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