Summer sun rays over the Susie Islands

On this chilly winter's night my thoughts wander to the warmth of summer days. So, I worked up a photo that I've long been wanting to put on my website but just never got around to it. This one is from the summer of 2005. I had spent the morning photographing around the Susie Islands and was heading back home mid-afternoon when a few summer rain squalls blew towards the islands from across Wauswaugoning Bay. Just moments after I made this photo I was caught in some pretty intense downpours, but they only lasted a few moments and once again the sun was shining. Gotta love those summer days!

Do We Care If They See Our Underwear?

[image via velo-mama]

Ah, the topic of underpant visibility whilst cycling in a skirt! It is truly one of which we lady cyclists never seem to tire. Some enthusiastically discuss methods of tying down the skirt so as to curb its treacherous revelations. Others advocate wearing leggings. But as I cycled to various meetings in different parts of Vienna today in insane mid-day heat, I suddenly simply did not care. And neither, I noticed, did any of the Viennese ladies on bicycles around me. And, more importantly still, neither did the men.

[image via eva-lu]

Noticing this made me think about why it is that we tend to be so concerned about whether our underpants are showing as we cycle. Is it a personal sense of modesty? Or is it because of how men look at us? For me, I have to say it is the latter. In the US, if I am not wearing leggings under a skirt while cycling, it is almost inevitable that a man will shout something at me or meaningfully look at me in a way that I find unpleasant. That is why I wear leggings, and not because I am inherently ashamed to show my underwear. Despite the theoretical progress in gender relations, I think it is unsafe to evoke a curiosity about my anatomy in strange men.

By comparison, in Vienna the men don't seem too interested in examining women cycling in skirts. Perhaps it is a deep-rooted cultural difference when it comes to gender relations, or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that there is a nudist beach just down the river. Whatever the reason, it is a welcome relief. If they don't care, then honestly - I don't either. If only that sense of liberation were enough to deal with this horrible heatwave!

Gravestones don't lie? When did Bela die?

The gravestone for Bela Goodrich, my 5th Great Grandfather, is located in Adams Cemetery, Troy Township, Whitley County, Indiana and has the inscription "1776-1845" and "War of 1812". Neither the year of his birth nor the year of his death is correct!



This is not the original marker. Another researcher, a descendant of Price Goodrich, Bela's son, says she was told by an uncle that the original marker was illegible and in bad condition when some family members decided to erect a new marker. Apparently they didn't know his year of death or, perhaps, that is how they interpreted the remaining transcription on the original marker. At any rate, a new stone was set with the incorrect dates. So when was Bela born and when did he die? Stick with me, and we'll see, maybe.





Wethersfield, Connecticut Vital Records 1634 - 1868, from the Barbour Collection online at Rays' Place (and elsewhere) show that Bela Goodrich, son of John 3rd & Abigail, was born February 4, 1777. Those records also show that his parents John Goodrich and Abigail Price were married on October 1, 1776, just four months prior to Bela's birth! John and Bela moved with their families to Franklin County, Ohio about 1807 and 31 years later, in 1838, Bela along with some of his grown children came to Whitley County, Indiana. Bela is not listed in the 1840 census for Whitley County but his son Price and son-in-law, James Joslin, are both listed.



On May 6, 1852, Bela, aged 75, applied for Bounty Land based on his service in the War of 1812 while living in Franklin County, Ohio. He also applied again on May 31, 1855. This time he was 78 years old.

Bela is enumerated in both the 1850 and 1860 Whitley County, Indiana census records. In 1850 he is age 74, in the household with his daughter Abigail and her husband Jonas Joslin (my 4th Great Grandparents). In 1860, Bela is listed as being age 83 and is living with his grandson, Silas Goodrich.

So, we know he was still living in 1860 because he's listed in the census, right? Well, I have found instances where deceased people were listed in the census records, but another clue was found in the Columbia City News. The item below first appeared March 25, 1862 and ran almost weekly, with the last "testimonials" for the Scandinavian Remedies being June 2, 1863.

"Home Testimony. Huntsville. Whitley Co., Ind.

"Dr. C. W. Robeck: Sir. This is to certify that I was very much reduced in strength, and was confined to bed rom [sic] general debility and disease and being advised to try your Scandinavian Remedies, I did so with the most satisfactory result. I have since had several attacks of the sam [sic] character, which have always been removed by these remedies and can conscientiously recommend them to the afflicted. Yours truly, BELLA [sic] GOODRICH."

We're getting a little closer... chances are, if he was giving a testimony for a "remedy" he'd still be alive. I think we would be safe in assuming he was living in June of 1863.



An article that was published in the Columbia City Post on February 24, 1892 gave bits of information regarding early settlers and current residents. Of particular interest was this one-liner... "Bela Goodrich was a soldier and died at the age of 87 years. He was the father of Price Goodrich and grandfather to Fletcher Goodrich of Richland township."



We have no way of knowing if this article is accurate, but if it is, and if he was born in 1777 and died when he was 87 years old, that puts his year of death at 1864 or possibly early 1865.



There would not be any "official" record of Bela’s death since Whitley County didn't start recording deaths until about 1882, and that is hit-or-miss until about 1900 when the state required them.






So, when did Bela die? What say you?

Unfit mother?

Everyone will tell you how prolific muscovies are. "If you have a pair, you'll soon have dozens," they'll say.

But this makes at least the third time that our gal has failed to hatch a single egg. (Not always her fault - Jasmine found and ate all the eggs once.)

This time she laid about ten of them, in the chicken coop. She sat on them all night, wandered around off the nest most of the day, and then finally abandoned them after a week or so.

Another California Poppy

I just can't get enough of these.

Pilen Lyx: the Pragmatic Romantic

Earlier this summer, I had a Pilen Lyx lady's bicycle in my possession for over a month, on loan from the US distributor BoxCycles. During this time I got to know the bicycle fairly well, and it is one of the more unusual classic bikes I have ridden so far - with a combination of qualities that makes it difficult to categorise. A city bike and an off-road bike in one, the Pilen is attractive, durable, amazingly stable, and is capable of hauling a great deal of weight.



When the blue Pilenwas delivered to me, I was taken aback by its striking looks. I knew that this bicycle was designed to be practical, not pretty. A Scandinavian friend described its reputation as that of a "tank" - resistant to rust, tolerant of neglect and abuse, and indifferent to getting dropped on the ground or crashed at slow speeds - all around "solid." In a region that is no stranger to heavy-duty bikes, that is quite a statement and it led me to expect a purely no-nonesense machine. But in person the Pilen has a romantic quality to it that transcends the practical aspects.



It is not a quaint bicycle. But it is graceful and evocative. My imagination immediately went into overdrive with daydreams of seaside forest trails and lush meadows under stormy skies - the Pilen gliding through them with a stack of firewood strapped to its rear rack. While in a way such flights of fancy are absurd, I think that a bicycle's ability to inspire is tremendously important, and the Pilen inspires.



Aside from the looks in a general sense, I was impressed with the frame construction. I knew that the frame was TIG-welded (not lugged) steel, so I was not expecting to swoon over it. But as far as welded frames go, this is swoon-worthy. The frame joints are beautiful, with the welding marks nearly invisible - visually on par with custom frames.



The curved seat stays are capped and meet the seat tube in the most elegant manner. No shortcuts, no ugly blobs here. The top of the seat tube has a "collar" that completes the quality feel.



The crisp, lugged fork crown balances out the details at the rear. It is really very nicely done and I prefer a frame like this by far to frames where the main tubes are half-heartedly lugged, with a welded rear triangle or a unicrown fork slapped on.



My one criticism of the frame construction, is that while there are details such as a braze-on for the front wheel stabiliser spring, there are no braze-ons for the shifter cable and it is attached along the down tube with black clips. Why not add a couple of braze-ons here?



The Pilen headbadge: "cycles from Malilla." The word pilen means "arrow" in Swedish. The bicycles are designed and assembled in-house, with the frames built in Taiwan to their specifications.



Pilen bicycles come equipped with Brooks B66 saddles (B66S for the lady's frame) in a selection of colours. Frame colour can also be selected - the other options being black, dark green and dark red.



Rubber grips and a Pilen-branded bell. You have to spin the bell to ring it, which can work nicely for those whole finger hurts from trigger-style bells.



The version of the Lyx I had was equipped with a 3-speed Shimano coaster brake hub with a twist shifter. Other possibilities are available, including hand-operated brakes and 8-speed hubs. The bicycle comes with a dynamo hub-powered headlight, which can be attached either below the stem or on the side, via a braze-on on the fork - depending on whether you plan to attach a basket. When the headlight it attached below the stem, the wire is contained within a long spring that attaches to a braze-on on the fork. I have never seen this method before and spent a lot of time examining the spring.



The tail light is battery powered - as is increasingly the trend with many European bicycles that previously used dynamo-powered lighting front and rear. I think the trend is an unfortunate one, and wish the Pilen had a dynamo-powered tail light.



The tires are 700C x 48mm Schwalbe Big Apples, black with reflective sidewalls.



One feature that gives the Pilen its distinct look is the custom rear rack. It is beautifully made, with hand-painted insignia, and is unusually large.



For reference, this is a large pizza box (17"x17").



Jammed under the saddle and held in place with a rat-trap spring. Yup, that's all it takes to transport a pizza on this bike.



This is the only rack I've seen with not one but two rat-trap springs, and they came in handy when devising creative ways to carry shopping bags. I have also attached stacks of large, heavy boxes to the rack with bungee cords, and it hardly flinched. The platform is so wide, that the packages stay very stable. The one downside of a rack like this, however, is that the tubing is too thick for pannier systems that attach via hooks. Ortlieb, R&K, Fastrider and Basil hooks will not fit around it. Only a system such as the one Po Campo uses (shown above and reviewed here) will work with the Pilen rack.



An optional front rack is also available with the Pilen (shown and reviewed here), but I opted not to install it. This front rack felt excessively heavy, and at 47lb the bicycle was already borderline too much for me to handle without it. I was also told that installing the front rack scratches up the head tube and headbadge, so all in all it did not seem appealing. For all of my needs (workbag, grocery shopping, and the occasional transport of boxes and bulky packages) the huge rear rack was sufficient.



While in possession of the Pilen, I went back and forth between riding it and my mid-'90s Gazelle, marveling at the differences between them despite their superficial similarities. While my Gazelle is a prototypically hardy Dutch bike, it seemed almost flimsy in comparison to the Pilen's visibly thicker tubing, wider tires, and overall "heavier set" looks. The Gazelle's rear rack looked downright scrawny next to the Pilen's mighty platform, and the Gazelle's handling at slow speeds was like that of a drunker sailor compared to the Pilen's unwavering stability. On the other hand, the Pilen was slower to accelerate and more effortful to push for me than my old Gazelle - an experience that seems to be a factor of my size and weight, as described here.



Compared to traditional Dutch bikes or English Roadsters, the SwedishPilen's geometry is not quite as relaxed, and its handlebars are considerably less swept back - positioning the cyclist's hands almost straight in front of them, mountain bike-style. This makes the handling both more controlled and livelier, with the cyclist's weight more evenly distributed between the front and rear of the bike. While I like the lower positioning of the handlebars, I would prefer it if they had more sweep to them - but this is a matter of personal preference.

The thing that impressed me the most about the Pilen's ride quality, is its stability. When starting and stopping, itfeels extremely sturdy and safe. I wrote earlier about all the different things people mean when they describe a bicycle as "stable," and the Pilen is pretty much all of them. It does not want to go down, no matter what - a factor that can be especially important to novices who are worried about faltering at intersections in traffic.



I also soon discovered that the Pilen handled excellently on a variety of off-road surfaces: grass, dirt, gravel paths, even narrow trails with roots and rocks. This is a very fun and safe bicycle to ride off pavement.



All in all, I have probably ridden about 100 miles on the Pilen - most of it in the form of short (< 5 mile) trips. The longest I have ridden it in the course of a single ride is 20 miles. Initially I was reluctant to take a longer trip on this bike, because of how relatively effortful it felt to accelerate. But in the course of the longer ride it "blossomed" and we developed a flow that made it faster and easier than I expected. The bike also did surprisingly well on hills, particularly if given a chance to pick up speed beforehand.



The more experience I gained with the Pilen over time, the less certain I became about how to define or explain it. A classic "swan" frame reminiscent of vintage bicycles, it really handles more like a contemporary mountain bike with upright positioning. The on/off road handling can be especially useful for those who regularly travel through pothole-ridden neighbourhoods, or for those who have access to off road trails for commuting. For those who enjoy touring on an upright bike, the Pilencould be a good candidate as well.



The one size only 56cm lady's frame is best suited for taller women, which is good news for those who have been unable to find step-through frames in larger sizes. Theheavy-duty tubing and wheels are designed for carrying serious weight, which is great for heavier riders and for those regularly traveling with the bike fully loaded. No bicycle is for everyone, but I think the Pilen fills a niche that needed filling: It is a hard-core, elegant transport bike whose mountain bike-ish handling should be inherently familiar to a North American cyclist. Though I would have liked to see a full chaincase, dressguards and a dynamo-powered tail light on thePilen, it is otherwise fully equipped for daily transportation.Having housed it outdoors for the duration of my guardianship, I can attest to the bike'sresistance to the elements and its general durability: There is not a scratch on the powdercoat and the components are free of rust.

Last month I hosted a contest to give away the Pilen to one of my readers, and the winner should be receiving the bicycle shortly. I wonder what she will think of it, and how her impressions will compare to my pragmatic and romantic musings. Many thanks once again to Will of BoxCycles for the opportunity to get to know this bicycle, and for so generously donating it to be given away.

South Early Winter Spire SW Rib ..

Elevation Gain: 2600'
5 miles RT
Left car: 11:15 am
Summit: 7:30 pm
Back at car: 10:00 pm
11 hours car to car

Steve and I planned a big climbing weekend. We didn't finalize our objectives until a few days before the weekend. The first leg would be an attempt on the Southwest Rib of South Early Winter Spire. Our plan was to climb South Early on Saturday, and then head to Cascade Pass to climb Forbidden on Sunday/Monday.

We had a casual start from Seattle on Saturday and arrived at the Blue Lake trail head in the late morning. Temps were cool, and it was a bit cloudy. We made awesome time to the base where we ate lunch and started to gear up. (And Steve took a "bathroom break".) There was a party on route ahead of us and they were a few pitches up. We hung our remaining gear in the tree, and headed up the direct start. [Using the description from Weekend Rock.]

Steve led off on the first pitch which was a loose and not easily protected corner. He went a little off route at one point (he called it the 5.10 variation) and was finally at the belay. I followed and found the pitch a struggle, and mostly unenjoyable. The off route variation took me some time to complete as I couldn't manage the moves Steve did and did an even different variation. This off route issue on the first pitch burned a lot of time for us, (Steve thought over and hour) but we weren't too concerned.

I led off on the next pitch which was short and if we didn't go off route on the first pitch, probably could have been combined with it. This short pitch was a moderate crack that brought you up to the next belay just below a major flake that is the following pitch. We changed over leads and Steve was on his way.

This crack is wider and has an interesting design to it with a large edge as its left side. The crack was fairly steep, and Steve headed up it straddling the flake with one leg on the face and one in the crack. There was much grunting. (Not as much as from the woman who was ahead of us-I think she was actually crying at one point.) Steve made his way up and commented about the amount of blood on the rock. He combined the pitch with the following pitch and started to bring me up. I climbed the crack with both feet in for the initial part, and then about 1/3 of the way up I used the flake for feet as my feet were killing me from jamming them in the crack. The last third of the pitch you come out and lie back the final portion. Exciting to go from the relative security of the crack out on to the face. The second pitch of this link up was a wide crack in a slab.

Top of the fourth pitch (photo by Steve Machuga)

It was my turn to lead the next pitch which was a slab pitch. It starts out by going around a corner and then up a nice slab with some exposure. The book description said somewhat runout, but it was oddly only runout for the crux, which in the book was stated as being "an exciting step to the right." It was a fun pitch and I set a gear belay at the base of the bear hug cracks and brought Steve up.

Rounding the corner to gain the slab (photo by Steve Machuga)

Since I had told Steve at the base that I wanted to lead the bear hug cracks, he let me lead this next pitch as well. This was a super enjoyable pitch where you head up a short crack that brings you to a small ledge at the bottom of wide double cracks. They took a touch of effort to get on, but once on them, I found the climbing easy. What was not particularly easy was protecting them. We had brought a #5 Camalot just for this pitch (although we used it on 2-3 other pitches as well.) The bear hug cracks were too wide for the #4 and so I had to move the #5 up with me at least once. Just above the cracks I was able to get in a #4 and then proceeded up a ramp to the next belay, where I brought Steve up.

Bear Hug Cracks (Photo by Steve Machuga)

Steve led out on the next bit and then we started simul-climbing. (This was roughly pitches seven and eight.) He belayed me up to just below the bunny ears, and then I led a short bit to the rap anchor at the bunny ears. We rapped off the scary (freestanding block) anchor into the notch. Then Steve led the final pitch up to the summit area. It was a fun little crack that brought you up to near the summit. Since it was late in the day and clouds seemed to be rolling in, we bypassed the summit block and started our way down the South Arete.

Bottom of pitch 7 (photo by Steve Machuga)

We scrambled most of the the descent until we got to one of the chimneys. We opted to rappel at the rap station there and that is where we were joined by another party who had just topped out on an east face route. One of the guys, Blake, scrambled down to me and set up the next rappel at the next chimney and rapped down. They allowed us to use their rope and I rapped it to find Blake scrambling down to the base. One of his partners came down and said "its only 5.0 right?" and started scrambling the final bit as well. His other partner showed up with another rope and we rappelled to the base. The one partner who started scrambling got a bit sketched and rapped the last bit before Steve could finally rap down.

Once on the ground, we returned to our packs at the base, turned on our headlamps and hiked out.

Overall this was a great climb. Although it was 5.6, the first pitch was no doubt the crux for us. (Were we off route the entire time?) It was loose, not well protected, and strenuous. There were three really enjoyable (dare I say great?) pitches on the route and some other good pitches as well. While clouds threatened all day, they mostly stuck to bothering the nearby peaks like Silver Star and Cutthroat. It was windy and cool on route, but we did have brief moments of sun.

My pics are here.

So, What was in that Box?

Well, it's been nearly 5 weeks since Denise Levenick issued a Treasure Hunt! A Challenge for Genea Bloggers so I should have had plenty of time to open and explore the contents of the box! But, as always it seems, time has gotten away from me and the box was still sitting in the same spot, unopened. Until last night.

I didn't really expect to find any valuable treasures within, but I'll admit I was a little surprised. It's been a little over two years since the box was packed up, and memory can be a funny thing. Just get my mother and her four siblings together telling family stories and you'll get five different versions of the same event! But I digress. Back to the box.

After cutting the tape and pulling out the crumpled newspaper that was used as a filler, the discoveries began. On top, several magazines, from the 1960s and 70s, in very good condition by the way, especially considering that they would have traveled with me to every duty station while I was in the Navy.

• Kennedy And His Family in Pictures by the editors of Look. No date on the cover but one of the inside pages has a copyright date of 1963. It probably came out the week after his funeral. I was a sophomore in high school. Inside the pages was a "First Day Cover" envelope issued by the post office on May 29, 1964.
• Flying Saucers was another special edition by the editors of Look, copyright 1967.
• Apollo 11: On the Moon was a Look special edition that came out in late 1969. Sunday, July 20th, 1969 10:56:20 P.M. Neil Armstrong declared "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." My youngest brother was graduating from Navy Basic Training at Great Lakes that weekend. Mom, my sister and I were there to visit him and spent some time glued to the television screen in the motel room.
• There is life on the Moon. . . was a publication of Pace magazine in August 1969 and includes essays from Arthur C. Clarke, Wernher von Braun, Ray Bradbury and eight other scientists and science fiction writers. It was billed as a "down-to-earth" look at space.
• Prizewinning Pictures from Life's photography contest was published on December 25, 1970. I was stationed at Norfolk, Virginia and pilfered this copy from the station library, where I was working at the time. I was hoping to get into the Navy's photography school.

Next up was a mess of cards, letters, photographs, and travel pamphlets. Just tossed in the box haphazardly. Most of the cards and letters are still in their envelopes. Birthday cards (predominantly that 50th milestone), along with notes from cousins and aunts. I haven't sorted through them yet to determine whether I want or need to keep them. They will temporarily go into another box for sorting at a later date. With the travel pamphlets were post cards and souvenir brochures, all from our trip to Mississippi and Louisiana the end of June and into July of ... Pascagoula, New Orleans, Monroe, Shiloh Battlefield in Tennessee.

Beneath that mess was a sheet of cardboard. At first I thought I had reached the bottom of the box but then realized I'd only gotten halfway down. Lifting the cardboard revealed, what else, but another box! Measuring 9x12 and 4" deep.

I totally do not remember this box! It may have been packed up when we sold the farm house in 1997, but I'm thinking it may have been earlier, back when I quit my job in Fort Wayne in 1986 and put all my belongings in storage for a year. Regardless, these are my treasures, rediscovered!

• My birth certificate, issued in 1969 to prove my age for joining the Navy. Why is it a treasure? It includes my mother's maiden name. Current birth certificates issued by the state of Indiana no longer have that, they just have the mother's first name.
• Several "at a glance" calendars from 1972, 1978, 1979. With sparse notes but enough to jog the old memory about certain events.
• Letters. Letters that I thought had been lost. In a way, I guess they were. Being boxed up for 10 or maybe 20 years. Most appear to be from my time in Japan (May 1977-May 1979) and through school (Indiana State 1979-1982). From family, and from friends long relegated to the back recesses of my mind. I opened several, but they are all going back into the box for now. I'm just not sure I'm ready for the flood of emotions they are bringing back. Long lost, found again. These letters won't be making it into the pages of this blog!

Personal treasures partially revealed, to be put back for yet another day. I can only wonder what will happen to them after I'm gone. Who will be the one to re-discover them then and what will they think? The question becomes, for me, is this: Do I really want someone else to find some of the letters? Taken out of the context of my life their true meaning is lost. And, as with most discoveries more questions will arise than will be answered.

So, there you have it. Are my treasures valuable? Intrinsically, yes. Monetarily, no. But as a family researcher, where does their real value lie?

Early Morning Photos

Loopy Contemplations

As Justine remarked in the previous post, "There's no need to abandon your loop frame just because you get a nice road bike. Every kind of riding is different". I love loop frames and believe very strongly that the sort of bicycle described here is the best bike to ride for transportation in one's regular clothing - especially if you are a woman who wears skirts or business attire.

It is also best if you want to cycle at a leisurely pace and get the most out of the scenery - like the beautiful and fleeting spring blossoms.

These pictures were meant to have a "green on green" theme as a follow-up to the "blue on blue", but they were taken with a mobile phone and the green colour of the Pashley frame is completely invisible. But conceptually it is there: green grass, green sweater set, green Pashley. (Just imagine the bike looks green, okay?)

I long to have a "one and only," dependable, perfect loop-frame bicycle. Unfortunately, I think that the lovely Pashley might not be the one. For whatever reason, my vintage Raleigh DL-1 Lady's Tourist just works better with my anatomy. However, the DL-1 is not perfect either: lacking the Pashley's dependable brakes and all-weather capabilities. Over the past 9 months I have been agonising about how to resolve this and toying with different possibilities, but now I have finally taken action: I will be turning the Raleigh DL-1 into "superbike" by installing a secret coaster brake whilst leaving the rod brakes intact. And, assuming that this works out ...I will be selling the Pashley. Can't believe I just committed this to text, but there it is. I have not made it official yet or posted the bike for sale anywhere, but if you live in the area and think you might be interested, get in touch. Who knows - maybe you'll meet the loopy best friend of your dreams!

Data Mining :: Who is Who? And how do they fit?

This is going to be a long post... it has taken far more time to compile than anticipated and I wasn't sure how to present the information. Hopefully it will be somewhat clearer than mud and will be of help to someone besides myself! If you are doing research on these Rupert families, please contact me – kinexxions@gmail.com



These past three weeks I have consumed “quite a few” hours searching for tidbits regarding Rupert families in Columbiana County, Ohio - in online family trees, FamilySearch, Ancestry dot com, Footnote, and other sites as well as spending three full days at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.



A considerable amount of time has also been spent in evaluating what had been found at the Family History Library in addition to the new stuff. A lot of “information” has been gathered with more than a few “Huh?” moments, especially with the family trees but also in “official records,” which has resulted in a bit of confusion which in turn has caused some degree of frustration because the records that are needed are not immediately available. More information = more questions that need answered.



In trying to sort out the Rupert families in Columbiana County, it certainly helps that the two “biggest players” (Adam and John) both left wills that named their children, though perhaps not all of them and, of course, some of the names are the same! However, John did not give us the married names of his daughters, just their first names, which certainly complicates matters. I do appreciate the fact that he listed his children but why oh why couldn't he have given us their married names?



For now, my goal was to attempt to determine how many Rupert families there were in Columbiana County and who belongs to whom. At this time it is a “best guess” and more research is needed to confirm or deny any assumptions. I have not, by any stretch of the imagination reviewed all of the family trees online that are out there for these people nor have I done an exhaustive search (though this has been a bit exhausting!) for all records.



FamilySearch has been putting the Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 online. They are only 17% complete and include just 11 counties for the years 1816 through 1838, but one of those counties happens to be Columbiana! The neat thing about the years 1816-1820 is that they listed the original owner as well as the current proprietor.



In addition, the microfilm of the Ohio Land Records (Roll 136) for the Register of Certificates 1800-1812 for Steubenville Land Records was viewed at the Allen County Public Library. The records for the “original owners” (Adam, John and William Rupert) were transcribed.



The Tax Lists, along with Census Records and Land Patent Records have identified men with the Rupert surname who either owned land in Columbiana County, Ohio or resided there. For the early years (prior to 1828) the township names were not included on the tax list. I've used the land description (Range and Township) to determine the actual township. An example, from the 1816 tax list for Columbiana County, Ohio is shown below.





1816 Property Tax List, Columbiana County, Ohio



Portion of the Ohio Townships map (pdf) found at the Ohio DNR website.

For reference purposes: Hanover Township is left of Center (where the “OLU” is in Columbiana). Unity Township is in the upper right corner. Columbiana County originally encompassed the southern tier of townships in Mahoning County as well as the eastern tier of townships in Stark and portions of Carroll and Jefferson Townships.



Below is a compilation of the Ohio Tax Lists available at Family Search for the years 1816-1836 and the early federal census records (1820-1840) for Columbiana County for the surname Rupert, or variations (Rooperd, Rupart, Ruper, Ruperd, Rupert, Ruppard, Ruppart, Ruppert, and Ruport) To save space, I've omitted the surname from the Property Tax abstracts. The Tax Lists for Personal Property have not been included but I found no additional names for the years covered.



I'm not sure what, if any, conclusions can be drawn with this information. Examination of the actual Deed Records could provide additional information. I'm hoping that someone with more information will see this and contact me! kinexxions@gmail.com



=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= John =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

• John Rubert, resident of Columbiana County, Ohio was issued Patent Certificate 1145 on December 1, 1804 for 159.4 acres in R4 T15 S26 through the Steubenville Land Office. Final Certificate 1347 was issued to him on November 25, 1808.

• John – Tax List - Hanover Twp (R4 T15 S26) – original owner - 161.3 acres - 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820 (80 acres), 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836

• John Rupert - 1820 - Hanover Twp p5, one male over 45 and one female over 45.

• John Ropert - 1830 - Hanover Twp p19, one male 80-89, one female 20-29, one female 70-79 [This is the father of my ancestor Eva Rupert Yarian. The 1830 census puts John's date of birth between 1741 and 1750. The female age 20-29 is most likely a caretaker or housekeeper.]

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Richard, son of John =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

• Richard Rupert - 1820 - Hanover Twp p5, one male under 10, one male 16-25, one female 16-25 [He is most likely Andrew Richard who sold land in 1824 along with his wife Mary and John Ruppard and wife Barbara and the Richard mentioned in John's will. He may be the Andrew Rupert listed in the 1830 census Sandy Twp, Stark County, Ohio p1.]

• Richard - Tax List - Hanover Twp (R4 T15 S26) - original owner: John Rooperd – 80 acres - 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Adam =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

• Adam Rupert, resident of Columbiana County, Ohio was issued Patent Certificate 1350 on April 26, 1805 for 313.2 acres in R7 T19 S11 through the Steubenville Land Office. Final Certificate 1445 was issued to him on April 12, 1809.

• Adam - Tax List - Unity Twp (R1 T8 S17) – original owner - 324 acres – 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829 [apparently sold land to Adam Jr and Jacob]

• Adam - Tax List - Canton Twp (R8 T10 S25) - original owner: John Nichols - 160 acres – 1819, 1820 [Canton Twp is now part of Stark County. Do not know if this is the same Adam Rupert]

• Adam - Tax List - Unity Twp (R1 T8 S5) – 50 acres - 1824

• Adam Rupert – 1820 - Unity Twp p5, one male under 10, two males 16-25, one male 45 and over, one female 10-15, one female 16-25, two females 45 and over.

• Adam Rookart Sr - 1830 – Unity Twp p17, one male 70-79, one male 80-89, one female 10-14, two females 70-79. One person in the household is blind. [Am assuming this is Adam Rupert Sr. as he is otherwise not enumerated in the census for Unity Township. On the same page as Adam Jr. and Jacob Rookart. Indexed as Adam Rookard Junior.]

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Jacob, son of Adam =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

• Jacob - Tax List - Unity Twp (R1 T8 S17) - 160 acres – 1830, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836 [Apparently purchased or received half of the property that was owned by his father.]

• Jacob Rupert – 1820 - Unity Twp p5, one male under 10, one male 26-44, one female under 10, one female 16-25. [He is listed on the line immediately after Adam. Jacob was not named in the will of Adam Rupert but it was mentioned in several online trees that he was given a share of the remaining undistributed assets of Adam's estate.]

• Jacob Rookart – 1830 - Unity Twp p17, three males under 5, one male 5-9, one male 30-39, one female under 5, one female 5-9, one female 30-39. [Am assuming this is Jacob Rupert. He is enumerated on the same page as Adam Rookart Jr and Sr.]

• Rebecca Rupert - 1840 – Unity Twp p19, two males 5-9, one male 10-14, two males 15-19, one male 20-29, one female 10-14, one female 15-19, one female 40-49. [Rebecca is the widow of Jacob]

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Adam Junior, son of Adam =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

• Adam Jr - Tax List - Unity Twp (R1 T8 S17) – 160 acres – 1830, 1832, 1833, 1835, 1836 [Apparently purchased or received half of the property that was owned by his father.]

• Adam Jr - Tax List - Unity Twp (R1 T8 S11) – 160 acres – 1834

• Adam Rookart Jr - 1830 – Unity Twp p17, one male under 5, one male 20-29, one male 30-39, two females under 5, one female 5-9, one female 20-29. [Assuming this is Adam Rupert Jr. as he is otherwise not enumerated in the census for Unity Township. Listed on the line just below Adam Sr. Indexed as Adam Rookard Junior]

• Adam Rupert – 1840 – Unity Twp p19, two males under 5, one male 5-9, one male 10-14, one male 20-29, one male 30-39, two females under 5, three females 10-14, one female 30-39, one female 80-89. [This is Adam Jr as the elder Adam passed away on April 22 1840.]

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ? ? ? ? ? ? =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=



Then there are these fellows, none of which are mentioned in the will of John or Adam Rupert. Are they related or are they “strays” that don't belong to either John or Adam?



=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ? ? William Rupert ? ? =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=



The actual census pages were viewed and William is not listed in the 1820 or 1830 census for Green or Beaver Township.

• William Rupert, resident of Frederick County, Maryland was issued Patent Certificate 627 on October 20, 1803 through the Steubenville Land Office. Final Certificate 1104 was issued to him on February 16, 1804.

• William - Tax List - Green Twp (R3 T16 S1) – original owner - 690 acres - 1816, 1817 (delinquent), 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822 (non resident), 1823 (non resident), 1824 (non resident), 1825 (non resident) - entry shows S11, 1827 (no first name listed), 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835 (delinquent for 1833 & 34), 1836

• William Rupert, resident of Frederick County, Maryland was issued Patent Certificate 628 on October 20, 1803 for 628 acres in R3 T16 S8 through the Steubenville Land Office. Final Certificate 1103 was issued to him on February 16, 1804.

• William - Tax List - Green Twp (R3 T16 S8) – original owner - 640 acres – 1816, 1817 (delinquent), 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822 (non resident), 1823 (non resident), 1824 (non resident), 1825 (non resident), 1827 (no first name listed), 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836 (delinquent for 1835)

• William Rupert, resident of Adams County, Pennsylvania was issued Patent Certificate 2516 on October 23, 1806 for 159.82 acres in R2 T13 S18 through the Steubenville Land Office. Final Certificate 1754 was issued to him on November 18, 1809. [May not be the same man who purchased land in Green Twp. There was another Rupert family in Beaver Township. See below.]

• William - Tax List - Beaver Twp (R2 T13 S18) – original owner - 160 acres – 1816, 1817 (delinquent), 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822 (non resident), 1823 (non resident), 1824 (non resident)

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ? ? Christian Rupert ? ? =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

• Christian Rupert – 1820 - Centreville p2, one male 26-44, one female 16-25. A marriage is recorded for Christian Rupert and Mary Steller in Columbiana County ( v2 p12) on September 1, 1818. [The town of Carrollton was originally called Centreville. The name was changed when Carroll County was organized in 1833.]

• Christian - Tax List – Washington Twp (R5 T14 S23) – 3 acres – 1826, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1832 [This land is now part of Carroll County.]

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ? ? George Ropert ? ? =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

• Geo Ropert – 1830 - Hanover Twp p19, one male under 5, one male 20-29, one female under 5, one female 20-29. [George is in Hanover Township, same as John.]

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ? ? Beaver Township Ruperts ? ? =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=



And then, there is another Rupert family residing in Columbiana County - in Beaver Township. In 1846, Beaver Township became a part of newly formed Mahoning County. On pages 790-791 of the “20th Century History of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio and Representative Citizens” edited and compiled by Gen. Thos. W. Sanderson, 1907 there is a biography of Jacob W. Rupert born August 13, 1840, in Beaver township, Mahoning County, Ohio. He is a son of Benjamin and Catherine (Wonsetler) Ruppert. Benjamin “was born in Beaver township and was a son of Jacob Ruppert, who came from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and settled first just north of North Lima, removing from there to a farm of 200 acres, northeast of Canfield, on which he lived for the rest of his life.” This Jacob does not appear to be part of the John or Adam Rupert families, but, who knows? I do have some additional information on this Mahoning County Clan but haven't had time to fully review it yet.

• Jacob Ruperd - 1820 – Beaver Twp p2, five males under 10, one male 26-44, one female 26-44

• Jacob - Tax List- Beaver Twp (R2 T13 S22) - original owner: Christian Klinker - 163 acres – 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1825, 1826

• Jacob - Tax List - Beaver Twp (R2 T13 S14) – 10.25 acres – 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832

• Jacob Rupert – 1830 - Beaver Twp p9, one male under 5, one male 5-9, one male 10-14, one male 20-29, one male 40-49, one female under 5, one female 30-39.

• Jacob - Tax List - Beaver Twp (R2 T13 S11) - 10 acres - 1831, 1832

• Jacob - Tax List - Beaver Twp (R2 T13 S8) - 72 acres – 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836

• Jacob - Tax List - Beaver Twp (R2 T13 S7) - 59 acres – 1836

• Samuel - Tax List - Beaver Twp (R2 T13 S18) – 160 acres – 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1831

• Jacob Rupert - 1840 – Beaver Twp p7, one male 10-14, three males 15-19, two males 20-29, one male 40-49, one female 10-14, one female 40-49.

• Benjamin Rupert - 1840 – Beaver Twp p3, one male under 5, one male 20-29, one female 15-19.

• Eli Rupart – 1840 - Beaver Twp p17, one male under 5, one male 20-29, one female under 5, one female 15-19.

• William Rupert – 1840 - Beaver Twp p17, one male 20-29 [born 1811-1820], one female under 5, one female 20-29.

The Sun Sinks into the Ocean

Beverly Beach State Park north of Newport, OregonSeptember 28, ..

Caladium Plant

I haven't had a caladium plant in many years and this spring when I saw some bulbs, (actually corms, I think) I got a mixed bunch but all have come out this color. Has huge leaves, as much as 12 inches across and longer in length. I did go back yesterday and got another bag of bulbs that are to be the greenand white leaves. Will bea while before I can get a photo of them. They are grown a lot outside in warm climates like Florida but are houseplants here and in cold areas.