Edna Louise Parham Class of 1943

Edna Louise Parham was my paternal Grandmother. She was born 3 May 1924 to Charles Parham and Emma (West) Parham in Moultrie, Georgia. My father gave me Edna's high school diploma a few weeks ago but I was unfamiliar with the school she attended. I searched online and was pleased to find her yearbook was available to view.  It was nice to learn which Grade and Junior High School my "Granny" attended and I was interested to learn that she had aspirations of being a writer. It makes me wonder if she looked up to her cousin, Margaret Louise (Parham) Branyon Martin , a published author using the pen name: Margie Branyon Coombes. Margie's book, "Smoke Rings", a collection of poetry, was published in 1947. Thanks to my cousin, Mel Ferrer, I have a copy of this book signed by Margie and given to her "Aunt Emma and Uncle Charlie".

Courtesy of memphistechhigh.com/rosters

Topping the charts in 1943:

 "There Are Such Things" by Tommy Dorsey

 "I Had The Craziest Dream" by Harry James

Het Bonte Koe - The Spotted Cow by Paul Hampton Harty Jr.

This piece was written by my third cousin, twice removed, Paul Hampton Harty, Jr. 

He shares the information regarding Het Bonte Koe - The Spotted Cow, the immigrant ferry that sailed our ancestors to Nieuw Nederalands, what we now call New York.

The Bonte Koe was a Dutch ship used to ferry immigrants from the Nederlands/Holland to the Nieuw Nederlands or what we now call New York. The Bonte Koe sailed from Amsterdam on 16 April 1663 and arrived in Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Nederlands between 11 May 1663 and 17 August 1663. The Captain at that time was Captain Bergen. 

**My ancestor is underlined on the manifest. Hans Jacob Sardingh (Hans Jacob Hartje) **

The following were passengers on The Bonte Koe:

Hendrick Cornelius from Nieuw Netherlands

Stees de Groot from Tricht

Elsje Barents - wife of Adam Bremen

Jan Laurens Bogaert from Schonderwoert with wife and two kids.

Theunis Bastiansen Cool and child (Cool should be Kool)

Jan Bastiaensen from Leerdam with wife and four children

Giel Bastiaensen from Leerdam with wife and four children

Gerrit Jans from Arnhem with wife and brother-in-law Arnolders Willems

Joris Adraaiaensen from Leerdam

Peter Matthysen from Limbough

Jan Boerhams or Burham

Barent Boerhams

Lammert Jasen Dorlant

Gerrit Verbeek

Grietje Gerrits wife of Dirck Jansen Van Viet and two children

Adriaen Janse Konink from Wel with wife and four children

Hans Jacob Sardingh (Hans Jacob Hartje)

Juriaen Tomassen

Jan Laurens

Jan Otto Van Tuyl with wife and four children

Matthys Bastiesen Vander Perck and daughter

Jerome Bocke with wife and five children

David Dr Maire or Demarest from Picardy with wife and four children

Pierre Niu with wife and child

Jean Mesurole from Picardy with wife and child

Jean Arien with wife and child

Martin Remare from Picardy with wife and child

Jacob Kerve from Leyden with wife

Joost Houpleine with wife and child

Gulliam Goffu from Sweden

Pierre Richard

The Demarest, Bogaert, and Kool families all married into the Hartje family or families that inter-married with the Hartje family. Het Bonte Koe was 170 feet long, 49 feet wide, and about 20 feet deep. It was not a large ship! 77 passengers plus the crew. They must have taken turns sleeping while the others hug off the yard arms!

Het Bonte Koe made several trips across the ocean with many more settlers throughout the years of its operation and many other ships brought more settlers into Nieuw Netherlands. 

The Bronte Koe looks exactly like the Half Moon. They are built of the same basic plans. The Half Moon is or was older and probably more ornate but Het Bronte Koe probably had a few more amenities that The Half Moon. Both ships are a flute or a barque ship depending on which Naval expert is taking!

 

 

Courtesy of Hendrick-Hamel Holland. The Half Moon Interior.

 

Marcie and Mary. Best friends become sisters-in-law.

Mary Elizabeth Brannock is my maternal grandmother. Marcella Hedwig Filla is my Great Aunt. They were the best of friends and became sisters-in-law when Mary married Marcie's younger brother, Walter Joseph Filla. These were two exceptional women that each made a massive impact on my life.

Left to Right: Mary Elizabeth Brannock and Marcella Hedwig Filla

Left to Right: Marcie and Mary

Left to right: Julia Brannock, Mary and Marcie

Marcie in front, Mary behind.

Marcie and Mary in the rumble seat.

That fella there in the middle is why I am here. Left to right: Mary, Walter Joseph Filla, Marcie

Left to right: Mary and Marcie

Mary Elizabeth Brannock was born to John Ashley Brannock and Lillian Bernice (Hanf) Brannock  on 17 May 1922 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Marcella Hedwig Filla was born to John Florian Filla and Frances Brueggemann (Filla) on 22 April 1919 in Washington, Missouri.

I do not have any photos of them together as adults, but they stayed so close until my Grandma passed away. Aunt Marcie to me was a surrogate Grandmother, she continued to keep alive the spirit of my Grandma and Grandpa, and for that I am thankful.

Mary and Walter 

 

 

Marcie and Kenny

 

Box Full Of Letters: Thank You

Thank you card from John and Lillian Brannock to their granddaughter, Betty Rae (Filla) Lundy.

When Certificates Were Given For Penmanship

Cursive is becoming yet another lost art form.

When I found this, I had to share it:

Olin Ferrer, the recipient of this Certificate of Progress, is my paternal grandfather, Robert Olin Ferrer. My dad, Charles Olin Ferrer has always spoken of how beautiful his handwriting was. 

 

I found it only fitting to share a Valentine's Day card that my dad gave to his parents back in 1959. Even in a gift did the Blessed Sacrament nuns have the children showcase their arithmetic and penmanship skills. Not to mention a thank you for all of the money they have given to the school!

 

 

 

 

 

Box Full of Letters: Cheap Frying Chickens!

I seem to have an interesting collection of letters, some written to me, some written to people by people that I have never met, and some written to people I know by people I will never know. I thought it would be fun to start a series:

Box Full of Letters

I decided to start this series with this treasure. It is written to my Great Grand Uncle Herbert "Bert" Brannock.
I assumed this was written by a Harty family member by the last initial "H" written at the bottom. When I met Paul Harty Jr., I asked who he thought this could be from and this was his answer:
"By the way, the Harty that sent a note to one of your relatives, appears to be Ernest, and if so that is Ernest Hampton Harty, a great uncle. My father's middle name "Hampton" came from him and I was named after my father, so I am Paul Hampton Harty Jr. Great Uncle Ernest is dead now. He moved to Florida and died down there in early 2000. He always appeared to be joking around, and that little note appeared to be from someone who like to "kid" people. Uncle Ernest was one of those guys, but also very prim and proper when he needed to be."

Samuel Malcolm "Mickey" Brannock: A Letter From Guadalcanal 1944

Samuel Malcolm "Mickey" Brannock, 14 Oct 1914 - 1 Mar 2010,  was the son of Frank A. and Betty (Harty) Brannock. Born and raised in Bloomfield, Missouri, Mickey was a star of the basketball team at Bloomfield High School. My Great Aunt Bebe even related this to me when I "interviewed" her on our family history back in 1994. My grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (Brannock) Filla was very found of her Uncle Mickey and loved to share stories about him remembers my Aunt Betty Rae (Filla) Lundy.

Mickey Brannock was a veteran of WWII, serving in the South Pacific and attained the rank of Sargeant. He was a disabled American veteran, member of the American Legion 44, and VFW 1114.

I found a few pieces related to Mickey in my beloved scrapbook and wanted to share them.

This is the first that I located, a sweet artist rendering of Mickey as a baby:

 Bloomfield High School basketball team including newspaper blurb of Mickey's high points scored!

I also located a letter that was published in the Bloomfield Vindicator written by Mickey thanking the anonymous person that had mailed him a copy of his hometown newspaper.

 

Courtesy of marshallfoundation.org

Courtesy of usmilitariaforum.com

 

Quartermaster Insignia stamped on each flour bag. Photo courtesy of qmmuseum.lee.army.mil