Sympathy Saturday: Card of Thanks, Family of George Hanley Fant

Nashville Tennesseean, 28 November 1913, page 13

George Hanley Fant, the former brother-in-law of my 2nd-great-grandmother's half-brother Tom Cox, died on 22 November 1918 in Nashville, Tennessee. His World War I draft registration card shows that he was a resident of Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky on 22 September 1918.

A card of thanks was published in the Nashville Tennessean by his family: his brother-in-law and sister John B. and Laura (Fant) Robinson, his sister Kate (Fant) Cox (Tom Cox's ex-wife), and his niece Annie Cox (Kate and Tom Cox's daughter).

In Memory of Sunshine

Five years ago today, my beloved Sunshine passed away. We were together for more than twenty years, since she was eight weeks old. She was the first cat that was all mine, rather than a family pet. I adopted her from the Bergen County Animal Shelter on 12 September 1990. She was my kitty soulmate.

Baby Sunshine

Sunshine as a young adult

Last photo of Sunshine, 26 October 2010

Sunshine battled chronic renal failure for twenty-one months, but eventually lost the fight. She passed away at Montville Animal Hospital in Towaco, Morris County, New Jersey on 13 November 2010.

Sunshine is buried at  Abbey Glen Pet Memorial Park in Lafayette, Sussex County, New Jersey, in Section 15, Hillside, Row D, Block 8, Lot B.

To me, she really was the best girl ever!

Thriller Thursday: A Shot in the Dark

In May 1897, the Trocadero opened in Nashville, Tennessee. The theater catered to families; women and children could attend (although the women had to be escorted). High-class vaudeville artists performed at the Trocadero.

Nashville American, 1 May 1897, page 5

The opening performance on the night of 3 May 1897 was well attended, and the audience enjoyed the performance.

Nashville American, 4 May 1897, page 3

On the following night, 4 May 1897, things did not go as smoothly. While the lights were out, a shot was heard. The audience began to panic, thinking that a fight had broken out. However, there was no fight. My 2nd-great-grandmother's half-brother Tom Cox was in attendance. He had been drinking whiskey, and in his drunken state, decided to fire his pistol in the theater! He was immediately kicked out by security. He was lucky that he was not arrested.

 Nashville American, 5 May 1897, page 2

Veterans Day

Available from Veterans Day Poster Gallery, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.

On Veterans Day, I would once again like to thank the members of my family that have served in the United States military, or served allied nations in World War I. In addition to ancestors, this list includes uncles, cousins, and relatives by marriage.

Revolutionary War
Adam Binkley
Frederick Binkley
Abraham Louis DeMoss
Elisha Garland
Lazarus Gatlin
Jesse Greer
Francis Hardgrave
Benjamin Isbell
Henry Isbell
Thomas Isbell
Benjamin Mayo
James Mayo
Joseph Mayo
Stephen Mayo

War of 1812
Chapman Gordon
Francis Hardgrave
Skelton Hardgrave
Elias L. Mayo
Thomas Mayo
Andrew Russell

Mexican War
James Thomas Gilliam
Thomas E. Gilliam
James Hardgraves
Robert Francis Hardgraves
Thomas Tarkington

Civil War (Union)
Davidson Binkley
Samuel August Samuelson
Hugh Winters

World War I
John Joseph Berberick
John G. Leech
Ferdinand Constand Schneider
Cornelius Thomas de Kam (Canada)
Edward Otto Troedson (Australia)
George Arthur Troedson (Australia)

World War II
Gilbert Joseph Blocker
Theodore Boe
David Theodore Borg
Delmar Emil Borg
Walton E. Borg
Clifford Irwin Clark
Louis D. Hightower
William Philip Carl Illig
Norman Kowelman
James Bratton Lampley
Harry Ashby Lee
William Patterson Leech
Leroy N. Mayrant
Julian G. Nagle
Amanda Mary (Whitman) Pybas
Earl Mason Roberts
William Robert Ruty
Karl J. Schneider
Fred Logan Trickey

Korean War
Harry Ashby Lee

Other Veterans
Nile Weldon Farnsworth, United States Navy, 1946-1949
John Joseph Koestler, United States Army 1958-1964
Frank Casole, United States Army 1977-1981
Todd Thompson, United States Air Force 1991-2011

Current Service Members
Jon Rodriguez, United States Marines
Mitchell Stansbury, United States Navy

52 Ancestors: Week 45 "Movember": Carl Joseph Schneider

Since this week's 52 Ancestors theme is free (pick your own theme), I have chosen the theme Movember. The Movember Foundation was founded in 2003. Each November, men grow moustaches to raise awareness of men's health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health, and physical inactivity. My 2nd-great-grandfather Carl Joseph Schneider had an impressive moustache, so it is fitting to feature him during Movember.

Carl Joseph Schneider was born on 22 January 1855 in Erpel, Neuwied, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He was the son of Johann Wilhelm Schneider and Anna Sibylle Lindlohr. He was only seven years old when his mother died on 2 April 1862. His father remarried less than a year later, to Adelheid Noll. Carl was sixteen when his father died on 13 November 1871.

On 31 January 1878, Carl married Christina Nagel in Bonn, Germany. The couple settled in Carl's father's hometown of Remagen, Ahrweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Christina's father and stepmother moved there as well. Carl worked as a tailor in Remagen.

Carl and Christina had seven children: my great-grandfather Johann, later known as John (born 6 December 1878 in Remagen); Johann Wilhelm (born 5 July 1882 in Remagen, died 17 August 1882 in Remagen); Johann Wilhelm, later known as William J. (born 8 December 1883 in Remagen); Carl J. (born 17 March 1885 in Remagen); Rudolph (born 21 September 1886 in Remagen); Anna Maria (born 25 November 1888 in Remagen); and Maria, later known as Marie, (born 11 April 1890 in Remagen).

I am not sure when Carl first grew a moustache, but he had one when my great-grandfather was a young boy. 

Johann (John) and Carl Joseph Schneider

As time passed, Carl's moustache grew bigger and fuller.

Photo by Bapt. Schneider Photogr. Atelier, Fürstenbergerstrasse, Remagen, Rhein-Erft, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Carl, Christina, and their children left Remagen in 1892 and immigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, where Carl's brother Johann Wilhelm (John William) was living. Carl continued to work as a tailor. He also continued to sport a moustache.

Photo by Pietz, 1630 Franklin Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 

Carl took a trip back to Germany in 1900. He knew that he was dying of cancer, and he visited with friends and relatives there one last time. He died of stomach cancer on 5 November 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri and was buried in Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri, in Section 035, Lot 0160.

Mappy Monday: Berlin Wall

Since today is the 26th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I thought it was an appropriate day to post this map of the Berlin Wall, including checkpoints.

Map of the Berlin Wall, showing checkpoints. Created by Ericmetro [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], 9 January 2015. Based on Occupied Berlin by Stefan-Xp, derived from Berlin-wall-map by ChrisO. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

Black Sheep Sunday: Henry Gatlin and Shirley Coles Charged With Shooting

On 23 March 1902 in Nashville, Tennessee, four boys approached Ike Lytle, an African-American man. One of the boys shot at him three times. Lytle was not injured, but a dog was killed.

My great-grandfather Henry Brown Gatlin and Shirley Coles were charged with the shooting. According to Lytle, Henry Gatlin shot at him with Shirley Coles' gun.

Nashville American, 24 March 1902, page 3