Saturday Night Genealogy Fun :: Eli Yarian

Randy Seaver's challenge for this Saturday night is to pick an ancestor or relative with a military record and a gravestone then write about them.



I've chosen Eli Yarian, my 2nd great-grandfather, primarily because I haven't written about him previously!



Eli and his brother Benjamin enlisted in Battery D, 1st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery on January 28, 1862 and were mustered out on July 15, 1865. Their brother David enlisted with Battery A, 1st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery on August 11, 1862 and was discharged with the regiment in 1865.



Another brother, Jonathan, served with Company A of the 35th Regiment Indiana Infantry in which he enlisted in September 1864 while living in Noble County, Indiana. He and his wife, Jane Hook, had moved there in the summer of 1860. Jonathan joined General Thomas' command in Tennessee, and was with his regiment during the concluding campaign in the western part of the Mississippi Valley. He fought at Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville. On December 16, 1864, during the second days battle at Nashville, Jonathan was severely wounded and taken to Cumberland Hospital, where his left leg was amputated. He was honorably discharged on May 26, 1865 and returned home to Noble County, eventually moving to Nappanee, Elkhart County, Indiana.



Some of the battles that Eli and Benjamin participated in were:

Munfordville, Kentucky... September 14-16, 1862

Lavergne, Tennessee... December 26, 1862

Siege of Knoxville... November 17 to December 4, 1863

Kingston, Georgia... May 24, 1864

Siege of Atlanta... July 28 to September 2, 1864

Franklin, Tennessee... November 20, 1864

Nashville, Tennessee... December 15-16, 1864

Eli was wounded at the Battle of Nashville, but not seriously. He was transferred to the Eastern Army at Fort Fisher and then to Cleveland where he was discharged in July 1865. In the spring of 1866, Eli and Benjamin moved to Elkhart County, Indiana and made their homes in Locke Township. In the fall of 1866 they both got married. Eli on the 22nd of September to Lovina Berlin and Ben married Eliza Coppes on the 25th of December. Lovina's family had lived in Portage County, Ohio and moved to Elkhart County in 1864 so it is likely that Eli and Lovina knew each other prior to coming to Elkhart County. Purely conjecture on my part, but it's possible that the reason Eli came to Elkhart County after the war was because Lovina was there! Maybe, maybe not.



I'm very fortunate to have a photograph of Eli, which was sent to me in May .. by Kathy Foster who is distantly related to William Walker, the husband of Eli's sister Susanna. I wrote about that “Happy Dance” moment in February ...





Eli's life came to a tragic end at about noon on Monday January 28, 1895 as he was assisting a neighbor in cutting down a tree. It fell in the opposite direction than was expected, striking him in the head. Death was instantaneous.





Eli is buried alongside his wife Lovina and two young daughters in South Union Cemetery, Locke Township, Elkhart County, Indiana. Note that his inscription has the year 1894. His obituary was published in the Nappanee News on January 30, 1895 and his estate entered probate on March 1, 1895. This photo was taken on July 12, ... I've visited the site several times since then, the last time being in the spring of ...



The inscription on the gravemarker reads:YarianLovina 1845 – 1932Eli 1839 – 1894

The inscription on the footstone reads:ELI YARIANCO. D.1ST OHIO L.A.

Eli and Lovina were the parents of seven children:

1. Estella E. Yarian (29 Oct 1867 – 07 Feb 1935) married Theodore B. Irvine and had two children: Harry and Frederick.


2. Willis Oscar Yarian (18 May 1870 – 07 Dec 1948) married Grace Melvin and had two children, Harold and Grace Maxine.


3. Susie Lula Yarian (05 Jan 1872 – 29 Apr 1956) married Henry Phend and had 10 children. See Phend Family Index to Posts. Susie and Henry are my great-grandparents.


4. Edith M. Yarian (19 Feb 1875 - 01 Mar 1875)


5. Lydia Blanche Yarian (17 Sep 1878 – 03 Jul 1889)


6. Mary Winifred Yarian (26 Dec 1881 – 22 Mar 1945) married Earl Glen Rosbrugh, had three children: Pauline, Mildred and Glenwood.


7. James Arthur Yarian (31 May 1884 – 12 Feb 1930)

Sunrise over Hollow Rock Bay

This morning's sunrise certainly wasn't "knock your socks off" beautiful, but it was still pretty. Generally I like to have some nice clouds to accent the sunrise, but a lot of times that doesn't happen. One thing that really stood out about this morning was how calm everything was. The lake was very flat, just a barely perceptible surge that was moving in and out of the bay. The trees were absolutely still, not a lick of wind to stir their branches. The sound of the ice crunching underfoot was almost deafening in this silent air. The morning started off chilly with a temp just below 20 degrees, but not long after the sun came up the temp rose to above 30 and with no wind and that radiant heat, it felt quite warm!

Forest Foxglove

Forest Foxglove, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Colorful foxgloves along the Stream Trail in Redwood Regional Park near Moraga, California. It's unusual to see things blooming in the hills this late in the year, but the redwood environment traps moisture...and the foxgloves are the result.

Flying Tigers Babeball Game

We planned to do baseball games as part of our entertainment this summer. Because I have been tied up with other things, that has not happened until this week. I hope we find our way there more often than we've managed so far because it was a lot of fun.







The stadium we visited is the same one that the Detroit Tigers do their spring training at. Which means the Michiganders visit this place. Which means I get to talk to people who have the same "accent" as I do. And I meet people like the guy who was on the school board of the high school I attended.





I also like hanging out with people that like baseball. Not that I'm a huge fan of baseball myself, but I like people that can still be entertained by things like baseball. And I like to see the talented players. Even if I kept asking Nathan if this particular group was 12-16 years old or was I just getting old(er). Seriously they all looked like babies to me. As in same age as "my" baby who is 17.



It was a pretty uneventful game until the end, and then the Flying Tigers made us proud.



This was my favorite moment of the night, when a three year old ran the bases in a race against the mascots:



Living the life in not so sunny right now Florida!

Velophilia and Its Symptoms (and Announcing Dress Guards Recipient!)

Several days ago I offered togive away a set of dress guards, and the rule was for bicycles (not their owners) to post comments about why they would like them. I expected a dozen or so comments from bicycles, but receivedclose to 40... which made me realise that I am by far not the only one to anthropomorphise my bicycles to a point that borders on delusion. And the good news, is that when 40 people share the same delusion, that's called sanity!



[image via Laura B.]

Without further ado, I now announce whom my bicycle Linda has chosen as the recipient of the dress guards: a 1950's step-through Dutch bike named Fanny (pictured above). Here is Fanny's comment:

I'm a Dutch lady, from the mysterious Fanal family, born in the 1950s. I have naked holes running along both sides of my back fender. After reading your post about dress guards, I realized how un-lady-like it has been to leave these dress guard anchors exposed.

I have recently been working on my appearance--rust removal, new pedals, touch-up painting, pin-striping with a gold paint pen, re-shellacking my grips, etc. It would be so nice to show up at the farmer's market this weekend with a lovely dress guard. The lilac branches in my photo (link below) might have appreciated the guard, too.

Love,

Fanny, the Fanal

A vintage Dutch bicycle who lives in exile in the US, loves lilacs and has gaping holes in her fender? Linda dabbed at her eyes with an embroidered hanky as she read Fanny's story, and would like her to have the dress guards. If Fanny's human companion Laura B. could please send me her mailing address, the dress guards shall be on their way to her shortly! And thank you everybody for all the bicycle comments on that post; they were hilarious and a lot of fun to read!



Speaking of acute symptoms of Velophilia, I knitted this skirt while convalescing from my hopefully-not-pneumonia. The design is bicycle friendly:It looks like a narrow pencil skirt from the front, but the pointed end in the back allows it to open up while pedaling. I think cycling exclusively on a road bike for the past several weeks has made me crazed with desire to ride an upright bicycle in a skirt again.



And once the skirt was completed, I also realised that my choice of yarn looked a little familiar...



Ah yes, my mixte!My Velophilia is at its most acute when something prevents me from cycling as much as I'd like. Everything I do ends up being about bicycles.I look forward to returning to Boston later this weekend, hopefully entirely recovered.

Wiley in the Trash

Our kitten Wiley decided to play in a little trash can the other day. He looked so cute I had to take his picture.

Ruby Beach

What I didn't know when my guide insisted we leave Hurricane Ridge was that we had one more major stop to make. It was at Ruby Beach. It was a couple of hours before we got there and it was late afternoon, and again it was high tide when we arrived at the beech. And this beech was even more fasinating than Kalaloch had been. There were sea stacks here. Sea stacks are the big rocks that stick up out of the ocean. A lot of them even have a small eco system right on top, with plants, and trees growing on them and birds nesting on them. It was cool at Ruby Beech and looked like a storm was brewing far out to sea. No blue skys now. This little inlet was just made for taking photos of, but it looked like it would be far underwater as the tide came in.

Middle Falls Moonlight

WOW... it sure was cool watching the half moon over Middle Falls of the Pigeon River last night as the last of the daylight faded from the sky. Walking back to the car in the dark was fun, too. When you've got moonlight and a headlamp to guide your way, being in the woods at night is a magical experience.

Taking the Lane with Elly Blue

Following the online presence of Portland-based bike activist Elly Blueover the past year, her perspective seemed so different from mine that it was as if she wrote from another planet. Critical Mass, relentless activism, political organising, and the accompanying stylistic elements - It's not my world and it's not my way of thinking. But when faced with swathes of difference, it often happens that the littlest suggestions of a common thread begin to stand out and attain significance. For me, the first of these was Elly's post My So-Called Out of Control Life- a non-bike-related essay thatexpressed my own unease with the hyper-confessional style of writing so popular with females of our generation. It was odd to read my own thoughts echoed in this piece, and to recognise our shared cultural references.



Shortly thereafter another common thread emerged: We both decided to quit facebook, independently and at around the same time. But what's more, is that right before I quit I noticed with amazement that Elly Blue appeared to be a "friend" of one of my real-world friends. How could they know each other? My very good friend L. has nothing to do with cycling, activism, or Portland. She does not read bicycle blogs (and, like most of my friends, has no idea that Lovely Bicycle exists). So how were they connected? I didn't feel comfortable asking at the time, but found myself paying closer attention to Elly Blue as a result of this discovery. When she announced the publication of Taking the Lane Volume 5: "Our Bodies Our Bikes," I bought one with intent to review it. She then included a couple of other volumes, so that I could get a better feel for the zine as a whole. I will be distributing those locally once I am done with them.



"A zine is like a small book or a large pamphlet, but with extra magic," explains the editor. And that it is. The compact format and eye-catching cover design make each zine inviting, pick-up-and-readable. My first thought: Is this a subversive tactic? Are these zines essentially vehicles for political agitation, which the attractive exterior and diminutive size are meant to ease the unseasoned reader into? But the Taking the Lane zines (a quarterly publication "about women and bicycling") are not quite that.



If I had to choose two words to describe my impression of the Taking the Lane zine, they would be "feminine" and "folkloric." Feminine because the various pieces of writing come across very strongly as being writtenby female authors andfor a female audience. And folkloric, because the tone of each piece is narrative and subjective. The authors do not attempt to speak for everyone, and they do not attempt to convince; they simply share their own experiences and thoughts - in a manner that is almost alarmingly unguarded in an era of self-conscious and self-defensive blog writing we are all growing increasingly used to. It is essentially lots of stories, told in lots of individual voices. In each zine, a theme emerges - and this emergence is organic, not forced. Reading a zine is like seeing the pattern reveal itself in a woven tapestry or piece of knitting, which comes back to the "feminine" feeling again. While I realise that associating femininity with folklore and traditional craft is loaded, nonetheless it is what went through my mind when reading thezines - I had the sense that I was listening to stories told in a knitting circle of contemporary-minded women.



"Our Bodies Our Bikes" (volume 5) contains snippets of personal experience as diverse as surviving cancer, worrying about body image, and having orgasms while cycling downhill. "Unsung Heros" (volume 3) contains some of the most compelling and disarming descriptions of bicycle activism I have ever read, precisely because it focuses on human experiences and not on the activism itself. "Sexy on the Inside" (volume 4) is an entire issue dedicated to the analysis of the bicycle dance troupe the Sprockettes that goes off on interesting tangents about the history of punk culture and various types of feminism. To explain the content of the zines in any more detail than this seems impossible, because by its very nature the content is resistant to summary. When there is no one succinct point, the writing is unskimmable, and the reader ends up reading everything. The message in Taking the Lane sinks in slowly and stays with you - even if you're not sure what that message is.



Whether these descriptions are making the zine seem good or bad, interesting or dull, I am not sure. It is a unique publication and reactions to it are bound to differ. Most if not all of the contributing writers seem to be from Portland, OR and the surrounding areas, which gives the zine a local feel, and as an East-coast resident I find myself not always sure that I "belong" in the audience. If this is something the editor wishes to change, she could invite writers from other regions to contribute. Based on the subject matter covered and on the glimpses we see of the writers' background, there is also a distinct sense of cycling being portrayed as a fringe subculture, which some readers may find difficult to relate to. As someone who feels passionate about cycling and bicycles, but whose style of dress, social life, and political views do not revolve around cycling, I sense that I am different from the zine's writers and intended audience. If this is not intentional, then perhaps some diversity on that end could be introduced into future issues as well. [Edited to add: East-coasters and non-cycling-subbaculturalists are welcome to email submission inquiries to "elly[at]takingthelane[dot]com"]



Publishing content in the form of a zine in itself signals that the content is of an "alternative" nature, and there are so many ways to play with that idea - which Elly very much does. How she develops the zine in the future depends mainly on what type, and how large of an audience she seeks.



As I read through the volumes of the Taking the Lane, the final question for me was whether these publications "needed" to exist in printed format. Can the same not be said online, in a blog? What would compel the reader to pay $3 per pamphlet when there is so much free content around covering many of the same topics? In the end my impression is that this writing would not in fact exist in an online format, simply because the internet discourages it. Whereas print was once a means to disseminate information as widely as possible, it can now function as a means of limiting our audience. In that context, the writers feel safe to express themselves in a manner they perhaps would not in a blog post, and the reader benefits from thoughtful, unself-conscious writing offering new perspectives on cycling, women and activism.



When I read Elly Blue's blog and twitter feed I disagree with her as often as I agree, but I am also fascinated with the way she expresses herself. Who knows, maybe one day we will meet and will either get along or not. Until then, I enjoy her writing online and in print.

Oliebollen Gebakkraam

It’s past 10PM in the Netherlands and in less than 2 hours it will be !

This afternoon I went to the centre of Utrecht to buy oliebollen for the new year’s celebration and this is what greeted me when I stepped out of Hoog Catharijne: an Oliebollen Gebakkraam with quite a long queue of customers.


In the Netherlands, oliebollen (oliebol - singular, fried doughnut balls with raisins and apple bits, usually sprinkled with powdered sugar on top) is the symbol for New Years. New Years Eve and New Years Day are not complete without oliebollen.

I bought 2 packs of oliebollen and a bottle of Prosecco (boycotting champagne this new year for a change). Hmm, I think its time to warm up the oliebollen...

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!

Oliebollen and Appelbeignet, taken at work last week.

Pioneer Park Days in Zolfo Springs, FL

Every year since we have been wintering at Peace River TT's, we have heard people talk about Pioneer Park Days at the park across the street. And every year we have somehow missed getting over there to check it out. So we made sure to do it this year.





So what is this event, that has been happening here for 43 years? Well, it is part flea market and part celebration of pioneer living. There are many demonstrations that show how the pioneers lived such as dutch oven cooking, basket weaving and other 1800's activities. Then there are rows and rows of stuff. Stuff to browse and stuff to buy.



Then there are tractors, tractors and more tractors. Real ones and toy ones. Over 400 exhibits of them.



Lots of cool cars.



Lots of hit and miss steam engines which I find fascinating.



Really cool RV's.



Opinions.



Yummy food.



And fun!





We had a great time here and now we know that it is something we will be sure to want to visit each time we are here!

Death Valley :: Wiley Coyote

On the day that I drove down Badwater Road to the Devil's Golf Course and Badwater, I continued a bit further on for another 20 miles or so. I saw something crossing the road in the distance. Slowing down as I got closer, I saw that it was a coyote. It stood along the side of the road as I pulled over and stopped, trying to get the passenger side window down and grabbing my camera at the same time.

It was very close, within two or three feet of the side of the car. I took several quick shots thinking it would soon continue on its way. However, it just stood there watching me and I watched it. Realizing that I had a little more time, I zoomed in a bit to get a few closeup shots. It was incredible.

Five minutes went by and the coyote was still there. It was a little unnerving to look it in the eye. I'm guessing that at some time it had been fed by someone in a car, otherwise I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't have stuck around so long. It was still standing there as I drove off a few minutes later.

Batavus Old Dutch: Not What I Expected

If you follow the Suburban Bike Mamablog, you may recognise that this is the fabled silver Batavus Old Dutch that has been the subject of some frenzied discussion due to its fabulous sale price. Vee didn't buy the bike because the frame was too large for her, so being in the neighborhood I hurried to see it. The price was so good that I was considering getting it as a winter bike and sparing my main ride from Boston's salt and snow. Heading to see the Batavus, I was pretty much prepared to take it home. But alas, I left empty-handed.



On fist impression the bike looked nice enough (though for some reason the shop fitted it with this strange basket). The bicycle is all silver, including fenders, chaincase and dress-guard.I like silver bikes and the loop-frame looked classic and elegant.



But a closer examination gave me a different perspective.Theframe is partly welded (as opposed to lugged), and the welds are kind of messy. Unicrown fork, too.



Seat tube.



And the "loop" connector. Now, some may be reading this and thinking "So what? Most modern bicycles are welded." True enough. But from a classic Dutch bike that advertises the "old" aspect of Dutch bikes, I would expect a more traditional frame construction.



But while the frame construction was disappointing, the more serious problem were the components. The front brake had almost zero stopping power - and that's riding around the flat parking lot in dry weather. We adjusted the brake and the bike shop even replaced the brake pads, but there was almost no improvement. Perhaps this had something to do with a combination of a low-end caliper brake and steel rims. Steel rims + caliper brakes = poor braking, especially in wet weather. The coaster brake did have decent stopping power, but was not especially strong either. Since I was thinking of getting this as a winter bike, that would rather defeat the purpose. Downhills might also be scary even in the best weather.



The closer I examined the Batavus Old Dutch, the more details I noticed that made it look cheaply made. The cable guides were plastic clip-ons that were starting to come off in places. The pedals and bell felt flimsy and loose. The chaincase was made of a vinyl cloth-like material apparently prone to yellowing and tearing (as it had both yellowed and torn... and this bike was a floor model that had never seen hard use).



I feel bad piling so much criticism onto this poor bike. I wanted to like it and fully expected to take it home. But the bike I saw did not make sense for me to buy, even at the sale price (which I think reflects its value more so than the retail). That said, the Batavus Old Dutch is sturdy and, from a distance, attractive. If bought at a discount, it could work nicely for someone who wants a Dutch bike for short urban trips and isn't bothered by the issues described here.

Rodney, the Distinguished Older Gentleman

Though I was very happy to reclaim the Raleigh Lady's Sports from my parents' house, doing so created a distinct velo disbalance betwen myself and the Co-Habitant. Clearly my Lady needed a Gentleman. Well, with New England being Vintage Bicycle Heaven, it did not take long for the right Gentleman to come along.

Meet Rodney, the Raleigh Roadster! According to the date on the hub, he was produced in 1972.

Rodney is a tall gentleman, with a 24" frame and 28" wheels. The Co-Habitant likes big bikes, and one of the reasons he chose the Roadster over the Sport is the larger frame size and wheels.


Original Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub. Like all Raleigh Roadsters, this one has rod brakes. They look wonderful and are simple to maintain. But rod brakes make me uneasy, because they have close to zero stopping power in the rain.

The original Raleigh grips have been replaced with cork grips, which will soon be shellacked. A Japanese bell was added.

The Brooks B72 saddle had hardened with age, but it has now been treated and laced. The bicycle itself was in great shape. No parts needed to be replaced. Cosmetically Rodney looks excellent. The vintage black saddlebag was included in the purchase. CatEye Opticube LED Bike Light have been added (see front wheel).

The Co-Habitant says that the vintage Raleigh Roadster feels considerably lighter and "sportier" than his Pashley Roadster Sovereign. The Pashley, however, is a more comfortable ride (and can be safely ridden in the rain).

What a gorgeous pair of Roasters he now has, old and new! And the velo-balance in our household has been restored.

Valley of Fires, 3 Rivers Petroglyphs and White Sands National Monument

We decide to stay a couple of days at Valley of Fire National Recreation Areawhich is covered inextinct lava flows

From there we take the tracker to the 3 Rivers Petroglyph Site where there are 20,000 petroglyphs along a 1 mile trail.





It looks on the Map that the road continues on to Ruidoso but apparently not. We end up at a dead end in the forest. Pretty dry here as well - parts of New Mexico have not seen rain since September.

As long as we are this far and our loop has reached a dead end we opt to go the extra 35 miles to White Sands National Monument - Did I mention the White Sands Missile Site - where the first atomic bomb was detonated? It is open twice a year the 1st Saturday in April and October - we missed it - darn!

The Dunes are 275 square miles of pure white gypsum sand.





You can buy sleds in the visitors center for $14.50 but we decided to just hike and maybe play a little too!