Wordless Wednesday- Violetta Clifford in the Family Store

My Genealogy Goals for 2012

Here are my much-anticipated genealogy goals for 2012.  Some are pretty general and some quite specific.  I am hopeful that I'll be able to go to all the conferences I've mentioned.  I think the main thing is to just set aside time each month to work on one or two of these goals.  I'll keep you posted as I accomplish each one.


General Genealogy Goals..


Education
1.  Attend the Ohio Genealogical Conference in Cleveland, Ohio (April 12-14).
2.  Attend the National Family History Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio (May 9-12).
3.  Visit the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana and learn about the resources available there.
4.  Finish the Advanced Jewish Genealogy Coursework that I began in November.
5.  Take the courses that I won last year through the Family Tree Magazine.
6.  Finish reading the Jewish Genealogy book that I bought last year.
7.  Finish the Methodology Part 1 course through the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.
8.  Attend the Midwestern Roots Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana (July 20-21).

Blogging
1.  Write at least once a week.
2.  Promote my blog on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+
3.  Invite others to write as guests on my blog.

Networking
1.  Continue to meet with the COG's (Central Ohio Geneabloggers).
2.  At all conferences make at least one new connection.
3.  Become active in the Licking County Genealogical Society and volunteer in the library.

Family Interviews
Interview the older generations in my family about their memories growing up.  Use pictures to spur stories about relatives that I know little about.  Record these interviews to digital audio for later reference and sharing.



Specific questions and goals for the family lines that I'd like to examine this year...

Morse
1.  Find out more about Margaret Maude Nolan Morse McGraw.  According to my Great Uncle, she was married once before she met George Frederick Morse.  Was Nolan her maiden name or was it her 1st married name?
2.  Who was George Frederick Morse married to before Margaret?  My Great Uncle said he was married once before... who was she?
3.  What happened to Arthur Morse's daughter Helena Irene?
4.  Join the Morse Family Genealogical Society.

Krueger
1.  Find out more about Alex/ Ellye Kriger in Belarus.  Was he born there or elsewhere?  When & where was he buried?
2.  Did Myer Krueger have any siblings?  According to my grandma there was a sister in Minnesota that married and had several children.  When did she come to America? 
3.  Where is Sophia/ Zipe Soloman Krueger buried and when did she die?  Where was she born?  Did she have any siblings besides Sarah Soloman Shon?

Engel
1.  Did Samuel Hirsch Engel have any siblings?  Did his family remain in Slovakia?
2.  Did Dora Fleckman Engel have any siblings?  Did her family stay in Slovakia?

Alford
1.  Find out more about my dad's half-brother Kenny and Kenny's mother.  Where did they end up & is Kenny still alive?
2.  Find out more about Naomi Reynolds Alford's family and whether any more pictures are "out there".
3.  Join the Alford Family Association.

Clifford
1.  Find out where in Ireland the Cliffords came from originally.

Wordless Wednesday- Clifford/ Alford Family

Left side of table (near to far)- Grandpa Billie Alford, Uncle Tom Clifford, Unknown Man, Grandma Margaret Clifford Alford
Far end of Table- Great Grandpa John Clifford, Unknown Girl
Near End of Table- Unknown Boy
Right side of Table (near to far)- Great Grandma Violetta Senn Clifford, Aunt Jean Clifford, Unknown Lady, Unknown Lady

Margaret Ann Clifford (1925-2008)

Margaret (Marge) was born September 1, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois to Violetta Agnes Senn (1902-1997) and John Leo Clifford (1902-1980).  She had two sisters, Mary Elizabeth and Barbara Louise, and a younger brother Thomas Richard.  In the 1930 census the family lived at 2204 1/2 Miami Street, South Bend, Indiana.  
In late 1947, Marge met Billie Alford at a dance club named Palais Royale in South Bend, Indiana. Her parents disapproved of the relationship because he was not Catholic. Bill was brought up Protestant and converted to Catholicism for the marriage. On September 1, 1948 Marge married Billie Thomas Alford (1922-2008) from Hot Springs, Arkansas. Grandpa (Bill) was working on the road as a pipe fitter when he met Marge. He continued to do that until about 1956. He eventually became a clerk at the Mishawaka, Indiana Post Office until he retired. 
In 1949 she gave birth to my father, Michael. Later I learned that they tried to have more children, but were unable. She was very proud of Mike and kept every report card and newspaper clipping from his involvement in the Boy Scouts to his eventual college graduation at Notre Dame. I am fortunate that she made a scrapbook for me with many photographs and all his merit badges. I just wish I would have asked her more about her own life.
My dad shared with me, “As a kid I remember him (Dad) coming home for the weekend a couple times a month. This was always a bone of contention for mom, and he finally got a local job. Dad moved out of the home twice. The first time was in 1965, just a few months before I turned 16. The second time was a week before I graduated high school in 1967. The second time he swore he was not coming back, which put major dampers on my high school graduation party and led to questions about financing for Notre Dame. Neither time did he stay away for more than a couple of months.”
“Dad worked as a distribution clerk in the Mishawaka post office. He basically sorted the mail for the mail carriers. Near the end of his career he switched to the customer window so that he could get better retirement. He only lasted a few months at it because at the time the window clerk was responsible for any shorts, which he had a lot of. He complained till the day he died that he should have stayed a distribution clerk.”
“Mom and dad bought the house sometime in the early 50s on land contract. It originally was a slab house that only had the front bedroom, living room, and kitchen with an outhouse in the back. Dad and my uncle did most of the work to add the bathroom, back bedroom, and basement. Dad did most of the work to add the front porch, driveway and garage. I remember as a kid playing in a huge mound of dirt probably when they built the basement. Mom insisted on indoor plumbing before we moved in, but I remember being yelled at to stay away from the spot the outhouse had been lest I fall through. They also owned a lake cottage on West Saddlebag Lake near Marcellus, Michigan for a few years (mom worked to get that money together).”
“As a kid we had the only house on our side of the street. Mom and dad bought the empty lot that covered the house next to us and the house grandpa and grandma (Clifford) lived in some time in the early seventies. Grandpa had lost his vision and mom usually helped them run errands. Grandpa's sisters, Marie and Eleanor, had money and offered to build them a house if they supplied the land, so mom and dad subdivided the lot and they moved to the new house in the late 70s.”
Marge worked as a bookkeeper/secretary off and on during her lifetime. One of the places she worked was Edwards Iron Works. My dad had his first paying job there as a sophomore in high school. Grandma worked whenever they needed money, which included times when house repairs were needed, illnesses occurred, I went to college, or dad moved out (twice that I know of). She probably worked about 20-25 years of her life at one place or another.
I was fortunate to get to see Grandma quite often while I was growing up.  I would often go to her house and sit at the kitchen table and color in my coloring books while she would watch her soap operas.  Then we’d watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.  I always thought she knew everything and would have cleaned up if she ever went on the shows.
Once my parents divorced I saw Grandma less frequently.  It was a nice thing that Great Grandma & Grandpa Clifford lived just down the block and I was able to go and visit them as well.  When I was 13 my grandparents took me on a trip to California and back.  It’s one of those experiences that have had a special place in my heart.  I remember it pretty clearly and often reference it when I’m talking with friends. 
Grandma and Grandpa always seemed to have a pretty volatile relationship.  Grandma was always pretty vocal about when Grandpa was “wrong” and often corrected or argued with him.  It wasn’t till I was much older that I came to realize that they did actually love each other. 
When Grandma had a stroke that left her with very little speech and only able to move her left side it was hard to see her that way.  Grandma was always quite opinionated and now she couldn’t really express herself.  She could still laugh and smile though so you could certainly tell that she was still “with it” and following the conversation.  The last time that I visited before she passed away I was able to share with her a small book I had put together remembering our trip across the US.  I read it aloud to her and though she was disoriented, I like to think that she knew how often I thought of that trip and appreciated what she had shared with me.  A week later she did pass away and though I felt very sad, I was glad that she was finally released from the pain and frustration she had felt for her last few years.  I picture her up in heaven giving us all a piece of her mind on the latest political matter and kicking butt at Jeopardy.

Clifford Family Revelations & Morse Breakthroughs

Earlier this month I was fortunate to have my dad come and visit.  I don't get to see him very often so I appreciated the fact that he drove the 6 hours to see me.  It was great catching up and getting the chance to see photos that he'd gotten from my Uncle Tom's apartment.  We sat down and went through them and I heard last names that I'd never heard before and saw relatives that I'd never seen.  It was pretty cool and exciting for me as I considered all the new information I had to process now.  I borrowed the photographs overnight and scanned like a mad woman throughout the day on Saturday.  I still need to wrap up organizing it all, but I was able to scan all that I wanted so that my dad could take the photos back with him and send them on to relatives in California. 

Dad shared a number of interesting stories while we were going through the photos.  In one story, a relative was reprimanded for leaving his post to rescue a tail gunner who was clinging to the tail section of his plane. I’m sure that guy was pretty glad that he was rescued. Another relative served her country and worked as a stenographer at the Nuremberg trials.

In other genealogical news, I've finally found my Morse family's census records from Maine.  I'm planning a vacation up in Maine and thought it would be interesting to do some family research while I'm up there.  For the past two years I had been trying to find what I thought was my ancestor by the name of Frederick Morse.  I then realized that perhaps that wasn’t really his name.  So I searched for the wife and discovered that his name was actually William G. Morse (ca. 1834-1880).  He and his wife Anna Stevens (ca. 1834-1924) lived in Thomaston, Maine in 1860.  In about 1865 they moved to Chicago and eventually settled in Muskegon, Michigan.  William worked as a mariner and his sons followed in his footsteps. 

I emailed the Thomaston Historical Society and was thrilled to get a detailed response with information regarding when my ancestors were engaged and married.  More details on their parents’ names were included and so much more.  I’m thrilled that I’ll be going there and may actually see a gravestone and will see the town where they lived.

Guest Blog Post!

Since you may not be aware, I was recently invited to submit a blog post to the Jewish Gen blog.  Since I was just wrapping up my Beginner's Genealogy Class that they offer that was my topic.  If you'd like to read it you are welcome to visit my  Guest Post.

In other news, I'm going on a vacation!  Hurrah!  Yes, I'll be traveling up to beautiful Maine and hoping to do a little side research on my Morse family that is originally from there.  I've got some leg work to do ahead of time, but with the hot weather that has sprung up I do believe I'll have time over the next few weeks.

Sadly, I must share that my Uncle Thomas Clifford passed away this week.  He was always such a staple at holiday events that I'm sure I'll miss him when Thanksgiving comes and he isn't there.  Tom served in the Navy during the Korean War.  He worked as a clerk in a number of different stores over the years.  He had three older sisters who all passed away before him.  He lived to be 78 years old and for the most part had a pretty active and healthy life.  He was always one to get around by either walking or taking local transit.   I hope that he is at peace now and is reunited with the rest of his Clifford family.