The Goldens in San Francisco

I wanted to try and determine what originally brought the Goldens to San Francisco as it is quite important to our family history.  My grandparents, Bob and Betty, met in San Francisco, so really, the connection to the city is key to my existence!  I also wonder how Mame Towey figures in all of this, as she ended up in San Francisco as well, and the question is, did the Goldens already know her, or did they meet there.
So, let's meet all the players and develop a timeline.
We are talking about the family of John Henry Golden, Sr.(1873-1949) and Anna Honora Murphy Golden (1883-1958).  These are my great-grandparents.  John Henry was born in Ireland and came to the U.S. in 1889, first to Helena, Montana and then to Anaconda and eventually Butte, where he and Anna were married in 1904.  Mary Agnes "Mame" "Yonovera" Towey was a cousin/family friend/patient whose connection to the family hasn't been quite determined, but her family, the Toweys and the Goldens came from the same area of Ireland-Ballaghadereen, County Mayo (now Roscommon).

The first record I have of any of the family connection to San Francisco is actually not Mame or any Golden, it is a Murphy.  Margaret Murphy (Aunt Marg) was Anna's younger sister and in the 1920 census, she is living with John Henry and Anna in Butte at 1101 W. Broadway.  From the stories I have heard, she was a great baker.  She made the family Christmas fruitcake (a tradition still on-going) and my Mom and her cousins and siblings have memories of amazing Parker House Rolls.  Anna and Marg's sister Ellen died in 1919 at the age of 28, and their father, Michael Murphy died in April 1920.  The 1918 Butte City Directory lists Murphy, Margaret clk Heilbronner r 1101 W Bway and the 1923 directory has her there still.  But, in 1926, we find her in the San Francisco City Directory, the listing being "Murphy, Mrgt clk Mack Internatl Motor Truck Corp r46 Bush". How do we know this is the same person? Aunt Marg's obituary has details:

That just ties all the details together, doesn't it?  Her last San Francisco directory listing is in 1929, and in the 1930 census record she is back in Butte.  There is more to this story that needs uncovering though.  Family lore tells of a suitor she was not allowed to marry, and there are whisperings of a romance in San Francisco and certainly the Stock Market Crash of October 24, 1929 must have had a part in her return to Butte.  But sadly, no verifiable facts. Now, Anna and Marg's sister Christine died in Yakima, Washington in September 1929, but that doesn't seem like a reason she would return to Butte.  I also have questions on why she went to San Francisco in the first place.  It seems so far away, and I wondered what travelling there was like in 1926.
So, besides being the sister of Anna Golden, what does Aunt Marg's excursion to San Francisco have to do with the Goldens' connection to that city? Stay tuned for The Goldens in San Francisco, Part 2, coming soon!

My Irish Family in Early San Francisco

This is my great-great-great grandmother, Ann McLaughlin Doherty (1835-1915), who lived at 35 Elsie St. We believe that is the location of this photo. She is recorded at this address in the 1907 San Francisco City directory. She lived here until her death. Her son John continued to live there through the mid-1930's. Her daughter, Ann Doherty Coxe, lived next door at 33 Elsie with her husband Edgar and son William. She lived here until her death in 1921. In the 1930 census John is listed at 55 Elsie with his nephew William living next door at 53 Elsie. I am wondering if the street was re-numbered. In 1936, at the time of John's death, he was living with his sister Mrs. Elizabeth Levenberg at 55 Elsie.
Ann was born in Ireland, about 1835.  Her sister Kate also came to the United States and lived in San Francisco as well. Ann and her husband Roger Doherty had arrived in New York by 1861, for the birth of their son, William. Daughter Ann was born in New York in 1865.  Ann and Roger had four more children: Mary, Elizabeth, Lillie and John, all born in San Francisco, CA.  From at least 1880 to
after 1890 the family lived at 823 Harrison. Roger died in 1891 and was buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery, which was located between Masonic and Parker, and Geary and Turk.  He was later "removed" to Holy Cross in Colma, (no actual remains were found to re-bury).
Ann and family lived on Harriet St.; I found listings at both 17 and 45 Harriet.  After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the family relocated to the Bernal Heights neighborhood, which is the Elsie St. address shown in the picture above.
Ann's oldest grandchild was my great-grandmother, Claire Davidson Steele, a.k.a. Mammy (1897-1993).
Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my Irish family!

Paloutzian photo update

I have updated the information on the Paloutzian family photo taken at Peter Thompson's (Bedros Paloutzian) ranch in Selma, CA circa 1918.

Here is that original post: 52 Paloutzians

A 110-year-old Love Letter

Happy Valentine's Day!  The photo above is of my great grandparents, Juvar and Tatevous Paloutzian, Juvar's sister Aghavni (Dovie) Tatoian and Juvar's parents, Altoon and Giragos Tatoian.  The photo was taken c. 1905.  Juvar and Tatevous were married 30 Nov 1905, in Fresno, CA; this photo likely commemorates that event.  Juvar would have been 20, Tatevous 23, Dovie 10, Altoon 37 and Giragos 42.

Tatevous was born in Parchanj, Turkey in 1882 and came to the U.S. in 1901, when he was 18.  Juvar was also born in Parchanj, in 1884, and had come to the U.S. in 1903, just two years prior to this photo.

This is a letter that Tatevous wrote to Juvar during their courtship.  The date on the letter is May 30, 1904.  My cousin Mary Shamshoian, whose grandmother was Juvar's sister Agnes, had this letter, and I was able to scan it when we visited.  I am so thankful to her for sharing!
My friend Houri Vartanian and her mother were very kind to translate it for me.  Here is their translation:

To Miss Juvar Tatoian

My kind lovely adorable. It is night. Everybody is asleep at this moment. But me, after a hard workday, I came to write you a heartfelt letter. Once again I want to share with you my wish and dream. 

My adorable, first let me tell you about our short visit on Sunday.  Even our smallest desire went unfulfilled. My days fly by like months.  All day, even in my daily duties, you are on my mind. My whole mind is possessed by your love. I know not if I am the like in your head. 

I work so hard but I never feel tired because I have you my exceptional adorable.  Always having you in my heart I find the cure for my ailments. 

And again my wish and desire is this. For you to continue to learn because the story is in your hands. If it isn't boring, please try to learn. Endure and do so continuously. Because this is critical and important for you as it is for me.  If you love me sincerely, continue. 

Likewise you should know that my pain and your pain are both my pain. There is no difference between us. And again I beg you that every week you learn at least "forty" words. As you learn so do I.  Maybe next Sunday when I visit I will find that you have learned this much. As I have nothing else of importance to write, I grant my sincere and loving greetings to you, your father and your mother. Also, with my sincere and loving greetings, I kiss their hands. And I send my greetings to Aghavni whom I miss.  

And with a kiss to you, I finish this letter... Chained to your heart, I remain your friend. 

T. H. Paloutzian

Although your name is familiar to many, your love is a slingshot to my heart. I am the only one close to your heart. You cause the wounds of my heart to dissolve. 

This is our address

T Paloutzian

Route 6

Fresno CA

I think he must have been talking about learning English.  My father has told me that my great grandfather read newspapers in English and Armenian daily, but that his grandmother did not speak English very well, if much at all.  The 1920 census says she does not read and write (in English), but the 1930 census says she does.  I hope she read Armenian so that she could read this for herself!

Thanks so much Mary, Houri and Mrs. Vartanian!  I am so grateful!!  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I thought I should tell you the rest of the story. Here are Juvar and Tatevous and Dorothy and Ed's 25th wedding anniversary, in 1962. They had 5 boys; Ed, Ernie, Frank, Roy and Vern. And 12 grandchildren. And 21 great-grandchildren. And 25 great-great grandchildren. In this picture she is 77 and he is 79. They were married just shy of 60 years when grandma died, 28 Oct 1965. Grandpa lived to be 95 years old; he died 13 Feb 1978.  

Mary Basmajian's obituary translated from Armenian

Mary (Mariam) Badigian Basmajian (1886-1957).

Many thanks to Arevik of ArmenianAncestry.com who completed this translation.  The notes in brackets are mine.  Here is the original article.

Ms. Mariam T. Basmajian's death


Ms. Mariam Tigran Basmajian had a sudden death on February 25th in her Fresno apartment, surrounded by her family and doctor.
Funeral was at 10AM on February 27th at the Saint [Holy] Trinity Church, with the presence of a crowd of both genders. The casket of the deceased was covered with flowers. Church service was done by priest Der Babgen Gasparian and Senior “Sarkavag” Hrach Dzerkoyan.
Talented Ms. Henriet Devejian sang "To the upper Jerusalem". A eulogy was given by Der Hayr.
Then the casket of the deceased was transported to Ararat Cemetery, where a eulogy was given by P. Khosrov Badikian.
After the funeral the husband and children of the deceased served a requiem dinner (hokejash) for her memory in the church hall to more than 90 people.

Biography: Ms. Mariam Basmajian was born in Baghech Sultik town [Bitlis Sultanate] on January 10th, 1886 to Hovhannes and Margarit Badikian.
She came to the US with her mother and brother Vartan in 1907 and settled in Fresno.
Miss. Mariam Badikian got married to Digran Basmajian in March of 1908, creating a happy and honorable family, always fitting to the famous Badikian name of sacrifices and honesty.
She had two daughters and two sons. She was married for fifty years, being a kind and honest mother.
She was a happy and hard working person, treating her children and husband the same, often filling her eyes with tears of happiness.
The deceased Ms. Mariam was a member of Saint [Holy] Trinity Church Union of Women, Union of Baghech's Orphan care and Verashinats Union of Tigranakert.
The deceased Ms. Mariam Basmajian is leaving a kind name and a real mother's memory. Her death is being mourned by husband Digran Basmajian, sons Mihran [Mike] and George Basmajian, two daughters Ms. Aghavni Balutsian [Dorothy Paloutzian] and Ms. Yerjanik Ghazarian [Erch Kazarian], two daughter-in laws and seven grandchildren, as well as her brother and his wife Vartan and Rozi [Rose] Badikians and many relatives and friends.

A relative



Zaillian Family Photos

I wanted to share some photos I scanned on one of my visits with Gloria Perch Attoian almost a year ago.  This first picture we believe is Susie Keshishian Zaillian, aka "Susie-Mama".  Can anyone else verify that information?  I wonder where and when this photo was taken.  Maybe in Turkey, or upon her arrival in the U.S.?  Notice she has some reading material in hand, and a watch (?) pinned to her dress.  Does anyone know Susie's Armenian first name?

 

We think this picture is of Hosanna Tutunjian Zaillian's mother, based of some group photos that Gloria had of Hosanna's family.  Gloria had thought this was the picture of Susie-Mama.  Isn't it interesting that she is posed writing on a tablet?  Maybe she was a teacher?

Here is Nishan (George) Zaillian as a young man, he was Susie's oldest of the three boys, Nish, Maron and Yesneak.

This is Mae Zaillian Perch, Nishan's second child and Gloria's mother.

Another photo of Mae.  I can see Gloria in this photo.

Nish and Hosanna Tutunjian Zaillian.  According to the 1930 census record, they were married in 1907.  He was 20 and she was 15.

Maron and Rose Shishmanian Zaillian.  They were married in 1911; He was 22, she was 19.  Rose was my grandmother Dorothy Basmajian Paloutzian's first cousin, and Maron was her first cousin, once removed (first cousin to my great-grandfather Dikran Basmajian, Dorothy's father).  Maron and Rose's daughters Violet and Zabel also married Paloutzians, my grandfather Ed's brothers, Roy and Vern.

Nishan George Zaillian

John Thomas Doherty

I decided to spend the rainy Sunday doing some genealogy, so I went over to http://www.sfgenealogy.com/ to see what was new.  They are always posting new resources there, and yesterday I was in luck!  I found San Francisco Mortuary Records, scanned images of records from several San Francisco mortuaries, all indexed.  Since I have several family branches in San Francisco, I started plugging in names to see what would turn up.  I found a record for John Thomas Doherty (1876-1936). 

John was the youngest child of Roger and Ann Doherty, my great-great-great grandparents.  I did not have the date of his death, so it was great to find this record.  There is also a lot of information that I already had that is further confirmed by the same information in this record from the funeral home.  His parents' names are confirmed as Roger Doherty and Ann (McLaughlin) Doherty.  The order for the funeral was given by Mrs. Elizabeth Levenberg, John's sister, better know to us as "Peeps".  Their address is given as 55 Elsie St., San Francisco.  This is in the Bernal Heights neighborhood.

I had John's birth date from his WWI draft registration card and it is confirmed here as 18 Jun 1876.  He died at San Francisco Hospital of carcinoma of the esophagus and bronchopneumonia.  I found a record for one other relative, Blanche Davidson Rommel (1881-1949), the younger sister of Peeps' first husband (and my great-great grandfather), Ewen Davidson (1872-1898).  Ewen was Claire's (Mammy) father.  I'll keep looking!

Paloutzians and Torigians

I've been working on scrapbooking and identifying photos recently. This photo has writing on the back, in Armenian, and I requested a translation at ArmenianAncestry.com .

The only people I can identify for sure are Goohar Paloutzian (standing at the far left), and Tatevos Paloutzian (standing 3rd from the right), and their 5 sons at the front right: Ed, Frank, Ernie, Roy and Vern. Since the name Torigian was mentioned, I have compared this photo to another picture of the Torigian family (also from Parchanj), and I think the 2nd woman on the left is Tourvanda Torigian, and the man on the far right is her husband Markar Torigian.  Can anyone identify anyone else?

The translation I received:

On the left side there is a name along the date:

Garabed Torigian - 1919 July ...

On the right side:
On July 13 participated ... Garabed Torigian ... ( I think here it says birthday, but I am not sure)

This is Markar and Tourvanda Torigian and their sons Antranig (Trigger), Madiros (Martin) and Nish, taken about 1925.

Manoug Paloutzian's Family - Photos From Cousin Bob

I connected with Bob Paloutzian (Harold Robert, son of Oscar and May, grandson of Manoug and Mary) through his granddaughter Lindsey on Facebook.  Lindsey is Ken Paloutzian's daughter.  Bob sent along some pictures of Manoug, Mary and their family.  The picture above, from left to right, Harry, Manoug, Pearl, Lucille held by Mary, and Harold.  Lucille was born in 1905, and the youngest, Oscar was born in 1907, so it is a good guess to say this picture was taken in 1906.

Here are Manoug and Mary's children a few years later, maybe 1910-11, if Oscar is 3 or 4 years old here.  In the back are Harry, Harold, Pearl, and in front are Oscar and Lucille.

This is Mary and Manoug with son Oscar.

Mary, in her 90's, with Harold, Harry and Oscar.

Here are Mary and Manoug with two of their grandchildren, Harold Robert (Bob), who sent these pictures to me, and Oscar James (Pat).  Pat and Bob are the sons of Oscar Asadoor, Mary and Manoug's youngest child.  I don't have any pictures of younger sister Betti; maybe she'd like to send me some!  This was taken about 1939-40, making Manoug about 79 years old and Mary about 69 years old.

This picture was given to my father by Paul Parvanian, who was Mary's nephew.  (Paul Parvanian was Barbara Bujulian's father, for my Bujulian cousins.) You can see the address on the house as 2045; this is on Palm Grove Ave. in Los Angeles.  Here it is on Google Maps.  Use the Street View and see that it looks pretty much the same.  It is actually a duplex I think, as Manoug and Mary's address was 2047, according to Manoug's death certificate.  Manoug and Mary are buried side by side at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, Los Angeles County.  My Mom and I got some pictures on our way to San Diego in June.

Larch Plot, C97 grave 2

Read more about the Paloutzians who came to California from Turkey here.

Thank you cousin Bob for the pictures!  If anyone else has pictures they'd like to share, let me know!  I can help you scan them, if needed.

Paul Keshishian gets married.

Paul Keshishian was born 21 Dec 1880 in Diyarbekir, Turkey, and came to the United States sometime before 20 Jun 1900 when he and his sister Suzie Zaillian (and her 3 sons) are found living in Franklin, Norfolk, Massachusetts on Chestnut Street.  Paul's occupation at that time is listed as "woolen weaver".  I have not been able to locate any immigration records for Paul, his sister Suzie, brother Jacob, or his mother, Mariam.  I do have records for Mariam's other children: Khautoon (Touma) Basmajian, Gadar Chooljian and Peter (Bedros).  I don't think that Mariam's daughter Arschalous ever came to the U.S.

I discovered Paul Keshishian and Margaret Ferguson McClary's marriage record in the Rhode Island marriage record database on Ancestry.com.  They were married on December 27, 1907 in Providence, Rhode Island by an Armenian priest.  As the on-line record only had the names and dates, I went ahead and sent for the complete record from the Rhode Island State Archives.  I was surprised to find quite a bit of information in this one document.  Some of the information confirmed what I knew, and some things were new to me.
Paul Keshishian was the youngest child of Mariam Keshishian and I didn't know his father's name, but here it is on the marriage record as Elijah.  The record shows that Paul was born in Armenia, was 28 years old and was a loom fixer.  Margaret was 27 years old, divorced and had a daughter, Esther (who ended up married to Jake Zaillian, son of Arschalous Keshishian Zaillian, Paul's sister).
So, another piece of the puzzle.  The only picture I have of Paul is in the large 5 generation picture of Mariam Keshishian's family, which I haven't been able to scan yet.  Margaret is not in that picture, but their children Doris, Paul, Pearl, Albert and Ruth are sitting in the front row.  By the second generation, all the Keshishian males were using the last name Kershaw.  Henry Keshishian (1920-2005), son of Peter, was the last in the family to use the name.

Well, at least he has a name now.

I had posted a group of old photos of my Armenian relatives awhile back.  Well, I figured they were relatives, as the photos were unidentified and we just didn't know who they were.  The pictures were in a box in the garage at my Grandma and Grandpa Paloutzian's house when it was cleaned out, in 1985 I believe, after Grandpa passed away.  Based on what I know now, I think the pictures were probably from Tatevous Paloutzian's things (my Grandpa Ed's father).
This is one of the pictures:

Recently I was contacted by my cousin, Mary Shamshoian, via Facebook (my new favorite genealogy resource!) and she had seen these pictures and had some of the same ones in her collection of family photos.  And hers had a name written on the back!!  Uncle Sahag Tatoian.  I did a quick look-up in the Dzeron Village of Parchanj book and saw that my great-grandfather Giragos Tatoian had a brother Sahag.  The book shows a + by his name, meaning deceased (at the time of publication, 1938), but also an asterisk, for which there is no explanation given.  That, plus the fact that he had his picture taken in Boston is all I know about him.  I cannot locate any records, so far.  I'll keep looking!
Giragos Tatoian and his wife Altoon had 3 daughters, Goohar (Pearl), Aghavni (Dovie) and Agnes.  Goohar, my great grandmother, married Tatevos Paloutzian; Dovie married Levon Garbedian; and Agnes married Soghomon Googooian.  Agnes was Mary Shamshoian's grandmother.

Not everything in my mailbox is a bill!

Look what I got in the mail:

This is John Henry Golden's (1873-1949) death certificate from the county of Silver Bow in the state of Montana (Click to enlarge).  Of course, it didn't just arrive in my mailbox on it's own; I did have to send for this record.  The information on death records is only as good as what the informant knows.  In this case, the informant was Paul D. Golden, son of the deceased.  The year of birth given is 1872.  I have been using 1873, as that is what John Henry wrote on his naturalization papers.  Since I haven't been able to locate his Irish birth or baptism record, I don't know that I can verify which is the correct year.
John Henry's parents' names are also given; Tom Golden and Mary Coleman, more confirmation of that information.
The cause of death listed is apoplexy due to arteriosclerosis.
Other information includes his burial at Holy Cross Cemetery in Butte on 23 June 1949.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

My great grandfather, John Henry Golden (1873-1949) and his siblings were born in Drumacoo, which is a landholding outside of Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon, Ireland. Landholders like John Henry's parents were tenant famers, or just tenants, meaning that they didn't own the property they lived on. You can see a map of the area here.
For those of you who thought the family was from Co. Mayo, the county borders changed in 1899, and what was once in Mayo is now in Roscommon. You can see on the map that Drumacoo is also very close to the border with Co. Sligo.  Martha Golden visited Drumacoo a few years back and she sent me these pictures.

If any of you are interested in buying a piece of our ancestral homeland, you might want to check out this property.

I've been trying to expand my information for the Golden family and recently searched and purchased some records from the County Roscommon Heritage & Genealogy Company .  I previously had them conduct a search for records of John Henry Golden's birth, but they didn't find anything, but suggested that there might be records on other family members.  I was able to find the church marriage record for Thomas Golden and Mary Coleman who were married on 1 Dec 1866 in the parish of Ballaghadereen, Co. Roscommon.  They were Roman Catholic and the witnesses were Thomas and Mary Sharkett.  No other information was recorded.  I found civil birth and church baptism records for John Henry's siblings Winifred (1867), Brigid and her twin, Patrick (1871), and Margaret (1876).  All list the parents as Thomas Golden and Mary Coleman, Roman Catholics from Drumacoo, Ballaghadereen, Co. Roscommon, although Drumacoo is spelled all different ways (Dremacoo, Dromachro, Drimachoo, Dremecoo); that's just the fun of genealogy!  I can't figure why John Henry doesn't have any records.  If anyone takes a trip to Ireland (or wants to send me), I have a mission for you!  I have sent for John Henry's death record to see if it has any clues. 

Winifred, Bridgid and Margaret all came to the United States, to Montana.  John Henry was listed as the destination on Margaret's ship arrival record, and Winifred, John Henry and Margaret were all living together in Anaconda in 1900.  Brigid married John Francis "Frank" O'Connell, lived in Helena, MT and moved to Oregon between 1920 and 1930.  After the 1900 census I have essentially no records for Winifred or Margaret.  I think Winifred died that year as I saw a mention about the administration of the estate of Winifred Dolan (her married name) in the Anaconda Standard in Sept. 1900.  She did have 3 daughters, Winifred, Mary and Margaret, but I don't know what became of them.  There aren't records available on-line to help figure out these mysteries.  Some library, cemetery and county record searches are the next steps.

Auntie Mary

Auntie Mary was married to my grandpa Ed Paloutzian's brother, my Uncle Ernie. I didn't see them very frequently growing up, but when I did, they always remembered me and were so kind and loving. Auntie Mary's sister, Auntie Pearl, was just as kind. Even though she wasn't really my Auntie, she greeted me like family the few times I met her. What wonderful women; they will be greatly missed.

Mary Paloutzian
We celebrate the life of Mary Paloutzian who departed peacefully into the hands of our Lord in her sleep on Thursday, February 11, 2010. She was born on August 10, 1910, in Malden, Massachusetts, with her mother, Gladys (Koobatian) Kelarjian, her father Joseph Kelarjian, her brother Andrew, and sister, Pearl. She moved to Fowler, Ca., in 1920. Raised on the family farm and being the eldest of the three siblings, she was introduced to daily chores and care for the family. She graduated from Fowler High School in 1928. In 1931, she was introduced to the love of her life, Ernest Paloutzian, and they were married on September 11, 1932, in the family home on the farm where she was raised. Our mother had a passion for loving people in many ways, especially her cooking. Her favorite thing was to entertain family and friends. She was a fantastic cook and you never left her home feeling as if you hadn't had enough to eat. She delighted in preparing all the Armenian delicacies and being sure everyone's plates were filled again and again. Family favorites were her, yalanchi, choereg, kufta, dolma, and Holland Rusk pudding. Her presence was immediately known when she walked into a room. She radiated love and warmth to her entire family and all her friends. She was very creative and artistic, even learning to play the piano by ear. Our family wishes to thank Green Gables Care Home, Susan Kazaryan and Nancy Hinds Hospice for the loving and wonderful care our mother received from them over the last five years. She is survived by her children and their spouses, Dr. Rodney Paloutzian and his wife Shari of Fresno, Judy Carmichael and her husband Frank Aguilera, of Fresno, Allan Paloutzian and his wife Sue of Oceanside, Ca.; four grandsons and their spouses, Brett and Christy, Dirk and Bonnie, Kyle and Tyler and Sheree; and 11 great grandchildren. A Memorial Service honoring her will be held at First Armenian Presbyterian Church, 430 S. First Street, Fresno, Ca. 93702 on Saturday, February 20, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to first Armenian Presbyterian Church or Nancy Hinds Hospice, 1616 W. Shaw Ave., Suite C-1, Fresno, Ca., 93711

Golden Family Pictures

Cathie and Jay Sheldon shared some Golden family photos with me and I wanted you all to see them, too.

Walter, Robert, Tom and Jack Golden

Margie Golden, 1940 (19 years old)

John H. Golden in San Francisco, 1938

John H. and Anna Golden (my great-grandparents) about 1946.

Robert, John Henry and Paul Golden, father and sons.

Christmas Greetings from the past!

Paloutzian family Christmas 1956

Ed and Dorothy, Mary and Ernie, Louise and Frank, Judy, Raymond, Arlene, Nancy, Goohar and Tatevos, at 834 N. Harrison, Fresno, CA.

Steele/Golden family c. 1953

Chickie and Mammy (Andrew and Claire), Betty, Margie, Cathy, Susan, Bill, Mary Ann, Don, Tom and Anne at 1040 Vagedes, Fresno, CA.

One thing leads to another

Anyone who has worked on genealogy puzzles knows how one piece of information can lead to a whole lot more. Earlier this year, my family and I attended the Descendant's Day Picnic at Black Diamond Mines Regional Park. At the celebration, the park staff had several huge white binders full of documents, lists and other information about the families who lived in the mining communities that used to exist in the area. My great-grandfather Andrew Steele was born in Somersville, along with his siblings. While looking through the binders I found an index or list that had church baptisms with Steele (or Still) family members listed. I just recently received copies of these documents. What I have posted are scans of photocopies of pictures taken of the original records of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Antioch, CA. They are in Latin. There was a Catholic Church in Somersville called St. Patrick's, but I read that it was mainly used for Sunday masses.
John Steele - Rosa (Rossi) Turra marriage record
Joseph V Steele baptism record

Andrew Steele baptism record

Joseph's record lists the names of his Godparents (Latinized, of course): Vincentius Rossi and Cesarina Rossi. I have found Vincent and Cesarina (and family) in the census records, living in Stockton. I think Vincent is Rosa's brother. An interview recorded and transcribed by staff of Black Diamond Mines Park of Richard B. Steele (and family) indicates that Rosa Rossi was brought to the U.S. by her brother, but his name wasn't mentioned.
John and Rosa's wedding record list ALL FOUR PARENTS' NAMES! (All the genealogists gasp). Both John and Rosa's fathers' names were written on their death certificates, but not the mothers' names. John's parents are written as Josephi Steele and Maria Rossi. (His death certificate says his father was John). Rosa's parents are written as Matheii (hard to read) Tura (sic) (her maiden name is Rossi, and Mathew Rossi is listed as her father's name on her death certificate) and what I think says Baptistima ________ (I cannot make sense of the last name). Note John and Rosa's son Richard's middle name was Baptist, and Joseph's middle name was Vincent.
So now I'll be trying to find information that connects Rosa and Vincent as siblings, and also trying to find any more information on both John and Rosa's parents (my great-great-great grandparents!)

It helps if you're looking in the right cemetery...

About a year ago, in an attempt to locate new on-line information, I subscribed to NewspaperARCHIVE.com, which has thousands of images of newspapers from all over the United States and internationally, too. I was able to locate a lot of articles, such as marriage notices and obituaries, which provided me with tons of new information. In particular, I was looking for information about one of my great-great-grandfather's brothers, Bedros Paloutzian. Bedros was one of the four Paloutzian brothers who came to California. The others were Kachadoor, Hovhannes (John) and my g-g-grandfather Manoug. Sometime between his arrival in New York on 25 May 1891, and 10 July 1900 when the census-taker took down the information, Bedros started going by the name Peter Thompson. (Bedros is the Armenian form of Peter.)
The name change made it very difficult to track his 8 children and unknown grandchildren, because while Paloutzian stands out among records as an obvious relation, the name Thompson just blends right in and could be anyone. I had the family located in each of the US Census records for 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. After that, I didn't have much. I looked in the California death records available on-line, but couldn't find a Peter Thompson that matched what I knew. It was likely then that he died between the 1930 census and 1940, when the death records available on-line begin. (Earlier death records are available on microfilm, but that involved a trip to the library on Wednesdays or Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00. I am now a member of the Merced County Genealogical Society and have more convenient access.)
But thanks to my subscription at NewspaperARCHIVE, I was able to find Peter Thompson's obituary.

This gave me the married names of his daughters, and that he was buried in West Selma Cemetery. So, I wanted to find his headstone. On my way to Kingsburg, I stopped in Selma at the old section of the cemetery at Floral and Thompson. I didn't have the grave location, I just figured it was a small enough area that I could find it. Well, I wore myself out pacing up and down the rows of headstones .As you can probably guess by the title of this entry, and to make a long story shorter, I was at the wrong cemetery. I even went back there, with my sister Joy, a second time after calling the cemetery office and getting the location of Peter Thompson's grave, still thinking it was the West Selma Cemetery. The cemetery at Thompson just south of Floral is North Selma Cemetery. I was looking at a USGS map in my office one day when I noticed the other cemetery, also on Thompson Ave., which is actually the West Selma Cemetery. It is south of Highway 99 on Thompson near Park St. This is where Peter Thompson and his wife Mabel are buried. Their son Haig is there as well. He was a flying instructor who died in a plane crash at the age of 33.

Grandma Golden

Jean Elizabeth Golden
Our beloved mother passed away peacefully on Friday, July 31, 2009. She was born April 7, 1921, in Fresno, California to Andrew and Claire Steele. Betty graduated from St.Therese school and from San Francisco College for Women. She married Robert Golden in Fresno in 1944. They established Golden Insurance Agency where Betty worked for 40 years. Betty was a lector and Eucharistic Minister at Our Lady of Victory Parish. She was a member of Third Order of St. Francis, YLI, Serra Club and a volunteer for Catholic Charities. She was preceded in death by Robert, her loving husband, of 54 years; her brother, Br. Andrew (Don) Steele, FSC; and her grandson, James Stone. Betty is survived by her nine children and their families, Mary Ann and Tom Paloutzian, Susan and Don Sturges, Bill and Shirley Golden, Catherine and Jerry Johnson, Margaret Golden, Patti and Tom McMurry, John and Maureen Golden, Janet Golden, and Michael Golden; 26 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren; her siblings, Bernadette Steele and Thomas and Anne Steele; her sister-in-law, Virginia Golden; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Visitation will be held at Whitehurst, Sullivan, Burns & Blair Funeral Home, on Thursday, August 6, 2009, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. followed by Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 7:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, on Friday, August 7, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. Interment will follow at St. Peter's Cemetery.