Author: fobafam

Nostalgic Pics

| fobafam
Old-time soft drink brands, and the bottles they came in.
My Barker grandparents’ kitchen in their Mt. Vernon, IL bungalow.
Another view. The door to the right went to the basement. The house had a sort of front and back parlor design; a little room behind a French door that you can see just on the left, was used for a bedroom/sewing room, but could have been used as a dining room. There were two “true” bedrooms, at either end of a little hall, and a front porch with a swing, the steps painted red.
A school project from the 1960s, East Elementary, Athens, OH.

Ramsey Ancestors

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While given the reminder in New Zealand this week, of the tragic reach of religious intolerance and hatred, those of us descended from religious refugees can bear the American promise in mind, and strenghten it, when we find it within our power to do so.

The Wilhite group featured here arrived when Virginia was a possession of the British empire, probably from the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany.

***

More Sweet Stuff

| fobafam

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Chocolate Chunk Blondies recipe
See Recipes page

1/3 cup butter, melted                                                                

1/3 cup sour cream                                                                        

4 eggs                                                                                                  

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup white sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup walnuts ground into meal

24 pcs Hershey Nuggets

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

***

Instructions:

Mix butter, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. 

Make walnut meal by coarsely grinding English walnuts in the blender.

Add flour, baking powder, salt and walnut meal.

Pulse Hershey nuggets to various size chunks about 4 or 5 times, processing a handful at a time.  Add to batter.

Add white chocolate chips. 

Butter and flour a 13 x 9 baking pan and spread batter into it.

Bake at 350 degrees.  Because ovens vary, begin checking for doneness at about 20 minutes.  When golden brown and when a toothpick comes cleanly out of the center, remove from oven.

Cookies for you

| fobafam

Cocoa Walnut Cookies

1 ¾ cups confectioner’s sugar

2/3 cups butter, unsalted

Blend these together first, to the consistency of frosting

Add 2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Blend until smoothly incorporated

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

Blend all until the consistency is sticky, ingredients fully mixed

Add 1 cup walnut pieces

Refrigerate 15 minutes minimum

Roll chilled cookie dough into balls, roll balls in granulated sugar

Space about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet

Bake at 350 degrees, and watch for the tops to turn matte and split open

Remove from oven

New Barker info on Charts page

My Great-Great Grandfather

| fobafam
C. C. Gaither, Ted Foster (baby), Wilma Ramsey Foster [Walton, Shultz], and Mila Gaither Ramsey, probably 1937.

The text of C. C. Gaither’s (1858-1945) obituary.

Christopher Columbus Gaither, son of Silas and Miranda [Marinda] Gaither was born May 4, 1858, near Thompsonville, Illinois, and departed this life March 23 [1945], in the Moore hospital in Benton, Illinois, at the age of 86 years and 10 months and 19 days. He was united in marriage to Isabelle Adams Plasters, now deceased, in 1877 [1878]. To this union were born two children, Mrs. Dora McCollum, Akin, Illinois, Mrs. Effie Summers, Benton, Illinois.

In 1883, he was united in marriage to Mary J. Summers, also deceased. To this union were born 11 children, seven boys and four girls, namely, Millard, Portland, Oregon; Carter, Enumclaw, Washington; Ernest, Decatur, Illinois; Silas and Riley, Thompsonville, Illinois; Roy and Hobert, deceased; Mayme Burg, Sacramento, California; Fannie Brinker, Hot Springs, Arkansas; Mila Ramsey, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, and Marie, deceased.

In 1934, he was united in marriage to Florence Aiken. He spent his entire life in Franklin County, being a farmer until his retirement, when he moved to Akin, where he has lived for a number of years.

He will be sadly missed by his many friends and neighbors. He leaves to mourn his passing eight children, 26 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, one brother, Matthew Ing of Michigan, one sister, Paralee Summers, of Thompsonville.

He would not want the ones he loved

To grieve for him today

We must not say that he is dead

For he is just away

Away upon a journey

To a land that’s bright and fair

And though we will miss him here

We know he’s happy there

And memories will bring

New comforts every day

As we recall he’s not dead

But just away

Card of Thanks

We sincerely wish to thank our many friends and neighbors for their assistance during the death of our dear father, Columbus Gaither. We especially wish to thank those that gave the floral offerings and the Drake Funeral Home and Rev. C. C. Mitchell for his words of comfort—The Gaither Children.

Note:

Columbus Gaither’s death certificate lists the cause of death as accident; he was struck by a car while walking down the road near his home. The driver was a Summers, and may have been one of his relatives.

Ramsey patriarch

| fobafam

The standing figure on the far right is my great-grandfather, Frank Ramsey, born 1886, died 1974, probably a teenager in this picture, which may date to around 1901. I saw a fair amount of my Great-Grandpa Ramsey in my childhood. And a rare thing in the 1960s, to have living great-grandparents. — SF

For more pictures, check the 20th Century page, or the Index!