Memorial Day Is Remembering Our Hero's Meet My Dad

Memorial Day is a day we honor our service men and women. Those who fought in wars from the beginning of our country to those serving today.

This is a newspaper article of my dad and other's who were on his ship. Dad served in the Merchant Marines during World War 2.

This picture tells the following story. " Portrait of real Americans! Study the faces of these sturdy seamen, who narrowly escaped death when their vessel was torpedoed off the northwest coast. To a man, they all declared that they wanted to go to sea again as soon as possible , to defeat the Axis. The sailors ranged in age from youngsters up to men in their sixties. Each seemed proud of the adventure.. proud that he had risked his life for America just as surely as if he had dashed in a charge against the Japs on some battle.

The attack took place October of 1942, 25 miles off the southern coast of Oregon. Only one man lost his life. He had jumped into the sea without a life belt after the attack.

So today I salute all those service men and women.. including my dad who did his part during World War 2. To my great great grandfather, John Lockwood, who served in the Civil War, to read his military records at the archives we can see how this war destroyed his health. And to my 3 direct grandfather who fought in the war of our Independance. Grandpa Joseph Cheuvront, Grandpa Ebenezer Coleman and Grandpa Rouse.

I am proud of all of you and thankful for my freedom..

Meet My Great Aunt 3x Removed the Postmistress of Greenwood Nebraska

I have seen ads on the TV for http://www.ancestry.com/ with someone stating my ancestor was a postmaster. Little did I know I had not only a postmaster in my family but a postmistress.

I have been working on getting to know my Coleman line lately. Tonight while searching old newspapers on http://www.ancestry.com/ with the name Coleman listed I found a small statement on my 2nd great grand uncle Elic Chalker Colman Jr.

In the Nebraska State Journal ( Lincoln Nebraska) Jan 24 1900 it is written E.C. Coleman was today appointed postmaster at Greenwood, Cass county, Nebraska. Elic is one of my great great grandfather John Henry's brothers.

Next went and searched the 1900 census to see if this was my E C Coleman and sure enough he is listed in the census as the postmaster. The census was done the 13th and 14th days of June.

Elic is 57 years old and living with his wife Nancy ( Loder), daughters Catherine, Isa, Martha, Lula and sons Lloyd, Myron and Elmer. Elic and Nancy have been married 32 years.

In the 1910 census Elic is still listed as the postmaster of Greenwood. He is listed as 66 years old and lives with wife Nancy, daughter Catherine and sons Lloyd and Elmer.

One more census to check is the 1920's and he is now 77 years old and listed as a farmer. Living him is his wife Nancy , daughter Catherine and son Lloyd. Lloyd is listed as having no occupation but Catherine is listed as the postmistress.

This is the 1920's also known as the roaring twenties or the Jazz age. Warren G. Harding becomes the president after Woodrow Wilson.

The Women's suffrage campaign leads to numerous countries granting women the right to vote and be elected. I was curious how a woman was treated in the postal system in the 1920's and before. I found this interesting article at http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/WomenHistory/women_history/history_reconstruction.html

Women were encouraged to not marry if they wanted to work in the postal system in the early 1900's. Catherine never married and in the 1930's census she is listed living alone and renting.

Catherine was born November 3rd 1868 and died November 20 1942.

I think Catherine was a pioneer for women and I am proud that she is my first cousin 3 times removed. I look forward to seeing if I can find more about her in my future searches.

I have more interesting information on my uncle Elic Jr and will share that soon, but for now I can do a TV ad about have a postmaster in my family.