Saturday, April 30, 2011

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Weather

 During this time in our world I am sure we can all reflect on some major calamity that we have endured and survived.  This topic is probably a traumatic one for many and they are not even able to consider putting their thoughts on paper. That activity though would help them to work through the stress and calamity.

 Being born in Wyoming, we had horrific lightening storms, which ironically I still miss today. When we do get a lightening storm here we have major fires and people lose homes and lives.

 Being that I was raised in northern California for most of my early years after Wyoming we dealt with much the same weather as Wyoming. It was after our move to the county next door about 30 miles north of where we started in California that we had such different weather.

 We learned when you popped up over Wiggins Hill that was the breaking line for the weather. It was either foggy or clear depending on the day and the side. It could be hot or cold from one side of hill to the other.

 I have since then learned after living her more than 40 years that we have a weather breaking hill near us again.  When we took the children to Junior High less than a mile away but over the hill, we could have hot sun here and over the hill at the Jr. Hi the weather was so socked in with fog you could not hardly see.
 It rains not always on the same side of this hill. I bet there are weather breaks all over the world if people paid attention.  Our children learned to carry a jacket because on the other side of hill you may have wished for a coat.

When I was in high school we had a tornado come through our place.  Very rare for them in our community in Sonoma County. It flitted across our place scattering things badly, but it tore across the valley and down the road to a class mates home. It had just been built to replace the 100 year old home.
 She crawled into the tub in the bathroom with her sibling. That bathroom was about all that was left of that brand new home. The chicken houses and chickens and cows and animals were scattered about 30 miles away on the other side of Petaluma. We lost much but the storm was just building when it whizzed over head. Ever try to walk in 70 mph winds you don't, if lucky you crawl.

 We also have a creek that is near our home and when the sand bar blocks the creek from draining in the fall when the rains start we have flooded more than once. One of the worst was when it actually picked up the house and moved it partially off the rocky foundation and the house had to be completely reset.'
Needless to say all items not above the water line at full flood are gone, washed away. Water has a very great force behind it. When they say 6 " can knock you off your feet they are not fibbing.

Living in Hawaii we had to evacuate for a Tsunami, the water came to the door floor level but we did not sustain property loss.  A real mess to clean up but very fortunate, no massive damage.

Also living in Hawaii when the Volcano's blow it blocks the sun light and the trees can not breathe and
the plants all whither and the flowers stop. It hurts your skin the ash in the sky. The homes had no
heat so we learned to bake roast or bread in the morning for heat and bbq out side at evening.
We were down in the low 40's at night. The term to use is adapt.

 I see these horrid floods and storms now and all I can do is pray for all that are affected which is also
people that do not live there but are related to people who do. The agony of not knowing what shape they are in and the situation is enough to cause some people heart attacks.

Friday, April 29, 2011

PENTICOFF=BENNINGHOFF updates, 50 years and counting.



Hello everyone,  Exciting news has been happening in the research world of late.
In the Stephenson Co. Public Library is a book that was written by a local citizen it seems. 
 Mary Joyce Penticoff Ray, titled, " Descendants of Albert Benighoff". 1995

It has pages of documentation that I have finally received copy of today.  I believe I have found our John Penticoff /Pentico's siblings and ancestors.   

I am going to see if the pages will transfer to the screen.  It was self published and it is not known 
how to get copy of the book. It is not loanable via library. 

 Here is a copy of the Will of  Johann Philip Benighoff, (    yes John had a brother David)
 {As I read it, it runs to another page so I will have to bug that librarian for one more page.}
No it did not transfer. 

Mary and I have spent 50 years digging for John Pentico's ie Penticuff ie Penticoff's father.
As previously posted we knew he was in Jersey Shores in 1830.
Interesting to learn many others that married into John's family were there also.

Since the story in the book implied they came to America about 1820 and we never found a ship record we went back to basics and it said born in PA. 
 Well then there has to be a father hanging around somewhere. He wasn't hatched or beamed in.
I finally leapt across the river and saw that the Benninghoff family lived not far away. I started query
these family descendants but few could help. Blessings to one that said her Uncle would do a YDNA test which we recently ordered. When we get it back we will have more information also.

Tracking the Benninghoff family and learning their spellings were more variant than ours, my hopes raised up even more. I did find them in the right areas at the correct times and finally sprung for the Ydna test for a descendant.  

It was really neat to see that John did have a brother David. Now I wonder what else we may learn as we reconnect our lines.

As you read, Johann Philip had David and John , George, Samuel, Jonathon, Elizabeth (Hoffer), 
Dorothea, and Rosina for children. 

 A web site implies that John and George were twins. Lots of twins in John's family. Our son was a twin. Husband's great Grandfather was a twin.  David Dee and Emanuel. So some how back when they family was aware of each other.  Jasper, Newton, Iowa is not that far from Stephenson Co. Ill.

 O yes our line starts with chapter 5 page 21.  Our direct line is on page 23,Johanne (John), son of Johann Phillip Benighoff son of Phillip Jacob, son of Johann Valentin, son of Johann George, son of  Albert. 
 Ancestry does have some data up that confirms with most of this. But it is not all sourced. Librarian did send me source pages.

Fifty  years to get this far. 

For me the intriguing part was that this family was near my own families early lines in Berks Co. PA.
Contact me for more data.  SusiCP@cox.net 

Family wanting copy of data I received email me will forward to you.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Surname Saturday PENTICOFF, BENNINGHOFF, BENNIGHOVE, PENYCOFE, PENTICUFF

PENTICOFF, BENNINGHOFF, BENNIGHOVE, PENYCOFE, PENTICUFF

This has been an interesting afternoon. I have attempted to locate again the ancestor of
John PENTICOFF/PENTICUFF later changed to PENTICO in IOWA.  This is what we
have as fact if Census is accurate.

 John Penticuff was born in Pennyslvania, about 1800,
 John Pentico and wife and 3 children found in Jersey Shores, Lycoming,PA in 1830 census.
 #50 John Pentico  2-1- - -1  30 to 40  female 20 to 30
 1840 Lawrence Clearfield PA
 John is next to  relatives Mr. Henrey YOUNG and Josiah Young.
  He is also  near Mr. Yingling. future in law
 John Penticofe they have written John Penticope 1840 United States Federal Census

 1850 Burnside, Clearfield, PA1850 United States Federal Census
Name:John Pentico
Age:49
Estimated Birth Year:abt 1801
Birth Place:Pennsylvania
Gender:Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State):Burnside, Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Family Number:1542
Household Members:
NameAge
John Pentico49
Catherine Pentico44
John Pentico20
Henney Pentico18
Simon Pentico15
Peter Pentico13
Susannah Pentico12
Matthew Pentico10
Catherine Pentico6

Many boys are gone already.  Many neighbors are married in family of children.
Catherine was a Young from Henrey  Young ie old JUNG 
Almost everyone on this page relates to the lines. 

In 1860 family is scattered between PA, IA and beyond.
1860  Phillip Pentico is in Chest Clearfield Co PA our line.***
 1860 John Pentico in Chest, Clearfield Co. PA
1860 


 
Name:Philip Pentico
Age in 1860:32
Birth Year:abt 1828
Birthplace:Pennsylvania
Home in 1860:Chest, Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Gender:Male
Post Office:New Washington
Value of real estate:View image
Household Members:
NameAge
Philip Pentico32
Mary Pentico28
David Pentico7
Emanuel Pentico7
Solomon Pentico5
Wm Pentico3
Matthew Pentico19
His wife is a ROLLAND
Philip is born 1829 Jersey Shore, Lycoming PA and died 1817 in IOWA

George is in Iowa, 
Name:Geo Pentico
Age in 1860:44
Birth Year:abt 1816
Birthplace:Pennsylvania
Home in 1860:Mariposa, Jasper, Iowa
Gender:Male
Post Office:Newton
Value of real estate:View image
Household Members:
NameAge
Geo Pentico44
Fiana Pentico30
Sarah Pentico11
Elizabeth Pentico9
Emanuel Pentico7
Richard Pentico5
Obediah Pentico3
Amanda Pentico1
 His wife is a NEFF
Jacob is in Iowa,

United States Federal Census about Jacob Pentico

Name:Jacob Pentico
Age in 1860:36
Birth Year:abt 1824
Birthplace:Pennsylvania
Home in 1860:Mariposa, Jasper, Iowa
Gender:Male
Post Office:Newton
Value of real estate:View image
Household Members:
NameAge
Jacob Pentico36
Emily Pentico32
Lydia Pentico12
Elmira Pentico9
Sarah Jane Pentico6
Hiram Pentico3
John  Pentico  Died in this area.  18 July 1857
Catherine Young Pentico died 21 August 1886   She was born 1810 in PA.
Land records and church files give name spelt almost all of the above variant ways.

Friday, April 22, 2011

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Pets

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History   Pets

 A topic that is near the heart and fun to chat about. Pets, yes I and my siblings had pets.
 We lived on a mini ranch and we had lots of four and two legged pets. We had feathered pets and
 quiet pets, fuzzy puts, noisy pets but yes we did have lots of pets.

 We soon will no longer have the grounds that all this happened on. It saddens my heart beyond words to say the land is going to be sold. At least our memories can remain, unless old age takes those away too.

 I started life in Greybull, Wyoming on a huge Cattle Ranch called the Diamond Tail Ranch owned by
 Howard and Mareen Flitner.  They are long gone but I recently learned they have a downline descendant that has made part of this ranch into a Dude Ranch.

 O yes, I had a dog and many of my early life stories of trails and tribulations were attached to that dog.
 Mom and Dad remembered the dog's name but I do not recall where I put the paper with information on it.
 I will relate an incident from living with this dog I loved so very much.

 We lived near a very large river and it was not far from our homes.  It seems I liked to follow my Dad when he was close on the ranch. Many times he would ride horse and by out on the range or up in the mountains etc, but when I could hear his voice I would take off looking for him.

 After finding me out the gate and down the dirt road towards the river, Dad brought me home and told me I was not to ever leave the yard again with out my Mom.  It was not 24 hours later that I apparent saw the dog digging under the fence because he had heard Dad's voice and we were off to find Dad.  Mom said she stood in the kitchen window and watched me dig the hole deeper to go under the fence and follow the dog. The dog dug the original escape, I just enlarged it.  She called the dog back and spanked me and took me into the house.

The next day Dad tied the dog to one tree and tied me to the other tree. Mom said it was the response from me that really said it all. I guess I immediately sat down and started crying loudly that I could not go anywhere and really pitched a fit. I never tried to go how far the rope would go. I just sat down and wailed.

I also had access to a  horse I loved to ride even though I was small. I learned later it was Mother's horse that I rode.  Mom shared many of these stories with me in the recent past.
Mom and Dad both said I learned to ride almost before I learned to walk.  The horse was gentle and tame and would wander around a certain area with me on her back.  I have always loved dogs and horses.

 In Mom's picture box is a picture of me on this horse.

We later moved to California and we had cows and calves and cats and dogs, and mice and
chickens to be around. I was allowed to raise a pen of mice with my cousin. I later in years learned they were sold to the Pet store for snake food. That was not something I knew at the time I raised them.

I had a dog again while living there. He followed us everywhere we went when not tied up for fear of
offending the cows and calves. He was a black and white dog.

My cousin had many kinds of banty chickens to raise for his projects and I got to visit them once in a while and hold them.

Later we moved to a chicken and dairy ranch and I had a dog, again a cocker spaniel, goldish tan in color. We called him Goldie.  Alas this dog is the one that bit me with no reason. We never did figure what trigged the incident but he was never allowed near me again ever. We had ran and played and had lots of fun before this incident.

I was to feed him at a certain time each day. In the front part of the egg candling shed. I got the food and fed him and gave him fresh water. Returned all the supplies back into shed. I then heard Dad coming on the tractor through the gate so Mom said I could go watch Dad come into the inner Ranch yard.
The dog stopped eating came over and got a pat on the head and I turned and leaned over the rail to watch Dad come through the gate.  Dad was through the gate and getting ready to get down and close the gate when I heard a weird sound from Goldie. I turned and he bit the side of my face.  His bowl was 5 feet from where I was standing leaning over the rail away from him, and why he lunged or bit or even made a noise we never figured it out. He tore my cheek off except for about a fourth of inch of tissue.

I could stick my tongue through the side of my face.  That was so weird a feeling. Of course I screamed and Mom and Mrs. Moretti came running out to see what happened and Dad shut off tractor and ran to the porch also.  Mrs. Moretti got a clean towel and wrapped my face in it. Mom and Dad had to take me to the Doctor's office for stitches. (That is another whole story).

When after the War and all we moved to Valley Ford, Ca. in 1948.  My Dad and Mom again allowed me to have a dog. Tubby was the best of the best of dogs. As a Pup he rolled he was so chunky and legs so short.  That is how he got his name. He lived 18 years before we had to put him down, long after I left home and was married.  He was a great cow dog and friend. We did everything together. He got a half sandwich if I had one, so did my cow. LOL and they both loved Ice cream.

When I started 4-H I was given a calf to raise. She was a female later a cow we had for many, many years.   She was a purebred Guernsey and came from my Uncle's ranch, Ollimac Dairy in Petaluma.
Her name was Cupid for the white spot on her forehead was shaped like a heart.  She won me a few blue, green and red ribbons when I showed her depending on her age and how much we both learned.
So the Blue Ribbons came last.

She is a story unto herself. I loved my dog and my cow, they actually helped me to make it through school and on with life. They followed me all over the ranch. Cupid loved baloney sandwiches with lettuce and cheese.  She would butt me badly if I did not share so I learned to make her one when  I made one for myself to go out and start evening chores.  She also loved Ice Cream. She learned to open gates and would let the other animals out when we were not home. She learned by watching me open the gate every day.  We could not just loop a wire over the post we had to secure it so it would not flip up.  She could take a sliding gate opener and open it also.  She loved to eat the young pears in the spring and her milk would taste like pears. We had to be very careful to not let them in that area to long in the spring for the cows would eat until they got sick from the young fresh fruit and Vet bills were horrendous then just like today.  She would eat pears and apples but loved the pears. I just thought it was so weird how she always ate baloney sandwiches with lettuce and cheese.  I wish I could have videoed her doing this back then so you could see the look on her face, and her checking to see if the lettuce and cheese was in the sandwich she did amazing things with her tongue.  She and my horse Old Crow were always in competition with each other for favors and treats and attention. Tubby was always just happy to tag along.  I miss having a dog and a horse.

We as a family have had other pets but I will save those stories for another day.

My daughters family had a dog that had the attitude of my Tubby and his name was Skippy. There is something about Cattle dogs that are very unique.


Our very last pet was a tortoise we had for 18 years until the neighbors children dug him up and took him out of hibernation in the winter, even they have an interesting personality.

Friday, April 15, 2011

52 weeks of Personal Genealogy Restaurants

52 Weeks of  Personal Genealogy   Restaurants

When very small we basically ate at home or a relatives home this was war time and rationing and I can recall asking even for a drink of water and being told we have to wait until we got home.
 My Aunt worked in that store and she rescued me with a small glass of water. I was told to make sure I drank it all.

 After the war we still did not eat out like people of today. We moved to the home were Mom died at in January, late summer of 1948.  It had a very well known Italian Restaurant in it. Presidents and Dignitaries have eaten there. The local garage had a cafe beside it and we also could get a sandwich there and a shake or a float. These events were treat times. Extra good grades, enough money to cover the eating out of five of us at that time, was very important.

When relatives from out of state came Dad generally tried to get them up to the local well known restaurant
if they wanted to try Italian food or could eat it.This happened maybe once a year.
When I rode to town for school, which was half my school years, when I became a teen, my sis and I could stop at the Petaluma French Bakery and get a pastry to eat once a week while waiting for Dad to get off at the feed mill . It was some of the best pastries I have ever eaten. It is no longer there.

But the big treat would be if we all went to town to get groceries and supplies Dad would take us over to
Chandler's that was across the street from the Bakery and next door to the grocery store.
I loved a HOT ROAST BEEF SANDWICH.  I still love a good hot roast beef Sandwich.  My second favorite food was a good hamburger, not the stuff in many stores today but ground round and onions and lettuce and tomatoe and pickles. I had my salad on my hamburger. Today I like a Buffalo Burger.

I generally had a root beer float to go with that sandwich. Or depending on funds just a root beer, and there were times when a glass of water was all we could afford.

By this time Sasparilla (Sarsaparilla) had about disappeared from the restaurants and cafe's. Mother loved that drink. She still would drink a small glass of root beer or have a root beer float until she passed.
Dad and the rest of us had root beer if we could.

 Of course, Chandler's is no longer there either. I ate many hot roast beef sandwiches with my pregnancies.

 The restaurant in town where we lived I actually worked at one fall after I moved back home and was married. I could write a book about the experiences I had there. Great owners, great renters and a wild, mixed bunch of people as customers.  I waited also on Dignitaries and Presidents of other countries.

 Dinucci's is the name of the restaurant in Valley Ford, Ca.  If you drive up Highway 1, you can stop in Valley Ford, Ca and enjoy an awesome Italian meal.  I went to school with this family and my children went to school with the great grandchildren.  They are Never open on Monday's as far as I recall. But do large events or used to. Largest I waited on was 120. We were packed wall to wall. A story in itself.

Sarsaparilla is a root that is boiled and a drink is made it is much in flavor as a root beer but milder or softer in taste.  This plant is a vine and dominately grown in Mexico and South America today.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Sanford Huffman/Hoffman and Daniel Warden CW Veterans Mom's Family

U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865
Name:Sanford Huffman
Side:Union
Regiment State/Origin:West Virginia
Regiment Name:6 W. Va. Inf.
Regiment Name Expanded:6th Regiment, West Virginia Infantry
Company:N
Rank In:Private
Rank In Expanded:Private
Rank Out:Private
Rank Out Expanded:Private
Alternate Name:Sanford/Hoffman
Film Number:M507 roll 6

U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865
Name:Daniel Warden
Side:Union
Regiment State/Origin:Iowa
Regiment Name:23 Iowa Infantry
Regiment Name Expanded:23rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry
Company:B
Rank In:Private
Rank In Expanded:Private
Rank Out:Private
Rank Out Expanded:Private
Film Number:M541 roll 27


Sanford Huffman/Hoffman was born in Greene Co. PA married Rachel Plants daughter of George Plantz/Plants. He was in the war and worked as a Lay Minister with the unit at times. He continued being a Lay Minister after his leaving service and moving to Iowa. He is my Mother's Great Grandfather.
He was born 24 Nov 1814 and died 17 June 1903. Rachel died the year Mom was born. 

Daniel Warden was married to Mary J Langdon, both born in Ohio, both died in Iowa as near as we can learn.  His daughter Ella married Cornelius Scott we believe in Iowa. I have data but I have not been given proof so stated as above. They were my Grandma Inez Scott Hoffman's parents.
I know very little about him.  I have heard lots of rumors but no facts so far.

I did a write up on Sanford earlier regarding his deployment and where he served.