Yearbook Fun!

I found some fun photos and information on my grandfather last night:

1943

1948

WWII 

1942

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!

DNA

I wanted to share some of my results between myself, my mother, and my father's first cousin (my first cousin 1x removed).

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).

Old Scotch Man

Known as Alex Hill, Alexander Hill was my 3rd great-grandfather. He was born August 1, 1809 in Leswalt, Scotland. Leswalt is in Southwest Scotland and across the water from Belfast, Ireland.

He married his wife Jessie (Jess) Wright in 1835 in Kirkholm, Scotland. I'm not entirely sure when they arrived but their first child, Jane, was born in 1838 in NJ. Their 4th child, Mary Ann, would later become Mary Ann Miles - my 2nd great-grandmother. The Hill's were early settlers to the Western Reserve (see my post about Archie Miles) and resided mostly in Euclid, Ohio.

Alex died in 1892 at age 83 in Cleveland, Ohio from "old age". He was buried at the now historic Monroe Street Cemetery. Alex purchased the plots for the majority of the relatives there.  He bought the graves of the "old" Miles' (his in-laws) " as my father called them. As a little girl I went a few times with my father. Most of the relatives don't have headstones but as I type this - I might send them a request to see if Alex has a stone they would photograph for me.

The gothic like gate house collapsed a few years ago. Luckily, a seasoned architect lives across the street from the cemetery and took the restoration project head on.  Construction is nearly complete and will be celebrated on September 21. The gatehouse will receive a plaque from the Landmarks Commission in addition to an Ohio Historical Marker. 

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

Uncle Archie & Brownie

Archie Alexander Miles was my Great-Great Uncle. He was born on November 6, 1876 in Lynchburg, OH. He died on January 29, 1942.

Just this past year my Aunt Linda sent me a cool article about his death.

Faithful Dog Keeps Vigil as Master Dies

Cleveland Plain Dealer
January 30, 1942

Faithful unto death and still at her post even afterward. Brownie, a large brown mongrel dog, held police at bay while she stood guard over the body of her master last night.
Brownie had been the constant companion and guardian of her master, Archie Miles, 65 a cripple and when Miles died in his sleep some time yesterday morning the dog could not understand that her job of protecting her master was over.
Miles, a former teamster for the Excelsior Cartage Co. 1200 W 9th Street, who was crippled in an accident six years ago, lived alone above a blacksmith shop at 7212 Quincy Ave SE.
A grocery clerk who customarily brought Miles his supplies was unable to rouse him yesterday noting that smoke was not rising from the chimney, called the owner of the blacksmith shop, Frank W. Bauer 11332 Revere Avenue S.E.
Receiving no answer, Bauer called police, who gained entry despite Brownie’s protests. At the threshold of the bed room where her master lay dead in bed, the dog’s fiercely bared fangs forbade further approach.
Even when Miles’ sister, Mrs. Jennie Wheatley, 9524 Marah Avenue S.E. was called. Brownie refused to let anyone touch her master. Finally, Mrs. Wheatley managed to coax the dog into an adjoining room with food and shut the door.
Miles was the grandson of Abraham Miles, who settled on a farm at what is now Richmond Rd just north of Mayfield Rd. His maternal grandparents were Alexander and Jesse Hill who established a farm east of Green Road when Indians were still a familiar and sometimes fearsome sight to the settled pioneers.
For the last six years, since he had been injured, Miles who loved animals, had lived alone. Mrs. Wheatley said, where he could keep his pets without anyone objecting in the years. Miles kept pigeons and only a few days before his death he had bought a couple of injured birds into the kitchen to care for them.
“A home will be found for Brownie.” Mrs. Wheatley said today, “but the biggest problem facing us is what to do with a pet skunk. You don’t know anybody that wants one, do you?”.
The little black and white animal had been brought to Miles by friends who had found it injured in a trap. Through kindness, he had tamed it until it would follow him around and would permit him to fondle it like a pet tabby, but it still does not trust strangers.
Miles is survived by his son, Archie Jr. 13406 McCracken Rd, Garfield Heights and a daughter Leola, 22 who lives in Chicago. Also surviving him are another sister Mrs. A.M. Porter 2252 E 69th St and a brother. Sterlie A. Miles 8109 Force Ave, University Heights.

Brownie

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.

H.D.

This post is going to be short and sweet:)

My book has Hernando De Soto Miles marked out in my book for this week's entry.

H.D. was my Great-Great-Grandfather.

It's long been a mystery as to where his name came from. Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer but where did his parents Abraham & Harriet get it from?

What I can tell you about him, echoed by various family members is:

Hernando de Soto is only remembered for one thing - he had foul smelling feet!

There you have it folks!

František

I'm a bit late but I've been busy!

This week my book said write about Frank Holan. He was my 2nd Great-Grandfather.

Frank was born František Holan in Bohemia (modern day Czech Republic). I don't know much about him except he was born on October 30 (same day as my brother!) and he was a musician.

I wonder what he played!

Eugene for a Car

Initially, I wasn't going to write this post. I was going to ask another family member to write it but I felt so compelled to share my stories of him.

The last family funeral I attended was the sudden death of my uncle in 2007, almost age 60. Although he was my uncle via marriage, he'd been married to my aunt much longer than I'd been alive.

He met my Aunt Linda while they were studying at Kent State. Writing this made me realize I'm not sure exactly how they met. How long did they date? Did he talk to my grandpa before proposing? Was it a long engagement? He had a knack for telling stories, I'd have loved to have heard his version of events.

Dave Morgan
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sep. 19, 1948 Departed on Jul. 10, 2007 and resided in Cadiz,, OH.
Visitation:	Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007 - 9:00 pm
Service:	Friday, Jul. 13, 2007 11:00 am
Dave Morgan, 58, of Cadiz, died Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at the Cleveland Clinic. He was born September 19, 1948 in Pittsburgh, PA, a son of Lois Russell Morgan of Cadiz and the late Eugene D. Morgan.

Dave was an Exploration Geologist and a Land Agent for Consolidation Coal Company for 28 years. He was a member of St. Teresa's Catholic Church in Cadiz; the Harrison County Community Improvement Corporation; and he coached Hot Stove Baseball in Cadiz for many years. 

In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by an infant brother, Drew. 

Surviving, in addition to his mother, are his wife, Linda Miles Morgan; a daughter, Cherilynn Morgan of South Park, PA; a son, Dewey Morgan of the home; a sister, Bernadette (Dennis) Barrett of Pittsburgh; a brother, Dane (Debra) Morgan of Cadiz; eleven nieces and nephews; one great niece; and a special friend, C.D., a Jack Russell Terrier. 

His name was Eugene David Morgan, II. He was a husband, brother, father, uncle, friend, geologist, baseball coach, jokester, and over all - a great guy. Just don't call him Eugene - it was Uncle Dave, always Uncle Dave.

Growing up the adults would wager us kids if we named our first child after Uncle Dave, he would buy us a car. No, not Dave. Uncle Dave's real name the adults would say "Eugene?". When we would accept they would all laugh. Uncle Dave would say bring him a child and then he'd pay up. As Aunt Robin liked to point out, he never said what kind of car it would be. For all we knew it was a clunker that would be be hauled off of Uncle John's place.

He built "bunny mobiles" for his property and pet bunnies. He would offer to pay me $20 if I could hold the electric fence for 60 seconds - I never could.  Uncle Dave told very funny stories about his in-law's aka my grandparents. He loved to bust my grandmother's chops. Once, I saw this personally and I'll never forget the look on her face .... his heart was always in a good place with his jokes.

Each time he would smile and give that salt of the earth laugh from deep down in his belly.

It wasn't until after he died, several years later in fact, I learned he'd been sick. The death wasn't as sudden as I thought or had been lead to believe. It was cancer. Of what, I'm still not clear.

I painstakingly recorded the time of his death in my journal. I remember thinking I did not want to forget a single, no matter how small, detail. Tonight I realized how glad I was that I did that. As I was re-reading my journal I read things I'd forgotten about.

He (Uncle Dave) was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic's ICU last week. He had liver & kidney failure. They had to insert a breathing tube and he began aspirating bile. One of his eyes was dilated but they didn't know why. The next day his blood pressure was uncontrollable and Aunt Linda was given "the talk", as my father calls it, by hospital personnel. Aunt Linda thinks he is improving but I attribute that to her positive nature. The thought of her beloved leaving her is surely incomprehensible right now. Uncle Dave took his last breaths around 2am. My cousin Cher says he passed peacefully. I hope to god that is true.

I'd of course love to ask him about meeting & marrying Aunt Linda. When or how did he know she was the one? (Side note: I am biased but Aunt Linda is pretty special!) Was he on campus during the Kent State Massacre? What did he remember? What propelled him toward geology?

My biggest regret is not talking to him more, especially in the time leading up to his death, but I was lucky enough to call him my uncle.

I found this photo after his death & shared it with most of my family. It brings a smile to my face & is in a frame on my dressing table. I look at and remember him each day.

Left to Right: Grandpa Miles, Uncle Dave (holding Cher, Cher is holding me), Dewey,  Uncle Tom (holding Emily). Circa 1988 - 855 Roanoke Rd Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Happy Valentine's Day Uncle Dave! I miss you & love you.

Legacy Names

Many moons ago it was quite popular to rename a child after a deceased child.

If your little Janie died at age 3, well then the next little girl that came around --- say, two years later? She would likely be a Janie too. This causes complications in record keeping for obvious reasons. It forces you to often guess which Janie is yours in the records.

My father's family is primarily buried in the historic Monroe St., Harvard Grove, or Erie St. Cemeteries of Cleveland. As we have such a common surname looking at the list of Miles' in the area is expansive.  A few years ago I found two unknown gems.

Matching them up with other family grave sites and cross checking the names:

Estella May Miles d. 1894 Age: 7 Diphtheria

Jessie Dixon Miles d. 1899 Age: 8 Croup

Estella & Jessie were my great-grandfather's younger sisters. He would have been in his early 20's when they both died. As a side note, I think it's possible Jessie's middle name of Dixon might be another branch of the family that I am not yet aware of.

I previously attributed my Great-Aunt Jessie's name to various family members - our great-great grandmother Jessie and her own mother Estelle. Alas, I think it's simpler than that.

My great-grandfather was sentimental. He named his only daughter in honor of his lost little sisters, he named her Jessie Estelle.

The Curious Case of Abraham

Abraham. Abraham. Where do I start - he seemed to be the most logical starting place for this challenge. Unfortunately, I can only share facts about him.

Forums will often ask, " Who is your most distant direct male ancestor? ". Abraham is mine (3rd Great-Grandfather) and he's also a brick wall.

As he is the most distant, I'm not able to say that Miles became our de facto surname, starting with him. His records alternate between Mills or Miles as a surname. Growing up, I was told the name was originally Mills but had been recorded incorrectly as Miles on documents. Instead of correcting it, one of the generations began using Miles exclusively. Miles is the surname we have used since circa 1850.

He was born circa 1814 in NY as Abraham A. Mills/Miles. I have no other details. In December 1835 he was present in Cleveland where he married Harriet Williams (b. circa 1815 in MA). Abraham & Harriet's children were (in age order):

Manson W.
Chas S.
Hernando de Soto
Franklin P.
William G.

Abraham & Harriet's marriage license from 1835 in Cuyahoga County.

All of the children, minus William, were born in Ohio. I am a direct descendant of Hernando. Before 1860, the family farm was sold off. Abraham disappears from official records while Harriet (and children) pop up in various locations. For example William was born in IA but there is no mention or records relating to Abraham. My Aunt & I have speculated he died sometime between 1855 - 1892 but further information (including a burial location) has never been found. Recently I learned of Franklin & William. As a result I've been attempting to trace possible descendants of them with the hope of obtaining more information.

Several years ago I found an old map of the Miles farm owned by Abraham & Harriet Miles in Cleveland. Below is a partial email string with my aunt. She is a genealogy librarian & is very helpful.

Unfortunately, I had great difficulty trying to determine where the farm was in modern Cleveland. I began reading the legal description online which kept mentioning Richmond Rd but provided no other tangible clues. As a side note: Going through property transfers and tax records I know he was Abraham A. Miles. Admittedly I have no idea what the A stands for. There was also a William Miles signing as a witness to Harriet's signature on various deeds. I have not made a connection yet. (I now believe this William was likely the son.)

Yesterday, I found a really neat Cuyahoga County Genealogy Page on Facebook which spliced several historic maps together. The oldest map was 1852 - the exact map I originally found the farm location in.
http://web.ulib.csuohio.edu/speccoll/maps/clevmaps.html
1. Select " Greater Cleveland Historic Maps ".

2. In the upper right corner type in "Richmond Rd & Highland Rd" for the 2012 map. Zoom in on the area. Then click 1852 ( you may need to zoom out for it to load ). Look for "A. Miles", looks like he owned half a block.

3. I mapped it and it's about 4 miles down Monticello from the Roanoke Rd (where my paternal grandparents lived for about 50 years) house.

My Aunt & I have hypothesized that Abraham died, was then interred on the family farm. OR - he died during one of the family living stints outside of Ohio.

Aunt Linda summed it up perfectly, "If I could go back and talk to anyone in that family that has passed I's want to know the signifigance of Hernando Desoto Miles.  The other names are pretty regular, but Hernando?   Of course Sterlie is another odd name too.  I never thought to ask my dad where the name came from. ".

Where art thou Abraham?

UPDATE FEBRUARY 14, 2014:

Two EXTREMELY promising DNA leads have surface regarding the Miles family. I'm in desperate need of another known Miles relative to test but do not have the funds myself. It appears Abraham's family is linked to a Miles family near Rathbone, NY and/or Vermont.