➡ Helbling, McMurray Family

I just couldn’t let “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day” go by because it made me think of Mary McMurray.

First of course, who even knew there was such a day??? Not that we shouldn’t appreciate bubble wrap- it gives lots of people jobs to make it and sell it, and to wrap everything that ever gets mailed or moved. It keeps so many things from breaking, so I will admit a certain admiration for the product and its inventors, Marc A. Chavannes and Al Fielding. Back in 1957 they had devised a three-dimensional wallpaper, but had problems selling it. A trip on a small, propeller airplane caused the light bulb to go on in the head of Chavannes, as it seemed the fluffy clouds were cushioning the bumpy flight. He knew then that their hip wallpaper would be better suited to cushioning products being shipped, and the bubble wrap industry, now manufactured in 52 countries, was begun.

The need for a tactile, satisfying pop of the bubbles was probably realized very soon after, maybe even moments after the first of the bubble wallpaper was produced. Who knew it would also generate crazy things like a wedding dress made of bubble wrap, cameos in movies, a calendar to pop a bubble a day (thankfully, it does have additional bubbles if the user cannot stop at just one), or an app so that folks can pop the virtual bubbles on their computer or mobile device if the real thing is not at hand? There is even a book dedicated to it: The Bubble Wrap Book.

Which leads us to “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day”- how did that come about? Well, on the last Monday in January, in Bloomington, Indiana some years ago, a radio station received a shipment of new microphones. The broadcast button said “ON” but apparently the staff was unaware. Instead of the rustling sound of unwrapping the microphones, listeners heard the station staff forcefully popping bubbles. Apparently the noise was pretty loud, and of course unexpected; a new commemorative day was born.

While that sound is aggravating to people like me, and I regret the waste of resources because it will no longer function as it was designed, (yes, I am one of those tree-hugger environmentalists, and sometimes it can be recycled but probably is not), science has proven that the popping of bubble wrap can reduce stress and tiredness. (That last one is puzzling.) Bubble wrap can lead to aggression too, as the psychologist who did the study reported that she had seen professional people fight over who gets to pop the sheets of bubbles when a new package is opened. And then there is addiction- as Dr. Kathleen M. Dillon admitted about herself: “I have to pop all the bubbles.”

And that brings us to Mary McMurray- she would “… HAVE to pop ALL the bubbles.” It did reduce stress for her, and she really loved that popping sound and feel. One year I gave her a small gift in a box with a lot of bubble wrap- the wrap did not last as long as expected, but while there was still air in those plastic bubbles, she enjoyed it probably more than the other gift.

It’s always good to make someone happy. And if you can gracefully leave the room while all the bubbles are being popped, so much the better.

So go out and find yourself some bubble wrap to pop today- you will be in good company on “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.” Although, apparently, that would be ANY day.

!POP!

Every place has their old settlers- those who braved a hostile land and brought ‘civilization’: farming and ranching, churches and school houses, commerce and vice, as well as families and friends. Newton in Jasper County, Iowa, had meetings of these brave [some would say foolhardy] souls regularly in later years, and the original book recording those get-togethers is in the Jasper County Historical Society Library. The book may also be found online, at the Iowa GenWeb Jasper county page for Old Settlers of Newton, Iowa.

Wonderful records were kept by the Old Settlers Association, and they are a wealth of information for anyone whose ancestors were pioneers in the area. Even for those of us whose families were latecomers to the area, “Old Settler” groups recorded many stories of the life that was, and may have continued for some years after our ancestors moved to the area. Plus, these stories are just delightful reading!

Only those persons who were residents of the Newton area prior to 31 May 1855 were invited to the party held by Albert Lufkin, himself an early settler, at his home on 30 May 1885. Albert had arrived in the area on 31 May 1855, but since the 30th anniversary of that date fell on a Sunday, the gathering was held on the Saturday before. Albert invited about 50 persons, which was all he could entertain with the size of his home.

Of course, as the years went on the gatherings became smaller due to further migration, old age, and death of the members. They began to invite those who had come after 1855 in order to keep the party at about 50, and at one point, had over 100 people, the largest gathering in Newton to that date.

The Old Settlers Association met on 1 June 1891 at the Lambert House Parlors in Newton.

“The tables were lighted as of old Pioneer days with tallow dips and cotton wicks hanging out of saucers of Lard. All at once however, (as the eyes of the Company were not as good as 36 years ago,) the full blaze of the Electric lights – was turned on and the dainties disappeared in a manner to reflect – credit – upon the digestion of the company, and the skill of those who prepared the repast.”

What changes those early pioneers, some of whom may have been born about 1830, witnessed throughout the century!

One of my favorite stories from the Newton Old Settler’s Association:

“I might tell of some of our meetings; I will mention one that was dismissed without the benediction, in consequence of bees stinging the preacher and congregation, but enough for now.” B. Aydelott.”

There are newspaper accounts of the meetings, and those include many of the events of the meeting as well as the historical. Food was, of course, a primary focus of the event, with storytelling, songs, and speeches after, although sometimes, that good food was a problem:

“A. J. Osborn had eaten too much and didn’t feel much like talking.”

By the time my ancestors arrived, there was probably little prairie left to break, but farming was still a difficult task back then- even today. (What would our ancestors have thought of air conditioned, GPS-guided combines???) Our  families who took up residence in Jasper County were:

Sylvanus Rufus Benjamin and Sara Ann Palmer in 1865 or 1866

Jonathan N. Benjamin and Hannah E. Ford in 1867

John S. Roberts and Elizabeth Ann Murrell  by 1868

Robert Woodson Daniel and Margaret Ann Hemphill (between 1866-1870)

Frederick Asbury “F.A.” McMurray and Hannah “Melissa” Benjamin by 1870

Cynthia A. Benjamin (1841-1925), sister of Hannah Melissa Benjamin, married Reuben K. Lambert- perhaps she was the “Mrs. Lambert” who prepared such delicious repasts for the Old Settlers?

A handwritten note under the newspaper article for the [likely] 1896 Old Settlers Association meeting noted that $6.68 was collected, and the disbursements were listed. The reunion had been planned to be outdoors but because of rainy weather, it was moved to the Armory. Three dollars were disbursed to “Will McMurry for rent of hall.” William Elmer McMurray (1874-1957) was the son of F.A. and Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray. There was also a note that, “The drapage bill is still unpaid, and nothing in the treas.” (Drapage would be cloth hanging festively, such as red, white, and blue festoons/banners.)

The moral of the story? Even though I knew my family members were not early settlers in Jasper County, Iowa, reading through this booklet gave me information about times both past and present. One can do a search within the document to find family names, but sometimes it is just more enjoyable to read through and get a sense of what life was like for early settlers, and those same folks when they became “Old Settlers.” You never know what you will find- the payment to Will McMurray was quite a surprise in this booklet!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Old Settlers of Newton, Iowa: http://iagenweb.org/jasper/history/OldSettlers/Newton.pdf

2) The “dainties” referred to in the 1891 meeting would have been small appetizers and desserts.

3) Old Settlers of Newton, Iowa, page 6.  Bee Sting- unknown date of newspaper article, unknown newspaper.

4) Ibid., 14. Eaten too much- unknown date of newspaper article, unknown newspaper. Probably between 28 Apr and 9 June 1896.

5) Ibid., Will McMurry- page 19, Secretary’s note of 09 Jun 1896.

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

The above picture hung in the home of my grandparents (my grandfather was the the grandson of Nannie M. Burnell) for as long as I remember. They said it was Burnell Castle, and the home of our ancestors in England. It was always on my list of places to travel to, and learn more about.

The advent of the internet has helped us to learn more about the castle, and trace our family lines back further than could have been previously imagined (at least, by me). I still have not been able to travel to the castle ruins, but maybe one of these days.

The ‘castle’ at Acton Burnell, a small town in Shropshire, England, began in 1284 as a manor house built by Robert Burnell, friend and Lord Chancellor to King Edward I. Burnell was also Bishop of Bath and Wells, and the house would have been large enough to house Edward I and his retinue, advisers, and soldiers. The red sandstone home was crenellated (the top rectangles with open areas for shooting arrows added) and fortified, both of which required a royal license, showing that the king favored and trusted Robert Burnell.

The house had square towers at the corners, but with many windows, it was not really built for war, despite the crenellations. The house passed down to younger generations of the Burnell family, deteriorating with the centuries, and then passed out of the family through a marriage.  In Victorian times, two arched openings were added to the ruins to create a ‘folly’- a ‘fanciful’ building popular in the 18th and 19th centuries that was built for purely ornamental purposes. (A Victorian home was built further along the drive.)

Acton Burnell is famous for another reason: In 1283, King Edward I held a Parliament at Acton Burnell, probably in the adjacent barn. This was the first time that the Commons had ever participated in the legislative process; another Parliament was held there in 1285. One of the gable ends of this barn still stands 732 years later, and the shell of the house still stands nearby with just some of the walls missing.

The manor house never was, technically, a castle.

Records in Acton Burnell Parish go back to about 1538, so it will be challenging to trace family lines further than that. We have not yet ‘crossed the Big Pond’ however, so do not know our first Burnell immigrant to the Americas.

Using Ancestry.com and other trees posted, some researchers have traced our family line back to Robert Burnell, born 1669 in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts. He married Sarah Chilson (1673-1737) and their child John (1696-1744) is the next generation according to these trees.  Robert died in 1737, and the New England towns kept good records, so it will be interesting to go back through this information to see if it checks out.

The research I have checked thus far traces our Burnell line back to John Burnell (1750-1837) and his wife Mary Bannister (1752-1838). The Burnells are a very interesting line and have family members who worked to change the world. There will be more to come on these fascinating ancestors!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Wikipedia Article on Acton Burnell Castle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acton_Burnell_Castle

2) English Heritage: Acton Burnell: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/acton-burnell-castle/

3) A great series of Acton Burnell Castle images: http://www.castlewales.com/acton.html

4) Acton Burnell available parish records: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Acton_Burnell,_Shropshire.

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Elias Scuman was born  4-8-1842 per this transcribed entry in the Benjamin Bible. Trying various spellings, we have been unable to locate anyone with this name that is related to the Benjamin family on either Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org.

‘Scuman’ is obviously a last name, and it is set off as a family grouping. Could the name be misspelled? Was ‘Scuman’ a married name of one of the daughters?

If anyone has information on this name, we would greatly appreciate a note.

See my previous post Amanuensis Monday: The Bible of Hannah Ford Benjamin, Part 3.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Family papers in possession of author.

2) Previous post: http://heritageramblings.net/2014/06/23/amanuensis-monday-the-bible-record-of-hannah-ford-benjamin-3/

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Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

When I first saw this postcard in the handful I was going through in an antique shop in Franklin, North Carolina, my heart skipped a beat. Edward B. Payne probably stopped at this station on his way from Berkeley, California, to Santa Rosa where he and his followers planned a Utopian community called Altruria. Colony members and visitors also may have gone through this station when Altruria existed between 1894 and 1896.

Of course I had to buy it before I was able to do detailed research, but I knew a lot of the history of EB Payne, so this purchase turned out well.

So, how does one go about checking to see if a postcard or photo could have been taken during an ancestor’s lifetime?

First, try to ascertain the age of the photograph, or postcard. Lists of photographers and postcard printers may be found online. In this instance, the postcard was printed by the Pacific Novelty Company, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as seen on the reverse. A Google search of this company brought up a number of websites and images, some including this same depot. It was interesting that the best search results were when I misspelled the name, so try a couple of permutations of the name or a phrase if you need more hits. I also knew that the style of the reverse, writing side of a postcard can give clues as to its age if one know what to look for. Researching all that would be much more complex than what I was interested in learning, so I put that off to another day.

Results:  The Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City noted that Pacific Novelty was in business from 1908-the 1960s, so we know that the earliest this particular card could have been published was 1908.

Second, research the history of the building or the place. Include details about the city and state and/or country in your Google search as necessary. You may find information in Wikipedia (double check the accuracy), on a county historical society’s website, museum website, or, if the building is still in existence, there may be a website devoted to that building. You might need to make a phone call to the local historical association or genealogy group, or could even get information from Rootsweb or various genealogy mailing lists. Additionally, Google maps can be used to search for an address, and see what the area looks like today.

Results: The Sonoma Heritage Collection of the Sonoma County Public Library has a wonderful and charming image of the depot on its website. It states their photo was taken in 1885. The images look very similar, so now we know the station was in existence at least between 1885 and 1908.

Third, determine the timeline of your ancestor and include places. I create a specific timeline for my most researched ancestors (EB Payne certainly qualifies there), and in my documents folders I use file names that start with dates, such as:

1892_0609_PAYNE_EB_California Voter Registers_Alameda CA_ancestry.jpg

 This is my file name for an newspaper article that was published June 9, 1892. My folders are ‘automagically’ sorted into a timeline with this system (make sure to use leading zeroes on month and day, and if either are not known, use ’00.’), so all I sometimes have to do is check my collected documents file to know where someone was at a particular time. Most genealogy programs also provide timelines, but a quick check of my computer folders keeps me from having to open another program. (An extra pain since the best genealogy programs are for Windows but I use a Mac. But I digress…)

Results: Edward B. Payne was living in Berkeley, California in 1892, and that falls between the dates of 1885-1908 that we know the train depot existed at minimum.

Fourth, think about a motive for your ancestor being in that place at that time. Back to my timeline to find this file:

1894_1016_PAYNE_EB_Land for Altrurians_San Francisco Call_v76_n138_p8_c2_cdnc.pdf

Results: I know that Edward Payne was looking for land for the new colony in 1894 in Santa Rosa per this San Francisco Call article, plus I know they did build Altruria and he traveled there frequently from Berkeley. (He did not live at Altruria because he had a pastorate in Berkeley.) He did take the train when he traveled frequently- I have news stories that verify that- so we know he may have been on a train that stopped at this station.

Fifth, evaluate your data and see if there are any other circumstances which should be considered.

This would be a good place to stop and check train routes- was there a route from Berkeley to Santa Rosa? The map found on Wikipedia for the Southern Pacific suggests there was. There also was a ferry system between Oakland and San Francisco, California as early as the 1870s; after taking the ferry, passengers would then take the train to points north or east.

Conclusion: Edward B. Payne likely visited the Santa Rosa train depot in the image during the 1890s. He could have gone from Berkeley to Oakland, taken a ferry across the bay, then the train from San Francisco to Santa Rosa. A horse and buggy would have carried Payne and his daughter, Lynette Payne, to Altruria.

Of course, it is also likely that we will not know for sure that Edward B. Payne stepped foot in this train depot, but the odds look pretty good with this analysis.

How sad that the depot no longer exists for me to step foot there too.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Postcard in possession of author.

2) Sonoma Heritage Collections, Sonoma County Public Library: http://heritage.sonomalibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15763coll2/id/1223

3) Pacific Novelty Company:

Oakland Museum of Califronia: http://collections.museumca.org/?q=list/taxonomy/term/21140&page=2

250+ postcards listed, many images: http://www.pacificnoveltyco.com

Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City (excellent website): http://www.metropostcard.com/publishersp1.html

4) Southern Pacific RR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Pacific_Transportation_Company

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Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.