Sentimental Sunday: Our Pew

One week after I was born, my parents bundled me up and took me to church for the Christmas service. With few exceptions, I spent the next 18 years worth of Sundays in that same church. In all those years of attending services, my family fell into a relationship that might surprise some; we sat in the same pew for roughly 15 years. In all my years, that old wooden church pew had one resting place: the second row from the back, on the right. 

From that pew, our parents watched their little girls grow in years and faith. As toddlers my sisters and I crawled around that pew with our church shoes on, scuffing everything in sight. As we grew into little girls, we stood proudly that pew when the congregation stood up to sing. Our parents even sat there proudly as we butchered one arrival song after another when we were first learning to play piano.

It was to that pew that I glanced to my parents for support during Christmas pageants, scripture readings, and even my post-mission trip testimonial. That very pew is also home to my favorite church tradition of singing Silent Night in the dark on Christmas Eve with candles in our hands. Singing that song in the special pew always takes me back to a more innocent time, when we were just little girls in dress shoes, scuffing everything in sight.

On the rare occasions that someone else sat in our pew before we arrive, I wondered if they noticed those scuffs. If they did, did they think of them as yet another project in an aging church, or did they view them with wonder and think about their story? I always dreamed it would be the latter because that pew has left an everlasting mark on my heart.

Over the years, the congregation of our church has dwindled away and the pastors have encouraged everyone to sit together at towards the front of the church. This change has been easier for some members of my family than others. Collectively we have hundreds of special memories in that pew, but for my sister and I that pew encompasses our lives in that very church. And that is why, without end, you'll always find my sister and I sitting in the second pew from the back, on the right.

Sylvia's Diary: December 1801 Highlights

• Sylvia attended a special ciphering school that was taught by a Mr. Botsford.
• Sylvia made a pair of shoes in mere hours as she then "knit the rest of the day". 
• In addition to attending meetings three times, she also swept the meeting house one day.
• Sylvia attended a ball on Christmas Eve at a Mr. William A. Mitchael's house. Two balls in as many months, it must have been quite exciting for her!
• By far, Sylvia's most wrote about activity was once again knitting (18 mentions this month).
• Sylvia started documenting her candle making this month. While it is only mentioned three times, it is yet another skill she has.

Have you been following along as I tweet my 5th great grandmother's diary? If not, head on over to @SylviasDiary and catch up on her story. Each tweet is one of her short diary entries and it is tweeted 210 years to the day after she wrote it.

Olga Hanson's Birth Record

I have been on a quest to find a name of a village or region in Norway where Hans and/or Antonette were born. To help this along, I have been ordering a series of records that might list a hometown. You can read about these here and here. This record was ordered as part of this quest.

Olga Hanson is the daughter of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson who lived in Five Points, Akan, Richland, Wisconsin. The only documents I have on Olga are a series of US Census records that list the family. This post will focus on the details of Olga's birth.

I have transcribed the details of this record below:

• Full name of child: Olga Hanson
• Color: White
• Sex: Male
• Name of other issue living: -
• Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
• Occupation of father: Farmer
• Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonette Hanson
• Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: Sept 20, Sun 8 PM 1891
• Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
• Birthplace of father: Norway
• Birthplace of mother: "
• Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson  Parents of
• Residence of person last named: Five Points Wis
• Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
• Date of registration: 10 Nov 1893
• Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

• If Olga had a middle name, it was not record on this delayed birth record.
• She is listed as a white male in this record, even through she was a white female.
• Gunda had several older siblings, but none of them are listed on this record.
• Her birth location is supported by the census records of the family during this time.
• The birthplace of her parents is listed as Norway. Still no village name.
• The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893. These are the same dates as other vital records for the family.

Gunda Hanson's Birth Record

I have been on a quest to find a name of a village or region in Norway where Hans and/or Antonette were born. To help this along, I have been ordering a series of records that might list a hometown. You can read about these here and here. This record was ordered as part of this quest.

Gunda Hanson is the daughter of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson who lived in Five Points, Akan, Richland, Wisconsin. The only documents I have on Gunda are a series of US Census records that list the family. This post will focus on the details of Gunda's birth.

I have transcribed the details of this record below:

• Full name of child: Gunda Hanson
• Color: White
• Sex: Male
• Name of other issue living: -
• Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
• Occupation of father: Farmer
• Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonette Hanson
• Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: March 27, Thus 7 PM 1889
• Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
• Birthplace of father: Norway
• Birthplace of mother: "
• Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson  Parents of
• Residence of person last named: Five Points Wis
• Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
• Date of registration: 10 Nov 1893
• Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

• If Gunda had a middle name, it was not record on this delayed birth record.
• She is listed as a white male in this record, even through she was a white female.
• Gunda had several older siblings, but none of them are listed on this record.
• Her birth location is supported by the census records of the family during this time.
• The birthplace of her parents is listed as Norway. Still no village name.
• The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893. These are the same dates as other vital records for the family.

Anna Hellen Hanson's Birth Record

I have been on a quest to find a name of a village or region in Norway where Hans and/or Antonette were born. To help this along, I have been ordering a series of records that might list a hometown. You can read about these here and here. This record was ordered as part of this quest.

Anna Hellen Hanson is the daughter of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson who lived in Five Points, Akan, Richland, Wisconsin. The only documents I have on Anna are a series of US Census records that list the family. This post will focus on the details of Anna's birth.

I have transcribed the details of this record below:

• Full name of child: Anna Hellen Hanson
• Color: White
• Sex: Female
• Name of other issue living: -
• Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
• Occupation of father: Farmer
• Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonette Hanson
• Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: Mon. Aug 16. 4 AM   1880
• Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
• Birthplace of father: Norway
• Birthplace of mother: "
• Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson  by Parents 
• Residence of person last named: Five Points
• Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
• Date of registration: 10 Nov 1893
• Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

• I never new Anna's full middle name and now we know it is Hellen.
• She was a white female. 
• At the time of her birth she was the only child of Hans and Antonette Hanson.
• Her birth location is supported by the census records of the family during this time.
• The birthplace of Anna's parents is listed as Norway. Still no village name.
• The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893. These are the same dates as other vital records for the family.