Thanksgiving

Gosh, when did life get so busy?

I wanted to write a VERY quick post for Thanksgiving.

Every year my Grandma Miles brought the same thing to dinner, nobody liked it. Nobody wanted to eat it. She would even put it on your plate.

Rutabaga's .... gross!

A hidden family tree...

A few months ago, my Uncle Tom suddenly passed away. Taking care of his affairs has been, mostly, handled by my cousin.

My cousin is slowly going through his things, including 300 some odd book pages when he came across this gem.

I have a lot more work to do but it's more than I've ever known about the family. My Dad said it was drawn up by he thinks (Herbert) a relative that visited in 1976 from Germany. It was made at my Grandparents home likely with his siblings, Uncle, and cousins. The relatives should all have copies but this is the first time any of us have seen it!

I'm so excited!

Dorothy : God's Gift

I'm doing pretty good at this challenge and I'm only a bit behind. I've been putting off writing this one. Mostly, I have a lot to say - or I don't know what to say. How do you begin to write about a woman you greatly misunderstood in life but came to understand in death?

Dorothy is a Greek name and it means God's Gift. Click your heels? No, no - she was my grandmother.

Grandma was born in June 1917 and had an older brother, Bob. Her father was HJ and her mother Isabel. During the 1929 crash the family continued to do well due to HJ's business skills but do not mistake that she was very much a child of the depression.

They went to Europe often. Grandma had a run in with the Gestapo. My father says it didn't happen, my Aunt Linda says it did.

After she died I was able to read her diary. She received a diamond ring for her HS graduation. She graduated Ohio Wesleyan. Her mother died during her college years. She married my grandfather after college and they settled in her native Cleveland Heights. Grandma was a Librarian and kept the schools plants. She carted them home each school break to care for them.

As a child, I thought she was a hoarder. It was her depression upbringing coming into view. Bread bags were lunch bags, stocking held onions, etc.

Grandma loved arts : Ballet, Orchestra, Opera, Museums, etc. She adored the Nutcracker, something that makes me miss her more around Christmas.

She hated pictures, I'm assuming because she literally buried every member of her family (and in-laws) over her life. All she had left was the family she created - children and grandchildren.

We all miss her, I wish I would have known her better but she died a few days after my 14th birthday in 1999.

Dorothy, Isabel, and HJ.

They don't throw things away.

I received a neat but also humorous email from my Dad the other day ..... take it away Dad!

I found this interesting. In the wedding photo, my folks are reading a Western Union Telegram. In times past these were used for the most important communications. In the second picture is what I believe the actual telegram. Note the similarities. This was from Sam Mora & his wife Marion from a cabin? in far off Canada. Sam & Marion are buried several graves down from Henry & Isabel at Lakeview. Some things never get thrown away in this family.

Isabel

Isn't it funny how with some we recall the end of their lives but not the life - or how they lived for that matter.

Shortly after my Uncle Dave died, my Aunt Robin mentioned my father had a 5 year diary my late grandmother kept. I asked him to to read it and he sent it out.

She began authoring it around 1934, her junior year of high school. It was a line a day. The diary chronicled things like camping, dates, graduating high school, her mother's death, and graduating college. Her mother's death was quite interesting to me. Her mother, Isabel, wasn't a woman I knew much about except she had been ill.

Isabel, Dorothy, and Robert Leisenheimer. Passport photo, note her signature at the bottom.

In early January 1938 my grandmother writes that her mother is going to have an operation to remove a tumor from her brain.  A few days go by and she writes that "mother is now at DeVand's funeral home" and later she counted the exact amount of flowers at the funeral home. I'm not sure if she was really that detached, the diary was limited, or maybe it was a combination of things.

Isabel's Obituary.

But yes. Sadly Grandma Isabel died on the operating table at age 46 or 48 (depending on the source).

Giraffe Lady

She was tall. Over 6ft. Size 11 shoes. She was Jessie of course, my great-aunt.

Jessie around 1912.

East Tech HS.

Aunt Jessie died about 6 months before I was born but it's possible for me to say that - I feel like I knew her. I've heard about her from everyone. 

When I was younger I was given some of her jewelry and we even have her hope chest in our house.

Aunt Jessie never married and I do not believe she ever worked. My father once described her to me like this, " Jessie tried. She tried really hard and really wanted people to like her but she just had kind of a bad way about her. ". Later I asked my mom about the "bad way" comment and was told Aunt Jessie , could be, quite nasty at times.

My cousin Cher talks about Aunt Jessie's back pack. As she didn't work, my grandfather likely supplied all of her funds, and she ALWAYS had a backpack full of gifts. 

L to R: (Back) Unknown Male, Dorothy Leisenheimer, Jessie Miles
(Front) Estelle Holan, Sterlie Abraham Miles, Sterlie Arthur Miles

The Broken Hearts Club September 6, 1956 - April 25, 2014

I'm all up to schedule! Although I'm writing this one day early, it is not who I intended to write about. You see I started this to write about only those who have passed. My Uncle Tom gave me the title of "family scribe" many years ago.

It is with a very heavy heart that I say Uncle Tom passed away yesterday. Cardiac Arrest. Dead on arrival. The youngest sibling. The frantic text messages. The crying. The phone calls.

I think it's safe to say many members of my family are members of the broken hearts club tonight.

As I write this, I can hear his voice in my head and him laughing or that little smirk he did. In honor of a very special man that is gone to soon, this family scribe would like to tell you about him.

I apologize in advance for any ramblings or typos - I'm going the best I can under the circumstances.

Thomas George Miles was born on September 6, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio. The youngest child of the late Sterlie A. and Dorothy (nee Leisenheimer) Miles.

The Miles family can be summed up as Heinz 57. My Grandpa Miles was the son of a Czech mother & the Miles' were (probably but not proven) English/Welsh. My 2nd Great-Grandmother, Mary Ann (nee Hill) Miles was full Scottish.   My Grandma Miles' family was full German on her paternal side. Her maternal side (Grant & Jones families) were Scottish & Welsh respectively. My Miles line has deep roots in Cleveland - I'm a 5th generation Clevelander.

Circa (after) May 1985. Uncle Tom holding me and my sister standing. Taken at our house in Brook Park.

The few general remarks I wish to make are that he was a sensitive, caring, funny, smart, and compassionate man. He had the Miles "Black Thumb" and was wicked good with cars (as are his brothers) which isn't something that ran in the family. At Uncle Dave's funeral he was checking the air pressure of tires in the church parking lot.

He loved cartoons, Ren & Stimpy was a favorite.

Left to Right: My father, Uncle John, and Uncle Tom at Uncle Dave's funeral in 2007.

Some stories and facts about him:

Uncle Tom was supposed to be named Sarah after my Grandmother's Grandma (Sarah {nee Jones} Grant) but that didn't work out for obvious reasons.

He always worked as a laborer for as long as I can remember. I think he may have worked as part of the UAW for a period. We rarely saw Uncle Tom during this period as he was always working. He would sometimes sneak away to join on our annual shopping trip. My grandmother took Emily & I to the local mall (to shop at Sears - I believe it was probably Randall Park Mall) but I was little at the time. My grandmother treated Emily & I to a nice "sunday best" outfit when we visited Cleveland each summer. After shopping we would pay a visit to the Manhattan Grill with Uncle Tom joining us from time to time.


Grandma Miles took great pride in caring from Uncle Tom. From 1988 (when Grandpa Miles died) he lived with her (mostly full time). Grandma took her role seriously and packed him daily lunches. Grandma was a child of the depression and never let anything go to waste. She had stacks of food along the back kitchen windows and up the stairs. Those bags of Doritos? Stay away under penalty of Grandma! Those were for Uncle Tom's lunch, serious business to her, but we could have a melba snack she stocked for us. WTF Grandma? I remember the crazy amounts of cats, the bags of catnip in the basement, Uncle Tom still living in his childhood bedroom upstairs. The house on Roanoke had many memories for all of us.

My Grandparents house on Roanoke in Cleveland Heights. L to R: Grandpa Miles, Uncle Dave Morgan (holding my cousin Cher Morgan, and Cher is holding me), my cousin Dewey Morgan, Uncle Tom (holding my sister Emily). Circa summer 1988 before Grandpa died.

One Christmas, there was a mixup with Sears. Back in the day you had to order all of your items from the department store catalog, there was no store purchasing. Uncle Tom went on and on about Snagglepus. That year Sears mixed up the family order and Christmas would arrive late. How do you explain that to a young child that still believes in Santa?

As my father tells it, the whole family watched in horror as Uncle Tom ran down the stairs Christmas morning, tearing at the gifts looking for Snagglepus. One gift the family knew he would not find. Although it arrived a few days later, the story was never forgotten. Growing up the stuffed animal was always on the back of my grandparents couch. I wonder what became of him.

He had cats. He loved them - there seemed to be never ending Daisy's and Zoro's.

When Uncle Dave died I called Aunt Robin to ask about a place to stay for us girls (my sister & two step-sisters) in the small town they live in. Aunt Robin & Uncle John's house is a two bedroom house in the country. It is so rural that it's not even on satellites. I was walking down the isle of my aircraft, boarding, when I called her. I was holding back tears as I choked out words while other passengers stared at me. " Aunt Robin this is Sarah. I can't talk much now, I'm boarding in case you hear the intercom. I know it's short notice and a lot to ask but can us girls stay with you?" Her reply? " Uncle Tom already called and made arrangements for you girls to stay here. It's all sorted.". He was very thoughtful like that.

After the funeral he was tossing 12 packs of soda into the trunk of Dawn's car. I remember laughing thinking none of us even drink Orange Crush but his concern was that we have something for Uncle John & Aunt Robin's. It was his way of taking care of us. We had 1 car between all of us girls (with no AC either) that we drove down from Cleveland in - staying in very tight/cramped living quarters (only 2 people could fit on the bed in the guest bedroom - Michelle & I slept on the floor for two nights) - and we are all very cranky not to have cell coverage. That was the last time I saw him in person, July 2007.

On a more personal note, he had a knack for having his birthday card be the first to arrive. I received his 2014 card the day before he died. He sent me a really generous gift to use to buy myself something in Paris. That day I recall thinking I needed to send him a thank you card but then decided I would wait until after my trip so I could tell him what I spent it on while saying thank you. I'm crushed I will never get to tell him and birthday's without his early bird cards will never be the same. In some ways, I wish that next year someone starts anonymously sending me Uncle Tom cards.

As I cried over the cards (the last one) I received from him, I realized another relative was doing the same. I cried over the phone with my Aunt Robin. I'd never seen or heard her talk that way before. She spent the day digging out old cards trying to remember exactly when Uncle Tom had the stroke circa 2011. He wrote her a card she read to me, while her voice shook, " Robin thank you for taking care of me and helping me and all your well wishes. Your support means a lot." (I'm paraphrasing from memory). I have a deep love and respect for Aunt Robin and I have never heard her cry like that.

Perhaps I might add more but this is enough for now.

He was loved and will be deeply missed because Uncle Tom was amazing.

Edit: April 29 - http://www.clark-kirkland.com/obituary/Thomas-G.-Miles/Cadiz-OH/1377197

My cousin informed me that they were able to get a plot for Uncle Tom & Donella right next to Uncle Dave & Aunt Linda's in Cadiz.

The Wheeler & Dealer

Tonight's blog may get a bit long and I apologize in advance for that! There is just a lot to say about Henry John Leisenheimer. Known in my family circles as Grandpa Henry or simply HJ.

HJ was my great-grandfather.

He was born on May 26, 1893 to George Leisenheimer & Katherina Bey in Cleveland, Ohio. Both of his parents were German immigrants from Spiesheim, Germany. As an only child, he was given much love and attention but his true talents were to be found in selling.

Unknown date, early photo of HJ

He began working for what is now known as CLE-TRAC or the Cleveland Tractor Company. He traveled with his brother-in-law Mr. George Mora to sell tractors abroad. And boy could he sell them. CLE-TRAC records list him as being a 20 year employee of the company. 

He managed to amass quite a fortune, although the extent of that is unknown to me, based on my grandmother's college diary. At the height of the depression his son Robert (Bob) & daughter Dorothy graduated. Dorothy was my grandmother and her diary revealed that when she graduated high school she was given a diamond ring and her brother Bob was given a brand new car. HJ paid for both my grandmother and Bob to attend 4 years of college which they both graduated from. They also made many family trips during this period of time.

According to one article he and George travelled to Russia to help sell tractors to promote the  collectivization. Although the article is much too long to post here, it's quite interesting. 

When I began researching my family I was very confused why I found so many entries of HJ entering the US. This is due to his selling abroad. My father has boxes of full passports from the Leisenheimer's and their travels. 

After his wife, Isabel, died he married Grandma Leota. Towards the end of his life he set up a profitable export business in his own name run out of Cleveland and New York. His remarks on selling to industry abroad are held by the library of congress. 

Curiously, his obituary omits the names of his children. This included my grandmother Dorothy and her brother Robert. 

Initially I asked my Aunt to write about HJ as she was about 6 when he passed away but she wasn't able to get me something.

What I can share is that he is a highly regarded man by my family - and many others!