A DNA Breakthrough and Conference News

Welcome back, Readers!

Summer has not yet arrived on the calendar, but the heat wave we are experiencing in the Bay Area has aided my transition into full Summer mode! With another Midwestern road trip slated for September, lots of on-site research planning is happening at my desk. This year, a perk has been added to my back-east wanderings: my sister Denise and her husband Frank have bought a house in Arkansas! I already miss their former mountain home-base in Bishop, California, but now I have a great place for extended pit-stops on journeys to Cincinnati and beyond, with the added bonus of spending time with my wonderful sister and brother-in-law!

Frank preparing to give Denise "bunny ears." 

They are wonderfully insane. Can't wait to see them again!

Dismantling Some Masonry
One of the proverbial "brick walls" with which I have been contending in recent years involves my 2nd great-grandfather, John Thomas "JT" Romans. According to family legend, in 1858 JT's mother Angelina Romans had a late-teenage tryst with a boy named Tom Ford and found herself to be with child. Soon after his roll in the hay with Angelina, Tom Ford left town, supposedly to visit Europe.

The Romans family had a farm in Owen County, Kentucky at the time, and they had a good many neighbors with the surname Ford, who appear to have been rather well-to-do for the area, based on documents and county histories I have found. Perusal of the Federal Census of 1850 for Owen County showed one person named Thomas Ford, the son of Harbin (misspelled "Harlin") and Anna (spelled "Ann") Ford. One of the Owen County histories mentioned that young Tom, his mother Anna, and his sister Laura moved to Frankfort soon after the 1853 death of Harbin Ford so that Tom could attend a private school there. 

There continued to be a heavy Ford-family presence in Owen County following the relocation of Harbin's household, and those family ties are the basis for my suspicion that the widow and children of Harbin Ford made a number of 20-mile trips back to Owen County in the years following their move to Frankfort. It is possible that one of those visits provided the opportunity for this Tom Ford to get together with Angelina.

Due diligence required that I search for another possible baby-daddy named Tom Ford, so I dissected 1850 and 1860 census records for Owen County looking for clues that could lead to another Tom Ford but found no one else by that name. A search of census records for surrounding counties yielded only our original suspect living in Frankfort with his mother and sister in 1860.

Other neighbors of the Romans clan included the Martin family. They had a son named Elisha who must have been a generous young man, because he married Angelina in 1860, less than a year following the birth of little JT. In the 1860 census, the household of Elisha and Angelina Martin included JT, with the assumed surname of Martin. It may have been Elisha's intent to adopt and help raise JT. I've noticed that distantly related genealogy hobbyists who have included our Romans family in their trees have assumed that Elisha Martin was JT's biological father, but those of us who are JT's direct descendants have not believed that to be the case. 

Thomas B. Ford, left (Register of the KY State Historical Society, vol. 41, p 11)

and John Thomas Romans, right (from a family photo dated 1909)

In 1863, with JT only four years old, Angelina died and Elisha Martin volunteered for the Confederate Army. JT was left in the care of his grandparents, Shelton and Malinda Romans, in whose household he appeared on the 1870 census. When Elisha Martin returned from the war, he married Angelina's younger sister Zilpha and had a number of children with her, including a daughter they named Adeline, which had been Angelina's nickname.

JT's Romans grandparents had passed away by 1880. JT does not appear in the households of either Elisha and Zilpha Martin or Tom Ford in the 1880 census. 
In 1882, JT married his first wife Corinthia in a neighboring county. Corinthia died in 1888 without any surviving children that I have located. In 1889 he married my 2nd great-grandmother, Amanda Petty. 

JT and Amanda remained in northern Kentucky and raised a large family, including my great-grandmother Daisy. Census records state he worked as a farm laborer then later as a carpenter. JT fell victim to a common scourge of his time, tuberculosis, and died in a TB asylum in Texas at age 62. The informant for his death certificate was either Mrs. or Miss Anna Romans (wife Amanda's name might have been mistakenly written as "Anna," and he had a daughter named Anna), who evidently gave the name "Tom" as his father's name, which was written on the certificate as "Tom Romans." His mother's name was given as "Adeline Romans," using Angelina's nickname.

Next, I embarked upon a deeper study of our suspected paternal Tom Ford, whose full name was Thomas Benton Ford. Mr. Ford continued to reside in Frankfort following his schooling and became an attorney. He was also a published author of poetry and prose, as was his sister Laura. Because he was a man of some notoriety, I was able to find an article about him and Laura in a 1943 issue of the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, as well as mention of him and his family in a book entitled Owen County, Kentucky: History and Families. From these and a few other sources, I have been able to glean quite a bit of fascinating information about Thomas B. Ford, but no hints that he had left behind an illegitimate child in Owen County. 

The search for DNA evidence of paternity was my next step. Our Tom Ford did marry and by this wife had a son named Ellis, who died as a young adult without leaving any known children behind. Laura Ford married late in life and does not appear to have had any children, either. Tom and Laura were Harbin Ford's children by his second wife. Fortunately, Harbin's daughter Elizabeth by his first wife has had a long string of progeny, the lines of which I have traced down well into the 20th century. Ancestry DNA came to the rescue here, yielding two living cousin matches: One a half 5th cousin (male) and the other a half 4th cousin once removed (female), both descendants of Tom's half-sister Elizabeth!

These DNA matches constitute my first concrete piece of evidence that Thomas Benton Ford may be my 3rd great-grandfather. At the very least, it appears I have located the family of the mysterious Tom Ford. Research continues.

Recent L.A. Jamboree and upcoming Sacramento German Conference
A couple of weeks ago, I made one of my customary treks to the Los Angeles area to visit family and sneak in some research at the L.A. Central Library, one of my favorite haunts (see my article about it in the California Genealogical Society blog: The Genealogy Collection at Los Angeles Central Library). My time was limited, but I had to go check out the feted Genealogy Jamboree that was taking place in Burbank. I signed up for their free sessions on Friday morning, which were terrific, and had a chance to peruse the society and merchant booths.

Besides the free Friday sessions, Jamboree has a free mobile app that is very similar to the one that Roots Tech has. Like the Roots Tech app, you can use the Jamboree app to download all of the handouts from Jamboree sessions, whether or not you paid for or attended any of them! It's important to keep in mind that both Roots Tech and Jamboree make the handouts available for personal use only!

This coming weekend is especially exciting for many of us who do German genealogical research, because we will be enjoying the International German Genealogy Conference, which is being held in Sacramento, only a 2-hour drive from home! Of course, I will be writing about it on this very blog!

Annie

"Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei (Everything has an end, only the sausage has two)." -- German expression

The Pryne Twins at 80, Kentucky Klips, and More!

Happy Spring, Everyone!

The poppies are popping again out here in California. We had much more rain than usual this year, so we are having what they call a super-bloom season. Loving all the color! Wikipedia has posted this fabulous picture of a righteous coating of poppy-Cheeto-Dust on Walker Canyon in Riverside County (photo by Bluesnote):

Kentucky Klips, Plus!
One of the joys of doing genealogy is finding surprises in newspaper archives, and I've mined some real gems in recent weeks. The most important clippings found in this haul provide essential info regarding the month and year of the marriage of my maternal grandparents, Clarence Pryne and Dorothy Marksberry. My immediate family is not in possession of any documentation of their marriage, but on the 1940 U.S. Census my grandparents stated they were living in the same Covington, KY dwelling in 1935, and their first child--my mother Bonnie--was born in 1937. These facts provided the clue that they were married in 1935 or earlier. Their son, my uncle Jimmy, could not recall the date of their anniversary when I asked him recently, but he remembers seeing a photo of his mother in a wedding dress. Fortunately, now I have more clues!

The clip below is from the newspaper The Kentucky Post on March 28, 1934. It advertises a fundraising event for the local volunteer fire department. In the fourth paragraph of the article, my grandmother Miss Dorothy Marksberry and great-grandmother Mrs. Orin Marksberry (her name was Daisy) are listed as participants. The fifth paragraph states that my grandfather Clarence Pryne would be performing a specialty dance (he was known to be good at soft-shoe tap). From this clip, not only do I learn that my grandparents were not yet married in March of 1934, I also learn that my great-grandmother was probably a member of the Women's Auxiliary of the Elsmere Volunteer Fire Department! My great-grandfather and great-uncles may have been volunteer firemen, too.

This next clip from The Kentucky Post dated April 6, 1934 provides the society-column announcement about the Ladies' Auxiliary show in its second through fourth paragraphs. The article states that the show would take place Friday (April 6th was a Friday in 1934) at Lloyd High School, where my grandmother was likely a student. It is distasteful to read in the third paragraph that some men performed in black-face (hopefully Grandpa was not one of them!). Clarence Pryne (Grandpa C.P., as we knew him) is mentioned again as a dancer.

The most exciting find from my search of The Kentucky Post is this marriage announcement dated July 5, 1934. My grandparents are listed third. There is no exact date or place mentioned except for Kenton County, and I've yet to find an official record of their marriage, but my search has been narrowed considerably!

Nearly five years into their marriage, on April 21, 1939, Dorothy would give birth to boy-girl twins, James and Joan. Twins run on both sides of my grandfather's family--his mother Lorena Segondollar had a twin brother, and his father James Prine had a set of boy-girl twins by his second wife Madge. On April 22, 1939, The Kentucky Post printed a photograph of three nurses from St Elizabeth's Hospital holding three sets of twins that had been born there that week. The nurse on the right was holding the Pryne twins.

When I showed this picture to Uncle Jimmy last week, he did not remember seeing it before, and he also claimed he could not tell which baby was him, except to say that he was "the ugly one" (ha-ha!).

As you can tell from the date, Uncle Jimmy just celebrated his 80th birthday, but every year he mourns the loss of his twin Joanie, who died in 2001. Aunt Joanie and I bonded over music, as she was a gifted Gospel singer.

Here's another clip from The Kentucky Post dated June 10, 1950 in which there is a report about a picnic held at the home of my great-grandparents, Orin and Daisy Marksberry. The out-of-town visitors mentioned included Great-Grandma Daisy's brother Dr. Carl Romans and his family, who had come from Colorado. Grandma Dorothy's brother Ernest Marksberry, who was visiting with his wife Margaret, had moved in recent years from Kentucky to El Monte, California. My grandparents, mother Bonnie, and her twin siblings James and Joan (listed in the article after Ernest and wife) moved to California in 1951. Other members of the Marksberry family also would soon make the move to California, including sister Elva Riley and brother Elmer along with their families. Finally, Orin and Daisy would relocate to California in about 1957.

The article below is from the Riverside Independent Enterprise newspaper in California, dated September 22, 1960, and announces the celebration of Orin and Daisy Marksberry's 50th wedding anniversary. The article mistakenly lists the place of their wedding as "Tudlow," when in fact it was Ludlow, Kentucky. In the third paragraph are mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Pryne, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schaack (my parents), and Mr. and Mrs. Roy McCullough (Aunt Joan and her husband), stating that they all lived in El Monte (probably not accurate, as I believe my parents lived in San Gabriel in 1960). By the way, Mom was 4 months pregnant with me at this time, and Joanie was 3 months along with my cousin Robin. In the second column of the article, Uncle Jimmy (Airman 2nd Class James Pryne) is noted to have been stationed in Germany with the Air Force. In the third column is listed Mrs. Lou Fugate, my grandfather's mother (the former Lorena Segondollar, now widow of George Fugate), who was living with my grandparents in El Monte.

Speaking of El Monte, California, that suburb of Los Angeles was to become quite an important location for our family. For a number of years, the family of Clarence and Dorothy Pryne resided there, and their children attended El Monte High School. My parents were married in Mom's parents' house in El Monte. My sister Denise and I were born in El Monte Community Hospital. We also lived in South El Monte for about 10 years. 

Any of you who remember the old Dr. Demento radio show may recall the following lovely (a-hem!) ditty about El Monte, performed by a raucous garage band called The Rubber Band and their leader Llyn Foulkes (you can hear it for yourself at this link: "El Monte" on Dr. Demento).

I live in a town in East L.A., it's not very big

but it's got lots of stores with stereos and things like that you dig.

I have a nice apartment, it's got a pretty good view.

I can see three service stations and the Long Beach Freeway, too.

Chorus:

El Monte, El Monte, there ain't no other place like it.

El Monte, El Monte, I tell ya' it ain't worth (honking sounds)!

We got a drive-in movie, it has three shows every night.

There's one playin' now with John Wayne, it's really out-a sight.

My wife likes all the drug stores, they have everything.

That's where I bought my outboard motor and her wedding ring.

(chorus)

Now if you come to East L.A., be sure to give me a call.

There's a couple of bowling alleys, we'll really have a ball.

We're just about a mile from Rosemead and a little bit north of Whittier,

and you might like the City of Industry but our town's a whole lot prettier.

(chorus)

James, Joan, and Bonnie Pryne about 1945

probably in Olive Branch, Mississippi

(I'll check with Jimmy regarding the location)

Christ Is Risen!!! He Is Risen Indeed!!! Alleluia!!!

A Joyous Easter Season to you all!

--Annie

"Don't criticize or judge other people--regard everyone else as an angel, justify their mistakes and weaknesses, and condemn only yourself as the worst sinner. This is step one in any kind of spiritual life." -- Blessed Seraphim of Platina

In Search of...Doctor Link, and the fantastic NARA newsletter!

Greetings to all, as we begin the Great Lenten season!

The flowers are starting to peek through, after all of the heavy rains out here in California. I've seen a few of our state flower, the Golden Poppy, on the hills heading south toward the Golden Gate Bridge. I'm looking forward to seeing the blankets of "Cheeto dust" on hills in the central valley next time I head down to Los Angeles. What is this "Cheeto dust," you may ask? Here's a photo I took last year of poppy blankets that look like someone dumped the dust out of a Cheetos package onto the hills:

We were still in drought conditions last year. This year, the hills will be much greener, probably with a great deal more "Cheeto dust"!

In Search of...Doctor Link!
One of the things I enjoy most about Genealogy is the "sleuthing" process. The joy of uncovering lost information about an historical person far outweighs the frustration of finding nothing at all for long stretches. Sometimes, the search reminds me of a TV documentary series from the 1970s and 1980s that I enjoyed. It starred Leonard Nimoy back then.

It's great to see that the series has had a recent re-boot starring the actor who has done such a wonderful job in Nimoy's iconic role of Spock, as well!

Who is this Doctor Link, of whom I am in search? He is my husband Marty's great-great grandfather. Johann Franz Xaver Link (1818-1882) was born in the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany and emigrated to the United States in about 1850. By 1852, he was living in the mining town of Yuba, California, according to a special gold-rush-era census taken by the state that year. His status as a doctor is clear by the way he was addressed from the time of his arrival in the U.S., although the 1852 census listed him as a "miner." Here is a newspaper clipping from a Yuba County newspaper that mentions him:

(Marysville Daily Herald, vol. VII, no. 1, 6 August 1856, p 2)

In December of 1859, Dr. Link married Anna Elisa, the daughter of California pioneer John Sutter, in Sutter County. Rather immediately, Dr. and Mrs. Link moved to Acapulco, Mexico, where Anna Elisa's brother, August Sutter, was living. The couple resided in Mexico for the remainder of their lives. Their first son, Emile, was born in Acapulco in September of 1860, and Marty's great-grandfather Victor was born there in 1863.

Because Dr. Link was married to the daughter of one of the most famous California pioneers, he is mentioned in many books and articles about the Sutter family. However, it appears that historical interest in Dr. Link has begun and ended with his marriage to Anna Elisa Sutter. My quest, then, is to uncover as much biographical information about Dr. Link as I can, not only because he is an ancestor of my husband, but because there is every reason to believe that his life could prove to be an immensely fascinating study.

In the course of a dozen years or so, Dr. Link and his wife lived in three different countries. My curiosity is sharply piqued by wonder over the countless adventures they must have had!

In Germany Dr. Link was called Xaver, in the U.S. Xavier, and in Mexico Javier. Given the relatively common use of the German surname Link, I'm grateful that the first name he used is rather easy to trace. It is an exciting prospect to learn more about Dr. Link and his family's life in all three of his countries of residence. Hopefully soon I will have a great deal more to report on the currently somewhat mysterious Dr. Link!

The Fantastic Newsletter from the National Archives!

To close today's post (and speaking of "links"), I'd like to suggest that you all check out the following link for the National Archives Catalog Newsletter, where you can peruse their most recent issues. Each one features items from the National Archives collections, with highly interesting write-ups by NARA curators. They are always brief but full of information that never fails to amaze!

Annie

"It is necessary for a Christian to fast, in order to clear his mind, to rouse and develop his feelings, and to stimulate his will to useful activity." -- Saint John of Kronstadt

Other Recent Articles Published Elsewhere!

Dear Readers,

Enough time has passed since the publication of two of my recent articles, that I can share them with you through links on this blog!

The first is part of a series of I have been writing about people of German ancestry who have been particularly important to the history of California. It is an article about Adolph Sutro that was in Volume 36, Issue #1 of Der Blumenbaum, published by the Sacramento German Genealogical Society.

The other appeared in the weblog of the California Genealogical Society, about the Genealogy Collection at the Los Angeles Central Library.

The late President Richard Nixon (a fascinating, albeit infamous character) once stated that writers need to have "an iron butt." You were correct, Mr. President, and it's time to get my bootie back to current projects!

Until next time,
Annie

D.C., the Junior Sutter, and Southern Ohio Cemeteries

Hope the New Year has treated you well, so far!

Marty and I took a two-week vacation in the D.C. area, house-sitting for some friends who have a gorgeous home in the woods of Maryland. Having been to D.C. on many previous occasions, we have long-ago covered the essential tourist sites. Marty even worked in the White House about three years ago on a webcast project for President Obama. Nonetheless, there is always something interesting to do in our nation's capitol, as well as in Virginia and Maryland, so we made excellent use of our time there.

Armed with Library of Congress library cards (not difficult to obtain -- see the LOC website!), Marty and I toured the magnificent Jefferson Building of the LOC and spent time in the Main Reading Room. Of course, I had plans for research at both the LOC and the library of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Library of Congress Main Reading Room

(photo by Carol M. Highsmith)

Last September, I had passed through the D.C. area briefly and had made an attempt at touring the new Smithsonian Museum of African American History, and I managed to get into this popular museum, but the lines for the main historical galleries were too long. I knew that Marty and I would be back in the area, and this time there was a smaller crowd. As you can probably imagine, this museum contains some powerful, emotional exhibits. It is a must-see!

Another new museum in D.C. is the Museum of the Bible, which of course we had to check out. Its exhibits contain an impressive collection of both original and facsimile artifacts as well as videos, living-history displays, and even a virtual-reality section (which we skipped). This museum is decidedly non-preachy and concentrates its efforts upon the historical and social impacts that the Bible has made over the centuries. It is privately owned and is therefore not free to visit, but it is well worth visiting at least once!

Logo for the Museum of the Bible

(clever use of a rotated B symbolizing 10-Commandments tablets!)

Another not-free-but-more-than-worth-the-price museum in D.C. is the Newseum, which provides a fascinating multi-media tour of the history of international news media, with a focus upon American news, of course. Their collection of artifacts and memorabilia is immense and includes a huge gnarled section from the World Trade Center as well as several segments of the Berlin Wall and one of its towers. Wow!

Drawer after drawer of historic newspapers at the Newseum!

Previously, I had been apologetic about the fact that much of my recent writing has not been included in this weblog due to use restrictions demanded by the periodicals publishing my articles. However, my most recent article has been published on a weblog that any of you can view! It is the blog for the upcoming International German Genealogy Conference taking place in Sacramento, CA this coming June.

This latest article is part of a series of profiles I have been writing about people of German descent who have been important to the history of California. The first article in the series, about Adolph Sutro, was published in a recent edition of the quarterly Der Blumenbaum.

The second article in the series regards the not-so-famous son of the famous John Sutter. Although I do not mention this in the article, my dear hubby Marty is a direct descendant of John Sutter, and he is also descended from the subject of my article, August Sutter. Here's a quick tree to illustrate the relationship:

John Augustus Sutter -- Anna Dubeld

 |

John Augustus "August" Sutter, Jr -- Maria del Carmen Rivas

|

Victor Alphonse Link -- Anna Elisa Sutter 

|

Frank Sutter Link -- Aida Wanda Verdi

|

John Martin Brenneis -- Aida Anna Link

|

Martin "Marty" Brenneis

Apart from my family history interest in August Sutter, he has historical significance that I believe is undeservedly ignored, as he is overshadowed by his notorious father. You can find the article here: August Sutter Article.

Lastly, while on my two-month research trek last September and October, I took some video of historic cemeteries in southern Ohio. The cemeteries featured are Ash Ridge, Winchester, Straight Creek Baptist, and Pleasant Hill. Those videos, and others, are available on My YouTube Channel.

Until next time, fair readers!
Annie

"There are three kinds of people who run toward disaster, not away: cops, firemen and reporters." -- Rod Dreher, quoted on a wall in the Newseum's 9/11 exhibit (and one of my favorite modern authors -- see his excellent books "How Dante Can Save Your Life" and "The Benedict Option"!)

Recovering From A Research Trip and Home Construction...Yikes!

Hello again, Dear Readers!

In the coming weeks, I'll be posting updates from my activities while on a research trip during September and October. I returned home to a household packed in boxes, in preparation for contractors to come in and replace all of our flooring. At this time, I'm unpacking the last of the boxes and getting started in earnest on research-trip de-mobilization, organizing and otherwise dealing with all of the excellent materials and experiences collected on the trip. Lots of writing to do! Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks!

Here is the first of the videos I took at historic cemeteries while on the trip: Pleasant Hill Cemetery video.

May you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's season!!

Annie

When Someone Not Related To You Writes About Your Family...

...it can be a wonderful boost for your research!

Dear Friends,

Apologies for not blogging for a while. I have been writing articles for publication elsewhere (i.e., genealogical journals), which has taken up a good deal of time (when the articles come out, I'll let you know where to find them!). In addition, I'm preparing to go on a research trip in the fall, so there's lots of advance research and planning going on.

However, I had to tell you about a recent exciting discovery--someone not related to my family has written a detailed article about one of my 4th great-grandfathers and some of his descendants, including my great-grandmother! Only a few years ago, Gale Ion Harris, a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, wrote an article entitled "Henry Jacob Seagondollar of Bavaria and Brown County, Ohio: Nineteenth-Century German Immigrants to the Midwest," and it was published in two parts in The American Genealogist! I was able to peruse the two parts of the article at the California Genealogical Society Library in Oakland (one of my favorite geni libraries!). Below is a sub-optimal phone-camera shot of the cover. 

Turns out the author is a retired Physics professor who has particular respect for the work of one of my cousins, Lewis Worth Seagondollar (1920-2013), a noted nuclear physicist and lecturer who had worked on the famous Manhattan Project. Cousin Worth was a great-grandson of my 4th great-uncle, Michael Seagondollar. I never had the honor of meeting Worth, as he passed away before I was aware of his existence, but I'm sure glad Dr. Harris was acquainted with Dr. Seagondollar and was for some reason motivated to study our immigrant ancestor!

A good deal of the information Dr. Harris shares in the article is familiar to me, and it's good to see that such a respected genealogist agrees with much of what I have found already. Of particular interest to me at this point are Dr. Harris's beautifully detailed source references--many of which I had not yet located or did not realize existed! In the coming months, I'll be combing through Dr. Harris's Seagondollar study in detail, and I'm immensely excited at the prospect of doing so!

My 4th great-grandfather, Heinrich Jacob Siegenthaler, came to America from Bavaria in 1840 with his wife Maria and sons Jacob and Michael, and within a couple of years they settled in Brown County, in southern Ohio near metropolitan Cincinnati. In the U.S., Heinrich was called Henry, and the family surname went through a few variations. In the end, Henry's son Jacob settled on the spelling "Segondollar," and Michael spelled the name "Seagondollar." Thus, it is easy for family members to tell whether we are direct descendants of Jacob or Michael by the way the last name is spelled. 

The Segondollar farm was in Jackson Township, Brown County.

Henry had willed his Ohio farm to both sons for their livelihoods, but Michael opted to venture out to his own farm in Kansas. In recent generations of the family, there seems to have been little or no contact between the Ohio Segondollar branch and the Kansas Seagondollar group. 

A few months ago on this web log, I wrote a post entitled Mom's Home Town and C-SPAN for Genealogy, in which I introduced you to my maternal grandfather, Clarence Everett Pryne, a.k.a. "C.P.," and his mother Lorena May Segondollar (1890-1968). Great-grandma Lorena was the daughter of Sherman Segondollar, the son of Jacob Segondollar, the brother who kept the Ohio farm. 

My 2nd-great-grandfather's tombstone, Winchester Cemetery, Ohio.

My mother remembered visiting the Ohio farm as a little girl, when it was being run by my great-grandmother Lorena's half-brother Jacob Madison Segondollar (1897-1970), but "Uncle Jake" had only one daughter and no sons to take over the enterprise, and I'm curious to learn what has become of the Segondollar farmland. You know I'll attempt to find out!

Annie

"Peace and love!" -- Sir Richard Starkey (Happy birthday, Ringo Starr!)