Black-Eyed Susan, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.
Minnesota has some great prairie wildflowers. This black-eyed susan was out in a field of daisies near St. Paul. Minnesota is a nice place to visit - when it's warm!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wordless Wednesday :: Wiseman, Arkansas
Wiseman, Arkansas ~ September 1994Copyright © 1994/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman
No relation, just thought it was neat that there was a town named Wiseman!Although, I think the town has seen better days...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Gulf Islands National Seashore
My second sojourn in Florida was nearly at it's end. And, finally, about noon on Sunday the gray clouds disappeared and the sun made it's glorious appearance. I drove the few miles to Gulf Islands National Seashore, just across the bridge on Perdido Key.
It was beautiful. I leisurely walked along the shores of Perdido Key for several hours and though I still needed a light jacket, it was warm! The sunshine on my face never felt so good!
White Sand. Blue Sky. Blessed Sunshine!
Lots of little shells.
The “big” one in the center was about three-quarters of an inch across.
Sand monster.
Abstract art. Courtesy of Mother Nature.
White Sand. Blue Sky. Blessed Sunshine!
It was beautiful. I leisurely walked along the shores of Perdido Key for several hours and though I still needed a light jacket, it was warm! The sunshine on my face never felt so good!
White Sand. Blue Sky. Blessed Sunshine!Lots of little shells.The “big” one in the center was about three-quarters of an inch across.
Sand monster.Abstract art. Courtesy of Mother Nature.White Sand. Blue Sky. Blessed Sunshine!
The Huffman-Hoffman Kinexxion :: Michael
Even though I wasn't sure if Dietrich Hoffman was the father of “my” John Hoffman, since I had the resources available, I decided to see what I could find on Michael Hoffman who was reported to be the father of Dietrich. The information that I had received from Maggie Evans in April .. was in the form of a family group sheet prepared by a 2nd cousin of her father. It showed that Johann Dietrich Hoffman was born June 22, 1751 in New Hanover, Pennsylvania and that his parents were Michael and Maria (Engle) Hoffman.
Update April 10, ..: Please see Questioning the Status Quo :: Oh, Maria! for my theory regarding the maiden name of Maria Hoffman.
In a previous post, I mentioned the baptisms of four children of Dietrich Hoffman in the Zion-Spiess Church records in Upper Alsace Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. What I didn't mention in that post was that the sponsors were included in the version created by William J. Hinke in July 1921.
I also erred in the post mentioned above in stating that the mother of the children was not listed. The parents for Samuel were given as “Dietrich Hoffman, Susanna”. Susanna's maiden name is reportedly Alder, which could also be Alter, so I'm wondering if Henry Alter is her father or in some other way related. I have found one online tree that gives her parents as Georg Henrich “Henry” Alter (1715 – 1784) and Mary Magdalena (1727-) with no source information.
Also, you might have noticed that the sponsors of Samuel Hoffman were Frederick Lies & wf. Maria Engel. I did a double-take when I saw her name... perhaps putting the cart before the horse here, but Michael Hoffman's estate entered into probate on February 4, 1777. So, unless there was another Maria Engel in the area it looks like Michael's widow married Frederick Lies.
I need to spend more time reviewing the baptism records for Spiess Church, but it should be noted that Frederick Lies & wf Maria were sponsors for at least three other baptisms. This information certainly opens up some avenues for research into the Alder/Alter line as well as the Engel/Engle line.
In addition, two baptisms for children of Michael & Maria (Engel) Hoffman were found in the book “Trinity Lutheran Church - Reading, Pennsylvania; An alphabetized compilation of baptisms, marriages, and deaths from 1751-1904” prepared by Jacqueline B. Nein & Gail H. Hesser, 1988.
As stated above, Michael Hoffman's estate entered into probate on February 4, 1777. He did not have a will and his wife Mary Engel Hoffman was made administratrix of his estate.
Estate of Michael Hoffman, 1777
Berks County, Pennsylvania Probate Files
Family History Microfilm 1653590 Accessed February 11, ..
I find it fascinating that, apparently, Mary's maiden name was usually included in records giving her name, at least that is the case with some of the baptism records and with Michael's estate. I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that there were probably other women by the name of Mary Hoffman in Berks County at the same time and her maiden name was used to distinguish her from the others. That assumption will be investigated further...
Since Michael did not leave a will, the next most important document for genealogists is one that names the lawful heirs. I've found several online trees on the family of Michael and Maria but most of them include only one or two children, while several have 10 or 11 children, some include Dietrich and some don't. There are several documents in Michael's estate file that list his children but apparently there was an issue with the number of children...
To be continued... see The Huffman-Hoffman Kinexxion :: Heirs of Michael
Update April 10, ..: Please see Questioning the Status Quo :: Oh, Maria! for my theory regarding the maiden name of Maria Hoffman.
In a previous post, I mentioned the baptisms of four children of Dietrich Hoffman in the Zion-Spiess Church records in Upper Alsace Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. What I didn't mention in that post was that the sponsors were included in the version created by William J. Hinke in July 1921.
- Henry b. Dec. 14, 1777, bapt. Febr. 20, 1778 – sponsor was Henry Alter
- John b. June 22, (1778) – sponsor was John Papp
- John Michael b. Mar. 10, 1782 – sponsor was Valentine Hartman
- Samuel b. Apr. 6, 1785 bapt. May 29, 1785 – sponsors were Frederick Lies & wf. Maria Engel
I also erred in the post mentioned above in stating that the mother of the children was not listed. The parents for Samuel were given as “Dietrich Hoffman, Susanna”. Susanna's maiden name is reportedly Alder, which could also be Alter, so I'm wondering if Henry Alter is her father or in some other way related. I have found one online tree that gives her parents as Georg Henrich “Henry” Alter (1715 – 1784) and Mary Magdalena (1727-) with no source information.
Also, you might have noticed that the sponsors of Samuel Hoffman were Frederick Lies & wf. Maria Engel. I did a double-take when I saw her name... perhaps putting the cart before the horse here, but Michael Hoffman's estate entered into probate on February 4, 1777. So, unless there was another Maria Engel in the area it looks like Michael's widow married Frederick Lies.
I need to spend more time reviewing the baptism records for Spiess Church, but it should be noted that Frederick Lies & wf Maria were sponsors for at least three other baptisms. This information certainly opens up some avenues for research into the Alder/Alter line as well as the Engel/Engle line.
In addition, two baptisms for children of Michael & Maria (Engel) Hoffman were found in the book “Trinity Lutheran Church - Reading, Pennsylvania; An alphabetized compilation of baptisms, marriages, and deaths from 1751-1904” prepared by Jacqueline B. Nein & Gail H. Hesser, 1988.
- Anna Barbara, born 10/22/1765, baptized 11/27/1765, sponsors Georg & Anna Barbara Schmarz
- Johannes, born 05/03/1770, baptized 06/03/1770, sponsors Johannes & Eva Koch
As stated above, Michael Hoffman's estate entered into probate on February 4, 1777. He did not have a will and his wife Mary Engel Hoffman was made administratrix of his estate.
Estate of Michael Hoffman, 1777
Berks County, Pennsylvania Probate Files
Family History Microfilm 1653590 Accessed February 11, ..
Know all Men by these Presents, That We Mary Engel Hoffman Widow and Relict of Michael Hoffman late of the Township of Alsace in the County of Berks in the Province of Pennsylvania Carpenter deceased, John Koch of the Township of Exeter in the said County Yeoman and John Myers of the same place Mason are held and firmly bound unto Benjamin Chew Esqr... for the Sum of Three hundred Pounds... Dated the fourth Day of February in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy seven.
I find it fascinating that, apparently, Mary's maiden name was usually included in records giving her name, at least that is the case with some of the baptism records and with Michael's estate. I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that there were probably other women by the name of Mary Hoffman in Berks County at the same time and her maiden name was used to distinguish her from the others. That assumption will be investigated further...
Since Michael did not leave a will, the next most important document for genealogists is one that names the lawful heirs. I've found several online trees on the family of Michael and Maria but most of them include only one or two children, while several have 10 or 11 children, some include Dietrich and some don't. There are several documents in Michael's estate file that list his children but apparently there was an issue with the number of children...
To be continued... see The Huffman-Hoffman Kinexxion :: Heirs of Michael
Life in Longmire
It certainly is snowy here at Longmire. Check out the image of my government issue house. It's almost a snowcave, and those are some serious icicles too. Don't mess with them. Life is pretty mellow up at Mt. Rainier during the winter. It's great getting out out of Seattle a few days a week to come here. The routine so far has been: hang out in the office (i.e. scheme ways to improve the blog and seek grants for an artist in residence program), go out skiing with climbing ranger Chris Olson (i.e. risk my life following a great skier through steep treed terrain), then hang out at Mike's house (who could be a smashing restaurateur: grilled chops and salmon, mojitos, and lemon drops). Rough life, I know.
Since Chris is pretty much a professional skier and will turn his boards down anything in any conditions, hanging out with him has been an adventure so far. During our first day out a few weeks ago (when the sun last revealed itself), we skied bulletproof ice from Panorama Point to Paradise. The saving grace was crystal clear skies, letting us see almost every big peak in Washington and Oregon. (Right: Chris at Panorama Point).Once, we skied partway up the Eagle Peak trail then came down in the dark through the trees. It was like being on a roller coaster where you couldn't see the next twist or turn until you came right up on it. Or, as Chris put it in his ski report, it "felt like a bobsled run in the dark." Of course, he wrote that after skiing the trail by himself and blazing down it at about 50 mph. Anyway, we skied it the next day together and came down at a more leisurely pace but it still felt fast to me!
The ski up through the old growth forest was beautiful, with fluffy snow everywhere. Piled in soft pillows all around us, hanging from the trees, falling from the sky. I felt like I was living in a Christmas carol. (Left: Chris leads the way up the "bobsled run")I was also thinking what a great trail this was for snowshoers, when Chris pointed out how easy it would be to get lost if you didn't know exactly where the trail was. (He was amazed that the trail was still visible through all the recent snow). I realized that he was right and suddenly got a little less complacent about it - especially when he reminded me that a hiker died on this trail last June.
Then again, if anyone knows his way around here, it's probably Chris. The problem is, if you follow him up something, you also have to follow him down.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Oh, Dark of Night
A couple of nights ago the dogs decided they had to take a midnight stroll under the moon, actually it was about 3 am. After a few minutes I went to the door to call them in as I won't leave them outside while I am sleeping. As mostly happens they wait until I doze off then bark for me to come let them in.
Having 4 cats in the house I know better than to do more than crack the door so the dogs can come in without a cat getting out. Cats out at night have no chance due to the large coyote population we have which is another reason I don't like to leave the dogs out at night.
Usually the cats are good and don't even try to get out if it is dark out. But this night Wiley, our 'wild child black cat' decided to slip under our shepherd cross, Ziva, as she was coming in. And he was off!
So was I. I knew if I ever let him get away I would never see him again what with coyotes yelping over in the arroyo about a half mile away.
I had on a thin nightgown, thin robe, and floppy slippers. And we live on a sand dune. So as soon as I ran out there was sand flipping up into my slippers. The only good the slippers were doing was to keep me from stepping on a sticker. Or some kind of creepy night bug wondering across the driveway. Wiley ran under the Chevy truck, then under the old car, and then over to and under the horse trailer. I ran to the trailer and knelt down to peak under it. I saw two big yellow eyes glaring at me. Wiley is a black cat so only his eyes showed up. "Here, Wiley. Come here, you devil." I kept calling and almost cussing him as he would move around under the trailer and I went round and round it trying to grab him before he could take off for the far places around our property. The trailer is about 3 feet from the fence where the ponies are so I quickly had two ponies coming over to see if they could join the funny game being played in the middle of the night. I think they probably thought it was great to have some entertainment as nothing much happens to get their attention at night. Once Wiley almost made it to the fence but ran into a black pony nose and returned to the trailer.
Not only did I have the ponies watching my antics to catch the cat but the dogs were doing their best to help by chasing him back under the trailer just as I would reach to grab him. And then I noticed there were about 3 cars driving by. At 3 in the morning? We don't hardly get any traffic at that time but we did that night. I don't know that the people in the cars actually saw me but I was sure they did and were about to call the men with the funny jacket that fastens in the back - the one for crazy people.
I guess Wiley decided the game had gone on long enough as he came barely within reach and I got my fingers in his fur at the back of his neck. "Got ya, Cat." He was firmly in my arms and we headed for the house. The amusing sight of the crazy women chasing a black cat in the dark was over.
The next evening we were eating supper on the sun room that over looks the back yard. It was only about 5:30 and still very light. We saw a coyote walk up to the back fence and smell the small hole in the fence that we cut for the quail to use as they don't like to fly over the fence to get to the water we keep out for them. Of course Wiley uses the same hole to get to the several acres of native desert land that is behind us where he hunts for rats, mice, lizards. We do let the cat out some in the day other wise he gets cranky and goes from door to door meowing pitifully while jumping on the other cats picking fights. We were glad he was in the house at the time the coyote came by and he didn't get out again until late the next day even though he did a lot of complaining.
Here are the 3 photos I got of the coyote. First one is by one of our apple trees with the coyote at the fence. If you look close you can see it's nose below the tree leaves. The next photo he turned and looked away from the tree. And the last photo is of him walking along the fence. Sorry, no good photo of it's face.
Having 4 cats in the house I know better than to do more than crack the door so the dogs can come in without a cat getting out. Cats out at night have no chance due to the large coyote population we have which is another reason I don't like to leave the dogs out at night.
Usually the cats are good and don't even try to get out if it is dark out. But this night Wiley, our 'wild child black cat' decided to slip under our shepherd cross, Ziva, as she was coming in. And he was off!
So was I. I knew if I ever let him get away I would never see him again what with coyotes yelping over in the arroyo about a half mile away.
I had on a thin nightgown, thin robe, and floppy slippers. And we live on a sand dune. So as soon as I ran out there was sand flipping up into my slippers. The only good the slippers were doing was to keep me from stepping on a sticker. Or some kind of creepy night bug wondering across the driveway. Wiley ran under the Chevy truck, then under the old car, and then over to and under the horse trailer. I ran to the trailer and knelt down to peak under it. I saw two big yellow eyes glaring at me. Wiley is a black cat so only his eyes showed up. "Here, Wiley. Come here, you devil." I kept calling and almost cussing him as he would move around under the trailer and I went round and round it trying to grab him before he could take off for the far places around our property. The trailer is about 3 feet from the fence where the ponies are so I quickly had two ponies coming over to see if they could join the funny game being played in the middle of the night. I think they probably thought it was great to have some entertainment as nothing much happens to get their attention at night. Once Wiley almost made it to the fence but ran into a black pony nose and returned to the trailer.
Not only did I have the ponies watching my antics to catch the cat but the dogs were doing their best to help by chasing him back under the trailer just as I would reach to grab him. And then I noticed there were about 3 cars driving by. At 3 in the morning? We don't hardly get any traffic at that time but we did that night. I don't know that the people in the cars actually saw me but I was sure they did and were about to call the men with the funny jacket that fastens in the back - the one for crazy people.
I guess Wiley decided the game had gone on long enough as he came barely within reach and I got my fingers in his fur at the back of his neck. "Got ya, Cat." He was firmly in my arms and we headed for the house. The amusing sight of the crazy women chasing a black cat in the dark was over.
The next evening we were eating supper on the sun room that over looks the back yard. It was only about 5:30 and still very light. We saw a coyote walk up to the back fence and smell the small hole in the fence that we cut for the quail to use as they don't like to fly over the fence to get to the water we keep out for them. Of course Wiley uses the same hole to get to the several acres of native desert land that is behind us where he hunts for rats, mice, lizards. We do let the cat out some in the day other wise he gets cranky and goes from door to door meowing pitifully while jumping on the other cats picking fights. We were glad he was in the house at the time the coyote came by and he didn't get out again until late the next day even though he did a lot of complaining.
Here are the 3 photos I got of the coyote. First one is by one of our apple trees with the coyote at the fence. If you look close you can see it's nose below the tree leaves. The next photo he turned and looked away from the tree. And the last photo is of him walking along the fence. Sorry, no good photo of it's face.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wordless Wednesday :: Two by Two
Taken at Lake Itasca, Minnesota in the quickly fading light of dusk.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)