dollar

Leslie Jerome Thaden was a small boy during the time now known as the Great Depression.[1]  He was young enough that he didn’t realize his family was considered poor.  It was life as he had always known it, and he doesn’t remember ever hearing anyone refer to the times as a Depression while it was going on.  He didn’t realize there was any other kind of life. 

Life as he knew it consisted of some of his unique chores.  It was his job to walk the neighborhood and scout around for scrap wood his family could use in their fireplace.[2]  On the journey he also picked up any glass bottles he found.  He then sold these to bootleggers.[3]

He earned money in other ways as well.  He sold newspapers on the street corners.  His was the voice one would hear yelling, “Read all about it; the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor!”  He also sold candy.  He stocked up from a corner grocery store then ventured out to see how many he could sell.  He also shined shoes; he made his own shoe shine kit and set up on the sidewalk to earn a few cents.[4]  He then turned his earnings over to his parents. 

Les lived in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, and remembers distinctly the lines of men waiting for food and for work.  His own father was self-employed and Les recalls his family was never hungry; they always had something to eat.  His father was often paid in kind and brought home food in return for his services as a night watchman.  Through this bartering, Les’ father was also able to provide presents at birthdays and Christmas for his wife and five children. 

Sometimes, when his father needed to buy food, he didn’t always have the money, but he had a 1900 silver dollar that was very special to him.[5]  The grocer would hold the silver dollar in exchange for some groceries until Les’ father could pay the grocer what he owed. 

The children of the Depression era were very resourceful and imaginative.  They played their pretend games with all sorts of items.  They played grocery store with items such as grass, leaves, and sticks and old cans from the garbage.  Les made his own pop guns using bamboo, china berries, a clothes pin, and a slice of rubber from an old inner tube.  He also made his own scooters, toy sailboats, and go carts. 

Some people say America is in an economic crisis today because many people are losing their jobs and homes, and many businesses are folding.  Les acknowledges that these unfortunate events are occurring; however he does not feel the people of this country are suffering as much as the people were during the Depression of the 1930s—not when he sees individuals still spending money on sports and restaurants, not when he sees people still using cell phones and frequenting the mall, not when he sees folks making trips to Disneyland and sailing on cruises to Mexico. 

He will be the first to acknowledge that people didn’t have these sorts of items or opportunities when he was a boy.  They had so few of these extras that would have been considered luxuries back then but are considered necessities today.  Since these luxuries didn’t even exist, they didn’t miss them.  He realizes that his mother cooked their meals from scratch only because meals in a box or can or in a frozen dinner tray simply did not exist.  He also adds that his mother did a lot of clothing repair.  Interestingly, mending is a dying art today.  Since his family lived in town, they didn’t even have a car.  They walked everywhere they went or rode the street car.

Les concludes that the times were harder on the population during the Great Depression, even though they didn’t have as much to do without as people would today.  If the people of today had to start living as he did as a boy, they would have no cell phones, no television, no computer games and no ipods.  They would have no fast food and less variety of food in general and no electric refrigerators.   They would have only one or two pairs of shoes and their clothes would be mended many times over and perhaps remade.  If he sees people living like this again, he will feel satisfied that the current economic crisis can be compared to the Great Depression.



Les' father, Herman Meigs Thaden juggles a happy baby Charles Herman on
 his hip c1925.  He holds his hat in his left hand.  Les says his father never went
anywhere without his hat.  Notice the strap across his chest and the law
  enforcement badge pinned to his shirt.  The strap perhaps held his holstered
     pistol.  Some say he was a deputy; others say he worked for the police
    department.  Perhaps his association with city law enforcement had something
      to do with his job as night watchman for the downtown businesses on his beat. 

 

Angela Thaden Hahn

29 April 2009

---

[1] Les Thaden was born in 1928.

[2] Interestingly, homes in Jacksonville, Florida, were built with fireplaces.  There are a few mornings and evenings during the Jacksonville winters that can be chilly.

[3] Bootleggers are usually associated with the Prohibition years of the 1920s.  Perhaps in actuality, Les’ bottles were sold to folks who processed their own spirits.  Most everyone during the Depression years had to be frugal with recycled items of all kinds.

[4] Les came from a Syrian merchant background.  Though he doesn’t remember, it is quite possible he stocked up at the store of a Syrian owner.  By selling the merchandise, he was simply peddling.  Many Syrian merchants operated in this manner.  Likewise, with his shoe shine kit, he may very well have set up outside the Syrian and Greek owned shoe shops and dry cleaning businesses.

[5] This 1900 silver dollar may have been special to Les’ father because that is the year he was born. 

Letters from the Old Country

How fun to receive last week a tube full of documents pertaining to Herman Thaden and his family.  There was a patent for the airship and a brochure explaining the wonders of this airship for potential shareholders.  There was also a news clipping featuring the airship in an Atlanta German-language newspaper.  Many letters accompanied these documents, written by Bernard Thaden to relatives back home.  All are written in German with the exception of some written to his sister's family.  Curiously, his sister also lived in Ostfriesland but must have had no trouble with the English language.  Incidentally, Bernard's English was better than most Americans'.  The translation of these letters will be a challenge, especially since the script is Old German and more especially since they are most likely written in the plat Deutsch of Ostfriesland.  These papers were discovered  in an old trunk, by a Strenge cousin, in the attic of the Thaden home in Dornum before it was torn down. Thanks to Cousins Christoph and Lenchen for securing such nice scans of the documents and then sending them to me.  They truly know the value of good family history research!

My brother and his family are touring Ostfriesland. They have met up with our German cousins, the Gericke family. How wonderful to have personal tour guides to take them on a family history journey through the land of our immigrant ancestor, Hayo Eberhardt Thaden, known as Herman in America. There's just something special about walking the same village streets, stopping by the town's Lutheran church, gazing up at the windmill at the village entrance, shopping in the same merchant district as did the Thaden family in the 17 and 1800s. It certainly brings one closer to forebears with a deeper respect for the sacrifices and triumphs of their lives.

Photo of Bockwindmuhle from Panoramio at http://www.panoramio.com/photo/48902976

Video Footage of Immigrants Arriving at Ellis Island

This short footage has deep meaning for us as we think of our immigrant ancestors walking the same path from the ferry to customs house.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island
Scroll to the bottom to find the video.

Greek Festival

On Saturday the 19th, Mike and I went to Pueblo to attend the Greek Festival hosted by St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church. The first thing that caught my attention was the sign outside the church with the words, "In memory of our immigrant parents." This church is nestled in an old Pueblo neighborhood. One of the festival workers informed me that most of the membership consists of descendants of immigrants who worked in the nearby steel mill in the early 1900s. I found it quite satisfying to find this small ethnic enclave had managed to preserve their culture after three and four generations.

We began our festival experience with a tour of the church. I was very interested in this part of our day because our Syrian ancestors were Greek Orthodox. Why not Syrian Orthodox, I have often wondered. I learned that all of the Orthodox religions are exactly the same. The only difference must be in the language spoken in their liturgies. This leads me to believe our Syrian ancestors spoke not only Arabic, but also Greek. I've known for some time now that there were other Greek influences in their lives. I'm thinking the ancestors of our Syrian people were Greek.

I was pleased with what I learned about the Greek Orthodox doctrine. I found I could agree with it and I felt very close to my Syrian ancestors as I stood inside the church surrounded by candles and saints and the color red. I'm so glad they remained true to Christianity in spite of the religious persecution they endured.

There were many fun wares on display imported from Greece. I bought myself a bracelet and Mike came home with a jar of olives and a can of stuffed grape leaves.

We then ordered ourselves gyros and baklava and sat down to eat while listening to recorded Greek folk music in the background. I looked around at the people and was soon able to pick out all the ones who were Greek just by the way they looked. Shortly, a group of teenagers from a Denver dance school, dressed in various colorful Greek folk costume, entertained us with some dances. There was not a blonde in the group. I thought how my own girls would not have looked out of place on that stage.

I must learn to make tzatziki sauce. It was a great cultural experience, and Mike even said he would like to go again next year. I hope to bring my girls with me.

Syrian Cooking with Sitto

A very thoughtful Syrian American living in Jacksonville, but who is no relation to me, sent me, via e-mail, a most precious collection of recipes in pdf format. The forty-page cookbook was prepared by the grandchildren of Syrian immigrant women who settled in Jacksonville in the 1920s.

This cookbook is very valuable to me, for while it is safe to assume that classic Syrian food varied from region to region in Syria depending on local tradition and the availabilty of ingredients, the recipes had to likewise be adapted once more in Jacksonville for the ingredient factor. Granted, the cookbook inspired by these Jacksonville Syrian women reflects the regions from which they were born, and they may not have been Beiruti or Damascene or Tripolitan, as were my ancestors, but they all became Jacksonvillians. In that sense, they were all family--my family.

Syrian Cooking with Sitto has become a treasured family history item.