Mennonite Country Auction

You can find the 
Mennonite Country Auction 
on Facebook.

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Please visit my post
USGenWeb & Menno Mennonite Cemetary.

Larry Fifer's retirement party

19 June 2015

Salish

When I was young, I lived in Inchelium, WA. 

I attended the Inchelium School District 

(a K-12 school) from kindergarten through 8th grade. 

Salish is/was the language of this tribe. 

While I am not Native American, 

I would still like to share a link that I have found, 

which is to the Salish School of Spokane. 

Salish School of Spokane

talking with Grandma

As I said in my first post, I love stories. After Grandpa Robert died & Grandma Virginia moved to Spokane Valley, I have had the opportunity to look through Grandma's old pictures & records. And, of course, I've had the chance to ask Grandma questions. Below are two YouTube "videos" of talks that I've had with Grandma. (They were done in 2012 or 2013.) The first is regarding an obit, the second is regarding a photo.

Myrtle Denman Kaelber - obit c. 1943

Bill Fifer - photo c. 1945

Charles Alvin Fifer (1918 - 1919) - Find A Grave Photos

I just added a photo 

to the Find A Grave memorial 

of Charles Alvin Fifer (1918 - 1919).

choir concert & a new app

Today I downloaded a new app - Photo Mapo - for my iPhone.

The choir concert this evening seemed a perfect opportunity to try it out.

Here is one image.

 

 

 

Mrs. Fifer's retirement party

On 15 May 2014,
a retirement party was held
for my mom.

B. Jill (Dyck) Fifer started teaching

at the Inchelium K-12 school around 1980.

While there, she taught high school English,

worked as a school counselor

(after receiving her masters degree),
& then taught 2nd grade.

Before she worked in Inchelium,

she taught high school English

at Kettle Falls School District #212.

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Inchelium is in Ferry County, Washington (State), USA.
Kettle Falls is in Stevens County, Washington (State), USA.

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"Kaelber" is tagged on this post
because my paternal grandma  
- E. Virginia (Kaelber) Fifer -
attended the event.

Forgotten Ashes

While this link does not relate to my family (I hope), I thought that it was worth sharing. According to Forgotten Ashes, "[e]ach and every year, cremated remains go unclaimed at funeral homes, cremation providers, and local-state agencies throughout the United States...." Everyone deserves a proper, respectful burial; families need to know the fate of their relatives. Let's help by sharing this link.

Sinclair family mystery

There is a family mystery that I would like to solve. It involves the relationship between my great-grandmother Mary Ann (Sinclair) Kaelber & her mother Susan (Sylvester) Sinclair or [a possible] step-mother Susan (Morse/Morise) Sinclair.
 

Here is the family lore:

For as long as Grandma Virginia or Dad can remember, my great grandma Mary always said that Susan (or "that woman" as she put it) was not her mom. The legend goes that, as Daniel Sinclair lay dying from blood poisoning c. 1911, he told Mary that "she's not your mom" and that she was to "get out of [there]".

As you can tell from my first paragraph, based upon my research so far, I have come up with two names: Susan Sylvester & Susan Morse (or Morise).

Great Grandma Mary's death certificate (1900-1999) lists her mother as Susan Sinclair. (However, it also lists her occupation as nurse. In searching the Washington State Department of Health's Provider Credential Search, it appears that she was not a licensed nurse or nurse aide.) The death certificate of John Sinclair (1902-1920), Mary's younger brother, lists his mother as Susan Morse. (However, if their older brother Joseph Sinclair [who is listed as "not of sound mind" on his 1917 draft card] were the one who had provided the information, it is possible that it wasn't correct.)

 

Since John Sinclair was born in 1902, one would assume that the 1910 Washington State census could indicate a different woman than did the 1900 Wisconsin census. However, that's not the case!

In looking at this information, one could wonder if Daniel Sinclair had had an affair - and a child - with a woman named Susan Morse ... and that Daniel's statement had actually been about Susan Sylvester not being John's mom (vs Susan Morse not being Mary's mom).

But then what would I make of this 1915 marriage document (from Spokane County, Washington) which lists the bride as a widow named Susan Morse Sinclair? (And Spokane County does not necessarily seem strange, as this page from the 12 June 1915 edition of The Colville Examiner and the 1920 census' [here & here] suggest that Susan was not living with relatives in Ferry County in 1915 or 1920.)

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In order to shed more light on the situation, I need to get the birth certificates for both Joseph Sinclair and John Sinclair. (Mary's birth certificate lists her mother as Susan Salvesta.) I would also like to get the marriage certificate for Daniel Sinclair and Susan Sylvester and the possible marriage certificate for Daniel Sinclair and Susan Morse (although general online searches have not indicated the existence of such a document).

 

 

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If you have any information, please leave a comment on this post

or click on contact Dawn, above.

 

Robert Fifer on Fold3

I recently realized that my grandpa, Robert V. Fifer, is listed on Fold3.

I just added two photos of him, which can be viewed here.