Discovery At the Cemetery - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic Info.: 
What discoveries have you made at the cemetery? Do you have a favorite ancestral cemetery or tombstone? What cemetery do you want to visit?

I waited to write this until I had further questions and information Amy put with the prompt because I could have interpreted this a few different ways like with the past topics of Nature and Nurture.

My History in Cemeteries

My grandmother's obituary in 1988 from the Times Herald Record

Over the years, my history with being in cemeteries hasn't been much. The first time I ever went into one was when I was when I was 15 years old. My paternal grandmother, Jean Schmitz, died. I found out by looking in the newspaper as was a ritual with my mother. Also, I knew she was very sick in the hospital because my sister, Debbie, called us and told us. I insisted my mother take me to St. Luke's in Newburgh to see her. It was an eye opening visit to say the least with my grandmother looking so small in bed and talking in many languages and about how she was seeing things with my father and uncle. Shortly after this visit, I found she had passed away and I wanted to go. My mother, however, put up a fight and I made my ultimatum - You take me or else I'll walk to entire way. It it would have been a walk because the town we lived in to where she was buried was about 20 miles to walk each way. I would have done it and my mother knew this. She finally relented and had her boyfriend bring me. He parked on the side and stood by the car while I went to the side and attended the ceremony. No one spoke to me or anything. Then when it was over, I turned for the car so I could go because it was starting to lightly rain. However, my father's second wife came over to me telling me my grandmother would want me to have this and shoved an umbrella at me and turned and left me there. I shook my head and turned and left. I'm still not sure if anyone else knew I was even there.

Anyhow, I didn't know where it was after this and I was so busy I didn't visit for awhile. It wasn't until I started doing genealogy research, I remembered about her obituary. We had a few other people here in Australia pass away, but it wasn't until we went back in 2001, my husband and I went to find Grandma Jean again.

When my uncle died in 2002, we went back to see Grandma after Uncle John's services. I was a bit more in my research but still very new to this type of research. It wasn't until after my uncle passed away I really dived into it and started to find people. In the last five years, I found so many relatives and ancestors both alive and dead it makes me dizzy when I sit down and try to list them all.

Now I'm pretty seasoned to what to look for and what to do. It did help being a volunteer and going to take pictures in a cemetery a few years ago. We had our nephew William with us and we were teaching him how to do things respectfully and he did enjoy it too.

Our nephew, William, in July 2016 helping with wetting down headstones for taking pictures for Find a Grave.

 In the past 8 and a bit years, we hadn't been back to the US where my family and ancestors are for my immediate family. Upon my brother's passing in January 2019, we went back and did some research in cemeteries. It was winter but we were able to work around the weather to go visit 3 of them which was great. This lead me to a.....

Major Discovery at the Cemetery!
I had where my grandparents (all except for my paternal grandfather - still looking for him!) and great grandparents are buried (except for my paternal side but they are in Germany which are gone now). This trip back, as unexpected as it was, let me go and find the resting places of the people I was able to find.

To save time, I went and gathered the ancestors and where they were buried grouping them by the cemetery. I listed the relative, their relation to me, the cemetery, its address and if they had it the GPS location. GPS location seems a bit funny and weird but it really did help with this major discovery.

We visited my grandmother, grandpa Charlie, and uncle John before continuing with the new information and cemeteries. The first one up was my great grandparents in St Francis Cemetery in New Windsor. This one was strange because it was listed on St Francis Cemetery and yet the church is listed as St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Newburgh, NY. They were in two different towns but were connected. Then when you look at the map, there're two cemeteries a huge one and then up on the side a smaller one (below).

The two cemeteries shown side by side in New Windsor NY. Credit Google Earth

We drove around the bigger one thinking this was it, but I also told my husband it could have been the smaller one up there (and I pointed) but I wasn't sure. After looking for a bit, we then put in the GPS details and it showed us that it was indeed the smaller cemetery on the side.

My maternal great grandparents which are both buried at St Francis Church. Credit as noted above.

I was using my great grandparents Bernice and Apolonius Jagodzinski because they were both listed as being buried there. Thankfully, this one was much smaller in size and we were slowly driving up the road looking to see if we could see the Jagonzinski name. My husband had finally seen it and pulled over. We got out of the car and walked back to where he thought he had seen it. Before I had seen the Jagodzinski headstones, I made my major discovery.... my grandmother's headstone!

My great grandparent's headstones with my grandmother Janet Gauquie's behind theirs. Credit: J. Fitzgerald

Gone but not forgotten

My grandmother had been in state care since they came and took her after she was staying with her sister, Genevieve in Newburgh sometime after 1960. No one in the family knew when or where my grandmother had died. I found out she had died through my research which was a very sad way to find out. My mother and all of us had looked for her for years. This one was one reason why we looked at the obituaries every day.

My sister, Debbie, once found my grandmother Janet in a nursing home in Newburgh, and my mother and I went down as soon as we could to visit her. My mother had them write in my grandmother's file who she was and how she could be contacted so there was a link to us. This was the year, in the 1980s, when we were able to bring her to our home on South Montgomery Street, Walden, to have Thanksgiving dinner with us. However, within a few months, they had moved my grandmother again.  We went to visit her and found she had been moved out of the facility or so they had told us. Once again the searching was on.

My grandmother Janet's SSDI.

After awhile, my mother accepted Grandma Janet had died, but no one had called us with the information still. When I started researching, she was one of the people I was trying to find. I finally found her social security death index and found she had died about 18 months before I really started my family research.

I had the heartbreaking task of telling my mother her mother had died in 1999. I gave her what little information I could, but told her I was still looking and I promised her to not give up looking because we wanted to know where she was.

I didn't give up and kept finding more and more out about my grandmother, up until where she was until 1960 when she placed an add about selling some land on Walsh Ave in Newburgh, NY.

June 22 1960 06 22 from Warwick Valley Dispatch, Page 4

I knew she was still in Newburgh, NY in 1964 (above) when her mother passed, but this was second hand to filled out the obituary which is not always reliable.There was nothing on where she was buried and no obituary for my grandmother Janet. I knew she would have been buried due to her being so faithful to the Roman Catholic religion.

"Grandma!" I gasped.

My grandmother Janet's headstone, me and my brother (in urn) two weeks after his death.

Getting back to the story, I was walking towards where my husband said he saw the last name Jagodzinski. I looked up and zeroed in on just one headstone... and all I did was gasp and say "Grandma!" and went directly to her headstone standing in front of it in disbelief.

I finally found where my grandmother Janet is buried and I found her as I had promised my mother I would.

It took me over 20 years, but I had done it. I let one of my sister's, my cousins, and my uncle Jimmy know. My cousins and uncle Jimmy all want to know what she died of and to prove she is buried there.

I know, in my gut, she's buried there, to be near her mother but not so much her father, but her mother I think she was extremely close to. I say not so much her father, because my mother once told me none of his kids liked him because he was a nasty and cruel man.

I know there's more paperwork to track down for record keeping sake, but not, for me, this is enough and closure. They won't be moving her from here that's for sure.

A Promise is a Promise no matter what

While I lived up to my promise, too bad it came too late for my brother to find out as he had died weeks prior to the finding and my mother has dementia pretty badly and probably won't even remember anything about my promise, but I will. I say this because upon a recent call I made to my mother, she didn't remember my brother dying and this is after I had called her, twice, to see how she was just after it happened and talked to one of the nurses which assured me my mother knew of his passing from my sister, Theresa.

There are a few other ancestral cemeteries around in the US, in which we did visit some and not others, but for now this was the one that had the biggest impact on me as I am my grandmother Janet's namesake.

Military Appreciation: Louis Julius Gauquie - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic information:
Who fought in the military? Who worked to stay out of the military? What discoveries have you made using military records?

When I started my family research, it was to find out more about my father's mother and my mother's cousin Jimmy, who was lost in World War 1.

Since then, I've found out more and more about my family on both sides and some days it was a proud feeling and other days was disbelief at the things I was finding and this includes things with the military. 

My mother told me nothing about my Uncle Louis, who this post is named after, other than his name and it was just Louis Gauquie. It wasn't until I started to look for him I started to get the sense like I knew him and what he did. 

Who was Louis Julius Gauquie? 

I guess this is the best way to start. Louis was the oldest son of Louis and Janet Gauquie. He was born in Cornwall, New York on March 5, 1936. He was their first child. The family currently lived in Newburgh, New York.

Louis Julius Gauquie in the 1950s. Credit: J. Gauquie

His father, Louis, was a bridge worker for the Erie Railway Company. In his father's file, his father was called a Bridgeman for the Structures department within the railway system. He worked on the railway bridges and as a painter, I would say, across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as these are the areas Erie serviced. It was said by his son Jimmy, his father Louis loved heights and would spend all day up in the air if he could.

The Erie Railroad on a map showing New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas. Credit

Louis grew up around Newburgh. His sister who was born in 1939, joined him in growing up in the area. However, in his childhood, the family moved to Milford, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, back to  Newburgh, and in Matamoras, Pennsylvania, then back to Newburgh, New York.

By 1949, his father got out of being employed by the railway and was now a plumber in Newburgh. they stayed in the area now.

In 1953, he was in a school in Newburgh, New York as a junior. But his life was now going to change.

August 13, 1953
Louis enlists into the US military into the branch of Navy.

This shows when Louis was born, died and when he work within the military. Credit

1954
LJ Gauquie, which is who this post is about, is pictured with crew on USS Duncan. This means he has made it into the Navy.

Louis with his shipmates on the Duncan. Credit

Up-close picture of Louis from the picture above. Credit

Hi ships Classification is DDR-874.

The USS Duncan. Credit

"After the end of the Korean fighting in 1953, Duncan remained busy in the Pacific, alternating Far Eastern duty with training and maintenance on the west coast. She visited Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many islands of the Pacific." (credit)

By December 1954, Louis was returning from his tour and was Fireman Machinist’s Mate (MMFN rating) in the Navy.

This gives Louis' position and links him with his parents and ship. Credit

In March 1955, Louis marries his wife Edith in Middletown, NY and is out of the Navy as I have him placed as working in New Jersey.

In January 1957, his son Louis is born.

By February 1957, less than a month after his son is born, he's back in the Navy again aboard the destroyer USS Rowan. However, it lists in in 1957 as Other on the VA files.

If you look at the above image, in 1957 he has other duties, so I think he must have been a contractor or something with the military. Credit

Lists Louis as a Machinist mate 3rd class on the USS Rowan. Credit

The USS Rowan in November 1957 in Sydney. Credit

However, the file from the Navy shows him as doing other duties in the military (above newspaper clipping).

From New York to Nebraska

In 1958, Louis, Edith and family have moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. Why? Because he is  now working for the United States Air Force located there. However, they've moved around the area a bit. I'm not sure why, but you can find these out through various business directories.

The question I still have is he with other duties in the military or is he has he applied to be in the air force?

From Newburgh, NY Business directory showing us they've moved to Lincoln Nebraska

From Lincoln, Nebraska's business directory showing where they are living and working including USAF.

"The Air Base was a city in its own right (actually becoming later the 5th largest town in Nebraska). Everything from a barber shop to a credit union to a dental clinic made the base largely self-sustaining. Swimming pools, a gym, tennis courts, baseball fields and clubs soon made their presence felt as well. Bowling Lake was constructed in 1958 using (what has been ironically gestured by veterans as) volunteer time of airmen and officers. The lake was dug on the Northwest side of the base and was known for its fishing qualities and boating events.

Housing was short in Lincoln proper, and between 1956 and 1958 1,000 units of Air Force duplex, apartment and standard houses were built West of Northwest 48th Street. A school, Arnold Elementary was also built, even then operated by Lincoln Public Schools. Older children tended to go to school at Whittier Junior High and then Lincoln High School. It should be said that airmen also found homes inside of Lincoln, especially the Belmont neighborhood of Northwestern Lincoln.

From 1955 through 1964, a considerable number of accidents occurred at the base (but also nationwide), primarily with the B-47 jet bomber. Fatal crashes occurred near Ceresco and near Raymond during 1955 and 1956. Bowling Lake was named for Captain Russell Bowling who commanded a B-47 that careened off the runway at RAF Lakenheath in England and into a nuclear weapons bunker, nearly causing a nuclear incident. The Major Meeks incident was also a well known event in 1964. A JATO (Jet-Assisted Take-Off) bottle burst and crippled his B-47, then known as Captain Meeks made sure his crew was out of the bomber. Unfortunately, his ejection seat failed and he was the only casualty on board, thanks to him there were no others.

Throughout the 1950's Lincoln became a major Strategic Air Command base and a very powerful asset to American nuclear forces. Its B-47 complement would number above 100 at times before 1965 and news of missile deployment assured the area in 1958 that the base would be there long into the future. KC-97 tankers meanwhile stood a less famous mission but nonetheless made the B-47 medium bomber into a strategic one. The 20 aircraft of each squadron provided  support with its dual transport/refueling role. By 1959 an "Alert Force" concept came to dominate SAC's bomber operations in the face of the 1957 Sputnik incident and the now shortened warning time of a Soviet attack. Also in 1959, 2nd Air Force assumed jurisdiction over the base and the naming of several units would change from 1958 into 1962. Strategic missiles coming into the mix would cause institutional changes themselves. Lincoln Air Force Base would move into the 1960's a very large and strong strategic American air base." (credit)

As you can see from the description (above) the base was a very active and important during this time.

In 1967, Louis and Edith welcome a daughter, Debra, to the family.

From Nebraska to California

In 1968, Louis, Edith and their children are now living in California according to another business directory. Again, it lists Louis as working for the Air Force, which still does not answer the questions I asked above.

I do believe he was working on the Travis Air Force Base due to its location to where they were living.

"Assigned to the wing on January 8, 1966, the C-141-equipped 75th Military Airlift Squadron transitioned to the C-5 "Galaxy," becoming the Military Air Command's first operational squadron to fly the new transport aircraft. On February 6, 1972, the wing added a second C-5 squadron, when the 22nd Military Airlift Squadron activated at Travis." (credit)

Even though the above is almost two years prior to his moving to California, I think either he or his command was waiting until things settled with the first groups coming over before sending him and the family.

In February 1970, it has he has signed up again and this time its with the Air Force a per his Veteran's file which lasted until August 31 1974. This was at the time of the Vietnam War.

As you can see by the above Enlistment date 2, he has now joined the military again. Credit

Towards the end of the war, the base was a major player in return of many of the soldiers from North Vietnam. (Credit) As he was stationed there, he might have helped bring the soldiers home.

"While 1965 to 1970 saw more than 5 million personnel go forward from Travis, the following five years saw only a fraction of this number." (credit) And I think it was due to this, he could file his papers to leave the military.

I'm not sure on what he did after this point, but I don't think it was with the United States Military.

In the coming years, his son blessed him with a grandson, Vincent, but died when he was very young.

His daughter graduated from high school and married in California.

From this date, I don't have any further military attachment until the date of his death on December 7, 1995.

The Social Security Death Index showing Louis' death in 1995. Credit

I believe his wife Edith, and daughter Debra, still live in California. Their son, Louis lives in Nevada.

Military Appreciation in May- Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

I've decided to break this post up into two. The first, below, is what the different days are we celebrate in May every year. The second post will be about an ancestor who has served but hasn't been talked about much. I figure if I pick an ancestor and post it on here that's served, it will be a dedication to them. 

I've written up documents before regarding military service of my ancestors (post and post). However, I feel like I'm just doing a groundhog's day with the military as we've had so many serve, I'm not sure what to do as a different post, so while I claim this as a Pending RSVP. 

Credit

Until I decide, I will talk about the military in the month of May. 

Military Appreciation Month
I know that every May, there's a military appreciation month due to there being a few days specially recognized during the month. 

First, we have Memorial Day or Decoration Day. This is held the last Monday in the month of May. Why this day? "It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country." is what the belief is. 

Credit: military.com

Memorial Day versus Veterans Day - What's the difference?
Many people don't recognize the difference in these two holidays, but there is a BIG difference. 

Memorial Day are for those who have served and have died. 

Veterans Day are for those who have served and who are still alive. 

I see this mixed up A LOT. People don't understand the difference which is such a shame. 

Military Spouse Appreciation Day
This is the day the spouses of those who are serving or have served. Its not a federal holiday, but it is a holiday for them for everything they do to keep the military person active and known within the community and this includes the home life. 

Credit: military.com

Its not an easy life at all for someone who does this. I'm a Navy brat and my mother did this for twenty years and my father retired. With all the upheaval the military put on relationships and family life, they do deserve the recognition. 

What I have a problem with, is when a couple divorce, like my parents have, the military person remarries and the new spouse then steps into many areas which this is one. My problem with this is my mother basically served twenty years with the military, and yet once the divorce papers were signed, she was shipped off and basically forgotten. Her healthcare was stopped. Her support in everything was just dropped even though she had given up so much. Then community just froze her out. And now with this day, which was started in 1984, my mother doesn't even get recognized for this at all. Instead, my father's new wife, has stepped in and gets it all - the health care, the community, supports, and even this special day in which she's never served a single day by living with the military way of life. 

Would I have a problem with it if my father's second wife married before he got out? Not completely. I would and do still have a problem with my mother getting nothing in the health care, supports and community, but I would recognize my father's second wife as a military spouse rather than just her being on some committees and calling herself a spouse when she didn't really serve by going base to base and everything else that goes with it. 

Armed Forces Day
This day was made in take in the individual Army, Navy and Air Force Days which were being held on different days which made it difficult for people. I can understand this as having people who have served in many areas of the military. 

Credit

So this brings me back to the overall Military topic and how to do this one differently and my RSVP of the topic. 

Credit

I think what I will do is a post about a past ancestor which has ties to the military. These I have plenty of including currently serving and past ones. To choose which one it'll be hard. 

My father, Matt, during 2018 Wall that Heals ceremony in New York. Credit

Nature of Kindness and of Community - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic information:
Any farmers or gardeners in the family? How about someone who simply loved to be out in nature? How about an ancestor with a nature-inspired first name or surname?

I believe where Amy is going with the next few posts is Nature versus Nurture debate for your ancestors. I am wrong, but I'm heading out my own way for this post. In doing this, I guess the best way to start these posts is to define the word and move on from there.

Nature: "The basic or inherent features, character, or qualities of something." "The innate or essential qualities or character of a person or animal." "Inborn or hereditary characteristics as an influence on or determinant of personality." (credit)

The Nature versus Nurture debate is defined as "The nature versus nurture debate involves whether human behavior is determined by the environment, either prenatal or during a person's life, or by a person's genes." (credit)

The topic is an super interesting one. Also, one I've actually been asked about before or comments have been asked about either with myself or with someone in the family. These are a mix of good and bad things like religion, drinking, truthfulness, helping the community, and various other things.

I have a sister who says she's a bitch (her words not mine but I agree with it and so do most people who know her) and she 's proud of it. There's a way to do things nice and not use certain words and temperament to get your point across; however, there are others when you can use all the worse words, tone and actions to get it across the wrong way. Myself, I'm a straight person and tell the truth. I might apologize in advance or tell you it might not be the way you think, but if you still insist, I will tell you what for but using as much kindness I can, unless you are being abusive towards me.  In contrast, my sister will just go right at you. She'll tell you she doesn't care if you like it or not because that's just the way it is and go jump. Not exactly the way to get points across, but that's what she does. Sometimes, she frustrates the whole of us and we just turn and walk away because it doesn't have to be that way. However, she wants things only her way and will only want it that way. Our father actually says "She's an odd duck that one." and leaves it at that which says something.

Anyhow... getting back to a happier topic...

The nature part of us has come through how we are kind and do things for our community. I know on both my father and mother's sides they have done this and its come through each generation I can see.

What's really weird is when I was growing up, my past relatives were not spoken about at all. I didn't know anything about them. In some instances, I didn't even know their names until I was an adult. However, since my research, I've found there are many instances we have helped others with kindness or in our community.

Nature of Kindness
This is going to be a hard one to show, because much of we've done, we did because we wanted to and not because we wanted recognition of it.

Adam Wojtkowski in the Great Depression had people come in and take food and put it on account. He'd rather loose a bit of money than have people go hungry. However, he ended up losing property and his business and work in a factory until after the Great Depression was over and he started again.

John Schmitz Sr would always have kids over to his house. He would tutor and help the kids in anyway he could even outside of school. All the kids knew where his house was and it always had kids there.

Jo Ann Fitzgerald (Me) performed in many type of bike and running races growing up. I also did many things through the Girl Scouts with volunteering. Then in college, we funded families during Christmas and Easter with food and presents.

Charles A. Schmitz Sr looked at our mother, grandmother, his wife and various other friends and family's cars, houses, etc to fix them if he thought he could.

Theresa Schmitz putting together a bike fund drive for the Danny Thomas' St. Jude Children's Research Hospital which I'll never forget due to her hanging up on him 3 times and swearing at him at least once.

and it goes on and on...but notice how its just words?

Doing things for our Community
This is much easier to show due to there being something put in the newspaper about it, or written about it and now on social media about it. I've found out things over the years about relatives which makes your heart feel good.

Autism Walk - with Paige, Taylor and Becky (Credit P. Blair )

My nieces in support of the community.  Credit R. Greenhaw Facebook

Neighbourhood Watch Casey at event for Country Fire Authority (Fire Department) for Black Saturday Remembrance. April 14 2019.
Pictured: D. Rosario, J. Fitzgerald, M. Eviota, N. Mortlock Credit: D. Rosario

John Schmitz Sr. obituary in 2002 showing how much he did in the community.

Jean Schmitz (my father's mother) helped out a police officer Credit

My grandfather, Matthew Schmitz, acted as Commander of the old VFW meeting to help vets in various ways as stated in article. Credit

My grandfather, Louis Gauquie, is mentioned. The mill dam mentioned I believe is the Rip Van Dam in Blooming Grove, NY

My great grandfather, Jules Gauquie, helps the community with giving a doctor a place to stay. Credit

My great grandfather and great aunts and uncles are mentioned in raising money for the church.  Credit: Feb 25,1938 in Middletown Times Herald

My great grandfather, great aunts and uncles are mentioned in raising money for the PTA (Parents Teachers Association). Credit as shown.

My great uncle on my mother's side, Jug has a long list of accomplishments highlighted in yellow. Credit

A great aunt on my mother side, Laura Kurpieski, was in various committees to help the community. This one above is one of the fundraiser for money for the community. Credit 

A great aunt on my mother side, Laura Kurpieski, raising more money for the community. Credit

My cousin Chris is helping with literacy. Credit

and I could go on and on and on.....

And this is without mentioning any public servants like fire fighters, nurses, military, etc.

This is one of the proudest accomplishments I found in my research, which balance out the bad...mostly.  In order to do this research, you have to take the good with the bad - its just how life is.

Nurturing for others: My Great Grandmother Annie- Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic information:
 This is a good time to highlight the kind, helpful souls in the family tree. Another way you could interpret this is an ancestor who was helped by a nurturing, encouraging person, like a teacher.

I believe where Amy is going with the next few posts is Nature versus Nurture debate for your ancestors. I guess the best way to start these posts is to define the word and move on from there.

Nurture defined as "to take care of, feed, and protect someone or something, especially young children or plants, and help him, her, or it to develop or to help a plan or a person to develop and be successful." (credit)

The Nature versus Nurture debate is defined as "The nature versus nurture debate involves whether human behavior is determined by the environment, either prenatal or during a person's life, or by a person's genes." (credit)

As you can see, to nurture is different than the nature versus nurture. In this post, I will give a great example of an ancestor who I can only imagine was the nurturing type of person - my great grandmother Anna Catherina Larsen.

Annie Gauquie's picture from her naturalization papers in 1924. Credit 

Annie, as Anna was known, came from Denmark in the mid 1890s. If I found the correct Danish census, she came from a farming household in Aarup (or Årup) Denmark in was born in 1872. 

Bisons in Aarup, Denmark. Credit

I found a census in 1880 which had her with her family. I was able to track this due to the small community (according to the information page of the area 3,014 in 1 January 2011 and it wasn't made a town until 1860, so there were very few people living there, which narrowed the information on her.

The Danish 1880 Census with Annie and her family highlighted in Red above. Credit was done when this page was active. Dfsimage.danishfamilysearch.com/data/folketaelling/ft1880/11938925.jpg

Further, in her passport application, she put her father's name and he was deceased.

Annie's Passport application which shows her date of birth, where born and her father's name. Credit

Due to having her father's name, I was able to match her year of birth, area to the information in the area. However, by the time the 1890 census was taken, she had moved out and was a servant along with her brother, Lars in the transcription I was able to get.

The 2nd to last and last are my family, I believe. This was the 1890 Denmark Census. Thanks Rick for helping. Credit Denmark Archives. 

The next time someone found her it was in 1891 and she was going to the US indirectly (meaning she had a stop) to St Paul, Minnesota.

This is from Denmark's Archives in 1891. Thanks Rick for helping. 

Then I have her in St Paul, marrying my great grandfather, Jules.

Jules and Annie's marriage certificate in 1896. Credit

Then they travel back to New York and set up a house, where they have children. They have 7 children - 3 girls and 4 boys and they have a prospering dairy farm.

She works the dairy, takes care of her husband and children. 

Jules is Annie's husband and from above, you can see she was actively working the farm even with children. Credit

However, in January 1911, tragedy strikes the family. Her 5th child, Charles, dies in a horrible accident. From what my cousin has told me, her father William and Charles were walking on their land. Charles falls into the small brook on the property, and William can't reach him and is screaming. However, he ran to get help and came back. However, by the time that happened, it was too late.

The newspaper misprints the name of Jules when it should be Charles. Jules is his father. Credit

As you can see, Annie was there according the newspaper article as a caring mother should be.

On top of this, their second oldest daughter Mary, comes down with Polio or poliomyelitis. I believe I've narrowed the time down to between 1910-1914.

Many people think of polio as the iron lungs, but it is much more than that due to after the initial bout of poliomyelitis, some people suffer from further symptoms also known as post-polio syndrome. Some of the things she could have had would be decreasing strength and endurance, breathing, swallowing or speaking difficulties, pain in muscles and joints, or fatigue and an inability to stay alert. The polio virus attacks specific neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord. This meant when she contracted the virus, it attacked the area where it wouldn't allow her to mental go beyond a certain age.

There was an outbreak around the area and from family reports she never grew, mentally, beyond a 10-14 year old and as she was born in 1899, this time frame fits as by 1907 approximately 2,500 cases of poliomyelitis were reported in New York City which was about 66 miles. However, with it being a dairy farm, chances are high of it coming from there due to the exposure to trucks and people from this area. There was a out break in polio in 1916, but this would be years after Mary would be infected so this wouldn't be where Mary's was infected.

As further proof, Mary did have an accident where she hurt herself, highlighted in yellow below, which goes to show they had to be careful with everything she did.

Mary, highlighted above, gets a burn on her arm and hand in 1918 due to her polio. Credit

However, it didn't matter to the family, as they loved her and kept visiting her just as her mother kept her with her, took care of her and loved her no matter what.

The vaccine would not be introduced for Polio until 1955, which would be years later.

Then in 1933, Annie gets sick from not having a proper coat during the winter. From my cousins, they were told she didn't have a winter coat, and her daughters bought her one just before she got sick because they were worried about her. However, having only wore the coat 1 or 2 times, she gets pneumonia and ends up in St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh, NY.

She dies on January 18, 1933. She is only 60 years old.

However, Mary is still at home on the farm and its noted in Annie's will and probate she is listed as incompetent and a guardian is appointed for her by the state.

As you can see by the second box at the top, Mary is declared incompetent when Annie's will is filed in mid January 1933. Credit

By the end of January 1933, Mary has been declared of having no general guardian. Credit 

February 1, 1933 it was given noticed for the probate of Annie, that on the 7th, Mary will be starting service of her guardian being the State of New York. Credit

February 14th, 1933 Mary has a guardian appointed for Mary. 

I believe Annie thought that if something had happened to her, Jules, her husband would step in and take care of their daughter, Mary. As you can see from the documents above, this didn't happen. In fact, the story is much worse.

Annie's probate was reported to be finished on October 17, 1933. It wasn't until this point I believe the next steps for Mary happened.

The family story is Jules shopped around to find the cheapest and most out of the way place to send Mary once the Probate was finalized. Based upon a doctor's input, it was recommended for her to be sent to the The Willard Asylum for the Insane (Willard State Hospital) in Sonyea, NY. 

Willard State Hospital, Main Building, circa 1898. Credit

I can hear you say "Huh? Where is that?" 
Sonyea, NY is near Groveland, New York in which the Town of Groveland is centrally located in the county, South of Geneseo in the State of New York. However, some people sometimes claim the name Sonyea is an acronym for "State of New York Epileptic Asylum".

Sonyea and Groveland, NY on a map showing the distance from Blooming Grove to there. Map credit: Googlemaps

The land was settled by the Shakers who wanted to be away from the mainstream of people and lived a simple life. However, they felt people were starting to affect their ways, and gave the land to become a hospital to help others, but then it was sold to become Groveland Correctional Facility.  

It was still in the state of New York, but far enough from any kind of main settlements, where family could not visit Mary as you can see by the map above. This made the family very upset because up until she was sent away, she had always been included in the family. 

Jules doesn't stop there though. In April 1933, they get a new phone installed, and by May, Jules has put ads in the newspaper for female help in the house. By October 1933, Jules actually leaves to go to visit his family in Belgium for 3 months. By October 1934, he's sold their home to newlyweds and is engaged to be married. On October 20, 1934 Jules marries for a second time.

By December 1934, his daughter Mary dies at The Willard Asylum for the Insane (Willard State Hospital) in Sonyea, NY.

Jules does bring Mary back home and buries her within feet of her mother, Annie.

Me visiting Annie and Jules (to the right of me) and Mary (in the front) January 31 2019 at St Mary's, Washingtonville, NY

Annie's Proud Achievements
Even with having this type of husband, Annie still manages to do a great job with her 7 children. Two died without having reach adulthood either by accident or by disease.

Out of the remaining 5 children, she has one that goes on to marry and have a child, Florence, which they loose in World War 2.

Another, Alice, becomes a nurse, at St. Luke's Hospital, which I believe is due to her sister Mary's polio. She goes on to marry and have a son who becomes a reverend.

James becomes a farmer like his father. Eventually himself and brother, William, buy their father's farm from him. James' daughters go on to start the Gauquie Sisters School of Dance in Washingtonville, NY.

Louis worked for the railway on and off for years before starting his own business of cleaning chimneys and furnaces.

I would say Annie didn't do too badly from what she had to work with!

Nature Versus Nurture
By reading the above, gives a great sense of what is nature against what is nurture.

The formal definition is "a debate involving whether human behavior is determined by the environment, either prenatal or during a person's life, or by a person's genes." (Credit)

Annie demonstrated just what its like to be a caring person and have this type of environment. However, with Jules, his behavior any kind of caring, would have to be shared by genes as I believe a normal person does not do what he had done to Mary.

Unfortunately, Mary's story is just one of the a group of stories about Jules and how he did things. If it would show him in a good light, he did it full steam ahead, but when it came to the door closing and keeping the people with the house, the stories got more terrifying.

This reminds me of Pink's song "Family Portrait" in this area:

"In our family portrait we look pretty happy

We look pretty normal, let's go back to that

In our family portrait we look pretty happy

Let's play pretend, act like it goes naturally"

Below is the video with the lyrics.