Sonoma County

Copples in the News — Looking for Grandpa Copple before the Internet

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The grandfather in this story I believe to be my own 3rd great granddad, Benjamin Franklin Copple, an Indiana native, who did in fact live in Arizona (near Sedona) in the later years of his life.

Mrs Antolla wants info

Mrs. Antolla (1882 – 1951) was Annie Bernice (Clark) Antolla, wife of Fred, and daughter of James Henry Hall Clark (1852-1912) and Annie B Copple (c 1859 – 1882).  Annie was one of four (or possibly five) daughters of Ben Franklin Copple and Phoebe Harvey; her younger sister Elizabeth (aka Libby) was my great-great grandma.

When Phoebe (Harvey) Copple died ca 1862, leaving behind children no older than 10 years old, Ben farmed them out to folks in the area (Sonoma County, California).   

Annie lived in the Ransom Petray household in Russian River Township in 1870, two households away from James Clark, whom she later married.  She gave birth to Annie Bernice in Feb 1882, and died the next day.

Ben, the missing grandfather, was found in Mendocino County in 1870, as a “single” man doing mining work.  By 1876, though, he was down in Yavapai County, Arizona, where he lived out the rest of his life, marrying a Native American of the Modoc tribe and having 3 sons.

Interestingly, this post is dated February 1908.  In the 10 September 1908 issue of Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar, on page 2, column 2, there is a short article about B.F. Copple and son Bert of Arizona visiting Healdsburg, where daughter Mrs. Mary [Copple] Long resided.   Mary was the only daughter still alive then, but did she have any contact with her niece Annie (Clark) Antolla?  And, if so, was Annie there to also meet her grandfather?

 

 

“Information Wanted,” Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) 16 Feb 1908, pg 6, col 2;
Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 September 2019)

Copples in the News – Maggie gets married

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Margaret “Maggie” Copple (1861 – 1929) was the daughter of Samuel Copple and Mary Ann Rhoades.  Mary Ann herself had Copple blood, being the daughter of David D Rhoades and Celia Copple.  She is related to me on 3 lines: her maternal grandmother’s line (Copple), her father’s paternal grandfather’s line (Copple, obviously) and her father’s paternal grandmother’s line (Wright).

She and her family moved to Mendocino County, California during the 1870s, and married Samuel Duncan in Nov 1881 in Cloverdale, Sonoma County, California.  They would have 5 children, per the 1900 Federal Census, but only two would outlive Maggie.

Copple-Duncan

“Local Items,” Cloverdale Reveille (Cloverdale, California), 26 Nov 1881, pg 5, col 2;
Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 Sept 2019)

1900 U.S. census, Mendocino County, California, population schedule, Enumeration District (ED) 75, Sanel, page 3, dwelling 51, Samuel Duncan household; digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1900usfedcen/: accessed 23 Sep 2019); citing National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication T623, roll 93.

 

 

Throwback Thursdays #tbt #wedding – My Maternal Grandparents

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This photo is of my mother’s parents on their wedding day in Healdsburg, Sonoma, California on 22 November 1934.  My grandmother Elizabeth was just 20 years old (as of June that year) and my grandfather James was also 20 (as of October that year).

I believe they are standing in front of my great-grandparents’ house off Dry Creek Road, just west of Healdsburg.  The house was originally built by my great-great granddad Peter Holst after he and his wife Caroline and little girl Annie arrived in the area circa 1877 from where they had lived in Connecticut.

Throwback Thursdays #tbt – Christian Fredson and family

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Christian Alfred Fredson (aka Chris) was one of my relatives on my Danish side, related to me through my maternal grandmother’s father.  In fact, my great-grandpa Charlie Holst was a first cousin of Chris.

In this photo, on the front porch of their home in Geyserville, Sonoma County, California — I do not know if the house is still standing — Chris is the young man on the left.  He was born in 1891, a few years after my great-grandfather, and is probably in his late 20’s in this photo.

His mother, Sophie (Thomsen) Fredson is to Chris’ left.  Sophie was my great-grandfather Charlie’s maternal aunt, a younger sister of Caroline (Thomsen) Holst.  Sophie was born in 1860 in the Danish duchy of Slesvig, just a few years before Bismarck invaded, and that land became part of what is now Germany.  (Sophie died in 1924; therefore this photo was taken no later than that year.)

Fredson2400dpi

Seated on the steps is Chris’ wife Geneva (Eagle)Fredson (1891-1973).  Next to Geneva is their first-born son, Leonard, who was born in 1914, and looks to be about 2 years old (so the photo was likely taken around 1916.)

Behind Geneva and Leonard are 3 older adults.  I am presuming that the man with white whiskers and the woman are Geneva’s parents, but cannot confirm that.  The man wearing suspenders and seated in what might be a rocking chair is Israel Fredson.  He was Chris’s dad, born in Sweden (somewhere!) in 1850.

Chris Fredson had an older sister, Hilda, who never married, and an older brother Charles, who had one daughter.  Chris and Geneva had 3 children: the aforementioned Leonard, a daughter Anna (1918-1925), and a son Donald (1919-2007).

Who is the Mother of Samuel Englehart?

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sam

Sam Englehart, my great-great grandfather

Samuel A Englehart was born in March 1852 (or possibly 1853) in Missouri, likely in Jasper County, and traveled with his family to California in 1856.  The family settled in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, and Sam lived out the rest of his life there, growing up, getting married in December 1878 and raising a family, and finally dying in November 1925[1].  He gave his age as 26 on his marriage record, dated 22 December 1878.[2]  His daughter Hazel gave his birthdate as 21 March 1852 for his death certificate[3] and his age at death as 73 in various obituaries[4], which, for a November 1925 death, would correspond to an 1852 birth date.  However, other records (discussed below) seem to imply an 1853 birth date.  No document yet found names his mother, who reportedly died on the California Trail.[5]  However, it is very likely his mother was Hannah Hill, (born circa 1828 – died 1856) whom his father James married in Guernsey County, Ohio, in 1846.[6]

James, the Probable Father of Sam

After Sam’s father James Englehart died on 29 March 1890, an obituary was published in the Sonoma County Tribune, which gave a brief biography of James’ life and named his 3 surviving children: Sam, his older sister Eliza, and his older brother, Andrew.  James’ late wife is not mentioned.[7]

The obituary’s biographical information was likely provided to the Sonoma County Tribune by one of James’ children, probably Sam or his sister Eliza.  Other salient facts in the obituary include:

  • Born in Pennsylvania, 17 June 1821
  • When young, moved to Ohio, and lived there until 1848.
  • Moved to Missouri in 1848, remaining there 8 years until 1856.
  • 1856 went west to California, settling in Healdsburg

Therefore, we could expect to find James Englehart in the Healdsburg area for the 1880, 1870 and 1860 census enumerations, and somewhere in Missouri for the 1850 census enumeration, when he would have been 28 years old, and quite likely already married.  He was either married in Missouri or in Ohio.

James Englehart died intestate, and in the Decree of Distribution of the Estate on 26 Jan 1891, the administrator, Joseph Winder, names James’ three surviving children:[8] Andrew Allison Englehart, Samuel Adams Englehart, and Mrs. Eliza Ellen Winder[9].  The property inherited by and distributed to the three children is also listed, specifically land: the South half of the Southwest Quarter of Section 15, the Northeast quarter of the Northeast Quarter of Section 21, and the Northwest quarter of the Northwest Quarter of Section 22, all within Township 9 North, Range 11 West of the Mt. Diablo Meridian.  This acreage is the same land that Sam sold to his father on 27 Nov 1886.[10]  Sam originally received this land on 10 October 1882, under the Homestead Act of 1862.[11]

On the same day Sam sold his homestead land to James, James in turn sold a lot in the town of Healdsburg to Sam.[12]  The lot sold to Sam was adjacent to a lot James deeded also on the same day to his daughter Eliza Ellen Winder [13].  In deeding the lot to Eliza Ellen, James specifically refers to her as his daughter, giving her the land “in consideration of the love and affection which [James] bears for [Eliza Ellen]”.

Census Enumerations for the James Englehart household

Turning to the census enumerations for the period of 1850-1880, can we link Samuel, Eliza Ellen and Andrew with James Englehart, and potentially a wife? Sam’s relationship to James (as James’ son) is identified in the 1880 census enumeration[14].  While the informant for this census is not known – it could be James, Sam, or Sam’s wife Libbie — the 1880 census is the only document yet found which states the relationship between Sam and James, and was created during James’ lifetime.

The information provided for James correlates with his obituary; he was listed as being born in Pennsylvania, and was 58 years old, which is correct for a June 1 enumeration date if he was born on June 17.  He was also listed as widowed.

1850 Census[15] 1860 Census[16] 1870 Census[17] 1880 Census
James Englehart, 28, Penn James Englehart, 37, Penn James Englehart, 49, Ohio Jas. Englehart, 58, Penn. Widowed.
Hannah Englehart, 22, Ohio
Andrew Englehart, 2, Ohio Andrew Englehart, 13, Ohio Andrew Englehart, 22, Ohio
Eliza E, 10, Missouri Eliza E, 19, Missouri
Samuel A, 7, Missouri Samuel A, 17, Missouri Sam A., 27, Missouri.  Son
John E R, 5, Missouri
Libbie, 18, Calif., dau-in-law

 

In 1870, the census taker arrived at the house on 15 July.  James was already 49 at that point, and his birthplace is given as Ohio – where he did reportedly live – so it is possible one of his children provided the information on his behalf.  Also on this census, the 3 children named in the probate decree are residing with James. Sam, at age 17, was exactly 10 years younger than in 1880, and very likely to be the same person as the Sam who resided in the James Englehart household in 1880.

In 1860, the information provided to the census taker is in line with the family information as enumerated in 1870.  There is a fourth child, John, 5 years old and born in Missouri, who was not enumerated in later censuses.  He died in December 1865, at the age of 10, and is buried in Healdsburg’s Oak Mound Cemetery, where his gravestone inscriptions states he is the “son of Jas. & Hannah Englehart”.[18]  Sam was listed as aged 7, which corresponds to an 1853 birthdate, if he was born in March (as his daughter Hazel Holst stated in his obituary).  Sam consistently aged by 10 years for the two censuses following 1860. If he (or his father)  provided the information, it is inconsistent with Sam’s marriage record, and the information provided by his daughter Hazel Holst after his death, in that it implies an 1853 birth year.

Finally, in 1850, the James Englehart household consisted of James and Hannah, as well as a 2 year old child Andrew, almost certainly the Andrew enumerated with James in 1860 and 1870, as well as named as surviving heir and child of James in the probate distribution decree.  A marriage record for James Englehart and Hannah Hill, married 10 December 1846, was found in Guernsey County, Ohio.[19] This marriage date is in line with a first child being born sometime in 1848 (month unknown) and Andrew Allison Englehart appears to be that first child.

Summing up with a compilation of the stated and implied relationships of Sam and his siblings to James and to Hannah, the wife of James, in the chart below points to the likelihood that Hannah (Hill) Englehart, born circa 1828 in Ohio, and who died on the trip out to California in 1856, was the mother of all of James’ children.

 

Child’s Name Relationship to James Relationship to Hannah, wife of James
Andrew Allison Englehart Named as James’ child in James probate decree.  Sibling relationship with Eliza and Sam implied.

 

Is in the James Englehart household from 1850 through 1870.

 Resided with Hannah and James in 1850 per the census.

Hannah, as wife of James, is the implied mother of Andrew.

 
Eliza Ellen (Englehart) Winder Named as James’ daughter in 27 Nov 1886 deed.  (James the likely informant.)

Named as James’ child in James probate decree. Sibling relationship with Andrew and Sam implied.

 

Is in the James Englehart household in 1860 and 1870.

 

 

 No document found directly associating her with Hannah, but she lived with Andrew, who was enumerated with Hannah in 1850, and also with John, whose gravestone states he is son of James and Hannah.
Samuel Adams Englehart Named as James’ son in 1880 census.  (James the possible informant.)

 

Named as James’ child in James probate decree.  Sibling relationship with Andrew and Eliza implied.

 

Is in the James Englehart household for the census year 1850 through 1880.

 

 

 No document found directly associating him with Hannah, but he lived with Andrew, who was enumerated with Hannah in 1850, and also with John, whose gravestone states he is son of James and Hannah.

Implied sibling relationship with Eliza per her obituary; information likely provided by Sam himself.[20]

 
John E Englehart Named as James’ son on his gravestone.

 

In same household in 1860 with James, and the 3 children named as James’ children in probate in 1891.

 

 Named as Hannah’s son on his gravestone.

 

 

In conclusion, Sam was named as James’ son in the 1880 census, and in James’ probate, and was linked with James particularly in census records and land records. He was also linked with Eliza Ellen (Englehart) Winder, named as James’s daughter, throughout his life.  As stated in his obituary, his sister was the “late Mrs. David [sic] Winder” and Sam lived on the Winder property in the last few years of his life, and Eliza Ellen deeded the property to him just before she died.[21]  Reference to this deed was found in a Healdsburg newspaper online.[22] However, Sonoma County deeds after 1901 are not online, and would have to be accessed in Santa Rosa, California.  The deed would be worth reviewing on a future research trip to see if Eliza Ellen names Sam as her brother.

Given that James Englehart married Hannah Hill, and their youngest child John is identified as a son of James and Hannah, and their oldest child Andrew was found in the household with James and Hannah in 1850, and Eliza Ellen was identified as James’ daughter during his life in conveying property to her, and Sam was named as James’ son in the 1880 census enumeration, it is likely that the mother of Sam was James’ wife, Hannah (Hill) Englehart.

[1] “Pioneer Dies After Seventy Years Here, ” Healdsburg Tribune (Healdsburg, California), 7 November 1925, page 1, column 6; digital images, California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside, (http://cdnc.ucr.edu : accessed 30 October 2018).

[2] Sonoma County, California, Marriage records, Volume F, page 205, Sam Englehart and Libbie Jewell, 22 Dec 1878; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-MJ1N-R?i=19&cc=1804002 : accessed 29 October 2018), image 20; citing FHL microfilm 1,031,224.

[3] Sonoma County, California, death certificate state file no. 25-053875, Samuel A. Englehart (6 November 1925), informant Hazel Holst; Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder, Santa Rosa.

[4] “Sam Englehardt Resident for 70 Years, Crosses, ” Sotoyome Scimitar (Healdsburg, California), 7 November 1925, page 1, column 6; digital images, California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside, (http://cdnc.ucr.edu : accessed 30 October 2018).

[5] “Pioneer Local Woman is Dead, ” Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar  (Healdsburg, California), 11 March 1920, page 6, column 3; digital images, California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside, (http://cdnc.ucr.edu : accessed 30 October 2018).

[6] Guernsey County, Ohio, Marriage records, Volume D 1844-1864, page 100, item 5033, James Englehart and Hannah Hill, 10 December 1846; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/004701460?cat=265414 : accessed 29 October 2018), image 83; citing FHL microfilm 894,936.

[7] “Obituary – James Englehart, ” Sonoma County Tribune (Healdsburg, California), 5 April 1890, page 3, column 6.

[8] Sonoma County, California, Probate Minutes [of] Superior Court, volume 14, p. 44-47, Decree of Distribution of Estate of James Englehart, 26 January 1891; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007601408?cat=614908 : accessed 29 October 2018), images 350-351; citing FHL microfilm 1,428,306.

[9] Sonoma County, California, Marriage records, Volume F, page 205, Joseph Winder and Eliza Ellen Englehart, 15 Sep 1878; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/004666584?cc=1804002&cat=239451 : accessed 29 October 2018), image 638; citing FHL microfilm 1,031,223.

[10] Sonoma County, California, Deeds 102:581-582, Sam Englehart to James Englehart, 27 November 1886; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS5L-2QD5-J?i=831&cat=613304 : accessed 29 October 2018), images 833-834; citing FHL microfilm 1,420,591.

[11] Samuel A. Englehart (Sonoma County) homestead file, final certificate no. 8307, San Francisco, California, Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; photocopy of file in possession of Cathy Dempsey; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[12] Sonoma County, California, Deeds 102:583-584, James Englehart to Sam Englehart, 27 November 1886; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS5L-2Q6Q-D?i=832&cat=613304 : accessed 29 October 2018), images 833-834; citing FHL microfilm 1,420,591.

[13] Sonoma County, California, Deeds 108:81-82, James Englehart to Eliza Ellen Winder, 27 November 1886; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS52-R9TL-8?cat=613304 : accessed 29 October 2018), images 693-694; citing FHL microfilm 1,420,597.

[14] 1880 U.S. census, Sonoma County, California, population schedule, Enumeration District 128, Healdsburg, page 1A, (stamped) page 183, dwelling 8, family 8, Jas. Englehart household; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6742 : accessed 29 October 2018); citing National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication T9, roll 84.

[15] 1850 U.S. census, Jasper County, Missouri, population schedule, District 41, page 53 (penned), page 385 (stamped), dwelling 354, no family number, James Englehart household; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8054 : accessed 29 October 2018); citing National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M432, roll 402.

[16] 1860 U.S. census, Sonoma County, California, population schedule, Mendocino Township, page 80 (penned), page 467 (stamped), dwelling 640, family 640, James Englehart household; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7667 : accessed 29 October 2018); citing National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M653, roll 69.

[17] 1870 U.S. census, Sonoma County, California, population schedule, Healdsburg, Mendocino Township, page 20 (penned), dwelling 175, family 161, James Englehart household; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7163 : accessed 29 October 2018); citing National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M593, roll 91.

[18] Ancestry, Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 29 October 2018), memorial 43428210, John E Englehart (1855- 1865), Oak Mound Cemetery, Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California; gravestone photograph by Susan Faught.

[19] Guernsey County, Ohio, Marriage records, Volume D 1844-1864, page 100, item 5033, James Englehart and Hannah Hill, 10 December 1846; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/004701460?cat=265414 : accessed 29 October 2018), image 83; citing FHL microfilm 894,936.

[20] “Pioneer Local Woman is Dead,” Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar, 11 March 1920, page 6, col. 3.

[21] “Sam Englehardt Crosses, ” Sotoyome Scimitar, 7 November 1925, page 6, col. 1.

[22] “Deeds, ” Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California), 17 March 1920, page 12, column 2; digital images, California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside, (http://cdnc.ucr.edu : accessed 30 October 2018).

Charles Holst: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, #3

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  My great-granddad Charles Holst was one of 3 great-grandparents who were alive when I was born, and one of 2 I can actually remember, although the memory is fuzzy.  Grandpa Charlie (so-called by my aunt and uncles to differentiate him from the other grandparents) was born in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California, on 18 October 1884, to Peter Holst, who was 37, and Caroline (Thomsen) Holst, who was 41.

Charlie had an older sister, Annie, born in 1875, an older sister Mary born in 1881.  Another son, named Peter, was stillborn a year before Charlie was born.  Reportedly, there was another brother, George, who was born in 1885, but I have found no records backing up his existence.

CharlieWithSpirit

Grandpa Charlie Holst with his horse named Spirit

The Holsts did not live in town, but instead on a ranch on Dry Creek Road, about 4 miles from Healdsburg proper, back in the hills.   Charlie’s father had a vineyard and a winery; the winery remained in production until Prohibition.

GrandpaCharlieandChasMoisan

Charlie Holst (left) with Charles Moisan, his wife’s brother-in-law

Grandpa Charlie’s parents were ethnically Danish, having both been born in the Duchy of Slesvig near Flensburg – an area which is now in Germany, and, in fact, became part of Bismarck’s Prussian Empire before they immigrated to the United States.

There is little I know about my great-grandfather.  I don’t know if he spoke Danish in addition to English.  I don’t know where he went to school, if he went to school at all – presumably there was a local school in the Healdsburg area.  I don’t know how he met the woman he would marry, Hazel Hannah Englehart, but possibly it was through her father, who reportedly built (or painted?) the Holst farm house, as he was a painter and carpenter. 

In any case, I had always been told that Charlie and Hazel married in January 1908, in Marin County, just south of Petaluma.  But when I ordered a copy of their marriage record, I discovered they married on 28 January 1909.  Their firstborn, a son named Charles (Junior) and called “Sonny”, was born just 6 months later on 2 August 1909. 

Their next child was my grandmother, Elizabeth, born in June 1914.  Another son, William, was born in 1921, and then a stillborn baby girl in 1928.

With Prohibition arriving in 1920, Charlie and his father ripped out all the vineyards they were cultivating, and starting growing plum trees.  Charlie’s father, a viticulturist, died before the repeal of Prohibition, as did his mother.  Charlie remained on the land, and made a living off the land until he died in 1968.

His children grew up and moved away, one serving in World War II and another having a family in Sonoma County, then divorcing his wife, and later moving to Oregon with his second wife.

HolstFamily1961

The Holsts in 1961.  L to R: Hazel (Englehart) Holst, Grace (Proden) Holst, Bill Holst (with dog), Charlie Holst, Charlie Holst Jr. (aka “Sonny”)

Their land off Dry Creek Road was where we visited when I was a four year old.  I remember the pink house they lived in, the sunshine, the hills which seemed to hug the house they were so close.  I remember going outside, and seeing my great-grandpa in the vegetable garden they had alongside the house, wearing denim overalls.   Although my mom tells me both my great-grandparents saw me as a baby, before we moved to Florida, that is my only memory of my great-granddad.  He died 2 years later in April 1968, and is buried in Oak Mound Cemetery in Healdsburg.

Genealogy Goals for 2019

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I’ve never been one for rigid goal-setting, or resolutions. (Hey, my Myers-Briggs type is INFP — and we “P” people like to keep our options open!)

That being said, I’m in a fairly unstructured time in my life right now; a little structure will keep me focused. And the cherry on top is to post my plans here.

Here’s to an awesome 2019! Happy New Year!

Education and Development Comments
BU (online class) for Certificate of
Genealogical Research		 completed Dec. 2018
IGHR (Athens, GA) week of July 21, 2019;
registration opens 2 Mar 2019
Texas Institute of Genealogical
Research 2019		 week of June 9, 2019
Legacy Tree webinars focus on BCG-sponsored
Community and Colleagues  
join Assn of Professional
Genealogists 		done!!
renew Indiana Genealogical Society membership done!!
renew NGS membership done — 2 year renewal
join Tx State Genealogical Society done!!
start attending DGS meetings and
DNA SIG meetings		 attend meetings regularly in 2019
Writing (high-level)  
Evaluate: what do I know and
how do I know it?		 for key (aka “brick wall”) ancestors
Formulate a research question and a research plan for each of the
“brick wall” ancestors (above)		  
Write up GPS proof summaries (or narratives) for each research question I’ve asked (and think I’ve answered) re: my ancestors’ lives  
DNA  
Continue mapping my
chromosomes		 my favorite thing!
Copple (family line) project  
Ask other cousins if they will
consider testing		  
Long-Range  
submit my lineage to Sonoma
County Genealogical Society for a
certificate (if approved)		 by the end of 2019
submit an article to NGSQ this is at least a year away
get my CG designation — or my AG designation this is at least a year away
enroll in and complete ProGen
study course		 typically a 6 month wait list, after
you enroll. Offered 3 x a year.
   

Elizabeth Holst Diamantini: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, #1

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This is what I know about my maternal grandmother — nearly nothing.

Elizabeth died young – 2 months past her 26th birthday –likely from deep vein thrombosis, as she she had been in the hospital lying in bed for 8 days after delivering a stillborn baby girl in Tracy, California, in August 1940.

My mother was only 4 at the time, and her only real memory of her mother was the day she came home from the hospital.   Her memories, as she’s told them to me, are like snapshots: My grandmother was helping my mother wash up for bed when she slumped over; the next thing my mother remembers is her own grandmother, Hazel, yelling to her, “Go get your father!”  And, finally, she remembers her father bringing her into the bedroom, where Elizabeth’s body was laid out on the bed, and was told to kiss her mother good-bye.  She didn’t want to – her mother was so still, with her skin growing cool.  It was scary.

And in the years afterward, no one talked about it.  No one.  Not her dad.  Not her grandmother Hazel, who buried her only daughter.  Not her granddad Charlie.  Not her uncle Bill, or uncle Sonny, who survived their sister.  That’s life, we can’t change the past, let’s move on.  You didn’t know her, how can you mourn?

The mystery of my grandmother’s existence – what was she like?  Who were her people?  — was really what drove me to genealogy.

Elizabeth May Holst was the middle child and only daughter of Charles and Hazel (Englehart) Holst, born on 25 June 1914, in Healdsburg, Sonoma, California.   Her brother Charles Junior (aka “Sonny”) was 5 years older, and her brother William (“Bill”) was 9 years younger.    There was a fourth child – a girl – stillborn in 1928.

Elizabeth’s parents referred to her as “Honey”; in her later years, her brothers-in-law would call her “Betty”.   (“Betty” is how I think of her, too, since I knew my grandfather’s brothers, and never knew her as a grandmother.)

Elizabeth_6thgradeClass - Copy

The girl circled in yellow is my grandmother, in the 6th grade.

Betty attended Healdsburg High, graduating in 1932.  I know she took Home Economics, as my mom has a bound set of handwritten notes and recipes Betty wrote down from class.

Eliz_Classmates_Nov1930

She may have taken music classes; in the above photo, taken in November 1930, she is playing the mandolin (third from right).

Grandma Mandolin

Grandma’s mandolin

Above is Betty’s mandolin, currently in my mom’s possession, on a rocking chair which belonged to Betty, and resting on a quilt Betty made.

Here is Elizabeth at 17, her senior picture:

Eliz age 17 - Copy

And below, is a photo from her high school graduation day.  She is at the ranch off Dry Creek Road, near Healdsburg.

Elizabeth_HSGraduation - Copy

It was in high school that Betty met James Diamantini, a first-generation American, whose parents were Italian Catholic immigrants from the Marche province of Italy.

Eliz and James - Copy

James and Elizabeth got married on 22 November 1934 in Healdsburg.  Elizabeth converted to Roman Catholicism prior to their marriage, and took the confirmation name of Catherine.  The strong Protestant heritage of my grandmother was something new I learned in my research and may explain why my great-grandmother did not attend her daughter’s wedding.

MyGrandparents_WeddingDay - Copy

My grandparents on their wedding day.

After the wedding, my grandparents moved down to Tracy, California, in San Joaquin County,  where they ran a gas station.

Elizabeth at Gas Station

It was in Tracy where my mother was born about 16 months after my grandparents were married.

MomandherMother

Mom, as a baby, with her mother.

My grandmother got pregnant a second time in 1940; unfortunately, the baby girl was stillborn in August 1940 in Tracy.  Sadly, my grandmother passed away a week after the stillbirth, the day she came home from the hospital.  She was only 26 years old; my mother was just 4.

ElizDiamantini_Obit

Elizabeth is buried in Oak Mound Cemetery, in Healdsburg.