From the Dec. 7, 1906 Liberty Vindicator, Liberty, Texas, p.2

Our Wiser family alive in 1906 and living in Liberty or Chambers County Texas might have read this in the local newspaper. 


The "boys of '61."  Now there's a phrase I've not heard before. Was it a common refrain?

UPDATE:  YES, apparently it was! I just googled it. The free book site, Gutenberg, even has copies available of author Charles Carleton Coffin's book by that same name/phrase. Evidently Mr. Coffin was an embedded reporter with the Union Army.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34843 


This link shows the book The Boys of '61 online:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34843/34843-h/34843-h.htm

Passing of a Weiser Researcher’s Beloved Husband

I was sorry to read this notice in the Tulsa paper for October 13, 2013. A cousin, Doris (Weiser) Jarvis, genealogist and descendant of Hannah Leeper, has lost her husband, Ike. He apparently died in the small town of Cleveland, in nearby Pawnee County. Doris is active in the church and volunteers her time with the LDS genealogy library there. 

Attached is a "snipping" of Ike's death notice, and I will look for an obit from the Creek and/or Pawnee County newspapers later this week. (Those papers are not "dailies.") Also attached from prior research is a brief mention of Ike and Doris' marriage from the El Paso Herald-Post newspaper published on December 19, 1947. They had 65 years together, amazing!

Doris Weiser's father was Urban--the 8th of nine children to A.W. and Sylvina Wiser. He was my grandpa's older brother. These two brothers joined the U.S. Army during World War I and served in Europe. But first, I want to attach Uncle Urban's obit as it shows Doris and surviving family. I apologize for the poor copy and my feeble attempt to make it readable. It was published in the El Paso Herald newspaper (El Paso, Texas) on October 3, 1966, Section “B.”

You will note it mentions that Urban was survived by two brothers and two sisters: “E.L” or Emuel Lem (we knew him as Uncle Amie) Wiser and Elton Wiser (then living in Sacramento, Calif.), Nina Bond of Sand Springs, Oklahoma and Nora Purdy of Norman, Oklahoma. Purdy? I was told “Priddy” was her 2nd husband’s name. Must research further!

1853 Marriage of Hannah Wosta to Samuel Leeper

When you search for someone and can't find them, it feels like you're running up against a brick wall. Genealogists frequently speak of their "brick wall ancestors." Hannah Wosta is one of mine. And the man with whom she had her four boys. The elusive Herr Wiser. Many a fine researcher before me has looked high and low for proof of this father to the four Wiser sons who left Sachsen (now called Germany) for Galveston, Texas in the early 1850s. But more on the boys later.

I'd like to introduce the FIRST proof found of Hannah's existence. Do you read something other than WOSTA as her last name? See on the left-hand side where it is written again: "Wosta?" Try googling "wosta" and see all that pops up. This is NOT a common surname.

See this certified copy of an actual marriage certificate obtained from Galveston County Clerk on January 12,1990 by researcher Doris Weiser Jarvis, showing the Leeper/Wosta marriage on April 19, 1853. Partial transcription:

“The State of Texas, County of Galveston. To any regular ordained Minister of the Gospel, Judge of the District Court, Judge of the County Court, or Justice of the Peace. I hereby authorize any one of you to celebrate the rites of matrimony between Samuel Leeper and Hannah Wosta and due return of your proceedings hereon to me, at my Office, make within Sixty Days, as the law directs.” Signed by county clerk, and certified by F.B Whiting, Justice of the Peace. Marriage celebrated on 19th day of April A.D. 1853. Record Book No. B, pg. 87, numbered 214."

Thank you for popping by to read this blog.

Gwen Detamore Wiser (1929 to 2013)

My Aunt Gwen died recently just short of her 84th birthday. Besides her husband, she leaves a sister, two daughters, four grandchildren, and several great-grand kids. The world is somehow dimmer without Aunt Gwen.


In the print version of a dictionary you can find Gwen as a synonym used for two words: vivacious and upbeat. She was a dynamo who had traveled the world with her missionary parents, as evidenced by this wonderful photo taken 1936. She was SIX MONTHS OLD and would soon live in China. I love this photo! See her parents' eager faces? Ready to take on the world. Are you familiar with the political turmoil in China in the late 1930s? What a time.

I also found five-year old Gwendolyn on a United Kingdom immigration database, in May of 1935, sailing on a ship called Hamburg to New York, from Southampton, England. Knowing her, I bet little Gwen had fun running up and down the ship.

Gwen adored her father and spoke of him often. Here's Mr. Detamore's obit found online from The Atlantic Union Gleaner published June 24, 1980:


Thank you for popping by. I welcome your comments.

Blogger v. Wordpress v. Posthaven v. Tumblr? My Head HURTS

I once had a couple of genealogy blogs up on Posterous. It easily took long videos, put photos in a gallery and uploaded quickly. It was a smooth blog service before it shut down in May. I've since played with three other blog hosts, and have decided on this--Posthaven, as it is created/managed by the original Posterous geniuses. Is workable and makes posting media a breeze. This after trying to upload a marriage certificate to Wordpress for 30 minutes this evening, only to be told that function "is currently unavailable." Uh-huh. And apparently you can't upload a photo directly from your hard drive to Blogger, but it has to first be stored on Picasa. And Picasa only allows you a gig of storage before charging fees. 

However I'm happy to pay a minuscule fee to Posthaven for a forever blog. And Tumblr? Whoa, that is so very eye-candy. I really like it, but not for blogging genealogy discoveries. So, welcome to my family history blog. Please feel free to copy and comment. Or just click on "UPVOTE" and I'll know you were here.