Treasure Chest Thursday - Double My Fun! (And Workload)

Last Sunday was the January Scanfest.  It was my first, and I was enjoying the conversation immensely.  Some of you may have noticed, but about 2/3 of the way through it I dropped off the face of the Earth as far as conversation and contribution goes, though I was still connected and listed as being there.  What happened?

I got a treasure literally dumped in my lap.  My wife came home from her parents' house and handed me a large box full of photos, albums, newspaper clippings, etc.  Those of you who've been patient enough to read here will be thinking I'm repeating myself, or it's deja vu.  No, this was a SECOND box full of pictures and albums, from a family with a history of telling me they had no old family photos or information. 

I have nearly finished scanning the useful stuff from the first big box, with the exception of a scrapbook of obituaries and other news clippings, and an old photo album I need to take the time to be very careful with as it is fragile.  I was preparing to bring that box back to my in-laws so they can store it away (and, frankly, to get it out of my way, as my house doesn't have copious amounts of storage space.)  I guess I can still do that part, and should before I forget.  I tend to acquire physical records and forget to return them for long periods.  I rarely check books out of the library because they insist I BRING THEM BACK!  And in fairly short order, as well.  Oh, and this reminds me, I have an envelope full of photos from my mother which I must also return...  *sigh*

So now I guess I have my work cut out for me.  Many of the photos are nice old portraits and wedding photos stored nicely in heavy card stock "frames".  They go quickly, as they scan cleanly, and stack up to look like more work than they are, due to the card stock.  There's another old album in this group, and it's in rough shape.  I know they won't care if I'm careful with it, but the photographer and researcher in me won't let me rush this one.  I'm not going to try to restore the album, as it's not mine, and I didn't discuss that sort of work.  Oh, and one other item, there's a large "cookie tin" full of loose material.  Including unsleeved negatives! *faint*

Have you ever had this sort of treasure dropped on you?  How did you handle it?  Answer in the Comments below!

Sunday's Obituary - LaVonne A. (Hengel) Hirdler

Deaths

MRS. RALPH HIRDLER

FARIBAULT, Minn. — Mrs. Ralph Hirdler, 31, of here and formerly of St. Cloud, died at the Rochester, Minn., Hospital Monday.

She was born LaVonne Hengel In St. Cloud, was graduated from Cathedral High School and married Ralph Hirdler on Dec. 29, 1959, at St. Mary's Cathedral, St. Cloud. The couple lived in St. Cloud for one year and then moved here where they have lived since.

Mrs. Hirdler is survived by her husband; her mother, Mrs. Victor Hengel Sr., St. Cloud; brothers and sister, Virgil land Victor Hengel, St. Cloud; Eugene Hengel, Red Wing, Minn.; and Mrs. Marvin (La- Donna) Theisen, St. Cloud.

Funeral services are at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary's Cathedral, St. Cloud.

Friends may call at the Daniel Funeral Home after 1 p.m. Friday.

St. Mary's Cathedral parish will say the parish prayers at the funeral home at 9 p.m. Friday.

LaVonne A. Hengel was the sister of my mother-in-law.  I never met her, as she died long before I met my wife.  This obituary was in a large box of old photographs, albums and scrapbooks I recently borrowed from my in-laws for the purpose of scanning and preserving the images.  I was told for years that they really didn't have much in the way of old pictures or family information, and for years, I let it slide.  But I've recently become more active in researching the family lines, and pressed for anything they might have.  They told me about this box of stuff, but it was "buried in a closet upstairs", and inaccessible.  Finally I just said, "I have time, I'm going up to get that box from the closet."

That box turned out to be loaded with treasure!  This obit is just one small example.  There's a scrapbook almost entirely dedicated to newspaper clippings, many of them obits with data I never had, and some as interesting as a number of letters to the editor of the local paper by a family member!  I've got the pictures all scanned after my own private Scanfest, and ready to return to their owners,  but the scrapbook and an album will take me a long time to get through.  You will doubtless be seeing material from these books in the near future on this blog!

Sunday’s Obituary – if you have obituaries of family members and ancestors, consider posting them along with other information about that person as part of Sunday’s Obituary. This is an ongoing series developed by Leslie Ann at Ancestors Live Here.

Thankful Thursday - Alta May (Day) Dillman

Alta May (Day) Dillman (1910-1982)

This Thursday (as most days) I am thankful for my paternal grandmother, Alta May Day.  Without her, it is unlikely you would be reading this; Grandma was the one most responsible for feeding and encouraging my interest in family history as I grew up.  Born 12 Feb 1910 in Sheffield, Beadle County, South Dakota, she grew up on a farm with long days of hard work.  But along with the hard work, she and her father liked to play with cameras.  She became quite a shutterbug, which has had much influence on me in more than one way.  I seem to have inherited the photography gene from her, and spent almost 6 years in the US Navy as a Photographer's Mate.

Grandma got me started in family history, as I mentioned.  I don't remember the circumstances of it, perhaps it was a simple inquiry, perhaps it was for a school assignment.  In any case, Grandma Dillman was the one who had the family history information.  Her Day family is large and well documented, and she was in possession of a book by George Day detailing the lineage back to the first Day immigrants in 1634.  I'm sure reading this book had contributed to her interest in family history.  In any case, as I grew up and became more interested, she shared her information with me, and we discussed what she had done to look for more data.  This was in pre-internet days, of course, so most research was time-consuming and expensive.  Her information and insight gave me a solid foundation on which to further research the lines.

Another, more subtle influence is that she saved all of her pictures and put them in albums.  Late in her life, she used those albums to reminisce and write her memoirs which consist of about a thousand hand-written pages.  I have yet to transcribe all of that!  They make fascinating reading, describing her life and surroundings from a very early age on the farm, to marrying my grandfather and having kids, to fashions and events of the day.  One of my earlier posts was taken from those memoirs.  And yet another benefit - her albums were passed to me when she died.  The image above is just one.  While grandma didn't take the picture, she did hand color it, another photographic hobby she enjoyed.  I have many hundreds of photos of family and friends dating back to the 1880's.  You will doubtless be seeing more of her photos in weeks and months to come.  Come to think of it, this post might better have been made a Treasure Chest Thursday entry instead!  Thanks, grandma!