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).

Presidential Memorial Certificates

I learned about this service this past week. Thought I'd pass it along.

Still hunting for the death certificate for my Grandma Marge but I've mailed in requests for the others.

The link is pretty self-explanatory.

Aunt Sarah

The best part of having a legacy name is knowing the face that goes with the name.

Meet Sarah Jones Grant. My Great-Great-Grandmother that I was named for.

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.

John T.

Alliance City Cemetery.

Born in Wales in 1833.

Lois Grant Mora

Lois was my grandmother's aunt.

Technically, she was born Hannah Lois Grant but hated her birth name. My grandmother, was given her middle name in her honor, Lois.

Lois was born on June 12, 1890 in Troy, NY. She was the eldest of three.

In 1913 she married George Mora. They never had any children and she died on September 3, 1958 in Lake, Ohio. She was interred at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.

Harriet

This is going to be one short post.

Harriet P William born circa 1815 in MA.

She marries Abraham Miles in December 1835 in Cleveland.

They appear on and off in the census for the Euclid area.

Harriet dies May 9, 1892 in Cleveland. Her body was sent to Independence Township Vault by a municipal Cleveland Cemetery.

That's it. I know nothing more. Harriet is a true enigma.

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 Recruiter at East Tech

Yesterday I learned that Congress designed May as Military Appreciation Month in 1999.  For that reason, I've decided that my entires for the month of May will focus on Veterans.

While researching some of the Veterans in my family it became clear that some had more "glamorous" service than others. Some sat on the sidelines, some never even left the city, some went across the globe to fight, some never came back, and some returned hoping to just forget the war.

My paternal Grandfather was, a US Navy Yeoman, Sterlie Miles of Cleveland, Ohio.

Circa 2004 I was taking PSYCH 101 at Mesa Community College. Coincidentally, the adjunct professor was a working Psychiatrist at the Phoenix VA Hospital. Even now, I can still recall the day she said something in lecture that clicked with me - it explained my grandfather's military service, more to the point, why. I had heard from my father why my grandfather never left the city during the war but I couldn't imagine it was systematic.

She started by saying the military previously used a policy of not sending educated individuals into combat. Off hand I want to say it was Alpha Something Policy but I'm grasping at straws with the name. Those individuals, that enlisted or were drafted - and had completed an education level higher than HS were kept out of combat as a matter of policy. There were instances where those with a higher education were sent into combat but it was very rare. Primarily, this occurred during WWII. A few years ago, I learned this same policy kept my grandmother's brother out of combat as well.

My Grandfather's mother Estelle was the daughter of Bohemian (Czech) immigrants. The family immigrated during a period of Czech discrimination. They undoubtedly faced slurs as "Dirty Bohunks". This, by all accounts, caused Estelle to stress the importance of education and propel my grandfather's education.

He was sent to East Technical HS in Cleveland, Ohio. The first trade school in the city. East Tech opened it's doors in 1908, the same year my grandfather was born, and counts many famous alumni such as Olympian Jesse Owens. For years, the school was an athletic powerhouse locally. In 1926 my Grandfather graduated and that same year became an employee of the Cleveland Board of Education.

After graduating from East Tech, his movements become a bit blurry. The below photo was taken circa 1927 at Patrick Henry Jr. High in Cleveland. My grandfather is the only adult in the photo. Of note, the student over his left shoulder is my grandmother's brother who would later become his brother-in-law.

Per the East Tech Scarab newspaper, my grandfather was teaching AV classes at Patrick Henry during this time. Perhaps he was trying to earn money for college tuition or was simply taking a gap year.

Circa 1928, he began his studies at Case (before it merged with Western Reserve to become Case Western Reserve) University. He earned a BS in political science and a MA in Science & Math before 1942.  In 1935 he began teaching at Patrick Henry and was hired on at East Tech in 1939 to teach social studies.

On September 29, 1942 he enlisted in the US Navy as a recruiter. The Navy promptly moved him to another office in the school while he performed his recruiting duties. That's right, my grandfather never even left his physical workplace (from before the war) even though his employer changed.

Since he was a teacher he was " prized for his affinity to connect with the target group ".  For the duration of WWII, my grandfather, worked as Navy Recruiter in the halls of East Tech HS.

During the war, he met and later married my grandmother Dorothy.

In March of 1946 he was discharged and resumed full time teaching duties. My grandparents went on to settle in Cleveland Heights, OH and raise 4 children. He was very involved in his Masonic Lodge. He was a 50 year Master Mason and served as a Grand Master of his lodge. Grandpa went on to retire from East Tech and died in 1988. 

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!

Vroom Vroom!

I apologize for my absence. The past few weeks have been very crazy and you will learn more about all the going's on in May. As I prepare to enter my 29th year and head overseas, hectic is a nice way of putting things.

I'm going to try and put up a new blog each night to play catch up. I'm only 3 behind which is better than I thought!

Grandma Leota is the subject of this come back blog!

My Great-Grandmother Isabel died during brain surgery in January 1938. Isabel was Aunt Sarah's & Uncle Rar's daughter. She had a sister named Hannah who married George Mora. After Isabel died Grandpa Henry remarried Leota Mora. Yes, you read that correctly. The family was doubly related by marriage now; however, neither couple ever had children.

Grandma Leota outlived all of them into the 1980's. She was the grandmother my father and his siblings grew up with since Isabel passed before their time.

Although I don't want to give away too much about the Mora family, I'll wet your appetite with this teaser of more to come on them!

The Welsh Connection

I do have Welsh ancestry on various sides of my family but the one of the clearest connections is the Jones/Lewis one.

My 3rd great-grandmother (paternal) was Hannah Lewis (married name Jones) born 13 May 1841 in Llangynllo Wales.  Not much is known about her early life before she came to the US with her husband John.

From John's estate records Hannah did not read or write. She and John settled in Alliance, Ohio and had 10 children, the second of which (Sarah) was my 2nd great-grandmother.

I hope to go into John's estate further later this year but what is clear is that it dragged on for a very long time. The family farm was run into the ground and Sarah's husband (known as Uncle Rar) petitioned the court to sell it off. Hannah then relocated to Cleveland to live near Uncle Rar & her daughter (known as Aunt Sarah). She died in 1926 and is buried in Alliance along with her husband. Her son Thomas is also buried with her.