Category Archives: Family

How I Got Started Blogging

Posted on by
It was a little over a year ago that I launched a writing project. The idea was to write 365 letters to the members of my immediate family — one for every day of the year. I would write about things I remember. There would be snippets of family history and genealogy. And every day there would be an inspirational thought. I would wrap it up in time to present the collection to the family members for this Christmas.
That project went well for a few weeks. By mid December, I was not happy with where it was going. I enjoyed the discipline of writing something each day, but a review of my work left me convinced that I was not on the right path. I stopped writing for a while and considered methods to freshen my approach and to consider the alternatives to the original project.
My sister, Clara, had been blogging for a while, but it never occurred to me that I might want to do something like that. I would visit her blog from time to time and liked what I saw. Nothing clicked for me.
Then my niece (Clara’s daughter), Mikki, sent me an e-mail. On December 31, she posted an article about Sylvia and me on her blog. The message was to tell me that it was there online.A click on the link took me to her blog and the story. Mikki told of a visit she made to us when she was a youngster. That visit had happened over twenty years earlier, but it all came alive again as I read Mikki’s narrative. Once again the laughter and the tears flowed. (Have you never cried from laughing so hard?)
It clicked! The realization dawned that this [blogging] is an excellent medium for sharing one’s thoughts. After a couple of days of thinking about it and a phone call to my sister, Clara, I started blogging on January 2 of this year.
My original plans have morphed as I’ve sought to find my way. Clara has been a huge help and soon blogger buds were providing excellent feedback through their comments. You continue to provide encouragement and ideas. This should be post number 320. It is hard to believe that time has flown by so swiftly.

Mikki, you are aware that V returns to TV on ABC in four days, aren’t you? Watch for it on Tuesday evening (8 PM Eastern Time). You can catch the election results after the program. (She lives in Virginia.) Or record it and watch it after the kids have gone to bed. Thanks. I love you.

George & Mary Baxter Yallup ~ Part 2

Posted on by
Yesterdays story continues as we continue the narrative written in 1913 of events that took place 60 years before that:
Now to return to Mother Yallup. She found herself left in England without home or money and four small children to care for. Her mother wanted her to come home and live, but she thought it best to live alone. And thus she lived and supported herself and children mostly by gleaning in the fields. She hired an old lady to care for those who were too small to take in the fields. She often remarked that she never wanted for anything in those three years for she had plenty of friends and was always able to work. And thus she passed the time until Father Yallup sent the money for her to come to America.

Her voyage over was more eventful than his. They had been out on the ocean only a short time when their vessel was wrecked, but all on board were saved. She asked the Captain to return her money and she would go back home but he said, “No, if one vessel wouldn’t take us another would,” and so they started again and were out only three days when a terrible storm came up and they were driven back to the place from which they started. They then weighed anchor until the wind was right, then set sail again with better results  There were thirteen hundred on board besides the captain and crew. During the passage cholera broke out and a great many died. Mother Yallup was very sick with it but out of it all it pleased the Lord to deliver them.

About the time Father Yallup thought they would be in Detroit he went there to meet them but after waiting three weeks without any tidings of them he began to think the boat had gone down with them and had decided to go home in the morning. He happened to see a lady in the hotel that he thought he had seen in England and he got into conversation with her and mentioned being there to meet his family but thought they must be lost. She asked him to describe them and then told him they would be there in the morning for they came over in the same vessel with her. Thus after all their hardships and trials they were again united. In a short time they started for their new home in Clinton County, Michigan, making the trip over land in a lumber wagon and upon reaching here had to live with a neighbor until a place was cleared in the wilderness and a log house built, and thus began life in this country. A few years later they bought another forty, and replaced the log house with a frame one, which stands today on the old homestead, taken up in the fifties.

Father Yallup, when paying for his home, spent the most of his time ditching. He would walk to his work Monday morning, sometimes a distance of 20 miles and do a day’s work and return Saturday evening after his work was over. Mother Yallup and the children did the most of the farm work and by hard work and wise economy they earned for their last days a goodly inheritance. Eight children were born to them and with the exception of one lived to have homes of their own and settled within a radius of five miles of the old home. On August 14, 1894, they celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. Just as Father Yallup came first to seek a home in this country, so he went first to that Heavenly country. He passed peacefully away November 27, l895 at the age of 76 years, nine months and 13 days.

Mother Yallup passed the remainder of her life at the old home with her youngest son, George. She led a very active life for one of her age until within a year of her death, which occurred October 2l, 1904. There remains today forty direct descendants of the Yallup family, five children, sixteen grandchildren and nineteen great grandchildren.

THIS WAS REWRITTEN FROM THE ST. JOHNS NEWS,
THURSDAY AFTERNOON — NOVEMBER 6,1913
VOLUME XXV –No.14

Special thanks and a tip of the hat to cousin Peter of Essex, England who has provided some further information on the earlier history of the Yallup family.

George & Mary Baxter Yallup ~ Part 1

Posted on by
This history is excerpted from that presented at the November 1913 Yallup Family Reunion. George Yallup was Sylvia’s 2nd great grandfather.  Earlier I wrote about Mary Baxter Yallup, but it turns out that the information that I had was incomplete and there was much more to the story.  And so here is the story of how these ancestors of my wife came to America and settled in mid-Michigan.

George Yallup, the father of the present generation, was born in Norfolk, England in 1819. Being too young to support himself by hard labor at the time of his parent’s death, he was given a home with a farmer and did light work, such as keeping the rooks off from the fields of grain and thus he worked for his living from the time he was six years of age. His education was sadly neglected, as were most of the poorer class in England at that time. As he grew older he became a sawyer in the yards.

On August 14, 1844 he was married to Mary Baxter and for six years they lived in England. He kept hearing such glowing accounts of America that he felt there was his chance for a home, but when he mentioned it to Mother Yallup she opposed it, said she would never go to America or let him so he said no more about it, but had decided to come just as soon as he could lay aside the money for his passage. He said he knew if he could once get here and send for her she would come, and in a short time the opportunity came.

There was to be a fair near her old home and she expressed a wish to go home for a visit at that time. He told her she could go for a week and he would go with her and come back the next day on account of his work. What must have been his feelings when he parted from his family, little knowing if they would ever meet again.

The next day he took his clothes and the little money they had saved and thus begun his journey to this country. His voyage across the ocean was fairly good for those days, making the trip in about three weeks, but upon arriving in New York his money was nearly gone, so he began to look for work, but could get nothing to do.

One morning after paying his last shilling for a bed, he asked a man if he would give him his breakfast and let him work to pay for it as he had no money. The man told him the poor master lived down the street and if he went to him he would get his breakfast, but Father Yallup thanked him very kindly and said he never had been to the poor master and didn’t think he should ever go.

He then wandered down to the waterside and there saw a boat nearly ready to go to Cleveland and he inquired of one of the men if he would let him work his passage there. The man said they were in need of a hand. When on board the man asked him if he had had his breakfast and he said, “No nor any supper or dinner the day before.” So the Captain was notified and a good breakfast was given him.

Upon arriving in Cleveland he wrote a letter to his family telling where he was. He soon obtained work in the country and stayed there a year or so then went to Oakland County, Michigan and worked until he had earned the money to send for his family. He had been in this country three years and in the meantime had taken up forty acres of government land, a part of what is now the old homestead.

Part 2 follows tomorrow.

My World ~ Family Reunion

Posted on by
Last Friday, Sylvia’s father hosted a family reunion. All five of his children were there with three of their spouses. It was a wonderful time and we were able to visit with some folk that we haven’t seen in many years.

Gay (sis), Bruce (bro), Leon (Dad), Al, Karen (sis), Chuck, Sylvia, Paul and Joyce (sis)

Sylvia’s dad was the youngest of four brothers and the only one still living. The widow of his next older brother is still with us, and Aunt Dorothy was able to be with us that day.

These are the direct descendants of Leon and his brothers that were able to be present for our reunion near St Johns, Michigan. We had fun sharing memories and family stories. There was lots of good food when it was time to eat.

Leon’s grandfather came to St Johns, Michigan from the north shore of Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada in 1865. The Civil War had taken a terrible toll, and that meant that there was good farm land land available in Michigan. Indeed, the farm land around St Johns is particularly rich and is mostly flat, which means excellent for farming.

Like American families will do, some (like Leon) have stayed in the area. Others have moved on to other places. We had folks at the reunion from Alabama and Florida. Sylvia’s sister, Gay (Gaylynn), surprised us by flying in from Florida. That delighted all of us.

I  learned more about Leon’s great grandfather coming to America. It’s an interesting story, and I’ll share that with you in another post.

I Did It! – Monday ~ Sr Night @ Swim Meet

Posted on by

My Meme Mania is the home of I Did it! – Monday.
You are invited to participate and to register
your participation at My Meme Mania.
Please come, join us.
 

Thursday, October 16, was Senior Night for the East Kentwood High School Women’s Swim Team. Our granddaughter, Briana, was one of four seniors who were honored that evening. Their mothers had prepared photo displays for all to see. As you can see, Briana’s mom, Barbara, is a very creative gal. She has a real flair for organizing and design.

Briana is introduced with her parents, Bryant and Barbara. Other seniors are: Eliza (goalie on the water-polo team), Emma and Leslie.

Briana started competitive swimming in Junior High School with the [coed] Kentwood Aquatics club. She has swum all four years in High School.

Her best memories: Making new friends, a team captain for two years and swimming with shoes on.

Future goals: Study for an advanced nursing degree. Play club water polo in college. Live in a different country, preferably somewhere with nicer weather.

Words of Wisdom: “Winning is overrated. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war.” — Al McGuire

While Briana shouts encouragement to a teammate on her relay team, her friend, Christian, looks on from the far right. The stop watch he is holding is for a backup to the electronic timer.

Swim season will soon be over. I’m sure Briana will miss the 5:30 AM practice sessions. Or perhaps not. Can you imagine the discipline it takes to keep that schedule and achieve scholastic All-State honors? I think she’ll be ready next year when she graduates and moves on to college.

Congrats Briana! We love you very much.

A Special Day

Posted on by

It was 70 years ago today that my parents were married. In 1939, our nation was still feeling the effects of the great depression. Mom and Dad were married at her parents home, and they wore their best clothes.

The bride and groom on their special day.

The parents (hers on left, his on right).

The pastor of the United Brethren church (less than a mile down the road) officiated. It was a simple but happy time.

When our older son married his High School sweetheart, the ceremony was held in her parent’s back yard. The bride carried a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers that her older sister had gathered that morning. It was one of the nicest weddings I’ve ever attended.

Today, I’m thinking of Mom and Dad.

Sunday in Proverbs ~ Remembering Mother

Posted on by
Proverbs 2

6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Mother in 1936 (she was 16)


Those verses describe my mother. She was born 24 August 1920 and left this world behind 20 September 1996. We had “lost” her a few years earlier to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Before her first birthday, her family moved from Michigan to Washington, where she started school. In 1927, they returned to Michigan. That’s where she lived the rest of her life.

She was mostly a stay-at-home mom. However, she worked in a factory during WWII while dad was in the Air Corp.

While her children were growing up, she was there for them. Later, she worked in a dry cleaner shop operated by a friend.

Her faith was strong and she passed it along to her children. She was a woman of uncompromising integrity. For years, she was the financial secretary in the church where she was a member. Folks trusted her — completely. Perhaps it was because they never heard a word of gossip from her lips. She taught us the meaning of “closed mouthed.”

I am thankful that I see part of her in me. She gave me so much more than half her DNA. Thank God for Mother.

Remembering Ezra Theodore Rowe

Posted on by


Ezra Theodore Rowe was my grand uncle, the brother of my maternal grandmother. It was 91 years ago today that he died of disease as he served in WWI. It was nearly 22 years after his death that I was born. In his memory I wrote the following lines:

Pvt Ezra T Rowe 1893 -1918

Called — he answered.
Trained, clothed in the uniform.
Shipped across the sea.

Sent to fight.
To save his land,
And keep his people free.

Did heart within him quake,
As he went to face the foe?
Purpose firm, with faith in God?

It was not cruel blade nor ball,
That ended vital life in youth,
‘Twas mere disease that put him ‘neath the sod.

One year after her brother’s death, grandma married grandpa. I wonder why they chose that day.

I Did It! – Monday ~ Last Weekend

Posted on by
My Meme Mania is the home of I Did it! – Monday.
You are invited to participate and to register
your participation at My Meme Mania.
Come, join us.



It is quiet around the house this Monday morning. The weekend was a different story. On Friday, we celebrated the birthday of Sylvia’s father. We probably would have done it earlier, but one of Sylvia’s sisters was out of state. The tradition is to meet in Mt Pleasant (Michigan) for the celebration. We have no roots there, but it is a convenient location, being about midway between Sylvia’s sisters.

We meet at a restaurant to eat. After that, someone stops for ice cream and we proceed to the park. We stop at a picnic table near the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. (Interestingly, one of Sylvia’s brothers-in-law is a Vietnam vet and a retired Lt Col.) There we have the ice cream and one of the sisters brings a cake. This year, Karen brought a homemade German chocolate cake. Super good. We visit the memorial, go for a walk and talk a lot with each other. Then, as the sun is going down, we leave for our homes. It is always a very good day.


Saturday, our church held its annual Hog Roast. The gals had started Thursday preparing food. On Friday, they wrapped up most of the preparation. Saturday after lunch, the guys started cutting up the hog, which was well cooked by then. Sylvia and I worked on the serving line from 4 to 5. After that we had a bite to eat and visited the vehicles at the car show that we held in conjunction with this year’s event. There was also an antique appraiser present, and he did a bit of business, but not as much as he did last year.

At 7, we were back on deck for clean up. We also did setup for Sunday.


The Hog Roast took place in our community center building, which we call the Ebenezer Center. Yesterday we began holding our church services there.

Sunday was Sunday-School Rally Day — this year’s theme “Launch Into a New Adventure.” Sylvia is the Director of Christian Education, so she was a busy gal. After worship service, we have Sunday School. There were kids to promote to new classes. Every class has a new meeting place. We got through that and then we had a paper airplane contest. After that we had rocket launches on the ball field. No church activity of this type is complete without a carry-in dinner. For that reason we wrapped up activities with a dinner. I helped with cleanup and went home. Sylvia came along a couple of hours later. She was tired, but there was a smile on her face. It had been an excellent weekend.