Funeral Card Friday - A Double Rosbeck Whammy!

This beautiful picture is the back to Martin F. Rosbeck's funeral card

I previously posted the obituary for Martin F. Rosbeck and Theresa Rosbeck nee Kiefer. I thought I'd complete the set by posting both of their funeral cards today in one shot.

The center picture is the back to Theresa Rosbeck nee Kiefer's funeral card.

Thankful Thursday - It's a Wonderful Life

I've been transcribing a number of obituaries over the past couple of days.  Endeavoring to find places for all these people in my family history, and where, applicable, my family tree.  I came across an obituary that broke my heart.

As I was typing, I found it rather odd to see that Edwin was survived by one daughter.  I suppose I take it for granted that someone, particularly at the age of 61, dying in the mid-twentieth century would have several children survive them because they usually had quite a few children.  It was when I continued typing that I realized this poor man (and his wife)  had one daughter and three sons precede him in death.

It makes me extremely thankful to live in the times we do.  Children are still taken from us, but not as frequently as they once were.  No matter how some people may complain, I've just got to say that it really is a wonderful life!

"Edwin Beck Funeral Rite Is Announced

Campbellsport Area Resident Is Dead At Age Of 61

Funeral services for Edwin Beck, 61, Campbellsport, will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Twohig Funeral home, Campbellsport, and 10 a.m. at St. Matthew's church, Campbellsport.  The Rev. Peter E. Schwamb will officiate.

Mr. Beck was found dead Wednesday in the barn of his farm one mile north of Campbellsport on County Trunk W.  He was born Aug. 10, 1900, in Town of Byron, the son of John and Barbara Kiefer Beck.  He married Magdalina Richart Oct. 27, 1925, at St. Killian.

The Becks lived in the Town of Ashford until 1948 when they moved to the Town of Auburn.

Surviving are his widow; one daughter, Mrs. Leo Hall, Campbellsport; five grandchildren; two brothers, Jacob, Campbellsport, and Alois, Town of Ashford; and two sisters, Mrs. Alex Lenk, Menomonee Falls, and Mrs. Lucille Koenig, Fond du Lac.  One daughter and three sons preceded him in death.

Mr. Beck was a member of the Holy Name society of st. Matthew's church.

Friends may call at the funeral home after 2 p.m. Friday until the hour of services.  Burial will be in the church cemetery."

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Favorite Food - Spaghetti

My mom is a great cook.  I love it when I go home during the summer and get to eat her cooking.  I'm sure as a picky child I was a royal pain in the butt for her, but karma has already bitten me in the butt twice as I try to get my children to eat!  

Some of my favorite foods were homemade ravioli, spaghetti, halupkie, fashnachts, etc.  Probably the most incredible thing after listing those foods is that we're not Italian, Polish or German.  My hubby's German, but never had a fastnacht before I made one for him...I guess it was regional German!  Anyway, my mom is 100% Irish and never an Irish dish found it's way to my plate.  At least with my knowledge.  As an adult I can kind of see why.  I've attempted to eat and attempted to make, corned beef and cabbage.  It was not pretty nor pleasant in any way.  So I'll stick to scones and colcannon for now...

The recipe I'm going to share is my mother's for Spaghetti and Meatballs.  It's comfort food for me.  I omit the green peppers when I make it because they're one of the few things my husband doesn't eat.  I hated the sausage when I was younger (especially the hot sausage), but adore it now!  It adds flavor even if the kids won't touch it.

So here it is.  Alice Brown's Spaghetti and Meatballs!

The Sauce:

1 small onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 green pepper, diced (optional)

1 tbsp dried sweet basil

2 tbsp dried oregano

4 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp olive oil

1/3 c. red wine

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cut into pieces

1 lb hot Italian sausage, cut into pieces

Meatballs (recipe follows)

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil.  Saute the onion and garlic (and green pepper if using).  Add the basil and oregano and stir.  Pour in the tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir.  Add the cheese, wine, sausages and meatballs.  Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until meatballs and sausage are cooked through.

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef (chicken or turkey may be substituted)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried sweet basil

2 tbsp dried oregano

2 eggs

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs

Salt and Pepper

In a large bowl place the meat, garlic, basil, oregano, eggs, Parmesan cheese and a few dashes of salt and pepper.  Pour bread crumbs down the center of the meat in the bowl (I do not have a measurement for this, nor do I want to guess at it.  My mom gave me these instructions and they work.  Maybe someday I’ll measure.  If I had to guess I would say that it’s about ¾ cup.).  Mix with hands.  Form into balls and place in spaghetti sauce to cook.

Prepare pasta according to directions on box and serve with sauce, sausage and meatballs.

Tuesday's Tip - Transcriptions...More Than Mere Typing

I've done plenty of transcriptions on Sunday's Obituaries, Amanuensis Mondays, etc, but I'm about to be doing many more.  I need to figure out who all of the people are in the hundreds of clippings that have been passed on to me by my in-laws in Wisconsin.  Rarely is there any data on the clipping to show which newspaper it came from, but at least I know they are from Wisconsin papers and most likely close to the area mentioned in the clipping.  I also know that they were clipped by my husband's grandparents so the clippings reference someone that was important to them, either, family or friend.

Many times there is a handwritten date on the article, which is most like the date of the event rather than the date the article was published.  We as genealogists realize that the publication source and date are very important to write out, unfortunately when they articles were clipped the publication date was not at the front of the clipper's mind.

Anyway, I'm blessed to have these clippings (and plenty of them).  I've scanned the ones that were stored in a "magnetic" photo album (don't worry I saved them from that bit of preservation), but have not scanned the ones that have been glued into several old, large scrapbooks.  That's a bit of work still waiting for me.  I still need to figure out where all these people belong in my tree.  The easiest way I've figured I can do that and get the most out of it is to transcribe the clippings.

I'm a fairly fast typist and it's easy enough to minimize the screen with the image and the screen I'm transcribing to so that I can see both at once and get the job done faster than if I'm trying to switch between screens.  I won't lie and say that the transcribing itself helps me to figure out where each person belongs.  My brain doesn't work that way.  When I'm transcribing, I'm looking at words, usually out of context.  My fingers just fly across the keyboard and little actually registers.  I can transcribe an entire obituary and not really know what was in it, but it's the proof-reading afterward that does the trick.  I have to make sure I didn't make typos in the transcription, so I always check my work.  That's usually when I have those "ah-ha" moments and find where they may belong...or at least what surname I need to file them under so I can place them properly later, perhaps after another transcription.

Transcription isn't just about typing it into your program, blog, database, etc.  It really is a helpful tool for helping us figure out who belongs where in our family tree.  Now that I've come to terms with that it's time to get to work...

Amanuensis Monday - Rev. Robert Anthony

 "Rev. Robert Anthony (hand-dated Mar. 16-1956)

EDEN, Wis., March 16 - (Special) - The Rev. Robert Anthony, 45, who was to have been celebrant Saturday morning for the funeral mass of a second cousin, died early Friday of a heart attack in the rectory of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in this Fond du Lac County community.

Pastor of St. Mary's and nearby St. James Mission since January, 1950, Father Anthony was to have officiated at services in St. Columbkille's Church at Elba (Dodge County) for Nicholas Powers, 80, who helped found the Astico State Bank and the Elba Canning Co.

A native of Columbus, Wis., where he attended schools before graduation from St. Francis Minor and Major Seminary in Milwaukee. Father Anthony was ordained a priest May 22, 1937, in St. Ann's Church, Milwaukee.

Well known throughout the Milwaukee Archdiocese, Father Anthony was assistant pastor at St. Joseph's in Fond du Lac from 1937-40, at St. Monica's in Whitefish Bay the following year, at St. Sebastian's in Milwaukee from 1941-45 and at St. Gall's Church in Milwaukee from 1945 until he came here.

His accomplishments at St. Mary's included building a school, convent and shrine to the Blessed Virgin, and organizing the first Boy Scout troop here.  A member of the Knights of St. George, the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Order of Foresters, Father Anthony was completing plans for remodeling of the church and rectory at the time of death.

His body will be at the Dugan Funeral home in Fond du Lac from 3 p.m. Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday, when it will be moved to his church to lie in state until services on Tuesday.

Area clergy will chant the Office of the Dead at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, preceding a solemn Requiem high mass at 11 a.m. at which Msgr, Henry G. Riordan, pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Fond du Lac, will be celebrant, Archbishop Albert G. Meyer of Milwaukee will attend the funeral.

Burial for Father Anthony, an only child whom cousins survive, will be in St. Jerome's Cemetery at Columbus."

This and most of the other Wisconsin clippings I have were passed on to me from my husband's family.  This was from my mother-in-law, Dolores Cayemberg nee Kuehl.  I don't think the Rev Anthony was a relative.  I rather think that he was an ancestor's pastor and undoubtedly a cherished member of their church-family.  All that he accomplished as a priest before his early death at the age of 45 is amazing.  He was obviously a very dedicated man. 

I am a bit disappointed at the lack of information on his family.  The newspaper mentions the 2nd cousin who Rev Anthony was to preside over the funeral of, but it doesn't mention who his parents were.  There are nuggets of information in here that people can follow if they wanted to track down information on his lineage, to not mention someone's parents in an obituary is to do a great disservice to the deceased.  Just this genealogist's humble opinion.

Sunday's Obituary - Oscar Boegel

"Oscar Boegel (hand-dated June 18th 1980)

Funeral services for Oscar P. Boegel, 72, of the Town of Wayne, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Miller's Funeral Home, Kewaskum, and at 10:30 a.m. at  St. Bridget's Catholic Church in the Town of Wayne.

The Rev. John T. Budde, the Rev. Walter Morgan and the Rev. Elroy Pesch will officiate, and burial will be in New Holy Trinity Cemetery, Kewaskum.  Friends may call from 4 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.

He died Wednesday, June 18, 1980, at St. Joseph's Community Hospital, West Bend.

Mr. Boegel was born March 6, 1908, in the Town of Wayne, a son of the late William and Mary Zwaska Boegel.  On Oct. 7, 1930, he married Lucy Wietor at holy Trinity Catholic Church, Kewaskum.

He was a retired mail carrier and was employed by McGraw-Edison Co. for 22 years.  He was a member of Knights of Columbes Council 1964 of West Bend, and a life member of St. Bridget's Church, Town of Wayne.

Surviving are his wife; five sons, Lambert of West Bend, Norman of Chicago, William of New Orleans, La., John and James both of Kewaskum; and five daughters, Mrs. Gordon (Mary Ann) Sonnenberg of West Bend, Miss Rita Boegel of Racine, Mrs. Robert (Joan) Struebing of Wayne, Mrs. Thomas (Lucy) Bartelt of Kewaskum and Mrs. Leroy (Margaret) Myer of Wauwatosa.

Also surviving are 26 grandchildren; for great-grandchildren; two brothers, Dr. Arnold of Theresa and Norbert of Jackson; and a sister, Mrs. Mark (Lorraine) Grafmeier of Kaukauna.  A grandchild preceded him in death."

Clippings were passed on to me by my mother-in-law, Dolores, Cayemberg nee Kuehl.  It is unknown which Wisconsin newspaper the clippings were from

Space Shuttle Challenger - I'll never forget

When I was in Junior High School I wanted to be an astronaut.  The guidance counselor would try to persuade me to not try for it because they hire so few a year, blah, blah, blah (yeah...wonderfully encouraging man...).  I was also in 8th grade when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded.  I was sitting in typing class when our science teacher, Mr. Nause, knocked on the door and called our typing teacher, Ms. Miller, out of the room.

Ms. Miller was a jokester.  She was a bit harsh too...not all of her jokes were the most pleasant, i.e. - telling kids with dimples that they were birth defects, etc.  I didn't mind her.  In fact I enjoyed her class, if not her humor (and I have dimples!).  So a couple minutes later she came back into the classroom and told us that the Challenger exploded.  The class laughed.  Everyone figured that with her sense of humor she was trying to make a joke, and we knew that you always laughed at her jokes!  She repeated it several times, but couldn't convince us.  She actually had to leave the room and get Mr. Nause to come back in and tell us that she wasn't joking.  Needless to say there was silence after that.

The period ended a few minutes later and it was time for gym class.  My gym teacher (I don't remember her name) sat in the gymnasium with the radio on listening to the news about the disaster.  There were only about 5 of us that sat there with her and listened and cried while everyone else did who knows what.

There are three tragedies that occurred during my life that I feel certain I will remember for the rest of my life.  This is one.  How absolutely heart-breaking to think of their families (and I somehow always do think of the families when tragedy happens), and how terrible it was for Mrs. McAuliffe's class to be there watching it happen.  I hope they will be remembered for what they are.  Heroes making the way into the great unknown.  Explorers.  Trail-blazers.

Rest in Peace:

Ellison S. Onizuka - Mission Specialist - from Kona, HI.  First Asian American to in space. LTC, USAF

Sharon Christa McAuliffe - Crew Member, "Teacher in Space Program" - from Concord, NH.  Was selected from over 11,000 applicants to be the first teacher in space.

Greg Jarvis - Payload Specialist - born in Detroit, MI.  CPT, USAF

Judy Resnik - Mission Specialist - born Akron, OH. Second American woman and second Jewish person in space.

Michael J. Smith - Pilot - born Beaufort, NC. CPT, USN

Dick Scobee - Commander - born Cle Elum, WA.  LTC, USAF (Vietnam veteran. Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal)

Ron McNair - Physicist - born Lake City, SC.  Second African-American in space.  Black belt & Saxophonist.


For more information on these heroes, please check out the NASA website.