Tschinkel Family - Genealogy "Digging"

My sister's first husband was four years older than she, and they married a week after she graduated from high school.  She worked full-time and went to college part-time and supported him for 12 years while he continued getting more degrees. He wanted another degree, and she wanted children.  They divorced amicably.  We were both shocked to learn that he had passed away in March of this year, at the age of 72.
   I realized that, although he was a part of the family for 12 years, and I had known him for a year before their marriage, I really didn't know anything about Tim.  I knew he was one of five children, and I knew his family lived in South Florida.  He never talked about his family to me, so, other than meeting them at the wedding, when I was 2 weeks past my 12th birthday, I knew nothing of them at all.  So I decided to do my genealogy "digging thing" as my sister calls it.
   First I found the obituaries of his parents in South Florida.  That gave me birth and death dates, as well as places of birth...  or so I thought.  John Joseph Tschinkel was born in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, as his obituary said.  I found out that he was the 8th child of 12 children born to Primus (aka Peter) Felix Tschinkel, who was born in Austria and came to the United States in 1904.  His wife, Marie Rohner, was born in Switzerland and arrived in 1907.  All I have found on her so far is that she was living in Alstatten, and her contact person there was her father Johann Rohner.  Marie was born in 1888, and died in New York in 1950.
   I found the record of Primus' arrival at Ellis Island first; it stated he was from Masern, Austria.  Turns out the Tschinkel family has (had) been in residence in that small community since 1564 and the residents all spoke German.  However, Masern was over-run in World War II, first by the Italians and then the Germans arrived to re-locate all but five families; the Tschinkels were among those booted out of their homes - but that comes later....  Anyway, what was Masern, Gottschee, Krain, Austria is now Grčarice, Ribnica, Slovenia - and the records for the inhabitants are now found in the Arhiv Republike Slovenije, Ljubljana.
   Primus was born in 1874 to Georg Tschunkel and his wife Margaretha Krauland.  I found that out from his New York Death Certificate from 1945.  I couldn't find anything about Georg, other than he married Margaretha - but someone else has done the family tree of the Krauland family in Gottschee, Krain, Austria going back into the 1660s....  I thank whoever did this research most sincerely.  And I also found a book, which will be my birthday present in June, titled The Bells Ring No More, written by Professor John Tschinkel.  He was born in Masern, Austria in 1931 in house number 15; and his grandfather was Georg, the older brother of Primus Tschinkel, who were both also born in house number 15.  I am trying to contact Professor Tschinkel, who was kicked out of his home via a "re-location" effort by the German Army in 1941 - they ended up as refugees in war-torn Europe, and John made it to New York City.  He lived there, got his college degree there, worked there; and retired to Vero Beach, Florida....
   I need to do more research on Tim's mother, Lydia L. Schirmer.  Her obituary stated she was born and raised in Greenville, New York.  But I discovered she was born in Berlin, Germany, and she and her family arrived at Ellis Island in 1924, when Lydia was 6 months old.  Even more surprising was that her parents had originally come from Germany and settled in Killam, Alberta, Canada, where they had three children, before going to Portland, Oregon, where their fourth child was born.  They then traveled back to New York in 1921, making the trip across the continent in Canada, and crossing back into the US in Vermont, before taking a ship back to Germany.  Lydia, as I said, was born in Berlin, and they returned to the United States in May of 1924, settling as a farm family in Greenville, New York.
   I will be doing more "digging" into Lydia's parents, as well as trying to bet a coherent family tree of the Tschinkels following Georg, husband of Margaretha Krauland...  I do love a good mystery!

A postcard of Masern, Gottschee, Krain, Austria

from between 1928 and 1940

And the only other photos I could find labeled

Grčarice, Ribnica, Slovenia

A New Foal - And Other Foals

First, foal 49 has joined us - Kachina and Hoppy have produced what looks to be a buckskin baby.  Seen from a distance, and not seen clearly, so sex is definitely unknown.  Baby spotted this morning, 30 May...

Foal 48 is a filly, the daughter of A Splash of Freckles and Legacy:

And, today's "bonus" is a series of photos of two foals sired by Wild, playing together...  They are both bay pintos. -  The colt (# 9) is a darker base color, out of Summer's Gentle Sea Breeze, and was born on 20 April.  The filly (#13) is lighter in color and has a splash of white on her neck; she is out of Tuleta Star, and was born on 27 April.  -  She's leading in the first photo; he's leading in the second...

** All photos shared today were taken by, and are the property of

DSC Photography **

Foals 47 and 48 Have Arrived - Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Foals numbered 47 and 48 arrived over the holiday weekend in the herds belonging to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  Originally, the two had the others' number, but it was discovered that Gracey's baby was on the ground Sunday afternoon in a set of photos Nicole Menta took of Prince's band.  So, no sex determination as yet, but Gracey produced foal 47 on Sunday, May 26, and A Splash of Freckles produced foal 48 on Memorial Day, May 27 - both in the northern compartment of CNWR.  Photos were taken by, and are the property of, DSC Photography.

Foal # 47 -  a buckskin out  of Gracey, sired by Prince of Tides

Foal # 48 -  a bay pinto out of A Splash of Freckles, sired by Legacy

Obituary for Maureen Beebe of Chincoteague

Maureen Beebe Hursh

December 12, 1937 - May 25, 2019

Maureen Beebe Hursh, 81, of Chincoteague Island, VA passed away on May 25, 2019 at home surrounded by her loving family and friends.

She was born on Chincoteague Island, VA on December 12, 1937 to the late Harold and Virginia Lee (Shores) Beebe.

Maureen is survived by her two daughters, Zebie Zay Hursh of Chincoteague Island, VA, Reenie Rae Hursh of Vieques, PR.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Paul Beebe, father, Harold Beebe, mother, Virginia Lee Shores, and husband, Gary Louis Hursh.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2019 from 6 pm to 9 pm at Salyer Funeral Home, Inc. on Chincoteague Island, VA.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Maureen Beebe Hursh Scholarship Fund c/o PNC Bank 6402 Maddox Blvd. Chincoteague Island, VA 23336. Services entrusted to Salyer Funeral Home, Inc. on Chincoteague Island, VA. Condolences may be made online at www.salyerfh.com.

SERVICES

Visitation

Thursday, May 30, 2019
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Salyer Funeral Home, Inc. 
6327 Church Street 
Chincoteague, Virginia 23336

Memorial Day 2019

Memorial Day is a day to honor those men and women who have given their lives in service to this great country, the United States of America.  It's not supposed to be about celebrating with family and friends, or about races and picnics and barbeques or eating contests.  It was created to honor and remember the people who died in the service of our country.
   It was originally called Decoration Day because family members went to graveyards and cemeteries and decorated the graves of those who died in wars and military engagements with flowers.  Yes, families would gather together in remembrance of those who gave their lives for a cause - our country - and, might, after prayers, have a potluck style supper among the graves.  It was a reminder of life and death, and service to one's country.
  Most people today confuse Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.  Veteran's Day is a celebration of anyone who has served our nation in any uniform of our Armed Services.  Memorial Day is for the memories of those who died in the service of our country.  Originally, Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30, no matter which day of the week it fell upon.  In 1968, Congress decided we had too many "odd day" holidays and wanted to create more three day weekends, like the Banking Holidays in Europe, so it was decided that Memorial Day would be celebrated on the last Monday of each May.  Since 1971, that has been the law.  After the Battle of Ypres in World War I, the poem "In Flanders Field" was published and many people today still utilize the symbol of the red poppy as a remembrance of Memorial Day.
  Many members of my far-flung family have served in many wars and conflicts around the world in the past 500 years.  A lot of them have died on foreign soil, beneath the waves, and here in the United States.  The most recent loss in war that I know of was my cousin Emery Lee Nocks, who was born in Dearborn County, Indiana on 22 February 1922, and died 17 August 1942 when the submarine he was serving in was torpedoed and sunk with all hands aboard.

Emery Lee Nocks   1922-1942

The United States of America has lost large swathes of young men and women in war.  Hopefully, we will soon be able to seek peaceful agreements with other nations in the future.  (But the psychology of humankind is such that I fear it might be a hope without an accomplishment.)
 

Please remember and celebrate the lives of those fine men and women

who have given their lives for our country today.

Two More Chincoteague Pony Foals

On Saturday afternoon, Randy was spotted with a new black pinto foal, which is foal number 45.  The sire is Surfer's Riptide; sex is yet unknown:

This morning, Milly Sue, a two-year-old filly, out of Leah's Bayside Angel and sired by Riptide, had a bay pinto colt at her side.  (This is foal number 46.)  The probable sire is the Dons Leonard Stud II, but the sire could also be Beach Boy (Saltwater Renegade), CLG ToMorrow's Tidewater Twist, or Henry's Hidalgo...

*** All four photos posted today are the property of DSC Photography ***

Maureen Beebe, of "Misty of Chincoteague" Fame, Has Died

My cousin Maureen Beebe has passed away.  Maureen was a very private person and might be upset that I am posting this, but I felt the world should know a little bit about the real Maureen Beebe; not the fictional character that Marguerite Henry wrote of in her Newbery Award winning children's book, Misty of Chincoteague.
   Marguerite Henry had been told of Chincoteague and the wild pony round-up known as Pony Penning, and she talked her editors into a book deal about the wild ponies.  Mrs Henry stayed at Miss Molly's Inn while visiting the island in 1946, and she interviewed a lot of islanders, asking about the history of the ponies, and the history of Pony Penning itself.  One of the people she was told would be a fount of information was Clarence Beebe, who had his own Chincoteague pony farm on the southeast end of the island.
   Clarence Beebe was both a waterman and a farmer (or rancher) on the island.  He raised ponies, which he sold, pigs, chickens, and the occasional cow with calf.  He also worked as a waterman, harvesting fish, crabs, clams, and oysters, all to feed his family of eleven children.  He had married Ida Whealton in 1906 and the family grew quickly.  His sixth child was Harold Beebe, the father of Paul and Maureen.  Paul was born on 1936 and Maureen in 1937.  Due to family difficulties, Paul and Maureen ended up being raised by their grandparents, Clarence and Ida.  (Clarence and Ida's daughter Alma was born 5 January 1921; my Mother, Alma's first cousin once removed, was born on 28 January 1921.  The two were life-long friends, and Alma gave me a lot of Beebe family heirlooms before her death.)
  Marguerite visited the Beebe Ranch on 1 August 1946, and saw the new foal that had been born the day before - on Pony Penning Day.  The mother of the foal was named The Phantom because she blended into the shadows of the pine trees when she was born - she was a black and white pinto mare from Assateague.  The sire was one of Clarence Beebe's Chincoteague Pony stallions, named The Pied Piper.  Mrs Henry fell in love with the foal, who was golden and white and "looked like it had been wrapped in mist and fog."  That's how Misty came about.  Mrs Henry purchased the foal from Beebe Ranch and the foal was shipped to Fort Wayne, Indiana when Misty was weaned.
  In the meantime, Mrs Henry was charmed by Paul and Maureen, independent youngsters being raised by their grandparents, who worked very hard on the ranch, and really loved the ponies they worked with.  And so, her idea for the story was born.  Each of the four Beebes - (Grandpa) Clarence, (Grandma) Ida, Paul, and Maureen - were paid $100 apiece for the use of their names in the book Misty of Chincoteague.  I don't know what Clarence and Ida did with their payment; but the $100 was put into savings accounts for both Paul and Maureen, for their use once they each reached the age of 20. (Paul died after an automobile accident at the age of 21; he had just finished a hitch in the US Marine Corps, and had signed on for a 4-year stint with the US Coast Guard.)
   That is the only money that Paul and Maureen ever received for the use of their names in the book and in the movie, Misty, which was released in 1961.  A lot of people believe(d) that the Beebes received royalties from the books and movie. They did not.  Maureen was inundated with fan letters for her entire life, and really hated receiving mail.  She was in contact with Marguerite Henry until Mrs Henry's death in 1997.  She met Pam Smith, who portrayed her in the movie, and stayed in contact with her.
   Maureen married twice.  Her second marriage produced two daughters, of whom she was extremely proud.  She was widowed when both of her girls were young, and she returned quietly to Chincoteague to live the rest of her life, and raise her daughters on the island. She became somewhat of a recluse, and was a very private person.  Once visitors to the island found out who this quiet woman was, she was swamped with personal questions and requests and always for photographs.  She did not want to be a celebrity.  She wanted to stay at home and love her Irish Setters, and her horses and ponies.  She still loved horses and ponies of all kinds until the day she died.  She could take a five minute trial ride on any horse and know exactly what that horse or pony was capable of, and how it had been trained.  She was one of the most incredible horsewomen I have ever known.
   Maureen's health had declined over the past three years.  She was always a little more frail each time I saw her.  She passed away a few days ago.  All of her family and friends are grieving.

***  Visitation will be held at Salyer's Funeral Home on Church Street on Chincoteague on Thursday, May 30, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.  ***

Maureen Beebe jumping The Phantom

Maureen & Paul Beebe

Maureen Beebe at AJ's On the Creek during

Pony Penning a few years ago...

Foal Count Up to Forty-four!

As of this morning, the foal count on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge was up to forty-four!  Captain Dan Davis says he has to get crackin', because Darcy and Steve Cole have spotted nine more new foals than he has so far this season...   In any event, here are the latest foals, and a few up-dated photos of some of the older ones:

Foal 42 is a filly for Alice's Sandcastle and Maverick

Foal 43  is a chestnut colt for Surfer Dude's Gidget and Puzzle

Foal 44 is a chestnut out of Misty Mills and sired by Puzzle

And this is a closer look at foal 23 - a foal out of Gingersnap, by Prince -

the lighting isn't great; still not sure if it's a solid palomino, 

or a minimally marked pinto...

***  All photos shown today are the property of DSC Photography  ***

Photos Taken Around Torhamn Parish in Blekinge County, Sweden

These are assorted photos of Torhamn Parish, where my grandfather grew up.  After immigrating to America at the age of 17, he settled on the island of Chincoteague at the age of 23.  If you are familiar with Chincoteague and/or Assateague Island, you will see why he felt at home here, where he continued working as a waterman and net-mender for the rest of his life.

Sandhamn

Svanhalla

Torhamn Lutheran Church

Torhamn Marina

Near Torhamn

County road to Karlskrona

Utklippen Lighthouse built 1870

Moon over Torhamn

Latest Chincoteague Pony Foal Photos...

The latest mare to foal delivered baby 42 to the Chincoteague Pony herd that belongs to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  A new foal was spotted with Alice's Sandcastle, who has been in Maverick's herd for two years.  The mare is a sooty buckskin, like Poco Latte, and it is difficult to determine what the foals' color will be once it sheds its' baby fur. (It could be a sooty buckskin like Mom, a bay, or black.)   So far, only one photo from a distance, taken by DSC Photography:

  And, thanks to DSC Photography, we have some great photos of  foal # 41, a perlino pinto with two blue eyes.  This baby boy was sired by Legacy, and is out of the buckskin mare Zustan - her first foal.

    This little filly  looks to make an excellent riding horse/pony.  She is foal 11, a chestnut pinto chunk, out of Dreamer's Gift, and sired by either Ajax or Puzzle.   Photos by DSC Photography.

  There were only four photos of foal 23, a foal out of Gingersnap (Surfer's Shining Star)  and Prince, all taken at a great distance.  This is the closest one yet, even though all one sees is a golden hump asleep in the grass beside her Mom - both at the left of the photo.  Taken by Gina Aguilera and posted on her Chincoteague Pony Names: Smartphone App Facebook page:

** I had, a few days ago, posted two photos of what I thought was foal 23, in the woods with her dam.  They are not foal 23, but foal 19 with her dam, Surfer Princess.  I will correct that post as soon as I am finished with this one.  **

  Foal 34, a chestnut filly, out of Kimmee Sue, and sired by Ken.  DSC Photography.

And foal 36, a palomino pinto out of Lorna Dune and sired by Prince.  This photo is by Gina Aguilera, and is from her Chincoteague Pony Names: Smartphone App site:

More Swedish Genealogy

After posting about using the Swedish Digital Archive to read old church records, I decided to use some of the Swedish genealogy on-line sites to find information regarding my second-great-grandmother, Kerstin Andersdotter.  I had her birth and death dates, so I felt I had an advantage.  She was born on 10 November 1836, the question was where; and died on 10 May 1905, in Torhamn Parish.  After several false leads, I found her.
  She was born in the hamlet/village/populated place named Konungshamn (King's Harbor) in Torhamn Parish, Blekinge, Sweden.  Her father was a registered Boats Man, who served the hamlet of Konungshamn.  He was Anders Eriksson Warning Ifrig, who was born 22 October 1812 and died 31 January 1897.  He entered the Naval service on 14 March 1834, and served in companies 28 and 31.  Before 1845, her worked with the BBG 2nd Boatman Company, number 98; and after 1945 with the BBN 1st Boatman Company, number 98.  He was retired by the Navy on 28 June 1871 due to his age (59), and had served for 37 years.  Anders married in Torhamn Parish on 16 May 1834, to Lena Jonasdotter.  Lena was born in Lindon, Vissefjarden Parish, Kalmar County, Sweden on 13 April 1804; she and her younger sister Stina moved to Torhamn Parish in 1817. Kerstin was the second (and eldest surviving) child of six siblings. Her parents died in Konungshamn, with her mother passing 5 years before her father.
   I have only been able to find that Lena Jonasdotter was the child of Jonas Hakansson, born in 1769, and Kjierstin Jonasdotter, born in 1768. Lena was the fifth born of seven children.  In 1818, she and her younger sister Stina, were living with a farmer named Anders Trulsson and his wife Elin in Torhamn Parish.
   Anders, Kerstin's father, was the son of Erik Andersson Walberg Ifrig, who was born on 25 June 1785 in Ramdala Parish in Blekinge County.  He, too, was a Boats Man for Konungshamn, and served from 2 January 1810 through 1821.  He passed away in Konungshamn.  He married Karin Larsdotter, who was born on 2 April 1779 in Bjorkenas, Torhamn Parish; she, too, died in Konungshamn in 1836.  They had three children.
   Erik's father, Anders Eticksson Ry, was born in 1746 in Ramdala Parish in Blekinge; he, too, was a Boats Man for Konungshamn in Torhamn Parish.  On 18 October 1767 he married Ingri Zakrisdotter in Ramdala Parish.  Ingri was born on 9 June 1746 in Ramdala. They had seven children together.  After retiring, Anders and Ingri moved to Tornby in Ramdal Parish, and both passed away there.
    Karin Larsdotter, who married Erik Ifrig, was the daughter of another Boats Man, Lars Jonasson Birman Bjorkelund, who served the town of Bjorkenas in Torhamn Parish.  Lars was born in 1734 and passed away on 17 August 1811 in Ronneby Parish in Blekinge County.  On 2 April 1776 he married Maria Svensdotter in Torhamn Parish.  Maria was born in 1747 and passed away in 1829. Lars and Maria were the parents of four children....
   I have a couple more generations of information going further back in time, but I won't bother you with it.

   Still seeking more information, but I promise not to bore you like this again....

I  do want to say that the website https://www.familysearch.org  is a wonderful tool.  It is run by the Church of Latter Day Saints, but they do not use your access to their website for religious or conversion purposes.  They have tons of records from around the world that are available at no charge (free!) for any person's use.  You can build your own family tree on the website at no cost or charge.  You can attach any and all records found for a specific person to that person (I have my grandfather's World War I and II Draft Registrations, which include his signatures, to his record).  If you enter information concerning a living person - me for instance - then whoever enters that information is the only person who can see or view that information.  Only I can look at the information I have entered regarding myself, my sister, and the living members of our family. 
  I just wanted you to know, if you're interested in building your own family tree, I highly recommend the Family Search.org website....

Forty-One Foals So Far on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

The latest foal was spotted about noon today, on 21 May.  Kathleen Cahall, who saw and has taken the only photos so far of Lorna Dune's palomino pinto baby, saw a palomino pinto foal with Zustan, a young buckskin mare in Legacy's herd.  No photos of this foal, number 41, at the moment... 
   Late Sunday afternoon, through a heavy fog, a - possibly - chestnut (?) foal was spotted with Kimball's Rainbow Delight; the sire would be Prince.  This is the photo from that sighting and report:

  Little miss (Judy's Little) Smooch has been at the Carnival Grounds, keeping company with Bailey's Star (a donated mare), since the Spring Round-up in mid-April.  Neither the cowboys, the Pony Committee, not the veterinarians, were happy with Smooch's condition.  Her fur was dull, she was underweight, and she was definitely pregnant.  So she's been getting extra tender loving care, as well as grain, hay and supplements since that time. Early yesterday morning, when the CVFC person arrived to feed her and Star, they found a palomino pinto filly, whose sire is Legacy beside her....  These are the early photos of the little girl, less than 3 hours old:

   Suede and Maverick produced a bay colt yesterday, too.  Suede is a palomino, and Maverick is a bay pinto...  

   Again, Zustan foaled today, but there are currently no photos available... her foal makes 4 palomino pintos sired by Legacy, and 2 sired by Legacy's half-brother, Prince.

    Still no close photos of, and/or color confirmation, and/or sexes of Gingersnap and Prince's foal, Little Miss Sunshine's foal, or Rainbow Delight's foal.  We know Lorna Dune's foal is a palomino pinto, but not the sex of that baby, nor of the new Zustan foal....

    **** All photos used today were taken by, and belong to, DSC Photography ****