Tombstone Tuesday: Marguerite Chicoine

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Whenever I hear that someone is a Chicoine, I assume that we’re related. From what I’ve been able to learn, most, if not all of those who bear the Chicoine surname – in the United States, at least – can trace their ancestry to the early settlers of Quebec. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, many of these French Canadian Chicoines immigrated to New England, and from there, many moved on to settle in southeastern South Dakota. The Ancestry.com surname map reflects this migration pattern.

Grave of Marguerite (Chicoine) Adam, 1816-1878, Saint Aloysius Cemetery, Indian Orchard, Hampden, Massachusetts; image date 1987, privately held by Brian Adam [personal information withheld].

The last of my ancestors to carry the Chicoine surname was Marguerite Chicoine of Indian Orchard, Hampden County, Massachusetts.¹ Marguerite was baptized on 31 August 1816 in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, the daughter of Leon Chicoine, a forgeron, or blacksmith, and Marie Varie.²According to family lore, which has not been verified, Marguerite was of Native American (First Nation) descent through her mother.³

Marguerite married Timothée Adam on 23 October 1837 in Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.⁴ They farmed in Saint-Hyacinthe County,⁵ and together, they had at least sixteen children, fourteen of whom survived to adulthood: Timothee (I), Marguerite, Marie, Julienne, Timothee (II), Louis, Joseph, Marie Vitaline, Pierre Pie, Joseph Magloire, Euclide, Marie Elisa, Marie Arcelia, Elzear Henry, Prosper Phillip Adam, and an anonymous infant who did not live longer than two days.

By 1865, Marguerite had relocated with her family to Massachusetts, to a community where many, including her husband, sought work in the cotton mills.⁶ However, her time there was short-lived; Marguerite succumbed to consumption on 12 September 1878, days after she turned sixty-two.⁷ She is buried at the Saint Aloysius Cemetery in Indian Orchard, Hampden County, Massachusetts.⁸

Note: This blog post was updated on 27 May 2020 to include the name of an additional child of Marguerite Chicoine.

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Economical Fashions and the Civil War

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Unidentified photograph of a young woman, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, ca. 1863-1865; digital image 2012, privately held by Melanie Frick, 2014.

This lovely carte de visite offers several indications as to its date, from both the name of the photographer, and the unique style of dress. Unfortunately, although the photograph comes from an album linked to the family of Jesse M. Smith of Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa, it remains unidentified.¹

If your ancestors lived in Henry County, Iowa, in the early 1860s, take note – could this young woman, born circa 1850, be in your family tree?

The slim young woman in the photograph, perhaps fifteen years of age, wears her dark hair with a center part, likely pulled back into a snood. With one hand on the back of an ornate chair, the other holds a straw hat. She is outfitted in a style distinctive to the Civil War era. Her full-sleeved Garibaldi shirtwaist is of plain muslin, accented by a wide Swiss belt. It is tucked into a skirt fashioned from an old dress, something seen often at this time when there was a need to be economical.²

Stamped on the back of the photograph is the identification, “Leisenring Bros., Photographers, Mount Pleasant, Iowa.” Although the Leisenring family operated a studio in Mount Pleasant for many years, the Leisenring brothers managed it together for only a short period of time, from 1863-1867. The name was changed to reflect this joint ownership.³

After putting these clues together, this carte de visite can be dated to a narrow time frame of approximately 1863-1865. Perhaps a local soldier carried a copy with him throughout the war, or maybe the young woman simply wished to have her photograph taken in a new outfit that she had likely sewn herself. Regardless, it provides a unique study of the ways in which the economy may have impacted the fashion choices of southeastern Iowans during the Civil War.

For more unidentified photographs from this album, click here and here.

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Wedding Wednesday: Swell Times in Chicago

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Leonard and Helen (Nelson) Wiese, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, 1924; digital image 2010, privately held by Melanie Frick, 2014.

On the evening of 5 January 1924, Leonard John Christian Wiese and Helen Margaret Nelson were married in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.¹ Leonard had been raised in Chicago, the son of German immigrants,² whereas Helen had been raised in rural Yankton County, South Dakota, the daughter of Danish immigrants.³ The couple met when Leonard sought work in South Dakota, and he and Helen bonded over a shared love of music.⁴ Leonard and his bride-to-be then moved to Chicago, where they were wed in the home of Leonard’s widowed mother.⁵ Since Helen’s family was not able to be with them, she wrote a detailed letter home describing their wedding day:

My dear folks,

Now I think that this letter will have to be passed around so I won’t have to repeat all the details of the past few days. We are married! Yes. Now then I will endeavor to tell you the points which I think will be of interest to you.

My dress was very plain but everyone liked it. Dark brown brocaded silk with short sleeves and sort of a drape on the skirt. I have a new coat and hat and new satin shoes.

Well, there were eighteen grown people here. We were married at 9:30. Stanley Smith played the wedding march and Irene and I came from upstairs and met the other two in the room. After the ceremony, a shower of rice descended upon us and the best man and several of the others took advantage of the privilege of kissing the bride. So it was on the order of some of the weddings you read about!!!

Then we had dinner. Turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, corn relish, cranberries, dressing, Jello, coffee, etc. A huge wedding cake adorned the center of the table. This cake was made to order. You people are going to have some of it. I baked two angel food cakes and a sponge cake. That’s all I did in helping preparations.

I spent some time at the hairdresser’s! Oh, I looked real swell!!!

After supper we had music and some of the men played cards. Then after awhile we started the Victrola and we all danced.

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A Glimpse Inside the Family History Library

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During my time in Salt Lake City last week for the APG Professional Management Conference, I was able to spend a day at the Family History Library. This was, at the same time, both very exciting, and very overwhelming!

Before going, I had reviewed these tips for research at the Family History Library, and the volunteers were so helpful that I was able to get to work within minutes. I had come prepared with a list of microfilms that I hoped to look at, and I checked up on the originals of many documents that I’d found indexed elsewhere – usually verifying the information in the index, but, in at least one example, finding an important error. I also spent hours poring through a single microfilm for the name of one of my most elusive ancestors, who, according to the microfilm index, should have been in there twice. Finally, bleary eyed and hungry, I had to admit that I’d come up empty, and decided that that is one microfilm that I will be ordering to view again at my local Family History Center, this time with fresh eyes.

So, with some successes and some frustrations, it was in many ways a typical day of research – but for once, every microfilm I could possibly want was at my fingertips!

2014 APG Professional Management Conference

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Greetings from snowy Salt Lake City! I’ve had an exciting few days here at the Family History Library and the APG Professional Management Conference, hosted by the Association of Professional Genealogists.

The conference opened yesterday after lunch with an introduction from Kimberly Powell, APG President, and a lecture from D. Joshua Taylor, who recently appeared in Genealogy Roadshow, “New Industries, New Worlds: Working for Entertainment and Corporate Clients.” As an audience member pointed out, much of his advice would also be applicable to everyday client research. For the remainder of the afternoon, I enjoyed Harold Henderson’s workshop, “The Story of Jethro’s Story: The Making of a NGSQ Article.” Writing for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly is definitely one of my long-term goals, and it was extremely helpful to have the process of crafting a research article broken down in a frank discussion.

Today, I was able to fit in a few more worthwhile lectures. Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist, opened with “‘Good Name in Man or Woman’ – Protecting a Professional Reputation.” Judy is a delightful speaker and she raised valid points for genealogy business owners. I also knew that I would learn a lot from CeCe Moore at “Advanced DNA for Professionals – How Professionals Conduct a DNA Study,” and I certainly did. The number of DNA tests I would like family members to take is always growing! I rounded out the day with “The Pursuit from Genealogy Hobbyist to Professional,” by Claire V. Brisson-Banks, a thoughtful lecture on “Discovering and Communicating Your Unique Value: Personal Branding for Professional Genealogists” by Melissa A. Johnson, and “Gaining Recognition in the Genealogical Community: Climbing the Professional Ladder” by Jean Wilcox Hibben.

One of the greatest benefits of this conference was the opportunity to meet so many of the genealogists who inspire me in person! Both the dessert reception on Friday night and the Saturday luncheon were lots of fun, and it was convenient having all of the conference events take place at the hotel. (The Family History Library, by the way, was only a five minute walk away – the location couldn’t have been better!)

Would I recommend the APG Professional Management Conference? Absolutely! It’s smaller than other conferences I’ve attended, which makes networking and quality discussion come easily, and the lecture topics are highly relevant to genealogy professionals. I hope to return next year!

An Ancestor with an Alias

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When I learned that George Hiram Thoma of Garnavillo, Clayton County, Iowa used an alias as a young man, it took me by surprise. He was born to Fred and Matilda (Hammond) Thoma in 1880,¹ and the state census indicates that he remained in his home county in northeastern Iowa at least until 1895.² At some point thereafter, according to family lore, George left home and bicycled across Iowa. Whether he went by bicycle or not, it was said that his move may have been spurred on by his poor relationship with his father.³

George Hiram Thoma, seated left, with an unidentified young man, ca. 1900; digital image 2013, privately held by Melanie Frick, 2014.

Records place George across the state in northwestern Iowa on 23 March 1902, at which time, using the name George A. Neilson, he married Anna Leota Fenton in Ashton, Osceola County, Iowa.⁴ This was no trick of penmanship or recorder’s error; three affidavits, written by George, his mother, and his younger brother, were attached to the marriage document decades later, each attesting to the fact that George A. Neilson and George Hiram Thoma were one and the same person.⁵ It is worth noting that George still named his correct place of birth and even the correct names of his parents on the original marriage document, with the exception, of course, of assigning the Neilson surname to them as well.⁶ Evidently, he was not prepared or had no reason to invent an elaborate backstory regarding his origins.

None of the affidavits, however, explained why George had married under an assumed name.⁷ One has to wonder whether his wife even knew what she was getting into! Prior to his marriage, I suspect that he might be found in the 1900 U.S. census as George Thoma, a clerk in Belden, Cedar County, Nebraska. Notably, he boarded with a family by the name of Nelson, and a Nielsen also resided in the household.⁸ Although this may or may not be the correct George Thoma, we do know that within weeks of his marriage, he moved to Center, Knox County, Nebraska, where he was an employee of the Edwards and Bradford Lumber Company.⁹

Within a few years of his marriage, George relocated with his family to Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa. There, his daughter’s birth was recorded with the surname Neilson,¹⁰ and according to the city directories, George continued to use his assumed name at least until 1909.¹¹ I have been unable to locate the family in the 1910 U.S. census – they had likely left Sioux City by that time to return to Nebraska, where they moved from place to place for the next decade. However, they had certainly reverted to the use of the Thoma surname no later than World War I.¹²

Was this alias purely symbolic, in order to emphasize George’s separation from his father, or, perhaps, the ties that he forged with another family? Or was it part of an effort to hide, whether from his father, from love, or from the law? This is one family mystery that I would love to solve!

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A New Year’s Eve Party?

Warm Winter Furs

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Norma Arlene Thoma and Fern Lavonne Thoma, ca. 1917-1918, Decatur, Burt County, Nebraska; digital image 2013, privately held by Melanie Frick, 2013.

Although I remember when my great grandmother first showed me this photograph, years ago, I wish I could remember more of what she had to say about it. I believe that the furs that she and her younger sister wore may have been a special gift. From left to right are sisters Norma and Fern Thoma of Decatur, Burt County, Nebraska, most likely photographed during the winter of 1917-1918. At this time, Fern would have been ten years old,¹ and Norma would have been a few months shy of her third birthday.² They lived in town, a community of eight hundred, as their father was a grocer.³

The girls seem to have been posed specifically to show off their matching fur hats, collars, and muffs. Have you ever felt a fur muff? They really are very warm, perfect to shelter little fingers from the biting cold of a Nebraska winter. Norma and Fern are also bundled into long wool coats, and Fern wears what seem to be stylish gaiters or “spats” over her shoes, such as those seen at The Quintessential Clothes Pen: An Exploration of Historic Costume.

With the holidays approaching, I can’t help but wonder if these furs might have been a Christmas gift, or if the girls may have worn them in honor of the day. In that spirit, I would like to take this opportunity to wish very happy holidays to all of my readers, as well as to offer a big thank you for following The Homestead!

SOURCES
¹ Iowa State Department of Health, birth certificate no. 419687 (1907, issued 1942), Fern L. Thoma; Division of Vital Statistics, Des Moines.
² Nebraska State Department of Health, birth certificate no. 2-84091 (1915, issued 1943), Norma A. Thoma; Division of Vital Statistics, Lincoln.
³ Bill Weaver, “Nebraska State Gazetteer and Business Directory – 1917 – Decatur,” NE GenWeb Project: Burt County, Nebraska On-Line Resources (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~neburt/olres/gazbus17.html : accessed 15 December 2013), entry for Geo. H. Thomas [Thoma].

A Yearbook from the Southern State Normal School, Springfield, South Dakota, 1916

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The Southern State Normal School in Springfield, South Dakota, also called the Springfield Normal School, offered a college education for those who had completed high school. A First Grade Teaching Certificate could be acquired in just one year of study, while a State Certificate and Life Diploma could be acquired in two years.¹ If your ancestor was a teacher in South Dakota, he or she may have attended the Southern State Normal School or a similar institution of higher learning.

The Echo, Vol. 1 (Springfield, South Dakota: Southern State Normal School, 1916); private collection of Melanie Frick. This volume was generously shared with the author by a relative.

I am fortunate to have a copy of The Echo, a yearbook put forth by the Southern State Normal School in 1916. The Echo offers a treasure trove of information about those who were affiliated with the school from 1915-1916, as it includes photographs of most of the students and faculty as well as details about everything from an individual’s year of study, to school clubs and organizations, to inside jokes among classmates shared in the form of clever poems and quotations.²

For example, I learned that when sisters Andrea and Louise Nelson attended college there, they were both members of the Y.W.C.A. and the Southern Normal Literary Society, where Andrea served a term as Secretary.³ What startled me, however, was a class poem that named, “Louise, so dumpy and fat.”⁴ I do hope that was a joke well taken, because while Louise didn’t necessarily have a willowy figure, she was quite pretty and stylish! The Echo shared that she also played on the girls’ basketball team.⁵

As copies of The Echo are likely not accessible to most researchers, I would like to offer look-ups for anyone seeking information about the individuals listed below, who were named in The Echo as faculty, students, or graduates of the Southern State Normal School at Springfield, Bon Homme County, South Dakota:

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The Traveling Photographer’s Ram

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Leon Francis Adam, ca. 1916, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa; digital image 2010, privately held by Melanie Frick, 2013.

Only a handful of photographs exist of little Leon. He was barely five years old when he tumbled into a bonfire and died from his burns.¹ This photograph, however, taken when he was perhaps three years old, gives a glimpse into his brief but surely happy childhood.

Leon Francis Adam was born in Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, on 23 August 1913.² He was the second and youngest son of Henry Joseph and Melanie Veronica (Lutz) Adam.³ It wasn’t uncommon at this time for photographers to travel through towns with some sort of enticing animal in tow – often a pony,⁴ or, in this case, a wooly ram pulling a two-wheeled cart. Mothers must have smiled to see their children flock to the attraction, making their parting with a few pennies for a photograph that much easier. This particular photograph is a picture postcard, a format that reached its peak circa 1905-1920.⁵

Leon is wearing simple play clothes – tiny overalls, a check shirt, and black, button-up shoes. His expression is cautious, and he appears to look not at the photographer but at someone off to the side, likely his mother, offering encouragement. Note the bone placed in front of the wheel of the cart, perhaps necessary to avoid a situation of a runaway ram!

Did your young ancestors ever pose with a pony, ram, or other barnyard animal?

SOURCES
¹ “Plays in a Fire; Lad Dies of Burns,” unidentified newspaper from Sioux City, Iowa, September 1918.
² Grave of Leon Adam, 1913-1918, Calvary Cemetery, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa; image date unknown, privately held by Melanie Frick, 2013.
³ “Plays in Fire; Lad Dies of Burns,” 1918.
⁴ “Wayback Wednesday: Remembering the Pony Photographer” The Family Curator, 14 August 2013 (http://www.thefamilycurator.com/home/2013/8/14/wayback-wednesday-remembering-the-pony-photographer.html : accessed 13 December 2013).
⁵ Maureen A. Taylor, Family Photo Detective (Cincinnati: Family Tree Books, 2013), 65.