Sepia Saturday: The Boss

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt features the cover of a Saturday Evening Post with suggested themes including magazine covers, packages, and the little guy. 

John C. Holland, about 1919
from album of Helen Killeen Parker
captioned "The Boss"

Clifton and Mae Holland with baby John
probably 1918
Helen captioned this one "They're happy"

No little guy was more welcome to the family than John Clifton Holland.  Born in 1917, he was the first child of my grandaunt Mae Killeen Holland and her husband Clifton; he was also the first grandchild of my great-grandmother Mary Theresa Sheehan Killeen Walsh.

Not only was John the first of the new generation, but also he was no doubt the pet of the entire household of dear sweet Irish aunties.  The little guy was probably fought over and passed around like a special prize, making sure everyone had a turn holding him and posing for pictures.

Helen with John

John's aunts Helen Killeen and Lillie Killeen 

In adulthood, John Holland was anything but “a little guy.”  He was a big man with a huge personality, a character who was larger than life.   And he was a self-made millionaire. 

What was John’s secret of success?  Garbage. 

No, seriously. 

John bought land and created a landfill.  He developed a business to collect, destroy, and process trash.  I guess it’s true:  one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. 

John shared that treasure with lots of charities.  In particular, Toys for Tots was a favorite charity that his children have carried on now that they run the family business.

The Hollands still look out for the little guys.

Please visit the little guys and gals at Sepia Saturday to see what they made of this week’s prompt.

 © 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Wedding Wednesday: Mystery Bride

Wedding Wednesday is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers that asks family historians to create a post in which the main focus is wedding photos, announcements, and invitations.

Isn’t this bride lovely?  My dad was given this photo many years ago because he was especially close to his maternal grandmother.  So we’ve always thought this was Mary Theresa Sheehan Killeen Walsh’s wedding portrait.

But that can’t be.

Mary Theresa married her first husband John Joseph Killeen in 1893.  He died in 1905.  Brides in 1893 would have dressed like this:

Image from Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AStateLibQld_1_89108_Double_wedding_ca._1893.jpg

She married her second husband John Fleming Walsh (my great grandfather) in 1906.  He died in 1918. A bride in 1906 would have dressed like this:

Image from Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AStateLibQld_1_182067_Bob_and_Nell_White.jpg

However, this beautiful bridal gown, veil, and opulent bouquet reflect the fashion of the 1920s. 

So who was this bride? 

The most obvious guess would be one of Mary Theresa’s daughters.  As I study the young faces of my grandaunts, I see no resemblance to this bride. 

Left to right:  Helen, Mae, Margee

What do you think?

© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

A to Z April Challenge: W is for Wrennie

This is Day 23 of the A to Z April Challenge.  My theme is women with unusual names although I must cheat now and then or I’ll have a name and no story.

is for Wrennie Louise Jollett, my second cousin twice removed.  She was born in 1900, the fourth of five children of Charles Belsin and Nannie June Fogg Jollett.  They lived in Shenandoah, Page County, Virginia at the time, but by 1910 they were in Portsmouth where Charles worked for the railroad. 

In fact, he might have gotten Wrennie a job with the railroad.  In 1920 she was a clerk and her father was foreman.

However, in 1930 Wrennie was a sales clerk at a department store.

Sometime between 1932 and 1938, Wrennie married David Gregory Holland of Virginia Beach.  He was a civil engineer, and in 1940 they were living in Luray, Virginia, since he was working for the national park service at that time.  They had a daughter, Dora Cornelia.

Many years ago when I had a website at the now-defunct Geocities, I received a letter from Wrennie’s godchild along with a photo. 

Wrennie J. Holland
photo courtesy of Emily VanHazinga

Emily tells this story about her godmother, Wrennie Jollett Holland: 

"David was a civil engineer, and worked for the park service, though by the time I knew him, a diabetic condition had reduced him to the kitchen chair.  I remember him as a sweet and thoughtful man; he died when I was about 6.  Wrennie helped keep house for her in-laws.  It was an old-fashioned extended family, with the grandparents, their unmarried adult daughter Cornelia, and David and Wrennie and their daughter sharing the large home.  Mom says Wrennie and David had had a home of their own, nearby, on Lake Holly, but after it burned, they moved back in to 12th Street [Virginia Beach], and stayed.  I recall that each day Wrennie would dress nicely and walk up Atlantic Avenue at noontime to her sister-in-law's yarn and fabric shop, to allow her to escape an hour for lunch.  Wrennie was simply the best knitter and seamstress that ever lived, and a wonderful cook who delighted in surprising us youngsters with special baked goods.  Mom says she was a very large woman when she was a girl, but I knew her at 89 pounds. She was a devoted smoker of unfiltered Camels, and died of emphysema in the library at home, which had been rigged as a sick room, just a few weeks before my wedding in 1977. She's buried with the Hollands at Eastern Shore Cemetery in Virginia Beach, and was, I believe, a member of Galilee Episcopal Church."

Why don’t you Work your Way over to the A to Z April Challenge for more Wonderful Writings?

© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

1940 US Census Index Comparison: Who will be America’s Next Index Star?

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has proposed a methodology for comparing how Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org are doing at compiling an index for the 1940 US Census.  You can read the full description at his website HERE, but basically the steps are these:

1.       Select one name and one state.

2.       Create a chart and list all the names from Ancestry.  Note the birth year and state.

3.       In a new column on the same chart, record findings from FamilySearch noting whether the information is the same or different.  If a name does not appear at all, put an X.

4.       If names from one index do not appear on the other, then your next step is to find them.  Likely the name is entered in a different form.

Randy’s latest project piqued my interest right away because I just recently experienced the kind of problem presented in #4.  I had looked on Ancestry for my great-aunt Mae Holland in order to feature her family for my Census Sunday series.  She wasn’t there.  When I looked in FamilySearch’s index, I found her right away. 

As soon as I saw the enumerator’s handwriting, I guessed correctly that Ancestry had her indexed as Halland rather than Holland. 

So, I decided to follow Randy’s lead and look at some more names.  I started with Jollett in Virginia because I knew there would not be very many.  Here is my chart:

Both FamilySearch and Ancestry listed the same names, but not in the same order.  Ancestry lists by birthdate while FamilySearch lists by county or enumeration district.  There are only 2 differences.  

Ancestry indexed Nannie V but FamilySearch says Nancy V.  Actually, Nannie V is correct.  But had I been indexing this page and not been a descendent, I would probably have said Nancy too.  I have to give my vote to Ancestry knowing it IS correct even though it doesn’t LOOK correct.

The other difference is Ann from Ancestry and Anne from FamilySearch.  It looks like Anne to me.  My vote goes to FamilySearch.

But what really surprises me – in a GOOD way – is that Ancestry and FamilySearch were both able to get Jollett from the poor handwriting of Mrs. Kate McLean, the enumerator. 

She didn’t do anybody any favors.

Based on this one search, the vote for the Next Index Star is tied.

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Census Sunday: Mae Holland

Mae Holland
about 1969 or 1970
at Helen Parker's house

My great-aunt on my father's side Mary Agnes "Mae" Killeen was married to Clifton Maynard Holland.  For awhile they lived with her mother Mary Theresa Walsh, but by 1930 Mae and Cliff had their own home just a couple streets away.

And that’s where they still were in 1940:  2016 Richmond Avenue in Portsmouth, Virginia, a home valued at $3500.

2016 Richmond Avenue
Portsmouth,  Virginia
from Google Maps

Cliff (age 42) had only a 6^th grade education.  Mae (age 41) completed one year of high school. Their son John (age 23) likewise had completed one year of high school while daughter Jean (age 14) had completed six years of school.

Cliff was a salesman for an automobile garage.  He worked all of 1939 earning only $720.  He worked 60 hours the last week of March 1940.  Good grief!  That sounds like a lot of work for little pay. Thank goodness their son John was still at home earning a good living as a welder for the Navy shipyard; he made $1100 in 1939. 

John as a baby probably 1918 or 1919

Their other daughter Mary Evelyn “Ebbie” was no longer living there, so I’m guessing she had married and moved away by then.  As of today, I have not found her in the 1940 census, so it is possible she moved to a state that has not yet been indexed. 

Mae and Ebbie 1920

But it’s also possible the enumerator’s handwriting was misread resulting in the indexer recording the name wrong.  On Ancestry, my Holland family is indexed as “Halland.”  Thankfully, on FamilySearch the names are correct. 

Click to enlarge

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Irish Eyes

Since March is ending, I’ll conclude my focus on my Irish family with a selection of photos.

click on image to enlarge

1. Top left - possibly Mae Holland with her second baby Evelyn ("Ebbie")
2. Bottom left - Mac Killeen and Cousin Nell
3. Center - Helen Killeen Parker (about age 17)
4. Top right - Margaret Killeen Sprott
5. Bottom right - Lillie Killeen holding possibly Mae's first baby John

click on image to enlarge

1. Top left - unknown
2. Bottom left - possibly Theresa "Tate" Walsh Murray
3. Center - Julia Walsh Slade
4. Top right - Walsh girls (not sure which ones but possibly Cat and Tate) and probably Mae's baby
5. Bottom right - Catherine Walsh Barany

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: The Killeen Sisters

Tombstone Tuesday is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers which asks bloggers to create a post including an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors; it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor.

Lillie Killeen, Helen K. Parker, Mae K. Holland, Julia Walsh Slade

Aunt Helen, Aunt Mae, and Aunt Lillie were my paternal grandmother’s half sisters.  The 4 of them were a funny bunch.  My grandfather deserved sainthood for chauffeuring them to the grocery store.  Four women – four carts – and no one could remember where anything was.  When my cousin was a little girl, she often went along as the grocery spotter.  Helen and Mae would reward her with mints or gum, but Aunt Lil always pleaded poverty and wouldn’t give her anything.  Granddaddy considered it a successful trip if the sisters didn’t get into a fight.

But they were the best of sisters and always looked after each other. 

Elizabeth Agnes “Lillie” Killeen worked most of her life as a nurse.  She was the oldest and lived the longest.  She used to say, “If I don’t hurry up and die, there will be no one left to come to my funeral.”  She is buried in the Walsh family plot in St. Paul’s Catholic Church Cemetery.

from Findagrave.com
photo by Maggie

16 Feb 1894 New York, New York – 17 Jul 1982 Portsmouth, Virginia

Mary “Mae” Killeen married Clifton Maynard Holland.  They had three children.  Mae is buried with her husband in Olive Branch Cemetery in Portsmouth, Virginia.

 

from Findagrave.com
photo by Steve Poole

5 Sep 1898 New York, New York – 8 Dec 1980 Portsmouth, Virginia

Helen Martha Killeen Parker is buried with her husband Herbert Parker in St. Paul’s Catholic Church Cemetery.  It appears to be a Parker family plot as his parents are nearby.

from Findagrave.com
photo by Maggie

7 Jun 1903 New York, New York – 11 Oct 1980 Portsmouth, Virginia

(There are 2 more Killeens that I will cover next Tuesday.)

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.