Got an unexpected phone call from my cousin Michael in Canada two days ago. He was calling to see how Mother is doing, because he wanted to know if she could accept phone calls. We had a long chat, and he suggested I sign up for a Skype account. Skype subscribers can call other Skype subscribers anywhere in the world via pc and talk free! I took his advice, set up my account, and called him back. This time, he turned on his webcam, and I was able to see him as we were talking, and also his wife, Debbie.

Well, I can't abide being even a step behind, and I decided to connect my little 5 yr. old web-cam, but discovered the OEM drivers aren't acceptable to WindowsXP and the new driver I downloaded from the manufacturer's web site doesn't seem to work either. So I bit the bullet and purchased a new web cam. As soon as my daughter finishes transferring her iTunes from Dad's computer to mine, I'm going to install it and call Mike back.

I also bought a flash card reader so I can transfer photos from my camera without physically tethering the camera to the laptop. That will make it much easier to phost photos here.

During our trip to Ireland at the beginning of this month, Laurel, Marty and I visited Marty's cousin Eugene, who drove us around the Cork area to see the sights. He is Marty's dad's first cousin. He and his wife Helen had ten children, a couple of whom live in the United States, one is in Europe, and one is living at home.

Helen died three years ago. As Eugene put it, they had two christenings, a wedding, and a funeral all in the same week! After the christenings, Helen and Eugene danced at their daughter's wedding, and went to bed at the hotel. When Eugene woke up in the morning, she had passed away.

Pictures from the trip are at Picasa, and I blogged the trip at Halona, the Peering Place.

My co-worker, Beth, recently shared this photo of herself and Mom, taken during her visit to Hawaii at the end of June . During the week she and her sister were on Oahu, they went to visit Mom in Kailua.

Got such a shock today! I was doing my occasional "google search" for Simon Soutar and came across a web site that seems to have digitized the book written by Leslie Purkis called "The Fire Kindlers". I have copies of this book and its two sequels that Leslie Purkis sent me, and I had no idea anyone else might have had a copy.

In any case, there was a mailto: link on the site, and I will fire off an e-mail to j.purkis@virgin.net this evening to see what the connection is.

Yesterday, I used my Godfrey Library card to take another look at their databases. I see that they now have EBSCO's Newspaper Archives, and that it includes the Jamaica Gleaner, past and present! I found many articles about my mother's parents and other relatives, including photos.

I found the death notice and obituary of my grandmother, Una Crosswell, as well as the obituaries of Dr. Louis Oliver Crosswell, my grandfather's brother, and Noel A. Crosswell, my uncle. The obits were pleasantly chatty, listing many who attended the services and their relationships to the deceased - providing clues for piecing together the extended family.

Cutting and pasting the articles into Word was a disaster - they are not readable. Transcribing them into Word while reading the pdfs online is a pain, and can't be discretely done at work. The best option is to save the page to the hard drive, and use Acrobat Reader to look at them offline. Then you can zoom and transcribe to your heart's content.

Godfrey Memorial Library is a genealogical library that sells "scholar" memberships for $35 per year. You then get a library card that entitles you to use all the wonderful resources they make available online. The list of genealogy-related databases is extensive and expensive - so your local library may not be able to provide them. I highly recommend that anyone who wants to do research online should become a Godfrey Scholar!

This article appeared in Midweek on Friday, February 3, 2006: "You Practice on the Days You Eat." It features Hawaii teen musicians featured on the PBS radio show "From the Top".

Earl sent the following in response to the photo in the previous entry:
"Rosemarie gave me these 2 photos. They were dated: 11 March 1956. The family had a get-together in Waianae Town @ Jacinth's house. I was in Japan w/da US Army, when Rosie sent these to me. It was to tease me to come home, cause I had told them I was getting married to a japanese wahine, boy did I receive so many threats of being dis-owned, etc. Only when she came home before me, they adopted her w/open arms & they took care of her better than me."

This is the other photo he refers to. Front: Julia Harris and Lucy (my grandma) Schulmeister; back: Bill (Earl's dad), Jacinth and Frank Picadura.

Cecelia Bragg, Rose Kallmyer, Julia Harris, Lucy Schulmeister - the four Costa Picadura sisters, name order is left to right; age order is right to left. The other eight kids in the family were all guys! I'm not sure where or when this photo was taken, but I'm thinking it must have been in the 1950s or 1960s. I know Julia was the first to move away from Hawaii permanently, and this must have been taken on one of her visits home.

January 6, 2006. The family got together at dinner for Fay Schulmeister's 93rd birthday. Click on the photo to see a larger image.

Seated around the table, from the left, are Mary, Laurel's friend Lisa, Mom, Lea, Aunt Jo, Laurel, Kathy, and David. I took the photo. Absent: Claire, James, Marty, and Patrick. We are at Mom's house in Kailua, and the dining table and chairs came from the house at Surbiton, in Jamaica.

Mother said yesterday she heard that a new street in Half Way Tree, Jamaica would be named Crosswell Road in honor of her father, A. Noel Crosswell, for his contributions to the country. I did a quick search of the Jamaica Gleaner online, but didn't see any corroberating articles. I did, however, find this map of Half Way Tree (requires Adobe Acrobat reader. Download here if you don't already have it.) Grandpa's house was on Surbiton Road, but the property has since been subdivided. I'll update this entry when I have more information.

A. Noel and Una Crosswell cut their golden wedding anniversary cake at Surbiton in 1960. This photo was sent to me by Michael in Toronto. (Thanks, Mike!) 

Here is a transcription of Noel Crosswell's obituary, published in The Gleaner and De Cordova's Advertising Sheet, City Edition, June 14, 1876. Peter was kind enough to give me a print from the microfilm a few years ago.

"Died
At His late Residence, 52, King St.,
Noel Crosswell,
Aged 73 Years.
The funeral will take place this evening, 14th inst. at 4.30 p.m.
Friends and acquaintances, will please accept this notice, and will oblige by allowing their carriages to attend."

This is a transcription of a letter sent to my mother by her uncle, Sydney Crosswell. Attached at the end of the letter were the addresses in 1970 of his four children.
------------------------------------
304 Airport Road
CLANTON, Ala. 35045
Friday, July 17, 1970

Dear Fay,

I have your most interesting Christmas Missive 1969 telling me about your growing family. In it, you request the addresses of my New York children which, I gladly furnish herewith, on a separate sheet - page 4.

I delayed writing because, I really wanted to write about them; then, the germ of PROCRASTINATION took over and your missive was mislaid. My age is the culrit, my dear .... I swear, the lunatics in the big cities in this country rush about so fast they, too, get mislaid or lost and blame it on TIME. It is appalling. I admit that. I am a little handicapped since both my cataracts have been removed - writing on paper without lines is a nuisance but, it is harder to write on lines, unless they are very clear.

I note that your eldest daughter, Ann, visited in Austria and attended summer school. Sidney's wife is German. Lydia's daughter married a young lawyer whose surname is Schult and you married a Schulmeister... Our grandfather was a native of Switzerland He was a graduate of Heidelburg University, Germany. This German strain is fascinating - it intrigues me - particularly as we become more and more embroiled in this socalled melting-pot on earth.

I have 4 children, all of them married and well - 11 Grandchildren and 7 great grand children.

Your father and mother I presume were Roman Catholics. My children were brought up in that FAITH. What denomination do you all profess?

Music used to be my favourite pass time. I know it used to be yours; And I think it must be wonderful to boast of a Harpist in the family. God BLESS HER!

I am trying to write as legible as possible I hope you can read it.

(2) Fay 7-17-70
Back to my children now:

Lydia, the eldest, married a Spaniard from Madrid, named Andres Abello - a "simpatico joven". They have 2 children, both married.

Sidney, known as Edward, married a charming German "fraulein", named Karen Klopottek. They have one boy, a teenager.

Elsie married a handsome Swede, named Wallen. Engineer. Inventor who is really making the grade. They have one girl, married.

Ralph turned out quite the "gay Lothario" type. He has been married 3 times, has 6 children and 4 stepchildren; all well, healthy specimens. He chose "all-American" spouses.

Yes,my dear - now comes the most important expression of personal sentiment regarding the demise of your devoted and beloved parents. A.Noel my dearest brother, and his spouse whom, he always referred to as "Una, my one and only".

We corresponded frequently with them, and we miss their lovely letters.

I make no excuse or apology, nor do I ever offer condolence on such occasions.

Strange! what so many people fear most is DEATH; a term which I refrain from using, because, to me it has meant the beginning of LIFE. LIFE ETERNAL which I look forward to, wth joy and curiosity. I believe we all have a mission to fulfill here; and so soon as that is complied with comes our transfer to other missions on an Higher plane eventually, to share PEACE for which we desperately yearn. PEACE cannot be made by Mankind; regardless of Russia, Germany, U.S.A. or Egypt, et al .... It is not a matter of Man's POWER OF CHOICE as Satan would have us believe:

PEACE can and will be attained only, by obedience to GOD'S Will: Remember, "THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN", said Jesus.

(3) = Fay 7-17-70
I am sorry I ran out of paper! - please excuse - shortly after your mother became a widow, I wrote to her in just such terms - No, it was after Noel Jr was called to join his father - ... I wrote no message of conventional condolance.

She promptly answered - I quote from her letter, dated Dec 30 - 1964:
"Dear Sydney, Many thanks for your letter. You will be glad to know it bucked me up a whole lot for, although I received a couple hundred cards, letters, etc. not one was couched in the language of yours - it made me realize the meaning of death. Up to now I have not had the energy to write anyone overseas to tell them of Noel's passing. ..."

I hoe you do not resent my attitude. I do not mean to be dogmatic, or to impose my convictions; but simply to inform you of MY point of view.

I am happy to commune with you and trust my belated effort is appreciated.

Heaps of love and blessings to all your family from

Mabel and Your Uncle Sydney.

/s/ S M Crosswell

Today, I got e-mail from my cousin in Hawaii with a link to a Honolulu Star Bulletin story about the death of Martin Denny, who composed exotic music in Hawaii a while back. My dad used to tune pianos for both Denny and Arthur Lyman when I was a kid, and he used to tell stories at the dinner table. Those days, I was too young to pay attention to grown-up talk, so I don't remember any of the stories. I do recall that the music was edgy for the time, and that you either loved it or hated it.

I recently came across an interesting incident arising out of the devastating 1907 earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica on the Jamaican Family Search web site (http://jamaicanfamilysearch.com/). A pair of letters exchanged between the Governor of Jamaica and Admiral C. H. Davis, USN was reported in the Daily Telegraph (http://jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples/earthqu4.htm).

As I read the letters over the phone to mother, she remembered that her father and mother were "seeing" each other at that time. Her father, A. Noel Crosswell, was living in Kingston, and her mother, Una Soutar, was living in Half Way Tree. Because there was no power and the telephone lines were down, Noel walked all the way from Kingston to Half Way Tree to see for himself that she was ok. As she recalls, it was about 15 minutes by car, but would have taken 3-4 hours to walk there. Such is love!

Visiting with Mike and Gay this month brought back memories of my childhood at Maluniu Avenue in Kailua. Gay was talking about a broom made of the midribs of coconut leaves, and that brought back vivid memories of the family that used to live behind us.

Grandma Gumpher had a broom like that, with the ends of the midribs braided together into a handle. She used to sweep the backporch, steps and sidewalk every day with that broom, and would also use it to sting the legs of her grandchildren when they were naughty. One day when I was visiting, I watched her making a new broom, knotting the midribs together, then winding rag strips around the end for the handle. How we feared that broom, when Grandma's temper was up! And how much worse anticipation made the punishment when a naughty child was ordered to bring her the broom from behind the door!

In our house, the preferred implement of punishment was ... the slippah! Always to hand, and very effective!

Just had a flash for an interesting page: photos of all the homes we've lived in. I have photos of Waianae, Dillingham Boulevard, Pahoa Ave, Maluniu Ave, Ohana St., and Havenside Dr. I think mom has photos of the Richmond Pen, and I may have photos of Barbican Road and Surbiton in Jamaica. If any of you have such photos, I'd love a copy - print or digital - to add to the collection. I think I'll do this for the Family History page in January.

Here's a transcription and translation of a postcard sent with a return address of "Anton Teissl, Bahnhof-Restaurateur, Attnang-Puchheim, Ober Österreich to Mr. Josef Schulmeister, Waianae - Oahu, Hawaii, Sandwich Islands. Anton was my grandfather's brother-in-law and ran a restaurant in the train station in Attnang. Hans and Toni were the sons of Anton and Marie. "Pepi" is a pet name for Josef.

Attnang, 25. / IX - 915

Lieber Pepi!
Dir und Lucy und Euren Kindern fröhliche Weihnachten und ein frohes Neues-Jahr! Wir Alle sind gesund! Unser Hans steht in Serbien. Toni ist noch in Brooklyn gibt seine alte Addresse! Unser Bruder Karl steht in Russich-Polen in der Front. Mein Mann ist daheim, ist vom Militärdienst befreit, unsere Eltern sind wohlauf. Sorge Dich um uns nicht! Schreib doch ofters! Grüße und küße Dich, sowie Deine Lieben Alle, Deine Schwester
Marie.


Attnang, 25 Nov. 1915
Dear Pepi,
To you and Lucy and your children, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are all in good health! Our Hans is posted in Serbia. Toni is still in Brooklyn, gives his old address! Our brother Karl is posted in Russian-Poland on the Front. My husband is at home, is released from military service. Our parents are doing well. Don’t worry about us! But write more often! Love and kisses to you, as well as to all your loved ones, your sister
Marie.

Here's a letter from grandfather Joseph Schulmeister's niece sent to him in 1925. I guess even then, Hawaii was a paradisical destination - I don't believe she ever went to Hawaii, and I doubt grandpa ever replied - that seems to have been his trademark. Translation follows; thanks to Hanne for her help with the hard words.

Wien, 30.XII,. 1925

Sehr geehrter, lieber
Herr Onkel!

Bitte sind Sie nicht bös darüber, wenn ich wieder mit einer Bitte zu Ihnen komme. Ich möchte Sie sehr bitten, & mir bekannt zugeben, ob auf Hawaii eine Verdienst -möglichkeit für ein Mädchen (gesund) als Kinderfräulein, Stubemädchen, Arbeiterin in irgendeinem Unternehmen ist. Ich kann nähen und auch sonst alle häuslichen Arbeiten. Und nehm jede Stelle an, bei der man etwas verdienen kann. Oder würden Sie mir raten, vielleicht z.B. einen Gebammen Kursus zu machen? Lieber Herr Onkel ich habe damals bereits an Sie geschrieben, wegen dem Hinunterfahren u. Hawaii. Und bis heute lässt mich der Gedanke nicht los. Ich wäre Ihnen mein ganzes Leben dankbar. Bitte wollen Sie die Gute haben und mir bekannt geben, ob eine Hinreise überhaupt gestattet ist und unter welchen Bedingungen. Ich bin jetzt 22 Jahre alt und gesund und mein ganzes Streben gipfelt von dem Gedanken von Wien wegzukommen.

Ich bitte Sie sehr um Ihre Meinung und Ihren gutigen Rat und danke Ihnen im Vorhinein für Ihre Mühe und grüss Sie als Ihre
dankbare
Nichte Frieda Edelmann

% Bitte auf untenstehende Adresse zu schreiben:
F. E. Wien I., Graben 14/15
% Fa. Josef Kober


Translated by Ann S. Owens:

Vienna, December 30, 1925

My very esteemed dear Uncle,

Please don’t be upset with me if I come to you with another request. I would very much like to ask if you could tell me whether there are any employment possibilities in Hawaii for a young woman (healthy) as a nanny, housekeeper, or a worker in any other occupation. I can sew and also perform all kinds of houskeeping duties. And I would take any position at which one could earn something. Or perhaps would you advise me, for example, to take a midwifing course? Dear Uncle, I have already written to you about coming to Hawaii. And even until today the thought won’t leave me alone. I would be grateful to you for my whole life. Please would you be so good as to let me know if such a journey is even possible, and under which circumstances. I am now 22 years old and healthy and all my striving culminates in the thought of getting away from Vienna.

I beg you for your opinion and your good advice and thank you in advance for your kindness and greet you as your
grateful
Niece Frieda Edelmann

p.t.o.

Please write to me at the address below:
F.E. Vienna I
Graben 14/15
c/o Josef Kober Family

I received an envelope yesterday from Mother containing postcards and a letter sent to my grandfather Joseph Schulmeister between 1888 and 1910. He must not have been a very good correspondent, because every one pleads with him to write back! They are written in in an old-fashioned German handwriting. I am slowly translating them, and will post contents as they are completed.

The handwriting example came from Genealogy.net's Alte deutsche Handschriften/Old German Handwritten Scripts.