Descended from Royalty?

Alexander Preston Pugh, Bessie Mae, Elva, Martha Jane, brother died in infancy.  Bessie is a teenager.

If the information regarding the ancestors of Bessie Mae Pugh Strahl is to be believed, then my grandmother was a descendent of King William I "the Conqueror" born 1027, Falaisse, Normandy, France.  However, her French pedigree thereafter was contaminated by many English ancestors.

Other legends in connection with grandma Bessie have her descended from a French sailor who jumped ship during the French Revolution (circa 1776) and landed in the United States.  She claimed to have American Indian ancestry as well, but never explained who the Indian ancestor was.   It was concluded that since her father's line was completely traced, that the Indian part must come from her mother's side of the family, the Martins.

Looking at the family tree, it seems that she was of both French and English descent.  And since our family records do not include over the years the nationality of the various spouses , it can be concluded that other nationalities may have come into play.   That holds for grandpa Aaron Strahl's ancestry also.  But be that as it may, I have always thought of myself as mainly German (Strahl and Fischer), English (Riddiough), and French (Pugh).   My mother discovered that one of her ancestors was Irish, so I will add a thimble full of Irish to my pedigree.

It is fun to think that there was royalty in our lineage no matter how far back it went.  It is also fun to think that there might be some Native American blood running through my veins.  After all, they were the "first true Americans".

Thomas Guenther is 100% German, so add that to mine, the Guenther children are about 3/4 German, a smidgen of French and Irish and a tea cup of English.  The Donnell children have Prussian and Scots ancestry.  Irma Pust Donnell's father was Prussian.  Samuel Russell Donnell was for the most part Scots.  I am sure there are some other nationalities mixed in, but the first recorded Donnell did migrate from Scotland in the late 1700s.

This in a nutshell is who you are nationally.  But since you all were born in American, you are all Americans first and foremost.   You can be proud of that.

REMEMBERING THROUGH RECIPES

         I like to remember people who are no longer with us through their recipes.  One such person is Grandma Maude Brye, my sister's former mother-in-law.   When Fern married Bernard Brye, she married into a Norwegian heritage.  Maude was a terrific cook and baker and passed many of her recipes on to Fern, who then passed them on to our mother and me.  One of the recipes I enjoy making during the Christmas season is Maude's Christmas Cookies topped with a red candied cherry.

                                                    Maude's Christmas Cookies
          
                                                3/4 cup brown sugar
                                                1 cup crisco
                                                1 egg yolk
                                                2 cups flour (I sifted first, then measured)
                                                Candied cherries

                         Cream brown sugar and crisco, add egg yolk and continue creaming.  Stir in flour.
          Roll into ball and flatten on the cookie sheet by pressing a whole candied cherry in the center.
         Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
Note: I just made these and they seemed too rich and tended to crumple.  Maybe 1/2 cup crisco would be better.   Again, it could be high altitude.  But I have made these before, and they always turned out great.


 

AARON STRAHL

      Aaron Strahl was a staunch Baptist if not a bit fanatic, something we preferred not to deal with when he came to visit.  Not sure why, maybe to avoid a harsh lecture on our sinful behavior or not to disappoint him in that his son, Everette, and his family had strayed.

       Often he would stay a couple of weeks, so that meant that we all had to curtail some of our usual activities.  Let me explain ... the Baptist believed that movies, dancing, and smoking were all sinful.  I am sure there are other things as well, but these three were the ones that impacted my parents, Fern and me.   Needless to say when my father wanted a cigarette, he managed to have one when out of sight of his father.   Fern, mother, and I refrained from going to movies, but I am not sure how we managed the school mixers (dances) if there were any during his visit.

      While his brother and sisters became firmly enmeshed in the church, my father detached himself completely.  Mother, Fern, and I would attend services at the Wesley Methodist Church on Barlow Street, and dad would hook up his boat and head for the Mississippi River for a day of fishing.   I never discussed religion with him, so I have no idea what his religious convictions were.  We all accepted the fact that dad wanted nothing to do with church and based on what we knew, understood completely.

    Aaron, the sixth generation Strahl, was born July 4, 1876, the third son of Perley and Katherine's seven children.  He married Bessie Mae Pugh January 1, 1899, at Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin.  They had eight children of whom, my father, Everette Ray, is the oldest and obviously their first born.

     In the days when motor vehicles were still a luxury, Aaron was an early mail carrier, delivering the mail by horse and buggy.  He spent his life farming and moving from farm to farm.  (Not known whether he owned or rented)  He finally settled on a farm in northern Illinois, Sycamore to be exact, and then retired to Paw Paw, Ill..   Bessie died July 1951, so I am assuming that his retirement came after her death.  (A note of interest: it was said the Bessie died of complications of diabetes, most likely caused from poor eating habits and her stubbornness, the management of diabetes  may not have been common knowledge back then.  Not sure whether it was type 1 or 2, or whether she was on insulin or not.  My cousin is diabetic, I have type 2 managed by sensible eating, and my son, Grant, has type 1.  Thanks, grandma Bessie!)  


     I have fond memories of my grandfather.  He was a kindly and appeared to be an even tempered man.  I remember that when I was little and visiting his farm, I went "fissing for fissies" in his water tank.  
He may have had gold fish in the tank to control the algae ... but this is just a guess.   I have his recipe for Brown Sugar Cookies.  He did know his way around the kitchen.

Shown here with Bessie and Aaron are their three daughters, (top left) Hazel, (bottom left) Amy and next to her on the right, Helen.  Aaron and Bessie had five sons,  Everette, Russell, Emil, Harold, and Carroll.  No date on the picture, but they could have been in their fifties ... guessing.  


     Aaron lived with his daughter, Hazel, son, Carroll, and brother and sister, Wilbur and Ella, in North Clayton before making his final abode with son Russell.  During those years, he expressed his deep religious convictions through poetry.  His book, Pray Do Not Weep For Me, was published by Comet Press, New York.  Aaron passed away March 1967 and is buried in Lakewood Memorial Cemetery, Elgin, Illinois.  (Note: I have a copy of his book)

                                          AARON'S  BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

                                 2 cups brown sugar 

                                 1 cup butter or margarine

                                 3 eggs, well beaten  

                                 5 cups flour

                                 1/2 tsp. salt 

                                 1 tsp soda ... heaped a very little

                                 1 tsp. vanilla                              

                                1/4 cup milk

       Cream butter and slowly add the brown sugar.  Add eggs, milk and vanilla.  Sift flour with salt and soda.  Stir into creamed mixture.  Drop by spoon on greased pan and bake in a moderate oven, 350-375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown.   (Note:  raisins and nuts can be added, and I left out the milk and used only 4 cups of flour.  I made a notation that these were very good!)  






  

THE QUAKER CONNECTION

     In a nut shell, the Quaker connection goes back to Casper Strahl (born 1732 in Germany) and ends with Stacy Strahl, Casper's grandson, in 1822 when Stacy married outside the Quaker faith.

     Casper married Rebbeca Barger, also a Quaker.  They had nine children of whom one was Isaac.  Isaac married Ellen Lee who also was Quaker.  They had twelve children.  Their son, Stacy, was the one who broke the chain when he married Caroline Campbell in 1822.  As a result of his union, Stacy was disowned by the Quaker Somerset MM.  They had seven children.   Interestingly, Stacy was afflicted with epilepsy.   To continue with the lineage, Caroline and Stacy's son, Isaac, married Samantha Davis.  Their son, Perley, married Katherine Palmer.  They are the parents of my grandfather, Aaron Strahl.  Aaron married Bessie Mae Pugh on January 1, 1899, to which was born to that union, my father, Everette Ray Strahl.   What religion was followed after the break with the Quaker faith was not recorded, however, my grandfather, Aaron was a staunch Baptist.  The early Strahls settled in Pennsylvania.  Sometime later, the Strahls settled in Ohio and from there to Wisconsin.    

Perley is on left with the white beard.  Aaron is front with arms crossed.  Everette is in the light colored suit.  The picture was taken in 1925 when Everette (my father) was 24 years old.   

Katherine Palmer Strahl ... June 1936.  She died in December 1936.

THE DRESDEN PLATE QUILT

     The Dresden Plate quilt pattern was popular in the 1920-30s.  But I am told that the pattern dates back to the Civil War.  I have had the quilt pieces for years.  Great Aunt Ella  Samantha Strahl had given them to my mother, and after years on her closet shelf, mother gave them to me.  I also had them stored away for a number of years.  Thanks to a church friend who does quilting, I was able to finally have the quilt finished.  Because the final work was completed (by machine) in 2010, it is not considered an antique.  However, I am going to label it an heirloom as the blocks themselves are very old and crafted by an ancestor.  

Great Aunt Ella was born April 11,1893, and lived most of her life on the family farm (North Clayton, Wisconsin)  first with her parents, and then her bachelor brother Wilbur.  She was the younger sister of my grandfather Aaron and the aunt to my father.   She lived in Soldiers Grove in her senior years then moved into the Morrow Nursing Home in Sparta, Wisconsin where she died March 9,1990 the age of 97.  There she took up oil painting, one of which was of the log cabin where my father, Everette Ray Strahl, was born.  I now have that painting.  

I do not know the exact age of the quilt blocks, but can guess that they are from 70-80 years old.  Women of her era spent the evening doing handwork by lamplight as most farms did not have electricity until REA (Rural Electrification Assoc.) came into being.  I can imagine her sitting in a rocking chair, quilt blocks and sewing needle in hand, and stitching the small pattern pieces patiently in place.  There were no computers, televisions, or mobile libraries, maybe a battery operated radio so after the day's labors, sitting, rocking, and sewing/embroidering/mending were the women's diversions of choice.   Cast off dresses, aprons, and feed sacks were the fabrics used.  Looking at the quilt, I can't help but remember my little dresses and aprons, hand sewn by my mother in print fabrics similar to the ones below.     

    

     When I was a child, girls wore print dresses with an apron and long stockings held up by a cotton garter belt.  I don't remember my shoes, but know they would have been sensible brown ones.  I had a dress for school and a dress for every day/play wear.  We didn't need very big closets back them.  It wasn't until I was 12 years old, that pant suits became popular.  When I was a teen-ager, jeans or Levies as they were called, became my favorite every day attire.  I still wear jeans .... yes, even at my age, jeans and a sweat shirt are my favorite apparel.  We were not allowed to wear jeans or pant suits to school, however.  Skirts, sweaters, bobby socks and saddle shoes were the school approved clothing/foot wear.  For special occasions, we did have a good dress.  I remember a wine colored crepe dress that my mother made for me for a Christmas program  My sister's dress was pale blue.  Both were hand stitched.  

January 1939 ... Fern is nine and I am six.  

THE GUENTHER-GLISSENDORF CONNECTION

    I have been neglecting the Guenther family line in favor of the one most familiar to me, mine.  But bear with me ,and I will get to each of the different family lines in due time.   Meanwhile, if you have a printer connected to your computer, you should be able to print off all the Storytimewithgrandma blogs.  That would give you a hard copy as well.   So here goes .....

I married Thomas Guenther while we were both gradate students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.  I had been divorced from Samuel Donnell for a year, so the prospects of marrying again was far from my mind.  But, when someone comes along who "has always wanted a family" and was willing to take on you and your four kids, well, I wasn't going to let that one get away.  And I didn't.  Randy, at 16, wasn't too happy about it, but he did manage to show up for the wedding festivities in a nice suit and tennis shoes.  He and his brothers were working for a farmer in Holmen at the time.  His brothers were a little more receptive to the idea of a step-dad.  Tom and I were married at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa, where his parents, Mary Francis Glissendorf and Paul Ferdinand Emil Guenther were married.  (Paul was baptized in a German Lutheran Church and therefore was given a second middle name.)  I must add that in the years, the Donnell kids now look to Tom as their dad.

                                                                                               
                                  Frederick Glissendorf   1860


Hannah, Caleb, Noah, Gregory, and Grant are descended from Frederick Glissendorf, born August 2, 1838, in Germany, and Carl Gunther also born in Germany.  Frederick Glissendorf married Anna Mannerman who was born January 24, 1846.  They had seven children, one of whom was George Franklin Glissendorf, born August 28, 1889.  I am going to assume that Anna as well as her children were also born in Germany.  The gist of this is that The Guenthers and Glissendorfs were German as would be their descendants.  (That is until I got into the mix with my added French and English ancestry) 

                                         
                        Anna Mannerman and Frederick Glissensdorf   1867




 Another interesting tidbit is that our name was spelled and pronounced as gun ther.  Why it was changed is unknown, but it would become Guenther with William, Guenther, pronounced gen (rhyme with hen) ther.   George Franklin married Alba Milligan who was born March 29, 1883.   They had four children of whom Mary Francis Glissendorf, mother of Thomas Guenther, was one.  She married Paul Ferdinand Emil Guenther.  Mary Francis was always known as Fran, and was born August 24, 1908.

           Carl Gunther's blacksmith shop ... Carl is in the center  1885

The first Guenther came to this country from G(r)ansedorf, West Prussia, Germany in 1873, and settled in the Hokah-Houston, Minnesota area.
Carl Gunther (with 2 dots above the u) was born Mar 21, 1844 and at the age of 29, migrated to this country in 1873.  Carl was a blacksmith/wheelwright by trade and was affiliated with the Lutheran Church.  He had three wives, the first of whom was Augustine (Justine) Fleischauer.  They were married November 1869, most likely in Germany as he did migrate until 4 years later.  She died in 1881.  They had four children of whom Willliam Guenther was one.  (William is Thomas Guenther's grandfather and Gregory and Grant's great-grandfather.)   William was born in G(r)ansedorf, West Prussia, Germany on February 8, 1870, and was three years old when his parents brought him to America.  William married Ida Panton in1894.  They had six children of whom Paul Ferdninad Emil was one.  Carl's second wife was Fredericka Helm married to 1886.   They had two children.  Augusta Schwadter, his third wife, married to 1904, but had no children.  To end this part of the story ... Carl Gunther died in 1929.

                                  Carl Guenther  1927,       Died 1929

Summary ... the Guenther line can be traced back to Carl Gunther who migrated from Germany in 1873.

THE BEGINNING-- THE RIDDIOUGHS

     It has been a while since I wrote on this blog, so if I have repeated myself ... bear with me.  I am going to start at the very beginning of the Riddiough family tree.  Riddiough was my mother's maiden name, and of course would be a descendant of the Riddiough line.

    The Riddioughs originated in France with the name being spelled Riddioux.  They were Roman Catholics, but migrated to England because of religious pressures.  (I have no further information on that.)
The first Riddiough of note was William 1 who kept a crossroad inn or country roadhouse in Yorkshire County, England.  He also had a couple of cottages, and for some reason, he willed all of his property to his grandchildren (which would have been William 3).  His only child, William 2 married Grace DeMain, born in Liverpool, England.  They migrated to America in 1853.  Three of their sons were born in England, and the fourth son was born in the United States.  The third son, William 3 born in Iron Bridge, England in 1849, was just four years old when his parents migrated.  He married the red headed Electa Richmond.  It was her third and last marriage.  William and Electa Riddiough had six children of whom, my grandfather, Thomas William was the oldest son.  They were my mother's grandparents.

     It appears that at this point in our family history that our family had both French and English blood running through their veins.  It also appears that William 3 and Electa were well off materially.  They farmed for many years, then moved to Fennimore, Wisconsin, where he operated a hardware store and then later retired.  (I remember that when William 3 returned to England to collect his inheritance, that he was denied it.  He was not allowed to take the money out of England.)

     In the picture, my mother, Gladys, is the little girl with the big bow in her hair, second from the left end of the first row.  Her mother, Marie, is seated next to William Riddiough 3, first row, right.  Her father, William Thomas, is standing behind Marie.  Electa is the older lady in the first row.