Visits in the Past

I thought I would continue with the theme from two weeks ago.  That was the post of my visit to southern Nebraska to see the final resting place of my great great grandparents Samuel Charles Phenice and Cathrine Jane Foster Phenice – or Charles and Kate as I have come to know them a little better.

But before it was their resting place, it was their living place.  I’m not really sure when they moved to the Beaver City area of Nebraska, but it was sometime shortly before the turn of the century.  That was about 120 years ago.  I’ve posted a few photos of Charles and Kate and other family members in the past, but the topic of this week is about visits to the area by the next generations.

I’m sure other cousins from my own generation have visited there and I think some may live near that area.  I don’t think my mom ever went.  Some of her cousins may have, but I don’t have any photos of that.  But I do have a photo from a visit by my grandmother Myrtle Phenice Bucklin’s generation.

This photo was probably taken in Almena, Kansas, around 1939.  At that point Kate had died in 1921 and Charles had gone to live with his daughter Myrtle Cozad in Almena, which is 14 miles south of Precept.

I know that it is from 1939, because it has Aunt Marguerite in it.  She was a Phenice (who married a Hill) and sister of my Grandma.  She wrote her memoirs (Marge’s Memories) and mentioned that she only went up there once and it was just before her Grandpa Phenice died.  If you remember from other posts, Samuel Charles Phenice died on Sept. 15, 1939.

I’m thinking this photo was taken in the summer of 1939.  You can see Marguerite third from the right on the back row.  She’s looking over to the left toward her sister-in-law Irma Hetzel Phenice (in the black skirt) and sister Grace Phenice Sowder (holding the hat).  On the top right is Marguerite & Grace’s brother Warren Phenice.  I think the three girls who are second from the right on the top through bottom rows are the daughters of Myrtle Cozad – Pauline, Ruby, and Leora.  At least it looks like the same people I’ve seen from other photos.

The other person I recognize is another son of Charles and Kate.  He is second from the left sitting on the middle row.  His name was James Edmund Phenice, but everyone called him Edd.  Of course, Grace and Marguerite probably called him Uncle Edd.  He is buried next to his parents.  I could kick myself now because I forgot to take a photo of his headstone!  Now I’ll have to go back!

I’m not sure who the other family members are in this photo, but I’m thinking some of them are Quillens, because they also lived close by.  Maybe some of their descendants will be able to help us identify them.  Wouldn’t that be great?  (Heard from Michelle Quillen!  She says that the man front and center is Dean Quillen, son of Emma Phenice Quillen.  His wife Evelyn Satter Quillen is sitting directly behind him and she is holding their oldest son Kenneth.)

You’ve all seen this next photo before.  I posted this one in November of 2015.  It is such a great photo.  I had estimated the date of the photo to be 1900 when I originally posted it.  I looked at it a few months ago and realized that the date had to be incorrect.  Emma was only 11 years old in 1900 and she is obviously older than that in the photo.  I posted  the photo on Facebook to request a possible date and I was told it was probably taken between 1905 and 1910.  That seemed reasonable and fit better with Emma’s apparent age.

I also wondered where and why the photo was taken.  Daisy and Harry were married in 1900, so that would have been a reason for the three Phenice siblings Myrtle, Emma, and Edd to come down for a visit.  But we’ve already ruled out that early date.  I didn’t know of any visits that Daisy made up north, but it seems like she would have visited.  Yet I didn’t see her in any of the photos of other visits that I’ve seen.  So when was it?  I decided on an estimated date of 1907 a week or so before I visited Nebraska.

But then I found a clue in Nebraska!  Yay!  When I had looked up information before we arrived in Beaver City, it showed that the library would be closed on Saturdays – and we were there on a Saturday.  After having a tasty Beaver Burger at the Beaver Bar and Grill, I thought I’d go to the thrift store to see if I might find a memento from my visit.  At the thrift store, the attendant was very nice and friendly.  Come to find out, her husband was related to some of the Cozad family too.  She also told me about the library being open, so we hurried over before they shut the door.

In the local history room I found a binder with the name Phenice on the spine.  It was collected information about our family!  The friendly thrift store attendant showed up at the library with her husband and helped us find a few things.  One of the things I found was that Samuel Charles and Cathrine Jane went by Charles and Kate.  I’ve already told you that, though.  But on the March 19, 1906, wedding record of Myrtle Phenice and Frank Cozad, it showed that one of the witnesses to the wedding in Precept, Nebraska, was “Mrs. H. C. Phenice.”

The only H. C. Phenice in that family was my great grandfather Harry Clifton.  And his wife was Daisy Keys.  So there it was!  Evidence of Daisy visiting up north at a formal family event.  Plus the time was around the time I was thinking that photo must have been taken.  They must have had a nice time.  They gave birth to my grandmother nine months later and named her after the bride.

So for now, I’ll say the photo was taken in March 1906.

Now on to other mysteries.