Comments Feb 2005

Genealogy

 

Edith Higgins

The photograph above had the name Edith Higgins written on the back. We have no idea when or where it was taken or who Edith Higgins is, but we would like to return the photograph to her relatives. It was purchased at a flea market in Ottwell, Indiana, January 15th, 2005. If you can help locate relatives of Edith, please contact us.

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New to Genealogy

 

From Vikki Ayres

I am interested in becoming a member of U.S. Legacies. Presently, I am trying to research my family’s genealogy that includes slaves and former slaves intermingled with Scottish or Irish and Blackfoot Indian heritages. I have a document from 1906 which indicates that my great grandfather changed his surname from Leftwick to Shackelford. Why might he do that? Again, I am new at this and would appreciate any help you can offer to aid my search.

 

Contact hunisukl@*****.com with any information. Thanks!

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Grandview Indiana Teachers

From Helen Held nee Parker

The photograph above was taken around 1936 in Grandview, Indiana. The people in the photograph were teachers at the OLD Grandview High School before it burned down. Left to right, back row is: Carl Englebreat, Mr. Lennie and Mary J. Derr. On the right side is Martha Foertsch and Mac McClellen. The name of the woman in the front is unknown.

 

If you know her name, please let U.S. Legacies know.

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Indian Genealogy

 

From Misty Cleaver

I am trying to find information about my grandmother. How can I go about finding out if there was Indian in my grandmother’s family? My sisters and I have no idea what to do. If you can help I would be grateful.

 

Contact chris1971@*****.net

 

Indian Genealogy Response

 

From Franklin Wike

There are roll books available that lists the names of Indians. As a starting point, do you know what your grandmother’s maiden name was, what year she was born and where she came from? This type of information will be needed in order to find out what tribe she would be listed under. If you would like to give us as much information about your grandmother as possible, we will try to help point you in the right direction. It would also be helpful to know when she got married and where.

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Military Services Are Held For Harvey Feaster

 

Obituary submitted by Harvey Wike

Military funeral services for Harvey M. Feaster, of 570 Renihold St., were held from the Rohland Parlors, Fifth and Cumberland Sts. in Lebanon, PA. The Rev. John M. Weaver, pastor of the Mennonite mission, officiated. Burial was in Ebenezer Cemetery.

 

Pallbearers were James Wiles, Elam Shaeffer, Fred Kolby and Lester Feaster.

 

Military services were in charge of Roland Hoke of the Lebanon Veterans of Foreign Wars.

 

The following members of the firing squad were from the Annville American Legion: Wallace Hicks, Jr. William Anspach, George Loose, Otis Oliver and Paul Perini. The bugler was Larry Eberly.

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News From the Wike Family

 

From William Wike

I recently received a letter from my cousin Donald Wike in Florida. He is the son of Robert C. Wike and Aunt Eva. I had sent him some pictures of my dad, Charles Wike, in his uniform. Donald wrote back that his father Robert was in the Army and served at Fort Bliss, Texas, at the same time my dad was there. He also informed me that my great-grandfather, Elias Wike, is buried at Rexmont, out near Cornwall, PA. Donald’s parents and brother are buried there also.

 

He also wanted to know if I knew of an Aunt Amanda and George Baker. He thinks they used to live on Canal Street in Lebanon, PA.

 

I also got an update from my niece, Ruthy Markey. It had slipped my mind that my sister Doris and her daughter Ruthy had lived in Chicago with Aunt Bertha and Cousin George. Ruthy said that on my cousin George, he wasn’t Aunt Bertha’s son. He was her nephew. His name was George Foltz, and he worked for the Northwest Railroad until he moved back to Lancaster, PA, in the 1970s or 1980s.

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Good Old Days

Unknown Lamp

From Anonymous

The lamp pictured above was purchased at a farm auction. The new owner has no idea what it is or what it was used for. If anyone can help identify this lamp, please let us know or post a response on our website, in the Antiques & Collectables Photo Album.

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Valentines Memories

 

From Polly

When I was in 5th grade, I got 25 valentines, which meant I got one from everyone. That is something that never happened before. I ran off the bus to tell Mom I got 25 valentines and she was not in the kitchen where she always was when we came home from school. I ran upstairs, looked in the bedroom, bathroom and she was nowhere to be found. Later my stepfather came in from the store and said I have a new baby sister and he put the footprint on the table for us to see. He did this with all 7 of his children when they were born. So I have a sister born on Valentines day.

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The Most Special Gift I Ever Got

From Helen Held

Back in 1936, a girlfriend of mine invited me to her birthday party. It was being held in Newtonville, Indiana, and after I got there a group of us teenagers began playing a game called Two Up, where everyone had to pair up into couples.

 

This guy named Harold Held and I were the last two, so we ended up as partners. We would end up spending all of our time together in Harold’s car talking. After that, we didn’t really go out on dates but we would meet each other at the movie and spend our time together.

 

One day, we were out on the front porch swing and Harold proposed to me. Naturally, I said yes so we went into Evansville with my parents and got a ring down on Main street. Then one day Harold called the preacher and we went over to the preacher’s house and got married.

 

After our wedding, his grandmother Foerstch and Aunt Martha gave us a rocking chair. Harold sat in that rocking chair and I had to sit in a regular chair. Later on, Harold bought a little rocker, and gave it to me, so that I could sit by his side and rock with him for the next 60 years. Spending all those years in that rocker, by Harold’s side, was the best gift of my life.

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Feaster Reunion

From Harvey Wike

That picture of the Feaster Reunion in the January issue, was taken on the front porch at our house in Fredericksburg, PA. Some of the people were relatives from up around Perry County, PA, which is above, or I should say west of Harrisburg.

 

Left to right is Granddad Harvey Feaster seated. Standing is Uncle Lester Feaster, Ruth Ann Leaper and her mother Doris, which was my sister. Next to Granddad Feaster is Lester’s wife Ada and in front of her is their son Lester, Jr.

 

The other four on the right, I don’t remember but I think they were Burkepiles.

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Burma Shave Company

 

From Dale Spoor

I just found your site. Enjoyed it very much. I remember many of those things as I was born in 1927.

 

Could you help me? When did the Burma Shave Company go out of business? I cannot seem to find the date. You can E-mail me at gagitman@*****.net with any information.

 

Burma Shave Reply

 

Below is some information from the U.S. Legacies archives on Burma Shave.

 

Way back in 1925 young Allan Odell pitched this great sales idea to his father, Clinton. Use small, wooden roadside signs to pitch their product, Burma-Shave, a brushless shaving cream. Clinton wasn’t wild about the idea but eventually gave Allan $200 to give it a try.

 

It didn’t take long for sales to soar. Soon Allan and his brother Leonard were putting up signs all over the place. At first the signs were pure sales pitch but as the years passed they found their sense of humor extending to safety tips and pure fun. And some good old-fashioned down home wisdom.

 

At their height of popularity there were 7,000 Burma-Shave signs stretching across America. The familiar white on red signs, grouped by four, fives and sixes, were as much a part of a family trip as irritating your kid brother in the back seat of the car. You’d read first one, then another, anticipating the punch line on number five and the familiar Burma-Shave on the sixth.

 

The signs cheered us during the Depression and the dark days of World War II. But things began to change in the late Fifties. Cars got faster and superhighways got built to accommodate them. The fun little signs were being replaced by huge, unsightly billboards.

 

1963 was the last year for new Burma Shave signs. No more red and white nuggets of roadside wisdom to ease the journey.

 

His cheek

Was rough

His chick vamoosed

And now she won’t

Come home to roost

Burma-Shave

 

Twinkle, twinkle

One-eyed car

We all wonder

WHERE you are

Burma-Shave

 

A whiskery kiss

For the one

You adore

May not make her mad

But her face will be sore

Burma-Shave

 

When Super-shaved

Remember, pard

You’ll still get slapped

But not so hard

Burma-Shave

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Wartime

 

The Spence

From Mary

My husbands ship, the SPENCE, was part of the Little Beaver Squadron. The SPENCE went down with all hands lost except about 21 guys. My husband Roger was one of those, having been picked up after a couple of days by the DE Tabberer and went on to live a good productive life to age 70.

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The Spence

From Woody

I remember the Spence we were one of the two ships looking for survivors from it and the others that went down. We did pick up some survivors but not enough. We had the experience of going beyond the point of return but a freak wave hit us and brought up back level again and I am glad cause the water was deep and cold.

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4261 Quartermaster Truck Company

 

From Allen

Anyone from 4261 Quartermaster Truck Company or any other WWII Soldier know a T Sgt Chester Pike from Avon NY? Contact me at apike6@*****.net with any stories or information you may have.

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WW I

 

From Sherry Opperheim

I am in possession of information given to me by my grandmother about my grandfathers WW I service, which I cannot verify. My mother destroyed all his records, and I have written for copies, but don’t know what they will show.

 

What my grandmother told me years ago, was very specific. She told me that grandpa served in the US Expeditionary Force in Russia, specifically Siberia. She said that he was with a little-known group that was sent to rescue the Czar and his family, and that they were only 7 miles from the farmhouse when they heard the fatal shots across the frozen steps.

 

I cannot find any information on-line that would support this, but I know he was there. Nanny showed me a series of post cards (among the trash Mother tossed) that when put together was an Arial photo of pre-war Moscow. He had written in a sort of simple code, not to throw out his cards as they came, as they would be all she would have if he never returned. This was his way of telling her that the cards were important, and indeed they were.

 

It was a capital offense, not only to be in possession of this set, but to send it anywhere, in the event that they fell into enemy hands. They were quite clear and with simple magnification gave a lot of layout history of the city.

 

Nanny did not give me this stuff, but I am sure that she wanted it kept, for obvious reasons. Do you have ANY knowledge of this Force and if so can you point me in the right direction to research it?

 

I have my own feelings about the incident. I think that if what Nanny told me was even remotely true, then the Communists must have had information that the USEF was near and that may have precipitated the slaughter of the Czars family.

 

Just a thought on my part.

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Preparing Children for the Future

 

From Milton Long

We grew up very fast, but my folks had done a good job of providing me with the things I needed to survive. My dad made certain I knew how to use Fire Arms and to move in the woods. He made me join the Boy Scouts and learn how to take care of myself.

 

His advice on how to survive in cold weather was a big help. All of these things didn’t cost any money but were very important in my later years. When people think about what they should teach their children, they should consider what they might need to survive at some point in their later life. I am sure my dad didn’t think he was training me for WWII, but for my adult life.

 

I was small and for that reason, I couldn’t do a lot of things the bigger boys could. But I could do a lot of things they couldn’t do. In the Army, at 20 years of age, I could march further and shoot better than the big guys. I could read maps and travel cross country with ease.

 

It is never to early to train children for the future, because the future might be tomorrow. It was 60 years ago that the Battle of the Bulge took place. This tested the men on their ability to survive. Some could do nothing about the situation they found themselves in, but others found they could do more than they thought they could and under the worst possible conditions.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read the stories I send.

 

 

U S Legacies Magazine February 2005