Tombstone Tuesday :: Parkison Family

The Parkison plot in the Masonic Section, Greenhill Cemetery, Columbia City, Indiana. The large stone in the center is for George and Sarah Parkison. On the left is the marker for one of their sons, Benjamin F. Parkison.

Sarah Foster Parkison is my 3rd great grandmother. Born on May 14, 1818 in Perry County, Ohio she was the daughter of Benjamin Foster and Margaret "Peggy" Myers. Sarah's brother, Eli, was born December 28, 1819. I don't know for sure when their mother died, but on September 27, 1821 their father married Peggy's sister, Anna Maria "Mary" Myers. Benjamin and Mary Foster had eleven children between the years 1822 and 1843.

On November 20, 1843 Sarah Foster gave birth to a son, William Brubaker, who became my 2nd great grandfather. Born out of wedlock, his father was John Brubaker. On March 28, 1849 Sarah was married to George Thomas Parkison and two years later they moved to Thorncreek Township in Whitley County, Indiana. At that time the family consisted of William and his half-brother Jacob Henry Parkison. (William and Jacob would later marry sisters, Malissa and Roxie Joslin.) Sarah and George would have three more children, all born in Whitley County: Mary E. Parkison, Benjamin Foster Parkison, and George Washington Parkison.

GEORGE T. PARKISON / DIED JUNE 27, 1902 / AGED 81 Y. 10 M. 15 D. / SARAH - WIFE OF G. T. PARKISON / DIED APR. 24, 1904 / AGED 85 Y. 11 M. 10 D.

BENJAMIN F. / Son of / G. T. & S. PARKISON / DIED / Apr. 27, 1873. / AGED 19 Ys. 11 M. 15 D.

All Photographs taken October 20, .. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman.

San Felipe de Neri Church

This is the huge, old Catholic church in Old Town Albuquerque. It is over 200 years old. I took this photo from across the street from the church, and you can see the steeple and gates leading to the area in front of the church. This church is still used and very popular for weddings and other celebrations. This church is known as the historic San Felipe de Neri Church.

Where is Spring?

We had a couple of warm days so I have the erge to plant some seeds. I know it is way to early. But I did pick up a handfull of morning glory seeds at the store anyway. Altho it is warm I am sure it will turn cold again. March always had to throw another storm or two at us before it will allow Spring to arrive. My roses are starting to think about putting on leaves, and the flower buds on the trees are getting bigger each day. It will be so good to see green leaves on all the trees, and srubs, and plants again. In the mean time it is clouding up again. I guess it was just the barest of hints of the spring weather to come.

Grivel? ...What is happening there?

A few friends have climbed on these and everyone seemed to like them dry tooling. My buddy Jack Roberts was pretty excited switching from a Petzl sponsorship to Grivel this winter. I know from our recent conversations that he liked climbing on the new tools as well.



I see Will Simms is now on the Grivel line up. His buddy Jon Griffith off Petzl and on BDs.



"Never the arrow always the Indian."



Anyone climbing on any of theGrivel versions of this onehere in North America?









"Grivel has for nearly 200 years led the development of Ice Climbing equipment, but to move ahead in this rapidly changing “fast &furious” new age of technology and materials, we decided to make a radical improvement in our approach to development. This is the reason we decided to create a new dept. a real Laboratory for Development, a place where we can explore the possible and beyond. With all these recent changes in materials and design we chose to invest in this bright future, brought about by mixed climbing, competition and rising standards. To head this new department we have brought in a new face, Stefano Azzali a man devoted to climbing and climbing equipment, no stranger to high tech radical materials. Stefano’s work in this field of new technologies and avantgarde design qualifies him to lead “Grivel’s Racing Development”. (Grivel Reparto Corse) It’s almost second nature to a man coming from Modena, the home of design, engineering and above all “Speed”. We look forward to the future as we are proud of our past."

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wiseman

Virginia Rose “Ginny” Phend graduated from High School on April 26, 1946. Less than two weeks later, on May 9th, which also happened to be her 18th birthday, she would be married to Jack William Wiseman. They had been introduced to each other by one of her former boyfriends after Jack had been discharged from the Army in January 1946. As a side note, that former boyfriend (Robert “Bob” Reiff) had married Virginia's sister Patricia in June 1945. It had been a mutual parting of the ways for Ginny and Bob with no hard feelings and was a source of amusement for many of us over the years.





Ginny and Jack, all dressed up for the Senior Prom.



Larwill High School Diploma for Virginia R. Phend



The marriage license was obtained from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Whitley County, Indiana. Dated May 9, 1946 it was issued by Charles H. White.





The Marriage Certificate was signed by Rev. J. A. Leatherman.



Larwill Girl Married In North Webster Church



Miss Virginia Phend, daughter of Victor Phend of Larwill and Mrs. Harold Dunn of Auburn, became the bride of Jack Wiseman of Warsaw, at 6:30 o'clock Thursday evening at the altar of the Methodist church in North Webster, the Rev. L. E. Leatherman officiating.



Mr. and Mrs. Walter Mitchell of Columbia City, brother-in-law and sister of the bride, attended the couple. Mrs. Leatherman, wife of the officiating minister, presided at the organ, playing a medley of wedding music during the single ring ceremony.



The bride chose for her wedding a frock of aqua colored linen with which she wore white accessories and a corsage of yellow roses. Mrs. Mitchell wore a beige colored frock with black accessories. Pink roses formed her corsage. The groom and his groomsman wore white carnation boutonnieres.



The bride is a 1946 graduate of Larwill high school. The groom was recently discharged from military service after extended service in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. He is now attending a Tool and Die Makers school in Warsaw.



Mr. and Mrs. Wiseman are at home with the bride's father in Larwill.



[Unidentified newspaper article included with the license and certificate.]





All of the marriage items were found inside this little booklet. The license and certificate are attached to the inside covers and would be damaged if removed so there they will remain. Several years ago I found the newspaper article in the microfilm copy at the Peabody Public Library in Columbia City, Indiana. It was in the Saturday, May 11, 1946 edition of the Columbia City Post. It's nice to have the original article.



My parents were divorced in 1964 after 18 years of marriage. I was very surprised to find these items amongst Mom's things. She never said anything about having them, but then I guess I had never asked. I just assumed she had destroyed or disposed of them after the divorce. Just goes to show – don't make assumptions!

Ziva & Wiley

Our new puppy, Ziva, playing with our black cat, Wiley. Check out more about Ziva at my blog, http://thepuppytale.blogspot.com/

No More Tears: Clear Glasses for Winter

One of my biggest problems cycling in the winter used to be my eyes tearing up. It would get so bad, that the constant flow of tears would blur my vision, making it hard to see where I was going. But like many cyclists, I soon found the solution: clear glasses or goggles.




On moderately cold and windy days, I wear simple resin glasses that I am very happy with. They are unbranded, so I don't have an online source to refer you to, but many bike shops around here sell them at the counter. I bought mine from the Wheelworks, for around $20. What I like about these particular glasses is how comfortable they are, even on long rides. They sit sturdy, but are lightweight and don't press into my face or temples. The lenses are durable and the clarity is good.




On particularly freezing days with harsh winds, I wear these wrap-around safety glasses from MSA. They cost only $4 and perform double duty as shop safety glasses for framebuilding. The MSA glasses are wonderful for creating a seal from the cold, keeping my eyes warm and dry and the sensitive skin around them protected. An additional benefit for those who wear prescription glasses, is that these can be worn over them. The downside is that they are on the heavy side, and if I wear them for too long they give me a headache - so watch out, if you have issues with that. But for short rides they are excellent, and on days that are cold enough to necessitate them my rides are on the short side anyway.




If you prefer the high-end route, I've tried and really liked the clear version of the new Lazer Argon glasses. These are in the $80-90 range and come with interchangeable lenses, which can be replaced with tinted ones. Oakley, Rudy Project, and most other athletic sunglass manufacturers also make clear or photochromic versions of many models.




While some cyclists like to wear goggles, I am not a fan: They snag my hair and don't seem to stay put as well as regular glasses if I wear them on the bike. I find that the MSA safety glasses provide the same coverage but with less fuss.




There are many inexpensive options out there for clear goggles and glasses, so try a few and see what works. And if you need more coverage? Well, a few days ago I saw a man cycling with a clear face shield. Perhaps a new fashion trend in winter cycling.