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Thursday, January 2, 2025

These Boots Are Made For Walking ~ Remembering Alonzo Vannatter

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025: Week 1 (IN THE BEGINNING)

Whenever I hear the phrase IN THE BEGINNING I immediately think of Genesis from the bible.

I didn't grow up with church as part of my family's life, but Chris did.

He is a Methodist Lay Pastor's grandson via his mom, and the great grandson of a Brethren In Christ Minister via his dad.

Chris can quote chapter and some exact verses from the bible - it makes for an awkward party trick.

He remembers going to both churches as a child.

The fire & brimstone going to hell sermons of his childhood terrified him.

It was those guilt panels installed in his childhood that randomly showed up in strange ways as we were raising our children.

I was never burdened by morality guilt having only attended church as a guest a few times in my childhood.

When strange rules were put into effect I am fairly confident that our children thought it was me.

With my prior work in social services I was not the one who had concerns about any behaviour as long as safety was practiced.

I was comfortable with uncomfortable conversations, and over time Chris became very good at them too.

Looking back at the beginning - I reflected on the Brethren in Christ church in Frogmore, Ontario (now called The Mission) where great grandpa Alonzo Vannatter was a Minister.

In 1969 the church was fundraising for a new church building.

"Of the $24,000 needed to build, about $10,000 was raised by a walkathon. A student in Alonzo Vannatter's Sunday school class of young people made the suggestion for this fundraising method when the pastor asked the class if they wished to help in raising the money.

The walkathon became a community event. It was publicized by radio, newspaper, and even television and participated in by people ranging from a seventy-six year old undertaker (a long-time friend of Alonzo Vannatter) to a reporter from the Tillsonburg newspaper. Vannatter himself took part, in spite of his sixty-eight years and a heart attack 3 years earlier. (He brought himself into shape for the event by walking each day along the road in front of his house.) He was among the 128 out of 207 walkers who finished the twenty-five-mile walk. Even his twenty-two-months-old great grandson, Chris Buchner, took part, sponsored at $145 a mile." 1

According to the book Chris was sponsored at $145/mile. The newspaper clipping claims $120/mile. Regardless what is correct there is no doubt this event was part of forming Chris' believe in his personal value.

When you find the cause for future in searching the past!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1 Sider, Morris. E & Vannatter, Alonzo. (1978). Fruit from Woods and Sands: The story of Houghton Mission. Evangel Press. Indiana. Page 83-84

Sources:

Sider, Morris. E & Vannatter, Alonzo. (1978). Fruit from Woods and Sands: The story of Houghton Mission. Evangel Press. Indiana.

Houghton Brethren In Christ Community Church. Site: Frogmore - Norfolk County Rd 28. Service: The Mission. Retrieved December 30th 2024 from
https://info-bhn.cioc.ca/record/SIM0699

The Mission Church. Retrieved December 30th 2024 from
https://www.themissionchurch.ca/

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Monday, January 25, 2021

Walk a Mile In Those Shoes ~ When Photos Tell the Tale

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2021: Week 4 (FAVOURITE PHOTO)

We have so many photos that choosing just one seemed an impossible task.

Once I decided which branch of the Bramble Bush to write about this week the decision became more obvious.

I remember the first time I saw this photo:

Great Grandpa Alonzo with my husband

This is my husband with his great grandfather Alonzo Vannatter.

The book (sourced below) was a present for my husband from his grandmother in 1993. She wrote a personal message to him in the front of the book. She also included notes of who was who.

I read that book cover to cover. I have always loved history, and this one had personal connections to our family.

When I arrived at page 84 I shared the photo with my husband.
I commented that it appears his belief in his personal value was instilled in him young.

Even today $145 a mile is a tremendous amount of money. He had never seen the book or heard the story before I showed it to him.

The book is a history of the Brethren in Christ Church in Frogmore, Ontario, Canada.

Intertwined is part of my husband's family story.

Great Grandpa Alzonzo & Great Grandma Vera when they were younger

In this photo are:
two of my husband's X2 great grandfathers: George Williams & Ben Vannatter, one X2 great grandmother: Fidella (nee Foreman) Vannatter
and one X2 great aunt: Florence (nee Aspden) Williams
(who is related by marriage paternally, and blood maternally)

Back far left is my husband's grandmother, Nina
on her left, her sister Reta

Finding family photos & stories in published works!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Sider, Morris E., & Vannatter, Alonzo. (1978), Fruit From Woods And Sands: The Story of Houghton Mission. Nappanee, Indiana: Evangel Press..

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

Please & Thank you!

________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

The Long Line ~ Van Etten becomes Vannatter

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 3 (LONG LINE)

When I first met my husband he explained that his love of red wine & pasta was genetic since he was Italian through his dad's maternal line. His great grandfather was Alonzo Vannatter. I think my husband decided that the Vannatter family was Italian because he thought the name Alonzo was Italian.

"The name Alonzo is a boy's name of Spanish, Italian origin meaning "noble, ready". You may be surprised to know that Alonzo has been on the Most Popular list since 1880, when such records began to be kept,..." 1

Born Asa Alonzo, but known as Alonzo. On page 88 of the book FRUIT FROM WOODS AND SANDS it's suggested that he was named after Asa Bearss who was one of the original evangelists who shaped the church community that Alonzo would one day lead. When Alonzo was born in 1901 his parents may have simply chosen the name because they liked it. Alonzo was known as Lonnie to his family.

When I first began researching the Vannatter side of his family tree there was nothing to suggest they weren't Italian. Using my brand new Ancestry access I tracked back generation by generation using the documents I found. When I arrived to my husband's 5th great grandfather I discovered the name he had been born with was Van Etten, but his children were Vannatter. As I chased this line further up with the newly found name I arrived in Kingdom of the Netherlands (Holland).

You should have seen my husband's face when I told him he needed to let go of the red wine, and embrace licorice. Although funny, I do regret telling him since now I have to share my dutch licorice treats. Several years later when he received his DNA results it was confirmed. There was no Italian in his family tree. He still likes red wine & pasta, but now doesn't claim it's due to his heritage.

The Vannatter line was the first family line I was able to research back to the 1600s. The only reason I haven't gone further back is that I have put this branch of the tree aside to focus on other lines.

Further down the tree in this long line of Vannatters is my husband's great grandparents: Alonzo & Vera Vannatter.

source: FRUIT FROM WOODS AND SANDS

Asa Alonzo (Lonnie) Vannatter
BIRTH 23 NOV 1901 • Frogmore, Houghton Tp., Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 8 APR 1976 • London, Ontario, Canada

Vera Catharine Williams
BIRTH 27 SEP 1902 • Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 25 MAR 1981 • Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada

Alonzo's church:

The Brethren in Christ Church in Frogmore, Ontario

When my husband was small he spent quite a bit of time with his great grandparents.

My husband and his great grandfather, 1969
source: FRUIT FROM WOODS AND SANDS

38 years between the two photos.

With his great grandfather's photo, in the lobby of
The Brethren in Christ Church in Frogmore, Ontario, 2007

Alonzo & Vera's X3 great grandsons in the photo below

X3 great grandsons in front of Alonzo's curch
The Brethren in Christ Church in Frogmore, Ontario, 2007

Tracking the long family lines through a name or spelling change!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Related Previous Blogs:

Somehow Related Blog Spot,
Reverend Alonzo Vannatter ~ Brethren In Christ Church, Frogmore, Ontario
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2019 Week 17 (At Worship)
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/04/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-week-17-at.html

Footnotes:

1 Alonzo, Nameberry, Retrieved January 15th 2020 from
https://nameberry.com/babyname/Alonzo

Sources:

Brethren In Christ Beginnings, Mennogesprach, Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario, September 1989, Vol. 7, No. 2, Retrieved January 15th 2020 from
https://mhso.org/sites/default/files/publications/Mennogesprach7-2.pdf

Fruit from Woods and Sands, The Story of Houghton Missin, Sider, E. Morris and Alonzo Vannatter, Evangel Press, Nappanee, Indiana, Messiah College, Pennsylvania, 1978

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/