52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 49

Mayme Crusham ~1950

With the writing prompt being Winter, I immediately searched through old photographs to see if I had a wintertime photograph of one of my ancestors. I came across this one of my maternal grandmother, Mary Barbara (Metz) Crusham.

Known by all as Mayme, she was born 5 February 1890 in Cincinnati to Peter and Bridget (Maher) Metz. Mayme was the second oldest of five children, with the others being Helen b. 1888, Alice b. 1892, Stella b. 1893, and Walter b. 1895. Mayme married Michael Crusham on 21 June 1911 when she was 21 years of age.

The photograph was taken in front of Michael and Mayme’s house at 1238 Rosemont Avenue in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. My older sister Kathleen is seated on the bumper of what was probably my dad, LeRoy Kubler’s, car as we owned the house next door to Grandma and Grandpa. After discussing the photo with my sister, we decided the boy in the photo is most likely our brother Kenneth. It is difficult to say as he is turned away from the camera, and with my sister being seated you can’t get a feel for the difference in their height. Kathy is two years older than Ken. Our older brother LeRoy was diagnosed with aplastic anemia when he was a couple of years old, so he would not have been allowed out in the snow.

Having said that, and guessing that Kathy is around six years of age in this photo, it is likely that the photo was taken late in 1950. LeRoy died at the age of seven in January of 1950. And a huge storm system moved into the central part of the United States in November of that year.

The snow started out just before Thanksgiving in 1950 as a seemingly normal weather event, but it turned deadly. The significant winds created blizzard conditions, and Cincinnati and other areas received more that 2 feet of snow in three days due to the slow-moving storm. The snow conditions lasted from November 22-30. As if that wasn’t bad enough, above average temperatures during the first week of December led to flooding, with the Ohio River reaching 56 feet, 4 feet above flood stage. That certainly must have made for an interesting winter in Cincinnati.

There are a couple of things that strike me about this photo. First, Grandma’s feet and legs must have been freezing! It sure doesn’t appear as though she has boots on. Second, just in looking at her I would have guessed she was in the winter of her life. And yet, she would have only been 60 in this photo. Heck, I’m older than that right now, which makes me totally revise my idea of the definition of the “winter of your life”!

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 45

While I have some photographs of male ancestors that I have collected over the years, I do not have one that I think qualifies for the writing prompt Bearded. Instead, I’ll talk about the three brothers who all looked very similar, right down to their stylish mustaches.

My maternal second great-grandparents, Joseph Henry Metz and Barbara (Karch) Metz of Insheim, Germany had nine children, four of whom were boys. The youngest boy, who was also the baby of the family, was my great-grandfather Peter Metz.

One child, Magdalena, died in Insheim, Germany when she was just two months old, but I believe all of the other children lived and died in the Cincinnati/Covington greater area following their emigration to America.

Nicholas, Barbara, Anna and Elisabeth

For three of the four boys, I have been able to locate photographs. The oldest child was Nicholas Metz, who was born in Insheim on 8 August 1842 and died in Cincinnati on 26 February 1920. He arrived in America in 1866, traveling with his mother and five of his siblings aboard the Fulton. By the 1870 census he was living in Cincinnati with his mother and three brothers, Joseph, John, and Peter. Nicholas married Carolyn Blanner, and they had four children: Magdalena, Rosa, John, and Mary. The photo shows him with his sisters Barbara Metz Zimmer, Anna Maria Metz Radenheimer, and Elisabeth Metz.

Joseph and Rosina

Joseph Metz was born 2 October 1853 in Insheim and he died 25 September 1925 in Cincinnati. He was on the same ship as his mother and siblings, arriving in America in 1866. In 1877 he married Magdelena Germann, and they had five children: William, John, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Helen. Joseph is pictured with his sister Rosina Metz Strassel.

Peter Metz (my great-grandfather) was born in Insheim 30 May 1862 and died in Cincinnati on 4 February 1935. He was only four years old when he arrived in America with his family. On 3 November 1887 he married Bridget Maher, and they went on to have five children: Helen, Mary (my grandmother), Alice, Stella, and Walter. He and Bridget are pictured, probably in the 1920s.

Peter and Bridget

What struck me first in looking at the photos is how much the three men resemble each other. The second thing I noticed is that they all wore their mustaches the same way. I have never seen a photograph of their father Joseph Henry Metz as he died of a bee sting in Insheim at the age of 43. It would be so interesting to see if his sons looked like him. And if he, too, favored wearing a mustache.

Nicholas, Joseph and Peter

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 38

Carol Wambaugh 1960

The writing prompt Unusual Source brought to mind a letter dated 24 February 1964 that was written by my great-aunts Nellie and Stella Metz to my cousin, Sister John Daniel (born Carol Wambaugh). Upon hearing the other nuns speaking of their grandparents, Carol expressed regret to her mother, Stella (Crusham) Wambaugh, that she didn’t know much about her own ancestors. Stella asked her aunts Nellie and Stella to relay what they knew, and in turn they wrote to Carol, giving the information they knew about the family.

In addition to filling a few holes in the family tree, the letter was filled with other tidbits about when various ancestors came to America and where they traveled from to get here. They included known birth and death dates, what some of the men did for a living in their home countries as well as once they got to the United States, where they worshipped, and that great-grandma Catherine (Colgan) Crusham arrived in America around the age of 3 just in time to get her tongue clipped.

letter from Nellie and Stella

It was from this letter I learned that the Crusham family had emigrated from Tuam, County Galway,
Ireland. With that piece of information I was able to visit the Galway Family History Society in Ireland to research their records in search of the original spelling of the Crusham name. As I’ve written in the past, it was usually spelled Crisham in Ireland, though other variations existed as well. From there I was able to obtain baptism and death information on the family.

I’ll be forever grateful to the nuns who talked about their families, and peaked Carol’s interest enough to ask her mom what she knew about the Crusham/Metz families. And that Nellie and Stella cared enough to write a six page letter to Carol detailing what they had heard about our family history.

Nellie and Stella Metz with their sister Lulu

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 37

Kim, Chuck and Debbie

The writing prompt for this week is Closest to Your Birthday. I am unaware of any direct relatives who share my exact October birth date. The only person I found in my family tree was a very remote in-law whom I know nothing about.

But I do have two cousins whose birthdays are quite close to mine. And I even have a cute picture of the three of us on the couch at Grandma and Grandpa Crusham’s house.

Michael and Mayme (Metz) Crusham had 8 children who lived to be adults. The oldest, Marie, was a spinster and never had a family, but the other 7 all married and had children. Altogether there were 38 grandchildren - 20 boys and 18 girls. All of them were born in Cincinnati.

In the pecking order, I was grandchild #19. Just 15 days before me, my cousin Deborah was born. And 6 days after I arrived, my cousin Charles was born. The photograph shows the three of us together, probably taken at Easter in 1956.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 32

Chicago ~1958

With the writing prompt this week being Youngest, my mind went to youngest in the family. I am the baby in my family, having three older brothers (one of whom died before I was born) and one older sister. That made me think about other members of my family tree, wondering if any of them were also the youngest born child. I knew that neither mom nor dad were the youngest in their families. As it turns out neither Grandma or Grandpa Kubler, my dad’s parents, were the babies in their families, nor were my mom’s parents, Grandma or Grandpa Crusham.

In looking at the ancestral chart, I had to go all the way back to my maternal great-grandfather Peter Metz, who was the youngest of 9 kids, to find another baby. None of my other great-grandparents fell into this very special place in their families.

In a way my family is unique in that my parents had almost two separate sets of children. My sister is 11 years older than me, followed by a brother who is 9 years older than me, and then a brother who is 18 months older than me. In between the boys, my mom suffered a couple of miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy which resulted in all of one and most of the other ovaries being removed. She was told she would most likely not get pregnant again, and if she did would not carry the baby to full term. And then along came my brother and me.

My sister was like a second mother to me, and she spent a lot of time caring for my brother and me. With my brother being so close in age to me, we were best buddies as children. We shared bottles and toys, and got along great. My sister has corroborated that we were sickeningly sweet to each other. We played a lot of games together, rode our bikes and acted out war scenes with his G.I. Joes, and later played baseball with the neighborhood boys.

Maybe due to our close age, I never really felt like the baby of the family. I certainly never was aware that I received special attention. Mom never played favorites with any of us, and if anything my dad favored the brother next closest in age to me. I don’t think my dad ever got over losing his oldest son to aplastic anemia at the age of 7, and I believe my brother reminded dad of Roy.

One benefit of being the youngest is that I learned a lot from my older siblings. My dad had a bit of a temper, so by observing what set him off with the older kids, I avoided doing those things. It was also nice to have my parents to myself for the last couple of years of college, when the others had married and/or moved away.

It was a good childhood, with a lot of love and laughs. I enjoyed my place in it as baby of the family. Even if I often shared that place with my not too much older brother.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 28

Elsie Metz 1902

The writing prompt for this week is Travel. While most of my ancestors traveled great distances to emigrate to the United States, and many more migrated across this country after they arrived, I have found no one in the family who traveled as extensively as my 2nd cousin, twice removed, Elsie Lauretta Metz. I wrote about Elsie, who was born in Cincinnati in 1880, and the wild weather she experienced while on a ship in 1912 earlier this year when the writing prompt was Storms. You can find that post here. I also had written about her family and attendance at the University of Cincinnati back in 2013, and the link for that post is here.

in December of 1911, Elsie applied for a passport at the age of 30 in preparation for some travel she was planning to do the next year. While I knew a lot about her 1912 trip due to a journal that was returned to our family, I had no idea of the extensiveness of her adventures until I was preparing for this post. Through a list tucked into her journal and also searches on ancestry.com I was able to find the following travel and passenger information about Elsie. I suspect that the list is missing some entries as well.

1889 traveled to Rome, Italy, according to her journal.

1893 traveled to the Chicago World’s Fair, according to her journal.

1899 and 1905 traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to her journal.

1906 traveled to Quebec and Saguenay, Canada, according to her journal.

1907 traveled to Europe, according to her journal.

1908 traveled to Cairo, according to her journal.

27 August 1909 sailed on the SS Kaiserin Augusta Victoria from Cherbourg, France to New York, New York, arriving on 3 September 1909. She spent the summer touring Europe with friends.

1910 and 1911 traveled to the Adirondacks in New York, according to her journal.

9 May 1912 sailed on the SS Cincinnati from Hamburg, Germany to New York, New York, arriving on 20 May 1912. (Her diary indicates that she left on the trip 30 January, 1912, so this ship’s list is only from the last leg of her journey.)

7 July 1914 sailed to Europe for extensive trip.

5 August 1914 applied for an emergency passport at the American Embassy in Berlin to immediately return to the U.S due to the outbreak of WWI.

22 August 1914 sailed on the SS St. Paul from Liverpool, England, arriving in New York, New York on 30 August 1914.

3 October 1914 sailed on the SS Lusitania from Liverpool, England, arriving in New York, New York on 8 October 1914. (This trip is puzzling to me - in light of the war, why would she have gone back to Europe that fall?)

1916 traveled to Lake Placid, New York, according to her journal.

1918 traveled to Chillicothe (Illinois? Missouri?), according to her journal.

1920 traveled to Luddington (England? Michigan?), according to her journal.

8 March 1921 sailed on the SS Fort Victoria from Hamilton, Bermuda to New York, New York, arriving on 10 March 1921.

1922 traveled to Ogunquit, Maine, according to her journal.

5 March 1923 sailed on the SS Fort Hamilton from Hamilton, Bermuda to New York, New York, arriving on 7 March 1923.

1923 traveled to Colorado, according to her journal.

1924 traveled to Alaska, according to her journal.

26 August 1925 sailed on the SS Paris from Plymouth, England to New York, New York.

1926 traveled to Ocean City, New Jersey, according to her journal.

27 August 1927 sailed on the SS Paris from Plymouth, England to New York, New York, arriving on 1 September 1925.

29 July 1930 sailed on the SS St. Louis from New York, New York to Cherbourg, France.

2 October 1930 sailed on the SS Milwaukee from Boulogne, France to New York, New York, arriving on 11 October 1930.

22 March 1932 sailed on the SS Florida from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida, arriving on 22 March 1932.

15 August 1938 traveled the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City, New Jersey with a friend.

1939 traveled to New York City for the World’s Fair.

16 March 1949 sailed on the SS Lurline from Los Angeles, California to Honolulu, Hawaii, arriving on 21 March 1949. On 10 April 1949 flew on United Airlines from Honolulu, Hawaii to San Francisco, California.

30 March 1952 flew Trans World Airlines from New York, New York to Lisbon, Portugal. On 30 April 1952 flew on Trans World Airlines from Madrid, Spain to New York, New York.

27 March 1953, travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and received a temporary immigration card there.

25 September 1954 flew on Royal Dutch Airlines from Amsterdam, Netherlands to New York, New York.

5 July 1955 flew on British Airways from New York to London, England, where she spent a month touring Scotland with a friend. From there they went to London to meet up with some friends before touring Ireland. She returned 19 August 1955 on British Airways from London, England to New York, New York.

17 June 1956 flew on Scandinavian Airlines from New York, New York to Stockholm, Sweden.

29 July 1956 flew on Pan American Airways from London, England to New York, New York.

31 March 1957 sailed on the SS Homeric from Havana, Cuba, arriving in New York, New York on 2 April 1957.

27 April 1958 flew from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

8 September 1958 flew on British Airways from London, England to New York, New York.

July 1959 flew Pan American Airlines from Nassau, Bahamas to New York, New York.

29 August 1960 flew on American Airlines from place unknown to San Antonio, Texas.

8 October 1959 flew on SR Airline from place unknown to New York, New York.

13 June 1962 sailed on SS Italia from Nassau, Bahamas to New York, New York, arriving on 16 June 1962.

one of Elsie's travel talks

Elsie never married, so much of the time she had traveling companions with her. In the early years it was her mother and her unmarried brother, though the extended trip she took in 1912 was done in the company of family friends. She was a woman of many interests, with both bachelor and masters degrees from the University of Cincinnati. She was extremely active in the Cincinnati social scene, and was a patron of the arts as well as an amateur actor and director of community plays. She frequently appeared in the Society Page of The Enquirer, Cincinnati’s daily newspaper, and on several occasions gave presentations about her travels. With at least 40 trips spanning 73 years, she certainly would have had a lot to talk about!

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 16

The writing prompt Storms had me a little stumped this week. I don’t know of any storm survival stories or storm chasers in my family, nor does anyone have a name that has anything to do with bad weather. But then I remembered my 2nd cousin, twice removed, Elsie Lauretta Metz.

Elsie Metz 1902

Born in Cincinnati on 24 May 1880, Elsie was the second and final child born to John and Isabella (Drescher) Metz. Their son Daniel was born in 1873. Elsie entered the University of Cincinnati (UC) in 1899, one of the 141 entering freshmen at a university of 1,145 students. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1902. She received a teaching fellowship in Modern Languages at the university for the 1903-1904 school year. She would later be awarded a Master of Arts degree from UC.

In December of 1911, 30-year-old Elsie applied for a U.S. passport, which was granted on 3 January 1912. This was in preparation for a 78 day cruise to the Orient aboard the steamship Cincinnati. As a single woman, she traveled with family friends Caroline Moerlein and her son William Moerlein. The Moerleins were part of the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company dynasty. Elsie kept a diary of her adventure, which surfaced a couple years ago and was donated to the Cincinnati History Museum. I was able to scan the pages of the diary before it passed on to the museum.

Cincinnati Enquirer article January 31, 1912

Vanderbilt Hotel

The beginning of the trip had a series of weather-related mishaps. The group first experienced ice and sleet on 28 January as they boarded a train in Cincinnati bound for New York City. There was more sleet when they arrived in New York on 29 January, and the Hudson River was frozen over as they made their way to the Vanderbilt Hotel. Newly opened on 10 January 1912, the hotel was built by Alfred Vanderbilt, great-grandson of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. The sleet of the day turned into a blizzard by that night.

The Cincinnati left New York on 30 January, 1912. Elsie notes that they had “a rough stormy passage to Lisbon”, and that her female traveling companion was never able to appear on deck as she had “every disease known.” I’m sure that as First Class passengers, they were well taken care of, however. The ongoing storm was so bad that the ship was unable to land at Lisbon on 8 February, arriving the next day instead.

The ship traveled through more storms on its way to Cadiz, Spain. When they were finally able to dock, they found that their arranged trip to Seville was canceled because the railroads were washed away. Elsie records that “Spain suffering from worst floods known in sixty years.”

Eventually they made their way to more temperate weather, and she does not mention any other bad weather before returning to New York on 20 May 1912. But, at least at the beginning of the trip,  Elsie must have been wondering, what in the world have I gotten myself into?

Denver Post Story
April 17, 1912

On a side note, Captain Schulke of the Cincinnati reported that at midnight on 14 April he received a call for help from the ill-fated Titanic. While on the way to offer aid, the Captain was told that his help was not needed so he turned his ship back to its original course.

Elsie had many more traveling adventures in her life, including one where she had to get an emergency passport at the US Embassy in Berlin when WWI broke out in 1914 and she needed to get back to America. She died a spinster at the age of 93 on 21 March 1974.

Elsie Metz ~1954

Family History Writing Challenge Day 18

Peter & Bridget Metz

This post will cover one last Crusham ancestor from Ireland, as well as the one branch of the tree that came from Germany. As discussed in Day 6 and Day 8, the Cincinnati wedding of Michael A. Crusham and Mary Barbara (Mayme) Metz occurred in 1911. Mayme was born in Cincinnati in 1890 to Peter Metz and Bridget Maher Metz. Peter and Bridget married in Cincinnati on 3 November 1887.

Bridget Maher (my great-grandmother) was born in June of 1856 in Wabash, Indiana. Her parents were Patrick and Mary Maher, who were both born in Ireland but I do not know what county they came from, nor do I know Mary's maiden name. Patrick was born in 1820, and Mary in 1825. Their first three children were all born in Ireland: Patrick in 1847, Julia in 1849, and Alice in 1855.  As Bridget was born in Indiana in 1856, the family obviously emigrated to the United States sometime between 1855 and 1856. Two more children were born after Bridget: Mary in 1857 and Ellen in 1859. By the 1860 census the Maher family had settled in Cincinnati.

Peter Metz (my great-grandfather), the youngest child of Joseph Metz and Barbara Karch Metz, was born on 30 May 1862 in Insheim, Germany. Other children in the family included Nikolaus, born 1842; Anna, born 1843; Barbara, born 1846; Elisabeth, born 1849; Magdalena, born 1852; Joseph, born 1853; Rosina, born 1856; and Johannes, born 1859. Peter's father, Joseph, died in September of 1862 of bee stings. In 1866, Barbara boarded the ship Fulton leaving Havre, Germany and bound for America with six of her children. The ship arrived in New York on 6 November 1866. From there the family made their way to Cincinnati, where her three older children were living. Barbara died on 29 April 1893.

Insheim, Germany

Joseph Metz (my great-great-grandfather) was born on 11 October 1818 in Insheim to Peter Metz and Maria Buckel Metz. The Metz family tree has been documented back to my 5th great-grandfather. Barbara Karch (my great-great-grandmother) was born 29 March 1820 to Johann Karch and Maria Pfalzer Karch, also of Insheim. The Karch family tree has also been documented back to my 5th great-grandfather. There are way too many names to try to cover in this blog post.

Inseam train station

In September of 2013 I traveled to Insheim, Germany to see the town where the Metz and Karch families came from. I was met by the Mayor and several other historians who were eager to show me around. It was an incredible feeling to walk the streets that my ancestors walked.

They also took me to nearby Steinweiler, where the Schwein family lived. Apollonia Schwein married Andreas Metz (Peter Metz's father) in Insheim in 1777. I was able to not only see but go inside the home that was built by my 6th great-grandfather Ulrich Schwein in 1717! The markings on the house indicate that the home was built by Ulrich Schwein in 1717, and that he was a blacksmith. As I do house research as well as genealogy, I couldn't help but think how great it would be if in the United States each old building had the year it was built and by whom etched into it.

Schwein house

This part of Germany is a beautiful area, and I wondered again how these ancestors had found the fortitude to say to good-bye to their family and their homeland, knowing that most likely they would never see them again. It must have been heart-breaking.

Note: This will end my writing challenge as I will be unable to access the internet for the duration of the month. It has been fun to attempt to portray a little bit of the history of my Crusham family members for the past three weeks.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 16

Note: This Family History Writing Challenge began with the story of Michael J. Crusham, my great-grandfather, and his emigration to the United States around 1879. It covered his marriage and his children, continuing with my grandfather, Michael A. Crusham and his family. The next logical step would be to write about his daughter Catherine, my mother. But first I want to backtrack to information that I found while on a trip to Ireland with my husband in 1987. 

The National Archives in Dublin had no records of the family we know by the name of Crusham. The man at the archives essentially told me to go back to the United States and start over with my information. It wasn't until I went to the history center in Galway that I achieved success in learning the real names of Michael J. Crusham's parents. This time a young woman helped me, and she took the approach of putting into the computer Michael C with the parents Michael and Mary. (I had the information that his parents were Michael Crusham and Mary Heneghan from his death record, but she left off the last names in her search since Crusham wasn't coming up.) She got a hit, and it was a big one. She found Michael Crisham born the same date as Michael J. listing the father as Michael Crisham and the mother as Mary Heneghan. Jackpot! So the name was Crisham, not Crusham but it was much closer than we thought it would be. With the new names in hand she looked for further records. As with most old records, there were variations in the spelling of the name – Clesham, Cresham, Clisham – but Crisham was by far the most common, and also the name that the computer there gave as the root of the name. We spent about an hour with the genealogist and got copies of all the people we could place with our family. 

Tuam

From this information I learned that my great-great grandfather Michael married Mary Heneghan on 15 October 1855 in Tuam. Michael's father, my great-great-great grandfather, was named Michael as well. He was born in 1811 in Tuam, and he died on Tullindaly Road in 8 October 1883. The death was reported by his wife, Catherine Crusham, whose maiden name was Achard. Catherine was born around 1813 in Tuam, and died there on 23 January 1888. Michael and Catherine had the following children in addition to Michael: Mary born in 1827, John born in 1832, Catherine born in 1835, Honor born in 1844 and William born in 1846.

St. Joseph's Cemetery, Tuam

After leaving the history center I wanted to see the cemetery. We found St. Joseph’s Cemetery and in the pouring rain tried to locate any Clisham or Crisham graves. We found some Crishams from the 1950’s but none older than that. We began to wonder if there was an older cemetery somewhere. Unfortunately there was no one in the caretaker’s house, so we headed back into town to find St. Joseph’s rectory, called the Presbytery in Ireland. Hmmm…sounds pretty close to Presbyterian, doesn’t it? Anyway, a lady at the Presbytery advised us that all the cemetery records were held at McGrath’s store in town because he takes care of them. Mr. McGrath was in, and he went in the back room and brought out a huge old book in which all the cemetery plots are registered. As I was studying the book with him a lady in her mid-forties came into the store. He said to her, “Margaret, you’ll not be believing what name we’re looking up.” And she asked, “Who?” “Crisham,” he replied. She looked startled.  “Oh, go on with you now!” she exclaimed. He told her that I was there from the States looking for Crishams. As it turned out, her 95-year-old grandfather is a Crisham. She studied my records a bit, but none of the names looked familiar to her. She said that her grandfather was having a bad day, or she would take me to meet him. She gave me her phone number and told me to call her in a couple of days. Well, a couple of days later we were two counties away, so I couldn't call. I did, however, contact her when we got home, and mailed her our tree to review with her grandparents. They did not recognize any names, but emphatically stated that no one in Tuam had ever gone by any of the other name variations – it was always Crisham. 

Cathedral of the
Assumption

Mr. McGrath showed me where the cemetery plot would be located, and also described where the Crishams had lived so we could go look at that land. They are buried in Section D, Plot Line 9, Row 7. The records showed that a single grave 9’x4’ was purchased for Catherine Crisham for 1 shilling 6 pence in 1888. Back to the cemetery only to find that our Crishams had no headstone! Oh, the frustrating sides of genealogy… We also drove out to where the Crishams had lived and that area is all built up with new development, so there was nothing of interest there. 

The beautiful church on the left is where the Crisham family worshiped in Tuam. As I traveled the area and enjoyed all the natural beauty, I wondered again how our ancestors could stand to leave their family, friends and this lovely county behind.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 15

John F. Kennedy

The 1960s - it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. America was still riding the 1950s wave of optimism when the country elected John F. Kennedy as president. Taking office on 20 January 1961, the handsome and charismatic Kennedy was not only the first Roman Catholic to ever hold the nation's highest office, he was also the youngest ever elected at age 43. He also became the youngest president to ever die in office when he was assassinated in 1963. Soon after Lyndon Johnson moved into the president's role he enacted the draft, furthering America's role in the Vietnam War - a war which greatly divided the nation. Johnson also passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

The first man went into space in 1961, and the Beatles first single, "Love Me Do", was released in 1962. Barbie and G.I. Joe dolls were on every kid's wish list. Protests took place throughout the United States, bringing attention to the unfair treatment of black citizens, the unjustness of the Vietnam War, and demanding full equality for women. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated in 1968.

50th Anniversary celebration

The country was going through a lot of turmoil, but the Crusham family continued to go about their daily lives. In April of 1961 Michael's brother Charles died. Two months later, Michael and Mayme observed their 50th wedding anniversary. They had a celebration at Resurrection Church, and their children asked them to have a photo taken to commemorate the occasion. They were so disappointed when Michael and Mayme went to a photo booth instead of a professional photographer!

Photo booth picture

Just five months later, Michael died on 29 November 1961 at the age of 74. It must have been of some comfort to the family to have been able to celebrate the special anniversary of this couple, and have these photos from the last time most of them were together.

Michael's untimely death meant that he missed the birth of additional grandchildren who were born in the 1960s. The births in this decade were: Dorothy Crusham and Kathleen Heinzelman, 1960; Patrick Rizzo and Lori Crusham, 1961; Kathryn Crusham and Daniel Crusham, 1962; Brian Crusham and Susan Heinzelman, 1963; and the final grandchild, Mark Crusham, born in 1967.

Mayme Crusham

Mayme lived the remainder of her life with daughter Marie on Rosemont Avenue. She still enjoyed cooking, and having her family come to visit. She died at home on 13 March 1969. She was 80 years old. Through their 8 children, Michael and Mayme were blessed with 37 grandchildren, 35 of whom lived to adulthood. They lived their lives celebrating their church, family and nation. I imagine that they were both welcomed into heaven with a hearty, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Family History Writing Challenge Day 14

The word "boom" was used to describe a lot of things in the United States in the 1950s - economic boom, construction boom, baby boom. There was a marked economic growth in the country in the post-WWII era, despite the 1950-1953 Korean War. A large-scale expansion of the middle class resulted in these families having more babies and wanting larger homes in the suburbs. Unions were strong, representing almost half of the U.S. workforce. The Civil rights movement began in earnest with the Supreme Court ruling of Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954.

Michael, Mary, & Catherine

The 1950s did not begin so well for Michael & Mayme Crusham, however. Their grandson, LeRoy Kubler, died on 31 January 1950 of aplastic anemia. He was only 7 years old. Then on 18 January 1951 Michael's mother, Catherine Colgan Crusham, died of colon cancer at the age of 86. At the time of her death she was still living at 4117 W. Liberty St., the home she had shared with her husband Michael until his death in 1937. The photo on the left shows her with son Michael and daughter Mary in the 1940s. Other losses included the death of Michael's sister Clara on 11 November 1957 and his brother John on 9 February 1958.

But there were also many happy occasions in the family that helped offset the sad times. A number of weddings took place in the 1950s. Elizabeth married Jack Heinzelman on 16 June 1951. Charles married Dorothy Gronefeld on 20 May 1952. James married Ruth Auberger on 3 July 1954, and his twin Michael married Rita Murphy on 8 June 1957. At the ages of 70 and 67, respectively, Michael and Mayme were nearly empty-nesters! The only child still living at home was Marie, who never married. She was employed by a department store nearly all her working career, and cared for both of her parents until their deaths.

Mike & Mayme

The grandchildren tally continued to grow in the 1950s as well. Additions to the family included: Michael Crusham, Beth Heinzelman, and Judy & Janice Wambaugh, 1952; John Rizzo and Lynn Heinzelman, 1953; Joseph Kubler, 1954; Jean Heinzelman, Deborah Crusham, Charles Crusham, and Kimberly Kubler, 1955; Mary Ann Rizzo, Patricia Heinzelman, and James Crusham, 1956; Timothy Crusham and Diane Crusham, 1957; Gregory Crusham, Carol Heinzelman, and Jeffrey Crusham, 1958; and Thomas Crusham, 1959, the last Crusham grandchild to be born in the 1950s.

Throughout his working life, Michael had been employed in the printing industry, most often as a pressman. The Cincinnati Directories show him in that capacity up through the 1953 directory. Sometime after that he left the printing company, because the 1958 Cincinnati Directory lists Michael as a carrier for the post office. What would make him change careers in his late 60s?

Family History Writing Challenge Day 13

Michael & Mayme

The 1940 Federal Census was taken on 6 April 1940. Michael was 52 and working as a printer at a label company. Mayme was 50 and Marie, age 28, was employed as a sales lady in a department store. Catherine, at 19, was listed as a "sewer" for a sporting goods company. For the first time the census asked about incomes. Michael worked 40 weeks in 1939, for a total yearly income of $900. Marie worked 52 weeks and earned $720, and Catherine made $520 for the 26 weeks she worked in 1939. To put those numbers in perspective, the median annual wage for a man in 1940 was $956, and for a woman it was $592. The cost of a new car was $1,611, a gallon of gas was $.18, and a loaf of bread was $.08.

As mentioned earlier, Stella was married and in 1940 was living with her spouse and their newborn son Lawrence. The other five Crusham children listed on the census record were all in school. Rather telling on the census was the fact that the Crusham's house, which had been valued at $4,000 on the 1930 census, was now listed at $3,500. Undoubtably the depression played a part in the decline of housing values.

Back row: Michael, Mayme, Marie
Front row: Michael, James, Charlie, Betty

While the country was slowly recovering from the Great Depression by the end of the 1930s, trouble on a more global scale was escalating. Japan had invaded China, and Germany invaded Poland, which resulted in England and France declaring war on Germany in September of 1939. In the United States, Congress passed legislation enacting the first peace-time draft in the history of the country. The Selective Training & Service Act of 1940 initially required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft. Later the minimum age was lowered to 18.

America entered WWII following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. By April of 1942 the Fourth Registration, or Old Man's Registration, was held. Men born between 27 April 1877 and 16 February 1897 (ages 45-64) had to complete a registration card. The purpose was not to be used for military service per se, but rather to provide a complete inventory of manpower resources that could be utilized for national service during WWII. Michael completed his registration on 26 April 1942. On the card, he stated that he was employed by Kreger Printing & Stationery Co., and that he was 5'3" tall and weighed 136 lbs. That is quite different than his claim to be of "medium height" on the WWI registration card.

Michael's WWII Draft card - front

Michael's WWII draft
card - back

Roy & Catherine

Daughter Catherine married LeRoy (Roy) Kubler on 17 January 1942 at Resurrection Church. Standing up for the couple was Catherine's sister Margaret, and her brother-in-law Bud Wambaugh. Roy had enlisted with the Army Air Corp, and it wasn't long before he was sent to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis to begin his training. Catherine lived with her mother and father-in-law until after the birth of a son, also named LeRoy, later that year. While she moved to St. Louis to be with her husband after little Roy was born, she came back to Cincinnati in 1944 prior to the birth of daughter Kathleen. Roy was being shipped out to the China-Burma-India Theater, and she wanted to be near her family after he left. She and the children lived with Mike and Mayme for awhile before she bought the Koch's house next door to them at 1240 Rosemont Avenue.

Back row: Roy, Bud Wambaugh, Stella
Middle row: Marie, Catherine Colgan Crusham, Mayme
Front row: Catherine, Betty, Lawrence Wambaugh, Charles, Michael

On 26 June 1943 Margaret married Charles Rizzo. In addition to gaining two son-in-laws, Mike and Mayme's family continued to grow throughout the 1940s with the addition of the following grandchildren (who joined Lawrence Wambaugh and LeRoy Kubler): Carol Ann Wambaugh, 1943; Kathleen Kubler and Charles Rizzo, 1944; Eugene Wambaugh, 1945; Kenneth Kubler, 1946; and Thomas Rizzo, 1947.

WWII ended in May of 1945, and the soldiers in the family made it safely back to Cincinnati to rejoin their families. And in a couple of cases to get acquainted with those who had been born while they were away. Following the war the Crusham family, as well as the entire nation, needed to find their new normal.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 12

The 1930s were marked by the Great Depression, an event that was felt world-wide. It originated in the United States following a fall in stock prices in September of 1929 that sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Consumer spending and investments dropped, leading to a record unemployment high. Despite the relief and reform efforts of President Roosevelt, the effects of the depression lasted until 1939 when WWII rejuvenated the American economy. Cincinnati felt the impact of the Great Depression just like the rest of the country.

According to the 1930 census, Michael Crusham was 42 years of age and employed as a printer in a print shop. Daughter Marie, at 18 years, worked as a clerk in a dry goods store. Because the census was taken in April of 1930, only six children were listed as the twins were not born until June. The Crusham house is valued at $4,000. For the first time, the census asked whether or not the household owned a radio. The government was attempting to see how well this new technology was being embraced. While the answers revealed that 12 million people had access to a radio, the Crusham family was not among them.

Mike & Mayme with all 8 children

While Michael maintained his job in the printing industry during the depression, one can only imagine how stressful it must have been for him and Mayme, especially after the twins were born in June of 1930. There were ten people to be fed, clothed, educated, and otherwise taken care of, and only Michael and Marie were bringing income into the household. Eventually Catherine dropped out of Seton High School after her junior year in order to help the family. She went to work stitching basketballs at a sporting goods factory.

Stella was the first child to leave the family when she married Lawrence (Bud) Wambaugh on 6 May 1937. Bud was a metalworker residing at 912 Hawthorne Avenue with his family. Following their marriage, he and Stella purchased the home across the street at 911 Hawthorne Avenue, where they spent their entire married life. They welcomed their first child, and the first grandchild of Michael and Mayme, on 15 October 1938. Unfortunately their son, Joseph, only lived for 5 days, passing on 20 October 1938.

Mick & Jim

The 1930s were filled with highs and lows for the Crusham family, with the birth of their twins in 1930, the marriage of their daughter in 1937 followed shortly by the death of Michael's father in July of that same year, and finally the birth and death of their grandson.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 11

Note: A previous post stated that Michael Crusham and Mayme Metz were married at Resurrection Church in 1911. This is incorrect as Resurrection did not celebrate its first Mass until 1920. Their marriage application indicates that they were married by a priest, but his signature is illegible. Mayme's family lived in Delhi and as there are numerous Catholic churches located in that area, there are several possibilities for where the ceremony took place.

The end of WWI came when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919. The country as a whole entered into an era of economic growth and prosperity driven by recovery from the war effort and postponed spending. Mass production made technology affordable to the middle class. The automobile, movie and radio industries experienced significant growth in the 1920s. The 19th Amendment was passed in 1920, giving women the right to vote. It was also the first year of Prohibition in the United States, making it illegal to sell, produce, import or transport alcoholic beverages. And for the first time, more Americans were living in towns of 2,500 or greater than were living in rural areas. Cincinnati followed this trend with a population increase of around 20% from 1920 to 1930.

Catherine ~1923

The Crusham family was increasing its population as well. Margaret was born in 1922; Charles in 1925; Elizabeth in 1927; and twins James and Michael in 1930. All the children were born at home, except perhaps the twins. The older children do not remember their mom giving birth to the boys at the house. Eight children and two adults shared the small, three bedroom house.

The family worshipped at Resurrection Church, where Michael was an usher and collected the offerings. The children all attended the church school as well. They would walk from their house, a distance of about .6 miles.

Back, left to right: Catherine, Marie & Catherine's friend
Front, left to right: Margie, Betty & Charlie ~1930

Michael continued to work as a pressman for a paper company. Besides being active in their church, he and Mayme were also volunteers for the Democratic Party in Price Hill, and enjoyed their relatives, friends, and the tight-knit community in which they lived. The 1920s were very good to the country and to the Crusham family.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 10

WWI Draft Registration

On 6 April 1917, the United States declared war on the German Empire. Up until this point, the country maintained only a small army. That all changed with the implementation of the Selective Services Act. Enacted in 1917, it drafted 2.8 million men into military service. All males aged 21-30 were required to register for military service. In 1917 and 1918, approximately 24 million men living in the United States completed a Draft Registration Card. Michael Crusham was no exception, registering at Local Board No. 9, 8th & Elberon on 5 June 1917. He described himself as being of medium height with blue eyes and black hair. As the sole provider for a wife and two minor children, he claimed and was granted an exemption from military service. On the registration card, Michael indicated that he was working as a printing pressman for Diem & Wing Paper Co. on Gilbert Avenue.

Diem & Wing Paper Co.

Cover of D& W Chats
Newsletter of Diem & Wing

Later that year, this notice appeared in the 22 October 1917 issue of the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. Even more perplexing is the fact that it also ran in the 5 November 1917 New Castle Herald paper in Pennsylvania. It could possibly be a political reference as both Michael and Mayme were active in the Democratic party, not as candidates but as campaign workers. Perhaps this is how Michael first became involved in politics? Another alternative is that it could be union-related, as there were several organizations that covered those working in the printing industry. The newspaper article below gives some insight into his political activities. He is listed as a Vice Chairmen at an event being held for Alvin V. Donahey in his successful run for governor of Ohio in 1922.

Donahey Campaign 1922

Crusham Family 1920

Meanwhile, back at the home on Rosemont Avenue Stella and Marie were about to have a Happy New Year in 1920 as they became big sisters. It had been nearly four years since the stillbirth of their sister, and it can be assumed that during those intervening years, Mayme had one or more pregnancies that did not have happy endings. But on 17 January 1920 Catherine was born at the house, joining 7 year old Marie and 5 year old Stella. In the photo above is Michael, Mayme (holding Catherine), Stella and Marie.

Things were looking up for both the United States and the Crusham family in 1920.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 9

Michael and Mayme's first child Marie was born on 28 March 1912. A son, Edward, followed on 22 September 1913. Sadly he only lived one month, passing on 21 October 1913. It is interesting that Michael broke tradition by not giving the name Michael to his first-born son. By 1914 the small family had moved to 915 Armory Avenue in the West End of Cincinnati. Perhaps the move was done in preparation for the arrival of another daughter, Stella, who was born on 18 October 1914.

Armory Avenue was renamed Derrick Turnbow Avenue in 1991. The old buildings are no longer standing. However, below is a picture of the 400 block of Armory for illustration of what the buildings on the street might have looked like when the Crushams lived there, minus the decay of course.

Armory Avenue, perhaps in the 1970s

1238 Rosemont circa 1980s
Marie Crusham is on the porch

Michael was doing well with his job as a pressman, and on 26 April 1915 he and his wife purchased property from Emanuel Iseman. The home was located in Price Hill, at the time a popular and distinctive suburb for those wishing to escape the pork production and industrial areas of downtown Cincinnati. The rapid transit system was extended into Price Hill in 1894, contributing to its growth.

Iseman owned Lots 487 and 488 of the Cedar Grove Land & Building Association's Subdivision No. 1, as recorded in Plat Book No. 4, page 220. He sold the Crushams Lot No. 488, with said lot being designated as 1238 Rosemont Avenue. Iseman's property was 1236 Rosemont.

The house at 1238 Rosemont was built in 1910, and was constructed in what is referred to as "shot-gun" style. You entered into the living room, and had to pass through the dining room to get to the kitchen. There was a very narrow, curved stairway off the kitchen that led to the second floor where you had the same three room layout, passing through the middle bedroom to get to the front bedroom. Michael and Mayme had the back bedroom over the kitchen, but none of the upstairs rooms had doors on them. There was running water in the house, but the outhouse was in the backyard, where the family also kept chickens. At some point the family put a toilet and a shower in the basement.

What should have been a happy time in the family was no doubt marred by sadness in the summer of 1916. On 10 August 1916, a female infant was stillborn. The official cause of death was listed as ruptured hydrocephalus, which is caused when there is an excessive accumulation of fluid on the brain. Michael and Mayme had already endured the death of two babies in the first five years of marriage. What was next for this young couple?

A 1912 Travel Journal

Elsie Metz Travel Journal

My second cousin Joe Metz in Cincinnati received a call out of the blue one day last fall. A woman on the phone mentioned that she had an old travel journal written by Elsie Metz. It had been in the possession of a friend of hers who had died. The friend had been married to a Metz but they had no children to leave the journal with. As this woman didn't want to just throw it away, she went to the Internet and started looking for people in the Cincinnati area researching the name of Metz. She contacted Joe and he said of course he would take the journal. They arranged a meeting and she gave him the book.

Joe's intent is to give the journal to the Cincinnati History Museum with the understanding that they will scan it and then give scanned copies to him, me and the University of Cincinnati where Elsie received her college degrees. One of our other cousins works there, so he feels his request will be honored. I, on the other hand, am a little more skeptical. What if they decide it is not worthy of wasting their resources on? What if they don't give us a scanned copy? So I asked Joe if he would consider letting me take the journal back to St. Louis so that I could scan it. We met over President's weekend when I went to Cincinnati, and I have since scanned the journal. I will now return the original to him. I have not taken the time to read it completely through, but Elsie boarded the USS Cincinnati (and how ironic is that?) in January 30, 1912 in New York, and returned to that same city on May 20, 1912. What an adventure that must have been!

I am interested in this story for a number of reasons. Elsie was born in 1880, and was awarded a Liberal Arts Degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1902. She was selected to receive the Teaching Fellowship in Modern Languages there in 1903. How unusual for a woman to go to college back then, particularly at an institution that was not exclusively female. She went on to get a Master of Arts degree from the same institution in 1913. She was very well traveled as I can see not only from this journal but also passport applications and ship passenger lists. I knew of at least five times that she traveled by ship.

Once I read the journal I can determine if she has a story to tell - or maybe I should say one for me to tell. Wouldn't it be amazing to retrace her steps from 1912 and compare my travels to hers from over 100 years ago?