Family Historian: Tales from a Scrapbooker and Family Historian

Who Is This? 4 Dead Freds, a Camera and a Clue

 
 
As a scrapbooker, I am rarely without my camera.  Maybe there was a photographer in my ancestry?  As a scrapbooker, I am also concerned about putting the picture into context - yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but 100 years later, it would have been nice to know what at least some of those words were.  Most of the hundreds of photos I have in a box from Charles Willard Fenderson, doctor in WWI, were unlabeled.  This one is the same type and size (about 2x3 inches) and - whoo hoo - it was labeled on the back - in pencil and scratchy handwriting - but better than no journaling at all.  It appears to say:  John & Frank {or Ferrell} & Joe {seems to be an afterthought}:  Backbone {or Blacktone} Bank, R.I. {Rhode Island}.

If you have any more information or guesses about this photo, please leave a comment.

Bob Fenderson's Genealogy Files: Grieve

My dad, Robert "Bob" Fenderson , died in 2003, one month before my daughter was born.  I had two children under the age of 2 and my husband and I ran a busy law practice, there was no maternity leave for me.  Needless to say, when I received 13 boxes of "genealogy stuff" from my Dad's estate, I didn't have a lot of time to go through it.  I don't even think I opened the boxes right away, I might have taken the packing tape off and peeked inside just to see what was in them, but I think I just stored them for about a year before I really opened them and saw what was there.  Even now, seven years later, I really haven't gone through it.  So I'm ready to do that now.  I'm going to approach this job like eating an elephant:  one bite at a time.    I have a file drawer with lots of his files and I'm just going to start going through them and post here and on ancestry.com what I find.

First File:  Grieve.  This was the family name of my father's mother Ruby Grieve Fenderson.

1. Letter from Bill McEwen from Gloucester, Ontario to my dad dated April 18, 1994:  "Welcome aboard the wonderful world of genealogy.  I am always pleased to learn of newcomers to the hobby and especially anyone interested in the Grieves.  Your mother was a great help to my efforts."   "My wife, Phyllis, and I are planning a trip to B.C. this August and we are hoping to look up some of the ancestors of the Grieves who left Harvey {Station} in the 19th century to settle in the Comox Valley of Vancouver Island.

1a. Attachment:  Family of William Grieve born February 5, 1799 in Wooler, Northumberland, England and married to Eleanor Turnbull born September 21, 1794. 

There are 12 pages of names and dates and stories.  I am going to input them into my Fenderson - Scott family tree in Ancestry.com. 

What is amazing is that I started with this file and got the welcome message that my Dad got in 1994 - 17 years ago.  And that my name is on page 11 of the summary.  Amazing and cool.

Who Is This? 4 "Dead {Horsemen} Freds

 
I'm guessing this is what last week's 3 Dead Freds were watching.  Maybe a parade?  Maybe some kind of horse show because it looks like the guy on the photo in the left is wearing some sort of award ribbon.  Maybe a return from WWI?  I found these pictures in a box with other things belonging to Charles Willard Fenderson, a doctor in WWI.  If you know who these people were or where these pictures may have been taken, please leave a comment.

Fenderson Family Photos, Stories, and Scrapbook

 
I used a Sketchy Thursdays Scrapbook Challenge Blog sketch to make this page which will go into my Fenderson Family History Scrapbook.

I printed out the story and the family tree from ancestry.com and tucked them in behind the layouts in the scrapbook.

 
And, most exciting - at least to me - I created a Heritage Scrapbook Supplies box so that I can work on this project over time and still have it look cohesive.

 

Who Is This? Another Three "Dead Freds"

The guys look like they are enjoying the picture taking process or whatever they were watching from what looks like bleachers, the lady?  Not so much.  There are some photos in the same box of men on horseback so maybe thats what they were watching.  They certainly seem to be all dressed up.  I'm sure there is a story there.

 

This photo is another from a box of photos that I think belonged to Charles Fenderson, a doctor in WWI.  But I really don't know,  if you know or can take an educated guess, please leave a comment.

Who Is This? Another "Dead Fred" Fenderson

I have about a hundred 2x3 photos that are all curled up around the edges and are in a box with Frank Howard Fenderson's dog tags from WWII and Charles Fenderson's medical badges from WWI. 

 
I really like the bird on her dress and it looks like maybe she is standing in front of a church and that is summer in maybe Maine or Massachusetts or maybe even Harvey Station, New Brunswick, Canada.  There is a cursiv "C" on the back of the photos written in pencil.    I'm guessing she was a Fenderson or maybe a Grieve - but who was she?  If you know, please leave a comment.

Nathan & Betsy Fenderson

Nathan Fenderson was the son of Corporal John Fenderson.  He was born on March 1, 1785 in Scarboro, Maine. He married Betsy (Elizabeth) Parker from Parsonsfield, Maine on June 9 1808.  He died on January 11,1873. 

 
 

Dead Fred: Probably Fendersons but maybe Cunninghams - Any Guesses?

 

I love this picture because the young woman actually looks like she is giggling because the baby is sneezing.  I am  guessing that the baby belongs to the young woman but who knows maybe it is the baby of the older woman.  The old guy could either be the young woman's husband or father.  I found this picture among my family's old photos.  I am pretty sure it is the Fendersons.  And, for some reason, I think its probably Massachusetts rather than Maine but I really don't know.   Anyone want to take a guess on these 4 Dead Freds?