Treasure Chest Thursday: Thank you, Betty VanNewkirk

Not much makes me happier than getting my hands on some real homey writing about the little mountain town of Frostburg, Allegany, Maryland. I love the stories of its history and people, some of whom I can count as my ancestors. To my mind, there's no one who is a better historian and story teller about Frostburg than Betty VanNewkirk. In a previous post from last fall I wrote this about Betty:

I picked up two books by Betty VanNewkirk about Frostburg: Windows to the Past, and Kalidascope. They are both collections of essays written for the Cumberland Times-News newspaper. Here's a link: http://times-news.com/bettyvannewkirk . Betty taught at Frostburg State University for many years as did her husband, whom I think I had as a professor. I believe Mom told me that Betty just celebrated her 97th birthday!

Those two books have a special place in my Treasure Chest! Windows to the Past is falling apart at the binding, but never mind, and I love it and use it all the same! Click here to read about the Moonshining Miners and here to read a post entitled, He Died in the Outhouse. I can't even tell you which are my favorite stories because almost every one gives me a chuckle or brings a tear to the eye. Betty sure knows her history!

I got my copies of these two book at the Frostburg Museum and here's the link to their new spiffy web site.

 



I was thrilled to find my great great grandfather,  Charles William Zeller (1829 - 1901) mentioned on page 50 of Kaleidoscope,  in an article titled, "37 West Main Street," in which it says, "In the 1860s the tennant was a Mr. Zeller, who was a baker and confectioner."

On page 103 an article, "The Body in the Privy," contains reference to Charles William's son and my great grandfather, Gustav William Zeller and his barbershop that offered, "showers and tubs for the convenience of his customers."

 

 

 

Treasure Chest Thursday is a blogging prompt of GeneaBloggers.

 

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/05/treasure-chest-thursday-thank-you-betty.html

Surname Saturday: Last Name Unknown (Possibly Breuning)

Oh, I'm not liking this Surname Saturday, the blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers. I have next to nothing for you because here in the fifth generation, there's a big ugly brick wall. Mom has worked on it and another researcher has too. Now it will go on my To Do list and I'll take my best shot in rotation. I can almost feel the other genealogists who've tried this line before having a good laugh at this beginning intermediate who will undoubtedly stumble around a lot as I try to find Chicago and German records. I'll be looking for my 2nd GGM, Anna Mary (?) Zeller who married my 2nd GGF, Charles William Zeller. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

He's a short look at all that we've got.

1. Diane Kelly Weintraub

2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it

4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)

10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946), everyone called her "Ma"
They had these 5 children:
Charles Sample Zeller ( 1880- 1966)
Adelbert "Burt" Zeller ( 1883 - 1947)
Gustav William "Gus Jr." Zeller Jr. (1884 - 1964)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985), that's Grandma Kelly there:)
Anna M. Zeller ( 1882 - 1882)

20. Charles William Zeller ( 1829 - 1901)
21 Anna Mary (possibly Breuning/ Browning/ Bruning) Zeller (1834 - 1906)
See that "Bruning" I put in there? I sort of remember that name when I just got started doing genealogy but failed to take even a scrap of a note about the source! The name stuck in my head and so I entered it this week on Mom's Ancestry tree while preparing this post and some leaves started shaking at me. I checked out Ancestry member trees and a couple had Browning. I then changed it to the more German Breuning and got nothing. I then translated "brown" into german and saw that it was "braun" so I entered Brauning as her surname. Still nothing. I'm still confused.
This couple were both born in Werttemburg, Germany. They immigrated and settled in the little town of Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland. Mom believes there were relatives in the area and a search of local records turns up a number of other Zeller families, although their exact connection mystifies us.
After 1878 when the last of the children was born in Frostburg, and before 1886 when Henry died in Chicago, the family moved to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. All the children except Gustav are buried in the Chicago area. The local Cumberland, MD newspaper mentions Anna Mary's death in the issue printed on 17 Sept 1906 and says she and her husband were residents of Frostburg 22 years ago, making their moving date about 1884. Good tip from a local newspaper! Too bad it didn't give a maiden name.
Charles was a confectioner and his wife, Anna Mary, was a diabetic. Go figgure! Charles ran a very popular sweets store in Frostburg until he moved to Chicago. I wonder if he realized the wider potential of his success in Frostburg and decided to move to the larger market Chicago would promise?
In checking the 1870 US Census Mary Ann is listed as being a milliner. Seems to me I remember Grandma Kelly telling a story about a milliner. Maybe Mom remembers better that I do.
In the 1900 census they are living in Chicago, he's 71 and working as a baker. It says that he was naturalized in 1851 and Anna Mary did the same in 1852. He owns his house free of mortgage.
They had these 11 children:
Charles Zeller (1855 - ?)
10. Gustav William Zeller (1858 - 1927)
Gotlieb Zeller (1861 - 1889)
George Zeller (1862 - 1931)
Delbert Zeller (1865 - after 1910)
Frederick Zeller (1869 - 1932), he and John are twins
John Zeller (1869 - 1945), he and Frederick are twins
Henry Zeller (1870 - 1886)
William Zeller (1872 - 1906)
Daniel Zeller (1875 - ?)
Annie Mary Zeller (1878 - ?)

That's all I have, sad to say. But wait, don't go. I have a photo, well not of Anna Mary. Bummer.

20. Charles William Zeller ( 1829 - 1901)

Husband of Anna Mary.

10. Gustav William Zeller (1858 - 1927)

 

 

Just an observation, but you'd think that if there is this fine photo of Charles William Zeller that there'd be a fine photo of his wife, Anna Mary. He predeceased her so, well, wouldn't you think she'd had her picture made if her husband did? Sure would kike to find a cousin who has that!

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/03/surname-saturday-last-name-unknown.html

Treasure Chest Thursday: The Zeller Ensemble

My Uncle Delbert is Dad's youngest brother. Dad and he weren't as close as Dad was to his other brother, Uncle Bernie. There is a two year difference between Dad and Uncle Bernie and a four year difference between Dad and Uncle Delbert, and just enough to likely make Delbert that pesky younger brother, but I'm only guessing about that.

Uncle Delbert is in his 90s now and has a bit of a memory impairment but can remember the good old days real well. I call him every once in a while and chat but always have to remind him who I am: Pat and Virginia's oldest kid. Last year I made up a big package of Mom's Big Tree on the Kelly side and all the family photos I could muster and thought he might like to see. Took it to the local copy center and had it all bound together. If I do say so, it came out quite impressively. Most important is that Uncle Delbert had a great time with it!

Back in 2006 a woman I only know as Sharon did some genealogy work on the Zeller line for Uncle Delbert. I have a copy of that packet and look at it every once in a while. Sharon did some nice work there and I appreciate having it very much and thank Cousin Cynthia, Uncle Bernie's daughter, for passing it along to me.

The packet included two photos that interest me - as if there's a family photo that doesn't interest me! Here they are below. I'm sad that the quality is what I'd call poor but they have been copied and faxed and emailed ... so I'm just happy to have them at all. Happy wins out.

 

Here is my GGF and GGM,

Gustav Zeller 1858 - 1927 and Moretta Workman Zeller 1859- 1946,

with three of their five children.

Left to right they are:

Adelbert "Bert" Zeller 1883 - 1947,

Gustav WM Zeller 1884 - 1964, Charles S Zeller 1880 - 1966.

Grandma is not there and she was born in 1894.

Might be a clue to dating this picture.

 

Here is a close up of just the family group.

 

Here's a fun find in the packet!

This is a photo of the family of Gus Jr.'s family band, the Zeller Ensemble:

Nellie, Gus Jr.'s wife Nellie Maud Broadwater Zeller 1896 - 1961, their children,

Darrell Zeller, William "Bud" Zeller, and Violet Zeller.

Darrell would be my first cousin once removed, or so Family Tree Maker tells me:)

 

 

Treasure Chest Thursday is a blogging prompt of GeneaBloggers. Find out more here.

 

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/01/treasure-chest-thursday-zeller-family.html