Alva Nola Turner, the subject of my previous post, deserves another look. While researching his siblings I stumbled upon new information about Alva that might just explain his penchant for writing dark and somber poetry: he enjoyed pain. In May of 1924, Alva appeared in local newspapers across Illinois because of an unusual remedy he employed to calm his nerves: self-inflicted… More →
Category: Utlaut Kenfolk
A Poet, Don’t Ya’ Know It
The Turner side of my family tree has been woefully absent from this blog. Time to correct that. My mother’s grandmother was Lula Lusty Turner. This post isn’t about her. I just happen to like her name. Perhaps the physician who delivered her was named Dr. Lusty. (That was a shout out to you, Uncle Sonny – you said you… More →
Close to Home
The City of Lake Lotawanna is located on the southeast side of Kansas City – practically due east of where I grew up. According to Lake Lotawanna’s official website, it is the “largest private lake in the Kansas City area”. In 2010, its population boasted not quite 2,000 residents. As my hometown and Lake Lotawanna are next to one another, many of my high school classmates… More →
Happy Holland Days?
Drury Holland, my 5th great grandfather, fought in the Revolutionary War under General George Washington. This is an undisputed fact thanks to military records and letters written in the late 1830s on behalf of his widow, Sarah (Turner) Holland, who successfully claimed his military pension of $80 per year. (Drury paid her father 50 pounds to marry her so I think she did okay.)… More →
Cousins marrying cousins: For Crying Utlaut
The ninth instance of one of my mother’s relatives marrying one of my father’s relatives has been found! Rudolph Utlaut, my 2nd great grandfather and my mother’s ancestor, came to America with his parents and five siblings. His sister, Sophia, married Wilhelm Beckmann. Their son, Frederick Wilhelm, chose a Biesemeyer maiden – and a distant relative of my father’s –… More →
Cousins marrying cousins, the Upd8
Cousin coupling #8 was hiding in plain sight. Mary McCracken, the bride in pairing #6, was the daughter of Martha Pearl Vestal and Robert McCracken. Martha’s mother was a Chamness, and a distant relative of my mother’s. Robert McCracken, meanwhile, was a distant relative of my father’s. Genealogically speaking, that means Mary McCracken is both my 2nd cousin. 5x removed on my mother’s side and my 2nd cousin, 6x removed… More →
Screenwriter Beware
Seeking redemption after the previous post, I decided I’d better give my mom’s side of the family some attention. The intertwined Utlaut-Kersten families from which she came have been keeping track of family members for 55 years. The family history they’ve compiled chronicles the lives of ancestors who lived 150 years ago. It took me a couple of months but I painstakingly loaded… More →
School on the Hill
Admittedly, I’ve been neglecting the blog the last few days. Fear not! I have more to share. Most folks pick up a refrigerator magnet, coffee mug or keychain as a souvenir. Not me. I returned home with stacks of photocopied old deeds, marriage licenses and family genealogies which I am still organizing. In the meantime, this post is pure nostalgia. My father and I… More →
New Franklin, Ben Franklin and Baseball
My trip to Warren County, Missouri this week included a detour to New Franklin, Missouri. Twenty-five years or more have passed since I last stepped foot in this quaint little town that is the birthplace of my paternal grandmother. Sadly, the Ben Franklin five and dime store has closed for good. The last time I was in New Franklin my… More →
Mom-Me Revealed
My iPhone vibrated on the stand next to my bed just moments after I’d turned off the lights Tuesday night. It was alerting me that a new email had come through. I looked at the preview on the screen and realized my day was not over. The results of my mitochondrial DNA test were back from the lab. Like I could sleep… More →