069 Tuesday to Tuesday (Aug. 12-18, 2015)

On Wednesday, Craig spent time getting a Vitamin B shot and picking up prescriptions.  We had to run to genealogy library to run off more papers for the festival this weekend.

I spent time today trying another tactic to find out information about my gggranddaddy, William J. Walton. This has been the year of breaking down my wall with this family. I haven’t been very successful except to find his father and possibly mother, Phillip and Frances Walton. I also found out that William’s wife was truly Elizabeth Plummer. I have known for a while that Elizabeth was his wife’s first name. Grandma Walton (Booker’s wife) said she thought her maiden name was Plummer. When I found William’s death certificate this past week I thought I had made a breakthrough. I was hoping that whoever gave the information for the certificate would give me the maiden name for William’s mother. It turns out that Booker gave the information for his grandfather. He listed the parents are Mr. William Walton and Mrs. William Walton.  Granddaddy, what were you thinking?

So, I went looking for William’s brothers and sisters. I found one, Reuben Jordan Walton, who was buried in Abingdon, VA (down the road from Meadowview where I lived during high school years).  Not only did I find his memorial on findagrave, but I found his death certificate also. His mother was listed as Elizabeth Pluner. I’m sure it was just a misspelling. I have found an Elizabeth Plummer (as a child), in the county where Granddaddy would have found her. However, I have not yet been able to connect this Elizabeth to my Elizabeth. There is only one Plummer family in the area that I have found, so I’m working on it. 

After the breakthrough with Reuben, I decided to work on William’s other brothers and sisters. I have found much on Cynthia Walton and her husband, Wilborn Kilby. Just like many in my family, their work has been done. The Kilby’s are well connected to the Primitive Baptist Churches in the Grayson area and surrounding counties. Yet, someone in the Kilby line has been doing the family Temple work since the 1930s. What a blessing!!!

I am still collecting the work for the related lines in this family and, hopefully, I find the clues I need to get more information on Phillip and his wife.

On Thursday, we had tickets and guest tickets to go to a “preview” of the Irish Fest. Virginia and Dave Armstrong came with us. We ladies have a pinchet for shopping. The men didn’t want to tag along, so she and I looked at everything. She ended up buy a candle holder with the tree of life on it. If you look closely, you see the symbol for the Trinity in the middle. Craig and I wanted something with the same design, but we waited to buy until later.

Virginia and Dave at the festival with us

 

Us with a Leprechan and Strawberry Shortcake???

Can you see the cruise boat in front of the barge?

Finding family names

My bowl I bought a tray to match

The Willis Family Band, family of several children playing instruments and singing

Friday, there was Zone Conference. It went from 10-4:00 that day, and we knew the day was going to be a long one.  We worked the festival from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm; however, right after we got there, the most violent storm came through. When the rain started in torrents, the wind felt like it was going to tear us to pieces. When it finally stopped, everyone was leaving so they let us go early in order to get back home.

On Saturday, we started at the gym, left there and got home only to head out to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha, WI. It was a beautifully warm day, and the museum was really nice. As we went in, a couple of families were coming out together. One woman said that she had bought a Southern cookbook, and another one said there were some good recipes. I told them that we may have lost the war, but we sure do know how to cook. They laughed, but I’m sure they recognized my accent. 

Between the North and South

Craig in front of the Union House

Different wars remembered around the camp fire

A description of the museum on its website is this 

     "The Civil War Museum is like no other Civil War museum in the country. The museum focuses on the Civil War
       from  the perspective of the people of the six states of the upper middle west: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, 
       Minnesota, and Wisconsin. These six states sent over 750,000 men to serve in the Union army while providing
       much of the food and raw materials necessary for the northern states to carry on the war. Through the use of
       personal stories and narratives, the Museum also explores how the Civil War impacted the people on the Western
      home front before, during, and after the war by connecting the prewar causes to the postwar effects."

Union Newspapers

That night at the festival  I had to be at the computer the whole time, and believe me when I say working on one of those foldable tables that we use at Church is terrible. It is too high, and I have to hunch my shoulders to raise my arms and work. By the end of the day, my shoulder was killing me. Craig got to do a lot of interesting jobs, and I was quite envious.

I hurt in my shoulder on the left side and my arm on the right so much that it was awful. I tried to work less and save arm but to no avail. I can tell it is coming from my neck. Someday I’m going to have to take care of my neck and have the pinched nerve looked at.

We went back to the tent that had the glassware where Virginia bought her candle holder. We ordered a small glass picture with the tree of life etched in it and shaded silver. Then it would have the symbol for the Trinity in the center of the roots. Our family name will be on the bottom. We are so excited. Although we ordered a small picture, it will be gorgeous! We should get it in a week or so. 

Lenhard Family Tree

Again, on Sunday, we went to Church for Sacrament meeting and then headed to the Irish Festival. We only had to work to 5:00. It was another beautiful, although hot, day. I got to work on computers once again, and I was glad it would be a short day. There are some really good people at the Irish fest. The woman who first recruited us, Jane Meyer, is dying of cancer. She is covered with it, but you wouldn’t recognize it just by looking at her. She is in her 90s, I believe, and she is quite the ruler of the roost. She does look more frail. Some of the others who work with her are ready to take over, and they aren’t afraid to say that things are going to change. I hope at the end of my life, I won’t have others waiting on the sidelines waiting for it to happen so they can benefit.

Monday, we finished up our work with Feed the Kids. We have enjoyed working with them, but the leader who gets the work done, is quite the task master. She also has a problem listening. However, we are glad that we got to work with the Salvation Army in feeding so many children who otherwise wouldn’t have something to eat at least once a day during the summer.

The Chicago Temple opened again today. We will be going later in the week.

Tuesday, we had our regular District Meeting. Elder Goodale is once again leading us. He will go home soon, and we will miss him.

Our scripture for August is D&C 42:6:

          And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by 

          two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, 

          declaring my word like unto angles of God.

Elder and Sister Lenhard