A LETTER FROM MY GRANDMA–1980–Florence Milne writes to Diane Gould

I don’t know about you, but I cherish any correspondence that I have from my parents, grandparents or other family members.

I must have always known I would be a genealogist, because I saved SO much stuff that some people may have tossed.

In this case it’s a letter from my maternal grandmother to me, written 14 Sep 1980.  Florence Lenora Bowden Milne (1888-1986).  She was living in Detroit, Michigan at the time, with her daughter Joan Milne Morrison (1915-.1985).  She had recently moved back to Detroit, after living in Houston, Texas, where my mother was living.  My mother, Patricia Milne Gould Cornelius (1924-2016) is her youngest daughter.

Here is a transcription of her letter.

Across the top of the letter she wrote “hands shake and writing awful”

Sept 14 1980

Dear Diane

You must think I am a very neglectful grandmother but it just seems like so many things come up and people coming in.  So if you can forgive me I will try to do better.  Joan is slowly recovering then just as we are having a breathing spell she over does and she gets the shaking inside again.  You know that the last bad time in hospital she stopped breathing and in their efforts to revive her they broke 3 ribs.  So that complicated everything but it is all coming out well.  We have a very nice apt in a big complex, quiet and beautiful grounds.

I don’t know if I shall ever get rested but the Lord provides the strength we need.  I used to knit bed socks for Red Cross in Houston but  “    “ (meaning Red Cross) has no such thing so when the most of the confusion etc. died down I didn’t have a project on hand but Joan’s church has a lady ____ 3 homes (orphans and others) she supplies with bed socks but old church members (?) she needed knitters.  She supplies the money for yarn!  So I am in business again.  I finally got toenails & eye glasses fixed but need to have lower plate repaired.  Joan can drive now so my g son does not have to do my needs.  I finally got a letter from Pat.  I was worried about them and in the letter very little news but – Bless my dear for writing.  Love for you and Norman

Grandma

My grandma loved to knit and talks about knitting bed socks in this letter. I actually have a pair of her bed socks.  A cherished heirloom. 

I also have my grandmother’s desk.  I wonder, did she write this letter while sitting at that very desk?

My grandma was the family historian and genealogist.  I know she would have been thrilled with all the records and information we have access to today.  And, I think she would be very proud of me for telling our family stories. 

If you’d like to read more about the great family information she left me, please click on this link My Grandmother’s Journal.

Do you have family letters that you enjoy reading over and over? 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2021   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - TRANSCRIBING MY GRANDMOTHER'S JOURNAL - BIRTH & DEATH DATES - DECEMBER

What does Amanuensis mean anyway?
To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

As many of you know from reading previous posts on my blog, my maternal grandmother left a spiral notebook, which I call her journal.  In it she left recipes, a list of 183 family members and their birth dates and some death dates, a list of anniversaries and other various lists or things that were important to her.  It’s a treasure that I cherish.

Today I’m going to be transcribing her list of names & dates from December.  I’m sad to come to the end of my grandmother’s journal posts for birth and death dates.  However, there is much more in her journal and I will keep on posting other transcriptions. 

For the previous posts transcribing January through October, please click on these links.

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - January
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – February
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – March
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – April
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – May
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – June
Amaneunsis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – July
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – August
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – September 
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – October
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - November 

Here is the page from her journal.  This journal was begun when my grandmother, Florence L. Bowden, married my grandfather, Joseph A. Milne, in 1906.  She was just 18 years old at the time.  This journal is very old and falling apart.  I have digitized all the pages and have the original stored in a safe, archival box.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Here is my transcription of this page, with some annotations.  I have indicated the family connection in brackets, even thought it’s not part of the document.  I thought you’d like to know who these people are to me.  And, for any cousins out there reading this, maybe you’ll find it helpful.

I’ve added whatever photos I have of the family members named in this list. (See below)


ADDITIONAL NOTE:  I REDACT TH YEAR OF BIRTH & PART OF THE NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO I’M AWARE OF, THAT ARE STILL LIVING, FOR THEIR PROTECTION.

DECEMBER
 
* CAROL LENNEBACKER  Dec 6 
NANCY     Dec 8  [2nd cousin]
KATHLEEN   Dec 12 [3rd cousin]
KATHLEEN  Dec 15  Duplicate name
LYDA TUFTS SEIGLE  Dec 14  ‘88  [wife of 1st cousin twice removed]
ED HOGUE  Dec 16  ‘06  died Sep 11  ‘73  [husband of 1st cousin once removed]
ALLAN MACNICHOL  Dec 25  ‘91  died July 4  ‘61?  [husband of grand aunt]
*  Nelson’s girl  BREHMER  Dec 18  ‘31 
CORNELIA KING   Dec 7  ‘14  [2nd cousin once removed]
NORMAN GOULD   Dec 31  ‘12 [my Dad]
JOAN ESTHER MILNE  Dec 20  ‘15  [my maternal aunt]
*  PAUL PLATZ  Dec 20  ‘19 
JAMES MORRISON  Dec 19   Aug 27  ‘58 [aunt’s husband’s father]
EDNA MORRISON  Dec 28   Mar 1  ;67  [aunt’s husband’s mother]
*   GRACE SEARLS  Dec 23  ‘90  Dec 12, 1960
NORMAN HAROLD GOULD  Dec 31  ‘12  Duplicate
CHAS LINDOW
*  SYLVIA PASKE  DEC 31  ‘15 
CHAS.  KING  Dec 31  ‘87 [1st cousin twice removed]

That’s a total of 19 names.  I am very fortunate to have this kind of list from my grandmother.
I have placed an asterisk * next to the names I have not yet connected to our family.
FIVE of the names are still waiting for me to find their connections.  I have them in my Legacy database as unlinked individuals.  Were they friends of my grandmother & grandfather, neighbors, or are they all family?  Two of the names appear to be duplicates and one name is crossed out.

In the lists from the other 11 months of the year, there are also names that aren’t yet connected.  I keep looking from time to time and link them as I identify them.

This month I have photographs of five of the people on the list.


 
Left to right they are, Lyda Tufts Seigle, Allan McNichol, Joan Milne Morrison and Chas. King

          
And the fifth person is my Dad.  I have many photos of him through the years.  Here are a few of them.

My Dad with his mother, Marie - 1914	The Gould family - 1924	Dad in 1933 - age 21
My parents bringing me home	Dad, his mother, me & my brother Norm - 1965	Dad reunites with his daughters Norlaine & Virginia - 1981

And here’s my favorite picture of me and my Dad on my birthday in 1981.

Happy hunting,

Copyright ©  2010-2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - TRANSCRIBING MY GRANDMOTHER'S JOURNAL - BIRTH & DEATH DATES - NOVEMBER

 

What does Amanuensis mean anyway?

To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

As many of you know from reading previous posts on my blog, my maternal grandmother left a spiral notebook, which I call her journal.  In it she left recipes, a list of 183 family members and their birth dates and some death dates, a list of anniversaries and other various lists or things that were important to her.  It’s a treasure that I cherish.
Today I’m going to be transcribing her list of names & dates from October
.
For the previous posts transcribing January through October, please click on these links.

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - January
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – February
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – March
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – April
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – May
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – June
Amaneunsis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – July
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – August
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal September

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - October

Here is the page from her journal.  This journal was begun when my grandmother, Florence L. Bowden, married my grandfather, Joseph A. Milne, in 1906.  She was just 18 years old at the time.  This journal is very old and falling apart.  I have digitized all the pages and have the original stored in a safe, archival box.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Here is my transcription of this page, with some annotations.  I have indicated the family connection in brackets, even thought it’s not part of the document.  I thought you’d like to know who these people are to me.  And, for any cousins out there reading this, maybe you’ll find it helpful.

This month the unknown people out number the ancestors.

I’ve added whatever photos I have of the family members named in this list. (See below)

ADDITIONAL NOTE:  I REDACT THE YEAR OF BIRTH & PART OF THE NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO I’M AWARE OF, THAT ARE STILL LIVING, FOR THEIR PROTECTION.

NOVEMBER

* EDNA AUSTIN  Nov 10

Susan’s baby  CHARLES ANDREW 7”12 oz.   Nov 22 [2nd cousin once removed]

LULU E. VERNEY LINDOW   Nov 3  ‘87  Feb 11, ‘78  [1st cousin twice removed]

* HAROLD ROBINSON  Nov 3  ‘30  July ‘63 

ANDREW CHARLES  Nov 22   [I believe this is a duplicate of entry #2]

* MARGARET AUSTIN PINSON  Nov 1 

LOUISA FORSYTHE   Nov 12    Jan 22, ‘50  [Great grandaunt]

* LINDA KATHRYN ROBSON  Nov 14  ‘44 

MARY EMILY KING Nov 10  ‘21  [related to our 2nd cousin once removed via my great grandaunt, Ada Emily Hunter King?]

girl  FERRY  Nov 26  ‘46  [related to our 2nd cousin once removed who married a Ferry?]

SUSAN GILLESPIE  1841  Nov  20  died Mar 8, ‘33 [my 2nd great grandmother]

* MATIE ROBSON  Nov 24  ‘72  Feb 21, ? 

* RONALD SILER  Nov 2      ‘35

* MARY PETOSKEY  Nov 25  ‘41

* LYNN VANCE   ‘41

* TIFFIN MAY VANCE   Nov 21  ‘42

* LINDA JEAN THOMAS  D. J. Titus  Nov 5  ‘43

That’s a total of 17 names.  I am very fortunate to have this kind of list from my grandmother.

I have placed an asterisk * next to the names I have not yet connected to our family.

TEN of the names are still waiting for me to find their connections.  I have them in my Legacy database as unlinked individuals.  Were they friends of my grandmother & grandfather, neighbors, or are they all family?

In the lists from the other 11 months of the year, there are also names that aren’t yet connected.  I keep looking from time to time and link them as I identify them.

This month I have photographs of two of the people on the list.  These two ancestors are grandmother & granddaughter to one another.

My 2nd great grandmother, Susan Burgess Gillespie 20 Nov 1841, Barnstaple, Devon, England to 8 Mar 1933, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.

My 1st cousin twice removed, Louise “Lulu E. Verney, 3 Nov 1887, Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada to 11 Feb 1974, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.

“Lulu” is Susan Gillespie’s granddaughter via her son, James Burgess Gillespie.

Here are Lulu (on the left) and Susan on the right.  I’m not sure where or when this photo was taken. 

Below is a picture of Susan Burgess Gillespie with her husband Joseph Gillespie and their granddaughter, Irene “Peggy” Marie Milne (1893-1989).  This photo would have been around the turn of the century 1900-1903.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - TRANSCRIBING MY GRANDMOTHER'S JOURNAL - BIRTH & DEATH DATES - AUGUST

What does Amanuensis mean anyway?
To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

As many of you know from reading previous posts on my blog, my maternal grandmother left a spiral notebook, which I call her journal.  In it she left recipes, a list of 183 family members and their birth dates and some death dates, a list of anniversaries and other various lists or things that were important to her.  It’s a treasure that I cherish.

Today I’m going to be transcribing her list of names & dates from August.

For the previous posts transcribing January through July, please click on these links.
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - January
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – February
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – March
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – April
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – May
Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – June
Amaneunsis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - July

Here is the page from her journal.  This journal was begun when my grandmother, Florence L. Bowden, married my grandfather, Joseph A. Milne, in 1906.  She was just 18 years old at the time.  This journal is very old and falling apart.  I have digitized all the pages and have the original stored in a safe, archival box.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)


Here is my transcription of this page, with some annotations.  I have indicated the family connection in brackets, even thought it’s not part of the document.  I thought you’d like to know who these people are to me.  And, for any cousins out there reading this, maybe you’ll find it helpful.

I’ve added whatever photos I have of the family members named in this list. (See below)

ADDITIONAL NOTE:  I REDACT THE BIRTH DATES & FULL NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO I’M AWARE OF, THAT ARE STILL LIVING, FOR THEIR PROTECTION. 
August

* Hazel HARRIS Aug 3  ‘89
Susan C. CRESSE died Mar 26 ‘13   Aug 4 [2nd great grandmother, mother of Daisy Skinner & Florence Bell]
Florence H. Bowden BELL Aug. 7  ‘69     5-27 ‘46  [great grandmother, daughter of Susan Cresse]
Eva Knowles GILLESPIE Aug 7  ‘63 or ‘69  [wife of great granduncle]
Ralph Milne FORSYTH    Aug 10  ‘96 Feb 3-7-52 [1st cousin twice removed]
Everett Pierre ROE Aug 12  ‘93  May 14  ‘58 [husband of grandaunt]
Etta VERNEY Aug 24  ‘92  Oct 1  ‘61  [1st cousin twice removed]
Raymond GILLESPIE   Aug 27    died Dec ‘43  [1st cousin twice removed]
Daisy D. SKINNER  Aug 28  ‘77  died Nov 20, ‘48 [great grandaunt, daughter of Susan Cresse]
* Alfred W. LANGTON    Aug 5  ‘10   3-29-39 
* Donald SEARLS Aug 9   Nov 25  1954  [
* Frank ROEMER    Aug 19
* Margo Francis RIGGS Aug 26  ‘30
* VERNEY (Boy) Aug 3   ‘35
* Billy DONALDSON Aug 27  1037
Etta COCKBURN   Aug 24  ‘92
*Naia Anne COONS Aug 29  ‘41
Aunt Ada’s great grand child  Katherine  Aug 10  ‘40  [2nd cousin once removed]
Barbara      ‘53? [2nd cousin]

That’s a total of 19 names, (including the name that is lined out).  I am very fortunate to have this kind of list from my grandmother.

I have placed an asterisk * next to the names I have not yet connected to our family.
 
EIGHT of the names are still waiting for me to find their connections.  I have them in my Legacy database as unlinked individuals.

In the lists from the other 11 months of the year, there are also names that aren’t yet connected.  I keep looking from time to time and link them as I identify them
.
This month I am fortunate to have photographs of four of the people listed.
                                                 
Susan C. Hunter Cresse Haskins nee BOGGS                                    Florence Bowden Bell nee HUNTER
                                                    
       Everette Pierre Roe                                                               Daisy Skinner nee HUNTER

NOTE: All 3 ladies pictured this month are related.  Susan in the first photo, is the mother of both Florence and Daisy.

Here is a post I wrote about the Hunter sisters and them being featured on Maureen Taylor’s article for Family Tree.

SIBLING SATURDAY - THE HUNTER SISTERS

Please contact me if you recognize any of the names with asterisks or if you are related to any of these family members.  I’d love to hear from you.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - BIRTH & DEATH DATES FROM MY GRANDMOTHER'S JOURNAL - JULY

What does Amanuensis mean anyway?

To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

As many of you know from reading previous posts on my blog, my maternal grandmother left a spiral notebook, which I call her journal.  In it she left recipes, a list of 183 family members and their birth dates and some death dates, a list of anniversaries and other various lists or things that were important to her.  It’s a treasure that I cherish.

Today I’m going to be transcribing her list of names & dates from July.

For the previous posts transcribing January through June, please click on these links.

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - January

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – February

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – March

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – April

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – May

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - June

Here is the page from her journal.  This journal was begun when my grandmother, Florence L. Bowden, married my grandfather, Joseph A. Milne, in 1906.  She was just 18 years old at the time.  This journal is very old and falling apart.  I have digitized all the pages and have the original stored in a safe, archival box.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Here is my transcription of this page, with some annotations.  I have indicated the family connection in brackets, even thought it’s not part of the document.  I thought you’d like to know who these people are to me.  And, for any cousins out there reading this, maybe you’ll find it helpful.

I’ve added whatever photos I have of the family members named in this list. (See below)

ADDITIONAL NOTE:  I REDACT THE BIRTH DATES & FULL NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO I’M AWARE OF, THAT ARE STILL LIVING, FOR THEIR PROTECTION.  THIS MONTH I DON’T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY STILL LIVING.


I have placed an asterisk * next to the names I have not yet connected to our family.
    
July

* Jean Frances LENNEBACK  July 5 ‘24  
James G. VERNEY, Jr.  July 9, '94 Died Jan 12 ‘57  [1st cousin twice removed]
 * Post  July 15 ‘11 
Died Nov. 12 ‘47  Susan M. SMITH  July 18 ‘60  [maternal great grandmother] 
* Bert SEARLS   July 18  died aged 64 Jan 3, ‘50 
* Henry PLATZ July 20   died Nov ‘69
 James B. VERNEY 1854  July 27   Oct. 3, ‘34 [husband of great grandaunt]
*  Jean MOFFET  July 16  Oct 28, ‘76 
* Barbara DOWORTH  July 21  ‘16
Junior Diebel   July 26, ‘28 
Aunt Ada’s grson William KING [possibly 2nd cousin once removed] 
*  Marion RIGGS July 10  ‘19 
Lawrence? Diebel  July 5

There is a date of July 26 between the name Marion Riggs and the scratched out name of Lawrence Diebel.  I cannot be sure which name that date belongs with.

That’s a total of 11 (13 if you count the two that are lined out) names.  I am very fortunate to have this kind of list from my grandmother.

SIX of the names are still waiting for me to find their connections.  I have them in my Legacy database as unlinked individuals. I do not include the name that just says “Post,” among the unidentified.  I don’t have that name in my database at this time, unlinked or otherwise.

In the lists from the other 11 months of the year, there are also names that aren’t yet connected.  I keep looking from time to time and link them as I identify them.

Again this month, the photos I have consist of only one person.  My maternal great grandmother, Susan Anne Gillespie Milne Smith.  I do have several of her.
 
   
Left – photo of Susan at age 16, circa 1876 (according to back of photo)  On the right is a picture of Susan with her infant daughter, Irene and her son, Joseph.  This picture of her with her children would have been late 1893-1894. Sadly, Susan and her husband Andrew had lost a son at birth in 1886 and a young daughter at age 2 in 1887.  Then Andrew died in Dec 1892 of consumption.  Little Irene, shown in the picture, was born in June 1893.  She never met her father.
 
      

The headshot on the left was cropped from a group photo from about 1911-1912.  The photo on the right is from 1934 and in it are L-R – my maternal great grandmother Florence Hunter Milne Bell, my grandmother (author of this journal from which I post) Florence Bowden Milne, and on the right is Susan Gillespie Milne Smith, my other maternal great grandmother.

Please contact me if you recognize any of the names with asterisks or if you are related to any of these family members.  I’d love to hear from you.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION