Author Archives: Diana - Page 12
Bill Russell Obituary – The Independent
William Wagner ('Bill') Russell, jazz historian, violinist, composer, producer, born Canton Missouri 26 February 1905, died New Orleans 9 August 1992. ONE OF the most shameful and yet most productive periods in the history of jazz was at the time of the internecine wars between the followers of New Orleans jazz and those of the then new be-bop music. It has never been clear why the former, characterised by sandals and scraggy beards, were known…
North Side Convergence
I discovered that multiple branches of my tree lived in North Side, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I was born at exactly the same time. They probably were riding on the same trolleys and shopping at the same stores. Earnest Thornton and Helen Strawser, my paternal grandparents, moved to North Side Pittsburgh around 1929 to find work. William Weiler and his daughter Louise Weiler (my maternal grandmother), moved to North Side Pittsburgh in 1927 to pastor a…
Observations
As I go through the documents and photos, I have made various observations: None of the photos ever show the women pregnant, and yet most were pregnant most of their lives. In the few photos that show hands, married people often don't have wedding rings. I noticed this in photos of my maternal great grandparents Addie and Rev. Weiler, as well as a photo of Theo and Susan Hanning. Some of the people in a…
Addie’s Duck
This incident happened at the home of Addie Hanning Weiler when she lived alone in Loveland, OH, after her husband, Rev. William Weiler had passed away. It was the custom of the Paul Weiler family to visit her regularly almost every week. This was to do her weekly grocery shopping and see what else might be needed. Daughter Ophelia had brought to her a cute, small duck which had been given to her children as…
Snippets, Anecdotes and Shorts
As I enter data into the family tree, I discover interesting snippets that I extract that would otherwise be buried in the thousands of records. Stories and anecdotes handed down in the family or written up in the local newspaper: One day William Giegerich's father Nick came in his grocery store (in Canton) and told him "You know somebody shot at me this morning." What William didn't tell him was that he'd been cleaning his…
Quirky coincidences
Interesting but meaningless (or not???) coincidences discovered in the records on both sides of my family. Do you know of any interesting stories or coincidences? Please email me so I can add them here. The Vespers (on my mother's side) came to America on a ship called the Diana. The Wagners (also on my mother's side) came on a ship called the Eliza Thornton. Elizabeth Vesper married John Wagner, whose great great granddaughter's name was…
Santa Claus, Indiana connections and events
I have found numerous connections to Santa Claus, Indiana. 1816-1830 Abraham Lincoln lived about four miles away as a boy on Pigeon Creek Farm (Santa Claus didn't exist yet). 1847 The Hannings settled there and helped found and name the town. 1852 The Freyhofers settled there from Seymour at the invitation of the Hannings. 1854 John Hanning cofounded the Santa Claus United Methodist Church 1858 Interesting connection between Rev. William Weiler and the Freyhofers: In 1855,…
Christian Keller’s hospital bill
I am writing you now to let you know how I am getting along since I returned from my visit with you. On Sept. 22 I had to go to the hospital and Sept. 30 I had to undergo an operation. I was rather surprised for the doctor had not told me beforehand that I would have to have another operation. All I thought was that he would give me some treatments. But all went…
DNA Testing – add yours to our tree
My mom and I took the Ancestry DNA test. Turns out I'm about as European as it gets: I was surprised by how much Irish I have, but as I do more research, I can see why. I'd been told that I had Cherokee blood from my paternal grandmother. Nope. Another cousin's DNA test on that side also showed absolutely no American Indian blood. If you'd like to add your DNA to this tree,…
Bill Russell
Born Russell William Wagner in 1905, William (Bill) Russell was a violinist; an avant-garde composer deeply interested in percussion; accompanist to a touring puppet troupe; a meticulous musical-instrument repairman; a jazz-record producer; an archivist; a writer; and, above all, a New Orleans jazz collector of extraordinary breadth. More than anything else, he simply loved classic New Orleans-style jazz, which he called the “best music I’d ever heard.” He sought out obscure, old-time jazz players and…