The Quest

So I did end up creating a Facebook group for our Gideon descendants, but so far it hasn't been as successful as our Zogg group is. I think the Gideons just got too spread out, the Giddens/Gideon name confused everyone, and no one knows where they belong. We are having an on-going discussion with distant cousins via e-mail, but I get the feeling we're spinning our wheels a bit. I could ask, "What's the point?" But then I'd be asking that question about genealogical research as a whole. I guess the point is curiosity... and some people are just more curious than others. Lots of Gideon descendants heard all kinds of stories about having Cherokee blood. I always took it for a fact, until one day my mom's cousins told her that they just made up that story to see if anyone would believe it. But somehow other lines (who had never met these nefarious cousins) heard similar stories. Could this be why we can't trace the lineage of Lillie Parks? Is she Cheroke...

I was thinking about starting a group on Facebook for Descendants of Dr. Berry Wilson Gideon. Then I thought, would it be easier to just create a website? Hmm. Lot of work. Then I thought... wish there was a way to simplify this, but the simpler you get the less information you have. Anyway.... all of that drove me to distraction and I started shopping/browsing for genealogy stuff. I thought it would be nice for me to display my tree somehow, so I started looking for family trees that are suitable for framing. They are very simplistic, and rightfully so since you have to fit it all on one page. But in the process I saw this amazing pictorial family tree. And thus the reason for the title of this post... So if you have come across a frame-able family tree that you particularly like, I'd like to know about it. I think the photographic version is a little much. I'd like something that's pretty and includes several generations. I guess I could just make my own, ...

After a conversation with someone yesterday, I began to reflect on how much I personally have changed since moving to the metroplex. The things that defined my life in Lubbock are no longer the norm. I'm not involved with Emmaus. I don't know any people in my demographic. I don't volunteer to work with children (for pay or otherwise). I never give spiritual talks or lead small groups or reunion groups. I rarely paint or sing or play the piano. I don't write feature articles. I don't make agape or go to the movies or take day trips to sled on sand dunes. I'm generally not the life of the party or the one doing the planning. So who am I now? Am I all about work? Well, not really. I still like to write (but don't do it often). I've added genealogy to my interests, but that's a fairly solitary endeavor. I hesitate to volunteer for things. I don't lead spiritual activities. I go straight home from work most days... Meg needs to be let out. Most of m...

When Ken died, I thought I'd shy away from my fascination with cemeteries and family history. In the moment, it seemed morbid. But I felt compelled to go visit Floyd's resting place (Ken's dad) yesterday during lunch. People may think I'm morbid for walking cemeteries in my spare moments, but Bear Creek Cemetery is one of the more peaceful places I know to go. All the people there are at peace... there's greenery and shade and flowers and reminders of lives lived well. I can't explain why I feel soothed there, but somehow I do. The questions and uncertainty of "real life" seem insignificant there, where lives are finished and strife is over. Sure, there's a melancholy there. But sometimes melancholy is just the balm I need to heal.

When you are reminded how short and precious and fragile life can be, you make all kinds of promises to yourself about what you're going to change in your own life. I'm going to clean up the house, do laundry, walk the dog, go to church on Sundays, find more friends, eat better (no, not really... what's the point in that?), tell people I love them... I don't know if any of us really make good on those promises to ourselves. We do, in a way, just go on with life as usual. But I can't help but think about Kenda and how her "life as usual" is never going to be the same. I know she will do okay because she's a strong person, grounded in her faith. But she could certainly use our prayers and support as she finds her new normal.

My last post was about my own post-mortem, and this week I'm neck-deep in the grief of Ken Diehm's post-mortem (he chose cremation by the way). My boss, leader, pastor, mentor, friend passed away last Saturday. Suddenly. Unbelievably. I can't begin to explain the effect he had on people. We expect thousands at his memorial service. But for me, he was an inspiration. He taught me to take a deep breath and not over-react. He was calm and tolerant. Slow to anger. Sometimes it frustrated me because he never got worked up about the things I was worked up about. But over time that helped me to learn that everything was going to be okay... that whatever the big issue was, it wasn't the end of the world.  When hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Ken led the church in opening up our apartments to be transitional housing. Pictured below is one of those "refugees" - a chef who was serving us some jambalaya.  Ken was joyful. He laughed easily and often. He loved a goo...

I used to think I definitely wanted to be cremated when I die. It seems like it would be so much cheaper than a full-on burial. But the more I research genealogy, the more I think I should be buried somewhere. Not that anyone will really care, but what if someone a hundred or two hundred years from now is trying to find my birth and death dates? If I'm not buried anywhere, where do you put the marker? How will I have a catchy epitaph if there's no stone to put it on? I should mention that recently I've spent a lot of time uploading tombstone images to www.findagrave.com - so I do have a good reason for thinking about these things. I guess I'm just too vain. If I weren't, it shouldn't matter whether I'm buried or burned. I was somebody. Who, is no business of yours. (Anonymous epitaph, Stowe, Vermont)

Anna is a mystery. We don’t know who her parents were, but from the census records of her daughter Flora, it is believed that she was born in Switzerland . She married Mathias Zogg in Carthage , Missouri and had one daughter, Flora. What happened to her after she and Matthias divorced? From the divorce records, we see that Matthias accused Anna of not doing her household duties (cooking, cleaning, etc.). Anna never appeared for the court proceedings. One of Flora’s daughters thought she remembered a visit from Anna when they were children. The other daughters disagree that it was Anna. Aunt Melinda likes to theorize that Matthias murdered her or that she ran off to California to become a star. My belief is that she probably remarried and moved away from Carthage , Missouri . OR she may have followed the Quinns to Texas to live near her daughter, but was not a part of her life.

I've started trying to compile some of the information from historical records to make a narrative about my ancestors. Might as well post some of it in case others are looking for this information. Up first, my Great-Great Grandfather.  Me > Russell Terry Mason > Jessie Mae Terry Mason > Flora Margaretta Augusta Zogg Terry > Matthias Zogg Matthias Zogg was a miner who immigrated with his family from Grabs, Obershan, St. Gallen Canton , Switzerland to the USA through Baltimore on 28 Aug 1874. Matthias and his father and brother (both named Florian) were miners in West Virginia before moving to the Carthage , Missouri area. They continued to mine zinc and Matthias also farmed.  Matthias was married three times and divorced twice. The first marriage to Anna Knust did not last long. He accused her of shirking her wifely duties, complaining that he was forced to prepare his own meals before going to work. There was one child from that union, my great-grandmother...

So when I decided to blog more and focus on genealogy, I changed the title of my blog to be "The Quest" because it was more descriptive than just my "handle." But I'm beginning to think that I should rename it "The Obsessive Genealogist." Why? Simply because every time I hear someone say, "I really don't know much about my family," I immediately go home and start a family tree for them in Family Tree Maker. Is it strange that I know which of my friends' great-grandfathers lived in Canada? Or where they're buried? Or that they died of typhoid? Is it odd that I'd spend hours upon end looking up census records and death certificates and tombstone photos of people that aren't remotely related to me? (You never know.... I might find out my friends ARE related to me!) No. It's not strange. A little obsessive, maybe. But completely normal.

If you're a genealogist, you probably know that you're not likely to find your family in the 1890 U.S. Census. That's because most of it was lost in a fire in the 1920's. But due to the Ancestry.com Facebook page, I now know that they are working on a database that will help fill the gap. Here's a link to the article and more about the so-called "1890 Census Substitute." http://learn.ancestry.com/LearnMore/Article.aspx?id=15918

I love romantic movies. I watch them over and over again. And yet there is no romance in my life. You would think I wouldn't watch them so I'm not reminded of what I'm missing... but I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. The biggest thing I miss by being alone is not having someone to do the mundane things with... dishes, grocery shopping, wandering aimlessly on Saturdays. And then there's the fact that if you never date anyone you'll never marry anyone. And if you never marry anyone you'll never have kids. And if you don't have kids you don't have heirs. And if you don't have heirs, who do you leave all your genealogical research to? Truly I never wanted children. But I am saddened by the prospect of our family line coming to an end. I guess technically it's not entirely up to me. But this little part of our line is up to me. And it ends here.

I finally decided to really try to figure out why my feet and hands can be frigid while my face feels hot and flush. It only happens during the winter, but it happens with such frequency now that I just wish for summer! Which is not normal for someone who lives in Texas and doesn't like to be hot. I came across a recent blog post from a gal in London . She describes a similar sensation, although hers seems to come along with changing of color and is diagnosed as Raynaud's. I don't think I have the actual disease, but perhaps a lesser version of it. Or maybe just erratic circulation. But she also mentioned having problems regulating body temperature when drinking alcohol. I've always thought I was just a lightweight (figuratively... if you know me you know that's not literal) and couldn't hold my liquor. But when I have an alcoholic beverage my face gets extremely hot and I just feel generally uncomfortable. Maybe I do really have this disease! On a vastly diff...

As I'm researching family history, I'm finding it very difficult to reconcile the timeline in my mind. I think of immigration as a contemporary happening. Something that occurred in modern times. But I think of the Civil War as an old fight. An antiquated quarrel that couldn't have happened in the recent past. And yet it wasn't long after the Civil War that my Zogg ancestors immigrated to America (less than 10 years actually). What made them think that a country divided would be a better place to be than the picturesque village of Grabs, Switzerland? It's hard for me to imagine that the Civil War was so relatively recent. On this MLK Day, I think about the fact that it was only 50 years or so ago that segregation was "abolished." And even now it remains in some ways. Last night I was watching Oprah's Master Class featuring Maya Angelou. I had never read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," so I decided to start reading it. The whole concept o...

I'm reading a book right now about a woman who was lost as a child. The book is about how she and her granddaughter tried to solve the mystery of who she really was. It makes me think of the Mystery of Zogg. What I would really like to know is... what happened to Anna Knust Zogg? From the divorce proceedings, we know that she wasn't one for staying around the house cooking and cleaning (if you can take Mathias's word for it). But why would she leave her child to be raised by family members? Did she die? Did she run away? And where did she come from to begin with? We don't even know who her parents were.Was Knust her maiden name, or was she married once before Mathias? Did she marry again after divorcing Mathias? Did she have more children? What we DO know: Anna Knust was briefly married to Mathias Zogg and had a baby girl named Flora Margaretta Augusta Zogg. And if she hadn't, I wouldn't be here.

I haven't blogged much in the recent past, and honestly it's because I've been busy doing other things. Well, other THING actually: genealogy research. So I've decided to gear this blog more towards my current work in "stalking dead people" as my sister calls it. Most recently I've been working on the Gideon/Giddens line of our ancestry. Some of the Giddens migrated to the area where I currently live back in the 1860's, so I've been trying to track them all down (since I live here now). In the process, I was able to connect with the widow of Thomas Berry Gideon, who is living in Granbury. She had possession of a book entitled "Descendants of James Giddens, Sr. 1720-1811" written by Andrew J. Giddens in 1988.  I borrowed the book, but before I started reading in-depth I decided on a whim to google the title. I found a copy for sale on Amazon of all places! So I purchased the book and have now scanned the chapters. If you are interested i...

Mable Paisley Mason was born sometime around 1995ish. The first two years of Mable's life are a mystery, ending in April of 1997 when she was abandoned at the Lubbock Animal Shelter. Mable was pregnant and alone. After giving birth and having her puppies (which were all adopted immediately), Mable languished in the Animal Rescue Kennel (ARK) for three months. Meanwhile, I was wishing for a dog. I had decided that on my next payday, I would go adopt. On July 15, 1997, I went to the ARK looking for a beagle puppy, whom I planned to name Paisley, keeping with the tradition of "P" names in our family. Upon arriving at the ARK, I found out that not only were there no puppies (it was Parvo season), but there were also no beagles. In the cacophony of barking and howling coming from the cages, I noticed an angelic face, sitting quietly in the corner. I asked to see that dog... her name was Mable and she not only knew her name, but also knew how to sit. Mable, a cockapoo, weighed ...

The other day I was looking at some church records from Bear Creek Baptist Church (which doesn't exist anymore) and came across a "Brother Gideon" who visited from Lonesome Dove Baptist Church. The entry wasn't dated, but most of the others were around the 1850-1880 range, so I'm assuming this visit was during that time period. Anyway... this precipitated a search for Lonesome Dove Baptist Church, which is still in existence and has a cemetery associated with it. So today's lunch trek took me across the city limit into Southlake for a visit to Lonesome Dove. As I've mentioned before, as I drive around this area I see signs all around me of the lifestyle that used to be here... before wealth and prosperity began to push the old out to make way for the new (and sometimes ridiculous). Driving down Dove Road is a prime example. You cross areas that are still heavy with underbrush, where it seems the Texas wilderness wants to reclaim its lost territory. In ot...

The longer I work in Grapevine and research the area for genealogy the more connected I feel to this area. I can sit in the parking lot at lunchtime and look through the trees at the Moorhead Branch Creek and just imagine how it was when the Gideons and Hudgins first came here. I can imagine them riding their horses past the Terrill-Payne-Fuller house (which is the oldest house still in existence in Grapevine - built 1865) on their way to the Methodist church. I drive by it now on nice paved roads in my air-conditioned Korean car. It's been recently refurbished after the passing of Alice Fuller and is now on sale - fully furnished - for $499,000. Click here for pictures. I've been researching the cemeteries of Northeast Tarrant County in my (so far fruitless) quest to find Gaylon Bohave Gideon's final resting place. What I've found is that there are cemeteries all around that I never knew existed. Many are abandoned (hopefully the bodies were moved to a peaceful place)...

I have to admit... I complain quite a lot during stewardship campaign. Just ask Trudy. I've decided that I'm going to start calling it "Stew." Like the name of an odd uncle you cringe to see coming, not like the name of the comfort food. (No offense intended if your name is Stu.) This year, we're trying our best to entertain Stew online so we don't have to spend a lot of time and resources mailing stuff [that people will probably throw away]. So I've spent the last few weeks designing, editing code, and tweaking the web pages that will make up Stew 2011. I think I'm finally finished! Now, whether you're a kid, youth or adult, you can just go online and commit your heart out! Commit, commit, commit! Just don't expect me to do it too. No me gusta committing to things. I'm ready to do something fun... like redesign the whole website. So that will be the next project! Can't wait!