Our trip to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii and a visit with Aunt Kate and cousins, Linda, Kathy and Becky

Nancy and I had a very short trip to Hawaii to visit my 92 yr. old aunt and 3 of my cousins.

We hadn't seen any of them in a very long time. This is Kathy, Linda, Nancy, Becky and me, with my Aunt Kate. Linda and Kate live in Lihue, which is on the island of Kauai.
Kathy lives on Maui. Becky stills lives in our family town of Dixon, Ill.

My Aunt Kate had several birthday celebrations while we were there. Her real birthday was March 28. Since we were leaving on the 27th. we celebrated before then. And the celebrations kept coming. She enjoyed all her cakes. I think there were three.

 Our hostess gift for Linda. 

She treated us to several nice lunches and dinners, plus a very nice tour
of the north shore of the island.

Linda's daughter, Betsy and her grandaughter Lily. They live with Linda and Kate. 

Betsy and Linda are both nurses, so Kate gets such good (and professional) care. 

 We had never met Lily and Betsy and we really enjoyed them.

 Linda said her favorite site to visit in Lihue is The Grove Farm. It's an old sugar plantation that has been kept very much as it was when it was a working plantation. We took a very interesting tour.

This is the office with one of the resident cats.

 There were also geese, turkeys, ducks, chickens and this pig:

More wildlife:

An unusual spider...

 that wove an interesting web with it's own little red porch light.

 

More of the resident cats. Just like at Hemingway's house.

The cook showed us how she still cooks on the old wood stove. 

She baked some cookies for us.

One of the old platters.

A beautiful, completely needle-pointed love seat in the living room.

Linda took us on a tour of part of the island.

Wild chickens are everywhere.  Some of them very beautiful.

Linda and Nancy on one of the beautiful beaches.

Linda, the mermaid!

We ate lunch at this luxurious hotel...

on the patio, overlooking the ocean.

We really didn't want to see any hula dancers but while having drinks in the bar at our hotel one night the musician asked if any of the audience wanted to hula. Of course, they did! It turned out to be a fun way to see a little impromptu real Hawaiian culture.

On our last day we wandered around a cute little town and stopped in for frappes at a little coffee shop. We had a delightful conversation with these two native Hawaiians who hang out there. One of them had been to Pala. Imagine someone in Hawaii having heard of Pala. It turns out he was quite a gambler and has apparently been to every casino. (in the world??)  He grew up on a sugar plantation.

The other guy was retired from the Coast Guard. He was so nice. He was interesting and even acted interested in what we were saying!  

SEPIA SATURDAY- A ghost in the church

 My great, great, great grandfather, Bartholomaeus Theiss came from Germany and was one of Napolean's bodyguards. I've written about him before. He settled in Sublette, Illinois in 1846.

The family built the first Catholic church here in 1849. His son-in-law, Paul Lindstom was an excellent carpenter and did most of the building and the finish of the interior. An article in the Dixon, IL Telegraph, 1951, says that he carved the altar with an ordinary pocket knife. Originally it was called the Perkins Grove Catholic Church.

 I think I can see a ghost kneeling down to the left of the altar, wearing a white hood. Can you see it, too, or is it just me?

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SEPIA SATURDAY- Grandma Reis

My maternal grandmother, Bessie White and her grandmother Rosa Daehler.

Her report card in 1901. 7 years old.

She got excellent grades. It says on the back that 95-100 is very high. She got 100 in Orthography.

Does anyone know what Orthography is?  Whatever it is she was excellent at it.

She was off to a good start. In those days, however, if you were a girl good grades didn't get you very far. The most you could hope for is to marry well.

 Here she is at 18. 

She got married and became Mrs. Harold Reis.

They had six children ( 5 shown here.) My mother, Arleen, Dale, Darryl, Fred, Kathryn. (Florence came later).

Sometime later he left her and the six kids.

I guess you would say she didn't marry well. 

To see more Sepia Saturday stories click here.

SEPIA SATURDAY- Big bow

Nancy of Nancy's Family History Blog 

posted some childhood photos of her mother wearing very big bows. That made me think of this photo of my mother as a flower girl at her aunts wedding.

Although this is a pretty big bow, I think Nancy's mother is the winner of the big bow contest.

Here's the whole wedding party. As usual, in photos from those days, nobody looks happy. And my mother looks like her head is being put off kilter by the weight of her big bow.

They sure went all-out on the decorations. 

How about those bells!

To see more old family photos and stories 

go to Sepia Saturday

SEPIA SATURDAY-Rumble Seat

I'm not sure if this is in Dixon, Ill. or Chicago. 
I'm rushing off to the Antique Road Show in San Diego this morning so don't have time to describe this photo. More later...

SEPIA SATURDAY- In Honor of Memorial Day

Since it's almost Memorial Day I thought I would honor those in my family who were in the service.

If you follow my Sepia Saturday posts, you've met my Uncle Bob, my father's brother.

He graduated from the Air Corps Training Center on July 26, 1940. 

He was stationed in Alaska.

He never got to see any action.
He was on a training mission when his plane was lost at sea on Dec. 12, 1941.

He's memorialized on a plaque in the chapel at the University Of Chicago, his Alma Mater, along with all the other graduates that were killed in WW2.

These are my mother's brothers, Darrell and Dale with my Grandmother. Their other brother, Fred was also in the service. I don't seem to have any pictures of him in uniform. I'll also be thinking of him on Memorial Day.

This is Darrell in Burma.(I think it was Burma. I'm going to have to do some more research.)

I'm sure all of you will be thinking of your family members who were in the service on this Memorial Day.  And I'm sure all of us will be wishing for an end to war.

I found this quote on on one of the other Sepia Saturday posts: Enchanted Oak

I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war...................................... Albert Einstein Be sure to go to Sepia Saturday to see more: Sepia Saturday  

SEPIA SATURDAY- Napoleon's Body Guard

Barthomeus Theiss and Margaret Zillis Theiss- my great great
grandparents.

At Niederhilbersheim, Germany, on October 14, 1782  Bartholomaeus Theiss was born.  He served with the army for eight years in its struggles against Napoleon before he was taken prisoner by the French. Napoleon reviewed his captives and asked each soldier his former profession. When asked, Bartholomaeus presented his sword and said, "This Sire." "We must take care of this man," said Napoleon and transferred him to other quarters. He soon became a member of Napoleon's guard and served the master he idolized through campaigns in Italy, Prussia, Austria and Russia. 

Bartholomaeus rode a splendid black charger. So long had man and horse been together that mutual understanding and devotion existed between the soldier and his mount. In the midst of the terrible saber fighting his right hand was severly injured by a stroke of the enemy's sword. Instinctively recognizing his master's plight his horse backed out of the line of combat to a place of safety where the rider could wrap the injured hand in his neckerchief, wind the reins around the useless arm and firmly grasp his saber in his left hand. Then without command or guidance the horse tore back into the battle where the soldier fought with all his left handed might till his strength ebbed. Three times the unurged horse retreated till the rider recovered, then again charged into the fiercest fighting, carrying the wounded man safely in and out of battle till French victory ended the bloody encounter and the wound could be attended. 
(I suspect this story might be a family myth- but who knows?)

When Bartholomaeus left Germany he said he didn't want his sons to be soldiers and wanted to get them to America because he could foresee years of struggles in the various European territories. This vision was accurate because the wars continued throughout Europe at regular intervals. 

At the time, however,  his sons were bound for military service and were not permitted to leave the country.  So he used a common means of securing passage for them. He drilled holes in four trunks, put the boys in and took them on board ship and released them once out to sea.

Bartholomaeus Theiss came to Sublette, Illinois  in the year 1846 with his wife, four sons and two daughters. Members of the Theiss family built the first Catholic church in Sublette, now known as St. Marys church. Both the church and the adjoining cemetery are kept beautiful to this very day by the descendants of the original Theiss family. 

To see more Sepia Saturday: http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/

SEPIA SATURDAY- Four generations

Four generations on my mother's side:

My great grandmother, Katherine White;  my grandmother, Bessie Reis; my mother, Arleen Reis;

my great great grandmother, Rosa Daehler (about 1916)

My great grandmother, my mother, grandmother and me. (1940)

My father's side: My grandfather, Petrus Finwall (the one who was killed in an accident with a fire truck [story in a previous post, Feb. 20]),  Great Grandmother, Josephine Mefford; Great Aunt, Ella; Grandmother Della Finwall; Uncle Glenn (the one who saved the family in the accident with the fire truck). See more about heroic Glenn on March 18 post. This photo is taken in back of the house that my Grandfather built in Chicago.
My sister and I went to see this house a few years ago and it was still standing. I made an altered tin using this photo, another photo of the front and the census page listing the family at this address in 1910.

My father's maternal side; Great Grandma Mefford; Me, Grandma Gilbert (Finwall); my father, Gil. (About 1940)



The Sepia Saturday Site is actually on vacation today for the Easter Holiday.  So, if you go to the site it won't be as complete as usual, but I think some people are still posting.
For more Sepia Saturday stories go to http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/