Workday Wednesday - Hess Butcher Shop in Chowchilla, CA 1923

Raymond Clifford Wisner in the center of the men

The Greene's 181st Anniversary

One of the great connections that I've made in my family research was that Susan Amanda Greene was the daughter of Henry Collomer Greene. It was great because it opened up the door for some family lines that went pretty far back. So 181 years ago today Henry Collamer Greene married Hannah Larrabee on 14 December 1830 in Vermont, probably in St. Albans which is in Franklin County. It was his first wife of 3, and here is the source I found on their marriage and children:

New England Families, genealogical and memorial Vol 4 
William Richard Cutter
pg 2192

(VI) Henry Collamer Greene, son of Nathan Greene, was born at St. Albans, December 6, 1810, died February 21, 1896. He was a farmer in St. Albans, and made a specialty of market gardening. For fifty years he was justice of the peace, and he was also trial justice. He married (first) Hannah Larabee, born January 10, 1812, died July 13, 1855. He married (second) Roby Sisco, (third) Clarissa Drew, a widow.

Children, by first wife:
-Orlando R., born September 15, 1831, died March 9, 1909;
-William H., January 31, 1833, died March 15, 1907;
-Luther O., January 16, 1835, died September 18, 1891;
-Almira L., August 3, 1836, died September 27, 1908, married W. J. Watson;
-Lester B., mentioned below;
-George H., January 24, 1840, died February 20, 1841;
-Sidney T., December 26, 1841;
-Olive A., September 7, 1843, married (first) H. S. Anderson, (second) A. L. Laraway;
-Amanda S., born April 28, 1845. married (first) Nelson Morey, (second) William Anners;
-Maria A., October 20, 1846, married Sexton;
-George H., May 8, 1848;
-Marcus D., June 18, 1850, died June 7, 1910;
-Loren T., March 8, 1851, died January 18, 1913.

Simon and Grace Adema's 88th Anniversary

Today would be my Great Grandparent's 88th wedding anniversary, if they were still alive. Sietze "Simon" Adema and Grace van Hofwegen were married 12 Dec 1923. I don't remember it, but apparently I was at their 60th anniversary, as you can see in the picture. However I do remember getting the Donald Duck and Chip which are in my hands. I think Donald belonged to my sister and Chip was mine. We got them at Disneyland when we visited with my grandma (Jean Adema), their daughter.

Wordless Wednesday - The Wisnermobile

Four Generation Friday - The Broersmas

I have a small collection of pictures with four generations in them, and I was thinking that It would be cool to feature those in a daily blogging prompt and maybe call it "Four Generation Friday." But I know I have at least 1 picture with 5 generations in it, so I thought maybe it could include pictures with 4 or more generations in them.


Lawrence Broersma (1901-1984)
Lloyd Broersma (b. 1927)
Ron Broersma (b. 1954)
Luke Broersma (b. 1979)

The letter that started it all

89 years ago today, my Great Grandfather, Laas "Lawrence" Broersma, wrote a letter to a girl that he had never met. Her name was Grace Gertrude Wichers. The only connection he had with her was that his brother Thys was courting her sister Gertrude.


In the letter Lawrence introduces himself and hopes that Grace will write back. She does and they eventually get married. From that marriage they have 12 children. And in case you were wondering, Thys and Gertrude also were married.

Here is the full transcription of the letter, as best as I can make out the handwriting:

Ireton 26th Nov. 1922
Miss Grace Wichers = Downs, Kansas

Well I suppose you will be very much surprised to get a letter from somebody you've never heard of before, and I am sure you've never seen me either. But then that would not make any difference. I guess you like to know how I happen to know you. Well I'll tell you. It was a dark night once in the early spring this year, that my brother was cranking his Ford. I of course was wondering what was going on, but I found out that he went to Maurice to get somebody from the train. He came home late that night. The next Sunday he introduced me to miss Gertrude Wichers the one he got from the train as I said before. We are still very good friends. Of course my brother is a little better friend to her as you can imagine.

So you see that is the way that I happen to know you for she told me a lot about you. And while I know you I think you have the same right to know me also. Well I guess you almost know who I am now. My first name is Lawrence and my last is Broersma. I do not know if you ever will answer this letter, yet I'll be very much pleased if you would for the more friends a person has the less enemies he'll get. Garrett and Gertrude are making it fine. Gertrude is a true lady as you will know by this time. Now I will close this letter and see if I get the answer someday.

In doing so I call myself with greetings,
Lawrence Broersma
c/o R de Boer
Ireton (IA)

Mayflower Descendant

Just a couple weeks ago I made the discovery that my family descends from William Brewster (1566-1643), who immigrated to America on the Mayflower in 1620. Technically it's my wife's side that descends from him, so I guess I'm a Mayflower descendant-in-law. My kids would still count though. And for my kids, William Brewster would be their 12th Great Grandfather.

According to a grave marker put up by the William Brewster Society, he was patriarch of the Pilgrims, and their ruling elder from 1609-1644. He was the founder of the Plymouth Plantation and helped establish civil and religious freedom in the new world.

On a side note, another branch of my wife's family (the Coggeshalls) came to the new world and ended up in Boston the 1630's. The Coggeshalls were later exiled, and they ended up going to Rhode Island where there was true religious freedom for everyone. John Coggeshall became one of the eighteen original proprietors of Aquidneck, who settled Pocasset (later Portsmouth), 1638. One of the nine who settled Newport, 1639 and President of the Colony, May 1647 to May 1648. So even though the Massachusetts Colony had religious freedom, it still wasn't totally free which helped spawn the Providence Plantation and Rhode Island. So members of my family were involved in the founding of both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I think it's pretty interesting history, and have learned a lot researching these families.


I think it's pretty cool that a relative of mine was at that Thanksgiving in 1621, and today in 2011 - 390 years later - we are celebrating Thanksgiving day today with other Mayflower descendants.