Posts Tagged ‘SNOOK’

It’s the holiday season and I wanted to share some family memories of holidays past.

My mom, dog samantha, and I

Thanksgiving is on Thursday and this year we are spending it home just the three of us.  Growing up though that was never the case.  My entire family lived in the same small town that I grew up in so family get togethers were a huge production.  Unfortunately I don’t remember many specifics about Thanksgiving with my mother.  I do remember the routine though.

Wake up extra early ( school was out so that  meant early wake ups!

Play with my dog Samantha and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  My favorite float was Kermit but the highlight was always seeing Santa finish the parade.  The Christmas season could officially begin!

Head over to my Grandmothers house for lunch/dinner.  Like I said above, my family was huge.  So huge that my grandparents had to put about 4 tables up for use to eat at.  Those tables would start in the kitchen wind thru the dining room, turn a corner into the front room and back into the living room.  Of course the kids sat at the back in the living room.  There would always be black olives on the tables that I would sneak each time I walked by.  I was the baby of the family and looked up to my cousins so much.  After we ate the cousins and I would raid my grandparents laundry room closet.  The closet was full of games and toys that kept us busy while our parents watched football, drank and chit chatted.

NOW?  My grandfather passed away in 2001.  My grandmother is spending Thanksgiving in Florida. I live in Virginia while most of my family still lives in NJ.  I barely talk to my cousins, only 3 of them.  Heck I didn’t even know some of them had more children.

It’s sad how things have changed over the years but I’m forever grateful I have the memories and traditions to look back on.

Do you have any thanksgiving memories?

This weekend I started working on a family line that I had not yet touched.  I started with Edith Snook nee Ackerson and went from there.  Thanks to the wonderful contributors on Find-A-Grave I was able to locate a stone for Phylah Dennis located in the Deckertown – Union Cemetery in Wantage New Jersey.

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Phylah Dennis nee Parcel is the grandmother of Edith Snook Ackerson.

Born: 1816

Died: April 21, 1837 (4 months after Sarah Dennis was born.  Sarah is Edith’s mother)

Married: Joseph Dennis

From here I’m not sure who Phylah’s parents were.  My research shows that the Dennis, McCoy, and Parcel families were living near each other and marrying into each other’s families.  I’m not sure what family Phylah is directly related to at this time.

I added a new roadblock to my Snook page.

Meet Edith Snook nee Ackerman.  She is my Gr – Gr – grandmother on my father’s side.  This picture also shows my Gr – Gr – Grandfather Fred Snook.

What I’m trying to find out is when did Edith die and where is she buried.  I’m sure the answers are staring me in the face but I can’t find them at this time.  What I do know is that she last shows up on the 1930 census.  Also, Fred died in 1942 and was buried in Newton Cemetery, Newton New Jersey. On my to do list for the next trip to NJ is to visit that cemetery to see if she is there but not listed on FindaGrave or other databases.

Fred Snook (Gr Gr Grandfather)  with Betty, June, and Vivian.  They are cousins but I’m not sure who the parents of Betty and June are.

Frederick Snook  1866-1942

Vivian Snook   1927 – ?  (father: John C Snook.  Mother:  Anna M)

My curiosity gets me every time with this picture.  For instance, What is that painting behind them?  Who is that?  Is it a random painting or a family member?  Also, Who is that picture behind Fred of?  No one knows in my family but I always stare at it wondering.

>Here’s the follow up post to the Listening to the Past try-it my daughter earned on our last trip up to NJ.

We had a blast and it was so fun to share stories of the family and visit landmarks with my daughter and niece.

The activities we accomplished while we were there:

1) Community Stories 4) Tell Stories of the Past 2)If these Buildings Could Talk - While in NJ, my father and I shared stories of with the girls, both my mother’s side and my father’s side.  Starting from when they came over to the United states, the wars they fought in and up thru the current members.  It was so much fun and they had great questions.  Just driving thru my hometown I was able to show my daughter where the family used to have farms and where their legacies still remain.

3) Visit the Oldest Cemetery – This may not be the absolute oldest cemetery in the town however it is definitely one of the oldest.  I gave the girls the task of finding the oldest grave and off they went!  We paid respect to both revolutionary war, civil war, and WWI soldiers in our family.

Off searching for the oldest grave

Dubois Swezy – GAR – Civil War

Gilbert and Sarah Drew – Revolutionary War

I had so much fun with my father and the girls.  I can’t wait to go back home to NJ to do more research and take more pictures.  Thanks for sharing this experience with me!

>One of my goals this year was to keep plugging away on family history and to become more active in the online Genealogy community.  Geneabloggers  hosts 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History and I’m going to do my best to keep it up.

Topic:
Week 1: New Year’s. Did your family have any New Year’s traditions? How was the New Year celebrated during your childhood? Have you kept these traditions in the present day?

Getting together with the extended family was important when I was younger.  It seemed like every holiday, birthday, or random day there was a party or picnic at my grandparent’s house.  New Years was no exception.  The only difference was that it was at my Great Aunt and Uncles house.  I really don’t remember to much about the days except that there was a large number of people in a tiny house with LOTS of food!  Everywhere you turned there was a table with more food.  I think I may have emptied the olive bowls myself each and every time.  It was also a sure thing that my Great Grandmother would make Jello squares.  My cousins and I looked forward to those at every event. 

Unfortunately I have moved 400+ miles away and the parties have slowed down.  My husband, daughter and I have a nice quiet NYE evening and enjoy the new year together. 

>This week I wanted to share the tombstones of my Gr-Gr-Gr Grandfather and Grandmother Jacob Snook and Elmira Snook (nee Tuttle)

My grandfather’s middle name was Tuttle.  This marriage is where the Tuttle family united with the Snook family.  Also my father’s middle name is Jacob.  Jacob and Elmira also had a daughter named Ida May.  My daughter’s middle name is Mae   I feel like so much of my family history can be found just on this one stone.

I’ve been slacking lately on my research on this side of the family.  Truth be told, I have no idea why I stopped.  However, as I work and get deeper into my family history, I want to get in my car drive the 400 miles home and spend a day “visiting” with my family.

>I’m on a fall break for school and I refuse to do any homework so instead I dove head first into my family tree again.  This time I’m working on my father’s side.  Things were moving pretty good thanks to a few books my father had given me the last time I was home until I hit Peter Snook. 

The only info I have on Peter Snook is that he was born about 1770 in/around Sussex New Jersey.  He was also married to Elizabeth Simmons. Their son Phillip Snook is my ancestor.  All information stops at him being the father of Phillip.

I’m taking this as a natural stopping point and walking away for a while.

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The inspiration for the journey into my family history.  This is from my parent’s wedding.

Mom Barbara Mae Snook (nee Van Blarcom)  1952-1985
Grandfather Ralph Van Blarcom  1917-1994
Grandmother Catherine Van Blarcom (nee Sammis) 1917-2010

>Mary Lou Garlinghouse nee Parker wrote my Aunt a letter when we were asking for family recipes.  I’m so happy to have this to pass on.

Dear Joyce,
     Hi, Good to hear from you.  I’m doing great! I found some recipes in the First Methodist Church Cookbook, I tried to find your Grandmother Snook’s nut cake , she made it for every occasion; but couldn’t locate it.
     I doubt if you remember but your mom did not have a big food budget but she had milk and eggs – so she made puddings/custards, pies, etc. Your grandparents and father would go and pick cherries and your mom would have them pit them.  We would sit outside the kitchen door on the stone porche under a shady tree and pit cherries.  She canned or froze them with green beans, corn – your mom could stretch the food momey.  There were also chickens and beef in season.  The apple walnut cake as something like applesauce cake.  I remember it as being delicious!
     Your mom sold eggs but the cracked ones are what she used in her own cooking.  You have to crack an egg to use it so those were great.

Hope you can use these recipes.

Love,
MaryLou