Ina Mae Green's Childhood Memories

Among the papers at Jean’s that I photographed in 2014 were 3 pages of Ina Green’s handwritten childhood memories ending after Sandy’s birth.  Following is their transcription:

“When I was born in Sacramento California on April 27, 1923 I already had two brothers.  They were Philip and Claude Jr. three years later another brother arrived; John Hewitt who was nicknamed Hughie.  My father Claude was a plumber and we lived very comfortable first in Sacramento and then in Oakland (so I was told).  In 1930 the Wall Street crash (1) caused what was called the Years of Depression.  My father lost his job and his home.  We had Dad’s mother and grandfather living in New York State who said they would provide our family with a home if we would move out to New York.  Dad loaded up a small Chevy truck (something like a van) with canvas sides and top with all the possessions they could take on the truck and headed out on the Lincoln Highway to N.Y.  It took five weeks of hard slow travel before we got the grandpas house in Dry Brook, New York.  The next few years we moved to Margaretville and also Cross Mountain where Great Grandpa George H. Hewitt died in 1993.  We moved back to Dry Brook.   We attended a one room school when all grades were taught by one teacher.  When I was twelve years old I was the only girl with nineteen boys attending this school (this school still stands in Dry Brook.  Someone has made it into their home).  When I was twelve years old Dad got a bonus (2) from the government for being in World War I.  He spent part of this by taking his family including my grandmother to New York City for three days.  It was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to us.  Maybe I should mention that up until this time we were very poor.  We were a very close knit family with lots of love.  My two older brothers were very musical and we did a lot of singing and playing games together.  We went to church every Sunday together.  So I have very pleasant memories of the years we lived in Dry Brook.  When I was fourteen I went to the 1937 World’s Fair in New York City with a girlfriend.  We moved to Margaretville when I was fifteen, Dad was back in the plumbing business and we were much better off money wise.  In 1939 Claude Jr married my best friend, lila Prime and moved to Fonda N.Y. In 1940 Phil married Katie Toth.  In 1941 I married Glen Scudder.  The Second World War had started.  Dad went to work for the government and Mom went with him.  I lived in Bragg Hollow with Glen and we had Sandy.”

(1)    The Wall Street Crash occurred 29 Oct 1929 triggered the Great Depression which lasted 10 years. I had never heard it called “The Years of Depression”

(2)    The World War 1 veterans’’ bonus was apx. $1,000 per veteran in 1936. This amount was more that 25% of the cost of a new home and more than half of a year’s average wages.

(3)    Hughie has told us his grandmother Ella and her father George Hewitt were living in CA when Claude came home from WW1 in Jan of 1919.  This is what prompted him to go to CA.  Ella and her father returned to upstate NY before 1930.

Claude Hewitt Green – Military Service World War 1

Claude Hewitt Green – Military Service World War 1

This past summer (2014) Cousin Jean shared with me, Aunt Ina’s genealogy research notes.  There are some treasures within.  I photographed the documents and photos and a very old photo album.  Admittedly, not every photo I took is of perfect quality and I am slowly working my way through them.   Of special interest to me was Claude H Green’s Army Discharge Certificate.  It is a well-worn piece of paper that had been folded down to wallet size for many years so some parts are no longer there.

Claude H Green enlisted in Brooklyn New York on 2 April 1915 (1) for 6 years (He was barely 20 years old, single, and the US draft would not be enacted until May of 1917).  He was assigned as a Wagoner in Battery D, Fifth North Artillery, of the Coastal Artillery Corps (CAC) of the United States Army.  Prior to the United States entering WW1, his unit liked guarded some fortification on the New England coast.  He entered “Federal” service in 16 July 1917.  <The battalion was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division and sent to France in 1917. The unit deployed as the 5th Field Artillery Regiment to fight at Montdidier-Noyon, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Lorraine 1917, Lorraine 1918, and Picardy. (2)> He returned to the US on 24 January 1919.  The end of WW1 ended his military service “at the convenience of the government’.  At the time of his discharge his character was listed as “excellent”.  The document I reviewed was a duplicate for a lost or damaged discharge certificate, and was issued 10 Feb 1920.  THE DUTIES OF THE U.S. ARMY WAGONER can be found at Link (3).

As the US first entered WW1 our army was not prepared for mobile artillery warfare.  On arrival in Europe, the US Coastal Artillery Corps initially used English and French Artillery.  In spite of the trench warfare, machine guns, poison gas and the first use of aerial bombs, most sources believe 80% of WW1 causalities were the result of artillery fire.  The US Coastal Artillery Corps played a significant role in turning the tide of WW1.  Relocating artillery after a barrage and before the enemy could target a return firing location, or while they were returning fire, must have been a nightmare for the animals and their wagoners.  The 2011 movie “War Horse” leaves the impression that horses were the preferred draught animal, and the muddy battlefield scenes were very realistic. That mud made motorized vehicles useless.  In truth, mules were used far more than horses by the US Army, hence, the seven 1950’s vintage  “Francis the Talking Mule” series of movies (of course a talking Army mule who is also a second lieutenant has always seemed plausible to anyone who has served).

The history of Battery D is long and proud and traces back to the Civil War battle of Little Round Top.

1.  “April” in 2 April 1915 is a best guess by the position of a descending character; otherwise the month is gone by wear.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Field_Artillery_Regiment
3. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gregkrenzelok/veterinary%20corp%20in%20ww1/wagonerduties.html

Ila Schoonover-Green as Rosie the Riveter

From Aunt Ina's files at Jean's house.  The paper is dated 22 Oct 1943

Also from the same time:

Many thanks to cousin Jean for saving Aunt Ina's files and even more thanks to Aunt Ina.  As I sort through the photos I took of the documents I expect to have a lot more to post.

Cherokee Indian Connection Part 2

A 2-2  Cherokee Indian Connection Part 2

Addition 6/14/2014;  In the Clint Eastwood movie, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”, Chief Dan George’s character talks about the Cherokee’s. 

This was a remarkably accurate account that speaks to the betrayal of the Cherokee’s by our government.  Implied but unsaid, was the depth their culture had been absorbed into the white man’s world.  In North Carolina, the Cherokee had owned farms and slaves.  They were educated and functioned as successful merchants, doctors and lawyers.  Two Cherokee lawyers argued, successfully before the Supreme Court, that their evection from North Carolina was illegal, only to have a Presidential order over rule the court and force the Trail of Tears in the 1838 to the east Oklahoma territories.

The movie begins in Missouri during the Civil War, travels through Kansas and at the war’s end, moves through the Oklahoma Indian Territories to Texas.  Except for the fictional plot, the settings, details and historical background are very true to the actual conditions.  It is historically accurate that the Cherokee’s would have been in the character’s path.   

John Schoonover was born in 1872 in Missouri, 7 years after the Civil War ended.   His parents relocated the family to Kansas, where he married Estella Minkler and raised his own family (Oscar and Ila) before removing them to California.  As noted earlier, Henry Schoonover settled in and lived most his life in the Indian territories of Oklahoma.

Someday I will find and read the book upon which the screenplay was based.  The Cherokee Chief’s character is in the book but I want to believe that Chief Dan George wrote some of those moving lines, he had been a poet and author before he began acting at age 60.   Remarkable and worth repeat viewings, if just for his part.

Reverend Joseph Green comes to America

 A 5-1                 Rev.  Joseph Green 1806-1842

Joseph Green was born in Kilmersdon, Somerset, England on 1 Mar 1806.  His parents were William Green and Ann Cox-Green who remained in England.  He married Elizabeth Bryant on 16 May 1826. Her parents were Charles Bryant and Betty Parsons-Bryant.  They also remained in England.   Joseph was a plaster and mason before becoming an ardent convert to the Wesleyan movement.  In 1833 he brought his wife and 3 children, Charles, William and Matilda to America.  Almost immediately upon arrival in NY his 4^th child, Emma was born.  Meaning his wife, Elizabeth, endured 6 to 8 weeks at sea while in her 8^th and 9^th months of pregnancy.   Sea voyages at this time were under sail, there was no sanitary plumbing or electricity or refrigeration for food.  Harsh conditions even for the healthy. 

They removed to Shandaken, NY almost immediately after arrival and he began his new life as a circuit minister for the Methodist Church.  His 5th child, Elizabeth was born there while he traveled a circuit among the local communities.  His death in 1836, at age 36, was attributed to pneumonia, brought on by his long hours of riding between these communities in the harsh climate. He had been in America 3 years.

He is buried adjacent to the church he was building in Clovesville, which is in Fleischmanns, NY.  His wife, Elizabeth Bryant-Green, raised his 5 children and was buried by his side after 36 years as a widow.

The Reverend Joseph Green brought his family to New England in 1833 and is the first of our Green surname in the America’s.  He was the 7^th of 8 children.  3 to as many as 5 never reached adulthood.

Mary Ann Green

11 Aug 1793 – 

James Green

24 May 1795 – 8 Feb 1807 age 12

John Green

10 Sep 1797 – between 1861 and 1871 age 64-74

Elizabeth Green

9 Feb 1800 – 14 Jul 1837 age 37

Lucy Green

9 Jan 1803 – 2 Dec 1810 age 7

Sarah Green

8 Mar 1804 – 29 Nov 1810 age 6

Joseph Green

1 Mar 1806 – 7 Jun 1842 age 36

Emanuel Green

10 Dec 1815 – 

 Joseph’s father, William Green, b Nov 1765, d 30 Oct 1837, was one of 11 children. At least 4 died before the age of 4.

Thomas Green

1754 – 

Sarah Green

1758 – 1759 age 1

John Green

1759 – 1762 age 3

Emanuel Green

1761 – 1834 age 73

John Green

1764 – 1765 age 1

William Green

1765 – 1837 age 72

Isaac Green

1768 – 

Honar Green

1771 – 1771 age 0

Jerard Green

1772 – 

Charles Green

1776 – 

Lucy Green

1778 – 

Death was a common occurrence, frequently without understandable explanation.  Superstitions, witches and spells were believable when there was no other explanation.  Faith in God, devotion to a church offered a hope where no other existed. 

Asking for Comments

As of today, our blog (started 4/9/2014) has had 510 'hits' and 1 comment.  20 of those hits came from Germany, 2 others from the UK.  Kind of a mystery on who is looking.  If family we don't know finds us, then we are halfway toward knowing them, but they have to join us to be known.  If you have stumbled upon leads on our family,  please share them, even if we aren't related.  If you wish to remain anonymous, then I will respect your wishes.
This is a search, as well as finding and sharing family stories.
You can be more anonymous by responding to my e-mail address if you wish. just include something in the title to let me know it isn't spam.
Also, if a link doesn't work, or a document has printing problems, I don't know unless someone tells me.  Thanks in advance, Steve.

Metal Of Honor - Cousin Daniel Schoonover

Schoonover Ancestors.

I have spent a lot of time on the Hewitt branch of the family.  In part because they were so local to the Connecticut we settled in and there was such a wealth of information available. We have, for certain, 8 generations of Hewitt surnames, and questionably, 2 more to reach England.  The Van Schoonover surname is 10 generations deep and rock solid before it joins the Green surname.

11 Henndrick Van Schoonhover	b 1600  HOL.  d 1677 NY
10 Class Hendrickse Van Schoonhover	b 1629  HOL. d 1661 NY -1
9 Hendrick Claessen Van Schoonover	b 1652  NY d 1715 NY -4
8 Nicholas Van Schoonover	b 1694  NY d 1764 NJ -16
7 Peter Schoonover	b 1738 NJ d 1812 NY -42
6 Jacobus S Schoonover	b 1785 PA d 1867 IN  -137
5 Peter Schoonover	b 1806 NY d 1867 IN -310.1
4 William Schoonover	b 1839 IN d 1921 KS -680.6
3 John Oscar Schoonover	b 1872 MS, d 1958 CA.
2 Ila Mae Schoonover-Green	b 1902 KA d 1992 NY
1 John Hewitt Green	b 1926 CA

It is a wonder to watch the movement of our Schoonover’s as they traveled and settled across the country.   Even more amazing is the return to upstate NY to an area where the Van Schoonover name had such deep roots.

Although I had established the single line family ancestry above back to Henndrick Van Schoonhover, I have since discovered a web site that traces his descendants.  Visit;  https://sites.google.com/site/schoonoversinamerica/index/schoonover-mastertree1

The numbers to the right of the dates above refer to the numbering used on that web site.  It is admittedly, a confusing site for anyone who hasn’t seen the variety of formats some genealogy sites use.  I will be posting details that clarify our ancestors’ stories in future posts.

Of all the wonderful information on the site, one story in particular touches me deepest.   Of the millions on men and women who have served this country, our highest honor is the “Metal Of Honor”. Since its first award March 25, 1863 until May 13, 2014 only 3,448 have been recognized.  Your cousin Daniel Schoonover was one of these special heroes.

http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3184/schoonover-dan-d.php

Daniel Schoonover

Rank: Corporal

Organization: U.S. Army

Company: Company A

Division: 13th Engineer Combat Battalion, 7th Infantry Division

Born: 8 October 1933, Boise, Idaho

Departed: Yes

Entered Service At: Boise, Idaho

G.O. Number: 5

Date of Issue: 01/14/1955

Accredited To:

Place / Date: Near Sokkogae, Korea, 8 to 10 July 1953

 Citation

Cpl. Schoonover, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. He was in charge of an engineer demolition squad attached to an infantry company which was committed to dislodge the enemy from a vital hill. Realizing that the heavy fighting and intense enemy fire made it impossible to carry out his mission, he voluntarily employed his unit as a rifle squad and, forging up the steep barren slope, participated in the assault on hostile positions. When an artillery round exploded on the roof of an enemy bunker, he courageously ran forward and leaped into the position, killing 1 hostile infantryman and taking another prisoner. Later in the action, when friendly forces were pinned down by vicious fire from another enemy bunker, he dashed through the hail of fire, hurled grenades in the nearest aperture, then ran to the doorway and emptied his pistol, killing the remainder of the enemy. His brave action neutralized the position and enabled friendly troops to continue their advance to the crest of the hill. When the enemy counterattacked he constantly exposed himself to the heavy bombardment to direct the fire of his men and to call in an effective artillery barrage on hostile forces. Although the company was relieved early the following morning, he voluntarily remained in the area, manned a machine gun for several hours, and subsequently joined another assault on enemy emplacements. When last seen he was operating an automatic rifle with devastating effect until mortally wounded by artillery fire. Cpl. Schoonover's heroic leadership during 2 days of heavy fighting, superb personal bravery, and willing self-sacrifice inspired his comrades and saved many lives, reflecting lasting glory upon himself and upholding the honored traditions of the military service.