Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - August 30, 2016 - Harold Alton Smith

Harold Alton Smith 


Harold Alton Smith was born on August 29, 1928 in Flint, Michigan. He was the son of Everett and Lillian Losee Smith. They also had a daughter Lucille Smith who was born 4 years earlier. Lucille died at the age of six leaving Harold as an only child. They lived on Term Street in Burton, Michigan.

Harold lived in many places in his childhood. His father was a Methodist minister and he served many churches. As a young boy in the 1930's, he lived in Genesee Michigan,while his father was the minister at the Genesee and Ridgefield Churches. 

Everett, Lillian Harold -1939


Vacation Bible School at the Genesee Church - 1939
In 1943, Everett was called to go to the Marine City Methodist Church.  Harold would finish his high school years here .

Lillian and Harold -1944

He was very active in sports at Marine City playing with the football team and running track  in the 1944, 1945 and 1946 seasons. 

1943-1944 Football Season

 
1946 Football Season
 
 
1945 Track season
Harold ran barefooted for the track season. (I just can not imagine that because his Mother, our Grandmother, never wanted us to be barefooted.  She had foot problems which she always attributed to cutting her foot as a child!)  

Marine City is where Leah Anderson and Harold Smith met. They were High School Sweethearts. Leah graduated in 1945 and Harold graduated in 1946. This picture was taken of the two of them when Harold graduated in 1946.
They both when to college. Leah went to Baker Business School and Harold went to Port Huron Junior College where he got his Associated Degree and he finished his Bachelors degree at the University of Michigan Flint Branch. 
 
Leah and Harold married on May 28, 1950 in Marine City. They were married by Everett Smith.
Everett, Lillian, Harold, Leah, Addie, Andrew - May 28, 1950
They spent there first 5 years of marriage in Lapeer. They lived in a Cottage on Skinner Lake which
was owned by Everett and Lillian Smith and Harold worked for JC Penneys. A few months before I was born Harold took a job at a Department store in Romeo. We moved to a small house on Fritz Drive built by the Fritz Brothers Builders. (who are still building houses today three generations later.) Eventually he worked for Engleston's which became Engleston-Mitzelfelds after Diana Engleston and William Mitzelfelds married and joined the department store business with his new father-in-law. When Leslie Engleston retired, it became Mitzelfelds. Dad managed Mitzelfeld's for 14 years. In that time, Leah and Harold had six children; 4 daughters – Pamela, Susan, Janet, Sharon and two son's Mark and Matthew. Harold always spoke about how hard it was to be an only child and decided early on that he would have a large family. 

 
In 1968, Harold moved his family to Imlay City with the intention of buying a department store called Brownites Department Store. When that opportunity did not materialize, he decided to purchase the Ben Franklin Store from William Knight when he decided to retire. Harold would spend the remaining years of his life owning and operating one or more Ben Franklin Dime Store. From 1971 – to the early 1980's he owned his original store in Imlay City.

Grand Opening for the Imlay City Store

In addition he bought and opened the Harbor Beach store in March of 1975.  

( I know that I have a photo some where of the store after he renovated it but so far I just have not found it. ) By 1986, Harold and Leah moved to Harbor Beach and soon after sold the store in Imlay City. Am looking for a photo of the Harbor Beach store.  This is one but doesn't show the store front very well.
 
Ed and Louise Heitke - Harold and Leah Smith - Smith Cousins


On morning of August 30, 1996, Harold died of a heart attack. At the time, Harold was negotiating the sale of the Harbor Beach store to the Local Drug store and had purchased the Corner Store, across the street. The plan was to continue to sell the things that he liked across the street but not all of the dime store type items that could be sold in a drug store and he planned to add custom framing to his business. He had also planned to phase out of the business with Pam taking over more of the day to day operations so he could maybe...semi-retire. 

 

He is buried in Rock Falls Cemetery in Harbor Beach, Michigan next to his beloved wife Leah.


Rest is Peace, Dad. Think of you everyday...and I know you hear me!

Love, Jan

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - August 23, 2016 - Effie Carson

Effie S. Carson 



Effie S. Carson was the daughter of Rev. George W. Carson and Catherine Ann Best. Catherine Ann Best is the second wife of Rev. George W. Carson. She was born on April 20, 1876 and baptized the same day. She was the only child of Catherine Ann Best and George W. Carson. 

She had half siblings from Rev. George W. Carson's first wife, Martha Katherine Moore who died in 1873. Her half Siblings were Hannah Elizabeth(1853-1865), Samuel Maurice (1855-1865), Mary Louisa (1856-1865), Vesta Jane(1858- 1859), John Franklin(1860-1935), Rose(1862-1936), George Bert(1866-1925),Martha Belle(1869-1934). 

Effie died 8/23/1886 of diphtheria. She is buried in the Brant Township Cemetery in, Saginaw County, Michigan.




Rest in peace,

Love, Jan

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - August 16, 2016 - Mary Effie Medley Weddle

 Mary Effie Medley Weddle





Mary Effie Medley  was born on August 31, 1885, the daughter of Elnora Davis and Richard Medley. She married John Weddle in 1904 in Missouri.  They had four children: Richard (1904), Glenn(1906), Sylvia(1908), Thurman(1911).

Tragically, Mary Effie and all of her children were killed in an explosion on August 16, 1914.  They are buried in the Oakhill Cemetery, Butler, Bates County, Missouri.




Rest in Peace,

Love, Jan 

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - August 9, 2016 - Beulah Fundis Kitzer

Beulah Fundis Kitzer


Beulah was born on October 21, 1912, the daughter of Frederick and Helen Fundis of Plum, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Frederick and Helen Schulz Fundis had two daughters; Beulah(1912) and Ruth (1915). Beulah Fundis and William Kitzer married in Brooke, West Virginia on June 26, 1933.

In the 1940 Federal Census, William and Beulah are living in Plum Creek, Pennsylvania.  William was an assistant foreman and Beulah is an operator/beautician at a beauty shop.  At this time, I do not have enough information to know if Beulah and William had children. I suspect that they may have. Finding an obituary for either of Beulah or William would help. In a 1959 local directory for Kensington, Pennsylvania, William and Beulah are living in Kensington. William is a foreman at Alum Company. After William retired, they moved to Seminole, Florida which is where William died. After William died, Beulah lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico (with daughter or son?) .  According to Social Security Administration records, Albuquerque was where she lived when she died. There is an obit listed on the website called obits.rootsweb.ancestry.com, in this database her place of death is listed as Penn Hills, Pennsylvania on August 9, 2001. The obit was published on August 11, 2001. I am unable to access this actual record. She is buried in Plum Creek Cemetery with the Kitzer Family and the Fundis Family. 

Rest in Peace,

Love, Jan

Friday, August 5, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - August 2, 2016 – Jane Best Williams

Tombstone Tuesday - August 2, 2016 – Jane Best Williams



Janet Best was the daughter of Casper and Mary (Crane) Best. She was one of eight children born to Casper and Mary Best; Mary Ann(1833), Jane(1835), Dorothy(1837), Henry(1840), Emmeline(1843), Caroline(1846), J Edwards(1846), Azubah(1850). She married Richard Williams at the age of 29 on September 2, 1867 in Oxford Ontario.

 Jane and Richard had three daughter: Margaret (1869), Mary (1871) and Ida(1874).The family lived in Bayham Township, Oxford County, Ontario. Jane died at the age of 47 on August 2, 1883. The cause of death was listed as heart disease and pneumonia which she had for three weeks. This death record is available through Ancestry.com.

Looking at Canadian cemetery records which are held by RootsWeb, I was able to find both Richard and Jane Williams listed as buried in the Grove Cemetery located at 343606 Ebenezer Road in the Township of South West Oxford formerly know as Dereham Township. I could not find a photo of the tombstone.

Rest in peace,

Jan Smith

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - July 19, 2016 - Martin Oberlin Overly

Martin Oberlin Overly 



Martin Oberlin was the son of Martin and Polly (Welch) Overly. He was born on May 28, 1803 in Ross County, Ohio. Martin and Polly Overly had nine children; Mary Polly(1798), Elizabeth(1800), Martin(1803), Zachariah(1805),Thomas(1810), Daniel (1811), Nancy(1814) Katherine(1816), Susannah (1816).

Martin married several times. He married Catherine McQuire in Switzerland County, Indiana on January 2, 1821. They had four children; Nathaniel (1821), John(1823), Nancy (1825), Mary Elizabeth (1828). Catherine died in 1843.

Martin married Emily Jones and they had Sarah Louise(1850), Martha Josephine (1854), Emma Emily(1856) and Andrew Jackson(1859). Emily died in 1868. In 1870, he married again to Nancy Nausler Kirk Reece in Clayton Iowa.

In the 1840 Census for Noble County, Indiana, I located a Martin Overly family who fits the description of this family. I have not been unable to determine where Catherine died and was buried, In the 1856 Iowa State census, Martin, Emily, Sarah, Martha and Emily are listed and they live in Mendon, Clayton County, Iowa. There are two additional young men listed with them ; John(1838), William Winney(1842). They are sons of Emily from her first marriage. (and worthy of a blog of their own.) In the 1860 Census, Martin can be found in Marion Cole County, Missouri. In the 1870 Census, his is found with his children Farmsburg, Iowa with Nancy and his children; Sarah, Josephine, Emily and Andrew.

Martin died on July 19, 1878 in Farmsburg, Iowa. And is buried in the Monona Cemetery in Clayton County, Iowa. 

Rest in peace,
Love Jan