Let the good times roll
at the
Mardi Gras Pre-Parade Party
Tuesday, February 17,
2015 at 5:30pm
Join hosts Arthur
Ashley and Darin Reiling, 33 North Union Street, Douglas for an evening of food and fun to
warm up before the Douglas Mardi Gras Parade.
The menu, direct from New Orleans,
will be prepared by Stacy Honson.
Don't miss Dick Bont's "world-famous" pralines
and don't forget your beads.
Tickets $50 per person.
Only 30 tickets will be sold.
To reserve your place
call 269-857-5751 or email
info@sdhistoricalsociety.org
All proceeds from this
Dine Around event benefit the SDHS.
Welcome from Jack Sheridan and Chris Yoder, leaders
of the Society Family History Group.
Please visit us to see what we are all about and
most importantly, share "lessons learned" about the many tools
available for family history research.
Last month I wrote about the "small world"
phenomena I have encountered in family history research, and one
reason for it in our country.
That prompts me to address the subject again. I
call it ancestor arithmetic. This chart provides a quick overview.
Click on the chart for a higher resolution copy.
The chart calculation assumes a new generation is
born every thirty years going back in time twelve generations. So
this person born in 1950 has [total column] 8190 ancestors -
parents, grand parents and great [great] grand parents born in the
previous 300 years!
An important caveat: the calculation presented here
is theoretical because in reality the number is reduced somewhat
because our ancestors have ancestors in common. Our grandparents
are likely cousins [hopefully distant]!
For instance, I discovered that my parents are
eighth cousins as they were descended from different sons of great
grandparents Nathaniel Fiske and Dorothy Symonds who were born in
England about 1600.
Consider the meaning of the chart. First, it means
that we have a huge number of grandparents to discover. It is said
that one is lucky to build a family tree containing as many as 30%
or say 2500 for twelve generations.
Turn the thinking upside down. The calculation
means, for instance, that Nathaniel Fiske and Dorothy Symonds have
a huge number of 10th great grandchildren [including
me]. It is estimated that there are 30 million great grandchildren
of Mayflower passengers alive in the country today!
So remember we are all related - well, almost, all
of us!
Got questions on how to get going on discovering
your great grandparents? That is what we are for! The SDHS family
history group’s regular meeting schedule is the first and third
Thursday of every month at the OSH.
Upcoming meetings are:
Thursday, January 22
Thursday, February 5
Thursday, February 19
Remember, your family history does not have to
have any connection to the Saugatuck-Douglas area !!!
Let us provide a helpful jump start by recording
what you know about your parents, grandparents, and great
grandparents and send it along for a review by Chris Yoder or
myself. The snail mail address is SDHS Family History. Box 617.
Douglas, Michigan 49406
Or contact Jack Sheridan at
jack.sheridan@gmail.com
269 857-7144 or
Chris Yoder at cyoder@tds.net
616 212-3443
This newsletter column is produced by Jack
Sheridan
The Baldhead
Panoramas – One by One - Piece by Piece - 5
Click on the picture for a
higher resolution copy.
Be patient, it may take a while to download.
Last September I started a new HBC series of
panoramic photographs taken from the top of Mt Baldhead. We
history buffs are fortunate to have photos from this great
vantage point over a long time period. The photos appearing
span some fifty years, are accurately dated, and in most cases
the photographer identified.
Other factors make these photos special. First,
earlier photos had few mature trees to block the view. Second,
the photographers used quality cameras with large glass plate
negatives that were capable of capturing details. Though most
of the glass plates are lost, the prints made from them,
faithfully contain the details. When scanned at high
resolution, the images yield marvelous results.
Last month we had full photos of 1895 and 1906
without comment. This month we have the south one third of
1895 and 1906. The 1906 photographer is unknown but may have
been Herman Simonson.
The number color is switched to red. [See
higher resolution image.] As in previous issues the numbers
are keyed to my comments about points of interest.
1 - Corner of Mary and Water - site of the
Tourist Home and the ferry landing.
2 - The John Wheeler home - John is the great grandfather of
Peggy Boyce.
3 - The Nies-Koning Hardware and the D. L. Barber Store. Nies
sold to Koning and moved to Holland and opened a hardware
store there about 1895.
4 - The Methodist Church - it was to be moved in the future.
5 - The Episcopal Church - still there and a gem for the
ages.
6 - The Union School - standing proud but it was to burn two
years later.
7 - The Congregational Church with horse barn to the west.
8 - Structures that were to become the Maplewood Hotel.
Next month we have the same panoramas with
detail to the another part of town. Stay tuned!
This newsletter column is written by Jack Sheridan.
Help Us Solve A Mystery
We are currently
conducting research on an important piece of local LGBT history, and
we need your help! Pictured above is a neon sign advertising jazz
music, which we believe was used at the Blue Tempo Bar on Culver
Street sometime between 1960 and 1976.
Do you recognize
this sign? If you or anyone you know has information regarding this
artifact, or any photographs of the Blue Tempo interior, please
email the History Center's Museum Specialist, Jarrett Zeman, at
jarrettzeman@gmail.com.
Your help will be vital as we document the history of this important
sign, and pursue its restoration. Thank you.
submitted by Jarrett Zeman
Reminder
In 2015, connect
with our area's history in a brand new way by following the Society
on our Facebook page. Just click on the Facebook logo above. You
will be instantly connected to fresh weekly content, including
trivia games, historic photos, mystery artifacts, and more! Like us.
Share our posts. Be part of a great conversation as we embark on a
new year of fascinating storytelling.
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A grand
farewell to . . .
Clyde Battjes |
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 |
Clyde
Battjes, a Life Member of the Society, passed away recently.
Click
HERE for more details. |
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Luetta
Mae Crane |
|
 |
Luetta
Mae Crane, a former member of the Society, passed away
recently.
Click
HERE for more details and
HERE for an article by Jim Hayden. |
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Dale
Winter
Dale
Winter, a former member of the Society, passed away recently.
Click
HERE for more details. |
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Mark Your Calendar
2015 Monthly Programs and Tuesday Talks
Tentative Line-Up
If you would like
to sponsor one of the Monthly Programs, please
REPLY to this email and we'll be in touch. Sponsorships are $150
MONTHLY PROGRAMS
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February 11, Pump
House + Local Water System
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March 11, Postcards
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April 8,
The Big Pool + Other Water Recreation
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May 13, Rosebay
Nursery Field Trip
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June 10,
History of Coral Gables
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July 8,
Field Trip to
Peterson
Preserve
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August 12, Society
Picnic at the Old School House
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September 9,
Fishing:
Commercial & Recreational
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October 14,
Crane's Orchard
Field Trip
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November 11,
Fire, Storm and
Ice: Shipwrecks
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December 13, Holiday
Party
If you would like
to sponsor one of the Tuesday Talks, please
REPLY to this email and we'll be in touch. Sponsorships are $150
TUESDAY TALKS
l July
7, Blue Star Trail
l July
14, Drone Photography of River and
Lake
l July
21, Bee Keeping
l July
28, Perimeter: Photo Talk by Author Kevin Miyazaki
l August
4, Peach Belt School
l August
11, Invasive Species: On Land and Water
l August
18, Water and Art (watercolor painting?)
l August
25, Shipping Building in Saugatuck
Garden Happenings
"Every child is a different kind of
flower and all together, make this world a beautiful garden."
--- Dr. Suess
Although there is nothing better than walking through
a garden in full bloom, this time of year is kind of fun too. This
is the time of year when a bunch of creative minds come together in
one room and try to figure out what the best direction for our
"Back-In-Time" garden will be. The direction we would like to take
this year is designing and installing our kids' garden. There are
plenty of creative ideas for the space and we are anxious to see
them installed. We would also like to complete the graphics in the
Peach Orchard and the graphics on the slate boards that John Migas
built. This will take time and money. We have the time!
Creative minds are also coming together for this
upcoming Root Camp. We have decided to have two sessions
again this year, but will do the two sessions in only one week, both
during the week of June 22 - 25. We will have a morning camp from 9
to 12 and an afternoon camp from 1 to 4. We are working on ideas to
get our scholarships to our local schools by meeting with elementary
principals. We have our Bee Man, Michael Pcolinski, returning to
Root Camp with a ton of new ideas and activities for the
campers. He even mentioned teaching the campers about SCIENCE! We
also will have our very own Jim Schmiechen and Tom Anthrop teaching
the kids about our shipwrecks and the art of being a Tin Man. We are
working out the schedule for our other speakers, and will keep you
posted. It is going to be a a great summer at Root Camp.
Until next month,
The Landscape and Root Camp Committees
The 2015 Membership Renewal campaign will begin in
early February and conclude in early April. You may notice a slight
increase in member dues.
It has been several years since we have increased the
rates. We continue to add educational programs, research
efforts, create exhibits at the History Museum and the History
Center at the Old School House and our full social agenda.
Thank you for your participation in this great
organization. Please renew and encourage your friends to become
members in 2015. Click
HERE
for a Society Membership Application
Thank you, Ed Kelly
Welcome New Members
We would like to welcome the following new members who have joined the
Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society since the last newsletter.
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Richard & Blanche Albrecht, Douglas, MI
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Robert Hudson, Chicago, IL
Early Odd Fellows Correspondence
In North America,
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was founded in Baltimore,
Maryland, on April 26, 1819. Mutual aid was a key component. Lodges
commonly provided all kinds of assistance to members who were in
need, such as a box of groceries, a cord of wood, or a member or
visiting nurse to care for a seriously ill member at home. On
September 20, 1851, I.O.O.F. became the first national fraternity to
accept both men and women when it formed the Daughters of Rebekah.
The Saugatuck Lodge
(Number 196) was formed on Oct. 1, 1873. The Commercial Records are
missing from the early 1870s, but an 1877 ad announces that weekly
meetings were held each Friday evening in the Lodge Hall.
In 1879, "the newly
built" Odd Fellows Hall (now Kilwins at the southwest corner of
Mason and Butler Streets) hosted a talk by temperance leader and
suffragette Susan B. Anthony.
The letter from the
Saugatuck Lodge reproduced below, which sold last year on eBay, is
an example of how mutual aid to members was supported between
Lodges.
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Instituted October 1, 1873
HALL OF SAUGATUK LODGE
NO. 196 I.O.O.F.
Saugatuck, Mich, January 15, 1890
Brother C. C. Moreland
Dear Sir & Bro,
Herewith I send you a Visitors
Card for six months which you can present to any Lodge in
Chicago and they will, if your sickness continues, visit you
and pay your sick benefits just the same as we should do if
you were here in our jurisdiction. Before presenting the Card
write your name in the place on the right side of the
ornamental border on the front, where I have put a cross with
a pencil thus X. We hope to hear from you of your recovery of
your health. I also enclose an order for the A.T.P.W. Which
the A.G. will give on presentation of the order.
Yours in F. L. T
R. B. Newnham
Secretary
A.T.P.W.= Annual Traveling
Password F.L.T = I.O.O.F. Motto "Friendship, Love and Truth"
A.G. = Assistant General Secretary |
Charles Clark
Moreland was born Nov. 18, 1848 in Edridge, NY to Stephen Moreland
and Catherine Ann Camp who were married 11 Nov 1832 in Auburn, New
York. He moved with his parents in 1861 to Lacon, IL and in 1863 the
family came to Saugatuck.
Charles worked
initially in the mills, and then went on to sail as a mariner on the
Great Lakes for the rest of his career. In the spring of 1898, while
employed by Capt. Brittain on the ship Crouse, he fell
through a hatch, and his obituary says this likely hastened the
progress of his illness.
Charles died Oct.
9, 1898 age 51 years from consumption (Tuberculosis) leaving a widow
and an adopted daughter. The funeral was conducted by Rev. Lindsay
of the Saugatuck Congregational Church. He was laid to rest in
Saugatuck's Riverside Cemetery beside his parents and brother
Stephen. His obituary has no mention of him having a I.O.O.F.
funeral, so it is uncertain if he was still a member at that time.
R. B. Newnham
R. B. Newnham
(1819-1908) was a prominent local businessman and community leader.
Click
HERE to see the article on his life in England by British
researcher and descendant Sylvia Booth.
I do not know when
the local lodge became inactive, but Newnham's 1908 obituary says
that the Lodge conducted his burial service.
Click on the image for a higher resolution copy.
Included with the letter to Mr.
Moreland was a sample I.O.O.F. napkin produced by DeMoulin Bros. &
Co. of Greenville, IL, and available in quantities of 100 for 75
cents. The company is still in business and its web site states
"Founded in 1892 as a manufacturer of lodge paraphernalia and
regalia, DeMoulin Bros. & Co. of Greenville, Illinois is one of the
nation's leading makers of marching band uniforms. The company's
diverse production history has included graduation caps and gowns,
choir robes, church and lodge furniture, and lodge initiation
devices."
According to the DeMoulin Museum
curator, John Goldsmith, the company did not start selling fraternal
goods to the Odd Fellows until sometime after 1896, so the napkin
must have been placed with the letter after that date.
The original of the letter and
napkin have been donated to the SDHS Archives. submitted by
Chris Yoder |
Click
