The Leaning Tree - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 23)

The Leaning Tree - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 23)

It is impossible to overstate the multigenerational prominence The Leaning Tree Lodge has in the collective memory of my extended family. Affectionately known as “The Cabin”, it sits on the Au Sable River, east of Grayling, Michigan and has been connected to our family since the 1960s.

Flint Flood Photos (1947) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 22)

Flint Flood Photos (1947) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 22)

These are the personal photographs of my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley (1890-1960), of the Flint flooding of 1947. Some of the information in the notes were provided by my great aunt, Michael’s daughter, Beverly Hanley Mansour (1929-2009).

Birth and Death Records of Irene Alexiou Halvatzis (1864-1929) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 21)

Birth and Death Records of Irene Alexiou Halvatzis (1864-1929) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 21)

These are said to be the birth and death certificates of my 2nd great grandmother, Irene Alexiou Halvatyis (1864-1929). I am grateful to Antonis Chaldeos of Trace Your Greek Roots for finding them.

Schmidt Family Land at Elm River Township, Houghton County, Michigan - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 20)

Schmidt Family Land at Elm River Township, Houghton County, Michigan - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 20)

These documents pertain to a parcel of land in Elm River Township, Houghton County, Michigan originally owned by my 3rd great grandmother, Ernestina Zenner Schmidt (died 1922). The process of writing about them has helped me discover some new information and tell my Schmidt family’s story.

The Dresden Rose (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 19)

The Dresden Rose (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 19)

The Dresden Rose Stitchery Collection was owned and operated by mother-in-law who, you recall, comes from a line of talented needleworkers. Her store was in business from about 1988-2004 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Sweethearts in Summer - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 18)

Sweethearts in Summer - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 18)

Of the hundreds (thousands?) of family photographs I’ve gone through (multiple times) this one struck me this week because I don’t recall ever seeing it before. It shows my paternal grandparents, Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015) and Betty Grace Hanley Sears (1924-1981).

1951 Jeep Willys Station Wagon - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 17)

1951 Jeep Willys Station Wagon - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 17)

This 1951 Jeep Willys Station Wagon has a unique history in our family. For many years it sat, unused, in the garage of the Leaning Tree Lodge, a family cabin on the Au Sable River in Grayling, Michigan.

My First Family Tree, 1986 - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 16)

My First Family Tree, 1986 - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 16)

Perhaps this is when it all started — November, 1986 in Mrs. Hanby’s 5th grade class at Fairfield West Elementary. A lesson on genealogy led to this family tree, my first, that I have held on to ever since.

Nomnie’s Dress for Muriel - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 15)

Nomnie’s Dress for Muriel - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 15)

This beautiful dress was made for “Granny”, Muriel Joy Gregory Petit (1930-2014), my wife’s maternal grandmother. Elegantly framed, the dress and its story have been lovingly preserved by my mother-in-law. It now hangs in our home.

1930s and 40s Funeral Costs - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 14)

1930s and 40s Funeral Costs - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 14)

How much did a funeral cost in 1930s and 1940s? These documents from my 2nd great grandparents, Henry Peter Ratz (1867-1934) and Fannie Schmidt Ratz (1870-1944), give us an idea.

Funeral Prayer Card for Marianna Grzeskowiak Pawlowski (1879-1941) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 13)

Funeral Prayer Card for Marianna Grzeskowiak Pawlowski (1879-1941) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 13)

This is the funeral prayer card for my great grandmother, Marianna Grzeskowiak Pawlowski (1879-1941). I don’t have it in my possession, but the image was shared with me by a cousin several years ago.

Naturalization Record for Henry Peter Ratz (1867-1934) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 12)

Naturalization Record for Henry Peter Ratz (1867-1934) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 12)

This is the Certificate of Naturalization for my 2nd great grandfather, Heinrich (Henry) Peter Ratz (1867-1934). It was signed on Monday, February 18, 1895 by Robert H. Shields, the County Clerk in Houghton County, Michigan.

Tintype Photograph of James Costlow (1822-1904)? - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 11)

Tintype Photograph of James Costlow (1822-1904)? - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 11)

This is the oldest photograph that I have in my personal family collection. Though unidentified, I suspect that it is of my 3rd great grandfather, James Costlow (1822-1904). It is likely that he is with his first wife, my 3rd great grandmother, Sarah Reynolds Costlow (1824-1865).

Ceramic Owl Lamp, 1978 - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 10)

Ceramic Owl Lamp, 1978 - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 10)

This ceramic owl lamp was hand painted by my mother in 1978. It was one of the hundreds of projects she made with the kiln and ceramic studio we had in our basement.

If I Had a Hammer - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 9)

If I Had a Hammer - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 9)

The first known owner of this simple hammer was my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley (1890-1964), though it is possible an ancestor owned if before him. It was passed down to my grandfather, and then my father.

The Pipe and Rosary of My Hanley 2nd Great Grandparents - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 8)

The Pipe and Rosary of My Hanley 2nd Great Grandparents - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 8)

This is perhaps my most treasured family heirloom. It is a wooden rosary and pipe that belonged to my 2nd great grandparents, Patrick Hanley (1857-1923) and Ellen Sullivan Kelly Hanley (1850-1938). They were both immigrants from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland to Atlantic Mine, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here is their story.

Huron Pride Rutabaga Bag - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 7)

Huron Pride Rutabaga Bag - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 7)

This belonged to my father who, in his late high school and early college years (late 1960s), worked at a grocery store where he picked up this Exeter Produce & Storage Huron Pride Rutabagas burlap bag. He turned it into a piece of “art” that is enjoyed, off and on, today.

A Family Bible from the Teamsters Local Union 299 - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 6)

A Family Bible from the Teamsters Local Union 299 - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 6)

My maternal grandfather, James William Halvangis (1920-1973), drove truck for a living in the city of Detroit, Michigan. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local Union No. 299. When he died, his Teamster Brothers presented our family with this Holy Bible.

A 1951 Wedding Invitation - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 5)

A 1951 Wedding Invitation - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 5)

This is the wedding invitation of my wife’s maternal grandparents, Laurence A. Petit Jr. (1925-2007) and Muriel Joy Gregory Petit (1930-2014). Beautifully framed, it hangs proudly in our home. They were married on October 5th, 1951.

A Grandmother's Rose Petal Rosary - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 4)

A Grandmother's Rose Petal Rosary - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 4)

This rosary was made from the dried rose petals that adorned the casket of my maternal grandmother, Claire Pawlowski Halvangis (1916-1980). It was subsequently used by my older brother when he made his First Holy Communion.