Julia Anna Barcus Davis Family Reunion, Christmas 1903

Julia Anna Barcus Davis (1818-1907) was my 3rd great grandmother, and grandmother-in-law to my great grandfather, Harry McWhirter Barrett, of whom I’ve written about previously.

Julia Anna Barcus Davis (c 1900)

The following article appeared in the local newspaper in Cambridge, Ohio on December 31, 1903. She had recently held a large family reunion at the home of her daughter, Emma Davis Sarchet (1852-1938).

Cambridge Jeffersonian

Thursday, December 31, 1903, Cambridge, Ohio

On Christmas day at the home of Prof, and Mrs. John H. (Emma Davis) Sarchet there was a happy reunion of the family of Mrs. Julia A. Davis. The house was beautiful in its Christmas dress of green and red  and while. Some of the members  of this family are gone and we will never see their faces again on earth, but the surviving members of the family were all present, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All at  home and the broken circle was filled up again with   loved ones.

Mr. Cline took a picture of the family and flash light pictures were taken of the dining room and Christmas tree. The taking of these pictures occupied but a moment but they will have associations that will make them dear as long as we live.

All morning through every crevice came odors that made us hungry and when we were called to dinner we found it was no wonder for there was a Christmas feast, two tables beautifully decorated, one a children’s table, with a huge ring of well filled stockings
hanging from the chandelier and in the center of the table was a large snow ball with a holly top. The other table for the papas and mamas, uncles and’ aunts was bright with holly and at each plate hand painted name cards and a pretty box of home made candy. After dinner came the Christmas tree for the children and the grown-up were included in the category. The tree was covered with
gifts for all with love and Christmas joy.

At this home gathering were: Mr. Julia A. (Barcus) Davis, Rev. and Mrs. Hugh Barrett  (Julia Allie Davis) Edwards, of Leesville, Ohio., and their daughter, Mrs. Harry McWhirter (Jessie Edwards) Barrett , of Pueblo, Colo., and her two children, Edwards Barrett and Almira Barrett; Prof and Mrs. John H. (Emma Davis) Sarchet, Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. (Annie Davis) Bonnell and their son Paul D. Bonnell and wife (Allie Linkhorn): James W. Grimes and wife (Mary Green) and two children. Sara Grimes and James Walter Grimes Jr.: Miss Jessie Grimes, Mr. and Mrs. Fred L. (Ellie Grimes) Rosemond and their children, Alice Rosemond, Marjorie Rosemond, Philip Rosemond and Leslie Rosemond: Miss Sue Rosemond, Judge and Mrs. J. W. Campbell, Mrs. Mary (Barcus) Bullock., of Waco, Texas, a niece of Mrs. Davis who is making her first visit with Cambridge relatives.

The Christmas at Grandmother’s, that dear old lady, whose gentle life is a blessing to all, was a happy one and long to be remembered. Christmas love and joy and peace.

Cambridge Jeffersonian, 31 December 1903, pg #4

Home of John & Emma Davis Sarchet

Taken on the steps of the Guernsey County Courthouse
801 Wheeling Ave., Cambridge, Guernsey, Ohio
(Photo courtesy of Eric Recht)

Mary Jane “Jennie” McWhirter (1865-1912)

I’ve been researching my McWhirter family line for over 20 years now, and have been tracking the descendants of Thomas McWhirter Sr. (1800-1867) and Eliza Jane Beatty (1800-1846) forward in time.

I recently came across some articles in the archives of an old San Francisco newspaper regarding Mary Jane “Jennie” McWhirter. Jennie was one of Thomas and Eliza’s granddaughters through their son Thomas McWhirter Jr. (1835-1876) and his wife Esther Sherer (1841-1885).

Mary Jane McWhirter  was born 31 August 1865 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 

Jennie married John Jacob Klapperich (1864-1943) in San Francisco, California in 1886. They divorced 0n 2 April 1902,  in San Francisco, California. The following three newspaper articles appeared in the San Francisco Call Newspaper regarding their divorce.

I found the first one kind of amusing.

Mrs. Klapperich Files Answer

Mrs. Jennie M. Klapperich who is being sued for divorce by John J. Klapperich, filed an answer and cross complaint yesterday. She denies that she ever said her husband was crazy, or that the drove him from home by her ill treatment.  She also denies having compelled him to mend his clothes.  In her cross complaint the wife alleges that her husband deserted her.  The Klapperichs were married in 1886 and reside at 179 Albion Ave.

San Francisco Call, Volume 87, Number 113, 23 March 1902

Divorces were granted to…Jennie M. Klapperich from John J. Klapperich for  desertion.

San Francisco Call, Volume XCI, Number 122, 1 April 1902

John J. Klapperich, a wagonmaker, who was divorced April 2 1902, from Jeannie M. Klapperich, was ordered by Judge Seawell yesterday to be taken into custody and held in jail until he pays $100 back alimony to Mrs. Klapperich.

San Francisco Call, Volume 101, Number 74, 12 February 1907

Jennie remarried on 28 February 1912 to Hermann Schaffner (1851-1921). The following wedding announcement appeared in the newspaper.

   A quiet wedding was performed in the First Congregational Church of this city on Wednesday evening, when Mrs. Jennie Klapperich and Hermann Schaffner were married.  Only the immediate families witnessed the ceremony, which was performed by Dr. Charles F. Aked.  Mr. and Mrs. Schaffner are passing their honeymoon in the southern part of the state.  On their return they will reside permanently in San Francisco, where a pretty home awaits them at 1134 Castro Street.  Both Schaffner and his bride are well known in this city, with whose social life they have been identified for a number of years.  Before the catastrophe of 1906, Mrs. Schaffner was a prominent resident of the old Mission district, and since then she has resided in Ashbury heights.  Schaffner is a member of a number of fraternal societies, having been grand keeper of records and seal of the Knights of Pythias of California for 26 years.  He is also a past brigadier general of the uniform rank of that order, and a past imperial prince of the Dramatic Order, Knights of Khorassan.

San Francisco Call, Volume 111, Number 94, 3 March 1912

Jennie McWhirter Klapperich Schaffner  died just nine months after her marriage to Hermann on 20 December 1912, in San Francisco, California.  The following obituary appeared in the newspaper on 22 December 1912.  It does not mention cause of death or where she was buried.

SCHAFFNER- In this city, December 20 1912

Jennie H., beloved wife of Herman Schaffner, beloved mother of Louis Klapperich, and loving sister of H.E. and W.J. McWhirter, a native of Boston, Mass. A member of Mission Lodge No. 296, G.F.B. (Boston Mass., papers please copy)

Interment private.

San Francisco Call, Volume 113, Number 22, 22 December 1912

Jean Irene Ramsell Brandenburg

Tonight I discovered the following picture of my aunt Jean posted on the Findagrave.com website by a very nice gentleman named Charles Lay. Thank you Charles!

I had never met her, and had no idea what she looked like until now. I of course became weepy at first sight.  I think she’s beautiful.  I see so much of my nieces Meegan and Monna in her, and my sister Annie has her nose. =)

Jean Irene Ramsell c 1947
Los Angeles, California

The following obituary was also posted at the Findagrave site.

Jean Irene Brandenburg (née Ramsell) died peacefully at her home in Ontario, California on December 5, 2011 after several months of declining health. She was born on November 30, 1926 in Los Angeles, to Grover Weston Ramsell and Annette Marie Misner. She received her RN degree from Los Angeles County General Hospital in 1947. On June 22, 1957, she married Patrick Henry Brandenburg from Ohio. Together, they raised five daughters: Irene McDermott, Jane Hershberger, Cecilia Foster, Lisa Brandenburg, and Patricia Bowman. Patrick died in 1983. In the 1970s and 80s, Jean worked as a nurse at Casa Colina Center for Rehabilitation in Pomona. Jean’s daughters, nine grandchildren, and sister-in-law Roberta Ramsell miss her very much. They will remember her at a gathering at Stone Funeral Home, 355 East 9th Street in Upland on Saturday, December 17 at 11 a.m. She will be interred with her husband at Holy Cross Cemetery in Pomona at a later time. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association : donate.americanheart.org. Published in Inland Valley Daily Bulletin on December 15, 2011

Holy Cross Cemetery
Pomona, Los Angeles, California

Thomas McWhirter Jr. (1835-1878)

Thomas McWhirter Jr. was born 26 January 1835 in County Tyrone, Ireland to Thomas McWhirter (1800-1867) and Eliza Jane Beatty (1800-abt 1846)

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On the U.S. Federal Census taken in September of 1850, Thomas was living in Ferrisburg, Addison, Vermont with his father Thomas McWhirter Sr. (1800-1867), stepmother Sarah McWhirter (1800-?), and younger siblings, Samuel McWhirter (1836-1874), Eliza McWhirter (1838-1900), James McWhirter (1843-?), Mary McWhirter (1840-?) and George McWhirter (1846-1883). Younger sister, Margaret McWhirter (1841-1914) was living with older sister Agnes McWhirter Clifford (1827-1898) in Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont, that same year.

My cousin, Laurie Winter, provided the following 1850 census record for the family.  The last name is  badly misspelled (Machosin…seriously?),  but all of the first names match up with our McWhirter family members.

1850 U.S. Census for Ferrisburg, Addison, Vermont
Taken: 25 September 1850

Thomas married Esther Scherer (1841-1885) on 10 November 1865 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teamster.

Marriage Record for Thomas McWhirter Jr., & Esther Scherer
10 November 1865, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Their first daughter, Mary Jane “Jennie” McWhirter was born 31 August 1865, in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. She married John Jacob Klapperich (1864-1943) in San Francisco, California, in 1887. Together they had two sons: Louis Henry Klapperich (1888-1947) and Milton S. Klapperich (1890-1891). She and John divorced sometime between 1900 and 1910.

Birth Record for Mary Jane McWhirter, 31 August 1865
Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Their first son, George Elbridge McWhirter was born 29 January 1867 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts.

So far, I’ve only been able to find  two  records for George. One is the 1880 Census for San Francisco, California, the other is the  Merced, California Voters Register in 1888, where he was employed as a printer.

George Elbredge McWhirter, Merced County, California Voter Register
11 July 1888

Second son, Joseph Henry McWhirter was born 18 November 1869 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts and died 15 June 1872, at age 2 years 7 months, from scarlet fever. He is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Mattapan, Suffolk, Massachusetts.

Joseph Henry McWhirter Death Record , 15 June 1872
Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Second daughter, Etta Esther McWhirter was born 24 January 1872 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts and died 2 October 1875 at age 3 from diphtheria. She is also  buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery,  in Mattapan, Suffolk, Massachusetts.

Etta Esther McWhirter Death Record
2 January 1875, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Third son, Willis Joseph Baker McWhirter was born 1 September 1873 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. His WWI Draft Registration Card gives his description as: “Tall, medium build with blue eyes and gray hair”.

Willis Joseph Baker McWhirter, WWI Draft Registration Card
12 September 1918, San Francisco, California

He married Bessie Lenore Grenfell (1876-1964) Stanislaus County California on 29 July 1908, where he worked as a building contractor.

Willis McWhirter died on 23 February 1942 in San Francisco, California. He and Bessie never had any children.

Fourth son and youngest child, Harry Samuel McWhirter, was born 15 October 1875 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts.

The 1910 U.S. Census records him as living in San Francisco, California, with his sister Mary Jane McWhirter Klapperich, working as a bricklayer.

He registered for the draft in WWI on 12 September 1918 in Atwater, Merced, California, where he worked as a farmer. His description is given as: “Tall, medium build with blue eyes and brown hair.

Harry Samuel McWhirter WWI Draft Registration Card
12 September 1918, San Francisco, California

Thomas McWhirter Jr. died 12 September 1876 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, at age 41, just eleven years after he married Esther. Cause of death was listed as “intemperance”. He left behind his wife, Esther, and their 4 remaining children, Mary, George, Willis and Harry.

He also left her a bit of money. The following public record for Probate Court proceedings appeared in the Boston Journal.

Probate Court Record Notice for  Thomas McWhirter
(Boston Journal (Boston, MA) 26 September 1876, pg 2)

Thomas McWhirter Jr.  is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery,  in  Mattapan, Suffolk, Massachusetts. 

Mt. Hope Cemetery, Mattapan, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Esther moved with the children to San Francisco, California, sometime between Thomas’ death in September of 1876 and 1 June 1880. The U.S. Federal Census for that year shows all 4 children living at home with Esther at: 31 Second Ave., San Francisco, California.

1880 U.S. Federal Census, San Francisco, California
Taken: 1 June 1880

Esther Shearer McWhirter died 22 November 1885 in San Francisco, California. The following articles appeared in two local newspapers following her death.

Esther McWhirter, Mortuary Notice
(San Francisco Bulletin (San Francisco, CA)  23 November 1885, pg 3)

“McWHIRTER–In this city, November 22, Esther, mother of Jennie and GeorgeMcWHIRTER, aged 46 years. Funeral to-day, at 1 p.m., from No. 31 Second avenue.”

Source: Daily Alta California, 24 November 1885.

Margaret McWhirter (1841-1914)

Margaret McWhirter was born 21 September 1841 in County Tyrone, Ireland to Thomas McWhirter (1800-1867) and Eliza Jane Beatty (1800-?). She emigrated to the United States with her family sometime between 1841 and 1850. County Tyrone is located in Northern Ireland.

County Map of Ireland
(Tyrone County highlighted in yellow)

 

Sperrin Mountains, County Tyrone, Ireland
(Photo by Edmond J.)

When I began researching my McWhirter ancestors in Vermont back in 1993, one of the first people I came across was my 2nd great grand aunt, Margaret McWhirter (1841-1914).  Although I didn’t know how she was related to me,  I knew that she was. With so few people in Vermont with the last name McWhirter at that time, my theory was that they all had to be related somehow. As it turns out, I was right.

I first found Margaret on the 1850 U.S. Federal Census living with the William Simpson family in Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont. Also enumerated with this family was the Robert Clifford family.  In 2011 I discovered that Robert Clifford‘s (1821-1891) wife Agnes, was Maggie’s older sister,  Agnes McWhirter (1827-1898).

1850 U.S. Federal Census for Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont
(Taken: 29 August 1850)

She married Archibald Stewart (1837-1926) on 26 July 1865 in Middlebury, Addison, Vermont. Place of birth given for Margaret was Tyrone County, Ireland.  This record was the first time I’d ever seen reference to where the McWhirter family might have originated in Ireland.

Marriage Record for Margaret McWhirter & Archibald Stewart
26 July 1865

To this union were born seven children: Mary J. Stewart (1866-?), Charles H. Stewart (1867-1893), Elizabeth Stewart (1869-1934), Lillian Stewart (1876-1939), Margaret “Maggie” Stewart (1878-1937), Gertrude Stewart (1881-1965) and Archibald Stewart Jr. (1883-1955).

In  1880, the Archibald Stewart family was living in Winfield, Cowley, Kansas where Archibald was employed as a stone mason.

1880 U.S. Federal Census for Winfield, Cowley, Kansas
(Taken: 2 June 1880)

In 1900 Census for Rutland, Rutland, Vermont, Margaret McWhirter Stewart is listed as married and as head of the household. Living with her at the time were her children, Margaret, Gertrude and Archibald Jr., as well as her daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law Edgar Beardsley (1867-1940), and granddaughter Marguerite Beardsley (1898-1977). Her husband, Archibald Stewart Sr. was not in residence.

1900 U.S. Federal Census for Rutland, Rutland, Vermont
(Taken: 9 June 1900)

The following newspaper article appeared in the St. Albans Daily Messenger on 30 November 1903 regarding Archibald. It is not  clear what “home” is being referred to, but I’m guessing it was a care facility for Civil War Veterans.

St. Albans (Vermont) Daily Messenger, Date: 30 November 1903
{Newspaper Article courtesy of Charles Thomas)

Margaret McWhirter Stewart died 8 August 1914 in Rutland, Rutland, Vermont,  from heart disease.

Death Certificate for Margaret McWhirter Stewart
8 August 1914

Margaret McWhirter Stewart Obituary
From the Middlebury Register, Middlebury, Vermont, 14 Aug 1914, p4.
(Obituary courtesy of Charles Thomas)

Margaret’s  husband, Archibald Stewart, passed away 30 January 1926 in Rutland, Rutland, Vermont.  The following obituary appeared in the Rutland (Vermont) Daily Herald on 1 February 1926.

Funeral services for Archibald Stewart, 89, who died Saturday morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Frank (Lillian) Pierce, 80 Church street, will be held at 3:30 o’clock this afternoon at Trinity Episcopal church.
Mr. Stewart is survived by five daughters, Mrs. Charles (Mary) Chappel of Salt Lake City, Utah, Deaconess Gertrude Stewart of Changsha, China, Mrs. Frank (Lillian) Pierce, Mrs. E.S. (Elizabeth) Beardsley and Mrs. Phillip (Margaret) Start of this city and by one son, Archibald Stewart, Jr., of New York. He also leaves eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Mr. Stewart was born in Roxham, Quebec, Canada, January 22, 1837 and received his education there. He was a member of Roberts Post, Grand Army of the Republic, Mt. Anthony lodge, F. and A.M., of Bennington and Trinity church. He served in company G, fifth Vermont volunteers during the Civil war.

Both Margaret and her husband Archibald are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Rutland, Vermont.

Margaret McWhirter (Spelled MacWhirter on gravestone) & Archibald Stewart Gravestone
Evergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Rutland, Vermont
(Photo Courtesy of Jen Snoots)

In Remembrance of John Weston Ramsell

My sister Dorothy sent me the program from our father’s funeral service. Thanks Dorothy. =)

Program from funeral service of John Weston Ramsell

In Memory of
John Weston Ramsell

Born
Sept 18, 1932, Los Angeles, Calif.

Passed Away
Nov. 8, 1970, San Gabriel, Calif.

Services
Thursday, Nov. 12, 10:00 a.m.
Monterey Park Chapel

Officiating:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints

Conducting: Bishop DeVere H. Anderson

Organist:Chester Gilgen

Vocal: “Not Now But In The Coming Years”

Valerie Chamberlain

Invocation: J. Lionel Harrison

Eulogy:Hugh Lomas

Speaker:Robert Pommerville

Speaker:Bishop DeVere H. Anderson

Vocal:“God Be With You Till We Meet Again”

Benediction: Barlow Hatch

Interment:Rose Hills Memorial Park

Dedication of Grave:Richard Greenwood

Directors:Lowell J. Campbell

Pierce Brothers Monterey Park Mortuary

Pall Bearers at funeral of John Weston Ramsell (1932-1970)
Don Hamilton, John Oster, James R. Johnson, Hugh Lomas, Phillip Zackrison, James Reiseiss

For Dorothy…

I recently attended a memorial service in Southern California for Susan Patricia Zane (1942-2013). Susan and my father, John Weston Ramsell (1932-1970) met while working together at Sav-on Drug store  in Alhambra, California in 1968. They began a relationship and in the Spring of 1970, Susan gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that they named Dorothy.  My father died in November of that same year when Dorothy was just 8 months old.

Adorable Dorothy & Susan
San Pedro, California, 1972

 

Susan Patricia Zane was born 29 June 1942 in Los Angeles, California, to Henry Elmer Zane (1915-1993) and Dorothy Gladys MacDonald (1915-2002).  She died  17 September 2013 in Moapa, Clark, Nevada.

Susan Patricia Zane c 1947
Los Angeles, California

Susan Patricia Zane, Senior Picture c 1960
San Pedro, California

Susan Patricia Zane c 1970
Los Angeles, California

The following is a transcription of the eulogy given for Susan Zane Lehman by her daughter, Dorothy  Rossiter.

There is this poem I’d like to read that my mom really loved.

“Who Has Seen the Wind?”

by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you: (chokes up)
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing thro’.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.

–

When I was a child, my mom had a rule that we all had to learn this poem, and recite it as I just did, before we sat down to eat dinner.

I have many memories of my mom, and I’ll share just a few.

My mom was unique, she was kind, she was different. Many people have contacted me in the past few weeks
letting me know how they felt about her. Their comments have ranged from, “She was like family” to, “She was like a second mom to me”, to “She was the funniest person I knew.”

It hasn’t been easy since she’s been gone, but it has been very comforting to me to hear all of those things that others
have said about of her since her death. It’s always nice to hear that someone you loved is going to be remembered fondly and with love and laughter when they are gone. What makes it even more special for me, and my dad (Eddie Lehman) and my daughter (Bernie Rossiter) is that people around the country are going to remember her this way.

Susan Zane Lehman was a woman who loved to laugh, loved to make others laugh and always loved to hear a good story. And even more loved to take part in the making of a good story. Many of my friends from high school and my childhood have sent me messages with stories they had about her picking them up from school, and paying for them to get into football games because they couldn’t afford to go. Others reminded me of the funny things that she had said. Many of my moms oldest friends had sent many thoughts and memories to me. All of the things I grew up listening to, but it was really nice to hear them again just the same.

I can’t share all of my memories, but I’ll share just these few.

When I was a small child my mother would make dinner and wrap our plates in foil and we’d drive down to Royal Palms and eat our dinner. And she would make popcorn, or tear up a loaf of bread and set it on the hood of our car, and we would watch the seagulls eat while we had our dinner. For those of you who don’t know my mom very well, she was terrified of birds. So this was a huge thing for her to do, but she knew I enjoyed it, so we would go and do it, and we would watch the seagulls until we were done eating.

She would wake me up when the Goodyear Blimp was going overhead so I could go out and watch it.

She loved to take me to Marine Land, when it still existed, after school,  so that I could go and pet the dolphins.

One year when I was in elementary school here, she volunteered to help with the school Halloween Carnival. And when it came around, she didn’t have time to get a costume. So she went to Sav-on and got herself one that she thought was quite clever.  It was an inflatable pumpkin tied to the top of her head, and it came with green face paint, and she painted her face green, so she was a pumpkin…..head. So she had this inflated pumpkin on her head, and paint on her face all day, and was sweating because it was warm. And then, when we went home that night, she couldn’t get the green face paint off.  So she was green for a couple of days.  But she was there, and had been part of that activity with me.

She was a kind, loving and caring person. She taught me to give to others, even when you don’t have anything to give. She taught me that it doesn’t matter who you love, as long as you love them. She was a liberal before being liberal was cool. She didn’t care about how you lived or who you loved, she only cared about how you treated others. She loved her family and her friends, sometimes to a fault.

She has been married to my dad (Eddie Lehman) for 29 years. For all of those years they took care of each other and loved each other through it all. She always knew Eddie was there for her, especially these last few years.

Bernie, my daughter, was the light of her life. She was absolutely the most important person in my mom’s life, from the day she was born. My mom would have done anything for her, and many times, she did.

Bernie
9 November 2013

Program from Memorial Service for Susan Zane Lehman
9 November 2013
San Pedro, California

Obituary for Susan Zane Lehman (1942-2013)