Salome “Sally” Lauffer Groshans 1850-1898

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Salome Groshans was the Great Great Grandmother of my children.  Fact finding for her life story has been challenging and my research is spotty and incomplete. I have hit “brick walls” while searching for something (anything) that would tell me a story about her.  My hope is that someone reading this article will have more information and answers to  many of my questions.

So, what do I know?  Facts on ancestry sites about Salome’s life are almost NONE.  I was only able to understand some of her story through the history of her husband and her 8 children and those 8 children’s descendants.  Salome and Gottlieb immigrated to the United States having arrived from Alsace ( an area in Europe that sometimes belonged to France and at other times to Germany.)   Illinois was the place that Salome and her husband Gottlieb Jack Groshans settled in.  They moved to a region in Illinois that was known for the coal mining industry. In fact, many of the men in this extended family, worked as coal miners.

I started the research by looking at  the 1900 census. Salome’s husband, Gottlieb Groshans, is listed as head of household in that year.  At the time of the 1900 census he was 50 years old. Salome is not listed in the 1900 census as she had died in 1899. In the census, Gottlieb states that  his birth was in France in October of 1849. He states that he immigrated to the United States in 1886.  Gottlieb lists his occupation, for that year, as Farm Laborer.  In this 1900 census his home is listed as 6th Street in the town of Bruce, LaSalle, Illinois.

It appears that Salome only lived to the age of 47 and yet still bore 8 children before her death in 1899. I believe she was born on 30 June 1851. Her children were:

1st child – Caroline “Carrie” Groshans 1869-1936.  Birth on 14 May 1869 in Alsace-Lorraine, France.  Death on 3 May 1936 in Streator, LaSalle, Illinois. Caroline married Alvin Weber in 1888.  Caroline states that her immigration to the states was in 1887 (a different date than her father had listed). Like her father, Carrie is buried at Riverview Cemetery, Streator, LaSalle, Illinois. Carrie Groshans and  Alvin Weber had these children:

  1. Charles Frederick “Freddie” Weber, 1891-1915. Married Ida May Weber. In the 1910 census he lived at W. Barber Street, Streator, Illinois.  His occupation was coal miner in 1910.  In 1920, his occupation is worker in a factory. In the 1930 census, his occupation is listed as truck driver for a bakery.
  2. Walter P. Weber, 24 July 1893-16 Oct. 1955. Married Marie Wilhelmina Erle. He worked as a carpenter for the railroad.
  3. Ernest E. Weber, 1895-1983. He married Zelma. In 193o census he is a proprietor of a bakery.  Ernest is also a WWII veteran.  He too is buried at Riverview Cemetery, Streator, Illinois. ernest-e-weber
  4. Louis Weber, 30 Sept. 1897 – 18 Feb. 1973.  Married Lillian M. Kettman.  In the 1930 census his occupation is baker in a bakery shop.
  5. Reita Weber, 26 Sept. 1901 – 24 January 1983.  Death in Los Angeles, CA. Possible spouse, ? Beuscher.
  6. George A. Weber, 1904-? In the 1930 census he states that he is a single man working as a truck driver for a bakery.
  7. Norma Kathryn Weber, 28 Feb. 1905- 17 Nov. 1994.  She married Harry Hoagland. In the 1940 census, her husband lists his occupation as salesman.
  8. Bertha F. Weber, 11 Feb. 1907-3 Jan. 2003.  Bertha married Andrew J. Hudachko. In the 1930 census, Bertha lists her occupation as salesperson in a bakery.
  9. Hazel Weber, 1910 – ?.

2nd child- Maria “Mary” Rosina Groshans 1869-?  Maria was born in Germany. In 1888, Mary married Theodore Oeser, 14 Dec. 1866-31 Oct. 1946.  Their family moved to California at some point. Theodore lists his occupation in the 1900 census as coal miner.  Mary and Theodore had these children:

 

  1. Frank Oeser, Nov. 1890-1909. He died at age 19. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=79621855&ref=acom
  2. Albert G. Oeser, 5 Dec. 1892-6 Dec. 1958.  Albert married Jean Brown.  They had daughter Alma J. Oeser 1915-2007 and son Arthur J. Oeser 1917-? As you can see, he lists his occupation as coal miner.

albert-oeser

  1. Alma E. Oeser, 1894-1904.  She died at age 10.
  2. Carl Arthur Oeser, 26 Aug. 1896 – 4 March 1923.  He died at the age of 26. He married Irma Johnson and had three children: Carlye Arnold Oeser, 1919-? ,  Reita Arline Oeser, 19 August 1919 – 17 March 2008, and Amanda Oeser, 11 August 1921 – 17 July 2009.

carl-oeser

  1. Edwin F. Oeser, 1898- 25 Oct. 1992. He married Grace E. Dayson. They had a daughter, Barbara Marie Oeser, 27 Sept. 1926 – 29 April 1998.  Edwin was the president of Acme eyelet and stamping company.
  2. Henry Theodore “Heini” Oeser, 2 March 1901- 16 June 1932.

3rd child- Louis Christian Groshans, 5 October 1872- 9 July 1944.  Louis was born in France. Louis married Elizabeth. Family hand written notes say that he was an auto garage manager.  He was deafened by a coal mine accident at age 15.  He died in the mid 1940’s from being hit by a car.  Our notes say this happened in Cincinnati, OH. The children of Louis and Elizabeth were:

  1. Lewis Eric Groshans, 1872-1944,
  2. Lillian Reita Groshans,  1919-2001,
  3. Howard F. Groshans, 1923-1980,
  4. Donald Ray Groshans, 1926-2001
  5. Dr. Russell G. Groshans, 1929 – 2015 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?pid=176104139
  6. Sharon Groshans, 1931-?

Louis Groshans and Elizabeth Bosse

Louis Groshans and Elizabeth Bosse

4th child-Sarah Groshans 1875-1965. Born in Sundhouse, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France. Spouse August Benson.  She lists her occupation as garment worker.

30 Mar 1965 death of Sarah Groshans Benson The Times, Streator, IL

30 Mar 1965 The Times, Streator, IL

Groshans and Benson 31 Oct 1901 The Streator Free Press, IL

31 Oct 1901 The Streator Free Press, IL

5th child-Gottlieb Jack Groshans, 10 March 1878 – 28 July 1941.

Gottlieb Jack Groshans

wedding-information-for-gottlieb-jack-groshans-and-maude-lillian-meador

 Gottlieb or “G. Jack” is our family’s direct ancestor.  He is the Great Grandfather of my children.  He was born in France and died in Bruce, Streator, LaSalle, IL. At the age of 34, he married Maude Lillian Meador in 1912 in Carroll, Arkansas. His 3 children were all born in Arkansas. Family legend is that he had been apprenticed in Streator to be a boiler maker, but left that profession to run a farm.  I am not sure when he left Arkansas to return to Illinois.  He was 48 years old when his youngest son Robert was born in Arkansas.  The next residence reference I found was from 1935 (he was 57 years old) was living in Bruce, LaSalle, IL. The children of Gottlieb Jack Groshans and Maude Lillian Meador were:

  1. Rita Elizabeth Groshans, 16 January 1920-12 April 1997.  She was born in Eureka Springs, Carroll, Arkansas.  Rita was the Great Aunt to my children.  Records indicate that she also lived with her family in Streator, Il. She married Henry Tonjes Baumann on 12 July 1943. The marriage took place in Ypsilanti, MI. They had one daughter, Barbara Anne Baumann who married Daniel Walter.
  2. Robert Jack Groshans, 14 April 1926- 17 March 1984.  Robert is our family’s direct ancestor and was the loving grandfather of my children.  He was born in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. As a child, he moved with his family to Streator, IL.Robert married Madeline Mary Bravin in Washington, DC on 19 April, 1952.  Shortly after their marriage, they resided in Ypsilanti, MI. Later, Bob and Madeline moved to Saline, MI. Robert passed away at the age of 57 and continues to be greatly missed by the family.
  3. Charlotte Zelma Groshans (infant death, died at 3 days old).  I do not know the birth order for Charlotte.

6th child- Louise Groshans, July 1884-1969 Louise was born in Illinois. She married Joseph Mueller. The children of Louise Groshans and Joseph Mueller are:

  1. George J. Mueller born in approx. 1906 in North Dakota.
  2. Louise Mueller born in approx. 1907 in North Dakota.
  3. John D. Mueller born in approx. 1909 in North Dakota.
  4. Jacob Mueller born in approx. 1910 in Cameron, Ward, North Dakota.
  5. Mary Mueller born in approx. 1912 in North Dakota
  6. Donald Richard Mueller born 8 August 1918 in Ryder Ward, North Dakota.  Died 20 December 1987 in Streator, Il.
19 Oct 1969 death of Louise Spokane, WA

19 Oct 1969 Spokane, WA

7th child- Phillip August Groshans, 9 April 1887 -22 May 1952.  Was born in Streator, IL. In the 1930 census he states that his occupation is repairing furniture. His burial is at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Streator, IL. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army.

draft card for Philip Groshans

veteran headstone for Philip GroshansPhilip Groshans 1900 census

Philip Groshans find a grave

Groshans from 1943 Streator Illinois City Directory

8th child- Jacob “Jake” Groshans.  No birth or death information.  Possible spouse is Lillian.

As you can see, there are few facts that I have found on Salome.  One family treasure is a set of  hand-written notes that I believe were composed by my brother-in-law, Dan Groshans.  These notes provided me with names that helped my research.

note-1note-2note-3

Click on this link if you want to read a previous blog I wrote on  gottlieb-jack-groshans

 

 

meador-and-groshans-chart-hand-drawn

 

 

 

 

 

Lyle Schmiling

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When Lyle Schmiling was born on March 1, 1938, in Wisconsin, his father, Elbert, was 26 and his mother, Olive, was 22.  He had one brother (Lee Schmiling) and one sister (Joann Emma Schmiling Wiesner).

He married Beverly Maedke on October 4, 1958. They have four children. Their daughters are Jill Rae Schmiling born in 1959, Shelly Jo born in 1962, and Terri Lynn born in 1965.  His son, Steven was born in 1969.

Lyle passed away unexpectedly on June 21, 2016.  His obituary may be found at http://www.schinderle.com/obituaries/Lyle-Schmiling/#!/Obituary

 

 

 

Military career of Dr. Robert L. Hess

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My father, Robert Lawrence Hess, was born on 29 September 1924 in Orange, New Jersey. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy.  He was in sea service during WWII.  Here are some details of his service in the Navy.

Robert Hess attended the V-12 (victory 12 Navy College Training) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This quote is from the link below, “The purpose of the V-12 program was to generate a large number of officers for both the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to meet the demands of World War II, far beyond that turned out annually by the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and standing U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School to that point.” program. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-12_Navy_College_Training_Program

In 1945, my father received 2 BSE degrees from the University of Michigan which he had earned in under 3 years time.  One degree was in Engineering Mechanics and the other one in Engineering Mathematics.

1945 UM yearbook George and Robert Hess

He went  on to officer training at Columbia University, New York.

He served as a Junior Division Officer, Main Engines Division, on a heavy cruiser called the USS Oregon City. His rank was Ensign.

Later, he served as an auxiliary Division officer on a pair of light escort carriers the USS Kula Gulf CVE-108 and the USS Manila Bay CVE-12

I believe that he received an American Theatre ribbon and a Victory Ribbon WWII.  As I understand it, the American Theatre described the Navy’s desire to secure the home land from the Axis powers.

Other military work:

In 1957 my father was given the title of Technical Director of Project Michigan.  He was instrumental in extending optical data processing to the field of automatic photo-interpretation.  He was able to apply his knowledge of physics and mathematics to research teams who represented them to general officers of the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense. The Department of the Army awarded him the Outstanding Civilian Service Award and Metal.

In 1964-1965 my father was the personal representative of the U.S. Army’s Chief of Staff for Intelligence and led teams of scientists through a comprehensive field review of the Army’s Combat Surveillance capabilities both in Europe and Korea.  The Army implemented over 70% of this technical recommendations for the Korea area.

My father would also become a civilian consultant to the Secretary of the Army, ASA (R&D), Chief of Staff, and the Chief of Research and Development to advise on scientific and related matters to the Army.

1943 Portrait photo in US Navy uniform
Robert Hess ensign winter series 2
with text Robert in Navy Khakis
wt hess given army award
Robert Hess U.S. Oregon City

Relatives in the Canal Zone? (Hint: Meador)

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When Louis Riley Meador was born on April 1, 1889, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, his father, Robert Lewis Meador, was 27 and his mother, Charlotte Lucinda “Lottie” Shipman, was 24.

Meador research page

Louis’ father died when Louis was only 6 years old.  In the census of 1900 Louis is living with his mother and his siblings: Jasper, Maude and Rita.

Louis’ sister, Maude Lillian Meador , is our family’s direct ancestor.  This makes Louis Meador (who is rthe subject of this blog) a  Great Uncle.

At the age of 28, in the 1917-1918 WWI draft registration, Louis states that he is short, slender, with blue eyes and light colored hair.  Perhaps, one of the most interesting things about his registration form is the PERFECT penmanship.  He lists his residence as 104 Wall, Eureka Springs, Arkansas (I believe this was his mother’s home).  He lists his occupation as draftsman.  He lists his employer as Clark Jacoby of Chariton County, MO. (see photo at the end of this blog)

Louis married Marie Van Norden in 1929 in the Canal Zone, Panama where he was in a supervisor position on the construction of the canal.  They had no children.

Other than some census records and a treasured photo found on Ancestry, there was little information known about Louis until I recently came across an article from June 12, 1929 that addressed Louis’ upcoming marriage to Marie Van Norden.

The article was from a newspaper named “The Morning Call” of Laurel, Mississippi.

This led me to find ship records for 1931 when Louis Riley then 42 years old and his much younger wife who was then 25 years old took passage on the ship “Iriona” from Panama Canal Zone to New Orleans.

In the 1940 census, Louis and Marie lived on Paris Island Road in rural  Beaufort, South Carolina.  He lists his occupation as engineer stating that he has completed 4 years of college.  He lists his employer as the US government and his annual income as $3,200.

Louis died in November 1985 in his hometown, at the age of 96.  (Helpful hint, in the news story below Mrs. Louis Church is Louis’ sister, Rita May Meador)

 

HelJune 12 1929 Laurel, Mississippi part 1June 12, 1929 part 2July 27 1929 Hattiesburg American part 1Hattiesburg American part 2.pngLaurel daily reader laurel mississippi Sep. 9, 1926.pngCatalogue of the University of ArkansasEmporia Gazette from Augus 9 1933.pngship records

Louis Riley Meador WWI draft registration

Pvt. John Coleman “Doc” Shipman {Civil War – Confederacy – Company E, 16th Regiment Arkansas}

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When Pvt. John Coleman “Doc” Shipman {Civil War – Confederacy – Company E, 16th Regiment Arkansas} was born on December 3, 1831, in Missouri.  His father, Matthew, was 46 and his mother, Charlotta “Charity” Jordan, was 38.

John Coleman Shipman is a direct ancestor of the Groshans family.  His daughter, Charlotte Lucinda “Lottie” would go on to marry Robert Lewis Meador and  they would continue the line of ancestry by becoming the parents of Maude Lillian Meador.

The nickname “Doc” is not representative of John Coleman Shipman’s occupation.  He was a farmer.  He also was a Confederate soldier in the Civil War.  He was part of Company E, 16th Regiment of Arkansas.

John Coleman Shipman “Doc” married Temperance “Tempy” Boyd in 1848 in Farwell, Carroll, Arkansas when he was only 17 years old. They had 13 children in 29 years.

The table below lists the children of “Doc” and “Tempy”.  It is taken from this website:http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/p/h/i/Suzanne-E-Phillips/GENE9-0015.html

Children of John Shipman and Tempe Boyd are:

599 i. Josephie Tennessee6 Shipman, born Abt. 1850; died 1928 in Springfield, Mo..She married Milton Tharp.
600 ii. Benjamin Shipman, born September 1852; died December 03, 1942 in Carroll Co., Arkansas.
601 iii. Mary”Polly” Shipman, born 1854 in Carroll Co., Arkansas.She married Lo Tharp.
602 iv. Minerva Josephine Shipman, born October 17, 1855; died April 1934.She married Milton Tharp.
603 v. Jacob Shipman, born 1858 in Carroll Co., Arkansas; died in Sallisaw, Oklahoma.
604 vi. Martha F. Shipman, born 1861.She married Lee Tabor.
605 vii. Louisa Ann Shipman, born 1863.She married John Graham.
606 viii. Lottie Shipman, born 1865.She married Joseph Lewis Meadows.
607 ix. Julia Ann “Jewell” Shipman, born 1868.She married Columbus Callen.
608 x. Lodusca Tryphenia Shipman, born 1872; died 1942 in Denver, Carroll Co., Ark.She married John Myers.
609 xi. John Elmore Shipman, born April 07, 1873; died December 31, 1935 in Denver, Carroll Co., Ark.

 

The first census records that I found with John Coleman Shipman and his wife Tempy were from 1850.  At this time, John Coleman, states that he is a farmer. He lists his birth place as Missouri.  In the 1850 census their residence is located in Carrollton Township, Carroll County, Arkansas.

John Coleman’s wife “Tempy” states in the 1860 census that she can neither read nor write. The 1860 census for the family is from Hickory Township, Carroll County, Arkansas.

John Coleman Shipman died on December 10, 1904, at the age of 73.   In 1905, John Coleman Shipman’s wife, Tempy, applied for pension benefits in Arkansas stating that her husband had served in the Arkansas cavalry.

Research- I have not purchased this book, but it is a complete history of the 16th regiment. http://www.arkansasresearch.com/Statewide/Military/MilitaryCSA16Inf.htm

 

 

 

Asa Bishop- my great, great, great Grandfather

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When Asa Bishop was born on November 7, 1785, in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, his father, Captain John Bishop, was 52 and his mother, Serviah Kellogg, was 32. His father, the Captain John Bishop, had previously been married to Experience Harris and had 5 children with this first wife.  Asa was 1 of the 5 children from Captain John Bishop’s 2nd marriage to Serviah Kellogg.  Asa’s father, Captain John Bishop, was a 2nd Lt. in the French and Indian War and a captain in the Revolutionary War.

Asa married Mary “Polly” Sprague on January 10, 1807, in Henderson, New York.  Asa and Polly had 11 children in 25 years. Asa died on June 10, 1872, in Berrien County, Michigan, having lived a long life of 86 years, and was buried there. 

Asa’s wife Polly died in 1852, and Asa remained single after her death until his death in 1872.  Asa moved to Michigan to live with his son and my direct ancestor, John Kellogg Bishop, after the death of his wife.

Asa served in New York, New York during the war of 1812.

See web link:

https://books.google.com/books?id=xw0MdUH2EwIC&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=history+of+st.+joseph+county+michigan+and+appleton+bishop&source=bl&ots=qtD0RnO-fS&sig=rl2d8Ph-hqydGi124SblmI1mtVY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDQQ6AEwA2oVChMI2syI64iGyAIVElmSCh3NJQ4o#v=onepage&q=history%20of%20st.%20joseph%20county%20michigan%20and%20appleton%20bishop&f=false

The children of Asa and Mary “Polly” were:

Harriet Bishop 1808-1885

Roxana Bishop 1811-1866

Anthony Sprague Bishop 1812-1895

Susan Maria Bishop 1814-1897

Adeline Sophronia Bishop 1817-1883

Norris Stearns Bishop 1819-1864

Emily Sophia Bishop 1821-

Appleton Asa Bishop 1822-1849

John Kellogg Bishop 1827-1906 (direct ancestor)

Abigail Jane Bishop 1829-

Laura Sophia Bishop 1833-1881

Asa and Polly Bishop

Find a Grave web link is listed below…

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=BIS&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=24&GScntry=4&GSsr=761&GRid=94691455&

New York war of 1812 payment abstracts for New York State Militia

New York war of 1812, Abstract payroll statements from New York State Militia

Asa Bishop tombstoneAsa Bishop was

Grover Cleveland Ream 1885-1931 – my Grandfather

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I believe this photo of Grover was taken on his honeymoon in Sept. 1912
Photo of Grover as a child. He is standing on the far left of the photo

When Grover Cleveland Ream was born on 16 September 1885, in Miami County, Indiana, his father, Benjamin Ream, was 31 and his mother, Harriet Fike, was 21.

Grover  went by the name “Clevie” which was an abbreviation of his middle name.  He was one of 9 children.  In the 1900 census,  his father Benjamin is listed as head of household and states that his occupation is a carpenter.  This would also become Grover’s occupation.  His mother, Harriet, listed her occupation as “laundry business.” In the 1900 census, Grover was 14 years old and was in school.  By that time, the family lived in Ann Arbor, MI on Wells Street.

The link  below takes you to a catalog of Ann Arbor High School for the academic year of 1900-1901 and shows that Grover attended classes there.

https://books.google.com/books?id=jwDiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=grover+ream+ann+arbor&source=bl&ots=s4rEoEBiuT&sig=lJp0NDgVXjnGAC3x7FUEqIJja1A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3Me_UsrPKO66yAH0_4D4Cw#v=onepage&q=grover%20ream%20ann%20arbor&f=false

Grover’s siblings were Winfield Emery Ream (1883-1940), Lucy Katherine Ream (1887-1976), John B. Ream (1891-1967), Harriet Isobel Ream (1894-1969), William B. Ream (1897-1982), Josephine Marie Ream (1901-1957), and baby Ream (1903-1903).

Grover married Amelia Grayer on 26 September 1912, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He died on 26 March 1931 in Ann Arbor, MI, at the age of 45, and was buried there.  Sadly, my mother was only 5 years old at the time her father Grover died and my Uncle Bob was only 13 years old.  My mother had very few memories of her father but continued to express her love and longing for him during her entire life.  My grandmother, Amelia (a.k.a. “Grandma Pet”), would remain a widow for the next 34 years until her death in 1965.  Grover’s death had happened during the time of the Great Depression.  My grandmother’s income would be made by running a tourist house on North Main Street.  My Uncle Bob, was a young teen when his father died, and he assumed an adult role of helping to care for his mother, his grandmother who lived with them, and his younger sister (my mother).

Both Grover and Amelia were 27 at the time they were married.  Amelia’s family home had been on North Ashley Street, in Ann Arbor, MI.  In the records of their marriage, Grover lists his employment as a carpenter.  The best man was John Ream and the maid of honor was Julia Reichenecker ( a life-long friend of my grandmother).

61ee84cb-7d48-4b4b-8e62-19ec502f7eae

Grover and Amelia were 32 years old when they had my Uncle, Robert Emerson Ream.  They were 40 years old, when they had my mother, Gretchen Lois Ream.  I was also told that they had twin boys who both perished as infants.  I believe the twins may have been born and buried in California and would have been the oldest children.  I believe that the twins were named Richard and Robert.  There was another son, named Richard Philip who was born on January 18, 1918 and died two days later on January 20, 1918.

In Grover’s WWI draft registration, he states that he is tall and slender with blue eyes and brown hair.

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Grover was in the Carpenter’s Union #512 and served as their treasurer and seems to have been greatly involved with the social life of his union friends.  I have included a link to an interesting article about Carpenters during this time of history in Ann Arbor.

ttps://books.google.com/books?id=fxo2AQAAIAAJ&pg=RA2-PA26&lpg=RA2-PA26&dq=carpenters+union+512+of+ann+arbor,+mi&source=bl&ots=LTUsQheyDM&sig=Ha9RxOkg2jVOSnmOnG86tmOGsac&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwij84nlvevLAhUHmoMKHSlGC2sQ6AEINDAG#v=onepage&q=carpenters%20union%20512%20of%20ann%20arbor%2C%20mi&f=false

It was only recently, that I began to understand that my Grandfather may have known that he had a serious health issue.  He had made such an effort to enlarge the home at 520 N. Main Street into a 3 story multi-bedroom home that served my Grandmother well as a source of income while she used it for a tourist house with “rooms for rent.”  This all happened fairly close to the time of his decease.  My mother was proud of the work her father had done as a carpenter and would often point out buildings on the U of M campus in Ann Arbor that her father had helped to complete.  It appears that Grover died of cancer.  At the time of his death, this diagnosis was not generally discussed and so I do not have full details.  My grandmother, Amelia, became very unstable for a period of time shortly after his death.  It was ALWAYS my understanding that the whole family continued to miss his presence for all of their lives.

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The Washtenaw Tribune 27 Mar 1931

Joyce Lucille Shaw Wiesner

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When Joyce Lucille Shaw was born on June 25, 1922, her father, Zebina “Eugene” Shaw, was 34 and her mother, Martha Rockwell, was 32.  Both of Joyce’s parents had been born in Wisconsin, but they went on to  have all of their children in Ohio.

Joyce’s mother, Martha, was one of 16 children!  Joyce’s father, Z. Eugene, was one of 7 children!  So, Joyce had MANY aunts,uncles, and cousins!

In the 1930 census, Joyce is 7 years old.  Z. Eugene (Joyce’s father) lists his occupation as an engineer working for the city.  This census also shows Joyce had an older brother, Robert (born in 1916) and an older sister, Colleen (born in 1920.)  In this census, the family address is 415 Water Street, Bucyrus, Ohio. (In 1930, Beth, the youngest child of Martha and Eugene had not yet been born.)  Joyce’s sister Beth was 10 years her junior and was not born until August 17, 1932.

Joyce was only 17 years old when her father Eugene died.

Joyce married Norbert “Nick” Donald Wiesner on June 25, 1943 when she was 20 years old. She had three children by the time she was 25.  All of Joyce and Nick’s children were born in Wisconsin. Joyce and Nick’s  son  was EJ’s direct ancestor and EJ’s Grandfather, Eugene “Gene” Norbert Wiesner.  Gene  Wiesner was born  on 26 March 1944 in Wisconsin.  Joyce and Nick also had 2 daughters, Emogene  and Sandra Ann.

Joyce died on June 28, 1990, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, at the age of 68.  Her husband, Nick, remained a widower until his death at the age of 78 in 1999.

0022 Joyce Wiesner.jpg

Norbert, Joyce and Eugene Wiesner

Joyce, Norbert “Nick” and Eugene “Gene” Wiesner

0032 Joyce and Nick Wiesner with Gene WiesnerScreen Shot 2016-03-30 at 11.47.13 AM

Maude Lillian Meador Groshans

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When Maude Lillian Meador was born on April 16, 1887, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, her father, Robert, was 25 and her mother, Charlotte Lucinda “Lottie” Shipman, was 22. In the 1900 census’ Lottie (Maude’s mother)  was already widowed and states that she is the head of the family working in a dry goods store.  Maude’s father died in 1895 when Maude was a mere 8 years old.

Maude was one of 4 children.  Her siblings were Jasper Calvin Meador (1884-1934), Louis Riley Meador (1889-1985) and Rita May Meador (1891-1976.)

Maude married Gottlieb Jack Groshans on June 12, 1912 when she was 25 years old. In the 1920 census, G.Jack states that his mother tongue is French having come from Alsace Lorraine, France. G. Jack lists his occupation as farmer.

They had two children during their marriage. Her daughter, Rita Elizabeth, was born on January 16, 1920, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. And EJ’s direct ancestor and Great Grandfather, Robert Jack Groshans, was born on April 14, 1926, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

By 1935, records indicate that Maude and her husband “G. Jack”  were residing in Bruce, Illinois.  Maude’s husband died there in Illinois at the age of 63.  They had been married 29 years.

Maude Lillian Meador Groshans died on January 17, 1971, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, when she was 83 years old.

Maude Lillian Meador Groshans