Travel for Research - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

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

Information on the Topic
Week 20's theme is "Travel." Even though we aren't do much traveling these days, we can still use it as inspiration to write about our ancestors. Which ancestors travelled a long distance in his or her lifetime? How about an ancestor involved in a travel-related industry, such as railroads or ships? How about an ancestor you researched when you did some genealogy-focused travel?

Pandemic and us

As the information on the topic says, we're not doing much travelling at all at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, as I'm writing this I'm sitting in our home (in Melbourne Victoria Australia) where we have very strict rules that have been in place for 4 weeks with another 2 to go (they are to be modified on Sept 14, 2020) as we are in our second wave of this virus. We are supposed to only go out for 1 hour of exercise per day, to pick up shopping we've picked and paid for online and the people at the stores put it in the boot (or trunk) of our cars, to work if you have a permit because your job meets certain guidelines, or for health concerns like getting tested for COVID or going to the hospital or getting medications. You can go food shopping but its only 1 person and supermarkets have been one of the major spreaders here of the virus and because of this, we either get the stuff sent to the house or we collect it in the parking lot. We haven't gone into a shopping area in months now. We even do this with all of our food. It's the only way we can be to be certain we don't get the damned thing. 

Inline with the above, we cannot leave the country as they had put a ban of all people coming in and out unless you are a permanent resident or citizen and then when you do come into the country you must quarantine in a hotel room for 14 days and in some cases you must pay for it all which is well over $2000 AUD for one person. Back in June or July 2020, our state of Victoria stopped accepting passengers returning because we started going into our second wave due to the people coming back with the damned virus and this is why we are in lockdown right now. 

Travelling for research

Be as all the above, we did get out in 2019 and do some researching even among my brother dying and our dog having to be put down as well. For the most part, 2019 was the year of me swimming through fog rather than living. 

As I've said, my brother passed away in January 2019, which had us making a mad dash back to New York from Australia. My god, I apologize if anyone ever sees the incoming picture they took of me. I look like the woman from There's Something About Mary with her hair sticking straight up. 

Credit

Anyhow, we did go back and we saw my father and my youngest sister out of the 3 I have and my sister in law and 2 of my nephews. Others couldn't or wouldn't make it. 

However, I did get some interesting information out of my father when he was talking. He mentioned my grandparents, my maternal uncle's and my grandmother and great grandmother. He even talked about my great Aunt Honey. I finally found out how my father and mother met and how they had broken up and then he came back after basic training and my parents got together again and this time they married, moved around, had us, and then divorced. Oh and he even said my uncle (mother's brother) even stayed with them after they got married which shocked me. 

I met up with my cousins I met online and my uncle (mother's youngest brother). We got together and talked and I asked some more questions. My cousins, while being interested in family history, are shocked about the amount of information they learned by one sitting. 

Myself with my Uncle and cousins in New York. Credit: B Fitzgerald

I was given some pictures of other family members including my mother, grandmother, and other uncle and one other cousin. The one I smiled at was the one of my oldest sisters as kids I had never seen before. 

Then as the weather got better, we also travelled around and looked for some of the headstones I was able to find for my grandfather and his sister (my great aunt) Florence, my great grandmother, Bernice, my great aunt Honey (although we're still not sure she's buried there even though in 2020 I found her grandson and he says she is), my great grandparents Gauquie and more great aunts and uncles and a few others. Of course there were some surprises when I found my grandmother's headstone right behind her parents' and that my great grandfather was buried next to my great grandmother and in front of my grandmother. We had a great time finding my Gauquie relatives buried at St Mary's in Washingtonville too. 

The sign for St. Mary's. Credit: Find a Grave

I met my paternal grandmother's partners grandson, who gave me my grandmother's doilies back. Apparently my grandmother made them for his great aunt in the 1940s-1950s and she used them for a bit and then put them away. She wanted them to come back to my family, so she gave them to me via her nephew. 

A picture of my grandmother's doilies given back to me. Credit: J Fitzgerald

This was on top of my normal visits to my paternal grandmother and her partner, Grandpa Charlie, and my uncle. We stop by each time we go over to visit. 

My grandmother's headstone

Her partner, Grandpa Charlie's headstone

My uncle's plaque with his ashes

We visited the statue in Newburgh where my great uncle, James J Gauquie, has his name inscribed on the memorial because he was KIA in an airplane in WW2. 

We visited Washington's Headquarters twice but also visited the land where my paternal grandmother, grandfather, father and uncle all lived before the tore it down because of Urban Renewal of the area that failed. 

Overall it wasn't a bad visit and, as you can see, we got a boat load of research done. 

Husband's side Research

As I mentioned above, we had some some research on my husband's side as well in 2019. This was about July as my husband wanted to get away and we decided to meet my father in law on the other side of the state to have a weekend away. This developed into taking a run to Kaniva, where my father in law grew up. 

Along the way, we got to listen to some of the memories of my father in law growing up. From his father getting land in the Discharged Soldiers Scheme in the 1940-1960s. How Brett's Aunt Jackie grew up around the area as well. How his father used to run around on the farmland and always seemed to have to do something. The memories just went on and on. 

We did visit my hubby's grandparents grave (they are buried together in one) for his grandfather's birthday. We sang Happy Birthday, lit a candle, left a gift from hubby's aunt for them. 

The grave with the gift of a teddy bear from Noel's sister, Kathy/Sue, and a cupcake with the 100 number for birthday year.

A close up

This is Noel and Brett trying to light the candles and sparklers but it was too windy so gave up.

It is a very small cemetery compared to the ones I'm used to but it seemed comfortable at the same time because it was so small. 

This is the section where Brett's grandparents are buried. Notice all the room around it. You even had to open/close the gates behind you it was that small! 

Sometimes researching doesn't cost anything other than to drive around and look. Sometimes questions you didn't know you had are answered and you are given more than what you ever thought you would. And other times, it's just nice finding out someone really does exist more than just on paper. 

Where there's a will there can be...secrets - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

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

Information on the Topic
This can be a fun theme! Maybe the will you're thinking of is a legal document. (There are certainly some intriguing finds in wills, such as my ancestor who left money to provide for the education of his daughters.) Another way to approach it would be an ancestor who was strong-willed or tenacious. Could there be an ancestor named Will?

The hardest part of anyone researching family history is when you make the jump from the country you knew ancestor was in back to where they had left from. There are so many variables which can go wrong. What helps is the documentation you might find in the country where you know the ancestor was and they give you this information. For me, that ancestor was my great grandfather Jules. However, I didn’t know where to go to look for information on Belgium because my basic knowledge was of it has a country in Europe. That’s it. Boy, was I in for some major learning. 

First, I got to know what the country is and what it looked like. Next, was the languages - Flemish and French - which shocked me. That’s not what I was expecting. I never even heard of Flemish before! However, upon going back to the census information I found they listed that language as the one spoken when Jules was growing up, so it had shocked me, but also proved I as on the right track through it all. 

Credit: US 1910 Census - You can clearly see Flemish Belgium on the first line for Jules

Next came trying to find more information in Belgium and Jules’ family in Belgium. Who were his parents? Where did they go? What did they do for a living?  Just to name a few things. Slowly Jules’ history was starting to fill in once I found Geneanet, a social media platform for family history which has a big of information of Belgium family history. I had some people there help me and they found the beginnings of the information and passed it along to me which then I took off with. 

My questions were starting to be answered slowly. Jules’ parents were Aloyse and Florentina. Jules’ was born illegitimate due to his father being drafted. I had newspaper reports a few times which stated Jules’ went back to help or visit family in Belgium. I decided to contact the local county registrar to see if she had the application for him or anything for his wife, Annie. The way I always look at it is if you don’t ask a question you will never get an answer to it, so I asked it and gave them all the information I had on their travels. 

Jules' birth entry and the entry making him legitimate on the right. Credit

Within 24 hours, I had some answers. The registrar's office of the county, who I contacted, asked me a few questions including if his father was Aloyse. This confused me but I agreed it was thinking it might have been one of the blanks Jules had filled in on the application which they were using to link my information to his. Next, what blew my mind was I received another email which had 4 attachments to it - all information on Jules, Aloyse and Annie. It was all for free which is/was almost unheard of. 

Aloyse actually came to the US, and filed, and later became, to be a US citizen. I now had this paperwork in my hand! This meant Jules’ father came to the US and is there some place. This spurred me on to do more researching for Aloyse all around the area I grew up, and was put onto his documentation. 

Alyose applying for US naturalization in 1898. Credit Orange County Register Office

It seemed like he had disappeared. Poof! I found a small child, Ella Gauquie, who had passed away in the town he was quoted to be in and around. Jules’ sister was in the same area. But where was Aloyse? 

Ella Gauquie headstone Credit: Find a Grave

Then I started to go over what information I had for Jules, including his brother who was on the same census and lived next door at one point. Then I looked again at who was in his brother’s household. There it was - Charles, head, Charles, boy of 1 1/2, and Charles, father of head aged 64 who's place of birth was Flemish Belgium. Whoaaaa!  Charles’ father was Aloyse not this other guy named Charles. And the place of birth is where Alyose is from. What the...? 

You can clearly see the 3 Charles information on the above 1910 census. Credit

Also, what confused me was there was a Charles Gauquie who was listed in a poor house, same age, with the same parents listed as I found in documents in the Belgium Archives for him. It had to be him. 

Found this for Charles Gauquie in 1916. The mother and father information listed is for Alyose's parents. Credit: Ancestry

Then I searched for Charles once again. Up came information... a census in 1900?  But married to another person - Margaret? And had a boatload of kids listed too. Next bit of documented information was a will for Charles Gauquie. I didn’t think much of it - at first. 

Charles (above) matches in Birth information, age, if you look it says Germany and above it is Belgium so someone was trying to lie. Parents information is wrong and the date of citizenship is wrong too. What's interesting is the wife and last child. Credit

I started to go through it again, writing down small things trying to understand the linking up of this to the guy I knew as Aloyse. 

What shocked me was he listed 3 children - Jules, Charles and Pharailde - all of the areas I knew they lived in and the ones listed around on the other documents above. 

Then I spied something which agreed with what others, that I talked to within the family, had been saying about Jules - that he was a nasty man in private but wanted to look good in public. Charles/Aloysius will seemed to back this up by stating, point blank, he did NOT want his son, Jules,  to get anything of his. He wanted it to all go mainly to his daughter, Pharailde, but if she wasn’t there, then it was to go to Charles. 

Part of Charles/Aloysius will which states he does not want Jules to get anything. Credit

There were many motions and others speaking to this to the courts, but it seemed the courts put more into spelling and not others words or testimony as because the person who wrote out the will spelled his daughter’s name wrong, the court decided it was null and void for everything to go to his daughter. 

One of the many pages in the probate record in 1917. Credit

As there was no documents she could show she was his true daughter, the judge wanted both his sons, Charles and Jules, to show up and state they were his sons, which is what they did. 

One of the other pages of Charles/Aloysius probate record showing children. Credit

The court's decision was to split Aloysius assets between them and leave the daughter out, was made even though his daughter took care of his burial, his assets, etc she didn’t even get a fee for that. 

I believe her brother, Charles, gave her some of his inheritance, but that’s just completely wrong. 

There was nothing more on Jules in the documents so I’m thinking he took the money and ran. No wonder why there was a break within the family! 

I still don’t know where Aloysius/Charles is buried, but I do know he was buried. I do know he spent much time around Chester, as his first wife’s sister and brother in law (the ones Aloysius' first wife was living with when she gave birth to Jules - Coletta and Joannes/John (born Jan Baptist)) lived in the area. I think Jules might have been named for him as his first name is Joannes then Jules. 

This is one of the conversations I had with someone on Geneanet regarding Jules' birth. 

Notice the yellow areas and this is what I referenced above.

I’ve researched it and John or Joannes IS buried, along with his wife Coletta, at Saint Columba Cemetery which is on the church grounds of the family church in Chester, NY. The same one I was a bridesmaid in a wedding back in 1996. One day, I’ll have to go for a walk and document these when we get back to the US. 

His headstone and entry on Find a Grave

A few years after this, I was actually contacted by someone claiming to be another cousin of mine. He was telling me about this guy named Charles and how his great grandmother, Margaret, had married him after her first husband died and had a few kids. Then the guy just disappears on her leaving her with the kids from both her first and this marriage. 

The guy who contacted me said his father didn’t know anything about there being a Gauquie connection, until he went to file for social security and found his last name was Whitman but Gauquie! He had to get his name switched after finding out about it. 

Over the years I found the articles about this and I had this cousin also come up on my DNA list so we are definitely cousins. What a shock it was. Yet, Aloysius/Charles never put any of them down in his will which saddens me. All children should be recognized by their parents no matter how crappy they were. 

If you add the above to what Jules’ wife had put into her will which I discussed in this blog post, boy Jules was some work of art!

Close to Home - 52 Ancestors challenge

This is a prompt from 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Information on the Topic
 Is there an ancestor who didn't move far from where he or she was born? Perhaps an unmarried aunt or uncle who always lived with their parents? Maybe you have an ancestor who lived not far from where you live now or you've made a discovery close to home.

This is a very interesting topic for me as before and after migrating to the US, overall my ancestors didn't move far from their roots. There are some who did, but the main bulk of people stayed around the areas. This being said, my mother and her family is a particularly interesting in this area. 

When I was growing up, my father was in the US Navy. Anyone who knows the military knows they can get sent any place in the world upon finishing boot camp. As I didn't really have any aunts or uncles who were really around, and my parents divorced when I was young, I just figured we stayed in an area where my mother liked and Dad was around the area so we stayed or had to for custody reasons. 

However, in my teens I started to realize this wasn't the case. 

My maternal side

I hurt my knee in 7th grade. When the doctor wanted to send me to Cornwall Hospital, which was nearby, my mother told him absolutely not. She was not going in that hospital. I do know she always turned away from certain areas of the surroundings and refused to go visit or shopping in areas. There was always no reasoning as to why she wouldn't, but she wouldn't and that was the end of it. When my knee was injured, she even told the doctor she'd go down to NYC before she'd go to THAT hospital. My mother was never one for driving in any bigger towns let alone NYC. We did have to go down to NYC a few times, but she always had friends drive us, so to actually say she'd go down there before she'd go to THAT hospital, something was up. I thought it was strange but let it go. By the way, I did go to the hospital but we always had to make it first thing in the morning or not at all. 

When my sister moved to Salisbury Mills and wanted us to come visit, my mother wanted to know where exactly it was and who was going to be there. Again strange but that's my mother. Other things cropped up but Mom always worked around them. 

Then when I graduated from Vocational School and we had to go to Middletown, she hated to go there but she was with it. On the day Mom was reserved with things but she was always like that. Then when we went in and I went to line up with my class and she had to find a seat in the bleachers, I left her and everything seemed fine. Then ceremony went well and then I went to find her after. She turned when I called out to her and her eyes had the look of ice in them. What on earth made her so mad? The only words she would say to me was "We're leaving. NOW!" and turned and walked out the door. No congratulations to graduating or on making honor society, no well done for winning outstanding student, and no well done. Nothing other than a wall of ice. By this point in my life I was used to it and I turned and followed her out carrying my certificate and plaque in my hands. Would you believe she sat in the passenger seat all the way home and not a word said. When I parked the car, she turned to me and asked me "How DARE you!" and got out. I couldn't figure it out and it stumped me. 

It wasn't until years later when I was doing research, I found out the probable reason why - The area her family lived in was there as the school had students from the entire county which encompassed the areas she would never travel. I found my Great Great Grandfather, Aloyse (also known as Charles), lived in the area around where we would go in and do stuff be leave just as fast. Aloyse came to Orange County NY around 1884 from Belgium. Here it was 107 years later and the family lived around the area still. It was amazing I hadn't run into any cousins I didn't know about because everyone lived within a 30 mile radius of where my Great Great Grandfather and Great Grandfather lived. In fact, my Great Uncle lived only about 40 miles from where my family was! 

Credit: Google Earth on August 19 2020

As you can see by the map above marked is one of my cousin's, who still lives in the area. This means my family has lived in this area as of this year 136 years! Wow. 

True my ancestors had moved around a bit - living in PA and NJ for a few years - but everyone always seemed to float back to the area. Even my parents, who moved around because of the US Navy, moved back to the area just before Dad got out of the service. 

My paternal side

My father was born in NYC as that's where both of his parents lived at that point in time. However, within a few years, they moved back to where my grandmother settled upon migrating from Poland in 1920 (her father came over first in 1913), which was Linden, NJ. This is where my great grandparents and great uncles all lived at one point. They stayed there until my father was about 10 or so. Then they moved to Newburgh, NY. 

They moved around the town but never left after settling in. Even after separating, my grandmother still lived in the same town and my grandfather lived farther out, but would always visited or worked in the town. 

My uncle moved away to attend college, but once he finished and married, he came back and settled a bit farther out but within a 10 or so minute drive from my grandmother. In fact, this part of the family lived in this part of NY until my uncle's death in 2002, and then my aunt moved to Florida where my cousin John's family had settled. Since then, my aunt's other son has joined them in Florida. 

On my father's side, most of us live around the area (except me who moved countries). I lived in the area until I moved to Australia in 1997. My oldest sister is in Kansas, the next sister lives in the Carolinas some place, and the next oldest sister lives near the PA and NY border. My brother lived down the street from my father's house until his death in 2019. I think once my father goes, our main link with the area will go too. I do have friends around the area, but the main reasons why we go there will really be gone. 

My great uncle's all had kids and they have families. From what I've researched, some of one great uncle's family stayed in NJ, and the other great uncle had moved to the Carolina's as well. I believe this family still lives somewhat in the area or at least that's what I found in 2019. 

Before the move to the USA

Both sides of my family lived around the same areas for generations I've found in my research. 

Maternal side

As I mentioned above, we had been in the same area of NY for over 130 years. Prior to this, they had lived in Belgium. The family had moved around a bit, but always stayed around 20 miles around Boezinge, Belgium. 

Credit from Google Earth on August 19, 2020

As you can see, we had stayed around this part of Belgium since the early 1700 which makes it over 150 years in this area. Some of the ancestors are marked as to their relationship to me. In fact, I found I still have cousins in this area today. One of the problems is they speak very little English, so I'm in the process of taking a 3 week online class to learn Dutch. I'm not sure if it's going to work though! 

As for my mother's mother's side, they arrived in 1905 from Poland and settled in PA. They lived there until about 1930 when they headed for New York in which some of my cousins still live today (see map at the top of this post). Some cousins, I found, still live in PA too. Some have moved to Kentucky, Alabama and Florida. 

Credit: Google Earth on August 19 2020.

Prior to this, from the birth and marriage entries, it seems like they were around the same area in Poland which is about 115 miles south from Gdansk/Danzig port. I believe they lived around there for generations from speaking to my cousins which knew the ancestors verbal history better. 

Paternal side

As I mentioned above, my father's side generally stayed around the same areas. 

When my grandfather, Mathias, came over in the 1920s from Germany, his aunt and uncle lived in Brooklyn. There was a huge amount of German settlers in the area which is why I believe they settled in there. 

My grandfather branched out and lived in NYC and that's where he met my grandmother. They married in NYC, and then he moved to Linden, NJ. He was in WW2, but then he came back. Shortly after, he took a trip to Newburgh, NY. After that, he and along with his sons, all stayed in this area. I do know he died not far from Newburgh, NY, but haven't a clue where he is buried. I'm still looking for the information but I believe it could be around Beacon, NY somewhere. 

Prior to him coming to the US, I found his family lived in the Rhineland in Germany for generations. If the researchers notes are correct, then we lived all over this area (see map below) since the 1700s which would make it 320 years or 226 years before my grandfather left Germany for the US. 

Credit: Google Earth on August 19 2020.

As for my father's mother, same thing goes with her side of the family. Grandma Jean I've written about many times. She was born and stayed there until she was 10 with her mother, cousins and family in 1920. I know for a fact, this side of the family still lives near there - they live in Warsaw but have a country house around here according to my father's cousin. 

I know where my great grandparents were married, Nur, and where they were born - Murawskie Nadbużne and Ciechanów. I do know from doing my DNA there are some matches either there once or still there because one DNA cousin came from Zuzela. My father's DNA came back as being able to be traced back to the 8th century "when The first waves of the incoming Slavs settled the vicinity of the upper Vistula River and elsewhere in the lands of present southeastern Poland and southern Masovia." (Credit). 

According to things said by my father and grandmother, my great grandmother was once part of the upper class of Poland society called Sejm. In fact my great grandmother's maiden name was Murawski after the town and they owned a farm. I think my great grandfather's history is pretty important too as according to the marriage document he was the owner of his father's farm due to his father's death. His mother owned a flour mill in town. This is back in 1905, so you can see just how "rich" they were compared to some others. 

When I started to go back on my grandmother's mother's side, I started to find out a bit about the family but due to language barriers and the complex software and file formats it's difficult and I'll have to look into it in the future. It seems by the tiny bit of digging, each generation moved south along the Bug river waterway. 

Credit: Google Earth on August 19 2020

If the information I was finding and the DNA  is correct we've been in this area of Poland centuries. 

Conclusion

My husband regularly looks over to me and tells me my entire clan of ancestors are "Stubborn and don't move easily". I look at him and laugh and agree. It doesn't matter which area you reference, my maternal and paternal are both stubborn and don't move with ease at all and that's just fine. 

Long Line - 52 Ancestors challenge

This is a prompt from 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Information on the Topic
Is there a trait or an occupation that seems to have been in your family tree for generations? Is there a line in your genealogy that's been in a particular place for a long, long time? Maybe you have Long as a surname.

Unlike the Bachelor Uncle topic, this one I could apply multiple of ways. Some of these are: 

• temper and stubbornness - Yep, on all sides and one of the traits my husband has pointed out multiple of times. 
• business owner and cooking/baking - Yep, on both sides of the family although some family members have more of a gift than others or so I'm told. 
• being the country and away from crowds - Yep, once again on all sides. 

I think I'm going to concentrate on the business owners. Sometimes they had combined the business owner with cooking and baking. 

On my mother's Gauquie side, we have had people as far back as the My 3rd and 4th great grandfathers Jean Baptiste and Jean-Francois Gauquie in 1806 were farmers in Belgium. I consider farms a small business and they had to sell whatever they were farming somehow. 

Document Credit: Herve Costille

Then you have the descendants who were a range of occupations:

Johannes Jacobus Gauquie (born 1792 died 1833) was an innkeeper in Boezinge, Belgium. 

Desiderius/Desire Franciscus 'Didier' Gauquie (born 1820 died 1878) who owned (along with his wife) a small business of a baker. 

Many of Desiderius' children had farms or owned their own or married into families where they owned their own businesses like Hotel Gauquie in Belgium. 

Credit

Jules Gauquie (born 1871 died 1946) he had his own diary farm and sold milk which his cousin took to market for him. Then he turned to owning land which was later either sold or given away to his second wife, Belle. 

                 

Many Jules' children had their own businesses as well. You had sons who took up farming and one who started his own business of cleaning chimneys and furnaces. His daughter started up their own dance studio. 

                                

From there the family doesn't really do too well with the owning of businesses or farming. However, Jules' great grandson, Jason, does own his business of heating and air conditioning company from 2002. 

To go further with the baking and cooking, my paternal great grandmother (Mary or Maryanna) all loved to bake and cook. She would spend hours baking and cooking away. Further, my paternal great grandfather (Adam), loved to make Polish sausage and eventually made his own smokehouse. People would drive from all over to buy his smoked food. My great grandfather was so busy making the smoked food, he had to limit how many times a week he made it because the other part of the business would suffer if he didn't. 

Credit: J. Schmitz - Her parents outside their Polish food store in Linden, New Jersey in the 1930s. 

They owned a small Polish deli in New Jersey. A few times they had to close or move it around due to the economy, but he always came back to running the business. He loved doing it and had taken serious hits when the Depression happened in 1929 and during the wars because he was trying to look out for his community so he would let people slide on food and payments. This ment at times, he would have to close their store and even once he had to work in a factory for a short time. 

When Adam passed away, after a long battle of stomach cancer, and they had to run a small sentence in the business directory about his passing because people were still trying to contact him after he stopped working. 

The love for baking and cooking has passed down. I like cooking and baking various dishes. However, the one who went even farther is my cousin, John S. Schmitz Jr who is an Executive Chef at Ocean Center in Florida. John's brother, Joseph, run his own accounting firm in Florida as well.  

                    

Credit - John S Schmitz Jr.                                            Credit - Joseph J. Schmitz

No matter how you look at it, we've have a long line of running businesses and the love of cooking and baking. 

Adventures of an Ancestor - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

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

Topic Info:
Week 42 brings "Adventure." Do you know of an ancestral adventure, be it great or small? How about an adventure that you've had while researching?

I've had many adventures while researching and it's hard to just pick one up. I've already discussed tracing my paternal grandmother and great grandmother's journey towards Danzig as the different armies were swarming towards and to Warsaw was falling in 1920. 

Jimmy Sherman. Credit

Then there was the locating my maternal grandfather and the family's move all over due to his work with the railway. This covered PA, NY and NJ. 

There was my mother's cousin, James "Jimmy" Sherman and the tracing of his life. This was made list of contents of his file at the USAF in Miami, Florida and the accident report which claimed his life.
easier by the

I could go on and on. This is the tricky bit...to pick just one.

For this prompt, I'll talk about one of the people who I have written a bit about. My uncle, Louis Julius Gauquie.

Louis Joseph Gauquie in the 1950s. Credit J. Gauquie

Growing up, my mother only told me he was dead. Imagine my shock when I started to research him, I learned he was alive until 1995. I could have visited him if I was able to if only I had known. Anyhow, he sounds like he was on one adventure after another by his travelling around I found.

My uncle Louis was the oldest of my mother's siblings. Including her, there were 3 of them - Louis, Joanna (my mother), and James (or Jimmy).

1936 - Happy Birthday! - 1938
Louis' life story begins on March 5,1936 in Cornwall, New York. His parents are Louis Peter Gauquie and Janet Dorothy Barry Jagodzinski Gauquie. According to the business directory, his father, Louis, was a bridgeworker for ERR or Erie Railway. They lived at 28 Henry Avenue, Newburgh. The family moved by the time he was 2 in 1938.

In 1938, the business directory said the family was now living at 69 Bushnell Avenue, Newburgh, New York. His father was still doing the same position in the railway. What's really interesting is Bushnell Avenue can't be found on any map like Google Earth. Could it have disappeared when the Urban Development happened? This will have to be looked at in the Newburgh Library when we visit.

In March 1939, his sister (my mother) Joanna Gauquie was born in Newburgh, New York. Further, by this time, the family had moved again to 69 Berkard Avenue, Newburgh, New York according to his father's (my grandfather's) railway compensated service documents.

69 Berkard Ave Newburgh NY house in 2012. Credit: Google Earth in 2019

According to the railway documents, his father was a painter on the Erie Railway working for the Department of Structure within the railway system.

The 1939 business directory, still had them at 69 Benkard Avenue address. His father was still employed as a bridgeman for the railway.

By September 1, 1939, there was a real estate transfer in Milford, PA in the Westfall Township, so the family was on the move once again, but this time to PA.

This was also the date World War 2 started in Europe.

Credit

The 1940 US Census, taken on May 28, 1940, has them still located in Westfall Township. The address they are at is 52 10th Street, Westfall, PA.

The PA 1940 Census. Gauquie family is on lines 12-15. Credit

Apparently his father liked heights so he got those jobs. Credit

The census tells us a bit about the family. They owned the place they lived and it was valued at 1500. It was only the small family of 4 living in the house. Louis, who was put down as Louis Jr, age was 4 years old. His father was 30 and his mother was 29 years old. His father completed 8th grade and his mother completed 7th grade. His father was born in New York, and his mother was born in Pennsylvania. His parents lived in Salisbury Mills, Orange County, NY in 1935. This is where Louis Jr's grandfather lived which was a farm. His father's occupation was a riveter for the railway. His father worked 36 weeks in 1939 and had made $1080 for that year.

On the census, there's a section on the bottom for more questions. The government chooses people who fall on certain lines must complete it and for this year, Louis Jr's entry, fell onto this line. It does not have much information in it mainly because he's a 4 year old.

October 16, 1940, Louis' father had to register for World War 2. The address is a PO Box in Matamoras, in Pike County, in PA. He is still working for the Erie Railway company (under FA Howard) which the head office was located in Cleveland, Ohio. The registration place was in Westfall, Pike County, PA. The court house was in Milford, PA.

The next time I pick the family up again is in the newspaper on June 23, 1942. The family came up to spend time with Louis Jr's uncle William and grandfather for Father's Day. This tells us the family is now located in Jersey City, NJ. 

Highlighted area above. Credit

By this point, Louis Jr will now be about 6 years old.

In August 1944 his brother, James J Gauquie, was born. Everyone called him Jimmy. Louis would have been 8 years old.

September 2, 1945 World War 2 ends.

On May 8, 1946,  the newspaper has his mother selling hats and bags she made in the newspaper in Newburgh, NY, so they are back in Newburgh.  Louis Jr is about 10 years old.

On August 17, 1946, the newspaper once again tells us they are in Matamoras, PA but they had recently been around Newburgh, NY to visit family.

On October 13, 1946, the newspaper lists the death of his grandfather, Jules Gauquie. The address for the family is Matamoras, PA. Louis Jr would be about 10 years old. His sister would be 7 years old, and his brother, Jimmy, would be about 2 years old. My mother told me they went and stayed in the house. Their grandfather's body was downstairs in the living room and people kept coming in to say goodbyes all night long. She remembers sitting at the top of the stairs looking down at them and the dead body which she was scared of.

On April 3, 1948, Louis Jr's uncle James marries in Salisbury Mills, NY. His father was the best man at the wedding. It says the family is now living in Newburgh, New York once again.

The above wedding picture. Louis Jr's father is from the left the 2nd one. Credit: Gailfboo

In the September 2, 1948 Milford, PA newspaper it says his parents have sold their bungalow in Bell Manor and they went through a real estate agency for the sale. It states the family has recently moved back to Newburgh, NY.

By 1949, the Newburgh Business directory now has the family on 114 Walsh Avenue, New Windsor, NY. His father is now a plumber. Louis Jr would now be 13 years old.

Even though his father was out of the railway by now, they still lived right next to the railway line. This is where the house stood but stands no more as of 2019. Credit: Google Earth in 2019.

About July 18, 1949, his father paid a fine for driving under the influence of alcohol. He pleaded guilty in court. It confirms the address of Walsh Avenue, New Windsor. He was driving along Route 32 at about 2:45 am Sunday by a New Windsor barracks of the state police. This backs up my father's story he recently told me about how my grandfather used to drive home drunk. All the cops in town knew him and let him go, but watched him. It looked like this time the normal cops let him go but the it was the state cops who arrested him. Remember, Louis Jr would have only been 13, so had a good influence on him.

Note: My father, who was close to the family prior to marrying my mother, knew Louis Jr would drink until he didn't remember. He would drive home, hit cars, and leave the car door wide open. He would never remember in the morning. His father (remember the newspaper article above?) would come in and yell at him for drinking and not realizing he was just doing what he saw his father doing. The sad part is Louis Jr's father, didn't know how he got home either because he was drunk as well.

In August 10 1949, Louis Jr's father had put a business ad in the Newburgh, newspaper for Chimneys and Furnaces cleaning especially oil burners. It gave a telephone number and requested people call after 5pm.

The same ad appeared the next few weeks as well.

In 1950, the Social Security Applications and Claims have an entry for him listing his name as Louis Julious Gauquie. This must have been when he filled out his Social Security form for working.

In 1951, the Newburgh business directory has his mother and father at the same address and his father was still a plumber. There is no listing for Louis Jr. so he must not have started working yet. He would have been 15 years old.

On June 13, 1952, the Newburgh newspaper puts in a group shot of Junior boys from Newburgh, where he's going to school. He would be 16 years old.

Louis Jr is the 4th row fourth from right. 

Then on August 13 1953, he enrols into the military. He would have been 17 years old. Meanwhile, his father is still cleaning furnaces and chimneys by vacuum cleaning according to a newspaper article.

The entry of his US Navy class. Above is a close up of his face. Credit: Ancestry.com

Note: I do know, from talking to my father who was about the same age, there were no jobs in the area. The employment was starting to fall due to factories and other businesses slowing down now World War 2 was finished and the amount of products needed were not as great. Many young men in the area enrolled in the military for employment.

In 1954 the Vietnam War starts. North Vietnamese begin helping South Vietnamese rebels fight South Vietnamese troops, thus BEGINS the Vietnam conflict.

The USS Duncan (DDR 874). Credit

On December 22, 1954, there was a write up on what he was doing in the military. He was in the US Navy and was aboard the radar picket destroyer USS Duncan(DDR-874). It was on a tour of duty to the far east and was getting ready to dock in San Diego. Louis Jr would have been 18 years old.

It looks like he had settled into military life and had already made Fireman Machinist's Mate. You must study and take a passing test in order to get ths ranking.

Oh March 23, 1955, Louis Jr marries Edith Rollings in Middletown, New York. He would have been 19 years old.

Grooms Index for Louis J Gauquie (about middle). Credit

Note: I do know from talking to my mother, there was a huge family fight which saw her brother Louis (who this post is about), her, their father and their Aunt Florence not speaking by the end. It had something to do with their maternal grandmother, Bernice Jagodzinska/Jagodzinski. After this my mother married and so did her older brother (she believed which is what I've proven by marriage index). I believe this was sometime between March and October (when my parents married) 1955 due to the marriage indexes and when Louis Jr was around.

Apparently, their maternal grandmother, Bernice Barry/Jagodzinski/a was a huge factor in their lives. When their mother was unavailable, she stepped in to help out the family by watching the kids, cleaning the house and making dinner. Because of this Louis Jr, Joanna, and Jimmy were very close to her.

Note: Louis Jr's mother, Janet, was in and out of mental hospitals at least 3 times in the 1950s my mother told me. This included getting electric shock to try to return her to normal. However, the last time Janet was returned it was in her sister and brother in law's care. However, the doctor noticed something not right and investigated and took her out of their care and put into New York State's care. Due to this, she was constantly transferred around the state without notice to anyone, which I (her granddaughter) personally have knowledge of.

In January 1957, they welcomed their first child, Louis Michael Gauquie. Louis Jr would have been 21 years old. Louis Michael they named him as Louis the III despite having different middle names.

The USS Rowan in 1957. Credit

In February 20, 1957 the Newburgh newspaper reported he was now a machinist mate 3rd class and is scheduled to return shortly to San Diego, CA on board USS Rowan. This means he hadn't been at the birth of his child, Louis Michael as they had been gone more than six months in the Western Pacific. It tells us his mother and father are still in Newburgh and clarifies his wife's maiden name.

In 1957, the Newburgh business directory has his name spelled wrong, but lists is wife, Edith. It tells us he got out of the military and is now an assembler in Mahwah, NJ, but they live at 195 Linden Avenue, Newburgh.

195 linden ave Newburgh-New Windsor NY back of house Credit: Google Earth in 2019

195 linden ave Newburgh-New Windsor NY front of house Credit: Google Earth in 2019

However, the assembler job must not have lasted too long because by February 27, 1957 he has another date in the Veterans Affairs file as being employed as Other. Maybe he was a contractor is what we're thinking.

In 1958, the Newburgh business directory still has his name spelled wrong (Lewis) but still gives his wife's name. This time it has they have removed to Lincoln, Nebraska. Usually when it has removed it means they have moved to the town or state they've named. It was time to go looking at Nebraska.

The entry into the business directory in Newburgh for Louis (spelled Lewis) in 1958.

The Lincoln, Nebraska 1958 business directory has them down as Louis J and Edith Gauquie. He is working for the USAF (United States Air Force). Their home address is 4426 Baldwin Avenue, Lincoln, Nebraska. He's now 22 years old.

In 1959, 1960, and 1961 they are still there, according to the business directories, but are now living at 2701 North 27th Street, Lincoln Nebraska. He's still with the USAF. He's 23 years old.

Why Lincoln, Nebraska? There was a military base there called  Lincoln Air Force Base which is now(2019) known as Lincoln's Air Park West Industrial Zone.

"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." Source

Above shows you why they moved him to the area and how stable is employment was. The area was growing.

In 1961, Louis Jr and Edith welcome their second child, a daughter. The address listed is their home address as in the business directory. In my research, I believe her name is Deb, but this is not proven.

On October 3, 1964, his grandmother Bernice Jagodzinski/a died in Newburgh, NY. Louis Jr would have been 28 years old.

On May 4, 1967, his grandfather Apolonius Jagodzinski/a died in Manhattan, NY.  Louis Jr would have been 31 years old.

The death of his grandmother would have made him sad, but the death of his grandfather wouldn't have caused him any concern. No one really remembers their grandfather at all. My mother said she can remember her maternal aunts saying how mean he was, but this is unproven.

In 1968, we now have them in California. The business directory has them listed as living at 1912 San Benito St, Fairfield, CA. Louis Jr is still working with the USAF. He is now 32 years old.

Again, we have to ask why Fairfield, California if he's still working for the USAF? It was more than likely he was redeployed to Travis Air Force Base which is located here. Remember this is at the height of the Vietnam War.

"Travis would become known as the "Gateway to the Pacific" in its role as the principal military airlift hub in the western United States. Initially equipped with legacy C-124 Globemaster and C-133 Cargomaster aircraft from the 1501st, the year 1966 would also see the 60 MAW introduce the Air Force's new all-jet heavy airlifter, the C-141 Starlifter. In 1969, the 349th Military Airlift Wing (349 MAW) of the Air Force Reserve (AFRES) was also established as an "Associate" wing to the 60 MAW, with both units sharing the same aircraft and eventually seamlessly mixing flight crews, maintenance crews and other support personnel." Source

I don't know which group he was in or what/if he flew. I do know the base was one where many of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam actually flew into before being flown home based upon some reading I've done.

In 1970, 1971, , we have him listed with the same address and occupation. They do have a phone number of 3986.

In his Veterans Affairs file, he has he had enlisted once again on February 19, 1970 and had been released on August 31, 1974. He was 34 years old. After, I do not know what employment he had.

Jan 22 1975, his father, Louis Peter Gauquie, dies in Newburgh, New York due to mesothelioma. This was probably caused when he took up plumbing and/or cleaning out chimneys. This places Louis in Victorville, CA.

His father's obituary.

April 30, 1975 Vietnam War ends. South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam as North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon, ENDING the Vietnam conflict.

In 1977, his son Louis III has a son. He names him Vincent P Gauquie. He's born in San Bernardino California. He was 37 years old.

On June 12, 1980, his daughter Debra Gauquie graduates from Victor Valley Christian School, in San Bernardino. He was 40 years old.

What I believe to be his daughter Debra's graduation in the newspaper. 

On October 24, 1981, his daughter Debra marries Michael J Biles in San Bernardino, California. This is proven by marriage indexes. He was 41 years old.

On November 15, 1983, Louis III's son, Vincent dies. It lists Louis Jr and his wife's location as Victorville, CA. Louis Jr's son is living in Las Vegas, NV. He was 43 years old.

His grandson's obituary. He was aged 6.

On October 15, 1985, Louis Michael Gauquie, known as Louis III, is married in Clark, Nevada to Bonnie S Cook. He was 45 years old.

The US Phone and Address Directories have Louis Jr as living from 1994-1997 in Victorville, California. 

According to his Veterans file(above), Louis Jr dies on July 12, 1995. I would say he died in Victorville, California as this was his last place of residence. He would have been 55 years old. I have not been able to locate his obituary as yet.

His mother, Janet, would continue to live until 1999, when she passes away around Newburgh, New York according to the SSDI or Social Security Death Index. 

Me sitting down trying to figure out
what to write to Aunt Edith.
Credit: J. Fitzgerald

Earlier in 2019, I have used the last address I was able to track down of Aunt Edith's and wrote to her hoping she would write back, so I could reconnect with this side of the family. I would love to put
together more of Uncle Louis' puzzle and get to know any of the cousins I have on this side of the family.

As you can see, Louis Jr's life was made by moving around all over. The biggest part was when he joined the military, which sent him to the other side of the US and away from all his family. He had a very hard life with the moving but also with his father's work.