Wordless Wednesday: Phoebe Polar

"Phoebe Polar." Digital Image. Undated. Original photograph privately held by

Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski (c) 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Oh You Boys!

Addressed to Mr. Archie Polar, Morley, Wis(consin)

Oh you boys - great on riding wheels. They aren't so bad are they

"Oh You Boys!" Digital imagine of Grace Pearson and Alma Polar. Undated.

Original photograph privately held by Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski (c) 2013

A Year of Creativity #06: Namesake and Heirlooms

Thirty-four years ago we welcomed son Benjamin Earle into the world. Arriving on the Day of Kings it was a frigid, brilliant day in western Wisconsin.  Selecting a name for your child is always serious business (unless your parents name you Unit, Moonbeam or Hashtag). We kept our selection a shared secret - I've always been envious of Al's informing my parents their new grandson, Benjamin Earle, had joined the family. I'm sure it came as a surprise - 

I've written several posts about my uncle Earle Clair Bergeron and the connection I've always felt with him even though he died 11 years before I was born. We could not have chosen a better person to carry Earle's name.

My creative expression today celebrates Ben and Earle ... the blanket was crocheted by Ben's great-great aunt Leona Polar Belott. The hat is one that Earle wore as a baby, it was kept safe by Earle's mother's sister and given to me following the death of my aunt. The baby bracelet was Ben's first piece of jewelry.

P.S. In honor of Ben's birthday I've skipped day 5 of creativity - Ben deserves two days!

"Namesake and Heirlooms." Digital Image. January 6, 2013. Original photograph privately held 

by Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski (c) 2013

Treasure Thursday: Charles Polar's Magnifying Glass

On Monday's post I shared a memory of my grandfather Harley Space at the writing desk which housed my great-grandfather's magnifying glass. While I had planned a different subject all together for today's blog post, it seemed appropriate to share Charles Finley Polar's glass instead.

I'm reminded of how blessed I have been to have had time spent with great-aunt Leona Polar Belott to help fill in the empty spaces of our Polar family history. So much of our family history would have been lost had it not been for Aunt Leona. Losing my grandmother to Alzheimer's long before her death in 1987 would have meant the loss of so many stories had it not been for Aunt Leona. 

During one of our visits, she reminisced about her childhood, sharing their family had "The History of the World," a large set of books that her father read several times over. Aunt Leona mentioned the magnifying glass used by her father and her thought that possibly  it had been in the possession of my grandmother; I was able to confirm that it had been at "the farm" and was now in my possession. She was glad to know that it was one of the things I requested and after that, it took on new meaning.

Up until then my memories of the magnifying glass were associated with my grandparents: my grandfather using it to augment his glasses when reading the newspaper, on occasion my grandmother using it in the reference books she had on hand when working crossword puzzles. I also recall taking it outside to get a closer look at the ants marching on Gram's peony bushes or the inside of the Morning Glories after they had opened.

Now I think about the childhood memories it brought back for my grandmother and what she thought about and felt whenever she picked up the magnifying glass or saw it in the hand of her husband. 

"Charles Polar's Glass." Digital image. Dated: 19 May 2011. Magnifying glass and Bible

privately held by Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski. Image and text copyright (c) 2011

Amanuensis Monday: Letter From Grandpa Harley 1984

Written and mailed on the morning August 15, 1984, this letter is one of several letters received from my maternal grandfather Harley Space.


While it as been almost 24 years since his death, I can picture him sitting at the desk, deep in thought, writing a reply but keeping a watchful eye on my grandmother. By the time this letter was written, my grandmother's memory failure had not quite become the debilitating descent into Alzheimer's that was yet to come, release coming with her death 11 months after this letter was written.


I find it comforting to read Grandpa Harley's letters despite the fact this period of his life was heartbreaking and yet, I have many wonderful memories of time spent "at the farm." I remember when you walked into the dining room from the kitchen, the floor made a cracking sound where the linoleum had a permanent buckle. The windows faced south and in August the sun would have not quite reached the back wall; Grandpa would be anxious to get the letter written and out to the mail box before the arrival of the mail lady.


The desk was situated in the dining area facing the north wall; after all these years, it's only now that I wonder who owned the desk before Gram and Grandpa. There were three drawers down the left-hand side, several of which were difficult to open but always a source of curiosity to granddaughters at any age. Stamps and the "glass" could always we found in the long top "draw." The glass being a magnifying glass that belonged to Grandma's father, Charles Finley Polar. Today "the glass" resides in a "draw" on my desk, one of the many family treasures in my life.


Wed A.M.


Dear Cindy & All!


We got your nice long letter and enjoyed it very much.


We are going to town this P.M. and get some things & get Grandma out for her ride. She expects a ride every day and I try to do it for her if I can.


We had or I did some company last Sat. & Sun. One person was a son of his father that was borned on this place here, and he & I had a real visit as he wanted to know of things that happened before he was born and I could tell him of what he wanted to know, as he was the same age as Bud, born in 1922.


I'm real lucky that my mind is sure good and I feel so sorry for Grandma that can't remember but I have to remember for her & I hope I can keep it up.


Tell Al we got bear hunters around setting out bait for them when the season opens. The two Sykora boys I gave them permission to set baits in the woods out here so maybe I will get some bear tracks to eat. Ha.


Did I tell you, we saw an old mother bear on Monday going up to Summit Lake, and also a big timber wolf west of our place.


We were at a birthday party last Sat. at Millie Somers son-in-law, Hank Holy. His Dad and I was real good friends when he was alive & I remember Hank was born in 1917 as I was logging for his grandfather and they use to bring him up there to visit but he's a grandfather also now. Time marches on and if you live long enough you can see the changes and it all makes memories to think about.


It was nice Mother & Dad could get away for a few day, as that is nice to relax for awhile.


About a year ago we were in Montana for the James [family] reunion which I sure glad we went. Guess it is over with by now and they wrote wanted to know if we would be able to come but I said it was too far for us old people but I sure would have like to go if we were younger. I guess I could stand it but Grandma would want to come home soon after we would get there. I know she can't help that but she can walk around better than I can.


The boys will be going to school soon, so will Lori also the summer sure is going fast. I hate to think of the winter. I saw a woodchuck out here on the well platform the other morning, I guess he is the only one around.


Mother called us when they got back last Sat.


It sounds like Las Vegas got another bad rain storm which is the second one, as Sis wrote and said that they were O.K. from the other one.


Well Cindy, thanks for such a nice letter & write when you get time.


Love from Grandma & Grandpa

"Letter From Grandpa Harley." Digital image. Dated: August 15, 1984. Original

document held by Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski (c) 2011

Tombstone Tuesday: Alonzo B. Polar

Alonzo B. Polar is my reminder that when researching, one should never ever assume that an unfamiliar name in vital record index is not related to your family line. That statement bears repeating as I have fallen into this trap on more than one occasion but I'll spare you the repetition. (I've come to the conclusion that the definition of the word assume is where the term "taking a wild a$$ guess" is derived, both resulting in the same conclusion.)


A number of years ago, I discovered that my great-great grandfather, Rancellor Polar, for a period of time, lived in neighboring Waupaca County, which is a lovely place to research. Waupaca is the heart of the Chain Of Lakes, the perfect setting for a day spent searching for records with a break for lunch at a favorite lakeside restaurant.


My Polar family research would be incomplete if it weren't for the efforts of a second cousin who began his research long before Ancestry and Footnote; writing letters, filling out family sheets in longhand, keeping copious and meticulous notes. Additionally I consider it a blessing for my family history that my mother paid attention when her mother and Aunt Leona talked about their Polar family history.


Going through the records at the Waupaca County court house, Mom and I were aware of the children of Rancellor Polar and Mary Jane Carson: Charles Finley Polar, father of Alma & Leona; their Uncle Giles and Aunt Adelia; Uncle Clarence who was deaf; Uncle Warren and sister Aunt Alice who married siblings of the Jones side of the family; Aunt Emma who married a brother of the Clarke relation; Aunt Phebe affectionately known as Aunt Pheb. Land records yielded an array of additional Polar's giving us several clues to possible siblings of Rancellor.


Alonzo Polar. "Mom, do you recall Gram or Aunt Leona mentioning an Alonzo Polar?"


Nope ... can't be our Polar. Alonzo is defiantly not one of our family names.


Fast forward a few years and a wiser family researcher who resists the temptation to assume. Suffice it to say that, yes, Alonzo belongs in the Rancellor Polar family. While he is not in my direct family line, as an avid and enthusiastic believer in Cluster or Whole Family Genealogy, every now and then, Alonzo gets my undivided attention.


Alonzo B. Polar as born 1812, in the state of New York. The oldest child of Simeon Polar and Charlotte Pooler/Poler? eight known children. The name Benjamin appears in several of the family lines leading me to surmise that the B stands for Benjamin.


In October 1843 Simeon and Charlotte Poler of Royalton, Niagara, New York purchased 320 acres of land from Joseph and Betsy Compton. In October 1844 Simeon and Charlotte sold 40 acres to their son Alonzo Poler; the remaining 280 acres was sold to their son George W. Poler in December 1844. The addresses of all parties is recorded as Leslie, Ingram, Michigan. This is the last recorded land record found listing Simeon and Charlotte.


Records indicate that at the time of Alonzo's death, he was a resident at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in the town of King, Waupaca county, WI. A request of these records provided very little family information as I had hoped, but they indicated that when he became a resident of  the veterans home he brought with him his wife Cordelia.


Alonzo served the state of Wisconsin during the Civil War and is found listed in Ancestry's database including American Civil War Soldiers which indicates Alonzo was a residence of Wautoma, Waushara County, WI. He enlisted as a private on January 20, 1862, in 8th Light Artillery Brigade and received a disability discharge on January 21, 1863.


Also found on Ancestry is a listing for Alonz[o] B. Polar in Headstones Provided for Deceased Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903, confirming that he is buried  at the Wisconsin Veterans Cemetery. 






A lovely afternoon spent strolling the cemetery grounds yielded the grave of Alonzo Polar with wife Cordelia's grave located in the vicinity.




On their application to the WI Veterans Home, they indicate that Cordelia was born March 21, 1828, in Ohio. She does not list her maiden name, they have no children and were married in October 1873 in Kilbourneville, Racine County, WI. Cordelia's death certificate does not list her parents names, probably due to the fact that they are not listed on her entry application. Cordelia died on March 14, 1908.


Cordelia was not Alonzo's first marriage, thanks to cousin Harold, we know that Alonzo's first marriage was to Mary Ellen Palmer on May 6, 1840 in Rochester, Monroe County, NY. Mary Ellen was born September 29, 1823, in Rochester. They had one child, Mary Helen Palmer, born July 7, 1841, in Rochester. Harold indicated that Mary Helen married Nicholas Scharding on September 20, 1858, in Yolo County, CA, but I have not been able to document this fact. 


Alonzo and Mary Ellen parted ways sometime between 1841 and 1850. Mary Ellen married George W. Brown and is found living with Mary Ellen Polar in Somerset Township, Hillsdale County, Michigan in the 1850 Federal Census.


But was there another Mrs. Alonzo Polar in addition to Mary Ellen and Cordelia?


Listed in Wisconsin Marriages, Pre-1907 is Alonso B. Polar,  married on February 23, 1894, in Columbia County. This record indicates a marriage 21-years after the date given by Alonzo and Cordelia as their marriage date and comes only three years prior to Alonzo's death in 1897.

What about the family of A. B. Polar found living in Dakota Township, Waushara , WI?


Or is there another Alonzo B. Polar?


Well I'm sure that he can't be related to my line of Polars.

Wordless Wednesday: A Day Spent Fishing

Much to the chagrin of my family, I still enjoy wearing jeans with rolled up cuffs while out fishing. An undated photo taken by my grandmother Alma Polar Space at Townline Lake located in Langlade county.

Copyright (c) 2010 Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski

Tombstone Tuesday: Forest View Sewing Circle

Located in the northeast corner of the Town of Peck cemetery in Langlade county, WI, this flower planter sits as a monument to the Forest View Sewing Circle. The group, like so many other rural traditions is becoming a thing of the past.

The Town of Peck cemetery was formerly known as Badger Cemetery; originally the site of the Badger School. Situated at the corner of several boundaries, as the boundaries of the townships changed, Badger school and later Badger cemetery can be found listed in the townships of Ackley, Peck and Vilas.

My maternal grandmother, Alma Polar Space, was a long-time member of the Forest View Sewing Circle. How I wish I had the chance to ask Gram about the Sewing Circle. Fortunately I was able to glean some information from Gram's sister Leona. The group met usually once a month and worked on a sewing project; during the war they made the usual clothing items for the soldiers. There was always a social hour; sometimes an afternoon of visiting and then lunch was served.

While making the traditional Memorial Day visits to the area cemeteries, this year someone placed a floral memorial in the Forest View monument urn. I'm certain I heard my grandmother laugh.

Copyright (c) 2010 Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski

Almost Wordless Wednesday: The Jones Sisters

Sisters Alma Loretta Jones (left) and Agnes Josephine Jones, photograph taken probably in Winchester, Winnebago, WI, circa 1870s

Daughters of James H. Jones (b. 1821 England) and Esther T. Clarke (b. 1828 NY). Alma Loretta born 14 April 1866 in Winchester, WI, she died on her 75th birthday, 14 April 1941 in Woodward, OK. Nursing was her life's vocation, "Jonesy" followed her bachelor brother Charles Jones, a pioneer of the territory that became Oklahoma.

Agnes Josephine Jones born 7 July 1864 in Winchester, WI, and died 21 April 1954. She married Charles Finley Polar, 10 March 1884 in Neenah, WI. The couple had seven children, naming the third of their four daughters, Alma Loretta, who would become my grandmother.

Copyright (c) 2010 Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski

Wordless Wednesday: The Polar Sisters

Alma Loretta Polar (left) and Leona Eleanor Polar: sisters, teachers, friends in one of my favorite photographs. Alma would marry Harley Space and became my maternal grandparents. Great Aunt Leona, a family treasure who filled in the many gaps and holes in our family history. To this day, whenever I uncover a new family find my first reaction is to call Aunt Leona followed immediatley with the thought that she and Gram all ready know.

Copyright (c) 2010 Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski

Fearless Females: Nancy Ann Stone Space

Today's blogging prompt to celebrate Women's History Month is: Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

While there are several women in my family who have been named in honor of a relative or family friend, I am pleased to say I am the first Cynthia in my family. I have located women who share my name in collateral lines, but in my direct line - I am the first. My middle name, Jane, is courtesy of my maternal grandfather, Harley Space. My grandfather had a fondness for calling little girls Janey. According to my parents, this was the reason for my middle name.

In yesterday's posting I mentioned that the name Sarah Etta was a favorite in my Space family line. My maternal grandmother, Alma Loretta Polar Space, was named after her mother's sister, Alma. My paternal grandfather came from a long line of French Canadian's who were fond of naming patterns - Charles, Nelson, Francis Xavier, Edward, Henry, Jean Baptist - it's enough to cause a meltdown when trying to untangle them all.

The honor of the most unique female first name belongs to my great-grandmother Nancy Ann Stone Space. Grandma Nancy, born June 1854 in Spirit, Wisconsin, was the mother of my mother's father. Shown in the above photo in 1925 with two of her grandchildren, Nancy was the youngest of three children born to Isaac Stone and his Native American wife, who we only know as "Elizabeth". Elizabeth died shortly after Nancy's birth but Isaac managed to continue his logging and trading business while making sure Nancy and her two older brothers, Alvin and Langley, attended school in Jenny, WI (later became the city of Merrill). The family also felt strong ties to the area that became the Lac du Flambeau Reservation where their mother was raised.

Nancy was a very strong willed woman - she had her own horse and buggy and was fond of going off 'to visit.' For many years my mother and her cousins speculated where it was that Grandma Nancy would go. The answer to that question came when I stumbled on an 1896 census for Lac du Flambeau that listed Nancy Space and her children as 'residents'. When the reservation was formed, Nancy wanted to insure that her children would continue to have their right as members of the Lac du Flambeau tribe. It became obvious that her 'visits' consisted of Nancy returning to the reservation during the times when the census was being taken.

Listed alongside the listing of Nancy Space, is the name Equi-sins. The people at the George Brown Ojibwe Museum and Cultural Center at Lac du Flambeau tell me Equi-sins translates as Little Girl. Another common name for Equi-sins? Janey. Maybe I have a namesake after all.

Copyright (c) 2010 Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski

Sharing Memories: A Genealogy Journal Week #9 Birthday Parties

Lorine Massey at Olive Tree Genealogy has created a year-long Genealogy Journey in Genealogy Journal Writing. Having my grandmother's travel journals and a diary among my family papers and treasures, I can appreciate the different perspective someone will have years from now with a glimpse into my life in the early years of the "new millinieum" as opposed to my view of  "who would be interested"?


On the highlight reel of my life, birthday's rank high on the list of celebrations. During my childhood, the countdown to October 10th began somewhere around July 4th. By the time we were in the single digits, I could barely sleep at night. During this period of my life we called October 10, 11 and 12, Birthday Week. My birthday was the 10th, my father's on the 11th; not only was my maternal grandmother's birthday October 12th, but she and my grandfather were married on October 12th in 1922. My father's mother, Mildred Little Bergeron, was born on October 26, 1899, and his sister, Marian, was born on October 23rd.

The memory that immediately comes to mind when I recall childhood birthday memories is the one captured in the photograph above. Taken at our apartment on First Avenue in Antigo, Langlade, Wisconsin, are the three birthday cakes my mother use to make. On the far left is the birthday cake for my grandmother, Alma Polar Space. On the right, my father's birthday cake with his birthday gift wrapped in what was probably the beginning of the tradition of asking if the gift was 'plaid or plain'. My cake is in the middle ... how I looked forward to those wonderful doll cakes! I don't know if my mother, who is wonderfully creative, thought of this herself or discovered it in a magazine but the decorating is the result of her sense of color and design. As I got older, the dolls 'aged' as well. I recall a birthday party at my grandmother Bergeron's house with friends from Antigo's Sixth Ward School; the cake being a harbinger of the Barbie doll in a decorated cake dress Scarlett O'Hara only dreamed of.

I cannot imagine the time - and expense - of making and decorating three cakes, can you?

In the fifty plus years that have passed since this photo was taken, my life has been blessed with the addition of brother-in-laws, nieces and nephews as well as my being welcomed into the Scherwinski family. The addition of my beautiful daughter-in-law is a blessing that, like the three son's I gave birth to, cannot be measured in words.

Now, Birthday Week has been expanded from October - with the addition of two brother-in-law's sharing their October 11th birthday with my father and other family members who share our opal birth stone - to February Birthday Week's celebrations that includes my sister, Lisa, oldest son, Chris, nephew, Chad and enough other family members to cause a spike in the profits of the Hallmark card company.

This past October my Dad celebrated his 80th birthday. The celebration marked the first time in several years our entire family gathered together and while we blew out candles on a shared birthday cake, we all looked forward to the birthday tradition we've begun since the time of doll birthday cakes - the tradtional birthday pie.


Copyright (c) 2010 Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski

Wordless Wedneday: Winter in Wisconsin Part II

Winter at my grandparents farm I posted last week. As promised, the photo Gram took of the snowman and I ... and the cat.

Copyright (c) 2010 Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski

Treasure Thursday: Grandma Space's Journals

Long before "Journaling for Dummies" and bi-monthly magazines dedicated to journals were published, William Wordsworth penned the words Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. I often wonder if my grandmother, Alma Loretta Polar Space, came across these words and took them to heart. Among my family treasures are several brown notebooks chronically travels of my grandparents; also included is a diary, written in 1962.


I have no doubt my grandmother never intended nor did she envision that I would end up with her journals. Hearing her distinctive laugh she would find it difficult to believe that I - or anyone - would find her journaling interesting. What could possibly be interesting about washing dishes, trips to the store and visits with friends and family?


Written in her bold penmanship the travel diaries mark trips to Montana and Las Vegas, Oregon and Milwaukee. Where they stayed (stayed at Mobridge, South Dakota in a rather shabby cabin. Cooled off after the rain) how many miles they drove each day and the sights and sounds. One of my favorite entries chronicles a day in the life when there was an apparent discussion on which route to take which resulted in having to back track. Even after 40 years, the entry resonates with "I told you so."


What could possibly be interesting about my life? January 4 - Went to town for groceries. Snowed while in town. Later it cleared off. Bergeron's came. John & Phyl left early. Mrs. B. told me they are closing the store. Had chicken.


Hidden among the every day are the milestones, such as April 21, 1962, when my grandfather's brother, Forest "Bob" Space, spending the Easter holiday with my grandparents, suffered a massive heart attack. I recall the moment my mother received the phone call with the sad news that her favorite uncle had suddenly passed away. Forty years later, I hear the anguish from someone who lived the event: The day we won't care to remember ... no need to write more we will never forget it.

My grandmother loved to read, she introduced her granddaughters to Beatrix Potter and Carl Sandburg. First and foremost, she was a teacher, one of the many pioneer women whose classrooms were in the now vanishing rural schools of Langlade county. She told me stories of driving through snow drifts over low and no maintenance roads, hoping she would not get stuck as it was the responsibility of the teacher to arrive before the students to build a fire, shovel the steps in winter and make sure the school house was ready. At one point during her teaching career, Gram was asked to teach a summer school session for students with special needs in Summit Lake. From the pages of her journal, I discovered that my grandmother struggled with lesson plans and worried she might not be able to finish out the term.

Powers School located in Langlade County, WI, Circa 1912

With the help and encouragement of her sister, Leona, who was also one of the hearty rural teachers, my grandmother was able to come up with new ideas for her lesson plans and regained her confidence. That summer spent teaching in Summit Lake remained one of her teaching highlights.

Alma Loretta Polar Space, front row in white dress, and her sister

Leona Polar, standing second from left

October 12, 1962 marked their 40th wedding anniversary. Her journal entry on that day read: Beautiful moonlight. Forty years ago was a nice day. Everything quiet at school. Left early. What a surprise! Most of the old gang and Space relatives came to celebrate our anniversary. How very nice! Don & Helen came about nine thirty.

My treasure? The chance to, once again, spend time with my grandmother, as I remember her before Alzheimer's took her from those she loved and who loved her.

"... the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music the words make." Truman Capote

October 12, 1982 - 60th wedding anniversary

Harley Allen Space and Alma Loretta Polar


With the exception of quotes by Wordsworth and Capote, all text and photographs

Copyright Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Family of Charles Finley and Agnes Josephine Jones Polar:

Leona, Archie, Agnes, Charles, Esther, Ralph, Alma

Copyright © 2009 by Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski

For The Record

Wise Geek describes an epiphany as "as a moment of self-realization or discovery that enlightens or reveals the person’s character." The site goes on to state that some compare an epiphany as a "Gestalt", an "Ah-ha" moment when things become clear. My friend Maureen and I call these "mascara moments" for the fact that they seem to drop down (or pop up) at the most unexpected moments - such as when you are concentrating on applying mascara. My latest mascara moment occurred on a 'hit and run' trip to the Langlade County court house.

It was during one of those rare three-day week-ends 'up north,' with the colors of early autumn splashed across the landscape and a clear blue sky. When I should have been out walking with my camera, instead I found myself on my way into town for groceries.


"If I take the back way into town, I can stop at the court house for a few minutes, hit the library if I uncover anything interesting and still get to the grocery store with the majority of day left for photography." I felt confident that I could stick to my plan of spending just a few minutes at the court house due to the fact my research folder was not in the same county. Not to mention that over age fifty brain fade lending me powerless to recall more than one research subject (pardon the pun) off the top of my head.


My intention was to check collateral lines (cluster genealogy) in search of additional information on former neighbors of my father's parents. The Olson's gave my mother several glass Christmas ornaments, two of which hold places of honor on our Christmas tree, high above the reach of cocker spaniel tails. Hoping to learn more about the Olson's, I reached for the marriage index which fell open to the section of grooms names in the 's' section. I was surprised to see the index page listing the marriage of mother's parents, Alma Loretta Polar and Harley Allen Space. A few pages later is the index marking the marriage record of my parents, Phyllis Jean Space and H. John Bergeron. My 'Ah-ha' epiphany mascara moment was the realization that contained within the marriage records of Langlade County were three generations of my family: my grandparents, my parents and my oldest son and daughter-in-law.








How many times have I advised family historians to research beyond their direct lines - look in surrounding counties - look for clues to other family members who may be living in the same area. My epiphany - my ah-ha moment - was the reminder of just how alive history is. This was not something that had occured in the past but it was history that was occuring at this very moment. I have many vivid memories of my grandparents, I am blessed to have both of my parents to share and make new memories with as well as with our son and daughter-in-law. Family history is not static but rather something to be looked at in wonder - it is not something that just happens a long time ago, it is happening right now and tomorrow will create today's history. My family history became something more real - it reminded me of the blessing we received during the evening celebration following Chris and Ashley's wedding.


Chris and Ashley chose to exchange vows on the lawn of our beloved 'up north.' A place my grandparents called home after relocating to the original forty acres after a fire destroyed their home and farm during the early 1940s. Where my mother spent part of her life, the place I was brought to after my birth in 1953 and where Al and I spent a portion of our honeymoon.


This was the first time many of their friends had been out on a moonless night, away from any ambient light. While many of them had been to an outdoor wedding, those had occured at a park, not in the middle of 240 acres. They were amazed to see so many stars and the Milky Way as it was meant to be seen - spread across the sky in a band of pale light. Around 11:00 a soft glow began in the northern sky and spread until the entire sky was alight with dancing and flickering northern lights. Nature's fireworks. Elusive, ever changing, unpredictable. I could be describing family research.

Copyright © 2008 by Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski