Unexpected Treasures: A Win-Win!

 

Howell Family with George
(middle row 3rd from right)
and granddaughter Virginia Irene
(2nd from left)

A Win-Win Strategy

Years ago, I was introduced to the book “Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring A Win in A Chaotic World” (1990) by Dudley Lynch and Paul L. Kordis. It was the summertime and I remember reading it while lounging on a 1960s green sleeper couch at our cottage. It’s a great couch to sit on because there is a larger picture window overlooking the lake. (The couch, now very much “shabby chic” over 30 years later is still there.) I don’t remember who recommended the book to me, but at this time I had begun teaching high school and spent summers those first years doing paid  internships and professional development experiences. Maybe it was someone at the internship at Ford Motor learning about CAD-like computing to take back to the classroom?

Anyway, back to the book. 

The main premise of the book is that one can be successful with a Win-Win mentality. They use a metaphor of a dolphin to describe how a dolphin loves to win but doesn’t like to do it at the expense of others. Being creative and flexible and thinking outside the box for solutions that benefit everyone can be a successful strategy. For me, this book was a head nodding experience that resonated and has stuck with me for 30 years. I hadn’t consciously thought about this book in decades but when I reflect on my experience this summer, I can see its imprint on me in all aspects of my life, including family history.

I have always been service oriented, a member of Alphi Phi Omega (National Service Fraternity) in college and now an active Rotarian (our motto is “Service above Self”), it gives me joy to serve others. This summer, I decided to join the Tecumseh Historical Society. After my second visit to the Historical Museum where I found some amazing photos of my husband’s ancestors and helped to identify some unidentified photos (See Serendipity or Determination?), an officer in the club  invited me down to the basement where the archives are located and suggested that I might find some great finds but it was a restricted area and I could only go accompanied by others. At the same time, an email from the archivist was soliciting volunteers. I’m in! They welcomed me and were happy to invite me to help organize the archives.

By the time this all happened, it was mid-August, but for the last month I have spent one afternoon a week on a project that was assigned to me. I am organizing, cataloging and preserving the files in two drawers of a filing cabinet. I have learned a lot about Tecumseh and also about archival preservation and come across some very unexpected treasures!

Some Tecumseh History 

One of the local heroes is Musgrove Evans, a man born in 1785 in Pennsylvania with a thirst to explore west. He was a surveyor who came to Lenawee County and platted out the town of Tecumseh in 1824. He helped to settle the town but went further west to Texas after his wife died in 1832.

His surveying equipment is proudly on display at the Tecumseh Historical Museum.

Interestingly, this summer I came across a biography (more likely an autobiography) on p. 238 of Knapp & Bonner’s 1903 book Illustrated History and Biographical Account of Lenawee County, MI of Jim’s great-great grandfather George Howell in which states he not only learned how to use surveying equipment but was the possessor of Musgrove Evans’ instruments!

Imagine my surprise! 

Imagine my surprise!

When my husband and daughter saw the instruments and I showed them the text, we all agreed that maybe Musgrove Evans had many such instruments and maybe not this exact one. Note that George was not born until 4 years after  Musgrove Evans left Tecumseh.

Well, further research indicated that George’s father became a surveyor for other communities in the area, so it is not surprising that young George might have been taught by his father and his father was the original recipient of Evans’ compass and chain.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was doing my due diligence at the archives, working on the “E” file and found an envelope labeled “Musgrove Evans Surveying Equipment”. In it were a variety of handwritten titles and descriptions that looked like they had been used to help describe a display at some point. And among them was this placard mounted on some display board:

The last line is what stood out at me “It is now the property of Geo. Howell”. I recognized the handwriting because I had seen it this summer at the Bentley Library on an alumni response card and also a registry at medical school, it is Dr. George Howell, my husband’s great-great grandfather’s handwriting.

 

According to the archivist, the items found in the envelope were put in the envelope by her when she was cleaning out drawers of an old desk upstairs in the museum. My guess is that at one time, this placard was displayed with the other ones in the envelope. I am still investigating how the compass and chain made it back to the museum but for now I’m convinced that he did in fact own a compass and chain of Musgrove Evans!

This is not the only treasure that I’ve found while working. Last week, I had completed a task but still had a little time before my “shift” was over, so (with permission) I pulled out the Macon box and started reading through its contents. And came across a most wonderful photo of the 1910/1911 one-room school house photo in Macon. All of the people were identified on the back, so I quickly identified “Irene Conklin” and flipping it over I saw this sweet 13 year old girl on the left in the 4th row peeking around another girl that could easily be identified as Jim’s grandmother (and granddaughter of George Howell) as a teenager!

And the program from her Macon graduation exercises before she headed to Tecumseh for High School.

I feel good that I am helping in the archives and delighted that I am finding a few gems along the way. As I live the "Strategy of the dolphin" this is a total Win-Win and I can’t wait until I go back next summer to volunteer in the archives! 

My Godmother, Great Aunt Mary

 Everyone should have a godmother like my great aunt Mary! She was indeed a great person, but the “great aunt” is actually referring to the fact that my godmother was my grandfather’s sister, thus “great aunt”. She also happened to be my father’s godmother and in fact she was a godmother to many many children and they were all lucky to have her.

Mary Grace Mazziotti was born in 1920 in Elmsford, NY, the youngest child of 7 and only daughter. I get the impression that her 6 older brothers protected her but also didn’t make her life easy which in turn made her a strong woman. Thinking of my Aunt Mary makes me smile. She wasn’t pushy as a godmother, but she did plant and sow the seeds with care and did take the opportunity to challenge me in my thinking about religion. During those difficult times in life, I can hear her calm wise words of assurance. Thank you, Aunt Mary!

She's the little girl hold her Pop's hand.

Of course, I only remember her as an “older” woman (I hesitate saying “older” because she was younger than I am now when she became my godmother!). When I knew her, she always had a bright smile and usually a cigarette in her brightly polished and manicured hand. She spent half her year in Ft. Lauderdale with my Uncle Walter and I remember her fondly with her bronzed skin, blond-ish curly hair with a colorful cloth muffin cap, snazzy sandals with multicolored stones, and a bright flowered one piece swim suit.

Aunt Marion and Aunt Mary

She and Uncle Walter lived in NY in the winter months with her brother Uncle Dotto and his wife Aunt Marion Winkelman. Uncle Dotto was the youngest son and I have come to learn that they actually were in the same grade in school and graduated together, along with Marion. The two couples came to visit us in Michigan most summers and my mother, the amazing hostess, would make them feel so comfortable whether we were at our house or at the cottage. Aunt Mary and Uncle Walter were at many of the major events in my life, like dance recitals, birthdays, and of course my wedding. I was so very lucky to have all four of my grandparents into my 20s and feel extra blessed that I had their siblings too!

Recently, I have been consulting with a 3rd cousin and “foster cousins” to my great-grandparents Emanuel and Concetta Mortelliti Mazziotti trying to identify people in group photos and hoping that our collective knowledge would help. Two of these photos were wedding photos, one in 1926 and one in 1949 and in both Aunt Mary showed up! 

In 1926, she was the flower girl in the wedding of the foster brother (Rocco Bellantoni 1903-1994) of her father Emanuel Mazziotti. (Side note: Rocco’s father (Rocco) was the foster father with his first wife Grazia Bova to Emanuel in Scilla in 1876. Emanuel came to the US in 1900 so he had never met his foster brother,Rocco, born with 2nd wife Grazia Pirrotta, until he emigrated in 1921 naming Emanuel as his contact in the US. He might very well have lived with the Mazziotti’s when he first arrived and Aunt Mary would have been a very little girl, probably capturing his heart).

In 1949, she was the matron of honor and is in a bonnet directly behind the bride, Santa (Sarah) Farfalla, her 1st Cousin. I’m not surprised that Aunt Mary was asked to be in weddings, she was just one of those kinds of people you wanted to be around. This was only my impression, so I decided to do a little deep dive into my Godmother Aunt Mary’s life prior to me coming along and thought the newspapers would help!

The earliest mention that I found in various newspaper repositories Newspapers.com, Oldnews.com, Fultonhistory.org (great collection of NY newspapers), Newsachive.com was as a 9 year old, she played a “fairy” in the school play (with Marion Winkelman). In the next 10 years, I found (although it could be more!) her name shows up 26 times usually in The Daily News (Tarrytown, NY). The topics were varied from attending a birthday party for a friend or relative, a Junior Choir Production, hosting a wedding shower, graduating junior and senior high, perfect attendance in school, placing 2nd in an Amateur Night singing competition, hosting or participating in the High School Italian Club, Chi Beta bridge events, Tally Ho Club, Hiking Club, Skating Party, senior play, Delta Phi Sigma chapter creator, to eventually her wedding announcement. 

Although these brief mentions are just snapshots into her life, it painted for me a richer picture of just how much of a social butterfly Aunt Mary was! After reading these, it reinforced my impression that Aunt Mary was a joy to be around and everyone wanted her there, I know I did!

And I wish everyone had a godmother like my Aunt Mary!

Aunt Mary and Uncle Walter c. 1986