Easter 2012

We were missing a few "Joneses" at Easter this year.  A couple of our college-aged nieces did not have spring break coincide with Easter.  One of our families had all of the stars align and decided to take a family vacation down in Florida.  But there were still 20 adults and six children under six.  We had the pleasure of introducing our newest grandson to his extended family. Tom and Linda graciously agreed to host us.

Easter fell on my brother Dan's birthday this year, so he was treated to the traditional Jones family happy birthday song.  We really sounded great, if I have to say so myself.  I'm going to let the pictures tell the story.

Liz, Andrew, Roland and Ian

Ian hunts for Easter eggs

Pictured:  Liz, Andrew, Ian, Roland and Mae

Tom, John, Roland, Mae and Ian (Robin)

Melissa, Mae, Linda, John, Easter Bunny (Tom)

Dan's Birthday

And back at home, Andrew and Zippy meet . . .

I hope all of you had a wonderful Easter!

1940 Census - I Said I Wouldn't Do It!

1940 Census Documents

As all genealogists know, the 1940 Census was released to the public on April 2nd.  Volunteers will be working diligently over the next few months to create an index so that it is searchable by name.  Until then, you must have a pretty good idea of where your ancestors were living in 1940 so you can identify the Enumeration District.  You can then scan through the digital images in an effort to find your ancestors.

I knew my ancestors were living at the same address as 1940 as they did in 1930.  After all, it was the Great Depression, and I think most people were happy to be able to survive in their same home.  I knew there were a few pieces of information I'd not collected previously, such as their annual salary, home value and years of education completed.  But I even had a pretty good idea of that information.

After reading that the National Archives reported that there were 37 million "hits" in the first 24 hours, I just had to see what I was missing.  The first thing that surprised me was the clarity of the digital images. The second thing was the ease with which I was able to find my relatives without having done my homework and researched their Enumeration District.

So what new information did I get?  Not much.  I was surprised to see in print that the highest level of education among all four of my grandparents was 9th Grade.  Both grandfathers only had the opportunity to attend school through 7th Grade.  Both grandparents owned homes worth between $6000 and $6700.  One had an annual salary of $1600 and the other a salary of $1900.  All of their children were staying in school longer.

The biggest surprise was discovering that my Great-grandfather, August Vonderheide, had already sold his home and moved in with his son's family.  Even my aunt was under the impression that he still was living in his large home in 1940.  It had been sold to a dentist and his much younger wife who shared the home with a live-in servant.

It was fun finding my husband, soon-to-be 76 years old, in the Census.  His parents were having a more difficult time.They were paying rent of $15 and had an annual salary of $926. He had graduated from high school, but according to my husband, his father was also going to school.

I'm sure I'll find myself scanning through more of the Census when I'm bored with whatever is on television.  I guess I'm glad I gave in and checked it out.  I'll be interested in reading about the really surprising discoveries I'm sure some of my genealogist friends will make about their families.  In ten years, I'll get to see what the 1950 Census has to say about me.

Joys, Challenges and Lessons Learned

When I think back about the things that had the biggest impact upon who I am now, getting married and divorced ranks up near the top.  I went to an all girls high school and wanted to be a nun -- hard to believe now.  I think it really had a lot to do with my strong sense of social justice and a true desire to serve.  But it also got me in trouble.  I was socially awkward, had no desire to date (what would be the point) and really didn't feel comfortable initiating conversations with men.

It didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't going to be a nun.  I fell in love with my Spanish professor, new feelings I didn't know how to handle. Shortly after Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, I was back at home without a real plan.  Of course, I continued going to college, able to pay as I went by working as a cashier at Krogers.  Working and going to school left me little time for socializing.  There was no such thing as a football game or dance.

I joined a support group, trying to get a handle on who I was, and met the man who would one day become my husband.  After five years, we did marry, build a home and have our daughter. We were divorced 3 1/2 years later and I was now a single parent of a one-year old living in an apartment.  Everything I thought I knew changed during this time.  In three years of counseling, I really, for the first time, got in touch with who I was, my values, and ended up much stronger in the end.  The worst experience of my life probably had the biggest impact on who I am now.  It was a good thing.

I was a teacher, not so much by choice, but by expectation.  It was a time when most women had three career paths:  business (usually in a support position), education or nursing.  Of the three, I luckily chose the "right" one for me.  Teaching was the most rewarding and most challenging career I could have imagined.  The occupation gave me a lot of flexibility.  Over the years I taught 5th-6th grade math/science, became an Assistant Principal and Supervisor, worked as an Evaluator and ended my last seven years where I began -- teaching.  After 30 years, I cobbled together a second career that included managing a science program, working for Miami University organizing science workshops for teachers, and working for the State of Ohio with online courses designed to assist teachers in incorporating technology in their classrooms.  That's where I learned to blog.

It's amazing to me that I've neglected to mention my health.  I've certainly had my share of issues.  At the age of 39, I developed ulcerative colitis -- a serious illness that dominated the next 12 years of my life.  I've also had six orthopedic surgeries and have both hips and knees replaced.  One of my replaced knees became infected two years post-surgery and had to be removed.  They literally "glued" the top of my leg to the bottom while I underwent 12 weeks of self-administered IV antibiotics.  My reward for surviving this -- a second knee replacement.  A few years ago I had a hip replacement.  My femur fractured two weeks later.  Reward for this was a second hip replacement with a much longer rod and screws and ties.  So what is amazing is that I literally feel blessed because I've had good health insurance and can do most of what I want to do.  These issues don't dominate my life now, although they have played a significant role in my adult life. This probably explains why health-care related issues so concern me.

Next month, I will be 63 years old.  I feel like I know who I am and what my values are. I have a wonderful husband, daughter, son-in-law and two beautiful grandsons.  I live comfortably.  I've had the opportunity to travel. My biggest concerns are the instability we see in the world as well as world-wide financial instability. I  also am concerned about the ever-increasing disparity in income in our country and the poverty so prevalent around the world.  I wonder if we are naively on the edge of a Third World War and do not recognize it.  I hate the attitude that teachers and other public sector employees are somehow a drag on everyone else and unworthy of adequate compensation. I wish for everyone else that they have the opportunities I have had -- never being hungry, never without health-care, never without the love and support of my family, and never without adequate income.  

Have you got me figured out?  Let me just say that there are still a few "sticky notes" that are hidden under the pile.  After all, I feel like I've still got a few good years before my story will end.  I have to leave you with a few questions.

Who Does She Think She Is . . .

My niece, Rian, posted in the comments from the previous post that she "is still a work of art in progress." That comment spoke to me because even at my age, I could say the same.  All of us are the sum of our parts. There are certain events that have happened during my lifetime that have heavily influenced my current world view.  So to help my descendants give context to my life, here are some of the events that have influenced me.

Within the family:

• Being the first-born of seven children, five boys and two girls.  The first four of us were born in less than four years.
• Being the product of a "mixed marriage" (non-Catholic father and Catholic mother), and all that implied in my earlier years.
• Attending Catholic schools from 1st grade through high school.
• Growing up in a family with a strong work ethic and an underlying assumption that we would all go to college, etc.
• Being a part of a large extended family, especially on my maternal side.
• Although there wasn't a lot of money, I never missed a meal and was never without a necessity. 

Within the world:

• I was always greatly interested in the space program from the time that Russia launched the Sputnik through the U.S. putting a man on the moon.  I wish we still had a vision for space, innovation and exploration that we could afford.
• I was heavily impacted by the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy.
• My generation was heavily impacted by the War in Viet Nam.  I think it took a toll on my ex-husband  who fought in the infantry. I tend to be a pacifist. I hate war.
• I've always had a strong sense of social justice and a desire that all Americans be treated equally and have some of the same opportunities that have made all of the difference for me.
• As a child who grew up in the idyllic 50s and came unto my own as a young adult of the 60s, I am a part of the Boomer Generation.  I have always believed that when we as a group were ready to retire, we would then be thought of as the problem.  I'm seeing that more and more.

In the next (and final) post on this topic, I will discuss the challenges I've experienced in my personal life.  So, dear descendants, do you think you have me figured out?  Can you put me in a box?  I hope I've convinced you that it's hard to really know someone.  As my sister Karen asked, wouldn't you love to be able to ask your own parents what they believed and what influenced their ideas?

Just the Facts, Ma'am . . .

How Does It Happen So Quickly?

As genealogists, we delight in uncovering "facts" about our ancestors.  Those of us with a particular love of family history try to place our ancestors in "context" by familiarizing ourselves with the history, economics, living conditions, and social realities of the time.  The reality is, however, that we often try to build a plausible story based on a few precious facts that we have uncovered.

Typical information about an ancestor might include birth, death and marriage dates, number of children and a list of residences.  From Census documents we may be able to assess an ancestor's overall financial situation, occupation, year of immigration, etc.  We can determine whether or not they were literate and probably have a pretty good idea of what religion they practiced.  But then what?

I, like many of you, want to get inside their heads, understand their world view and learn what may have motivated them to stay put or move on.  It occurred to me that interpreting the "facts" is more than a minor undertaking. Let me demonstrate how tricky this can be by sharing some of the facts of my own life.

• 1949 - born in Cincinnati, Ohio to John T. and Virginia Jones
• 1950 U. S. Census - my parents now have two children.  We are living in an apartment in Wyoming.
• 1950 - Move to first house in Golf Manor
• 1960 U. S. Census - parents had 7th child and we are living in a house in Pleasant Ridge.
• 1963 - Graduate from 8th Grade at Nativity School Pleasant Ridge
• 1967 - Graduate from Regina High School, Norwood
• 1970 U.S. Census - still living with parents in Pleasant Ridge and attending college at the University of Cincinnati. Education Major.
• 1972 - Start first job as a teacher at Bond Hill School.
• 1976 - Marry Robert J. Hellmann
• 1977 - Build first house with husband in Landen, Warren County, Ohio
• 1978 - Give birth to daughter, Elizabeth Ann Hellmann
• 1979 - Divorce.
• 1980 - U. S. Census - living in apartment in Symmes Township with daughter, single parent.
• 1987 - Marry William E. Reed
• 1990 - Living in home in Pleasant Ridge
• 1999 - Buy home and relocate to Kenwood, Ohio.  Daughter spends college-semester abroad.
• 2001 - Retire from Cincinnati Public Schools but continue working.
• 2010 - Still living in Kenwood, daughter married, one grandchild.

OK -- so now you've got more information than most genealogists have about their ancestors.  Pretend you are my great-grandchild.  What will you decide about me?  What were my hobbies?  What was my religion?  My politics? My financial situation? How did I feel about being a wife, parent and grandparent?  What about divorce? How was my health? I'd love to see what they decide about me.  Will it be accurate?  More clues tomorrow.

I Promise Not to Turn This Into a "Mommy" Blog

Everything You Need to Know Can Be Learned in Preschool

Ian is the third one from the left in this picture.  I love how his arms surround everyone.

My grandson, Ian, loves his preschool.  He has some wonderful friends there. Every day you can get a full report on the activities of Ian and his friends.

My daughter just shared some precious pictures that were taken of Ian and his friends at school by their teacher.  In deference to the parents of the other children, I will only identify Ian.  I just felt they were too priceless not to share.

Here is a collage of Ian and his friends.

What can I say . . .  Grandma Kathy loves him.

Photo Credits:  Ian's Preschool teacher in Columbus, Ohio.

Andrew at Six Weeks

Hopefully, these are the LAST pictures I will ever take of Andrew Zoltan Varga before he is in the warm embrace of his family AT HOME!  What's not to love?

Grandma Kathy

Mosaic Monday - What's a Grandma to Do?

Anyone care to guess what I did this weekend?

Andrew at 4 weeks, 2 days

Roland and Andrew

Grandpa Bill and Andrew

Grandma Kathy and Andrew

I am participating in Mosaic Monday. To see other beautiful collages, click on this link.

The Great Ohio River Flood of 1937

View of 1937 Flood Looking East on Eastern toward St. Rose Church

Seventy-five years ago today the Ohio River crested in the Great Flood of 1937.  Over a million people were displaced from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois.  My Dad was 16 years old when it flooded and yet I feel like it is part of my DNA.  Their house was directly across the river and the water got up almost to the second floor.  I heard stories of them using a row boat and going into a second floor window.

My Dad's house across from Highland School at 2424 Eastern Ave.

The area covered by the flood was extensive.  The Cincinnati Post published this aerial view.

At one point, the city even lost it's water supply as flood waters submerged much of the Cincinnati Water Works pumping station on Eastern Ave.  One East End resident recently told me that they gave everyone a half hour notice that the water supply would be stopped.  Everyone was instructed to fill containers, tubs and anything they had before the water was turned off.  He said that he was a child at the time, came in and saw the tub filled with water and decided to give his dog a bath.  Somehow he didn't get the message.

One of my favorite childhood memories was when Dad would take us behind St. Rose Church so that we could see where they recorded each flood's crest on the back of the church.

Although you can't see the numbering from this distance, imagine the 80' crest at the top of the white rectangle on the back of the church.  The river had a normal pool stage of about 13' in 1937.  Changes to dams in the river have increased the normal pool stage to about 26' today.  Recall that our earliest Joneses lived 250' of the southeast corner of that church.  Their house on the river bank flooded every spring.  Good thing they were long gone before this disaster.

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is sponsoring a wonderful commemoration of the flood and its impact on Ohio and surrounding states.  You can check out their wiki here.

The 64th Anniversary of Mom and Dad's Wedding

My mother and father were married 64 years ago today.  On a post I wrote a year ago, I talked about a movie called The Bride Wore Boots.  My mother always said she had to wear boots to her wedding.  Although I always felt like I had seen a picture of this, it wasn't until my brother, Tom, dug up a photo album containing Mom and Dad's wedding pictures that I was able to see that the picture was more than something in my mind's eye.

Hiding behind one of the pictures was a newspaper article from the January 24, 1948 Cincinnati Enquirer. In the clipping it says that "the mercury is sliding toward zero, perhaps five below. The wind not only chills bones, it freezes type."  The picture on the left shows ice choking the Ohio River.

The weather didn't seem to be negatively affecting the bride.  Her smile is so warm as she climbs the steps to begin a new life.

Since last year's post, four more great-grandchildren have been added to the Jones family -- two boys and twin girls.  The newest addition is my grandson, Andrew, born 8 weeks early on December 29th.

I miss them both so much.  Wish they were here to see this.

Virginia and Johnny Jones