Wishful Wednesday - Everyone and Not One More than the Other

What ancestor do you wish you could have met?  What day, event in your ancestor's life do you wish you could have been a part of?  This Geneabloggers Daily Blog Prompt got me to pondering; the answer that immediately came to mind, is ALL of them.  There isn't one that I'd single out over another.  Hmmm, this might have to be a series of posts, where I highlight each of them.

Today, my Grandmother, Catherine Louise [nee STARR] KRIEBEL (1 December 1912 - 11 November 1975). 

I only knew her for a short few years; I was 12 when she passed away, but I have some very fond memories of her . . .

• Oreo cookies.  Grandmom always kept some on hand, stored in a Tupperware container.  Oreos with water was my favorite snack.  Yes, there was much teasing about that one.  I didn't / don't like milk, BLEH!  And, this surely didn't win me any points with my Uncle, a dairy farmer.  LOL!  Today, if given an Oreo that has been stored in a Tupperware / Rubbermaid container, the 'unique' taste - you know, the taste that only plastic can give to food stored within - floods my mind with fond memories of enjoying the cookies and a glass of water at Grandmom's.
• Sitting at the piano with my Grandmother as she played her favorite music and hymns; attempting to sing and play along.
• Sitting around the dining room table with my Grandparents, enjoying the meal and lingering after to listen to 'grown up' talk.
• Picnicking at Green Lane Park on Sunday afternoons; listening to the local bands play 'big band' music to entertain the families.  For FREE - imagine!

These are just a few of my memories; but, recently, on a trip to Pennsylvania, to celebrate my Uncle's (Catherine's son) and Aunt's 50th wedding anniversary, I was given a cherished gift of my own.  Another Aunt (Catherine's youngest daughter) had recently discovered some old family scrapbooks that my Grandmom had put together - one of her family and one of my Grandfather's.  Both contained photos, several posted here, that showed a glimpse of my Grandmother's personality when she was younger.  And, I learned a few things about her that I never knew.  For instance, she had a flair for the dramatic and was a budding and enthusiastic thespian in high school.  You can see that spirit in both the pictures of her and in the captions she wrote on each of the photos in the scrapbook.  This wit, spirit, and passion for drama even carried over into the menu for her wedding reception.  The menu was thespian inspired and the added bonus?  It was signed, autograph style, by each member (it is presumed) of the wedding party.  (see picture below)  A special thank you to my Aunt Gerri for sharing these scrapbooks with me.

The Officer's of the "KRIEBEL and STARR Construction Co." - July 4th 1937

My Grandfather, Wilmer KRIEBEL and Grandmother, Catherine STARR, building their home in Schwenksville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

"Under the beach umbrella"

 

 

Character in "The Story of Queen Esther" - 1928



 

So, what do I wish?  I wish I had known my Grandmother longer.  I wish I could have seen the thespian side of her; the mischievous and playful side of her.  In these photos, she looks like she is having fun and enjoying life.  I wish, in the near future, to encourage my mom, aunts and uncle to share some of their memories of 'this side' of their mom - my Grandmother.

My Grandmother passed away 38 years ago and I still miss her terribly; she and the other ancestors are why I am so passionate about genealogy and family history.  My deep desire is for my children to KNOW each of them; the only thing that could have been better, is if they could have KNOWN each of them.

Menu for Wedding Reception



Life in the City - Discovering Wallace BEARDSELL (Part I)

Wallace BEARDSELL; who is he? 

Growing up I would hear short stories about him . . .He and his family emigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from England; he played rugby and was thought to be quite good; he lost a leg.  And that was really all the information I had on him, until fairly recently.  Journey with me now,  to discover my Great Grandfather, Wallace Arthur BEARDSELL and as I learn of his life in the city of Brotherly Love.

When Wallace left his home in Wooldale, Yorkshire, England to emigrate to the United States, he would have made his way to Liverpool, Merseyside, England - a journey, presumably on foot, of 2 - 4 days - he would have been met in Liverpool by a representative of the Steamship company who would then take him to one of their lodging houses. (1)   Wallace, 30, left the Port of Liverpool, England on Thursday, 30 March 1893; leaving behind his wife Elizabeth (ROWBOTTOM) and his two children, Jane and George.  For the next 12 days he was a passenger on the S/S Ohio, the American Line Iron Screw Steamer, built by the Cramp Shipbuilding Company.  On Tuesday, 11 April 1893, Wallace arrived at the Port of  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the S/S OHIO docked at the Washington Avenue piers and he and his fellow European immigrants disembarked.  Wallace eventually settled in the nearby waterfront Kensington neighborhood where jobs and affordable housing could be found. (2)

It is currently unknown what happened to Wallace from the time he left the Washington Avenue Immigration Station on that Tuesday, 11 April 1893 and when I next find him in 1895.  However, of one thing I am sure; his immediate concern upon arrival must have been securing a home and employment, both of these things would have been paramount for his survival, but also would have been necessary before he could send for his wife and children to join him.

 

 

Steam Ship (S/S) Ohio (3)

American Line Iron Screw Steamer

343 Feet Long ~ 43 Feet Broad ~ 34-1/2 Feet Deep ~ Brig Rigged with vertical two-crank Compound Engines with cylinders 57 and 90 inches in diameter ~ 4 Feet Stroke ~ Boiler Pressure 60 pounds to the square inch.

The American Line - Passenger lists and Emigrant ships from Norway-Heritage

http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=amlin

 

Philadelphia Passenger Lists (screen clipping)

1800 - 1945 (4)

To see the full page, click the link below

Ancestry.com - Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800-1945

http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=View&r=an&dbid=8769&iid=PAT840_18-0145&fn=Wallace&ln=Beardsell&st=r&ssrc=pt_t17978389_p593514455_kpidz0q3d593514455z0q26aidz0q3d115184357044z0q26pgz0q3d32771z0q26pgplz0q3dpidz0q257caid&pid=212806

 Philadelphia Passenger List Index Cards (5)

 

View Images — FamilySearch.org

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/DGS-004759384_09462?cc=1921483&wc=M93Y-S5Y:1505178787

Sources: 

1. Emigration to USA and Canada http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/archive/info-sheet.aspx?sheetId=20

2. Washington Avenue Immigration Station http://www.philaplace.org/story/190/

3. The American-Line Passenger Lists and Emigrant Ships from Norway Heritage http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=amlin
4. Ancestry.com Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800 - 1945

http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=View&r=an&dbid=8769&iid=PAT840_18-0145&fn=Wallace&ln=Beardsell&st=r&ssrc=pt_t17978389_p593514455_kpidz0q3d593514455z0q26aidz0q3d115184357044z0q26pgz0q3d32771z0q26pgplz0q3dpidz0q257caid&pid=212806

5. Philadelphia Passenger List Index Cards https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/DGS-004759384_09462?cc=1921483&wc=M93Y-S5Y:1505178787