Remembering Gma Fitzie on her 103rd Birthday

Rebecca Lillian Stephen - born April 27 1904

I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.

Refrain

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

Refrain

I’d stay in the garden with Him

Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling.

Refrain

Rosetta with 1934 Chevy

My Mom (Rosetta)....and a 1934 Chevy.

Two classics.

(If you are viewing this blog...send me photos!

Old ones of family, the reunion, whatever)

Grandma Fitzie & her Siblings

This photo is of Grandma Fitzie with some of her brothers and sisters. I am not sure who is who here. Maybe someone else can tell us. That is Aunt Berthie on the far right and I think Uncle Harry just to her left. Grandma looks very happy.

Grandpa Stephen with his fiddle

This photo is of Grandpa Jacob Stephen with his fiddle.

Not sure what year this photo was taken, but to me he looks different than in other images. Maybe he is just older here.

Enjoy!

Fitzgerald 12 plus Grandma & Grandpa 1967

This one is , of course, of the Shamrock Circle, The Fitzgerald Dozen, The Original 12, & the Patriarch and Matriarch of the family Grandma
& Grandpa Fitzie.

Looks to either be up from Grandma's house or behind Marg & Ike's farm house. Not sure. Most likely taken at Reunion Time.

If you don't know who is who in this photo then you are on the wrong website.

Enjoy!

Fitzgerald Family Gathering July 1967

Many family members have this photo, but I posted it anyway. Taken in 1967 behind Ruth and Johnny's house.

Let's see...

Front Row Seated L-R: Kelly, Keith, Crystal and Jody

Next Row L-R: Donald, Verna, Grandpa, Ruth's Head, Grandma, Ron's Head, Me in Rosetta's arms. Johnny and Tommy behind mom. Jolene in front of mom, John with John K in front, Irene's head behind. Doris with Timmy & Tracy in front, Marg with Larry Joe (w dog), Tommy Allen, Jo with Julie.

Next Row L-R: Vonzie in the orange, Betty, I think Mary in red, then Berf, Rhonda and Vicky Lynn.

Good times. Great photo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBY! (March 26, 1964)

Happy Birthday John K!

Yesterday was John K's 43rd birthday. So in honor of our good old cousin this picture has been posted.

Cowboy Timmy an Bubby!

Enjoy this blast from the past courtesy of Aunt Doris.

Jacob and Julitte

Here is a photo of Jacob F. Stephen & his half sister Julitte (Wells) Brownfield. We are not sure who the baby is.

Most likely one of their children or her grandchildren as she died in 1919.

Julitte's father William S. Wells was an Uncle to Jacob's wife Nancy Wells. William died in the Civil War.

Uncle George Knox, Aunt Sis and Grandma Fitzy

This photo was taken at the home of Uncle George W. Knox and Sarah (Aunt Sis) Carpenter Knox in Quaker City, Ohio. The house was located on Pike St. on the hill heading out of town toward Calais.

As previously noted George was Jacob F. Stephen's (Grandma Fitzy's father) half brother. Grandma Fitzy loved Uncle George. She is standing in the middle in the dark dress between Uncle George & Aunt Sis in this photo. I will fix it later, but one of these kids is Aunt Ruth. The other is Mary Alberta and her brother. I think Ruth is holding George & Grandma's hand & Alberta is the oldest girl.

Again...we know who is who I just don't have it right now.

ENJOY!

Lillian and Marie

This photo came from Alberta. It is Grandma Fitzy -Rebecca Lillian Stephen (Fitzgerald) and her niece - Alberta's sister (Aunt Bertha's daughter) Marie Brownfield.

Enjoy!

Jacob F. Stephen & Nancy (Wells) Stephen

These portraits are of Grandma Fitzgerald's parents Jacob F Stephen and Nancy E. (Wells) Stephen. I took pictures of these at the home of Aunt Berthie's daughter Alberta's home.

Many family members have seen the image of Grandpa Stephen, but it seems few have seen the one of Grandma Stephen. Someone told me this is the youngest picture of Grandma Stephen they had ever seen.

Nancy's Father was John S. Wells. Her mother was Lucinda Wise.

Thanks to Mary Alberta & Jan for sharing!

The Ballad Of Margaret Strosnider

"Oh listen to my story about a woman named Peg...."

(Note: This story is as we know now...things may change)

This story starts with Aunt Doris and Saundra. Aunt Doris had the above photo. She thinks it was among Uncle Harry Stephen's belongings and that he brought them from the old home place in Calais, OH. I came along and with Dawn the 4 of us have pretty much found all of her children and we know just about who is who in the above photo.

Doris knew that the older woman in the middle was Grandma Fitzgerald's grandmother Margaret "Peg" Strosnider. She also knew that in the upper left corner was Jacob F. Stephen (Grandma's Fitzy's father). Next to Jacob is his half brother George W. Knox. Uncle George
as most of the family called him lived in Quaker City, Oh for most of his life.

Margaret (February 12, 1841 - July 28, 1915) is found on various censuses under a few different last names: Strosnider, Strawsnider, Snyder, Snider and Stephen.

Margaret was only married once as far as we have found.

That was to an Andrew Stephen. They were married November 16, 1862.
In July 1864 the Woodsfield Spirit of Democracy prints that she has left Andrew.

- We THINK that this Andrew is Andrew Dearth Stephen


Following is a list of her children and their parents:
NOTE (the oldest child is up for debate - it is either Julitte or Elijah
For this list we are going by existing death certificates

1. Julitte Wells (Brownfield) (March 4, 1860 - January 30, 1919)
father: William S. Wells (May 13, 1841 - 1863)
(Nancy Wells- Jacob Stephen's wife's Uncle)
spouse: Romulus K. Brownfield - married June 1, 1878

2. Elijah Baker (November 15, 1865 - November 3, 1937)
father: unknown
spouse: Anna
One of our sources names Elijah as the oldest child. His death cert has the above info.
I moved him ahead of Jacob and below Julitte taking into account all of the info we have.

3. Jacob F. Stephen (August 31, 1863 - July 19, 1932)
father: Andrew Stephen
spouse: Nancy Wells (July 28, 1866 - November 24, 1947)
married December 2, 1886

4. George W. Knox (December 25, 1865 - March 17, 1953)
father: unknown
spouse: Sarah Carpenter (Aunt Sis) (June 14, 1866 - June 6, 1956)

5. John W. Bunting (April 14, 1872 - September 16, 1949)
father: George W. Bunting (August 1, 1854 - January 21, 1918)
spouse: Lucetta Morris (Bunting) (February 11, 1872 - July 1939)

6. Anna Bunting (June 6, 1875 - March 18, 1944)
father: George W. Bunting (August 1, 1854 - January 21, 1918)
spouse: William E. Hayes

7. Elmer J. Dailey (about 1879 - deceased)
father: Peter Dailey

8. Alverine (Dailey) Snider (about January 1883- Januruary 1, 1918)
father: Peter Dailey
spouse: Sarah Bunting (daughter of George W. Bunting / Half sister to Ana Bunting)
married April 4, 1903

We believe that the photo is of Peg and her 8 children starting with perhaps Elijah to her left / our right and then on around Julitte, Jacob, George, John, Anna, Elmer and Alverine.

We are sure of Jacob, George, John, Elmer and Alverine.

At one time while at Aunt Berthie's daughter Mary Alberta's farm Grandma Fitzy had Alberta's son Jan go burn a little black book. He said while Grandma and Bertha were blind he could still feel their eyes burning a hole in his back so instead of taking a peak inside he went ahead and burned the book.

Perhaps there went all of our answers.

The search continues....

Grandma Fitzgerald and first cousin Rose Bunting

This photo is of Grandma Fitzgerald / Rebecca Lillian Stephen (Fitzgerald) and her first cousin Rose Bunting (Huntsman).

Rose was the daughter of John William Bunting. Bill Bunting was one of the younger half brothers to Grandma's father Jacob F. Stephen.

Jacob & Bill had the same mother...Margaret (Peg) Strosnider.

Grandma was born April 27, 1904.

Rose was born in 1908.

More info soon.

Melody's 2nd Birthday (August 29, 1950)

Melody's 2nd Birthday! August 29, 1952.

Not sure where the photo came from, but I found it in my stuff.

Front Row L-R: Joyce, George Jr. , Melody, Carol Jean, Howard Allen (brother to Karen friend of Marg & Ike's family) and Rosetta.

Back Row L-R: Debbie, Mickey, Karen Fulton (sister to Howard / friend of Marg & Ike's family) and Rhonda.

Enjoy!

This was probably taken at Marg & Ike's Farm near Flushing, Oh.

(Thanks to Melody for remembering the Fulton kids)

July 1967 - Cousins at the Cambridge, OH pool

Here it is...The first post! And a good one. Taken by Aunt Doris at the 1967 Fitzgerald Family Reunion in Cambridge, Ohio. The setting is the Cambridge Park Kids Pool.

From Left to Right are my cousins: Jody, Shelly, Timmy, Tracy, Charlene (Flint) and Jolene. The real star of this photo though is the BRIDGE!

Anyone who remembers the pool & bridge will remember swimming under it. Great times with good buddies.