Rev. John A. Rodman, 1831-1896

 I am on the Historical Committee at my church, and this past week I have been gathering things to use in my April display.  We have a large table-like display case in the lobby, and we try to change it out once a month.  Since April was both the beginning and end month of the Civil War, I thought I'd showcase our 2nd pastor, who served as a Union soldier.

I have spent so much time with this guy in my head, that I thought I'd share him here, too. I'd love to find any living descendants of him... to see if there are any family photos or other info that I couldn't find online.  I'm always on the lookout for things I can add to the church history collections!

*** All of my information below has been found in census records, pension records, Regiment histories, newspapers, and our own church history.

#52Ancestors, Week 13... Light a Candle

Week 13 of #52Ancestors... "Light a Candle"

I had NO CLUE who to write about this week. I googled the word "candle". One thing that came up is that it "symbolizes the warmth of friendship and love." So this week I am writing about a family friend, who was always like an extra grandmotherly type to me. 

Frieda Mae Neber was born in Williamson County, IL, in February 1916. Her parents were William and Nora (Bevil) Neber. She was married three times, and had six known children (some from each marriage). She mostly lived in Williamson County all of her life... with some time in Chicago and Sioux Falls, SD (according to records). The 1950 census says she was a sales clerk in a jewelry store. I know that she also worked as a waitress for a while. 

a young Frieda

 I met her when I was a baby, in 1976. She went to our church, and was a member of my Grandma's Sunday School class. My parents hired her to babysit me during the day, while they were at work. In today's world, she'd likely be called a "nanny", but we always just referred to her as our babysitter. 

Frieda Reimer, 1976-1977 at my Grandma's house during a Sunday School class get-together

 She'd keep the house cleaned up, bring the mail in, sometimes she'd cook a meatloaf and have it ready for my mom to warm up when she got home. Frieda took me to Sonic and we'd get tater tots... then drive to the park and eat there. We'd play and sometimes feed the ducks and geese that were always there at the pond. We went for walks around the neighborhood (I lived in a rural area)... in earlier years, she'd push me up and down the road in the stroller. 

She watched her soap operas every day, and inevitably I'd find her asleep on the couch... but she always insisted she was just "resting her eyes." She taught me how to play Yahtzee, Kings Korner and Solitaire. When my brother came along, and I was in school... I'd fake being sick some days just so I could stay home and hang out with Frieda. A few times, I was allowed to spend the night with her in town. She lived in the town high rise apartment building... and from her 4th floor windows, we could see the water tower that was down the road from my own house. She always sang songs (some were silly, some I just thought were silly at the time) while we'd swing in the backyard. 

 She sent me postcards when she'd go on a vacation, and always brought some little trinket back for me. Once she went to visit a daughter who lived in Washington state... and brought me back a little bottle of Mount St. Helens volcano ash. I'm sure I could mention all sorts of other things about her... she was kind, loving, and quite possibly is still my favorite person today. I even named one of my current cats after her! 

Frieda the Cat, born 2018

Human-Frieda passed away in July 1999, but will ALWAYS be remembered.

Herrin City Cemetery

#52Ancestors, Week 12... Membership

 #52Ancestors... Week 12... "Membership"

This was a hard one to think of something to write about...  A lot of people in the group were writing about the Masons or Oddfellows...and things of that sort.  I do have ancestors that belonged to the Oddfellows, but I was trying to come up with something different.  

One thing that's been a constant for generations and generations... is religion.  It's been important to me and my generation, and every generation before me.  So I am writing about church membership.

My Great Grandparents, John and Clara Belle (Lively) Rosan, were married March 1899, in Perry County, IL.  John was 22 years old, and Belle was 23.  In the 1900 census, they were living in DuQuoin, IL.  John was a coal miner in a local mine.  Their first child, Weston Lively Rosan, was born in 1899 and died a short time later in 1902.  The second child, Nolan Albert Rosan, was born in 1902 (died 1985).  Their third child, Norton John Rosan, was born in 1909 (died 1985).  And finally my grandmother, Clara Flossine Rosan, was born in 1911 (died 2000).

Rosan family, circa 1916

While living in DuQuoin, the family were members of the DuQuoin First Baptist Church.  John was a Deacon there (and coincidentally enough, also belonged to the Oddfellows Lodge, as well!).

DuQuoin FBC, circa 1910

One day while I was skimming through some online images on FamilySearch.org, I came across some images from the DuQuoin First Baptist.  I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found the Rosan's mentioned in the records dated April 1915.  They were being granted permission to move their church membership to the Christopher First Baptist Church.  I had never known until then, what time frame they had moved from one town to the next.  

DuQuoinFBC record from 1915

Christopher FBC, circa 1920's

At some point, the Christopher church built a brick building.  I don't know who took it or why, but I'm happy to have a picture of my Great Grandfather on the front steps of that building...

Christopher FBC brick building

John P. Rosan at Christopher FBC

Joan Davis and the "I Married Joan" TV show

The TV station that I work at has a family channel that we stream online 24/7.  We air kids shows and movies, and public domain television shows.  Recently I was given a 2nd computer screen so I could have this channel on while I work.

I've been watching for a little over a month now.  I have discovered that I really enjoy the TV shows from the 50's.  They aren't always "politically correct" for today's world...and that might bother some people... but it doesn't bother me.  It is what it is, and it is how it was.  

One of my favorite "new" shows is "I Married Joan."  After watching it for a few weeks, I decided to look up the actress and see if she had done anything in her later years that I might have seen.  Turns out, she did not.  But I did learn some things.

Joan Davis was born in 1912, in St. Paul, Minnesota.  She was an only child, born to LeRoy and Nina Mae (Sinks) Davis.  She began her showbusiness career  in Vaudeville at the age of 7.  Her first film was in 1935, and featured a then unknown Roy Rogers.  One bio states, "she was tall and lanky, with a comically flat speaking voice... she became known as one of the few female physical clowns of her time... she had a reputation for flawless physical comedy."  According to her obituary, at one time she was the highest paid woman on radio.

When "I Love Lucy" became a top rated TV series , sponsors wanted more of the same.  "I Married Joan" premiered in 1952, "casting Davis as the manic wife of a mild-mannered community judge, who got her husband into wacky jams with or without the help of a younger sister."  Joan's husband was played by Jim Backus, and her sister was played by her real-life daughter, Beverly Wills.  Joan was even nominated in 1953 for Best Comedienne at the Emmys (she lost to Lucille Ball). The series was cancelled in 1955.  

I was saddened to learn that Joan's life ended in May of 1961, when she died at her Palm Springs home  of a heart attack, at age 48.  She was so young!  And there's more... in 1963 (just two years after her death), there was a house fire... Joan's mother, her only child Beverly, and her only two grandchildren all perished, and the legacy of Joan Davis came to a heartbreaking and tragic end.  

Do yourself a favor and try to watch some episodes of "I Married Joan"... 

#52Ancestors Week 11, Lucky

 Week 11 of #52Ancestors

This week's theme is "Lucky"... and while I consider myself lucky for a lot of things... it was hard to figure out who to talk about for this category. 

Some suggestions in the Facebook group were:

1. An ancestor I felt lucky to have found
2. A family heirloom 
3. An ancestor that won the lottery or something similar

I wound up choosing one of my 3rd Great Grand-Uncles, Martin Van Buren Ussery.  I actually wrote about him in a Family History Post on Facebook last year.  While he seems to have led a very successful life, there's one particular moment of his life that I think is the coolest thing EVER.  He attended a Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858.  HE SAW AND HEARD ABRAHAM LINCOLN WITH HIS OWN EYES AND EARS!  I just think that is so neat!

Anyway... here's his life in a nutshell...

Martin Van Buren Ussery, was born August 3, 1838, in Maury County, TN (slightly southwest of Franklin and Nashville). 

Any guesses as to who was President at the time of his birth?  Ha ha.  He was the 8th known child (of 11) of Sylvester and Mary (Barnett) Ussery. There’s another Presidential connection, too…  James K. Polk was living in Maury County at the same time the Ussery family was.  In fact, he is just 2 census pages away from Sylvester Ussery in the 1830 census.  Polk was living in Nashville during the 1840 census… and the Ussery family packed up and moved north to Johnson County, IL, between 1840 and 1850.

Although I can’t find an actual copy of his obituary, there is a transcribed version of it online.  It ran in the Jonesboro Gazette.  It states that he moved from Johnson County (where he was in the 1850 census) to Anna (next to Johnson County) in 1855, “when the Illinois Central was being built.”  In 1858, Martin followed the crowds of people to the north side of Jonesboro IL, and witnessed the Lincoln-Douglas debate.

He married Eliza Meisenheimer in October of 1860, and they had two known children.  Martin is listed in the Civil War draft records in 1863 as a 25 year old Grocer.  While two of his brothers went to war, he did not serve in the military.  Instead, he worked on becoming quite a prominent businessman in Union County during that time. In the Jonesboro Gazette, I was able to find an ad for his grocery store from 1867.  In the 1870 census, he’s listed as a Butcher, with a $500 valued personal estate and a $7000 valued real estate.  Then in 1875, his wife died and he remarried in 1876 to Margaret Elizabeth Sowers.  They also had two known children.

In 1877, in the Illinois State Journal paper, there’s a mention of the “Ussery Opera House” in Anna.  I have seen it listed that way at other times, as well, but have not been able to find out the history of that, as of yet. His obituary states that Martin “served one term as County Commissioner, and two terms as Anna Mayor.”  I was able to find the voting results for the 1878 election, when he won the vote for County Commissioner.  There’s also an interesting little article from 1880, talking about the possibility of Martin running for State Senate.  If he did run, he did not win the election.  

In 1879, the Southern Illinois Fair Association was organized, and Martin was elected the first president.  He later served as Treasurer. The group originally purchased 51 acres of land in Anna for the fairgrounds. Later, a portion was sold to the City of Anna for a cemetery.  The fairgrounds are still in use today, and operate as the Union County fairgrounds. Their website states that 2022 was their 141st annual fair.

Moving through the census records, the 1910 census states that Martin was the Secretary of the Building and Loan Association at that time.  What a busy guy!

Martin’s story does come to an end, though.  He became sick with pneumonia, and died on January 24, 1916, at the age of 77.  He’s buried in the Anna City Cemetery, not far from his parents, as well as some of his siblings.