Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Ellen "Nellie" (Blake) McMahon & Mary "Mayme" (Blake) Dundas

ellen nellie blake mcmahon mary ann dundas elizabeth billie gotsche mary ann lavin ellen mcnamara ashland wisconsin
Ellen Elizabeth "Nellie" (Blake) McMahon (1878-1957) and Mary Ann "Mayme" (Blake) Dundas (1881-1969). Nellie and Mayme were sisters of my great-grandmother Elizabeth B. "Billie" (Blake) Gotsche, which means they were my grandmother's aunts and my great great aunts. Nellie and Mayme lived most of their lives in Ashland, Ashland County, Wisconsin. Mary and Ellen are both common names in my family. Nellie, Mayme, and Billie's mother was Mary Ann (Lavin) Blake, and their father's sister was Ellen (Blake) McNamara.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Henry "Hank" Daft

Henry William Hank Daft Oconto Falls Wisconsin
My grandfather Henry William "Hank" Daft (1918-2007) at his confirmation in Oconto Falls, Oconto County, Wisconsin.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Tombstone Tuesday - Diane (Thielen) Peterson

Diane Thielen Peterson Pet Valhalla Cemetery Franksville Wisconsin


Today's tombstone is one I just found yesterday, and it has an unusual story. The tombstone in question belongs to my grandfather's first cousin Diane Marie (Thielen) Peterson. Diane was born April 15, 1941 in Wisconsin and died May 3, 1999 in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. She was the daughter of Charles Patrick "Chuck" Thielen and Tafelia Marcella "Marcie" (Norman) Thielen, and was married to Richard Louis Peterson Sr..

I think the best way to tell the story of how I found this tombstone is to explain it in the order it happened to me. Yesterday, my mom and I stopped at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Caledonia, Racine County, Wisconsin to ask about the graves of some relatives, including Diane. The worker at the cemetery office told me Diane had been cremated and buried there with her parents, but her remains had later been moved - to a pet cemetery! That was probably about the most unexpected thing I could have heard him say.

After we documented some other graves, my mother and I headed to the pet cemetery. After some exploration and mixups, we met up with my aunt and grandma, because my grandparents' dog Ginger is buried at this same cemetery. We found Diane buried with her five dogs, only a couple rows away from Ginger, actually. As far as we could tell, Diane is the only human buried in this cemetery.

All of us were very surprised that people are allowed to be buried in pet cemeteries. As my grandma said, "You learn something new every day."

Diane is buried at the Pet Valhalla Cemetery in Franksville, Racine County, Wisconsin along with her dogs Greta, Maude, Haylee, Alice, and Molly.
Diane Thielen Peterson Pet Valhalla Cemetery Franksville Wisconsin
Diane and her dogs.

Diane's Find A Grave memorial is #108795552.