All posts by Kristin

Hugh Marion Reed Averette – 1876 -1953

February 3, 2013February Photo collage Festival, Reeds#Hugh Reed AveretteKristin

This is the 3rd post in my February Photo Collage Festival and the Family History Writing Challenge. Today I will write about Hugh Marion Reed, my grandmother Pearl (Reed) Cleage’s brother, and how he and his family were found after years of searching.

Hugh’s parents were never married. His mother, Anna (Allen) Reed had 4 children when Hugh was born on April 23, 1876 in Lebanon Kentucky. Anna was described as “mulatto” in the 1870 and 1880 censuses. According to my Aunt Barbara, Anna had been married to George Reed and after he died married his brother Palmer Reed. I have no documentation for this. At any rate, they parted company at some point.

Hugh’s father, Buford Avritt, was a doctor with an office in nearby Bradfordsville. This was Kentucky in the 1800s and Buford could not have married Anna even if he had wanted to. As far as I know they never shared a house and there are no family stories that he supported his children or made life easier for Anna. In fact, I know nothing about the nature of their relationship except that they had 4 children together. Hugh was the first of the children. I think a little chart here might make things less confusing.

Older brother George and sister Sarah (known as Sallie) first appear in the Indianapolis Directory in 1887. His mother, Anna, appears in the 1892 Directory. That would make Hugh between 11 and 16 when he moved to Indiana. He finished the eighth grade and worked as a laborer for several years before enlisting in the US Army on 13 July 1898 in Indianapolis, IN for three years. He was 22 years old. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy out of New York City on 8 December 1898. He was discharged in 1901 in Boston, MA.

My Uncle Henry remembered that his uncle Hugh Reed passed for white and joined the Navy, working as a stoker during the Spanish American War. His uncle Hugh told them he would be so tired after his shift that he would just lay down on the floor and go to sleep until time for the next shift. They were locked down there during the shift. Click to read an account of a Coal Passer during the Spanish American War.

hughReedskids-626x1024 — Hugh jr in the back. In front are Thomas, Theresa and Anna.

Back in Indianapolis, Hugh lived with his family and worked as a laborer. In 1906 when he married Blanche Celeste Young, the occupation listed on the marriage license was janitor. Oldest daughter Anna Roberta was born in 1907. Son Hugh Marion was born in 1910. Theresa Pearl was born in 1913 and youngest son Thomas Perry was born in 1916.

In both the 1910 and 1920 census Hugh and his family were living in Indianapolis. According to his brother George’s 1946 will, Hugh was living in Los Angeles at that time. I spent years looking for him in Los Angeles. Finally, he turned up in 1928 where, according to the U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers Hugh Reed was admitted for treatment 13 December 1928 with rectal prolapse. Rectal prolapse occurs when the intestine comes out through the rectum.

Uncle Hugh Marion Reed — Hugh Marion Reed Averette

I was unable to find Hugh Reed in either the 1930 or 1940 census. I could not find a death record for him or any member of his family. Then, several weeks ago, I got a phone call from my cousin’s husband Eric, (a fellow researcher and a very good one!). He told me to check my messages on Ancestry.com and waited while I did. Now, he never calls so I knew this had to be big. It was. He had found Hugh’s death record and the reason we couldn’t find him. Hugh’s name on the death record was listed as Hugh Reed Averette. Was it a case of faulty transcription? Or had the family moved to California, changed their name and decided to fade into the white population by “passing”?

For the next several weeks I was unable to devote full time to researching. One morning I got another call from Eric – he had found the answer to our question by locating Blanche Reed (now Celeste Averette) in the 1930 census. Three of the children were living with her, Anna, Theresa and Thomas. Neither Hugh or his son, Hugh, were enumerated in the household.

Using Ancestry.com and Family Search we found marriage records for Hugh’s children and birth records for their children – all under the name of Averette. This week I will write about each member of Hugh’s family. Today I will finish with Hugh by saying that there was a Hugh Reed living in Eugene Oregon in 1940 that fits the profile of my Hugh Marion Reed. His son was living in Silverton Oregon which is 77 miles from Eugene. I have found no record, except for his death record that gives Hugh’s name as Averette. If he was undergoing medical treatment from the Veteran’s administration I assume he would have to go by Reed, unless there was a legal name change.

Hugh and all of his siblings listed Palmer Reed as their father on legal documents. They all used the last name of “Reed”. It is only on some of the death certificates, when someone else in the family was filling out the information, that various forms of Buford Avritt appear. The story in my family was that Dr. Buford Avritt refused to help the family during hard times claiming “I know nothing about you people!” when George and Hugh went to him for help. I was told to not even mention the name of Buford Avritt to my grandmother. The question that will probably never be answered is, did Hugh decide to use his father’s name or did Blanche decide to do it?

Other stories in the series about my Great Uncle Hugh Marion Reed Averette

Blanche Celeste Reed aka Celeste J. Averette 1887 – 1988
Anna Roberta Reed Averette Flores 1907 – 1987
Hugh Marion Reed Averette – 1910 – 1993
Theresa Pearl Reed Averette Shaffer 1913 – 1941
Thomas Perry Reed Averette 1915 – 1986

Girl On A Bike -Sepia Saturday #162

February 2, 2013Photographs, sepia saturday#bikeKristin

This is my second photo for the February Photo Collage Festival and the Family History Writing Challenge, click on the link to see the full collage. I didn’t put the actual picture in the collage because it is a Sepia Saturday entry. The prompt is in the bottom row towards the center. It shows some young telegraph boys with their bikes in front of part of a sign saying “Telegraph”. You can click the collage to enlarge it.

Here we have a rather blurry photograph of two mystery girls and a bike. It was in my box of Cleage photographs but I don’t recognize them as relatives. Sometimes the Cleage photographers took street photos of random people so perhaps this is one of those. Looks like they are on a big street passing a store of some kind. Looking in the window I seem to see a fan over the shoulder of the walking girl. The partial sign seems to be for a hardware store advertising “scales, ladders, shot guns and crock(ery)”.

From looking at the clothes and shoes the girls are wearing and the lettering on the signs, I think it was taken in the mid to late 1940s. I am open to more informed opinions on that. Just a minute while I locate the original photograph so I can describe it. The paper this is printed on is thick. There are some matte photos printed on thick paper. This one is glossy, there seems to be a glossy layer added. It measures 5″w x 3.5″h. Of course there is no identification on the back.

While looking for the photo to describe it I came across several photos that will be excellent for future SepiaSaturday posts. I even found a nice birds eye view shot of two girls riding a bike but I will have to save that for the inevitable next bicycle prompt.

For a more personal look at bikes and biking read my old Sepia Saturday post Biking at Old Plank Road, 1962.

Sepia Saturday 162 Header — To see more sepia saturday posts, click!

Josephine “Josie” Cleage

February 1, 2013African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Cleages#Josephine CleageKristin

Josephine “Josie” Cleage was my grandfather Albert B. Cleage’s older sister and today I will tell what I have learned about her.

Josephine Cleage, who was always called Josie, was born in 1873 in Louden County, Tennessee. She was the first child of Louis and Celia (Rice) Cleage. In the early years, Louis worked on a farm and Celia kept house. Eventually there were four younger brothers – Henry, Jacob, Edward and Albert. Josie’s father Louis was remembered as a drinker who didn’t always bring his pay home. He started working on the railroad and several years later her parents went their separate ways.

Left to right: Albert, Josephine, Edward. Back L Henry, back R Jacob

In September 1894, twenty year old Josie married 22 year old James Cleage. Although they were both named Cleage, it was not because they were related. Josie’s family was enslaved on Alexander Cleage’s plantation while James Cleage’s family was enslaved on David Cleage’s plantation. James’ parents were Jerry Cleage and Charlotte Bridgeman. You can read more about them here -> Jerry Cleage and Charlotte Bridgeman and here -> Jerry Cleage, A Slave for Life

Both were born after the Civil War. Their first daughter, Henrietta was born in 1897 with second daughter Lucille following in 1899.

In April of 1897 Josie’s mother, Celia, married her second husband William Roger Sherman of Athens, Tennessee. By 1900 the whole family was living in Athens. Josie, now 27, and her family were living next door to her mother, step-father and brothers. Husband James, 29 was teaching school. According to the 1900 census Josie was able to read and write.

Sometime after 1890 Jacob Lincoln Cook, founded the Athens Academy. James Cleage was one of the small group of dedicated educators that worked with him and taught there in the early years. In 1900 J.L. Cook was appointed president of Henderson Normal Institute in Henderson, North Carolina. James also went to North Carolina and began teaching at the Institute. In 1901 Josie and James first son, James Oscar, was born there. My grandfather, Albert, lived with his aunt’s family while he was attending high school at Henderson Normal. He graduated in 1902. By the time Albert David (called David) was born in 1907, the family was back in Athens, Tennessee, but not for long.

By 1905 Henry and Jacob Cleage had relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana and in 1908 James, Josie and their growing family joined them there. Their youngest daughter, Hattie Ruth was born in Indianapolis in 1909. James worked a porter and later at a printing shop. Josie stayed home and raised the children and kept the house.

Josephine+with+other+members — Josephine Cleage is wearing the dark dress, on the far right.

Both James and Josie were active in Witherspoon Presbyterian Church. I found these short items in the Indianapolis Star “News of The Colored Folk” during 1911.

March 11, 1911
Officers of the Witherspoon United Presbyterian Church entertained its members at the church at a banquet Tuesday night. Dr. H.L. Hummons was toastmaster. Addresses were made by Henry and James Cleage, Mrs. Lillian T. Fox and Mrs. M.A. Clark.

April 9, 1911 Sunday
The Witherspoon United Presbyterian Church will give its annual musicale Friday evening at the church on North West street. The following program will be given: Solo, Mrs. T.A. Smythe; reading, Mrs. James Cleage; clarinet solo, Philip Tosch; reading, Mrs. Harriet Mitchel; quartet, Messrs. Lewis, Thompson, Chavis and Thompson. The church choir will render three selections. Mrs. Daisy Brabham has program in charge.

My uncle Henry Cleage remembered family visits to Indianapolis during the summers. He said his Aunt Josie was a real intellectual who read a lot and could talk about a variety of topics. He also remembered catching fireflies and that someone in the family had a goat. My aunt Anna Cleage Shreve remembered her uncle James as a very quiet, gentle man who helped around the house. Uncle Edward’s daughter Juanita Cleage Martin wrote in her memoirs that she remembered her aunt as being tall with a pleasant smile, easy going with a lot of hair.

Josie’s children all finished several years of high school and then got married or started working or both. Lucille seems to have been the first to relocate to Detroit where her uncles Albert, Jacob and Henry settled. After Josie’s husband James A. Cleage died in 1933, Josie also moved to Detroit. In 1940 she was living not far from her brothers with her son David and his family on Stoval.

Josephine Cleage died in July of 1956 at age 82 and is buried in Detroit Memorial Park East Cemetery.

February Photo Collage Festival – 28 photos, 28 posts.

January 30, 2013February Photo collage Festival, PhotographsKristin

This February Julie@Anglers Rest is hosting a February Festival of Collages. It all started after Pauleen of Family history across the sea posted a collage and we started commenting. Before we knew it, this challenge was born. Participants will post a collage of 28 photographs on January 30 or 31 and for each day of February we will blog about one of the photos. There are no other rules. It doesn’t have to be about genealogy. To participate you just post a link to your collage on Julie’s page at the link above.

I decided to combine several themes in my collage. I have several photos of places I lived that weren’t covered in the A-Z challenge last year. I have some Sepia Saturday themes that I will cover on the appropriate Saturdays. I have been working on investigations for two separate family lines. I will write up one of them during this challenge. One is “What happened to Hugh Reed and his family?” I will be writing about each of the members of this family. I will be writing about what happened to the cousins who appeared in this photo in answer to the question “What did they do when they grew up?”. I’ve filled in the remaining spaces with relatives or events I haven’t written up but want to. The first post will appear on Friday, February 1. I will be going through the pictures in no particular order.

A Trip to the Cleaners

January 25, 2013Cleages, Photographs, sepia saturday#DetroitKristin

I found this photo of an unidentified cleaners in my Cleage photographs. There are no Cleages in the photo. It’s pasted on a piece of cardboard and a child, has scribbled in pencil all over the picture. I assume unidentified Cleaners is located in the neighborhood of the Old Westside of Detroit.

I have not been able to identify either the cleaners or the owners. There is a “Detmer Woolens” calendar on the wall but I can’t make out the year even when I scan it at 600 dpi. The dress the woman behind the counter is wearing, the narrow pant legs of the menby the counter and in poster on the wall and the short hair on the calendar girl make me think the photo was taken in the mid-1930s. I found this history of Detmer Woolens interesting.

Sepia Saturday 161 Header — To read more Sepia Saturday posts CLICK!

and here is the link

Looking Over the Fence 1937

January 21, 2013Cleages, sepia saturday#black album, #Pearl Reed CleageKristin

This is my grandmother’s page from the “Black Album”. The photographs are the actual size you see if you enlarge the photograph above. They seems to have been cut from a proof page. Every member of the family except the youngest, Anna, had a page. Judging by the ages of the people in the book I think they were taken about 1935 – 1937. My grandmother would have been about 50.

The prompt this week shows a man facing away from us and leaning on the top of a truck. In my photograph my grandmother is leaning on the backyard fence of the house on Scotten. There is a spade in front of her and a pile of leaves behind. It looks like she was working with her plants. I remember my uncle Louis telling me once, after she was dead and he was old and not very well, that his mother always had the most beautiful flowers and that she would save the geraniums from year to year and they thrived. We were sitting in back of his cottage in Idlewild and looking at the geraniums and petunias his sister Gladys had planted in some flower boxes. The house on Scotten is a vacant lot now. Strangers live in the cottage in Idlewild.

Ice Skating in 1986 and 1961

January 16, 2013memoriesKristin

idlewild_skating_1986_blog — Out on the ice – James (or is that Kamau?), Jann, Ife, Shashu, Tulani & Ayanna.

This photo was taken in 1986 during the first winter we lived in Idlewild. We used a variety of shovels to clear the ice – new red plastic snow shovels, ancient metal snow shovels and a coal shovel we found in the garage. My aunt Gladys and uncle Hugh were in their 60s then and out skated all of us. They had racing skates and glided around with their hands behind their back looking so cool. You can see a photo of them in earlier years here – Skating Champions.

For most of the 20 years we lived there, the ice was frozen solid, 4 or more inches deep by Christmas and remained frozen until early spring. Ice fishermen came from far and wide to drill holes and sit on buckets or in little huts and fish through the ice. Once a car drove across from the far side to our side. This year Idlewild Lake hasn’t frozen at all because of the warm winter.

When I was in High school my sister and I would walk up to Northwestern High School and skate on the rink in a corner of the field. I found several articles in the Illustrated News from December 1961 and January 1962 about the lack of a warming shelter or place to leave your shoes while you skated at this same rink. I was in the 9th grade that year and I do remember this. Click on the pages below to enlarge and read the articles.

Part 1 of the story – the problem is raised.

Part two of the story…citizens become involved.

Part three of the ice skating shelter story – problem solved.

An Award Free Blog

January 14, 2013UncategorizedKristin

If anybody wants to use this, feel free. No need to link back either.

After reading To Award Or Not to Award on the blog Seeking Susan~Meeting Marie~Finding Family about giving and receiving blogging awards. I was sorry to learn that people are falling out over this. I had no idea it was such a loaded topic. I have decided that Catherine is right. It is only fair if bloggers, like me, who never fulfill the requirements of passing on the awards to other bloggers, let people know so that when awards are being given out, they go to people who will do all that is required. I googled and found quite a few “Award Free Blog” badges but I decided to design my own and post it in my sidebar. This doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the awards I’ve received or that I am judgmental about who gets or gives awards. I do and I’m not.

Thank You and Some Thoughts About Blog Awards

January 12, 2013UncategorizedKristin

There has been a flurry of blog awarding going on recently and I have received a few. I love knowing that people read my blog and I’m overjoyed when they like it. I must admit though that I have always been uneasy about the passing the award along part and even the posting and writing about it part. It took as long for me to write this post about awards as it does to write a regular blog post.

Awards I received during the award frenzy of 2009-2010.

I remember the blogging award frenzy of 2009 -2010. It finally reached the point where there was nobody left to receive the awards because everybody had been nominated at least once. It hasn’t gotten quite that far this time but it’s heading there. This post – Blogging Genealogy: Blog Awards and SEO and the discussion now happening on Pauleen’s blog here – Blog of the Year 2012 Award Updates raise some interesting questions and concerns about blog awards in general.

Instead of fulfilling the requirements for the awards, I would like to thank everybody who has given me an award and those who have read my blog and commented either here or on facebook or Google + or Follow Friday me on Twitter, and also those who read and think about what I post without commenting. Instead of passing on the awards I am going to continue visiting blogs I enjoy, commenting when I have something to say and I’m going to set up a list of blogs that I read regularly and enjoy so that my readers can check them out for themselves if they want to.

Now the awards and Thank yous.

Because of the “Wonderful Team Member Readership Award” I discovered how to see the number of comments every reader ever made on my blog since moving to this site. Who knew? I didn’t. Sheryle of A Hundred Years Ago was my most prolific commentator with 74 comments.

THANK YOU Liv, Catherine, Pauleen, Julie, Kathy, Shelley and Andrea for the following awards

Liv of Claiming Kin

Catherine of Seeking Susan~Meeting Marie~Finding Family

Shelly of My Genealogical Journey/Danish West Indian Family History

Andrea Kelleher of How did I Get Here? My Amazing Genealogy Journey.

Yvette Porter Moore of Root Digger Genealogy

Wendy of Oregon gifts of Comfort and Joy

Pauleen of Family History Across the Seas

Julie of Anglers Rest

Kathy of Abbie and Evaline selected me for the Liebster Blog Award – “liebster” meaning “dearest” in German.

Doris Graham Cleage On A Beach

January 11, 2013Grahams, sepia saturday#Doris Graham CleageKristin

Here is my mother in a fragment of a photograph. I don’t recognize the beach. We can’t see who is on either side of her. Her hair is long and parted in the middle. Ribbons tie it on each side. A blanket seems to be behind her shoulders but not resting on them. Over her left shoulder are some people and loudspeakers on a pole. Over her right shoulder is a building, a jungle gym and a light on a pole.

I have other photos of my mother in bathing suits but none look like this one. She looks young, in her early 20s. I was born when she was 23, in 1946. Was it before or after I was born? The expression on her face reminds me of this photograph taken in Los Angeles in 1944. So long ago. All of my children are older than she was then.

2012.12W.25 — To see more swim suits, beaches and other Sepia Saturday offerings, CLICK!

Finding Eliza

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