OBITUARY for Appleton Esler 1859 - 1938

While wandering around Ancestry I noticed I had a leaf hint for my step great grandfather Appleton Esler.  He raised my grandmother since she was a baby and was considered her father.

I found his obituary that was shared by a member.  What it tells me is who his first wife was, the mother of his first two children.

This is the Obituary as written in the Kanabec County Times
Mora , Kanabec County , Minnesota Thursday December 15.1938

PIONEER MORA RESIDENT PASSES AWAY TUESDAY

Death of A N Esler follows illness of several months duration

     On Tuesday morning, December 13, A N Esler , pioneer resident of the village of Mora, passed away at his home after a lingering illness of several months duration.
     Appleton Nashua Esler was born on February 25, 1859 and passed away on December 13, at the advanced age of seventy nine years ,nine months and eighteen days.  He was the eldest child of Jesse w and Maria Keeler Esler being born on a farm near Chaseburg, Wisconsin , where he lived with his parents until he was united in marriage to Minnie Schnik in September 1883.  They moved to Jackson, Minnesota from Wisconsin and resided there for several years.  It was while they made their home at Jackson that Mrs. Esler passed away.
     He was united in marriage to Catherine Gallagher on December 12, 1893 at La Crosse Wisconsin and they later moved to Big Lake, Minnesota where they resided for a short time before they moved to Mora in the year 1898, where the family has since resided.
     He is resided by his widow Mrs Catherine Esler and five children, namely Mrs H M Halvorson of McGrath, R G Esler of Mora, Mrs A J Kramer and J Wayne Esler of Flint Michigan and Mrs W H Day of Ogilvie, besides one brother D M Esler of Motley, Minnesota , two daughter in laws, three son in laws, sixteen grandchildren and one great grandson besides numerous other relatives and a host of friends.
     Funeral services will be held at the M E Church in Mora on Sunday afternoon December 18, at 2 o clock, the Rev John Blackhurst officiating assisted y the Rev Homer I Munson pastor of the church.
     The vocal selections will be rendered by a quartet composed of Alyre, Ellen and Walter Swanson and Wesley Grimm , accompanied at the piano by Mrs A W Jackson.
     The pallbearers will be the following C E Williams, William Currie , L L Safford, walter Edgar, J B Gerham and A L Johnston.
     Mrs Kramer and Wayne Esler who visited with their father at their parents home here last week returned to their homes in Flint Michigan Thursday and will be unable to attend the funeral.

I am happy to be able to find the information for Appleton's first wife the mother of my great great aunt and uncle but I have not been able to find further information on Minnie Schnik.  Ancestry hints go towards some one else. I have a message out to the ancestry member who shared the obituary maybe she has more information.

Thanks for stopping by

Sepia Saturday Theme - Hats 14 January 2012 All Dressed In Their Hats

 The theme for today's Sepia Saturday is HATS. Perfect time to dig out some old family photos of hats.

 The above picture is of my grandma Grace Daly Esler Day and grandpa Bill Day. They are pictured in their Sunday go to meeting hats. I think they look adorable. This is dated 1945 or 1946.

Next is a picture of my mother and great aunt Mary wife of my uncle Wayne Esler. It is marked 1948 and was taken in San Antonio Texas. Since that is the year I was born I am guessing my mom is pregnate with me just a few months. I loved my great aunt Mary, she had a warm smile and laugh and wore bright red nail polish. No one else in my family wore nail polish so as a child I always thought she was so daring. I love her hat tilted to the side. Boy she was so cute and adorable.

I love to see pictures of my mom before she got polio. It is fun to see her in pretty shoes. Once she had polio she no longer could wear pretty shoes like these pictured. She wore sturdy shoes and a brace on one leg.

And last picture is a wonderful vintage cabinet photo of some relatives of mine. Not sure who they are as of yet but are related on my great grandma Katherine Gallaghers side of the family. Her mother my great great grandma Joanna's maiden name was Riordan. This picture was in a vintage family album. On the paper of album is written May and Frank Riordan.
This family is full of brick walls. Maybe I can start breaking down some walls with this family album full of old cabinet photos.
I am sharing this over at Sepia Saturday. Hope that you have enjoyed seeing a couple of my vintage photos. Grace

IDENTIFY FAMILY MEMBERS WHO IS THAT WOMAN? Family Names Esler Day Gallagher Kramer

Do you have a pile of old photos as I do? Old family photos that have been passed down can be a true mystery. My goal this next year besides working on my family history is to attempt to identify some of these pictures.
This small black and white photo is of my grandmother Grace Daly Esler Day on the left side and my great grandmother Katherine Gallagher Esler in the middle. Now who is the lady on the right?
Known facts are this picture is probably take in the Mora Minnesota area outside of Katherine's house.
Katherine passed away the 19th of March 1940.
My grandmother Grace was born in 1893 and I can see just a bit of gray at the front of her hair. So she is about probably in her 40's. We gray early in my family sadly.
The dresses and hair styles are from the 1930's
Chances are it is a family member pictured with them and could be my grandmother's half sister Merle Esler Kramer who was born in 1906 and was about 13 years younger than grandma Grace.

That is what I am leaning towards. Will need to find other pictures of Merle to compare. Her is a picture of Merle at a later time in her life.

This picture would of been taken of my great aunt Merle Esler Kramer when she was living in Michigan.

Will find more pictures of her and work at further study.

Thanks for stopping by.. hope that you check back again. Grace

Sunday’s Obituary Mrs. William ( Grace ) Day

Entered into Eternal Rest

Friday August 18, 1972

Mrs. William ( Grace ) Day

80, of Skyline Parkway

died Friday in a Duluth hospital.

She was born in Winona, Minn.

and had resided in Duluth for

several years. She is survived

by a son, Donald L. and two

daughters, Miss Daisy Day and

Mrs. Arthur ( Muriel ) Zion, all

of Duluth; a brother, Wayne

Esler, and a sister, Mrs. Albert

( Merle ), five grandchildren and

five great grandchildren

published in the pages of

The Duluth Herald

Aug 21, 1972

This is my sweet grandma on my mother's side. I was named Grace after her

and my middle name is Alta is after father's mother. I feel close to both

of them by having their names.