Bertrand Alcide Bessire (1851-1851)

Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.—Matthew 18:10

Bertrand's sojourn on the earth was so short, just 7 months.  Yet he was the hope and dream of Eugene and Marianne Bessire for the months prior to his birth.  Despite the loss of their first-born son, they forged on and had six handsome, healthy sons, one beautiful daughter, and numerous posterity.  I would imagine the ache of the loss never ceased through their remaining years.  Two moves from his resting place would distance themselves even further during their lifetime.

But his little life did not go unrecorded.  His name is listed in the registers of the St. Paul’s Church of Christ in Mount Eaton, Paint Township, Wayne County, Ohio.  I believe the cemetery is now known as the Mount Eaton Lutheran Cemetery.

The publication contains the burial records in English. These records were translated by the Wayne County Historical Society from the original frail records of the church that were written in German, French, and English.  Samples of those German and French pages are included in the book and help you realize the value of the translated records.  This must have been a pain-staking effort.

Source: Wayne County Historical Society (Wooster, Ohio). Wayne County, Ohio burial records. Evansville, Indiana Unigraphic, 1980.  Family History Library book  US/CAN 977.161 V38W 1980, p. 500

Eugene & Marianne Emily Grimm-Marriage

Eugene Bessire and Marianne Emily Grimm were married by Wm. B. Rally, minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church,  on December 29^, 1849, Wayne County, Ohio.  

Source:  Ohio.  Probate Court (Wayne Co). Marriage Records, 1813-1951.  Salt Lake City, UT:  Filmed by the Genealogical Soceity of Utah, 1965, 1994.  Family Histry Library film 425754, marriage records vol. 4A-4B, 1835-1851.

These descriptions give some context to the setting of their religious affiliation and marriage.

Source:  Ben Douglass. History of Wayne County, Ohio, From the Days of the Pioneers and First Settlers to the Present Time. Indianapolis, IN: Robert Douglass, Publisher, 1878.

Evangelical Lutheran Church—The first record of this congregation goes back to 1832, the church being built, however, many years prior to this date, a log house, its site near where the present St. Paul’s church now stands.  The members (about twelve families) were mostly Pennsylvania Germans.  Rev. E. Greenwald took charge in 1832.  In May, 1836, he was succeeded by Rev. J.B. Reck, who was in turn relieved in the summer of 1843 by Rev. Edwin Melsheimer, continuing pastor until October, 1846, when Rev. William B. Rally, pastor of St. Paul’s church, Mt. Eaton, supplied the church pro tempore.  Here the record of the church closes.

St. Paul’s Church—This congregation of the Reformed Lutheran church originally attended the Evangelical  Lutheran.  In the summer of 1842 the new church was built, the pastor, Rev. A.L. W. Begemann, and Rev. David Kammerer officiating at laying its cornerstone.  It was finished in 1846.  In March, 1845, Rev. Robert Kochler became minister of St. Paul’s, servine one year.  Rev. W. B. Rally was his successor, continuing until 1851.  The congregation separated into two, a German and French, the former electing Rev. Johann Ackeret for is pastor, while the latter recalled Rev. Kochler.  The congregations retained their common property, creed and name.  Rev. Ackeret served the German congregation until 1868.  Rev. Philip Decker was his successor.  He resigned in 1876, and was succeeded by the presnt pastor, Rev. H. Nau.

Source:  Wayne County Historical Society (Wooster, Ohio). Wayne County, Ohio burial records. Evansville, Indiana Unigraphic, 1980.  Family History Library book  US/CAN 977.161 V38W 1980, p. 500

The original congregation of St. Paul’s was German Lutheran.  It was founded prior to 1825, at which time the log church was built.  In 1843 they joined in building a church with a congregation of French speaking Swiss people who had come to the area in 1835.  The two congregations used the church on alternate Sundays until 1883, when they became fully united. It is interesting to note that many of the people in both congregations came from the same area in Switzerland and adjacent Germany.  Many of their names are well known today in the Mt. Eaton area.

Gutenburg--Forefather of Facebook?

Facebook?  Huh!  Johannes Gutenburg—he’s the man.  You probably didn’t realize he was one of the premier social networking geniuses of his day.  This is how I think it went down.  A bunch of Sunday school kids approached Brother Gutenburg and said, “You know, we would really like to take our scriptures to church, but these handwritten bibles are too heavy, too big, and they don’t fit in our cowhide scripture totes.  Can you help?” 

And so he did.   By 1450 the printing press was up and running. Boy, did that start a social networking buzz in a lot of circles—the possibility of reading the “good word” and other books yourself!   Next thing you know Martin Luther was tacking his 95 Theses on a German church door, and down the road those pesky American colonists were delivering a Declaration of Independence!  Since that day, the printed word has been used to shape man’s opinions, share his ideas and inventions, and rally the people to causes, noble or otherwise.

Then along came newspapers, a wonderful medium to keep in you in touch with the goings on of the world.  Some of it true and some of it, well….

Before the pony express, the telegraph, the telephone , first class mail, overnight shipping, email, and yes, tweets.  Before the fact checkers were around, tales of the “wild” west crept into eastern newspapers, maybe not for truth’s sake, but to sell papers!  The people in the West didn’t even know they were the subject of,“Oh my heaven’s, did you hear about …?”-type conversations in the social circles of the East. Little did the East know that the West had its own communication system.    Custer might have saved himself if he knew about this article in the Sioux Times:

Strategic POW-WOW  Tonight!

“Smoke -in-the-Face  fairly certain despite rain wiping out end of signals this morning that white man, ”C. U.S. T…,” traveling to Little Bighorn.  Meet in Chief Sitting Bull’s teepee tonight at full moon.  All braves needed.  Learn how teach white man lesson. Peace pipes for all who attend. Squaw duty for  cowards.  We’re going to win, I tell you! I’ve seen soldiers falling into camp like grasshoppers.”—Sitting Bull

And then there was that whole North and South thing!

Do you remember the episode of Little House on the Prairie when Mrs. Olesen tried her hand at a Walnut Grove publication?  It was called "Harriet’s Happenings". She really got herself in a pickle with her gossip-style writing in her very own column. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

One truth that did make it from West to East was that there was “gold in them there hills.”  Easterners dropped everything, hitched up their brand spanking new Conestogas and headed west.  I think the good Lord smiles from above watching all the antics of men.  Surely, he put the gold in the west just to see if the Easterners would go there.  And go there they did. 

But aside from reporting about the bigger problems of the world, my guess is that folks in big and little towns all across America went straight to the Society Pages of their local newspaper to see what the “Joneses” were up to.  I can see them scouring the newspaper for tidbits about the well being or current news of their family and neighbors. That was the Facebook of 19^th and 20^th century America. 

If you made the society pages, WOW!  My husband and I made the Society Pages  once—our engagement announcement. It came out just a few weeks before our wedding.  None of this “countdown” till the wedding stuff with repeat notices.  We're probably part of the very last generation to be featured in a newspaper this way.  According to my reading, I haven’t seen a marriage announcement in years.  

Maybe you don’t miss the intricate details of so and so’s wedding… Here's a cut and paste sample from the Lima News (Lima, Ohio), 1944.

And here’s something akin to putting your social security number online…or bragging?  Lima (Ohio) News, 7 Nov 1901, p. 8

Mr. & Mrs. _______celebrated their fifth anniversary of their marriage Monday.  About 100 guests were invited and MANY  VALUABLE [caps added] presents were received.

Oh, and identity theft?  That’s nothing new…
Lima (Ohio) News, 3 Aug 1932, p. 2

It’s always good to have your family on the right side of the law…Arnold F. Bessire (1858-1941)
Lima (Ohio) News, 24 April 1914, p. 15.

My great-grandfather, Chester Allen Arthur Bessire (1883-1953) on the move...
Cando (North Dakota) Herald Record, 19 September 1912

Emma Bessire Allgier (1881-1945), daughter of Arnold F. Bessire...Lima (Ohio) News, 27 August 1945, p. 2

 Frederick Donovan Bessire (1905-1918), grandson of Arnold F. Bessire...Lima (Ohio) News, 14 July 1918, p.9

My great grandmother, Ida Mae Bessire (1889-1960), must have had need for this. She saved it in her telephone book. 

In this day and age we all have need for a little prayer. I'm going to say a little prayer of thanks for newspapers.  Here's to all the wonderful people who are digitizing and indexing them so we can find our ancestors on the Facebook of the past.  Thanks Mr. Gutenburg, you started it all.

Eugene Bessire Family-Census Records

OCUPSYSHUN-Cencus Taker:
“I am a cencus takers for the city of Bufflow.  Our city has groan very fast in resent years and now in 1865, it has become a hard and time consuming job to count all the peephill.  There are not many that can do this werk, as it is necessarie to have an ejucashun, wich a lot of pursons still do not have.  Anuther atribeart needed for this job is god spelling, for meny of the pephill to be counted can hatrdle speek inglish, let alone spel  there names!”  (Fonda D. Baselt, compiler. The Sunny Side of Genealogy.  Baltimore, Maryland:  Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1988)

Despite the fun this ditty pokes at census takers, we owe them a debt of gratitude for walking streets, searching out farm houses, fighting weather (1920 census was taken in January—what were they thinking?), kicking away menacing stray dogs, and knocking on doors to get the statistics required by their particular census year.  Even though the job was mandated by the U.S. Constitution for allocating Congressional seats and gathering other pertinent data for planning, it is a boon to genealogists in putting families together. Praise to their tenacity in trying to understand information from immigrants.  Praise to the beautiful, clear hand writers.  Praise to the pages that weren’t blotted on MY ancestor’s names.  Praise, praise, praise!

One of my most favorite depictions of the census is by Norman Rockwell.  It is called the Census-taker.  Since it is a copyrighted print, here’s a link to the art: http://www.globalgallery.com/enlarge/60909/

Census Records of Eugene & Marianne Bessire 

 I’ve typed the information exactly as it reads in the census, with information “as is” indicated by [sic] and other clarifications in brackets.

29 August 1850--Salt Creek Township, Wayne County, Ohio

Dwelling 57, Family 59

Eugene Basere [sic], age 27, male, farmer, born Switzerland.

Mary A. Basere [sic], age 19, female, born Switzerland.

[John F. & Mary A. Grimm, next family].

16 June 1860—Jackson Township, Allen County, Ohio
(Here’s one where writing their full name would have been appreciated!)

Dwelling 843, family 843

 N. Bessire, age 37, male, farmer, $3000 real estate, $580 personal, born Switzerland.

M.A. Bessire, age 29, female, born Switzerland. 

E. Bessire, age 8, male, born Ohio, in school. 

A. Bessire, age 7, male, born Ohio, in school. 

E. Bessire, age 4, male, born Ohio.

 A. Bessire, age 2, male, born Ohio,

 A. Bessire 1/12, male, born Ohio.

3 June 1870—Jackson Township, Allen County, Ohio

Dwelling 31, family 31

Eugene Bessire, age 46, male, white, farmer, b. Switzerland, real estate value $3000, personal property value $1000, father foreign born, mother foreign born.

Mary A. Bessire, age 37, female, white, keeping house, born Switzerland, father foreign born, mother foreign born.  Alcied [sic] Bessire, age 17, male, white, farm laborer, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year. 

Alfrid [sic] Bessire, age 15 [sic], male, white, farm laborer, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year. 

Edward Bessire, age 15 [sic], male, white, farm laborer, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year.

Arnol [sic] Bessire, age 11, male, white, at school, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year. 

Charles Bessire, age 7, male, white, at school, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year. 

Mary Bessire, age 5, female, white, at school, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year.

3 June 1880—St. John Township, Harrison County, Iowa
Note:  Relationships of family members to head of household given.  YAHOO!

Dwelling 128, family 130

Eugene Bassire [sic], farmer, cannot read or write, born Switzerland, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland. 

Mary A.. E. Bassire [sic], white, female, age 50, wife, keeping house, cannot read or write, born Ohio [sic], father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland. 

Albert Bassire [sic], white, male, age 20, son, farm laborer, born Ohio, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland. 

Mary Y [or Z?] Bassire [sic], white, female, age 17, daughter, at home, born Ohio, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland.

1885—St. John, Harrison County, Iowa, Iowa State Census

Dwelling 137, family 144 

Eugene Bessire, township 78, range 44, section 6, Lot 2, age 61, male, married, farmer, born Switzerland, father foreign born, mother foreign born, entitled to vote.  

Mary A. Bessire, township 78, range 44, section 6, Lot 2, age 52?, female, married, HK ]housekeeping], born Switzerland, father foreign born, mother foreign born. 

Neighbors:  Chas A. & Jesse Bessire.

1890—The story goes almost all of the population schedules were destroyed in a fire of 1921. Every genealogist I is dying over this one.

6 June 1900—Taylor Township, Harrison County, Iowa

Note:  Eugene Bessire deceased before the census date.  Mary Ann Bessire is residing as a widow in the household of Jasper McCrillis, her son-in-law. Birth dates and immigration dates were a great addition to this census.

Dwelling 87, family 87

 Jasper McCrillis, head, white, male, born Oct 1854, age 45, male, married, married 18 years, born Iowa, father born Indiana, mother born Illinois, merchant hardware, zero months not employed, can read and write and speak English, home owned, mortgage, farm, farm schedule #11?

Mary Z. McCrillis, wife, white, female, born Feb 1863, age 37, married, married 18 years, six children living of six children born, born Ohio, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland, can read and write and speak English.  Clarence W. McCrillis, son, white, male, born Jul 1882, age 17, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, farmer, zero months not employed, can read and write and speak English. 

Essie M. McCrillis, daughter, white, female, born Dec 1883, age 16, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, at school 9 months, can read and write and speak English. 

Harvey R. McCrillis, son, white, male, born Aug 1885, age 14, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, at school 5 months, can read and write and speak English.

Florence McCrillis, daughter, white, female, born July 1887, age 12, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, at school 9 months, can read and write and speak English.

Verna McCrillis, daughter, white, female, born April 1889, age 11, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, at school 9 months, can read and write and speak English.  John D. McCrillis, son, born Jan 1895, age 5, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio. 

Mary A. Bessire, mother in law, white, female, born Nov 1830, age 69, widow, 7 children living of 8 children born, born Switzerland, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland, immigration 1838, 62 years in the U.S., can read and write and speak English.

7 April 1910—Green River, Emery, Utah

Note:  This year includes information on how many children were born to a mother and how many children are still living.

Dwelling 111, family 113:

 Jasper McCrillis, head, male, white, age 55, 1st marriage, married 28 years, born Iowa, father born Indiana, mother born Illinois, can read and write and speak English, fruit farmer, own account, house owned, mortgage, farm, farm schedule 49. 

Mary Z. McCrillis, wife, female, white, age 45, 1st marriage, married 28 years, 8 children living or 8 born, born Ohio, father born Switzerland-French, mother born Switzerland-French, no occupation can read and write and speak English.

 Florence McCrillis, daughter, female, white, age 22, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, can read and write and speak English, public school teacher. 

Verna McCrillis, daughter, female, white, age 20, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, can read and write and speak English, school. 

John D. McCrillis, son, male, white, age 15, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, can read and write and speak English, school. 

Edith I. McCrillis, daughter, female, white, age 9, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, can read and write and speak English, school. 

Newell E. McCrillis, son, female [sic], white, age 6, born Nebraska, father born Iowa, mother bon Ohio, able to read and write. 

Mary A. Bessire, mother in law, female, white, age 78, widow, born Switzerland-French, father born Switzerland-French, mother born Switzerland-French, can read and write and speak English, no occupation.

U.S. Census History
The first census was taken in 1790 following the American Revolution under Secretary Thomas Jefferson.  From 1790-1940, only the names of the heads of households were recorded, with all other family members categorized by age and sex into particular age ranges.  In 1850 all family members were recorded, even slaves were recorded beginning that year.

Searching Original Census Records
FamilySearch Internet, www.familysearch.org,  and Ancestry.com, www.ancestry.com, have indexes and images of the censuses online.  FamilySearch allows you to search for free.  Ancestry.com requires a subscription for some years. You can also order microfilm copies from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City into your local Family History Library.

Eugene Bessire-Family Group Data

“The linking of generations, the historical lineage of family, the sharing of love. . . give purpose to life.” –Dr. George Landberg

The following is the family group record or data for Eugene Bessire and Marianne Emily Grimm as best as I have been able to ascertain to this point.  Many sources have been used to reach this stage of research which I am happy to share with the inquirer. I am also open to supported corrections. Some sources I will add to this blog.  I am in the process of adding the detailed sources to each date and event in the family tree available on FamilySearch Internet, http://www.new.familysearch.org/.  Ancestry.com’s Public Trees, http://www.ancestry.com/,  also have data on this family from many contributors. FamilySearch and the public trees on Ancestry are free to search. The descendants of each of his children will be addressed in subsequent blogs.

Eugene Bessire
About 1894, Iowa

Eugene Bessire (My 3^rd great grandfather)
b. 11 June 1823, Pery, Bern, Switzerland
chr. 22 June 1823, Pery, Bern, Switzerland
md. 29 December 1849, Wayne County, Ohio, Marianne Emily Grimm

d. 19 April 1900, Modale, Harrison, Iowa
bur. 1900  Rose Hill Cemetery, Missouri Valley, Iowa
Parents:  Abram Bessire & Marianne Bessire (maiden name)

Note:  Eugene’s birth date is given as 7 November 1823 on his headstone and is calculated the same from the Harrison County, Iowa death record.  The above date is taken from actual christening records and may be more accurate.

Rose Hill Cemetery, Missouri Valley, Harrison, Iowa
Photo by Kris & Stephanie Bessire Mecham, October 1982

Marianne Emily Grimm (aka Mary Ann, Marianna)
b. 7 November 1830, Court, Bern, Switzerland
d. 20 January 1916, Missouri Valley, Harrison, Iowa
bur. Rose Hill Cemetery, Missouri Valley, Iowa
Parents:  Johannes (Jean) Grimm and Emilie Bueche



Marianne Emily Grimm Bessire
About 1894, Iowa



Rose Hill Cemetery, Missouri Valley, Harrison, Iowa
Photo by Kris & Stephanie Mecham, October 1982

Marriage Record of Eugene & Marianne
Ohio. Probate Court (Wayne County).  Marriage Records, 1813-1951.  Salt Lake City, UT:  Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1965, 1994.  Family History Library film #425754.  Marriage Record v. 4A-4B, 1835-1851.

State of Ohio Wayne Co ss:

I hereby certify that on the 29th day of December A.D. 1849 Mr. Eugene Befsire [sic] and Mifs[sic] Marianne Emily Grimm were legally joined in marriage by me a minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church given under my hand this 1st day of Jany [sic] 1850.  W.B. Rally [William B.  Rally]

[It is interesting to note the double s appears as fs in the handwriting or at least a different way of designating the first s of a pair]

Children:

Bertrand Alcide Bessire       

b. 10 May1851, Wayne County, Ohio

d. 10  December 1851, Wayne County, Ohio
bur. 11 December 1851 Paint Twp, Wayne, Ohio

Note:  The abstracts of burial records for Paint Township indicate that Bertrand was 7 months of age at death which calculates to the May birth date.   Two dates are subsequently given:  10 Dec 1851 and 11 December 1851. I assume the later is the burial date.

Alcide Lucian Bessire                      

b. 8 November 1852, Wayne County, Ohio

md.26 February 1874, Allen County, Ohio, America Ann Murray

md. 2 April 1883, Hardin County, Ohio, Hattie A. Riley

d. 6 November 1942, Twin Falls, Idaho
bur. 9 November 1942, Twin Falls Cemetery, Twin Falls, Idaho

Alfred Eugene Bessire         

b. 2 November 1854, Wayne County, Ohio

md. 4 March 1875, Allen County, Ohio, Clara Belle Shaw

d. 17 June 1946, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
bur. 19 June 1946, Frazier Cemetery Missouri Valley, Harrison, Iowa

Charles Edward Bessire (aka C. Edward, Edward, Edward C.)

b. 21 February 1857, Alger, Allen, Ohio

md. 10 January 1878, Allen County, Ohio, Olive A. Austin

d. 1 June 1928, Laurel, Cedar, Nebraska
bur. Laurel Cemetery, Laurel, Cedar, Nebraska

Arnold F. Bessire                 

b. September 1858, Beaver Dam, Allen, Ohio

md. 9 Aug 1877, Allen County, Ohio, Christine Bogart

md. Alice Zimmerman (further verification needed)

md.  Cora Robinson (further verification needed; spouse per Arnold’s death record)

d. 29 September 1941, Delaware, Delaware, Ohio
bur. 1 October 1941, Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Allen, Ohio

Albert Bessire                                   

b. 14 January 1860, Beaver Dam, Allen, Ohio

md. 8 Mar 1883, Missouri Valley, Harrison, Iowa, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Scott

d. 9 January 1950, Rifle, Garfield, Colorado
bur. Veteren’s Crown Point Cemetery, Grand Junction, Mesa, Colorado

Charles Albert Bessire (My 2^nd great grandfather)          

b. 8 August 1861, Lima, Allen, Ohio

md. 22 March 1882, Missouri Valley, Harrison, Iowa, Jessie Horne

d. 18 January 1936, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California
bur. 22 January 1936 Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

Charles Albert Bessire

Mary Zelima Bessire            

b. 28 February 1863, Beaver Dam, Allen, Ohio

md. 2 Oct 1881, Missouri Valley, Harrison, Iowa, Jasper McCrillis

d. 18 Apr 1913 Grand Junction, Mesa, Colorado
bur. Veteren’s Crown Point Cemetery, Grand Junction, Colorado

How You Can Help:  I would love to get more of the story of this family and more pictures are always welcome!

BESSIRE-You say that how?

The school bell had rung.  It was a new school year in a brand new junior high school. I found myself sitting in my homeroom class, nervous and excited and waiting for 8^th grade to begin.  This young lady meticulously groomed with her very short haircut and brand new homemade red dress (YES, a dress!), adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and wondered, “How did I get a shop class as my home room? It doesn’t go with my outfit!”

It wasn’t long before the intercom clicked on and in blazing clarity, a female voice announced, “Will Stephanie Brazzier (BESSIRE) please come to the office.”  GREAT!  Can you say that a little louder?  Is there any other way you can humiliate a blossoming teenager more on the first day of 8^th grade? 

I exited the classroom as quickly as I could to avoid the pain of the low-key snickers turning into a boisterous chorus of belly-deep laughter—school-wide! As it turned out, I ended up in a much more fitting homeroom, so I guess that was the “joy” in all this misery.

I’m sure there were miss pronunciations throughout my grade school years, but the junior high incident is the most memorable.  It provided ample warning to prepare for those misguided souls in the future who might do me in again. “BAY-SEER--that is how you say it!” I repeated to announcers in the realms of talent shows, church activities, beauty pageants, and graduation.

I’m not sure of the origins of the name. Bessire HAS to be beautifully pronounced in French. I only know that my French speaking ancestor from Switzerland  brought it with him to America.  Did Eugene Bessire worry about miss pronunciations on his long, churning ride over the Atlantic? When he first stepped on the shores of America, did he know any English?  Could he even correct their interpretation of how they said or spelled his name?  Was the prize of being here so wonderful that he really didn’t care? 

Even though the name Bessire has carried its anxious moments, I am so proud of it.  Because of its uniqueness, I know when I discover it in the newspaper, old books, census records, and in cemeteries—spelled just like I spell it—that we have to be related!  I don’t get too ruffled anymore when I see it as Basire, Bassier, Bessier, Befsire (the way old hand writing appears for a double s),  or any other way.  I just smile and know the problems the name presents to the listeners, recorders, and pronouncers; they did the best they could.  I will accept all the associated embarrassments of BESSIRE any day in trade for the alternative—let’s say, the tedious search of those looking for an ancestor named JOHN SMITH!

Voices from the Dust

“There are omissions, some because I could not locate persons, some because I received no response.  Also there are, no doubt, some errors.  If you find you wish corrected, please write me.  To all who have been so helpful I am very grateful.  I have enjoyed being in touch with you.  This has been an interest of mine, pushed aside for many years, so after we retired from the teaching profession in 1957, I began contacting as many as possible and this is the result.  It has been a most interesting hobby.”

--Essie May (McCrillis) Cowles

Essie’s “interesting hobby” turned into the gift that keeps on giving for our family. That is the case with the Abraham Bessire History that came into the hands of my mother, Carole Ann Bessire, and my grandparents, Glenn and Thora Bessire during the 1970s.  

Essie May McCrillis Cowles was the compiler of the history.  She states in an introduction that the “work was begun in 1951” and that she was living in Boulder, Colorado in 1959. In the accompanying Jean Bueche Genealogy, Essie states, “information acquired from “Marianne Emily (Grimm) Bessire…while she was a member of our (McCrillis) household from 1894 to 1913, with additional data obtained by Verna (McCrillis) Milton during the years 1909-1913.”  I would assume information for the Abraham Bessire History came about in much of the same way, at least information on Marianne’s immediate posterity.

Compiling a history is a monumental task.  I know.  I’ve done it.  At the beginning of the project a compiler usually can envision the intended outcome—every contact contributing something—no matter how insignificant to them.  Little bits from everyone help to create the whole picture.   

Considering that the “gathering” method of the pre-computer days was mostly by phone or letter writing, makes it even more appreciated.  Many of the most-known contacts would have been consulted on the whereabouts of their relatives, then more letters to the new-found contacts. The turn-around time for your anxious requests could have stretched over months.  In reality, you face promises of “I’ll look in that box in the attic” or “I’ll get back to you” or the realization that your letter was opened, read, and stuffed in a drawer for further action. (This aspect of human nature has been delivered by some quirk of DNA over centuries!)  But you can never give up on the hope of a reply.  I think every genealogist has been approached years later with, “Oh, I found your letter of [date inserted] and thought I better get back to you [now several years later!].”  You still scream YAHOO! Today I can easily insert new bits of information in its proper order in a document.  Then, you would have had to retype the whole document!

The original history appeared to have been typed on an old typewriter with gummed up characters on the type bars making many of the characters indistinguishable.   So grabbing minutes here and there, and often in the early hours before going to work, my mother retyped the 20 pages of history using her best judgment on whether an “o” was an “a”, etc.     As the years progressed and information was verified in the history, my mother feels like she was blessed to have made proper judgments on what character was what.  

So the “gift” while not perfect in its delivery but appreciated nevertheless, was a perfect start to our pursuit of the posterity and ancestors of Eugene and Marianne Emily Grimm Bessire.  Essie and Verna captured the genealogy “moment” in gathering information while their mother was still alive.  A lesson we can all learn from. So, hats off to Essie, whom I’ve never met, and hats off to those that responded to her initial requests.

Voices from the dust…

If you are interested in a copy of that history please contact Stephanie at pedigreepursuits@gmail.com

Bessire Reunion, Magnolia, Iowa, Abt 1894

This picture of a Bessire reunion in Magnolia, Iowa, was secured by Thora Bessire (1916-1994) and then to my mother , Carole Ann Bessire, several years ago. The picture was labeled by Mary Delpha Bessire Ankeny (1888-1978) with additional names supplied by her daughter, Carol Maurine Ankeny Klindt (1915-1997) in a letter dated 5 November 1990.  Mary, was the grand-daughter of Eugene Bessire through his son Charles Edward (1857-1928) & Olive Austin Bessire (1857-1941).  

Carole Ankeny Klindt dated the picture as 1895 in Magnolia, Iowa.  It was known that the little baby in front was Lloyd Bessire. Lloyd Bessire was born 7 October 1893 and died 23 February 1895.  With this information, and the apparent setting of leaves on the trees, and the dress possibly indicating a warm day in Iowa, my mother calculated the photo to be 1894.

Unfortunately Charles Albert & Jessie Horne and family were not present—yes, that’s my direct ancestors-- for some reason missed the party! Why?

Here are the names as best as we know them from the Ankeny’s and with my mother’s clarifications and interjections and guesses in brackets.

 

Back Row Left to Right (14 people)

1.       Aunt Jane Dedrick, Olive Austin Bessire’s sister;

2.       Aunt Tina [Hattie Ann Riley Bessire, wife of Alcide Bessire]

3.       Aunt Tina’s sister [Mary Riley Larimore?]

4.       Mary Zelima Bessire McCrillis [wife of Jasper McCrillis]

5.       Jasper  McCrillis

6.       Aunt Jane, Uncle Alf’s wife. [Alfred’s wife was Clara Belle Shaw; why did they call her “Jane?”]

7.       Lizzie Scott Bessire [wife of Albert Bessire]

8.       Olive Austin Bessire [wife of Charles Edward Bessire]

9.       Alcide Bessire

10.   Unknown

11.   Alfred Bessire

12.   Charles Edward Bessire

13.   Arnold Bessire

14.   Albert Bessire

Middle Row, L. to R. (12 people)
1.   A Cousin
2.  Nettie Bessire Johnson [dau. of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
3.  Bertha Pearl Bessire, Uncle Alf’s daughter
4.  Some relation of Alsie Bessire [Emma Bessire?, dau. of Alcide and America Ann Murray Bessire]
5.  Unknown
6.  Grandmother Bessire [Mary Ann Emily Grimm Bessire, wife of Eugene]
7. Effie Bessire, oldest granddaughter [dau. of Alcide Bessire and America Ann Murray]
8.  Grandfather Bessire [Eugene Bessire]
9.  Blaine Bessire [son of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
10. Cousin of our Uncle Albert [George Wheeler Bessire? Son of Albert and Lizzie Scott Bessire?]
11. Uncle Jasper’s son [Clarence McCrillis? Age 12 in 1894]
12. Howard Bessire, Uncle Alf’s son [age14 in 1894]

Front Row, L. to R. (16 people, the far right person is faded out)

1.  Essie McCrillis [dau. of Jasper & Zelima Bessire McCrillis]
2.   Elva Bessire Brockway Miller [dau. of Charles E.  & Olive Austin Bessire]
3.   A cousin [Zellie?, Albert’s daughter? Age 10 in 1894]
4.  A cousin
5. Florence McCrillis [dau. of Jasper & Zelima Bessire McCrillis]
6.  Mary Bessire Ankeny [dau. of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
7.  Verna McCrillis [dau. of Jasper & Zelima Bessire McCrillis]
8.  Harry Bessire [son of Charles Edward & Olive Austin Bessire]
9.  Baby Lloyd Bessire [son of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
10.  Cousin [Alva Luther?, son of Alfred & Clara Belle Shaw, age 5 in 1894]
11. Uncle Albert’s boy [Orel?]
12. Otto Bessire-Uncle Alf’s son
13.  Bert Bessire [son of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
14.  Cousin Elmer-Uncle Albert’s son
15.  Cousin [Frederick Clyde?, Arnold’s son?]
16.  McCrillis cousin [Harvey McCrillis? Son of Jasper & Zelima Bessire McCrillis? Age 9 in 1894]

How You Can Help.  If you have any corrections or knowledge of the unknowns, please send them to my email address, pedigreepursuits@gmail.com1