Obit for Lyla Maria Fister Miller, 98

My great aunt Lyla Maria (Fister) Miller, 1901-1999), probably in the mid-1920s when she was a nurse at Washington Park Hospital in Chicago.  Image courtesy of Tom Cairns.

My grandmother's sisters Edith and Fern lived out here in San Diego, but the rest of her siblings were unknown to me, except for Lyla, who I met briefly in the late 1980s.

She was my grandmother Margaret Fister Hartley's oldest sister:

Corry Journal (Corry, Erie, PA)
Friday, August 6, 1999
page 2 

Lyla Maria Fister Miller, 98 

Lyla Maria Fister Miller, 98, formerly of 218 E. Smith Street, Corry, died Thursday, Aug. 5, 1999, in Corry Manor Nursing Home. 

Mrs. Miller was born June 29, 1901, in Newark, Ill., a daughter of the late Benjamin and Mary Corina Anderson Fister. 

She was raised and educated in the Newark area where she graduated from Newark High School in 1919.  Following high school, she attended and graduated from Washington Park Hospital with a nursing degree.  After graduation, she worked for Washington Park Hospital for several years.  In 1926, she had been a surgical floor supervisor at the Illinois Central Hospital. 

Mrs. Miller moved to Marinesco, Mich., after her marriage and resided there for many years.  She had also resided in Cicago, Ill., and later in Youngstown, Ohio.  In 1987, Mrs. Miller moved to Corry to be near her daughter and grandchildren. 

Mrs. Mller attended St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Corry.  While a resident of Youngstown, Ohio, she had been a member of the Eastern Star there. 

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Jesse LeRoy Miller Jr., in 1987.  They were married August 16, 1927, in Chicago, Ill.  Also preceding her in death was a daughter, Kathryn M. Keller, in 1990; a sister, Edith Bornhoft; and five brothers, Roy, Lyle, Russell, Alvin and Myron Fister. 

Survivors include a daughter, Susann E. Rozelle of Corry; a son, Eugene LeRoy Miller of King George, Va.; three sisters, Fern E. Fister, Margaret Hartly and Doris Cairns Shulkin, all of San Diego, Calif.; and three grandchildren, Eric John Rozelle of Glenham, N.Y., Jay Thomas Rozelle of North East and Suzanne Janine Baron her husband, Michael, of Rock Springs, Wy. 

No calling hours or funeral services will be observed.  Correspondence is welcome and can be addressed to Susann Rozelle... 

Burial will be made in Greenhaven Cemetery in Canfield, Ohio. 

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, Corry Unit, 2 South Center street, Corry, Pa. 16407. 

Funeral arrangements are under the director of the Bracken Funeral Home, 315 North Center street, Corry, PA. 16407.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

School Days: Niwot 6-7-8th Grades, 1934

My uncle Jack Slater is in the front row, third from the left, as you can tell from the writing on the back of this multi-class picture that lists everyone.

[Courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

[Courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

The teacher's name is given as Miss Stromquist--looking through local records, I believe her full name was Lillian Stromquist, born in Colorado of immigrant Swedish parents.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

The Search for My Great-Uncle Alvin Reginald Fister's Obituary (updated with obituary)

My grandmother Margaret Fister's brother Alvin Reginald Fister (1899-1976).  He lived most of his life in the areas outside Chicago, but some time after 1966 he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he died.

After spending a good part of the day looking in historical databases (both subscription and free, even public library and community college subscription databases) for an obituary or death notice in Memphis for Alvin Fister in the 1970s, I came up empty-handed. I didn't find any obituary mention of him in Illinois, either.    This is quite a blind spot--hopefully there will be Memphis newspapers available in the 1970s and 1980s sometime soon.

The few things I know about him:

• He served in the Army during WWI
• He married Ilona Elizabeth Michalez in 1926 in Chicago, Illinois
• in the 1930 Federal Census he was working as a Planning Engineer in the manufacturing industry
• in the 1940 Federal Censu he was "Labor Rate" Engineer in the telephone manufacturing industry
• he and his wife had 4 children: Mary, Alvin Jr., Paul Michael Fister, and Russell Benjamin Fister

I need to contact my Fister relations and see if they have an obituary for him.

EDITED TO ADD:  Found it!  The image for his obituary is a little blurred so a direct search didn't work, but a search for his sister Edith (Fister) Bornhoeft kicked out his obituary in the Chicago Tribune:

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois)
25 Nov 1976, Thu
Page 67, col 4
from Newspapers.com 

Alvin R. Fister Sr., of Memphis, Tenn., formerly of Downers Grove, beloved husband of Lilly, nee Michael,; fond father of Mary (Theodore T.) Jansey, Alvin R. Jr.(Susan), Paul Michael (Nelda) and Russell B.; brother of Myron B., Lila Miller, Fern Fister, Edith Bornhoeft, Margaret Hartley and Doris Cairnes; grandfather of eight; great-grandfather of one.  Service Friday, 10 a.m. at the Adams-Winterfield Funeral Home, 4343 Main St., Downers Grove. Interment Clarendon Hills.  Visitation Thursday 7 to 9 p.m. 968-1000

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Bertha Louise Huitt (1920 - 2007) LIft Truck Operator

Local newspapers loved this story about this fourth cousin, once removed, in my maternal Worden line* because I found several versions of it. Bertha and her husband Bernard Elligner jointly owned the B & B Construction Company in Michigan and she obviously took an active role in the company.

[21 Oct 1971, Page 10 - Battle Creek Enquirer at Newspapers.com]

*Here's how we're related:

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Liel Fister Dies

My grandmother Margaret Fister's older brothers: Liel Fister (right), with his brothers Roy Fiester (left) and Alvin Fister (center). Image courtesy of Tom Cairns.

According to the Fox River Lutheran Church records, Liel Fister was born Jun 28, 1897 in LaSalle County, Illinois, to Ben and Mary Fister.

He appeared in the 1900 Federal Census with his family in Mission Township, LaSalle, Illinois.

According to family story little 4-year-old Liel died August 18, 1901.  I don't have an additional source for the place or reason of his death.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Elizabeth "Betsy" Mrs. Taylor (About 1805 - After June 1, 1850)

This page of the 1850 U.S. Census for Washington Township in Johnson County, Iowa, is literally the only record we've found that names this maternal great great great grandmother and all this tells us is that she was born about 1805 in Ohio.

[Year: 1850; Census Place: Washington, Johnson, Iowa; Roll: M432_185; Page: 130B; Image: 267

Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

[Detail of above]

Her husband Job died in August of 1850 and there's some evidence that a neighbor Jacob Hull became the children's guardian after that.

Here's how I'm related to her:

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Sie Taylor's Stock Car

Since this maternal second cousin, twice removed*, died in August of 1960 at the age of 55 this snapshot must date sometime before then. He's standing back watching someone else (possibly his son Bob) working on the car.

[Originally posted by James A Williams in a family tree on Ancestry.com]

*His full name was Merton Edison Taylor, but seems to have always been known by his nickname "Sie." Here's his obituary:

[Originally posted by James A Williams in a family tree on Ancestry.com]

And here's how we're related:

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

A Reminder That Not Everything is Online

The only adult picture I have of my great uncle Roy Alexander Fiester (1895-1972), son of Mette Karine and Ben Fister, and oldest brother to my grandmother Margaret (Fister) Hartley.  Courtesy of Tom Cairns.

I intended to blog my great uncle Roy Fiester's obituary today, but discovered that despite a search through GenealogyBank, NewspaperArchive, Newspapers, and Google Newspaper Archive, I couldn't find it.  Fortunately there is at least a reference to the obit's existence at the Aurora Public Library in Illinois (he lived in Aurora most of his life):

Roy had an obituary on the 18th and 19th of February, 1972, in The Beacon.  His wife's obit is also listed, but I already have that obituary.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Family Friday: Allen & Cora (Crossett) Taylor

If I have it right, Allen is one of my maternal first cousins, three times removed.* A life-long resident of Iowa, he and Cora were married on November 25, 1897, and had five children together. According to census records he was a carpenter.

[From the Ancestry.com family tree of bsutlery]

[20 Apr 1931, Page 8 - Iowa City Press-Citizen at Newspapers.com]

He's buried in the Wellman Cemetery in Washington County, Iowa. Cora survived him by eight years and is buried near him.

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Mrs. Mary Fister Dies at Plano

My great grandmother, Mette "Mary" Fister, with her youngest daughter Doris Fister (my grand aunt), probably in the late 1920s.

The Aurora Beacon-News
Tuesday, 8 Jan 1935
page 2(?) 

Mrs. Mary Fister Dies at Plano 

Plano, Ill., Jan. 8.--Mrs. Mary Fister, widow of the late Ben R. Fister, a resident of Kendall county for 40 years, died yesterday at her home in Plano.  She was born at Stavanger, Norway, Nov. 25, 1876.  Her maiden name was Mattie (Mary) Crina Anderson.  She was married Oct. 18, 1894.  Mr. Fister died May 2, 1934. 

Surviving are five daughters, Lila, Fern, Edith, Margaret, and Doris***, five sons, Roy, Alvin, Russell, Myron and Ival, nine grandchildren, three sisters and one brother.
Funeral services will be held Thursday afternoon from the home at 1:30 o'clock and from the Plano Lutheran church at 2 o'clock.  Burial will be in the Plano cemetery.

***The daughters are pictured here, around the time of Mette "Mary" Fister's death.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Mabel Myrtle (Bryan) Morriss (1895 - 1991)

Without knowing her story, anyone looking at the 1940 U.S. Census record for Mabel Morriss (one of my second cousins, twice removed*) would have no reason to think that her life was any different from the other farm wives in Cass County, Texas. It seems there's no census category for "tireless pioneer."

[1940 United States Federal Census. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.:

National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627]

The Bowie-Cass Electric Co-op wouldn't exist without her vision and hard work. This is from the co-op's history page:

The slight, pleasant East Texas lady with limitless hope for the future and belief in her fellow East Texans brought the Douglassville co-op into being almost single-handedly, braving numerous condemnations of the project as "economically unfeasible." A few years back when employees and members of Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative were asked about the organizing of the co-op, they would reply, "Ask Mabel Bryan Morriss. She did it." 

It all started one warm night in May 1935, as Mabel Bryan Morriss read the latest issue of the Atlanta Citizens-Journal. If she hadn't been too interested in the story about the new-born Rural Electrification Administration and its offer to finance electricity for everybody who could qualify, Mrs. Morriss could have heard the whispers from other pioneers about the obstacles to be encountered along unblazed trails, and the heartaches and rebuffs that go hand in hand with the challenge of leadership.

Over the years she served on the board of directors, as secretary-treasurer, and even donated the land that the co-op's offices occupy to this day. Go read the rest of the story to get an appreciation of how hard Mabel worked to achieve her goal: "John Carmody [the government official in Washington DC] approved the project in August 1937, but his reservations were far from resolved, for he commented even while approving, "I know this thing will never pay out, but this is the only way to get that woman off our necks!' "

The Cooperative currently serves over 36,000 members.

[Originally posted on her Ancestry.com family tree by SummerGBmore]

[From the Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative website]

You can read more about the Cooperative here, which includes some background on the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). Here's the application form that Mabel had to fill out to start the process:

[Source: East Texas History-Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative]

*Here's how we're related:

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Free Webinar: "You Need a Search Strategy: Maximizing Your Results with Online Genealogical Databases" by Mike Mansfield

Knowing what goes into creating genealogical databases, and what challenges and difficulties arise as well as the context under which the records in the database were created, is important to the end user, as Mike Mansfield from MyHeritage Webinars demonstrates in "You Need a Search Strategy: Maximizing Your Results with Online Genealogical Databases." 

In the past 20 years, online search systems, databases, and image collections have revolutionized family history and genealogical research making our work faster, easier, and more convenient. However, these databases are not without limitations and quirks. This webinar will discuss some limitations we face and present strategies for more effective searches across a spectrum of websites and online services.

One interesting tidbit: if your ancestor was a suffragette she may have been absent in the 1911  census of England and Wales due to a boycott organized by suffragettes in protest to the government's refusal to grant women the right to vote.


1 hour 22 minutes
Free to non-subscribers



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Mary Cutts? (1765? - 1826)

We know almost nothing about this paternal fourth great grandmother* who married Henry Avera/Avery in Cumberland County, North Carolina, in about 1786. If we have the right early census records the family was living in the Cheraws District of South Carolina (later Chesterfield County) by the mid-1790s and seem to have left there for Alabama in 1819, first in Madison County and then ended up in Bibb County where Mary died in 1826 and was buried in the Avery Cemetery.

[Avery Cemetery, Findagrave Memorial #170175530; Photo by Bertha Avery-Hood.]

[Ancestry.com]

*Even her name is suspect--the gravestone of her daughter Catherine's grave indicates that she is the daughter of "d/o Henry Avery & Christian Durham." Whoever she was, there are quite a few of us who are descended from her.

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Celebrations: Fathers Day

The father who raised me: Harold D. Currey (1902-1981).

[Coos Bay, Oregon -1911]

[With son Harold D. Jr., San Diego, California - c. 1928]

[Holding me, San Diego, California - 1947]

[After Mother's death - La Jolla, California - 1980]

My biological father Tracy Stuart Warren (1923- )

[Center, with half brothers, probably Dallas, Texas - c. 1936]

[In the Navy - World War II]

[Probably Corsicana, Texas - c. 1998]

All the photos of Harold Currey are from my personal collection, the first two pictures of Tracy Warren are courtesy of James Turnbull, the portrait was sent to me by Tracy after we contacted him in the late 1990s.




© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Creating a List of People By Location

Can't do this on Ancestry!  A list of the people in my tree who lived in or had a life event in Niwot, Boulder, Colorado, birthplace of my biological grandmother Alta Mae Slater.

One big reason I purchased stand-alone genealogy software (in this case Legacy 9) was to create lists of people to research by location, or by any other specific criteria.  Although Ancestry is a giant database it doesn't allow the user to create this type of report.

This is so fun!


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: John H. Hardy - Russell County, Alabama - 1857

In 1857 John Hardy's son-in-law and the executor of his will David Lockhart listed the estate's heirs for the probate court:

["Alabama Estate Files, 1830-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RGV-32B?cc=1978117&wc=MX5T-7N1%3A314239401%2C315421601 : 19 May 2014), Russell > Hardy, John H (1854) > image 42 of 51;

county courthouses, Alabama.]

The State of Alabama Russell County.
     Personally came David Lockhart Exr
of John Hardy dec'd who being duly sworn doth
depose & say that the within is a true account
of his acts as Executor to the best of his knowl-
edge & belief and that the heirs of the estate are
1  Fereby Lockhart wife of the affiant.
2  Elizabeth Kennon wife of Herry J M Kennon
3  William Hardy of full age
4  The children of Charles Hardy deceased ^all of^ whose names
    and ages are unknown to affiant,
5  The children of Alfred Hardy dec'd viz 1 John Hardy, 2 Martha 
    Warren wife of Jesse Warren, 3 George Hardy, who are
     full age to the best of his knowledge, 4 Sarah Hardy
     minor, 5 the children of Martha Ann Baker de'd viz 1 Cobb Craw-
     ford, by a former marriage & some children by her hus-
     band Baker whose names are unknown.
6  Eliel Lockhart, Elizabeth Lockhart, James Lockhart
     Jane Lockhart. Fereby Lockhart; Eliel & Elizabeth
     being of ull age, the others minors, Jane being
     married to one Bell.
7  The children of Mary Park de'd unknown
8  The children of James W Hardy ^dec'd^ whose names
     and ages are unknown
9  The children of John P Heardy ^dec'd^ whose names ^& ages^ are
     unknown
10 Sarah Guire wife of Lewis Guire
11 William Bennett & Lizabeth Whiteman
     wife of ----- Whiteman of full age
Sworn to & subscribed 31  }
January 1857                      }      David Lockhart
     John A Lewis                }
    Judge of Probate            }

I have bolded my direct ancestors in the above transcription. 

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Hashtags in Legacy 9

Alta Slater, my mother's birth mother and one of the reasons I got into this crazy genealogy mania in the first place, was a teacher, so my first hashtag is an occupation one for teacher.

I'm not done cleaning up my tree, but I just can't wait any longer.  I want to play around with this hashtag function and see what new perspectives I can get.

Some examples of what can be done with hashtags can be found at this Legacy Family Tree News blog post, "Tuesday's Tip: Hashtagging a Group of People."

Larry at the blog Family Roots and Branches posted his list of hashtags, which has some great categories.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Elmer Lee Scarborough (1905 - 1966) - Guitarist & Band Leader

By the time Elmer Scarborough* was 18 he was running an amateur radio transmitting station out of his parent's home in Fort Worth, Texas. According to the 1930 U.S. Census he was still living at home and was working as a pressman for a printer. But by 1932 he had become the leader of a country swing group called the Hi-Flyers** who had a regular program on a local radio station.

[The Hi-Flyers, Elmer is on the left.]

The band made a number of recordings between 1937 and 1941 and I was able to find two of their songs on YouTube.

[Roadside Rag]

[Mable Ain't Able]

The group disbanded during World War II, but reformed in 1946 with Elmer still in charge.

[Fort Worth Star-Telegram Wednesday, Mar 20, 1946 Fort Worth, TX Page: 5.

Source: Genealogy Bank]

Sadly, the reunion lasted only about a year and as far as I can tell from city directories and his 1966 death certificate, Elmer's musical career was over.


*He's my fourth cousin, through my father's Freeman line:

[Ancestry.com]

**Here's Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary's history of the Hi-Flyers, listen to them on AllMusic or buy a CD of some of their music on Amazon.






© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Information Overload

Ancestry is telling me that I have 99+ messages.

To anyone who has messaged/emailed me recently, I apologize for not responding in a timely manner.  I was already chronically behind in my responses, and now feel overwhelmed!  Please have patience, I will get back to you.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Bonnie's Updated AncestryDNA Results

I'm not the only one whose DNA results have changed due to Ancestry's updates. This is what their old analysis looks like.

Her new map has tightened up, concentrated in the British Isles/Ireland and shedding most European influences.

[AncestryDNA]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: The Garden Museum, London, England - 2013

After visiting Scotland, York and Liverpool we headed for London where we checked into Russell House Hotel* for the next phase of our trip to the U.K.

While researching places to see in London I had discovered there's a Garden Museum located in a deconsecrated church next to Lambeth Palace on the south side of the River Thames so of course we had to go there.**

While my photos of the interior didn't turn out well, we also enjoyed the garden, which includes the tomb of the famous gardener John Tradescant (c1570 – 1638) who had an enormous influence on England gardens.

The other standing tomb is that of Captain William Bligh (of H.M.S. Bounty).

[All photos from my personal collection]

*This was at Lyn's suggestion as she and her family had stayed there and it certainly fulfilled my requirements for lodging that's "clean, safe and cheap" plus it's conveniently located next to the Russell Square Tube Station, around the corner from Russell Square itself and only a few blocks from the British Museum. It's not fashionable or stylish but we enjoyed our toast, cornflakes and tea breakfasts every morning.
** London is a very walkable city and fortunately for us Lyn knows it very well so we didn't have to rely on maps or guidebooks.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.