Posts Tagged ‘Breneman’

Mrs.Fannie I. Breneman Obituary
Oakland Tribune
22 April 1947

Fannie Breneman Obituary Transcription

Funeral Rites for Physician’s Widow

El Cerrito, April 22 – Funeral rtes are scheduled at 1:30 today for Mrs. Fannie I. Breneman, 84, widow of Dr. Joseph T. Breneman, pioneer Contra Costa County physician. She died Saturday following an extended illness.

A native of Illyria, Iowa, she had resided in Califonia for 57 years, and in this community for the past 35.

Surviving are four daughters, Miss Fay Breneman, Miss Hazel Breneman, and Mrs. Eula Staley, all of El Cerrito, and Mrs. Frances West of Craddockville, Virginia, two sons, George H. of Martinez and Flint Breneman of Los Angeles.

Services will be conducted at Wilson and Kratzer Chapel. Inurnment at Sunset View Crematory will follow.

I love it when I can add another piece to the family genealogy puzzle, and finding this obituary was the work of a snowy winter day when I had a flu bug, so finding an obituary that had been evading me made the day a lot better.

Now, if I could just find her husband’s obituary, that would be awesome!

Grand Army of the Republic

John Goldy Post #90 – Milan, Kansas

Muster Roll of Members of this Post Mustered or Admitted by Transfer During the Six Months ending the ______ day of _____ __ [this was not filled in in the digitized copy]

W. T. Boatright

B. L. Beebe

H. L. Benedict

M. L. Emery        Age: 58      Born: New York  Entry into Service: Aug 1864 Rank: Res           Co: D         3 Col Cavalry      Date: Dec 1864

C Breneman       Age: 59      Born: Ohio        Entered into Service:  Aug 1862    Co.:    105 Ohio      Date: Aug 1865

D. W. Gilbert

J Housworth

G. W. Sease

J. Sharr

C. Marshall

S. S. McClure

A. V. Worthington

M. T. Weller

C. Breneman      Rank: ?      Co. H         Reg’t 105 Ohio

M. L. Emery        Rank: ?      Co. D         3′ Col Cavly

My great-grandfather, Constantine “Tom” Breneman, was a blacksmith during the Civil War, and he was also a blacksmith after he settled in Kansas after the Civil War.  It appears that he taught one of his sons, Otto Breneman, this skill also, as Otto had a blacksmith shop in the tiny town of Mayfield, Kansas, and Otto and Constantine worked there together for a time before Otto’s death at an early age.  Otto and Constantine are pictured Here.

Other Links:

Constantine Breneman, George and Katie Jones, Carrie Jones & families

Otto Breneman & Constantine Breneman blacksmith shop – Mayfield, Kansas

Constantine Breneman and His Buggy Horse Photograph of Ott’s father, Constantine driving a buggy with his beautiful buggy horse.

Constantine Breneman’s Buggy Horse – Photograph of Constantine’s Buggy Horse

My Poem to My Ancestors

I love this photograph of my Grandma and Grandpa Jones.  Although this was taken before I was born (as my grandfather was in it) this is how I remember my grandmother looking.  Round-faced and smiling, and just a bit plump. Comfortable to snuggle up against. (Grandma’s are supposed to be plump, right?  I hope so, because I’m working on being a good Gramma.)

I wish that my grandfather had lived long enough for me to meet (and remember him), but this Carnival of Genealogy post is about my Grandma Carrie Breneman Jones, who died when I was eight years old.

Warner LaRue and Carrie Esther (Breneman) Jones

When I was just a little bitty girl, my mama told me that her mama was really unhappy that they had named me “Sherry”.  She said that Sherry is also the name of an alcoholic beverage, and her mama just wasn’t happy with her for giving me that name.

So I guess it’s no wonder when I went to grade school and I really didn’t know what my Grandma’s last name was, that when the teacher began talking about Kansas’ Carrie Nation going into bars with an axe to fight for temperance I kind of wondered for a short time if that was my Grandma Carrie that did that.  I don’t know why I didn’t run home and ask my mom about it, but I didn’t, but I did figure out, after awhile, that my Grandma Carrie wasn’t the infamous axe wielding Carrie in my history book.  (The above doesn’t look like the picture of an axe-wielding Grandma, does it?)

My Grandma Carrie was a very crafty lady.  Her hands were always busy making something.  She loved to crochet, from the very tiny delicate flower shaped earrings to the beautiful heirloom bedspread that she made for my mother, and that my mother later gave to me.

She crocheted doll clothes for my dolls and when my new favorite plastic horse needed a rider and there were none to be bought in the correct size, she created one.  My Grandma Carrie created an Indian, excuse me, a Native American brave complete with tiny leather fringed breeches and shirt, and bendable legs so he could sit a horse.  I still have him, tucked away (somewhere) and when I find him, I’ll try to add the picture here.

And as I write this, I just realized that she may have fashioned the brave after the Native Americans that came to their cabin in Nebraska asking for food when she was just a very small girl, and they lived on the Nebraska prairie where my Grandma herded cattle on horseback by herself on the prairie during the day.

When she was older, Grandma Carrie taught herself to paint and she loved the National Geographic magazine for its beautiful photographs that often inspired her painting.  She also painted a picture of my brother’s 4-H Dairy Cow “Jenny,” too, for him, and “Jenny” hung on our kitchen wall while I was growing up.

I wish my Grandma had lived long enough for me to get to know her as an adult, because I think I inherited many of my interests and talents from her.  Like my Grandma, I’m crafty, though I’ve not had much time to do it lately, and if I can see something, particularly a fabric something, I can often make a pattern for it or create it from one I find.  Also like my Grandma and my mom, I painted for several years till I learned I was sensitive to the oil and turpentine smells, and like my Grandma and my mother I love a good book!

And, I wish she had lived long enough to ask her all those many genealogy questions that I now wish I had the answers to!

Other Links:

 Wordless Wednesday: Stocking & Jones Family
http://www.familytreewriter.com/2010/10/wordless-wednesday-stocking-jones-family/

Wordless Wednesday: Constantine Breneman & Carrie Breneman Jones & family
http://www.familytreewriter.com/2010/04/wordless-wednesday-constantine-breneman-carrie-breneman-jones-families/

by Sherry Stocking Kline
06 June 2011

It’s a couple of days past Randy Seaver’s June 4th Saturday night challenge, but this challenge really resonated with me!  If only I could turn back the clock or jump into a time machine and re-do a few things!

Greetings, genea-philes. it’s SATURDAY NIGHT – time for more GENEALOGY FUN!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  On GeneaBloggers Radio last night (www.blogtalkradio.com/geneabloggers/) the discussion turned to regrets that we all have about our genealogy and family history experiences.  Someone said “If I knew then, what I know now, I would have…” I thought that it would make a good SNGF topic, and it may be a general topic on a future GeneaBloggers Radio show.

2)  Tell us about your “If I knew then what I know now, I would have…” regret in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook status or note.

High on my list of wish I could re-do is the opportunity to document my sources better from the very beginning, so if you are in the same boat, check out Randy Seaver’s June 4th Saturday Night Genealogy Challenge at www.geneamusings.com!  When I first started, I had so few family ‘lines’ going, and I really, truly believed I would remember where each piece of information came from.  And, frankly, I just wasn’t thinking.

But it isn’t the citations and sources I most wish I could re-do.  It’s the missed opportunities to ask the people who would (or might) actually KNOW the answers to questions that I now want to ask them.  Oh, if only.

1.  I wasn’t into genealogy when I was eight years old (that’s how old I was when my Grandmother Jones died), but if I could ask her now, I would ask her what she knew about her father-in-law’s father (he’s a huge Jones brick wall!).  Did she know his name?  Did he even know his own father’s name?  What was herding cattle all day on horseback in Nebraska like when you were barely old enough to attend school?  How scared were you when the Indians stopped by your home to get food?  Did they ever come back?  Which one of the two young ladies in the neat photo you left behind is your niece, and which is her friend?

2.  And oh, if only I could hear my Grandmother Stocking re-tell her stories of my father’s childhood?  Why didn’t I write them down?  I was only ten, eleven, or maybe twelve, but how I wish I had taken the time to write them down.  Now, it is only bits and pieces that I remember.  I know the horses spooked, and my dad got hurt.  His teeth poked a pretty good hole in his lip.  But what spooked the horses?  I don’t remember.  And if only I could ask her where the farm was where she grew up in Illinois?  What was it like? What schools did she attend?  Now, I will spend hours, and days, and still never have all the answers.  And the one question I really wanted to know when I was in grade school, who was our Native American ancestor?  What was his/her name?  Were they actually Cherokee?  Where did they live/come from?

3.  And why didn’t I think to ask my Great-Aunt Dr. M. Ethel McGinnis more questions about her fascinating life as a teacher, professor, and gifted student?  And her life with my grandmother Stocking when they were children? 

I have many more ‘if only’s’  but they all involve asking my much older relatives questions that I wasn’t interested in knowing the answers to for many, many more years.   

If.  Only.

Sherry Stocking Kline
October 20, 2010

Dorothy Jones Stocking, May Breneman Jones Willey,Carrie Breneman Jones, Warner Jones, Harold Jiggs Stocking, in front of the Stocking Home

I love this old photograph of my parents, my mom Dorothy Stocking on the left, & dad Harold Stocking on the right, with my mom’s Aunt May (Breneman) Jones Willey, and Mom’s parents, Carrie (Breneman) and Warner Jones sandwiched between them.

After attending the KCGS Conference with Maureen Taylor, I find myself looking for clues in my photographs.

First, the photograph had to be taken before November 1st, 1947, because Grandpa Jones passed away on that date.  (I could look up the car makes, models and years, too!)

Second, either they had been somewhere, or were getting ready to go, because Dad is wearing his ‘good’ overalls.  In other words, he and Grandpa had on new and clean overalls.  (As opposed to faded by the sun, ‘everyday’ overalls that Dad worked the fields and fed and milked the cows in!)

It wouldn’t have been church or a funeral, because the men would have worn suits for that, so maybe they went to town shopping for the day, to visit someone in the hospital, or to visit family or friends in another town.

And it’s in the colder months, as the women all have on heavy wool coats, and scarves to keep their ears warm, and maybe just to ‘tie their hair down’ to keep it from blowing in the Kansas wind.

And now I need to ask my mom, to see if she remembers the occasion that prompted the photograph sixty-plus years ago!

by Sherry Stocking Kline – 17 May 2010

It’s another Genealogy Happy Dance Monday!  While visiting the nearby town of Kingman, Kansas while my son had some dental work done, I kept busy stopping at several stores to distribute ad fliers for the upcoming Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies Meeting on June 19th, featuring the Photo Detective, Maureen Taylor. (See program info here.)

When I stopped at the Kingman Carnegie Library, the librarian agreed to post our KCGS flyer, and showed me the Kingman County History book where I located some information submitted by my mom’s cousin, Victor A. Breneman.  The book was a great source, and I learned some information that I didn’t already know.

I already knew the who-begat-who info, but I still find myself guilty of not asking enough questions, and thereby missing a lot of information.  I need to turn over a new leaf!

The following is transcribed from the Kingman County History book,  “Kingman County, Kansas and its People”.

Victor A. Breneman Family – submitted by Victor A. Breneman

The Breneman family came to Kingman in 1917.  The family name is Swiss in origin and the first members arrived in this country in 1709.  They were part of a group which later became known as the “Pennsylvania Dutch.”  They settled in Conestoga and Lancaster Counties.  The family came west by way of Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska, and later to Wellington, Kansas.

The local family consisted of Ira J. Breneman, Adelia (Allen) Breneman, his wife, two sons, Paul A. and Victor A. Breneman.  Mrs. Adelia Breneman was of Scottish-English extraction.  Her maiden name was Allen and the family settled in New England prior to the Revolutionary War.  They were related to the family of Ethan Allen, the famous general in the War for Independence.

Ira J. Breneman was born in Muscatine County, Iowa, May 18, 1874.  He died January 11, 1963, and is buried in the Belle Plaine Cemetery.  During most of his working life he was a railroader.  He was a locomotive fireman, a maintenance employee, and in railroad bridge construction.

Mrs. Adelia (Allen) Breneman was born June 20, 1885, and died September 14, 1938.  She was a Registered Nurse and spent most of her working life at this profession and in raising her sons.

Paul Breneman was born in Conway Springs, Kansas, July 9, 1907.  He grew up in Kingman.  He was married to Laurilla White. Paul served on the police force in Kingman for several years and later became Chief of Police.  He later was employed by the Boeing Company as a member of its security force.  He is retired and now lives in Derby, Kansas.

Victor Breneman was born in Conway Springs, Kansas, September 16, 1911.  He grew up in Kingman, attended the Kingman Schools, The Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga, The Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  He was married to Rachael A. Hoover, March 19, 1933.

Victor served many years in the Army National Guard, the Army Reserve, and on active duty with the Army during World War II.  He served in the 137th Infantry, 35th division during the entire war.  He took part in the Invasion of Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and three other campaigns.  He retired from the military as a Colonel.

His military awards included the Purple Heart for wounds received as a result of enemy action.  After his military service he entered the Postal Service, later becoming Postmaster.  He served a number of years in this capacity.

Transcriber’s Note: Victor and Rachel Breneman are now deceased, and like a very bad genealogist, I realized that I don’t think I have their dates of death in my family tree program, even though we attended their funerals.  Vic and Rachel are buried in the Kingman Cemetery, Kingman County, Kansas.  Both Paul and Laurilla Breneman and Victor and Rachel Breneman have children and grandchildren who are living, and I’ve taken their names out of this public transcription.

by Sherry Stocking Kline
28 Apr 2010

A while back I posted photographs of my Great-Grandpa Constantine Breneman and his beautiful buggy horse.  Being a horse crazy girl growing up, oh how I wanted to know that horse’s name.

Constantine "Tom" Breneman & Dolly

It was evident that Great-grandpa was proud of her.

Yes, her!  This past weekend we had a small family gathering on the Breneman side complete with stacks of photographs, family trees, and research books.  We had a great time exchanging information and stories and then lo and behold my cousin had the above photograph with the caption, “Constantine Breneman and Dolly.   Isn’t she a beauty?!

And as I write this, I think “Oh, dear, do you suppose Dolly is the dog underneath the horse??”

I hope not.  And surely, if the dog was the focus of the photograph, Great-Grandpa Breneman would have been shown seated with it instead!

Related Links:

Constantine Breneman & His Buggy Horse “Dolly”

Constantine Breneman’s Horse “Dolly” Pulling a Buggy

Constantine Breneman & Family Members

Constantine Breneman’s Son, Albert Breneman’s tombstone & a photograph of Constantine’s Children

by Sherry Stocking Kline
21 April 2010

Berniece Breneman Thomas - Mayfield, Kansas

Berniece’s parents were Otto and Nancy Breneman. Ott was the Mayfield blacksmith, along with his father, Constantine “Tom” Breneman, and Nancy taught piano lessons.

What an adorable photograph this is of my mom’s first cousin, Berniece Breneman, who married a Thomas.  The two little girls played together whenever my mom went to Mayfield to take her piano lesson from Berniece’s mother, Nancy Breneman.

Other Related Posts:

Berniec’s Grandfather Constantine Breneman photographed with family members

Otto and Nancy’s Tombstone in the Milan Cemetery

Berniece’s Grandfather Breneman’s Buggy Horse

Berniece’s Grandfather Breneman and His Buggy Horse

Berniece’s Grandmother Salinda Breneman & her Tombstone

Photograph of Berniece’s Father, Otto, with His Brother and Sisters and his brother Albert’s tombstone.

by Sherry Stocking Kline
14 April 2010

I love this wonderful old photograph of the family, and am so glad that someone snapped a photo of their get-together.

And like many photographs, I wonder, was this just an ordinary family gathering?  A funeral?  Someone’s wedding?

I may never know, but the question itself reminds me to make an extra note on the back of my photos or in my scrapbooks!

L – R: Ira, baby Paul, & Dee (Hoover) Breneman, Constantine Breneman, Carrie (Breneman) Jones & Children, Rose, Daryl, and toddler Dorothy.

by Sherry Stocking Kline
10 April 2010

Here is this week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Challenge from Randy Seaver!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Tell us: Which ancestor or relative do you readily identify with? Which one do you admire? Which one are you most like, or wish that you were most like? Which one would you really like to sit down and have a heart-to-heart conversation with?

2) Write your response in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook note or response to this post, or in a comment on this post.

Oh my, which ancestor or relative do I most identify with?  I think my ancestors, especially the women, were brave and courageous, so in some ways I wish I were more like them.  My great-grandmother Frances Hitchcock Stocking picked up her life, packed up their belongings, and followed the man she loved, Roderick Remine Stocking, here to Kansas, a flat prairie with tall grass and no trees for firewood (read they used buffalo chips to heat their homestead with) or they drove their wagon about 15 miles south into Oklahoma’s Indian Territory (which was illegal, mind you) to pick up firewood.  They also lived within a few miles of the Chisholm Trail, and those who still traveled up and down it, even after the cattle drives ended.

And then there is my other great-grandmother on my mother’s side, Salinda Rose Breneman, who lived out on the prairie in Nebraska, where Indians might (and did) poke their heads in the window wanting food.  And Indians wouldn’t have been their only danger.  They would have lived in fear of prairie fires as well as rattle snakes, and her children, even at a young age, were sent out on horseback, sometimes with their lunch in a pail to herd the cattle, often being out of site of the homestead for the whole day.

Could I do what they did?  I don’t think so.

Who would I most want to sit down with?  My great-great grandmother, Elizabeth Laird Jones Crabb!

I would ask her what her first husband’s name was and thereby break down that brick wall!  I would learn first-hand from her what her husband died from (or if they were divorced!) and I would ask her what brought them here to Kansas, and did they miss their home state of Kentucky and their daughter who stayed there?

And maybe I would just ask them how they ‘managed?’  How did they cope with the hardships, water that came from a well and wasn’t the clear liquid that we’re used to today, growing and canning and preserving much of their food, and sewing many of their clothes?

And particularly, where did they find the courage to go on when they had to bury their young children because their lives were cut short from disease and farm accidents?

So many questions that I would ask these courageous women!