Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 17

Here's to the measure of every man's worth

Though when men are wanting, it grieves us

Hearts that are hollow,m we're better without

Hearts that are loyal, it leaves us.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 16

XMAS

 Blue-tinted snow,

Green of the tree,

Red green holly,

And you and me.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - Stacy's Tavern

The DuPage Chapter of the Daughters of American Colonists had their December meeting at Stacy's Tavern in Glen Ellyn.

Stacy's Tavern was founded in 1846 by Moses Stacy who migrated to Illinois in 1835.  He purchased 500 acres of land with the intention of making money.  One of his ventures was a tavern along one of the main roads out of Chicago.  The tavern was a popular stop along the route.

There was a ladies' parlor where Joanna Stacy would entertain any women who stopped.  The men were entertained in the tap room where there were card games and checkers.  They might drink some of the home-brewed beer made with hops grown by Mr. Stacy.  Local men would also stop by for the evening, especially if they were single because they would receive a good hot meal.

After dinner, everyone would retire early, so they could get an early start to resume their travels in the morning.  Men would sleep in one room, women in the other, with up to 5 people, often strangers, in one bed.   Two meals, a bed for the night, and hay for the horses cost 50 cents.

Stacy's tavern is on the National Register of Historic Places.  A historical marker was placed by the DuPage DAC in 1967, and we visited it as well.

Unfortunately, photographs were not allowed inside, so I only have exterior photos.

http://www.glenellynhistory.org/

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 15

Trouble is the dowry of every man's birth

A nettle adversity flings us.

It yields to the grip of the masterful hand.

When we play around, it stings us.

 

 

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Day 14, Christmas Cookies

Once a year, usually on a Saturday, we would Bake Cookies!  This was an all day event that always started the night before.  My mother would make a batch of cutout cookies and the dough would chill overnight.  The next day, she would start cutting out each cookie - the recipe made 10-12 dozen!   She spent the morning putting pans in the oven, taking them out, letting them cool, and so on.

Once the cookies were cooled, the fun began.  My sister and I would decorate them while my mother made the frosting.  It was like a miniature assembly line.  Every shape had it's own required frosting.
For example, the stars had yellow frosting made with lemon extract and yellow sugar sprinkles
The trees had green frosting with almond extract and green sugar.
The santas were red peppermint with red sugar,
And so on -
As we grew older, we got a little crazy with our color and flavor choices - for example there were purple hazelnut reindeer with multicolored sprinkles.

We gave some cookies away, froze some to last for Christmas, and of course, sampled a few as we went along.  Because Christmas morning was always a little hectic as we opened our gifts and stockings from Santa, we were allowed to have Christmas cookies for breakfast.

I have carried on this tradition with my own daughters, and yes, there are occasionally purple hazelnut reindeers, not to mention cookies for Christmas morning breakfast.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Day 2, Christmas Cards

Yes, another late posting.

I still send out Christmas cards - to friends, family, coworkers and fellow lineage group officers.  Although I do almost all of my other correspondence electronically, I feel like emailed Christmas greetings are too impersonal.  (I still hand-write my thank you notes as well - a good habit that I have my mother to thank).

For nearly 20 years, we have been sending out an annual holiday letter.  There are a few years that I've missed due to one thing or another, but I enjoy doing this.  A few times, my daughters wrote the letter, and one year our dog even "wrote" the letter.  I like to give updates on our family - what the girls are involved with at school, work, etc.  I talk about vacations we have taken.  Basically, any news that has happened over the past year.  I insert representative photos in the letter - pictures of a new pet, the girls dressed up for a dance, halloween costumes, and vacations have all appeared.

I enjoy reading the letters that I receive from my family and friends.  I have saved them in a binder and it is a lot of fun to look back at previous years and marvel at how much the girls have grown, or how fashions have changed.  I feel like it is a window into a family's history - both my own, as well as other family letters that I keep.

Now, its time to start writing this year's letter....

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Day 5 - Christmas Recipes

OK, so I'm a little late with this one.

One of our favorite Christmas Recipes is "Greek Macaroni".  My daughters insist that I make this every year, and it is definitely one of the easiest side dishes.

When I was growing up, every year we would travel to Uncle Dick and Aunt Mary's for Christmas Day dinner.  They would open their home to several relatives.  Every year there was always a neighbor or two, or coworker, or simply a friend who didn't have other plans and would be invited as well.  Aunt Mary was an excellent cook.  Every year she would make a lamb roast - nobody could equal her roast!  And she would make Greek Macaroni.  I'm not sure what the real name for it was, but since it was her recipe and she was Greek, that's what everyone called it.

The recipe is:
1 box of penne pasta
1 stick of butter
Grated Parmesan/Romano cheese.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.
Melt the butter.
Layer in a large casserole dish - a layer of pasta, sprinkle on a layer of cheese, drizzle with butter, repeat.  We would usually end up with 3 sets of layers.  Let set for a few minutes, then serve.

I have used different shapes of pasta but find penne the best.  As I have gotten more health conscious, I have switched to whole-grain pasta, light butter and low fat cheese.  It is still delicious!.

Another trick is to chop up leftover noodles and mix with scrambled eggs the next morning for a cheesy egg dish.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, Week 14

Young men walk on trouble's brink

Doing things before they think

Old men like to sit and whittle

Thinking much, but doing little.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Day 8, Christmas Shopping

I am old enough to remember shopping before everyone went to the mall.  Definitely before everyone spent "Cyber Monday" doing what I just did (picked up a few things from amazon.com).

I remember going downtown to Tiedtke's and Lion Store - the two main department stores in Toledo.  It was an all day outing, and we would be able to buy almost everything we needed at those stores.  Tiedtke's had several demonstration tables set up where the salespeople would show the latest in household gadgets - "It slices, it dices..." or whatever the gimmick was.

(from wgte.org public media site)

A few of those years I remember traveling to Hudson's Department store in Detroit (about an hour away).  Again, this was an event that we looked forward to.  My favorite memory of shopping at Hudson's was the area that they had set up just for children.  There was a separate room in the store where a child would go shopping without their parents.   My mother would give me a few dollars and I would go in.  The salesladies were always very helpful, and there were a lot of inexpensive items for sale  that I could buy as a surprise for my mother for Christmas.  I believe that I could wrap them in there as well.  I walked out of that room feeling like such a "big girl" having done my own Christmas shopping, and I couldn't wait for my mother to open her gift on Christmas eve.

At this point, I don't remember what I bought, but I definitely remember the feeling of being so grown up.

Not long after this, the shopping malls began sprouting in the outskirts and suburbs.  The downtown department stores ultimately closed their doors and shopping lost some of its magic.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 13

December has come again, and Nature has gone to rest

With her children tucked snug and warm on her breast.

She has covered them with the leaves and the snow

They must rest a while.  Next spring they will awaken and grow.

The North winds blow.  in the air there is a chill

That momentarily stilled the water in each tiny rill.

With snow she covered the green fields of wheat.

She knows, of the crop, many nations must eat.

The leaves of the trees lie seared and browned.

Their life-giving sap has been hidden deep in the ground.

The tree branches are bare, the wind goes through them.

The crops are all in, even the corn is in the shock

She's taught men to provide shelter for their stock.

She's fitted the others with a much warmer pelt

So they'll be war, the wind won't be felt.

So we can go inside and enjoy the fire's haven

Some others she's fitted to sleep the winter through in a cave.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Day 1: Christmas Tree

Do you remember the silver Christmas trees?  That's what I had when I was younger.  It was  a silvery-tinsel tree with a rotating light that changed colors.  Every year it was set up in a corner of our living room. 

 

  

I couldn't find a picture of my tree, but this is how I remember it. 

I don't remember when we changed to an artificial tree in the family room (sometime after I turned five, since that is when we added the family room).

After I was married, we had a live tree for several years.  Now that I am single again, it is a small artificial tree - but I have never gone back to that silvery-tinsel tree of my youth.

 

I still have one of the ornaments from my childhood.  Every year it occupies a place of honor near the top of my tree.  Although the trees have changed, this ornament remains constant.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 12

THANKS TO AN UNKNOWN ADMIRER

I'm sorry I can't come to thank you right,

But can't, for my hair long ago turned white.

But mayhap for me, 'tis just as well

For praise might make my head swell.

But many thanks for your kind letter

Kind words make us all feel much better.

I'm glad you are a friend of my grandson,

And hope he may find many another good one.

I wish you content with your Army life

And glad that with you, there is your wife.

A man and wife - many miles apart

Makes far too much aching for the heart.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - Arlington Heights Historical Society

The winter board meeting of the Illinois Society Children of the American Revolution was held at the Arlington Heights Historical Society, northwest of Chicago.

State President Callah McLeod and Senior State President led the meeting.  There were over 40 attendees, with standing room only.

Before enjoying lunch and the tour, the members gathered for a picture.

The Arlington Heights Historical Museum is actually comprised of five buildings.  One contains offices and meeting rooms.  The tour visited the other four buildings.  There is a replica log cabin which represented the home of the Dunton family, the first settlers in the area.  Next door is a coach house that contains exhibits of farm implements, historic dioramas and a school room.

There are two houses included on the tour - The Frederick W. Mueller home, built in 1882.  Mr. Mueller made his living bottling pop - "Arlington Club Soda" and the factory was in the basement of his home.  His daughter Minnie married Nathaniel Banta and built a house next door.  Both homes are on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of the highlights of the tour was the Martha Parkinson Mills doll collection, displayed in the Banta house.  Martha was a Senior Leader of N.S.C.A.R. and wrote the "C.A.R. Song" which is still sung at National, Regional and State meetings.

http://www.ildar.org/iscar/

http://www.ahmuseum.org/

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, Week 11

BARKER

 

Hiya boys, whadaya say?

Bets all made for the game today?

All make money,

All get rich.

Then call other guys

"Son of a bitch."

 

Step up boys, make your bets,

Make a couple dollars outa 35 cents.

Make a little money,

Spend it on beer,

Go out and find some little dear.

 

Come on boys, dig down deep,

Hey, there, hey, rent ain't that steep.

'Sides, you get payments,

Win every time,

Hey there, boys, spend another dime!

 



Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - New England Women in Illinois

 The three Colonies (chapters) of New England Women in Illinois had a joint meeting to visit with our President General, Linda Brown Jones.  Mrs. Jones told us about the current state of the Society.

The National Society of New England Women is a National Lineage Society with over 1000 members in 45 Colonies around the country.  Membership requires a lineal ancestor who was born in New England prior to the Revolutionary War.  They have several charities, including Kurn Hattin school in Vermont, Clarke School for the Deaf, and the Soldiers Sailors and Airmen Club in New York.


Jane Schleinzer, President of Chicago Colony; Linda Jones, President General; Kathy Carey, President of Mississippi Valley Colony; Donna Baumann, President of Rockford Colony

www.newenglandwomen.org

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 10

THE BOYS WHO MARCHED AWAY

 

Trumpets and drums and marching feet

Out of the past, their echos flow

Banners that flaunted through the street

Bright eyes, tear wet, that gazed below.

Visions of glory and glow

Light hearts of youth that dared the fray

Lost in the mists of the long ago.

Where are the boys, who marched away?

Far o'er the sea, their ghostly fleet

Rocks at its moorings, to and fro

There where the fen and ocean meet

Proudly, their column moves, and slow.

Africa and Italy lie low, lie low

Berlin is fallen, and the smoke is cleared away

Where are the hearts that knew their throe

Where are the brave boys who marched away?

Young eyes that gazed beyond defeat

Sleep by the Rhone and the Po

Ah, dreams of that terrible battle head

Are under the poppies, or under the snow.

Silently they await that Last Great Day

And desert, and steppe, and torrent know

Where are the boys who marched away?

And Lord, when the silver trumpet shall blow

Calling us to come to our battle fray

Grant us to look on high and know

Where the boys are who marched away.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 9

 

 Mine ears have heard the G.O.P. little fop

Telling of electoral votes that he hasn't got

How he's going to sweep the White House clean

And talking of a policy, whose workings he's never seen.

 

While mine eyes have seen the work already done

Taking care of laborers every one.

Yes, the donkey is marching right ahead

On the path the elephant aspires to tread.

 

And the donkey has a past - records on which to ride

While the elephant must tread on broken promises they'd like to hide.

And ridden by Harry, armored by the facts, will go right ahead

While Tommy bogged down by lies, will ride the poor elephant 'till he drops dead.

 

 

 

Background Notes:

 

Grandma Hill was an ardent Democrat, while her husband C.T. was a staunch Republican. The family stories tell how she would put her political signs in one window of their house while his signs were in another window. During the summer when everyone had their windows open, the whole neighborhood could hear when they were having a political "discussion".

 

I suspect this was written during the 1948 election season. A democrat had been President since 1932 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected. After FDR's death in 1945, his Vice-President Harry Truman became President. Truman's Republican challenger in 1948 was Thomas E. Dewey.

 

 

 

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - Conversations with the First Ladies

I recently attended a fundraiser for another chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  It was a high tea - which I used as an excuse to wear a new fascinator :-)

The program was given by first person interpreter Jenny Riddle.  She gave a performance as several first ladies, beginning as Mary Todd Lincoln.  She had a lace headcover, lace collar and lace gloves over her basic black pantsuit. 

After a quick change to a cloche and fur wrap, she portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt.

Another quick change to pillbox hat, pearls, and white gloves transformed her into Jackie Kennedy.  Each of these first ladies told of their courtship and relationship with their husbands, including their reactions to their husband's dalliances (FDR and JFK).

A final change to a patriotic scarf, and she was Hillary Clinton, who serenaded us with song.

It was quite an enjoyable afternoon, having tea with these famous ladies.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 8

SOLITAIRE

 

When I'm tired, and wish to forget work and care

I get my old deck and play a few games of solitaire.

Whne my dogs want to bark, and my limbs ache

I play 18 ways of solitaire for my nerve's sake.

 

Sometimes I play twins, Minneapolis and St. Paul

Maybe I win, and again, maybe the right cards won't fall.

I play California when I wish the day to be sunny.

But often it rains there, and I lose my hard earned money.

 

Sometimes I play my other twins, Chicago and St. Joe

That's when I want to go to my very own native state

Where the tall corn and enormous pumpkins grow.

Where I always went to work early, and went to bed late.

 

Sometimes it's a la Ferris Wheel, where the queens I crown.

Sixes build up to the Jacks, and fives to the Kings build down.

Sometimes I shuffle and shuffle, in a hunt for the aces

And usually,m they never show a tiny peep of their faces.

 

Sometimes 'tis the ever losing game of Gambler's Delight

Then I think, how foolish is the poor duped fool's plight.

When he loses his money, and everything, even his shirt,

And his shoes and his poor naked feet are out in the dirt.

 

I play up and down Germany, when I want to fight

I think of the Nazis and the cards flop with all my might.

What I think of the beasts? The words I won't even try to spell.

They'll never go to Heaven, they are too mean to go to H--l.

 

According to my various moods, the others, in I mix.

But when I lose on all of them, I'm in a terrible fix.

Sometimes I feel much better, quite happy and gay.

Other times, I get mad, and put the cards away.

 

Then I think I'll put in my time with a good book.

Sometimes I get busy with thread and crochet hook.

But more often, when I have a little spare time.

My pen gets busy, to spell out some silly rhyme.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - Marking Big Woods Cemetery

The DuPage Chapter of  Daughters of the American Colonists (DAC) recently visited the Big Woods Cemetery in Aurora, Illinois, as part of their yearlong 70th Anniversary Celebration.  This is a historic cemetery that had been marked and rededicated by the State DAC.  There are several graves in the cemetery dating back to the 1830's, including a Revolutionary War Patriot and his family.  

The cemetery was originally part of the Big Woods Church that is adjacent.  The Church was established as the Big and Little Woods Church of Christ in 1835, but soon after became the Big Woods Congregational Church.  It is one of the oldest churches in DuPage County.  The church was quickly involved with the abolitionist movement and was one of the stops on the Underground Railroad.   It later became involved with the Women's Christian Temperance Union.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 7

They took me to the hospital. Oh, what a jest!

They said I must have quiet and complete rest.

There was noise beneath, all around and over head.

A rubber pad, on a board, they called a bed.

 

They punctured my finger for a blood test.

They felt of my belly, they felt of my chest.

They took pictures of my liver, and tested my heart.

I thought maybe from my gall bladder, I'd have to part.

 

They dented my dignity, and raised my wrath.

By keeping me in bed while I took my bath.

For a gown, they gave me a monkey shirt.

It had neck and sleeves. No sign of a skirt.

 

For nourishment, they brought a bottle on a pole

Tied my hand down, and in my arm, made a hole.

When I had to empty, they brought me a pan.

Even tho' all my live, I had used a pe-can.

 

The nurses were overworked, but did their work well.

When the sisters were out, dirty stories they would tell.

My doctor was a Jew, very wise, and acted with much concern.

But I lay there wishing for the care of the intern.

 

On one side was an old lady, who had broken her hip.

Tho' she suffered much pain, no lament passed her lip.

On the other side was a woman that I thought had the pip.

She turned loose both ends of her tongue, and just let her rip.

 

For the invalids of hospitals, I've toiled and cooked.

Thought how nice the inside looked.

But just give me the quiet of home, and my own good bed.

And don't take me away again 'till after I'm dead.

 

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - DFPA does Dallas!

The National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America held their fall board meeting in Dallas, Texas.  We usually spend one day touring and learning about whatever city we are meeting in.

We were supposed to start by visiting the Bush Presidential Library.  Unfortunately, due to the Government shutdown, the Library was closed.  Instead we visited the Meadows Art Museum at SMU.  This museum had a lot of artwork by Spanish painters.  It was very well done.

After lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant, we had a bus tour of the city.  Our guide was a 4th generation Dallas resident and was very knowledgeable about Dallas history.  Unfortunately, it rained steadily throughout the tour, but we enjoyed it anyway.

We saw the Robert E Lee park with Arlington House.

 

 

Complete with a statue of Robert E. Lee himself.  

 

We saw the School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald was when he shot JFK.  The square window at the right front end of the 6th floor (next to the round window) was the window where he fired the fatal shot from.

A typical Texas sculpture is the 47 longhorn cattle being driven by 3 cowboys.

We ended the day with dinner at a local Bar-B-Q place.

The next day, following our Executive Board meeting, we enjoyed hearing Lloyd Bockstuck speak on an American Patriotic Icon, the Liberty Bell.  

www.nationalsocietydfpa.com

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 6

 

Could my thoughts be painted as pictures on the wall.

Some I'd leave there. Others I'd have there not all

Thoughts of my friends would have a choice place.

Thoughts of my enemies would not the wall grace.

 

Thoughts of those I love would hang over my easy chair

Where I would think them near me, as I rested there.

Thoughts of those I dislike, if they must be painted at all,

Would hang out of my sight, on some very obscure wall.

 

Thoughts of my sorrows, would hang in a room I treasure

Where I might go in and see them at my leisure.

Thoughts of gladness I'd hang in a room I use every day

Where I could see and enjoy them, while at work or at play.

 

Thoughts of my family, I'd hang in the room where I sleep

Where a close feeling of nearness to them I could always keep.

So my thought pictures would be studies and hung where

That in my moments memory, I'd enjoy them as they hung there. 

 

 

 

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - Learning the History of Peoria

Our lunchtime speaker at Illinois Heritage Weekend was Mark L. Johnson from the Peoria Historical Society.  His talk was entitled "Top 20 Events in the History of Peoria".  Due to time constraints, he really just hit on the highlights.

We learned a lot about the History of this central Illinois city.  Some of the highlights include:

• Peoria lies on Lake Pimiteoui which means "fat lake" because of its abundant wildlife
• The site was originally "discovered" by explorers Marquette and Jolliet in 1673 who claimed it for the French.
• Three forts were built in this area:  Fort Crevecour in 1680, Fort Saint Louis in 1691 and Fort Clark in 1813.
• Peoria has been under French, British and American control.
• The area has been in Virginia territory, Northwest territory, Indiana territory and Illinois territory
• There were several skirmishes between Americans and Indians during the War of 1812 in and around the area
• Peoria was incorporated as a town in 1835.

It is always interested to learn a little of the local history and how it ties into the history of our nation.

Tombstone Tuesday - Dedicating a tombstone for an 1812 Heroine

John Kinzie Chapter of the Daughters of 1812 has been busy trying to honor a Heroine of the War of 1812.  She was Julia Martin Lambert.  

Julia was living near Fort Harrison in Vigo County, IN when the Fort was attacked by a group of Indians on September 4, 1812.  The Indians set fire to the blockhouse of the Fort.  The soldiers battled the Indians, while the civilians organized a bucket brigade.  Soon the water level in the well dropped below the level that they could reach with their buckets.  Julia climbed down into the well to fill the buckets.  Her actions saved the fort.

Julia lated moved to Knox County, IL where she died in 1872.  She is buried in an unmarked grave there in Yates City.  When we  first learned about her, I was able to find her 3rd-great-granddaughter, and contacted the cemetery about a formal marking.  

The cemetery in Yates City was thrilled to have such a woman buried there.  They provided a marker for her.  Our chapter held a small tombstone dedication last weekend.  We are planning a formal ceremony in the spring when her marker is complete (metal plaque where the paper is), and when her descendant can attend.

Society Saturday - Heritage Weekend

Illinois' First Annual Heritage Weekend was a success!

For several years, many of us have talked about having a day or two when members of several lineage groups in Illinois could meet and have several consecutive society meetings, similar to Lineage Week in Washington DC in April.  This would help us to learn about other societies in the state, and help those societies attract new members.  It would also lessen the time and distance several of us spend traveling to multiple meetings.

Jane Schleinzer actually turned these discussions into reality.  She contacted all of the statewide lineage groups in Illinois to determine their interest.  Several were interested, some declined, and some decided to wait and see how this year's weekend was received.  She organized several meetings of Presiding Officers of the interested groups, we picked a hotel, chose a menu, found entertainment for the meals, and Heritage Weekend was born.

From September 27-29, we met in East Peoria, in central Illinois.  There were 13 lineage groups represented - 2 CoEd, 1 male, 10 female.  In all, there were nearly 60 attendees.  Every group had its own business meeting, but anyone could attend and learn about any of the Societies.  There were several attendees who are pursuing membership in other societies.

At the close of the meeting, the Presiding Officers met again to debrief.  The unanimous decision was to start planning Illinois' Second Annual Heritage Weekend.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 5

MY DREAM

I dreamed of you, and all the fair

Sweet joys of other years came back.

The days, unburdened by a care

The words, the smiles, the tears, alack!

And yet, Love's sacred own, each tear

Only made love more dear, more dear,

To you - to me - Love's vanished years

Came back - my eyes were full of tears.

I dreamed of you, and thought I'd stay

My tears, and check my aching heart.

I bade the present - go apart

And be no more, while I should dream

Of happy days - and you - and deem

'Twas not a dream!

But when those years come back -

My eyes were full of tears.

I dreamed of you, and let them have

Their way - my tears -

And let my breast throb with unrest,

The while I gave myself up to my dream - the blest

Dear memory of what once was!

'Twere vain to have done else, because

When the lone heart dreams of Love's years

'Tis then the eyes will fill with tears. 

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all. 

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 4

LOVE

 

It's a word we whisper often - comes so easily to the tongue.

"I love you" How we bandy it. Why youth must have its say

And we think we know the meaning of this word when we are young

But we learn what loving really is, when the years have rolled away.

 

It takes a lot of suffering, gladness and joy, side by side

It needs a lot of years of sadness, grief and pain

Years of constant struggling, hand in hand, against the tide

Before the glory of real Love our human hearts may gain.

 

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all. 

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - Harriet Tubman

This weekend is the first annual Illinris Heritage Weekend.  13 lineage societies met in the center of the state to conduct their meetings. Each group had a separate (but open) business meeting, and we all joined together for lunch and dinner.

The goal of this weekend was to save individual members the time and expense of traveling to multiple meetings, as well as to encourage membership in multiple organizations.

Our Banquet speaker was Kathryn Harris, who gave an excellent first person presentation on Harriet Tubman.  She was very convincing in character, and handled questions without batting an eye.  Everyone present really enjoyed her presentation.