February 2010 Quiz

For this month’s question, I thought I might do something from the Hanifl (Grandma Sophie’s) side of the family… As you may know, Sophie was born in Oggau, Austria, or as it was known at that time, Austria-Hungary. Her parents, Karl and Theresa [Laschitz] Hanifl, decided to immigrate to the US.

What was the name of the ship that carried them to the US? (And, for extra credit, what year did they emigrate from Austria?)

A. HMS Pinafore
B. WS Graf Spee (pronounced “Grahf Shpee”)
C. SS Schiedam

You’re on your own for the date… It is, after all, extra credit!!!

Check back next month for the answer!

-- ANSWER

The correct answer is: C. SS Schiedam. The HMS Pinafore only existed in an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan and the WS Graf Spee was a German "pocket battleship" that was scuttled by her captain off Montevideo, Uruguay after the Battle of the River Plate (Rio de la Plata) in December, 1939.

I’m not 100% sure of the source of the information about the SS Schiedam, but, I’m pretty sure it came from Karen [Currie] Hoel. Karen is a grand niece of Sophie [Hanifl] Pendleton. She has done a lot of research on the Hanifl side and I am thankful for the information that has filtered down to me from her.

There was also an “extra credit” portion to the quiz… When did Karl and Theresa emigrate? Karl, Theresa and 4 of their children (Sophie, Frank, John and Mary) arrived in New York on 11, May 1891. Three other children (Theresa, Rosalia and Josef) died prior to the time Karl and Theresa left Austria. Also, all the research I have done indicates that, at that time, a trans-Atlantic crossing took about 2 weeks!

January 2010 Quiz

First, Happy New Year to all! I hope you all had a marvelous Holiday season! My holiday E-Cards should be going out sometime in the next six months or so. :-)

This month’s question deals with one of our direct ancestors. Grandpa Roy’s father, Beeley Blanchford Pendleton (1824 - 1906,) was born in New Brunswick, Canada. Beeley’s grandfather, Gideon Pendleton (1751 – 1847) was born in Rhode Island and lived for many years in Isleboro, Maine, where six of his twelve children were born. Why did Gideon move his family from Maine to New Brunswick?

A. He was a “Tory” (a person loyal to England during the Revolution) and was run out of town after the war.
B. He was caught by Customs while smuggling items into Maine after one of his voyages to the West Indies and fled to Canada.
C. His ship sank off the coast of New Brunswick and since his brother Stephen had already settled there, he decided to stay.

-- ANSWER

The correct answer is: B. He was caught smuggling items into Maine. But, before we all hang our heads in shame, let me explain.

Gideon was a mariner and made frequent trips from his home in Isleboro, Maine to the West Indies. On one of his trips, in about 1797, he brought back 2 pounds of tea which he failed to declare to US Customs. Apparently, he felt the reaction of the Customs inspector was so petty, he decided to take his family a few miles up the coast and resettle across the border in Canada (where the Customs officers must have been less stringent about collecting the tax on tea.) Could this have been the beginning of the famous Pendleton “bull-headedness”?

December 2009 Quiz

What do Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Hubbard Pendleton (9) (c 1760 – c 1855) and Thomas Pendleton III (10) (1777-1845) have in common?

A. Both Hubbard and Thomas married great-granddaughters of JS Bach.
B. They all fathered 20 children.
C. They were all church organists.

-- ANSWER

“B. They all fathered 20 children.” Coincidentally, all three each had two wives.

As a side note, since I wrote this question in the middle of November, I have found another male relative who also fathered 20 children. His name was John Winchester (1783 – 1862.) He was a “cousin” of Dorcas Dodge who was the 2nd Great-grandmother of Roy Wellington Pendleton. My research into our collective past continues and I am currently working on the Dodge branch of the tree. So many leads, so little time!

Holiday Pictures

It's time for my usual request... As you gather with your families for the holidays, think about sharing some pictures with the rest of us. The more candid, the better! E-Mail me your pictures and I will include them in a holiday slide show!

Jacob Birch wins horseshoe tournament

Eddie Pendleton sent me this newspaper clipping from the November 13, 2009 Kenosha News about his grandson, Jacob Birch.

Jacob (4) is the son of Daniel and Julie (3) [Pendleton] Birch. Julie is the daughter of Eddie (2) and Joan [Culver] Pendleton. Eddie is the son of Howard (1) and Merle [Hulett] Pendleton.

Congratulations, Jacob, and thanks to Eddie for sharing this news.

As I said to Eddie, one of the reasons I started this blog was to share family news. If you have any news to share, please send me an E-Mail!

2009 Family Picnic Archived

I have removed the slide show for the 2009 Family Picnic. If you want copies of those pictures, send me an E-Mail.

New address for Aunt Mary

If you’ve been following the blog, you know that Aunt Mary went into the hospital at the end of September. When she was released, she went into a nursing home and has decided to stay there. Her new address is: 3506 Washington Road, Room 516, Kenosha, WI 53144. Her phone number is still 262-948-0759.

Kathy [Ryan] Meyer reports that her mom is not having a speedy recovery from this last bout, but the doctors and physical therapists are working with her and, hopefully, all will go well.

I’m sure she would appreciate hearing from everyone.

November 2009 Quiz

This month’s question is pretty simple: What is the derivation of the name “Pendleton”?

A. Gaelic: In Gaelic, “Pen” means “the top” or “summit” and “Hulton” means “hill”. Combining the two, Pen-Hulton means “Top of the hill.”

B. French: Before the middle of the 15th century, men were known by their father’s name, e.g., John’s son William would have been known as William of John. One of our ancestors had been named “Pen” and his father was “Tun”, he would have been known as Pen of Tun, or in French, which was widely spoken in England at that time, Pen de Tun.

C. Anglo-Saxon: The original family name was “Pendle” and “ton” is the equivalent of the English word “town”. Pendleton means the town where the Pendle family lived.

Check back next month for the answer!

-- ANSWER

While I think each of the three languages may have had some influence, the correct answer is: A. Pen-hulton is Gaelic for “top of the hill.” I did find a couple sites on the web that state that “hulton” means “town on the hill” and I think that is probably correct, and that would make Pen-hulton “town at the top of the hill” and would refer to the place where the family lived.

There are at least 2 places in England called Pendleton. One is in Lancashire, about 30 miles north of Manchester and the other is a section of Salford in greater Manchester itself. It appears that Thomas Pendleton, the great-grandfather of Brian Pendleton (the first of our ancestors to live in America), was a resident of the latter.

Your Changes to the Blog

I am trying to provide the information you want to see, so, PLEASE feel free to let me know what you would like to see. IF I have the data, I will share it. These are the changes I am making this month:

Memorials: I have had several requests to include birth dates in the Memorials posts, so I am adding that info. The new format is the date of death followed by the name, date of birth and the genealogy/relationship.

Anniversaries: I have been asked to add a category for wedding anniversaries. I’m a little reluctant to do this because of the volatile nature of this information, but I will give it a shot. I apologize, in advance, for including ex-spouses or failing to include current spouses. Let me know if there are any errors or omissions!

Welcome Molly Marie Ryan. – The latest addition to Generation 4.

We need to welcome a new addition to Generation 4: Molly Marie Ryan. Molly was born October 9, 2009 to Kevin (3) and Kim Ryan. Grandma Sue wants everyone to know “And she has hair!”

Kevin is the son of Terry Ryan (2) who is the son of Mary [Pendleton] Ryan (1).