The year 1866 must have been a year of a big collective sigh in what was again a United States of America. The strife of the Civil War was behind the country, although the personal, physical, financial, and emotional wounds still festered; they would heal some with time. The Beerbower family bible was printed that year, but we have no information on its whereabouts prior to its presentation in 1873.

The bible is inscribed,

“Presented to Anna M. Beerbower by her Father.

Dec 31st   73″.

Unfortunately that page seems to be missing in my scans, but one of the scans has some of the information below:

The date is listed in my transcription from long ago, but I do not know why there is no scan with that page. Another item to investigate in my spare time…

Anna Missouri Springsteen was married 12 Feb 1873 to Edgar Peter Beerbower.  The bible was a gift from her father, Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909), at the end of that year, as her married name was inscribed in the first pages.

Upon Anna Missouri’s death, the bible was passed on to her daughter Anna May, and then to her daughter, Mary Theresa Helbling McMurray. Names included are BEERBOWER, SPRINGSTEEN, HELBLING, HOPPE, RUFFLE,and CROZIER; the majority of the family lived in Indianapolis, Indiana. The bible was copied and transcribed in 1995, then the transcription was revised and annotated in 2008, all by Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower’s great-granddaughter (yours truly).

I do not believe the above is the handwriting of Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower- in upcoming posts you may note the different style of “M” and “B” on this page as compared to early entries in subsequent pages. I am not a handwriting expert, but this looks like the writing of a little girl. I am wondering if this is the handwriting of her daughter when young- Anna May Beerbower Helbling. The second style of handwriting in later pages also differs from this, and does look like other examples we have of Anna May’s handwriting.

Sometimes it is hard to remain objective as a family historian, as my mind wanders to what might have taken place between people, daydreaming about the circumstances: the who, what, where, why, when, and how of an event. Looking at this information as I write it, I wonder why the bible was a gift at the end of the year, and not a wedding gift or Christmas gift. Christmas was much less lavish back in the 1870s, and the Panic of 1873 set off a six year depression so money was probably tight. Thin budgets might explain it being an older bible- maybe used or a clearance sale item? Since the family record pages were not written in, even if it was a used bible, it was very gently used over those seven years before it came into Anna M.’s possession. It may even have been an extra family bible owned by Jefferson and his wife Anna Connor, as we also have their Springsteen family bible pages. (Those will be posted soon.)

I do find it curious that it was given to her by her father, and her mother, still living, was not mentioned. But that would have been consistent with the times, a wife/mother being on the sidelines with all owned and given by the male head of the family.

Back to the circumstances- why was the bible given on Dec. 31, 1873?

Trolling through records of both families, mind open to seeing new connections, the flash of understanding occurred- Robert Warson Beerbower, the first child/son of Anna M. and Ed Beerbower’s, was born 16 Jun 1874. That was six and a half months after the bible was presented. My mind leapt to the idea that Anna had announced her pregnancy about the end of December, when signs of her pregnancy became evident and she knew she might carry to term in the days of pregnancy being a dangerous condition. (Pregnancy still is dangerous- the US has an embarrassingly high infant and maternal mortality and morbidity rate.) Delving further into the information known about her siblings, I realized that two others were married prior to the bible presentation date in 1873, but none yet had children.

So we can’t say for sure, but I surmise that the bible was a gift from a father to his daughter, on the occasion of his first grandchild preparing to come into the world. How touching, and how wonderful to have an idea about the possible circumstances of the bible presentation.

Pages from the bible will be presented with their transcriptions in upcoming posts.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Beerbower family bible.

2) Springsteen and Beerbower Family Group Records compiled over many years using bibles, census, and other data.

3) Edgar Peter Beerbower was called, “Ed” and I have seen him listed as “Edward.” Being that Edgar became a family name, I lean toward his name being “Edgar.”

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

These images were in an old photo album with Lee family ephemera. We believe the primary woman in the photos with the flat-topped hat is Dora J. (Russell) Aiken, as there is a postcard from there written to “Mrs. Samuel Lee,” who would have been Dora (Aiken) Lee. It was signed “Mother.” Alternatively, it could be Louisa M. (Brandenburger) Lee (1859-19340) sometimes called Maria Louisa Brandenburger (German folks swapped first and middle names back and forth), Samuel J.’s mother who married Samuel Lenton Lee (1849-1932), but we do not have a known image of her to compare. Seems like if it was Louisa, she would have included her son and written to “Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lee.” So I am betting on Dora J. Russell being the woman in these pictures.

If anyone has these same or similar pictures, please use our “Contact Us” form or leave a comment so we can compare and share! We are very interested in more information about these photos.

Click on any of the images to enlarge.

In Yellowstone Park, Aug-Sep 1921:

Buffalo Bill’s gravesite was a popular place to visit:

Unknown places in Colorado(?):

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Family photo treasure chest.

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Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Edith Roberts Luck visited her son and his family every year for Christmas (as well as many Easters, plus the birth of every baby to help out). She would take over the cooking and had quite often sent ahead, through the mail, a big box of cookies and sometimes gifts in with them. She would package the cookies tightly in the plastic tubs that you could get ice cream in, or sometimes they were just loose in the package. (That was dangerous- open the box and cookies for the grabbing and stuffing in the mouth were right there- no opening of tight lids to slow down a family hungry for Grandma’s cookies.) She would use popcorn to cushion the cookies- those were the days before styrofoam pellets, and besides, popcorn would be food-safe, right? Sometimes it would make the cookies smell/taste like popcorn, but hey, she was a farmer’s daughter, and grew the best corn in her garden that I ever tasted.

I always wonder if these recipes were from her mother, Ella V. Daniel Roberts. They cooked for tables full of farm workers at harvest time, and packed a lot of calories into those meals to keep the workers going. These sugar cookies would have helped with that.

Making these sugar cookies and using the cooky cutters passed down has always been very special, especially with our own children, niece, and nephews. It is a family tradition to be thankful for; having such an excellent grandmotherly-type grandma is something I am very grateful for too. One of the best compliments I ever got was from my brother who said that I would make a great grandmother. With Grandma Edie as a role model, I do hope that will be true.

Here is Edith Roberts Luck’s recipe, typed on her old, well used typewriter:

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Family treasure chest of pictures and recipes.

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee was born 06 Sep 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Samuel J. Lee (1879-1964) and Dorothy Adele Aiken (1884-1953).

We are guessing that this letter was written possibly when he was about 8-11, so that would be around 1915-1919. (Kids learned to write later back then than they do now.)

Transcription:

“Gene Lee

1038 Grandview  [return address]

[To:]

North Pole

Mr. santa clau [torn paper]”

Including that return address was vital, so Santa could find his house- no GPS or online directories for Santa back then. ;D

Transcription:

“Mr. santa clause

I want a hat a coat

a football a tran [train] a some [looks erased]

soldier game some books

a blackboard some games

a little santa clause.”

The request for the ‘soldier game’ may help to put the date around 1918 when World War I was in progress, although little boys always seem to want to play soldiers, whether with toy soldiers or today’s more sophisticated video war games.

Asking for a hat and coat first, necessities of life in the St. Louis winters, shows how tough economic times were at the end of the nineteen teens, and how practical people had to be everyday.

Even for Christmas.

Happy Holidays to all our family and readers!

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family treasure chest ephemera, in possession of author.

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Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

From left to right:

Front Row: Abraham Pollock, Belle __, Esther Pollock, Jacob Broida (Rose’s father), and his wife Sara __, unknown.

Second row: Louis Pollock, Rose Broida, the bride, and her groom Samuel Pollock, Ida Pollock, and unknown.

Third row: Ben Pollock, Samuel Broida, and Max Broida.