Thursday, December 31, 2009

Joslin Family :: 1820 Ohio Census

As we learned in this July 1969 letter from Irwin Joslin to my Grandmother, he found only one 'Joslin' family enumerated in the 1820 census in Delaware County, Ohio and that was Jonas.

Just to be sure, I recently searched the 1820 Ohio census index at ancestry.com for "Josl*" and got nine results:
  • Ezekiel Joslen is in Tate, Clermont County
  • Mary Joslen in Franklin, Clermont County
  • Phebe Joslen in Franklin, Clermont County
  • Amasa Joslin in Kirtland, Geauga County
  • J J Joslin is in Deerfield, Warren County
  • Jonas Joslin in Liberty, Delaware County
  • Reuben Joslin in Mesopotamia, Trumbull County
  • Wm Joslin in Deerfield, Morgan County
  • J Joslin in Washington, Warren County
And, searching for "Joc*" found a "Luther F B Joclin" in Cincinnati, Hamilton County.

Viewing each of the pages for Liberty and Orange townships in Delaware County confirmed that Jonas Joslin was the only 'Joslin' family enumerated in those townships. Actually, I have viewed the entire Delaware County census on microfilm, looking for other families, and there is indeed only one 'Joslin' family in the county.

The Jonas Joslin household was enumerated in Liberty Township. Jonas is the second name on page 95a. A family history published by Jean Oldham Heuman in 1998/9 states that "there were two sons and five daughters" in the Jonas Joslin family but names are known only for the two sons and two of the daughters: James, Jonas Jr., Elizabeth, and Fanny. I suspect that Mrs. Heuman may have based the number of children in the family on the 1820 census. There are potentially three additional females (one aged 10-15 and two 16-25 in 1820) in the family whose names are unknown.


Based upon what is currently known about the family, the 1820 census enumeration may have included the following:
  • males under 10 = 0
  • males 10 thru 15 = 1 [born 1804-1810...Jonas Jr., 17, born in 1807]
  • males 16 thru 18 = 0
  • males 18 thru 26 = 1 [born 1794-1804...James, 24, born about 1796]
  • males 26 thru 44 = 0
  • males 45 and over = 1 [born before 1775...Jonas Sr., 51, born in 1769]
  • females under 10 = 0
  • females 10 thru 15 = 2 [born 1805-1810...Fanny, about 10, born about 1810; and one other, name unknown]
  • females 16 thru 25 = 3 [born 1794-1804...Elizabeth, 18, born in 1802; and 2 others, names unknown]
  • females 26 thru 44 = 0
  • females 45 and over = 1 [born before 1775...Ruth, wife of Jonas Sr., about 49, born about 1771]
  • Foreigners not naturalized = 0
  • Number of persons engaged in agriculture = 1

Foal in Jacket


Here is the foal in the jacket.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

The Great Houseplant Census of

Mr McGregor's Daughter has suggested a mid-winter diversion - to number and share the houseplants currently in captivity in our dwellings. I'm granting myself a lot of permissions here - #1 is permission to be late! #2 is to count anything that's within the walls for the winter, including some stuff in the garage. #3 is to call everything by its common name instead of trying to hunt down the botanical one.

Our house was built in the late 1970's, with overhangs and a veranda to keep out the sun's heat rather than let its light shine in on leaves. Most of my plants are crowded into the bay window in the breakfast room. In a few feet of space you'll find:
2 water-filled bottles with rooting pieces from an ornamental chartreuse potato vines
1 small cactus from my niece some years ago
2 pots filled with Alligator Plant/Mother of Thousands from DivaAnnie
1 Thanksgiving cactus
1 Thai lime
2 Jade Plants
1 half-dead Pothos
1 Allspice plant - found on an expedition with MSS
1 cyclamen in full bloom
1 Meyer's Lemon tree
2 stapelia plants
1 amaryllis just finishing bloom
3 amaryllis not yet waked up
2 rooted cuttings of Cuban Oregano and
1 rooted cutting of some kind of succulent from Diva Mindy (think she said Donkey's Ears?)
1 badly-treated bonsai fig won in a drawing years ago and
1 salmon geranium that saves many a bloom day.
1 Haworthia does well here -
2 others are not so happy in the nearby laundry room window. Think that adds up to 27 in the kitchen area.


Out in the garage are 1 Mexican Lime, 3 plumerias and 1 piece of plumeria hopefully making roots, 1 more Stapelia/Starfish Flower and 1 Sambac Jasmine.

1 Shell Ginger still has leaves in the garage - it would have died to the ground this year outside. There's 1 small rooted piece of the Angel's Trumpet Brugmansia hiding behind it, bringing us to 36 plants.

Under the skylight in the living room there's 1 large red ceramic bowl that currently holds a ratty looking peace lily rescued from a big box home store. On the other end of the bookcase is 1 large basket of mixed houseplants... the kind you bring home after a funeral and do your best to keep alive.

On a shelf in the bedroom there's just enough light to keep yet 1 more piece of Stapelia/Starfish flower and 1 start of Kalanchoe (also from Diva Mindy) going.

In the guest room 3 more Thanksgiving Cactus hope for an errant sunbeam before the Arizona Ashes releaf. 43?

In the dining room a Staghorn fern pouts and I wonder if it would do better in the cold - instead of counting to 44 I should open the door and put it out on the veranda! Wait - on the other side of the room I forgot an aspidistra/Cast iron plant that also spends time on the porch, and yet 1 more Stapelia. All the Stapelia plants are rooted pieces from a single plant my Aunt Phyll gave me about 1987 or 1988. So I guess that's 46 pots of plants, although some of them have multiple plants in one pot.


If Mr McGregor's Daughter hadn't asked us to count our houseplants would I have noticed that this cactus turned red because its spot against the window glass was very cold in January?

Without her idea would I have thought to not only snap a photo of the venerable original Jade Plant from the front as we see it every day....

but also to pull out the stand and turn it around to capture the cool way the Jade branches have cascaded toward the light? Thanks MMD! The Jade plant has moved with us from house to house and from state to state, ever since we bought it at one of the greenhouses attached to Hausermann's Orchids in Villa Park, Illinois. I don't know if they sell anything but orchids now, but back in the early 197o's Hausermann's had aisles and aisles of houseplants and my sister & I especially liked to walk through and breathe the warm misty air in winter. One fine day about 1974, this Jade Plant came home with me.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Lessons Learned

Larwill, Indiana combined 3rd and 4th grades, 1936-37 class. Mom is the 4 child from the left in the top row, she was in the 3rd grade. Two of her classmates are still good friends and they attended the birthday open house for mom's 80th birthday last Saturday.

Larwill, Indiana was (and still is) a small rural community about six miles west of Columbia City. Mom's family had moved there in 1935 and she attended the Larwill School for the rest of her school years. Classes for all grades, 1st through 12th, were held in one building, which was only a few blocks from their home.

Of course, mom learned reading, writing and arithmetic in school, along with history, home economics and social studies, but she was an "average" student, and according to her she didn't excel in anything, except making friends! Mom was the middle of five children and since their home wasn't far from school, it was the natural gathering place for all of their friends.

Along with the book learning, she learned how to do housework and help take care of her younger sister and brother. Life lessons learned through firsthand experience that served her well when she had children of her own after graduating in 1946.

When the time came for her to go to work outside the home, she was more than ready! Her first paying job was working in a factory, Playtime Products, in Warsaw, where they made toy baby buggies. Then my grandmother opened a restaurant in North Webster and mom went to work there. Her social skills came in quite handy while working with the customers and the other employees. In 1964, the restaurant was sold and mom got a job in another factory, North Webster Products. They made electrical wiring harnesses for refrigerators, freezers and other appliances. It wasn't easy work, but she was good at it. The company went through many changes over the years, but mom made it through all the lay-offs and downsizings and retired in 1993 after 29 years of service.

One of the most important lessons I learned from mom and the secret to her success, she says, was flexibility and a willingness to learn. Whenever she was asked if she had ever done a certain task, which she hadn't ever done before, instead of just saying "no" she always said "no, but I can give it a try" and invariably she would do just fine, not always, but most of the time. Many of her co-workers were women and many of them refused to even try a new task but she was always willing. She wasn't a perfectionist, but she always did the best that she could. Another lesson learned.

This post was written for the 48th Carnival of Genealogy whose topic is "Mom, how'd you get so smart?"

Monday, December 21, 2009

Looking Down on Rainbow Falls


Looking Down on Rainbow Falls, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A wonderful, 101-foot waterfall in Devil's Postpile National Monument. The hike was interesting and the waterfall rewarding!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Cascade on Big Pine Creek


Cascade on Big Pine Creek, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

This cascade is on the North Fork of Big Pine Creek in the Eastern Sierras of California.

The creek, fed by glaciers high in the mountains, flows down through the camp of Glacier Lodge and continues into the town of Big Pine. It really is an amazing creek, rushing and cascading over waterfalls and boulders.

Yes, Mount Rainier is opening

Mount Rainier is going to open this weekend, so get ready everyone! There is a lot of internal moving and shaking in response to the May 5th opening. The park is preparing for crowds, media, and general hoopla. I'm envisioning a rock concert: ardent fans pushed against a barricade eager for the band...

Emailers: I have no advice on how to get into the park earlier than Saturday 10 a.m. Anyway, I hear there is going to be a ribbon cutting ceremony and you wouldn't want to miss that. I realize that it may mess with your alpine start, your day of good skiing, your available day light; but hey, it is Cinco de Mayo. Oh, and if you're climbing the mountain: register at the Jackson Visitor Center, and park overnight in the picnic area (just below the Paradise lower lot). Also,save time by filling out your climbing permit early. Print it out from this website, fill it out, and bring it with you.

It's a challenge trying to compose Mt. Rainier-specific prose given the recent terrible news about Lara Kellogg... Steve Hyde is sharing an incredible photo gallery of Lara over here. I recommend checking it out. This image of Lara Kellogg at Camp Schurman on Mt. Rainier was contributed by Mark Westman, 1996.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Look Out Places


The Nature Center is set up so that there is no way to get up close to the ponds where the ducks and geese hang out the most. It is for the protection of the waterfowls. They are kind of like the things that hunters and reserch people or photogephers set up to get close to birds or animals without being seen that are usually called 'blinds'. They have put up block walls with square holes in them to look out onto the ponds and where you can take photos. All of these and the ones of the previous post with the geese were taken from one of the 'blinds'.







































Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Monday, December 14, 2009

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fuel for the Soul

The first of the iris started coming out of their 'cocoons' late yesterday afternoon and this morning two of them were in full bloom. They are one of my favorite flowers, so delicate and a bit whimsical. Though pretty they have no scent. They are also not the easiest flower to photograph. There are so many aspects to them and the color changes a little depending upon the light.




I cut one Iris and took it inside to get a full view of it. From the petals tip-to-tip the flower is a little over 8" across. Several of the plants are "twins" with two blooms at the top of the stalk. There are 12 plants and most of them have 3 to 4 blooms coming on. Absolutely Gorgeous! flowers to feed the soul...

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday :: Phend Family at South Park

The Phend plot at South Park Cemetery, Whitley County, Indiana.

Henry and Susie Phend, my great grandparents, with their infant son Richard Lincoln.

Virgil Gilbert Phend, son of Henry and Susie.

Rolland Victor Phend, my grandfather, son of Henry and Susie.
My grandfather was 22 years old when his brother Richard was born. He once told me that he was holding little Richard at the time of his death.

Virgil was married to Heneretta Nelson on November 5, 1930. They were divorced six months later. Heneretta then married Virgil's brother, Don Phend, on September 5, 1931. Virgil graduated with the 1922 class of Columbia City High School. Like so many boys and young men, he worked for a while on the Aker onion and potato farm that was then located west of Columbia City. Later he attended an electrical engineering school at the University of Chicago. For a number of years he was associated with his father and brother, Gerald (Dufty) Phend in the building contracting business. Many of the downtown store fronts were renovated while he was an associate of the firm. In 1963 he began working as an architect with Roy McNett Designs, Inc. with whom he was employed at the time of his death.

All photographs taken May 4, .. by Becky Wiseman

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Unsupported Handlebar-Mounted Bags

Redline Conquest

I get a lot of reader questions about front bags, and particularly about whether I've found a good way to carry a bag on the handlebars without using additional support. Short answer: In my experience, it depends on the bike, on how much weight is being carried, and on how the bag is attached to the bars. These factors interact with varied results.






On roadbikes, I have tried carrying unsupported loads on the handlebars using several methods. Bags attached with straps are appealing, because they do not require permanent hardware installation. However, on longer and/or faster rides I find it difficult to keep them from sliding along the handlebars, no matter how tight the straps and how light the load. If the bag slides when I lean on a turn at high speed, it feels distracting and disconcerting, even if it is too light to affect steering.




A few manufacturers have come up with hardware to address this, including the Nitto Bar Sack Rack, the Brooks Cornwall system, andthe Rixen & Kaul KlickFix adapter. The latter I've had a chance to investigate on Pamela Blalock's bikes - who uses it on most of her roadbikes.





TheKlickFix adapter is mounted on the handlebars and remains there when the bag is detached. It is compatible with many bags from different manufacturers, the most popular being the waterproof Ortlieb bags, available in a variety of sizes. This is a very stable system for carrying unsupported weight on the handlebars, and it worked for me with light loads: I felt zero movement. However, when I added my DSLR camera (between 2 and 3lb with lens), I found that I had poor control of the steering. I reported this to the bag's owner, who confirmed that she does not carry that much weight in a handlebar bag on this or on any of her other roadbikes; she uses this system to store lightweight items only.




Of course, it is not clear whether having the weight lower and supported by a rear rack would make any difference on the specific bike I rode. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it very well could. On the other hand, I have seen touring bikes with large, heavily laden bags attached to the bars using this same method, ridden successfully. So the bike does play a role, as, no doubt, does rider sensitivity to high/ unsupported loads.




Po Campo Loop Pannier as Handlebar Bag

With upright city bikes - especially heavily built ones - there is generally more tolerance. I have ridden such bikes with all manner of baskets and bags attached to the handlebars without lower support, and for short distances it's been fine if the weight is only a few pounds. I've even managed to attach my Po Campo pannierto the handebars of a Raleigh DL-1, and ride with this setup with 5lb+ of weight in the bag. The bag does slide side to side and affects steering a bit, but since I am not riding fast or cornering aggressively, it doesn't bother me. The heavier the load, the more likely it is to become problematic. And then again, there are those who simply hang heavy shopping bags off their handlebarsand blithely pedal away.




The general consensus is that carrying weight high on the handlebars and without additional lower support is not ideal. A stable system such as the R&K KlickFix adaptor is probably your best bet, but still there are limits to how much weight will feel comfortable.If you have a success story, do share.Personally, in the absence of a front rack, I prefer to carry weight at the rear of the bike.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Ice Screw length?

Flow Reversal in typical conditions, early Winter.











When the original Chouinard screws came out...you know 30 plus years ago,,,most every one had the rack full of 22 and 28cm screws and maybe a Snarg or tow. A full rack then was 8 may be even 10 screws.



Kinda shocking really just how few screws we used BITD for some fairly steep climbing. Considering it generally took two men and a boy to place the screws of the dayin cold ice.



I don't mind giving an opinion (ya that is obvious) of what I wear or what I think on most things but the tools or crampons that you choose are up to you. Same with the other gear you use. The idea here is info, comparisons and opinions. Choices.The length of screws Ichoose generally depends on the quality of ice. Ice quality isn't something always easily known from the ground when sorting gear. The links below offerssome ice screw infothat has been passed around in the community. That info convinced me to change what I use for ice screw sizes a few years ago.



This is not a blog post I would have ever thought to make but Runar asked so here ya go.









My climbing rack includes BD Express and Grivel Helix screws in the 10cm through 16cm sizes. Generally I like the 13s if given a choice and I have good ice.I'll use a 22 or a 16 for V threads. But prefer a 22.



That said a number of better climbers than I use only 16cm tubes and up foreverything,



More here.



http://www.jjgeng.com/html/body_ice_screw.html



http://www.needlesports.com/catalogue/content.aspx?con_id=095232e4-4caf-49ec-8495-9c9e00a633da





More of Oscaron Flow Reversal in really fat conditions, late winter .







Thursday, December 3, 2009

The 6th of the 6th

Randy's latest bit of Saturday Night Fun is to "go to your My Pictures folder (or the equivalent) and pick out the 6th item in that folder. Then pick out the 6th item in that folder, and so forth, until you get to an actual picture." Then, "post that picture to your blog with an explanation of what the picture depicts, including place and date."

The sixth photo in the sixth folder of the sixth folder of my "Image Files" folder was taken at my grandpa's house in December 1954 and my sister Terry was just learning to walk. Mom has always said "It was her first step" but who knows. A rather appropriate picture though, seeing as how today (January 31st) is her birthday. . .

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Irchester-Wollaston-Doddington crossing-Irchester

9 miles approx. Barry, Gordon, Maureen. Misty, fine weather.





We started from Irchester (Woodlands Road) and took a footpath between two houses, which led us over fields, across the B569 and to Wollaston. We emerged into Wollaston near the Scott Bader factory, and some houses, including one with several chickens in the garden.





































































We walked through Wollaston, past the church which was slightly to the right of our route, and spotted an attractive walled park, once part of the manor house. The seats were tempting, but it was far too early for a break, so we carried on and crossed the A509. We followed the road towards Great Doddington, turning right after a third of a mile or so. Our path turned slightly to the left (north-west), and we took a path between two lakes, and along a track towards Doddington Crossing and the Mill where several narrowboats were moored.







At this point we joined the Nene Way, and followed it along the river into Wellingborough. This was part of my route on August 5th, on a fine hot day!








Wellingborough Embankment - just right for a stop. Thank you for the scones, Maureen!





After a break we carried on along the riverside.(I did a bit of this accidentally on August 16th) Loads of swans, ducks and gulls hang out there. There were a lot of horses grazing. Most of them had manes and tails covered in burrs, like this poor fellow.



When the mainline viaduct came into view we started to make our way towards Chester house.











At this point we joined the Nene Way again (see my walk on Tuesday 16 August).
We walked around to the right of the house to investigate the site of a walled Roman town. We saw part of it, but there may have been more.

Behind Chester House, which is being restored, repaired or rebuilt, is the remains of a walled kitchen garden with conservatory and fruit trees - just out of our reach!



We had to cross the A45. It has a central reservation and path, so is possible with care. Then we took Chester Road, past Townend Farm into Irchester, passing Lower Farm, and a cottage called Cwmnene. We made a small detour to look at the info board in St Katharine's Walk, and to seek out the (very small) Catherine Wheel which is part of the weathervane. Ha ha - wrong lens again ;-)




I like the banded stone effect. The spire is the tallest in the county.

A short walk took us back to the start of the walk.





I was pleased to have walked along part of the Nene I hadn't covered before.




October : Update about Chester Farm site - they may open a heritage centrefor the Roman site.