"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture
and, if possible, speak a few reasonable words." ~Goethe

~ also, if possible, to dwell in "a house where all's accustomed, ceremonious." ~Yeats

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Family History #6:
Lindsey & Carriker

MARY & WILLARD
~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~

1960
1965
1973

Pulling together all previous posts about my parents . . .

Mary Elisabeth Lindsey Carriker, 21 January 1931 - 15 June 2020
Willard Marvin Carriker, 18 July 1923 - 27 June 1987

Siblings Day
My mom and her brother John

Earl's Birthday
My mom's brother Earl

Uncle Rudy & RFK
My dad's brother Rudy

Unforgettable Uncle Gene
My dad's brother Gene

Amelioration: Earth Day
Uncle Gene & Aunt Elaine

Loos'd of Limits: The Open Road
Uncle Gene's photography

My Father's Birthday
My dad's sister Frances

Father's Day
Dad's Printing & Cursive
some inspirational advice

Books My Mom Suggested
a few of her old favorites

Thunderbird
car culture

Dodge Dart & Station Wagons
some family car stories

Time Traveler & Summer Belvedere
Rest in Peace Dad

Sunset and Evening Star
Rest in Peace Mom

Blogs after Mom Died
We Hardly Knew Ye
Lament
An Inheritance of Ephemera

******************

Birthdays & Holidays


Teach Your Children Well
My mother's birthday

German Chocolate Birthday Cake
My dad's birthday cake

Home Made Ice Cream
one of our best & most delicious family traditions

O Christmas Tree Unchanging
Mom's Childhood Christmas Art

Third Sunday of Advent
Dad's Childhood Christmas Poem

******************

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Carriker


Les Vieux

Vintage Thanksgiving

Going For a Walk

Persimmons

Dashing!

Boy Doll & Wish Book

Birthday Cousins

Grandparents Day

*********************

MORE FAMILY STORIES TO COME

in the meantime . . .

Lots of Family Pictures: Calendar 2024
Calendar 2025: #1 ~ #2 ~ #3
Photo Ablums: Gravestones & Grandparents

There's no vocabulary for love within a family,
love that's lived in but not looked at,
love within the light of which all else is seen,
the love within which all other love finds speech.
This love is silent
." ~ T. S. Eliot


ENTIRE SERIES:
Family History #1
Family History #2
Family History #3
Family History #4
Family History #5
Family History #6

Next Fortnightly Post: Family History #7
Friday, August 14th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blogs
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com


Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Family History #5:
Heideman & Lindsey

ROVILLA & PAUL
~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~

In the 1920s
In the 1960s

All the Paul and Rovilla Stories

Ancestors: FN & QK
Paul, Rovilla, and Others

Rovilla
Rovilla's Birth

Cousin Rovilla
Quilt made by Rovilla

Belonging to Rovilla
purse, billfold, and another view of the quilt

Sewing Box Lost Forever
Sewing box, quilt, and doily

Pink Kitchen ~ Blue Kitchen
Rovilla's childhood teacups

Mantelpiece
Rovilla's Lily of the Valley plate

Nina (rhymes with China)
Rovilla's childhood doll

Bonnie & Barbie
more hand-sewn doll clothes

Reach Out and Touch the Hem
Rovilla's childhood dress

Pie Safe
Rovilla's pie safe

Goodbye Old Brown Furniture
Little rocking chair made by Paul

Side by Side Secretary
More furniture from Paul & Rovilla's house

Steamer Trunk
emptied of vintage treasures & restored

Green Beans, Grandmas, and Air Conditioning
Rovilla's Jewel Tea ceramics

Descent Into Kansas
old newspaper clipping from Rovilla

A Moment of Silence
Rovilla notes the death of JFK

Two Fine Families
Heidemanns & Lindseys

A Bright Posterity
In the 1920s

My Shadow and Me
clever shadow pic of Paul

Tuesday Afternoon
Wedding Announcement

The Least Important Day
An "Our Town" Memory

Our Town Redux
If only I could hear her voice again . . .

Grandpa Lindsey
The Favorite

Vintage Boxing Day
Grandpa's Christmas Cards

Tools For Everyday Use
advice from Paul

My Ain Countrie
Paul and the old-time songs

Back When Kansas Was the Wild Wild West!
Lindsey Brothers

Dalton Gang
Dalton Brothers

Leap Day Wizard Dreams
A dream about Grandpa Paul

Day of the Dead
cemetery memories

Signs, Symbols, Souvenirs
funeral memories

Parallax
Funerals on Bloomsday

Transportation Has Undone So Many
RIP ~ tragic train & car accidents

*********************

MORE FAMILY STORIES TO COME

in the meantime . . .

Lots of Family Pictures: Calendar 2024
Calendar 2025: #1 ~ #2 ~ #3
Photo Ablums: Gravestones & Grandparents

There's no vocabulary for love within a family,
love that's lived in but not looked at,
love within the light of which all else is seen,
the love within which all other love finds speech.
This love is silent
." ~ T. S. Eliot


ENTIRE SERIES:
Family History #1
Family History #2
Family History #3
Family History #4
Family History #5
Family History #6

Next Fortnightly Post: Family History #6
Tuesday, July 28th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blogs
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com


Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Family History #4: Catherine Shank

"THE TIME COMES TO ALL OF US"
~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~
Additional ~ Comments

Until two weeks ago, my Great-great-grandmother
Catherine Elizabeth Shank Heideman
(January 20, 1836 - February 19, 1914)
had not appeared on any of my blogs before,
so to get you caught up on her life, here is
her obituary from the Emporia Gazette
February 24, 1914:

"Mrs. Heidemann's maiden name was Catherine Shank. She was born in Germany in 1830, and came to America when she was 13 years old, and settled in Wisconsin, where she was married to William Heidemann in 1853. Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Heidemann, nine of whom survive. They are William Heidemann, of Elk City; Mrs. Jonny Diestelhorst, of Missouri; Mrs. Minnie Tippens and Mrs. Sadie Miller, of California; Mrs. Emma Solsby, Council Grove; Charles Heidemann, Wisconsin; George Heidemann, Washington, Iowa; Mrs. Kate Hammond, Burlington; Mrs. Dora Young, Iowa.

"From Wisconsin, with her family, Mrs. Heidemann went to Iowa, where several years of her life were spent. From there she came to Kansas and Emporia, where she lived for about twenty years, moving from Emporia to Burlington with her daughter, Mrs. Hammond, about fourteen years ago.

"Mrs. Heidemann had known much sorrow. One son, Louie Heidemann, was drowned when 16 years old; in 1887, her husband was accidentally killed at his post of duty; four years ago, a daughter, Mrs. Augusta Golder, died suddenly, and three weeks later, another son, Henry Heidemann, an engineer, of Emporia, was killed."

And in the words of her daughter Minnie:

"Father and Mother were born in Germany -- Father in Berlin, Mother in Hamburg.

"Father was 24 when he came over and Mother was 13. With her mother they went to Wisconsin, a small town called Two River. They met there and got married when Mother was 17. The four oldest children were born there. Father cleared off timber and built a log house I think about 13 miles out of Two Rivers; lived there until the War broke out when he hired a man to take his place, sold out and went to Iowa. Bought a 40 acre farm; lived there. All the rest of us children were born there except Kate, was born in Kansas.

"We sold out in Iowa and bought 160 acres in Kansas. El Dorado, Kansas, is built on that land. He had bad luck, worked so hard on the land. Everything burned up, didn't rain, so he started to work on the railroad there. And from there we went to Emporia, was there until he got killed on the RR. I was only 12 years old then. All us children are two years apart, until there were 12. Mother lived and saw all of them get married. Jennie and Dora were married in Iowa, the rest in Kansas as far as I know; only not Brother Charley, who returned to Wisconsin. All the girls were married at 17 and 18 except Kate, she was 20 and I at 16."


In this 1960 letter to her nieces and nephews,
Minnie includes a complete list of her siblings,
the 12 children of Catherine Elizabeth Shank
and William Henry Heideman
[some families kept the double N, some changed to single N]


William Michael (June 3, 1855 - 1931) [my great - grandfather]
Jennie M. (October 1, 1857 - October 19, 1937)
Dorothy Louise ~ called Dora (March 22, 1859 - ??)
Mary Augusta ~ called Gusta (February 13, 1861 - June 14, 1910)
Henry C. (April 21, 1863 - July 10, 1910
Emma E. (March 30, 1865 - October 11, 1938)
Sadie LaSetta (April 9, 1867 - February 1, 1965)
Louis (April 20, 1869 - June 16, 1884)
George W. (April 25, 1871 - January 6, 1932)
Minnie C. (May 29, 1873 - ??)
Charles L. (September 2, 1875 - June 28, 1961)
Ethel Kathryne ~ called Katie (May 13, 1879 - February 16, 1950)

Minnie writes: "I can't tell you when they died [I added the dates] but all are gone except Setta, me, and Brother Charley; we kinda stick in, none of us too well anymore.

"If you were here, I could tell you more and explain everything. I will tell Pearl
[Setta's daughter] and maybe she knows more but Setta gets things mixed up now, so don't go too much on her. The time comes to all of us. I found the letter from Grandpa's sister, so I will send it to you. It's all in pieces and in German, and I have kept it since I was 12 years old, but I don't suppose you folks can make it out. [I wish I had this letter, but I don't.] I kept Dorothy [Katie's daughter] Hammond's wedding notice and sent it to her some time ago, and she liked it so much.

"Wish I could see you and talk instead of scribbling. I can hardly write on account of my hands. Try and make it out. If I think of anything more I will write it. Ask me. If you can read this, you ought to have a gold medal!"

"Love to all from Aunt Minnie"

The quaint, reflective tone of Minnie's narrative captures both the joy and the sorrow of the family archivist. She knows the family group is aging, running its inevitable course, beyond which some information and some artifacts will be lost forever. Yet, she has not ceased sharing whatever history and lore she can, if only on the outside chance that it might be valued one day by some far-flung younger relatives, hoping for a glimpse, a characterization of their elders.

I feel her keen awareness that "The time comes to all of us." But after that may come another time -- a time in the future when someone will think of you. For Minnie and her siblings, that time is now!

*********************

MORE FAMILY STORIES TO COME

in the meantime . . .

Lots of Family Pictures: Calendar 2024
Calendar 2025: #1 ~ #2 ~ #3
Photo Ablums: Gravestones & Grandparents

There's no vocabulary for love within a family,
love that's lived in but not looked at,
love within the light of which all else is seen,
the love within which all other love finds speech.
This love is silent
." ~ T. S. Eliot


ENTIRE SERIES:
Family History #1
Family History #2
Family History #3
Family History #4
Family History #5
Family History #6

Next Fortnightly Post: Family History #5
Tuesday, July 14th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blogs
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com


Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Family History #3:
Shank & Heideman
Birkinbine & Miller

GRANDMA ROVILLA'S GRANDPARENTS
~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~

MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMOTHER
CATHERINE ELIZABETH SHANK HEIDEMAN
(January 20, 1836 - February 19, 1914)
Catherine was the daughter of

Elizabeth Riefe Shank
(September 11, 1811 - 1880)
~ no photo available ~
Elizabeth & Catherine were both born in Germany
and both came to Two Rivers, Wisconsin in 1849

Catherine was married in 1853
to William Henry Heideman
(April 24, 1822 - July 15, 1887)
~ no photo availale ~
they were the . . .

Parents of William Michael Heideman
(June 3, 1855 - December 18, 1931)
married on March 9, 1886
to Anna Mary Miller
(December 29, 1862 - January 3, 1923)

Grandparents of Mary Rovilla Heideman
(October 8, 1891 - June 14, 1966)
married on March 20, 1927
to Paul Jones Lindsey
(November 4, 1895 - June 11, 1983)

Great-grandparents of my mother
Mary Elisabeth Lindsey Carriker
(January 21, 1931 - June 15, 2020)

Great-great-grandparents of Kitti (b May 24, 1957)
Great-great-great grandparents of Ben (b June 2, 1990)
& Sam (b September 7, 1993)
Great-great-great-great grandparents of Ellie (b August 16, 2020),
Aidan (b May 18, 2022) & Dean (b May 31, 2024)

*********************

MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMOTHER
ELIZABETH BIRKINBINE MILLER
(February 28, 1838 ~ March 28, 1925)
&

MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER
HENRY WISE MILLER
(May 27, 1834 ~ October 29, 1915)
Henry & Elizabeth
were married on September 16, 1856
and were the . . .

Parents of Anna Mary Miller
(December 29, 1862 - January 3, 1923)
married on March 20, 1927
to William Michael Heideman
(June 3, 1855 - December 18, 1931)

Grandparents of Mary Rovilla Heideman
(October 8, 1891 - June 14, 1966)
married on March 20, 1927
to Paul Jones Lindsey
(November 4, 1895 - June 11, 1983)

Great-grandparents of my mother
Mary Elisabeth Lindsey Carriker
(January 21, 1931 - June 15, 2020)

Great-great-grandparents of Kitti (b May 24, 1957)
Great-great-great grandparents of Ben (b June 2, 1990)
& Sam (b September 7 1993)
Great-great-great-great grandparents of Ellie (b August 16, 2020),
Aidan (b May 18, 2022) & Dean (b May 31, 2024)


Above, you see three of my Grandmother Rovilla Heideman Lindsey's four grandparents. That would be three of my sixteen great - great grandparents. The Heidemans and the Millers were assiduous record keepers who have bequeathed to me many comprehensive lists of aunts, uncles, cousins, names, dates; photographs, obituaries, and even souvenirs of human hair (popular in the day).

Previous Posts Featuring the Miller Family

The Birkinbine Millers of Oak Street
Henry & Elizabeth (both above)

Grandmothers in the Stars
Elizabeth (above), Anna Mary, Rovilla

Christian Birkinbine
Elizabeth's Great-great-grandfather

Uncle William Birkinbine Miller
gone too soon

Two Fine Families
Heidemans & Lindseys

Valentines of Yore
& More Vintage Valentines
Going back to 1885

Little Day - Starn
Christening Gown from 1887

Additional Holiday Stories

Mother's Day
Post Mother's Day

Christ in Christmas
The Bird's Christmas Carol
80 Year Old Christmas Presents
Five Kings
Straw to Gold
Mildred's First Christmas Tree
Christmas Ideals
Christmas Eve on the Train

Harvest Home
Autumnal Auth

Songs Our Grandmothers Sang
Missing, Presumed Dead

*********************

TO BE CONTINUED

in the meantime . . .

Lots of Family Pictures: Calendar 2024
Calendar 2025: #1 ~ #2 ~ #3
Photo Ablums: Gravestones & Grandparents

There's no vocabulary for love within a family,
love that's lived in but not looked at,
love within the light of which all else is seen,
the love within which all other love finds speech.
This love is silent
." ~ T. S. Eliot


ENTIRE SERIES:
Family History #1
Family History #2
Family History #3
Family History #4
Family History #5
Family History #6

Next Fortnightly Post: Family History #4
Sunday, June 28th


Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blogs
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com


Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com


P.S. to Empathizer
I am going by these sealed,
matted portrait studio photographs [same as above]
and Rovilla's notation on the back:

Taken the same day: Henry, Elizabeth & Grandchildren
Alice & Nathaniel's four older children:
Edna, Nina, Ruth, and Willie
[Little Alice maybe not born yet]

Thursday, May 28, 2026

Family History #2: Hartman

MY GREAT - GRANDMOTHER'S STORIES
~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~
Sarah Elisabeth Hartman Lindsey (1856 - 1937)
granddaughter of John P. Haddix (1791 - 1888)

As I mentioned two weeks ago my elder son Ben asked for a compilation of all of the familial and ancestral blogposts that I have written over the years. Many of my posts feature my Great - Grandmother Sarah Elisabeth Hartman Lindsey (above), so here's a start:
Your Mother, Her Grandfather
Where Sarah's first child was born

Faded Autographs
Sarah's Autograph Book from 1886 - 1894,
while traveling west in from Indiana to Illinois to Nebraska

Time to Write a Letter
a letter from 1893

Hominy, Horseradish, and Buffalo Bill
Paul's memoirs

Getting Almost Homesick
a letter from 1889

Thus Far Our Experience
a letter from 1893

Talking About the Homestead
a letter from 1893

Missing Ancestors & QK
my great-grandfather's first cousin goes missing

Angel of the Hills
a great uncle goes to World War I

More about Samuel Gordon Lindsey
My Grandfather's Birthday
Back when Kansas was the Wild Wild West!
Uncle Samuel

More War Stories
War Horse
Veterans Eve
JSL's Side of the Story

Great - Grandmother's Day Book
1920

Valentines of Yore
a Valentine to Sarah, 1920s

Where Aunt Mabel Lived
apartments and houses in Kansas City, MO

The Great Aunts
my grandfather's sisters

Mini Saga ~ Grandpa Lindsey
my grandpa and me

*********************

TO BE CONTINUED
in the meantime . . .

Lots of Family Pictures: Calendar 2024
Calendar 2025: #1 ~ #2 ~ #3
Photo Ablums: Gravestones & Grandparents

There's no vocabulary for love within a family,
love that's lived in but not looked at,
love within the light of which all else is seen,
the love within which all other love finds speech.
This love is silent
." ~ T. S. Eliot


ENTIRE SERIES:
Family History #1
Family History #2
Family History #3
Family History #4
Family History #5
Family History #6

Next Fortnightly Post: Family History #3
Sunday, June 14th


Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blogs
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com


Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Family History #1:
Lindsey & Haddix

THE OLDEST PHOTOS
~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~

MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMOTHER
MARTHA B. WORK LINDSEY (1794 - 1877)
&

MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER
SAMUEL B. LINDSEY (1789 - 1883)
Samuel & Martha
were married on September 6, 1814
and were the . . .

Parents of Robert David Lindsey (1815 - 1901)
married to Mary Sankey (1815 - 1892) in 1839
[no pictures available of Robert Lindsey or Mary Sankey]

Grandparents of James Sankey Lindsey (1846 - 1921)
married on April 22, 1877
to Sarah Elisabeth Hartman (1856 - 1937)

Great -Grandparents of Paul Jones Lindsey (1895 - 1983)
married on March 20, 1927
to Mary Rovilla Heideman (1891 - 1966)

Great-great-grandparents of my mother
Mary Elisabeth Lindsey Carriker (1931 - 2020)

*********************

MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER HADDIX
Osborn, Ohio ~ Homestead of my great-great-great grandparents
John P. Haddix (1791 - 1888) ~ in photo above
& Sarah Elizabeth Cox (1798–1860) ~ sadly, no photo available
Married March 29, 1817

John & Sarah were the . . .

Parents of Sarah Elizabeth Haddix (1826 - 1861)
married on June 4, 1850
to Charles Gordon Hartman (1824 - 1897)
[Sarah Haddix ~ picture below; Charles Hartman ~ sadly, none available]

Grandparents of Sarah Elisabeth Hartman (1856 - 1937)
[picture below]
married on April 22, 1877
to James Sankey Lindsey (1846 - 1921)

Great-grandparents of Paul Jones Lindsey (1895 - 1983)
[picture below]
married on March 20, 1927
to Mary Rovilla Lindsey (1891 - 1966)

Great-great-grandparents of my mother
Mary Elisabeth Lindsey Carriker (1931 - 2020)
[picture below]


Tracing the family tree, most humans have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, 16 great - great - grandparents, 32 great - great - greats, 64 greats x4, 128 greats x5, 256 greats x6, 512 greats x7, and so on and so forth.

Above, you see only three of my Grandfather Paul Lindsey's eight great - grandparents. That would be a mere three of my thirty - two great - great - great grandparents. These are the oldest pictures in my possession -- all three ca. 1870 -- so I picked them as a starting point for fulfilling a couple of requests from my elder son Ben: to arrange a collection of old family photographs and to compile all of my blogposts featuring the various ancestors.

Remarkably, just this week,
my cousin Linda F. D. shared with me
this even earlier picture (1850 or before)
a painting of John Haddix's daughter:

MY GREAT- GREAT - GRANDMOTHER HARTMAN
Sarah Elizabeth Haddix Bacon Hartman (1826 - 1861)
daughter of John P. Haddix (1791 - 1888)

along with this explanation
written to Linda's mother Sally
from our Great Aunt Mabel


Sarah Elizabeth's fourth child, born in Indiana
MY GREAT- GRANDMOTHER LINDSEY
Sarah Elisabeth Hartman Lindsey (1856 - 1937)
granddaughter of John P. Haddix (1791 - 1888)


Sarah Elisabeth's first child, born back in Ohio,
in the house shown above
MY GREAT - AUNT MABEL
Bertha Mabel Lindsey (1880 - 1968)
great - granddaughter of John P. Haddix (1791 - 1888)


Sarah Elisabeth's seventh child & 4th son,
born in a covered wagon in Oklahoma Territory,
MY GRANDFATHER PAUL JONES LINDSEY
Paul Jones Lindsey (1895 - 1983)
great - grandson of John P. Haddix (1791 - 1888)


Paul's second child and only daughter
MY MOTHER MARY ELISABETH LINDSEY CARRIKER
Mary Elisabeth Lindsey (1931 - 2020)
great - great - granddaughter of John P. Haddix (1791 - 1888)

*********************

TO BE CONTINUED
in the meantime . . .

Lots of Family Pictures: Calendar 2024
Calendar 2025: #1 ~ #2 ~ #3
Photo Ablums: Gravestones & Grandparents

There's no vocabulary for love within a family,
love that's lived in but not looked at,
love within the light of which all else is seen,
the love within which all other love finds speech.
This love is silent
." ~ T. S. Eliot


ENTIRE SERIES:
Family History #1
Family History #2
Family History #3
Family History #4
Family History #5
Family History #6

Next Fortnightly Post: Family History #2
Thursday, May 28th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blogs
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com


Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com