The Amazing Power of Newspapers: Part 1

Edward J Leach and Olivet Athletes

One summer, during college, I read Irving Stone’s very thick The Agony & Ecstasy, a biographical novel of Michaelangelo’s life. I now don’t remember much of the book, but there’s an image and description that has stayed with me for over 30 years. It was about Michaelangelo’s philosophy of sculpting. It went something like this, a masterpiece already exists inside the marble and his job was to remove the bits of marble surrounding it in order to allow the masterpiece to emerge. Sometimes he would be in a rush and hit it just wrong so that the piece of marble just fell apart into pieces, but other times as he was delicately and patiently chipping away, the masterpiece would emerge and be revealed in its full glory. 

 I see a parallel to this in my family history search. I think too often I approach with the smash and grab because I’m not patient enough to follow through on a research plan. So I end up with lots of broken marble (or lots of paper and boxes strewn about my room) that can’t easily be put back together in a useful way. And I have nothing really valuable to show for my time and effort. 

 Newspaper Resources 

 This week was a little different and my patience has paid off! And some true treasures were found in newspaper articles. (I found so much that this is going to be the first of several blogs!) The March/April 2023 edition of familytree Magazine included a Special Edition on Historical Newspapers. This is a keeper issue! It highlights FIVE newspaper websites (some free and others require a subscription): Newspaper.com: https://www.newspapers.com/ 

(familytree Magazine, March/April 2023) 

Library of Congress: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ 

Genealogy Bank: https://www.genealogybank.com/ 

NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/ 

Fulton History: https://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html 

 For research in Michigan, though, I want to recommend another site, and that is Central Michigan Digital Newspaper! I was following a path for some research related to the Bailey family. In a search for articles about a Hazel Ione Bailey who married a man with the last name French I was trying different permutations of her name (always very important in newspaper searching, sometimes women are only referred to with their husband’s names like, Mrs. Herbert French or even Mrs. HR French) and I came across a woman named Hazel French but she was in Osceola County. Now, “my” Hazel Bailey never lived in Osceola County but the hits that came up were in a newspaper that I did not know existed and it WAS the place where my grandmother and her mother lived! 

 Chipping Away 

 For three consecutive nights, I chipped away in my search process and what emerged was beautiful and amazing…and such a surprise! My great-grandmother, Florence Mary Stoddard married her husband Edward James Leach in 1905. I have written about both of these people in previous blogs (A Journey in the Making, “Notions and Fancy Goods”, and Names and Naturalization). I personally knew my great-grandmother Florence because she lived to age 91, but I never met her husband E. J. Leach. He died in 1919 when my grandmother was 5 years old. My grandmother, Elizabeth, barely remembered him and piecing his life together has been a big part of my family history journey. His father is one of my Brick Walls and I continue to yearn to learn more. 

 I spent a concerted effort to search through the Osceola County Democrat found on the Central Michigan Digital Newspaper Repository and I have been rewarded!! Osceola County is not a heavily populated county in Michigan, in fact if you’ve seen the movie or heard the story “Jerry and Marge Go Large”, the town where Jerry and Marge live is Evart, Michigan in Osceola County and is the next town to the east of Reed City (about 13 miles), you might then understand the size of these communities. 

Reed City is where my great-grandmother was born and her father and uncle owned Stoddard & Bros hardware and mill supply store in the town, so they were well known and local celebrities. As such, they were big fish in a small pond and their names graced the society columns of the newspaper. I thought I had searched the newspapers, but with this new newspaper, I learned I had only just begun. 

 Most Exciting Find 

While I was searching through permutations of my great-grandmother’s name, “Florence Stoddard”, I came across things I knew, like she attended Olivet College after her graduation from Reed City High School in 1901. I also knew that she met my great-grandfather, Edward James Leach at Olivet College and they married in 1905. I had no idea, though, that EJ Leach attended any other colleges other than Olivet and possibly Michigan College of Mines, so when I read the following newspaper, I couldn’t believe my eyes! 

Earlier (in A Picture is Worth MORE than 1,000 words!”) I shared how I found a photo of him as a student at Olivet and later learned through a search at the Olivet Archives a variety of activities he was involved in, including the Track & Field team, where he won 1st Place (there is a story there!) in the MIAA Tournament. So when I saw that he was visiting my great-grandmother on his way down from Houghton (in the Upper Peninsula) to Lansing (Reed City is right on the way!) where he was attending the Michigan Agricultural College, I was gobsmacked! 

He attended MAC, now known now as MSU (Michigan State University). The next morning, I checked with the Michigan State Archives and they confirmed that he was an Engineering student in his freshman year for the 1903-04 years. He apparently doesn’t show up again in their rosters after that, but I currently have a query with the Registrar’s Office. Tonight I did also search and found the Class of ‘05 MAC Yearbook, in which he is listed as a Freshman (Class of ‘07) and I found a picture of him as part of the Eclectic Society (a literary society nicknamed “The Tic” which later became Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. 

 After searching her various permutations (like Flossie, her nickname) and also Edward’s name, I could see their courtship unfold and eventually by paging through (don’t know why the search didn’t work!) I found their wedding announcement. I have no photos from their wedding, so these descriptions are precious! 

 And unfortunately after just 14 years of marriage, Edward’s Obituary. 

And Florence's return to college at Central Michigan University to earn her teaching certificate in 1922. Old Newspapers are definitely worth the time and effort, especially if you know your relatives had financial resources, standing in the community, or were infamous (that’s another story for another time!).

This is truly an amazing opportunity to fill in gaps for some members of my family!

A Quest Completed!

Don’t we all love a good mystery? I think that’s why I love family history so much! It’s a quest for me, where the journey is as much fun as reaching the goal.

My bisnonno in his Italian Army 
uniform, c. 1897

What was my recent quest? It was finally finding the military records for my great-grandfather (bisnonno) Emanuele Antonio Mazziotti!! If you’ve read my other blogs, you know he is a constant feature, since his early life is a big mystery to me. He was orphaned by his family by being “left on a wheel” in Villa San Giovanni as a day old infant and family lore has him shipped off to Switzerland and raised by nuns until he became a foster child of the Bellantoni family in Scilla, Italy. My daughter found his birth record in 1876 after searching tirelessly page by page through Antenati (the incredible site for the best town birth, death, and marriage records) Villa San Giovanni records. Supposedly Grace Bova (Bellantoni) favored him over her own sons so he left to fight in Africa with the French Foreign Legion. Well, that was the story. What have I learned? I know that he came to America in 1900 according to his ship manifest, but what happened to him between 1876 and 1900 remained a mystery. So off on a quest I went!

Scilla, Italy
October 2023

My Quest
A few weeks ago, I went to Scilla, Italy to search for his past!! It was a surreal experience because I lived for a week with a genetic cousin (we don’t actually know how we are related, but we share 26 cM of DNA!), Carolina, who hosted me and another cousin, Cas, for the week at her home. Googletranslate worked wonderfully for us and Carolina was incredibly valuable to me as I plotted my adventure to search out my family’s history. The trip was absolutely amazing and I have so much to process and share, but here I will just talk about my quest to secure my bisnonno’s military records. (A colleague of mine directed me to military uniforms several years ago, where I learned that his uniform was NOT French foreign legion and it WAS Italian Army.)

Prior to Going

In preparation for this trip, I chose to take a course offered through the Family Tree University called "Find Your Italian Ancestors". It was a good course and I would recommend it, although I do have some serious critiques (such as some of the lessons have not been updated and some references to websites and resources are seriously outdated). The instructor for the course is Melanie D. Holtz, who encourages you to purchase her book The Family Tree Italian Genealogy Guide. I do highly recommend this book if you have Italian family research, I appreciate that it includes both instructions on how to locate records in Italy and also sample template correspondence. I used these sample templates when I wrote to the Archivo di Stato in Reggio Calabria to understand their policies on making appointments and requesting information.

 

Archivo di Stato di Reggio Calabria

Cas and I took the 20-minute train to Reggio Calabria from Scilla and back for less than 6 Euros! The archives was about a 25 minute walk from the train station and surprisingly was tucked up on a hill in a fairly residential area. I was one of 5 researchers in the Reading Room and the only one who didn’t speak fluent Italian. Although the head archivist was not excited to help me and treated me much like I had read about—(in other words, she found my request burdensome)–the younger female workers tried very hard to help me.

I FOUND IT!!

And it is filled with wonderful information that I'm still processing. It is officially called his Fasciolo Matricolare, which are his personal military records. It includes a description of his physical features, like his hair and eye color were described as chestnut and his skin color was tanned and he was 1.645 meters tall (64.8 inches). It was not suprising that his father was listed as "Ignoti" (unknown) but his mother was listed as Grazio Bova ("nutrice"--which is nurse)!!

I’ve been reading a book, Sacrificed for Honor: Italian Infant Abandonment and the Politics of Reproductive Control (1993) by Brown University professor David I. Kertzer. In 1863, the highest rate of abandonment was in southern Italy, specifically in Sicily and Calabria (where my bisnonno was raised). The rates of abandonment were over 5% of newborns and the mortality rate was over 50%! Women from the communities were paid to be wetnurses for the babies and those babies who weren't matched were less likely to survive. I'm really glad that my bisnonno was among the lucky ones to be matched with a wetnurse and to survive!  

This suggests that Grazia (Grace) was his wetnurse and chances are that he was raised in the home along side their other children and he was with them until he served his required military service in the Italian Army. The document provides the accounting of where and when he served and what he did. So, Where did he serve? Africa!!

So, like most family lore…some is true…and some is not! And it was a LOT of fun figuring out which is what!

A Church, A Cemetery, and a Surprise!

Sometimes in an effort to learn something more we find interesting new mysteries to solve along the way!

My sabbatical has ended unexpectedly early, so I am likely to not post as frequently, but on my last day before starting back to work, my father and I had a wonderful excursion to Detroit, Michigan. I had offered to take him to the church where Reverend Lyster once preached and has a stained-glass window dedicated to him, and go to the cemetery of his final resting place. (Reverend Lyster is not a relative, but he is someone my father has investigated because he once owned the land–in the 1830’s–we live on in the summers and was quite a remarkable man.)

I was also interested in going because of my maternal grandmother’s grandfather, Rodman Stoddard, who migrated to Detroit in 1829 and once owned 160 acres in Detroit between Plymouth and Joy Roads was buried in the same cemetery. (The darker shaded orange in the map below is the 160 acres he once owned!)

Christ Church of Detroit

One can not assume that a church will be open to visitors mid-week, so it is always wise to contact the church in advance. Fortunately, I had contacted Christ Church over a week before we planned to go and talked with a church secretary. She was lovely and was interested in our reason for touring the church. Since it is an Historic landmark in Detroit, being the longest continuously serving church location in Detroit, they are used to people coming to look at it. She even offered to look in their archives for any additional information on Reverend Lyster in preparation for our visit.

When we arrived she was prepared to show us the “Lyster Window” which is famous not just because Reverend Lyster’s image was used in the window, but is part of a collection of stained glass windows made by Munich company Franz Mayer & Co. in 1905. It is also called “Suffer the Children” window and includes the likeness of several family members.

Christ Church is beautifully maintained and the stained glass windows around the church were an amazing collection that spans nearly 100 years, including two Tiffany windows and a more recent window donated in the 1990s. Our guide showed us another window that had been given in honor of Reverend Lyster that we hadn’t known about. As we toured the building, she provided us other insight about the history of the building and the congregation. She also provided the book, Christ Church, a history of the church by one of the pastors. It was a lovely gesture and my father has thoroughly enjoyed reading the chapter devoted to Reverend Lyster.

Elmwood Cemetery

We then traveled several blocks over to the historic Elmwood Cemetery. This is a beautiful space that is historic but is an active cemetery with recently interred people. Their website provides this history:

“We are the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Detroit. The cemetery was established in 1846 and incorporated in 1849 as a non-profit corporation by an act of the Michigan Legislature. Founded by some of early Detroit’s leading citizens, Elmwood quickly expanded from its original 42 acres to its current size of 86 acres and became the final resting-place of tycoon and laborer alike.” 

In addition, in 1890, Frederick Olmsted (landscape architect who designed Central Park in NYC), was contracted to redesign the cemetery and laid the foundation for its eventual certification as an arboretum in 2016 with more than 75 different species of trees. Elmwood is also significant because it is associated with many important players in the Underground Railroad to Detroit. In fact, in 2016 it was designated with the  “United States Department of the Interior’s National Park Service (“NPS”) recognition of Elmwood Cemetery as a Significant Site for the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom because of those who participated in or supported Detroit’s network and are buried here at Elmwood.” (https://www.elmwoodhistoriccemetery.org/events-tours/underground-railroad-network-to-freedom-tour)

After finding both cemetery plots of the Lysters and Stoddards we went to the records office (often called the sexton) to inquire what records they might have. I have been to many cemeteries over the years, but few had the sexton present on site with access to the record books. Earlier this summer I inquired with a sexton and they searched through their books, but I didn’t actually have access to the original books myself.

This was an awesome experience and I look forward to future opportunities, because I learned that there is so much that can be found out!

The Records and Mystery

I learned two things to ask for. The first is that you can ask for the map of the cemetery plot. This cemetery has a drawn map of those interred in each plot with a list of the names and the book in which their records can be found. The second is for the actual records.

For the Rodman Stoddard plot, I learned that there are 10 people interred there with the earliest being Rodman Stoddard in 1853 and the last was his granddaughter (my great-grandmother’s 1st cousin), Jennie Stoddard in 1930. (A very interesting connection, is that while Dad has been reading his new book of Christ Church, he found that Miss Jennie Stoddard was an active member of the church!!) This is exciting to know because there were not headstones for everyone and some were not legible. No one has been interred since, but apparently there are 4 possible spaces left. I asked, and it is possible for a family member to use those spaces, as long as they can show their lineage to the original owner. I asked for the original books for each of the people interred and it was fascinating the information available. In addition to the name and age of the person, it also included the cause of death, place of birth, place of death, and the person who was responsible for the burial/services. 

What is the mystery? Well, as I was reviewing the names and records of those interred, I cross referenced to my family tree identifying how everyone was related to Rodman and to me. But I came across a toddler, William France, who died from a “concussion of brain fall on end of plank”. The grave was ordered by Jennie Stoddard, who was single and never married and at the time he died was over 60 years old. So who is William and how is he related? Well after some investigation, I know who William’s parents were…his mother was a single woman at the time of his birth and death, but after William died, his mother married his birth father…after his father divorced his first wife. And how are they related to Jennie Stoddard? No clue, but neither the mother or father appear to be related to Jennie. She was a contralto singer and music teacher and William’s father was a musician in a band..so maybe that’s the connection? I guess that’s a mystery for another day.

Golden Anniversaries!!

August is my favorite month of the year and it’s probably because I’m still at my happy place in Michigan. It's usually beautiful weather to jump in the lake. It’s my birthday month, and also wedding anniversary. As I reflected on my husband and my 33rd wedding anniversary last week, I realized that we are not unusual in our family for longevity in being together.

Both my parents and in-laws are alive and well and with their only spouses. My in-laws celebrated 63 years of wedded bliss in June and my parents will be 61 years next week! Amazing. We are thankful for their models of weathering life’s disappointments and celebrating joys, which I know has helped my husband and I in our own journey.

My parents' wedding reception 1962
Roc and Dorothy Massey,
Florence Stoddard Leach (great-grandmother),
Elizabeth and Walter Tubbs

Bill and Ruth Breyfogle's wedding, 1960

But I realized making it to a Golden Anniversary takes more than commitment. Other factors come into play, like the age at which you are married and one's health! I think there’s some luck, too. 

Both sets of my grandparents, c. 1963

I thought I would do a dive into who of my ancestors were lucky enough to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversaries. Besides my parents, both sets of grandparents made it to 50 years! I remember both of these events and celebrating their lives together. 

• My mother’s parents, Walter E. Tubbs and Elizabeth Leach, celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1985 at the ages of 74 and 71, respectively. 

  

  Elizabeth Leach and Walter Tubbs, 1935
  
  

• My father’s parents, Rockwell J. Massey (born Rocco Mazziotti) and Dorothy Sedlock, celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1984 at the ages 75 and 73, respectively.

Roc and Dot Massey, 1984

I was curious, how likely is it that a couple makes it to 50 years? According to the 2021 US Census statistics, approximately 5%!! Given the likelihood, it is truly amazing to me that my parents and both of their parents made it to the Golden Anniversary!

Diving further, it turns out that 2 of my 4 sets of great-grandparents ALSO made it to 50, one set on each side. 

• My mother’s paternal grandparents, Charles Walter Tubbs and Cora Viola Orcutt, celebrated their 50th in 1947, at the ages of 75 and 69, respectively.

C. Walter and Cora Tubbs, 1947

• My father’s paternal grandparents, Emanuel Anthony Mazziotti and Concetta Mortelliti, celebrated their 50th in 1958, at the ages of 81 and 67, respectively.

Looking to the great-great-grandparent generation, none of the couples made it to 50 years, but a few were close.

• My mother’s paternal great-grandparents, Samuel Obed Tubbs and Francis Eliza Randall made it to 49 years, Samuel died at the age of 83.

• My mother’s paternal great-grandparents, Chauncey Orcutt and Susan Bailey made it to 47 years, Susan died at the age of 63.

It is truly amazing to me that there are so many Golden Anniversaries in our family. If our families are any indication, I think there's hope that Jim and I might make 50 years. :)

Michigan, my Michigan

Sand Lake, July 2023

 People who know me, know that I talk about Michigan..alot. They know that I’m originally from Michigan and I spend every summer in my favorite place on earth, Sand Lake in Michigan. Last night, as I was preparing for an upcoming trip to the State Archives and Library of Michigan, I realized there might be another reason why Michigan is so important to me. I have deep, deep roots in Michigan and in this blog, I share what I mean.

Library of Michigan & State Archives

The Files

At the Library of Michigan, I learned about two collections that might be worthwhile for me to investigate: Centennial Family Certificate Application Files and the Michigan Sesquicentennial Pioneer Files and indexes. In 1976, in preparation for the centennial, the state of Michigan issued certificates to people who could prove their lineage back to “early” settlers in Michigan prior to 1876. These applications can be found in the Centennial Family application file. I will talk about the Michigan Sesquicentennial after a little history lesson.

Some Michigan History

You might think that 1876 is late for a state to consider family members to the area to be pioneers and you are correct when you consider the original 13 colonies and the Mayflower arriving in 1620! Also, considering Ohio was made a state in 1803 and federal land contracts began being sold in the 1780’s, one wonders what happened. 

Land Purchase Certificate by Rodman Stoddard, 1827

Well, in 1816, after the War of 1812, when Congress wanted to reward soldiers with land in the Old Northwest Territory (which included present day, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota), a surveyor by the name Edward Tiffin wrote a report as the US Surveyor General that basically called the whole of Michigan “swampland” and stalled the settling of Michigan. 

Several years later, a map maker, John Farmer and the opening of the Erie Canal changed the feelings about Michigan and emigration from the East to what is now Michigan really began. The “true” pioneers to Michigan are considered any people who came and settled prior to Michigan’s statehood in 1837. Hence, the establishment of Michigan Sesquicentennial Pioneer Family Files, which was similar to the Centennial, but the settlers needed to be in Michigan prior to 1837.

Map in 1841

(Farmer, J. & V. Balch And S. Stiles. (1826) Map of the surveyed part of the territory of Michigan on a scale of 8 miles to an inch. [Detroit: Publisher Not Identified] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2012593320/.)

My mother’s family

I thought it would be wise before I went to the Library to make a list of the surnames and people from my family who might show up in the Centennial or Sesquicentennial files. This was a long but fascinating process and it made me so very aware of my deep roots in Michigan. I probably intellectually knew this to be true, but seeing it on paper was striking.

Both of my mother’s parents were born in Michigan..in 1910 and 1914.

Mary Matteson Stoddard, came to
Michigan with parents in 1824

All four of my mother’s grandparents were born in Michigan, between 1872 and 1883.

All 8 of my mother’s great-grandparents lived in Michigan prior to 1876 and three were born in Michigan (1840, 1841, and 1852) and one was a baby in 1834 when his family arrived.

Of my mother’s 16 great-great-grandparents, 11 were in Michigan before 1876 and 8 of them had families in Michigan before 1837. Surnames of the earliest settlers to Wayne and Washtenaw counties were: Tubbs, Orcutt, Bailey, Stoddard, Bedell, and the earliest was Matteson sometime prior to 1824.

I’m thinking some of my love and connection with Michigan comes from the 5 generations of my mom’s ancestors who lived their lives in this wonderful lake (not swamp!) state. 

This is in stark contrast with my father’s family, where 3 of his 4 grandparents were born outside of the US!

My husband’s family

Abiel Fellows, came to
Michigan 1829

Jim and I met at Hope College, a wonderful school close to the shore of Lake Michigan in Holland, Michigan. (In fact, it was our first weekend of freshman year that we met and walked on the beach of Lake Michigan!). It would not be surprising if Jim and his family were also from Michigan and they are! I did the same exercise with Jim’s family and while they settled mostly in Lenawee and Kent counties, they were also pioneers in Michigan.

Both of Jim’s parents were born in Michigan.

Three of 4 of his grandparents were born in Michigan between 1898 and 1901 (the fourth was in Ohio!).

Of his 8 great-grandparents, 5 were born in Michigan in 1870 or 1871!

And 10 of his 16 great-great-grandparents were in Michigan prior to 1876.

Jim has 8 ancestors who were either born or lived in Michigan prior to 1837, with the surnames: Howell, Remington, Wheeler, Chambers and the earliest in 1829 Abiel Fellows.

No wonder why both Jim and I have such a deep love for our Michigan! A state where no matter where you are, you are not more than 85 miles from a Great Lake! There are over 11,000 inland lakes. And is No. 1 for having the most freshwater coastline of any state in the US and in the top 10 for coastline, period.