Mobile Monday - New ancestry app for the ipod touch, iphone, and ipad

There's a new post on Ancestry's blog regarding the newly updated Ancestry app for the ipod touch, iphone and ipad.  This new update to their mobile app Ancestry (formerly Tree to Go) brings the app in line with the way you view member trees at ancestry's website.

To me, this update is just what I was looking for with their mobile app.  As soon as I saw the blog update in google reader, I immediately grabbed my ipod touch to update Tree to Go so I could see it for myself. 

I went into my main tree and after it finished the sync, I was presented with the tree view.  I flicked right to left in the top half of the screen until I got to my great-grandfather, John A. Blom

After selecting my great grandfather's little card, I was then brought to this screen:

Here is the family view:

And here's the photo view:

And last, but certainly not least... my personal favorite... The Evidence view:

From what I also read at the ancestry blog, they are also considering a Droid app, which would be great for me because then I would definitely have my ancestry tree anywhere I go since I have a Droid phone as well as my ipod touch.  Until the android version does become reality however, if you do have an iphone, ipod touch or an ipad, and you are a member at ancestry, I highly recommend you go download this app.  After all, the app itself is free!

Tombstone Tuesday - Jack Blom

This post is pretty much a Tombstone Tuesday and Mystery Monday post all rolled into one.  

I believe the above image is the gravestone of my Uncle Jack Blom.  According to information from another of my uncles, my Uncle Jack was born in July of 1958 and a few years ago they had found him in the Social Security Death Index as having died in November of 1997.  

The mystery part of the post is that in the late eighties, my Uncle Jack moved to Illinois to live with one of his brothers.  He was supposed to appear in court one morning and instead hitch-hiked out to California.  No one really heard from him after that.  It was thought that he had died in a fire in California, however, the above image was found at findagrave.com listed in a Houston, Texas cemetery.  

If indeed he died in California, it leaves me to wonder just how he ended up being buried in Texas or if the above image is even the same person that was my Uncle Jack...

Thriller Thursday: Sexton C. Vestal

My great-granduncle Sexton C. Vestal was born in 1879 and died in 1923, at the age of 43.  During the 43 years of his life, there are at least 2 major accidents that I know of, the 2nd one was the cause of his death.

The first incident, I was able to find a description of through an old news article printed in The Sedan Lance on July 16, 1896 describing the accident.  In July of 1896, he was bringing a hay rake from one field to another on his father's farm.  While coming down a hill, the horse ran away, turning the rake over on him hurting him internally.

I received a copy of a letter, sent to me by a distant cousin in the Vestal lines.  The letter was sent from Hillary Vestal to his mother Delanah (Gross) Vestal.  He wrote it in October of 1896 and it confirmed the accident, mentioning that Sexton was badly hurt on the 6th of July.  According to my great-great-grandfather Hillary Vestal, Sexton was just getting able to return to school in October and his accounting of the hay rake accident was that a horse had run away with him  and threw my great-granduncle Sexton against a tree.  The letter says that Sexton had been close to death for several days, but given the great care he had been given and a good doctor, he was able to "get up one more time".

The second accident was the fatal one.  My great-granduncle owned a coupe that had to be crank-started.  On January 25, 1923, farmers found his body crumpled under his own car at the bottom of a hill a few miles from Winfield, Kansas.  Apparently, the car either died or was stopped on an incline and he had to get out to hand crank it to get it to start.  When it did start, it ran him over, dragging him to the bottom of the hill and killing him.  According to the article, Sexton's wife and relatives were notified by phone of the accident and they were going to go into town to claim the body.

Wordless Wednesday: Ruby Irene Van Royen and her sister Myrtle Sylvia Pearl Van Royen

Sunday's Obituary: my great-grandfather John A. Blom

Source: The Hammond Times newspaper, Apr. 5, 1956 edition; Hammond, Indiana; Hammond Public Library repository.

Highland's John Blom Dies at 51

HIGHLAND -- John A. Blom, 51, former Highland town trustee, chairman of the town board, and clerk-treasurer, died of a heart attack at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday in St. Catherine Hospital, East Chicago.

Blom suffered the attack over the Easter weekend, and entered the hospital early Monday morning.  He was apparantly recovering when he suffered a relapse Wednesday.

The Highland civic leader was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1944 to 1947, during which time he served as chairman. In September of 1948, he was appointed clerk-treasurer to fill a vacancy caused by a sudden resignation, and served in that office until 1951.

He worked for 32 years at the American Steel Foundries, Hammond.  He had been personnel manager for the past 17 years.

BLOM was born in Chicago, but his family soon moved to Lansing.  He was a graduate of Hammond High School and Northwestern University, where he studied personnel management and accounting.

He lived with his wife at 2832 Garfield St., in Highland.

His civic work, other than public office, was confined to religion and education.  He served as a member of the Christian Grade School Board and the Illiana Christian High School Board for more than 20 years.  He was an elder in the Second Christian Reformed Church.

Services will be Saturday at 2 p.m. in the First Christian Reformed Church of Highland, the Rev. C. Oliver Buus officiating. Burial will be in Hope Cemetery.

FRIENDS may call at the Fagen Funeral Gardens, 2828 Highway Ave., Highland, after 7 o'clock tonight. Family requests that contributions be made to the Children's Retreat.

Blom is survived by his wife Jeanette; three sons [incorrect information], Louis [should be Lois, a daughter], of Norwalk, Calif., Wesley and Bruce, both of Highland; six grandchildren; two brothers, Peter of Highland and Arie of Lansing; four sisters, Mrs. Tadie Eenigenburg and Mrs. Agnes Porter, both of Lansing, Mrs. Petronella Jabaay of Byron Center, Mich., and Mrs. Trena Selles of Burdette, Canada.

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Sunday’s Obituary – if you have obituaries of family members and ancestors, consider posting them along with other information about that person as part of Sunday’s Obituary. This is an ongoing series developed by Leslie Ann at Ancestors Live Here.