Anna Smith Carley (1886-1981)

Born Annice Ann Smith on 16 May 1886 in rural Henrietta Township, Jackson County, Michigan, she would live to see more than 100 descendants brought into this world before her death at 94 years of age.  Throughout her life, she would be known as "Anna A." or simply by "Annie" to most of her family and friends, although she was named after her grandmother, Annice Ann Aldrich McCreery (1836-1924).

As a young girl, she attended the McCreery School, which was the first school in the township and built by her great grandfather, Joseph McCreery.  After her parents moved to a farm on Kennedy Road, she and her siblings would attend the Kennedy School.  Annie would become a teacher and taught for one year at the Holling School, a one roomed schoolhouse, located on Territorial Road in the northwest corner of Henrietta Township.  But her career would end when she became married to her former school mate, Jesse Carley on 16 August 1905.

Following her marriage to Jesse, Anna would reside at the Carley Farm are Sayers Road and for a time would include her in-laws Oren and Mary Carley.  Soon, Anna and Jesse would begin to have a family of their own, starting off with three daughters born in a row: Ila Pearl (1906), Iva May (1908) and Clara Bell (1909).  Soon these three would be a great help to their mother with cleaning, cooking and caring for their many younger siblings.


On the farm, the family would raise some livestock, such as cattle, pigs and chickens.  They also grew crops like corn and wheat.  Jesse's two older brothers, Edward and Alton both had farms adjacent to the Sayers Road homestead, and we assume that they all helped each other out when the time came for many hands to work the fields during harvest or with butchering.

The next four children to bless the Carley home were all boys: Oren D. (1912), Clifford (1916), J. Edwin (1917) and Lynn (1919), who undoubtedly became essential farm hands for their fathers growing farm operation.  The next decade would bring the final four siblings into the family, four girls: E. Ilene (1921), Esther (1922), Vera (1925), and Joyce (1927).

 The Carley's lived about 3 miles from the village of Munith, where uncle Ed Carley also operated a General Store and the rural telephone company.  They also attended the Methodist Church there.  To get to Munith for church activities or to see their friends they had to walk.  The most direct route to the village was walking along the Grand Trunk Railroad tracks that ran on the southern property border of the farm, only a short distance from their farmhouse.

Jesse and Anna wanted to keep their family close by and upon each of their children's marriages gave them 1 acre of land of the farm, where they could build a home and get a good start on life.  At least five of their children built homes on Sayers and Coon Hill Roads, adjacent to "Mother and Dads." 

Anna and Jesse would host many holiday's and other celebrations in their home during their lives.  But perhaps one of the most special was their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1955.  Hundreds of their family and friends filled their home with good wishes and cheer.  Jesse would only survive three more years and died in the same home where he was brought into life in 1883.

Anna would remain in the farmhouse for a couple of more decades living on her own, but just a few years before her 90th Birthday, she found that it was becoming too difficult to manage on by herself.  Not long after she went to live with her daughter Iva, where she remained until her death as a result of a battle with cancer in 1981.

So today, we remember Anna Smith Carley on the 129th Anniversary of her birth.  Here is to a long and prosperous life!

Farm Fires in Calhoun County, Summer of 1891.

I found a letter to James T. Grinnell of Convis Township from the Farmer’s Mutual Fire Insurance Co. of Calhoun in October, 1891.  It was a statement and bill which provided a list of farmers that had claims during the previous quarter that just happened to be the summer season. This was probably the height of bad weather that was the cause of so much damage to their homes, livestock and crops. Grinnell was insured for $750 at a cost of $75., I'm guessing that was a quarterly statement, although this is the only document from this company that I have located. 

Here is the list--

“Since the last Assessment of May, 1891, our Company has sustained and adjusted nineteen losses as follows:"

Jas. A. Kissenger, Leroy Twp., May 2, 1891—Damage to barn and carriage, Lightning

Arthur Crampton, Convis Twp., May 5, 1891—Contents of house burned. Cause unknown

Frank H. Long, Leroy Twp., June 3, 1891—Cow killed by lightning.

Robert C. Williams, Lee Twp., June 8, 1891—House and contents burned.  Supposed spark from chimney.

Norman Ellis, Fredonia Twp., June 19, 1891—Colt killed by lightning.

John H. Spencer, Leroy Twp., July 13, 1891—House burned.  Suppose spark from chimney.

H. W. Backofen, Lee Twp., July 18, 1891—Stack of wheat burned.  Incendiary

Chas. E. Woodliff, Homer Twp., July 29, 1891—Horse killed by lightning.

I.D. & B.F. Warner, Homer Twp., July 29, 1891—One cow and two sheep killed by lightning.

W.W. French, Tekonsha Twp., July 29, 1891—Three horses killed by lightning.

Wm. Krenerick, Clarence Twp., July 29, 1891—Horse killed by lightning.

Geo. R. Sanford, Tekonsha Twp., Aug. 1, 1891—Rooking chair and tidy damaged by fire.

Geo. W. Mellen, Athens Twp., Aug 2, 1891—House and contents damaged by fire.  Unknown.

G. W. Davis, Leroy Twp., Aug 7, 1891—Barn damaged by lightning.

Myron Snyder, Clarence Twp., Aug 9, 1891—Straw burned by lightning.

W. E. Thompson, Sheridan Twp., Aug. 9, 1891—House damaged by lightning.

J. C. Gutekurest, Fredonia Twp., Aug. 17, 1891—Colt killed by lightning.

P.I. Simons, Athens Twp., Sept. 19, 1891—Cow and calf killed and barn damaged by lightning.

W. B. Shepard Estate, Battle Creek, Sept. 22, 1891—Barn and contents burned. Incendiary.

Mystery Photograph Revealed!

 Joseph Grinnell (1798-1883) with his daughter Caroline Grinnell Stone (1839-1921)

Elma L. Grinnell (1841-1923), the youngest daughter of Joseph and Sylvia Grinnell

These two photographs have been somewhat of a mystery to me for sometime.  I received them about 1983 from Ed Grinnell of Medina, NY, who was sent a small package of Grinnell Family photographs from Lawrence H. Walkinshaw of Holt, Michigan.  Walkinshaw was my dad's cousin.  Ed sent them to me because the photographs were generally of my direct line of Grinnells and the Grinnell Family Association wasn't really in the business of collecting photographs.

The images were identified, but at the time I wasn't sure how they were related to me.  My first Grinnell ancestor to migrated from New York to Michigan was Ezra Grinnell (1817-1897).  Turns out the guy labeled "Uncle Joe" was in fact his older brother Joseph Grinnell.  Uncle Joe was one just a few of Ezra's siblings that would remain in New York and not migrate to Michigan.  He lived in Wethersfield, Wyoming County, NY.  But, two of Uncle Joe's daughters did.  Elma was his youngest daughter and following her mothers death in 1864, she became the homemaker for Uncle Joe.  Following his death, Elma moved to Michigan to be close to the remaining members of her immediate family.

For a longtime I speculated that the women in the picture with Joe might have been Elma.  But, she was definitely older than the other pic of Elma and this just didn't seem possible.  Also, the image that was labeled "Uncle Joe and Daughter" was taken by a studio in Hastings, Michigan.  Hmm? that was puzzling, at least until today.  I did some searching on Joe and Sylvia's oldest daughter, Caroline.  Caroline married James M. Stone and moved to Michigan sometime after the Civil War.  It appears that James Stone became a minister in the Church of the United Brethren In Christ denomination and the family spent the remainder of their lives in Sunfield, Eaton County, Michigan.  Well, pulling out some maps this all began to make sense.  Sunfield was a neighboring community to Hastings, Barry County, Michigan.  So, I'm pretty sure that the "daughter" must be Caroline M. Grinnell Stone.

Its such fun putting these puzzles together.

Birthdays of Annice Ann Aldrich and Lawrence Hobart McCreery

Recognizing the anniversaries of the births of Annice Ann Aldrich and her husband Lawrence Hobart McCreery with this post.

Annice Ann Aldrich was born in the New York State on 18 March 1836 to Edward Aldrich and Alfreda Peak. When she was a young girl her family migrated to Henrietta Township, Jackson County, Michigan and settled on a small tract of land where Edward made a living for his family farming. This farm was near the shores of Batteese Lake, the site of the first permanent settlement in Jackson County. (Today, their farm is part of the well known Gee Farms, the Gees are also cousin of the Aldrich's. http://www.geefarms.com/ ) During this time, Native American's were still able to live in the wilderness of Michigan and young Annice was fascinated by them and talked about what an adventure it would be to live with them. She told her granddaughters the story of how one cold winter's evening a small number of Indians asked if they could cook their meal on the hearth of the Aldrich fireplace and sleep there for warmth during the night. Her parents welcomed them into their cabin home....but as the story goes, Annice was a bit turned off by the food that the Indians prepared and decided that living on the farm was just perfect for her.

Lawrence Hobart McCreery was known as "Hub" and was born in 1 April 1832 in Steuben County, New York to Joseph McCreery and Abigail Collver. This family too migrated to Henrietta Township, a few years after their neighbors the Aldrich's. Hub was an adventurer and in his youth spent some time sailing on the Great Lakes where he learned to tie several types of knots in ropes and also splice ropes together. During the American Civil War, Hub, along with couple of his brothers and two of his brothers-in-law volunteered for the cause of the Union. Hub and his brothers-in-law were all member of the same company of the Michigan Volunteer Mechanics and Engineer Regiment. This regiment was part of the forces in the western theater of the war and later took part in sweeping through the south as part of the "March to the Sea". Their skills were needed to build new rail lines and bridges to supply the large Union Forces on this offensive. One story that has been shared is that his company was marching in one direction while his brothers company was marching in the opposite direction. They apparently recognized the company banners or symbols and started watching for each other. They indeed spotted each other and his brother shouted out, "Hey you ole Hub of the Universe, see you at your house for Christmas." All of the McCreery and Aldrich brothers survived the war and most of them lived within a few miles of each other.

Civil War Monument in Fitchburg Cemetery, Fitchburg, Michigan

This massive stone monument was constructed in 1899 by men who served in the Union forces during the American Civil War.  While the monument is of a simple design when compared with  the many grand monuments that were built in communities all over Michigan and other northern states to commemorate the service of so many dedicated citizens.  This monument sits on top of a small hill and was the site of many memorial day services.  My 3x great grandfather Lawrence Hobart McCreery was a gifted writer and speaker who made many addresses at these early "decoration day" observances prior to his death in 1913.   Below is a transcript of the all the names that appear of this monument.  We know that this list does not include the names of all the individuals who served from these two townships.  Rather, it is probably the names of those men who were living in the area and members of the monument association in 1899.

North Face:

1899

ERECTED BY

 THE CITIZENS OF BUNKERHILL AND

HENRIETTA

TOWNSHIPS

IN MEMORY OF

THE SOLDIERS AND

SAILORS OF THE

LATE CIVIL WAR

E. H. HAWLEY PRES. AS’N

East Face:

1861-1865

JAS. M WHALLON

 1^ST LUIT CO B 11^TH MICH INF

P. D. PEAK

CO B 13^TH MICH INF

C. PEAK

 CO B 7^TH MICH INF

W. H. WHALLON

CORP CO C 24^TH MICH INF

S. LAWRENCE

 CO B 7^TH MICH INF

J. A. CURTIS

CO K 8^TH MICH INF

J. H. GRUGAN

 7^TH MICH INF

ALBT TRAVERS

 USN

ROBERT EARL

 7^TH MICH H ART.

West Face:

1861-1865

L. H. McCREERY

SRGT CO H MICH ENG & MECH

P. S. ALDRICH

CORP CO H MICH ENG & MECH

A. F. ALDRICH

CO H MICH ENG & MECH

ASA WATERHOUSE

CO H MICH ENG & MECH

S. R. COLE

CO H MICH ENG & MECH

R. S. BROWN

 CO H MICH ENG & MECH

GEO. C. MOOREHOUSE

 CO F MICH ENG & MECH

TRUMAN R. TITUS

CO I 30^TH MICH INF

DAN COMSTOCK

RA

South Face:

1861-1865

S. W. DUNHAM

CORP CO F 91 NY

J. C. WHEATON

CO K 4 REG MICH VOL

H. E. WHEATON

CO C 9 REG MICH CAV VOL

Z. CLARK

RA

1812

JOS. McCREERY L. H.

JOHN GEE

D. PARMELEE

J. MACUMBER

W. B. DEAN

HUBBARD FITCH

This photograph of a Christmas Tree has been a bit of a puzzle for me over the years.  I came across it when I was sorting through some of the boxes from my grandparents, David and Iva Johnson.  Right away I noticed the small banner with the star hanging on the wall.  This indicated that it must have been sometime during the Second World War.  But no one in my grandparents household went off to war then, so where could this have been?  Grandma Johnson had several brothers-in-law that were in the service, but only two of them were married to her sisters during the war--Jack Crabtree and John Marsden.  Then again, it could be from Grandpa Johnson's side of the family, but who?  Grandpa and his brother John were both in WWI, Alfred was in the army during the 1930's but not during the war.  Then it dawned on me--maybe its from one of his aunts who did have son's in the war.  Perhaps Hazel Walz. 

So, I put the image on Facebook and asked my cousins--specifically a Marsden and a Walz.  Sure enough, with a bit of discussion amongst several of Hazel Walz's grandchildren it was confirmed!  The tree was at Hazel Walz's house in Grass Lake, Michigan.  Her son, Victor Walz was the first of three of her sons to serve their country during that conflict. Cousin Margie Walz had the banner that belonged to Aunt Hazel showing three stars!

Isn't social media amazing sometimes.  I've been invited to attend the Walz Reunion next summer.  I hope I can make it!

Family Traditions......Quilting, Reunions and such!

Today. I'm preparing for a trip back home to Michigan and am filled with much excitement.  I was home last fall for my sisters wedding and was happy to see many members of my family, mostly immediate relatives at the time.  However, on this trip, I'll be able to visit with a larger group of my relatives because I'll be attending the Carley Family Reunion for the first time in more than twenty years. 

At the wedding, I was able to have a wonderful conversation with my great-aunt Esther Carley Marsden.  Esther is my grandmothers sister.  When my great-grandmother Anna Smith Carley was living, all of her descendants were presented with a homemade quilt shortly after their birth, my sisters and I included.  But over the years some of these precious family made quilts have come up missing.  The whereabouts of my quilt--who knows, I can't remember seeing it since before high school.  This subject came up in our conversation and aunt Esther said that she had just finished a quilt.  I was thinking in my head--"Boy would I love a quilt made by aunt Esther."  As we talked I asked if we could make arrangement for her to make me a new quilt.  She said we certainly could talk about it....fast forward....I return to Pittsburgh and put this all in the back of my head.  Then last month this box arrived at my door.  It contained this amazing quilt from aunt Esther.  Wow!  just my favorite colors too--shades of purple, lavender and blues.  Now I have one of those beautiful handmade pieces of history in my home.  Picture above is a snapshot from about 1955-56 that shows a gathering of family members tying a quilt in at my great-grandmothers dining room.  Shown are (l to r) Richard Wetzel, Sandy Grinnell (little girl), Iva Carley Johnson, Clara Carley Hanchon, Ila Carley Hartley, Joyce Carley Wetzel, Mike Wetzel and Anna Smith Carley.

Each time I look at my new quilt I'm reminded how much the women of the Carley family have always given each of us such love and care.  Thanks aunt Esther.  BTW: she will be 90 years old soon.