Another Cousin Meetup

SMULL, PETER > SMULL, Johnathon m Mary Jane Cooper:

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Franklin Sylvester Smull / Viola Smull / Katie Smull

Some months ago, I met with my cousins, great granddaughter and great great granddaughter of Viola Smull. Viola was the sister of my own great grandmother, Katie Smull Smith.

I was graciously invited to join my cousins again when yet another Smull cousin flew out from California to visit this past week. She is the great granddaughter of Frank Smull, brother to Viola and Katie and of whom I knew very little.

We exchanged photos and stories and then trekked over to Nashua's Greenwood Cemetery where I was able to show them the graves for Johnathon, Mary Jane, and their eldest son Ulyssus, who died at age 20 in 1881.

Leonna and Dee - Together Again!

One of the little tidbits I picked up include the fact that in summers, Leonna (Frank's GG), would come from California and stay with her grandparents, Orle Smull and Ruth Cagley Smull. There she would meet Dee (Viola's GG) and they would spend time playing through the summer. They've kept in touch all of their lives but hadn't seen each other in over 15 years. It was like watching two little kids, meeting back up on the playground with giggling and hugging everywhere.

It was again, such a pleasure to spend time with such kind, interesting people who I never would have known existed had it not been for this genealogy project. I'm very excited to have more stories to tell here over the coming months and really thank Leonna for bringing two fabulous albums full of Smull/Cagley/Orcutt/Pikesley family history.

Have Genealogy Bag, Will Travel

Clarksville, Iowa

I was loading up  my genealogy kit yesterday before I left for my next adventure. Mini-scanner,

check. Camera, check. Extra batteries, check. Paper and pen, check. Computer, check. Cords, etc., etc., check. I rolled out of here like I was packing for a weekend away from home. I arrived in the small town of Clarksville before 10 am and was welcomed most graciously by my hostess, my third cousin through the Smull and Cooper side of the family. I'll not use their names to maintain their privacy.

One of my new cousins - Pioneer Girl

Shortly thereafter, a woman came out of the back of the house looking like a pioneer woman. Not knowing these folks, I didn't let them know I was taking in the garb wondering if perhaps they were some strict conservative religious sect or something. Turns out this was my third cousin once removed and she was on her way to do a volunteer stint at the library celebrating Laura Ingalls Wilder!

Then, the woman who got in touch with me via my blog, whom I'll call History Sister, arrived and we settled down to what ended up to be many hours of talking, comparing notes, and swapping photos. I had hoped to be home in time for a mid-day nap, but this was way better.

Around about one, I was informed that lunch was ready. I had no idea they were preparing lunch for me, so it was a nice treat and break. I cannot tell you how kind, generous, and thoughtful everyone I've met through this genealogy thing has been to me.

History Sister and I share a love of all kinds of history and the same curiosity that makes us find the answers. She is starting out as the family historian and going through boxes of treasures left by her grandparents including letters between them when her grandfather was serving in World War II, letters from my great-great aunts to member of her family, tons of wonderful photos from the turn of the 20th century and beyond. I laughed so much during my visit, and it was sorely needed!  I hope we get to keep in touch and share more time together in the future. And, I'll be sharing some of what I learned here, so stay tuned!

On the way home, I stopped by my Uncle Harold's house to wish him a belated 89th birthday and showed him some of the photos I picked up on my previous trip. His eyes got big and he pointed at a gent in one of the photos and said, "That's Grandpa!" He seemed pleased and that made me happy. Then he told me great stories for the next half hour before it was finally time to head home and end this chapter of my genealogy adventure.

My kind hostesses left and right. I'm looking pretty pleased.

Johnathan Smull Family: Viola Geneva Smull

PETER SMULL > JOHNATHAN SMULL > VIOLA GENEVA SMULL m Charles Walter Gritzner

Young Viola

Viola was born 06 Aug 1871 in Rock Grove, Stephenson County, Illinois. Viola came with her family to Bradford, Iowa in 1876 and then to Plainfield after the death of her father. She married Charles Walter "C.W." Gritzner on 01 Jun 1892 in Bremer County, Iowa. C. W. was born 31 Jan 1868 in Butler County, Iowa to August and Theresa Gritzner. They were German immigrants.

C.W. was a poultry man and in his last years, working at the Plainfield Egg House, where he was stricken ill. He died at his home on 30 Apr 1931. The couple had two boys and four girls. Viola died in Marion, Iowa, in the home of her son John, of a cerebral hemorrhage 21 Nov 1947.

1. Charles Augustus "Carl": Born 23 Dec 1892 in Plainfield, he married Hazel Norine Jones on 05 Apr 1919 in Nashua, Chickasaw County. He died 10 Dec 1980 in Charles City, Floyd County and she 17 Nov 1981 in Plainfield.  Carl was a rural postal carrier and veteran of World War I. In 1947, his patrons gave him a holiday gift of $52 for his faithful service. They had four children.

2. Johnathan L.:  Born in 1894, he married Gertrude Wade on 15 Jun 1921 in Plainfield. They lived in Waterloo until 1933 and then moved to Marion, Iowa until John retired, then moved to Onalaska, Wisconsin. John died in 1988 and Gertrude died 29 Feb 1976 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. They had one child.

3. Blanche: Born 03 Aug 1896 in Plainfield. She went out to the work world after graduation from Plainfield high school, scoring a job as assistant postmistress for Plainfield and then as assistant cashier at the Farmer's State Bank. She worked her way up to cashier and took a transfer to the Sumner, Iowa branch, where she met Harold G. Garland, an assistant bookkeeper at the Wescott & Winks Produce Plant. They married 02 Nov 1927 in Sumner. She converted to Catholicism to marry. Harold died in 1947 and Blanche in Nov 1959. They had one child.

4. Anne "Annie" Maud: Born 18 Jun 1898 in Plainfield. She married Merle Eugene Smith on 31 Dec 1924 in Plainfield. They had no children. Merle briefly operated a barber shop out of the east side of C. Beine's building in Nashua in the mid-1920s. They moved to Waterloo shortly after their marriage and Merle would work as an engineer at the city water works in Waterloo, Black Hawk County. Merle died 16 Jul 1956 and Annie moved to live with her sister Blanche. She died in Sumner on 28 Jun 1959. They had no children.

5. Florence Amelia "Babe":  Born 25 Aug 1900 in Plainfield. She never married, She started out teaching in Emmetsburg. She moved on to Cedar Rapids in 1929, where she was later principal of Tyler and then appointed at Hayes school in Cedar Rapids in 1943. She was long-time principal of Lincoln School there from 1948-1960, when she resigned to move nearer to Plainfield. She visited England at least twice, once as an exchange teacher in 1947-1948. In 1969, at the death of her sister Blanche, she was living in Sumner. She died on 04 Apr 1995 in Los Angeles County, California. Her sister Hilda was living in Covina.

Of note is that a study she did while working in Cedar Rapids in 1957 made it onto the newswire. The study involved conflict between parents and children. It bears a read!

6. Hilda Becthel: Born 06 Mar 1910 in Plainfield. She married Alfred Herman Kinzler. Alfred hailed from Wisconsin, where he was born 19 May 1908, the son of Dr. Albert Kinzler and Zena Huisenga Hilda attended the Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls. She taught music in Osage and later in Waterloo. They had one daughter and four sons, all of whom had beautiful singing voices. Their oldest son was selected to join the Columbus, Ohio, Boychoir in 1950 and sang with them for at least two years. Albert worked at Rath Packing Co. in Waterloo. After their retirement, they moved to Covina, Los Angeles County, California. Alfred died 20 Apr 1983 and Hilda was the last remaining Gritzner kid, dying 27 Dec 1999 in Covina.

Waterloo Daily Courier June 17, 1951