Month: September 2021

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John Dean Rock

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
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There is a large boulder near Mount Pleasant NY that is known as John Dean Rock. John Dean happens to be the 2nd cousin four times removed of the wife of my daughter-in-law’s second great grand uncle… and he was a Revolutionary War hero.

The rock which bears his name served as a hiding place and refuge which Dean used to surprise British soldiers who would march along Saw Mill River Road. His exploits are recounted at length within the pages of “Souvenir of the Revolutionary Soldiers’ Monument Dedication, at Tarrytown, N.Y. October 19th, 1894” It describes him as follows: “It will be unnecessary for us to promise that John Dean was a man of stout, vigorous frame, and iron will, indomitable courage, and great impulse, for these traits were exhibited in every act of his life.”

In one of his many war stories, he tells of the time he bested a Tory in a battle fought on horseback. Though his opponent tried to shoot him many times during the fight, Dean managed to wound him with his sword and knock him from his steed. While the Tory lay on the ground bleeding and expecting to die, Dean helped him onto his horse and took him to a nearby home where he dressed the wounds he caused, thus saving his enemy’s life. They met years later, after the war, and expressed that neither held any blame towards the other. They shook hands and parted ways. The Tory’s name was Basly.

Perhaps Dean’s most historic accomplishment was his involvement with the capture of Major John Andre, the notorious British spy who had been sent by Benedict Arnold with detailed plans of West Point hidden in his boot. Dean had been given the responsibility to post men to guard the roads leading to Tarrytown. Andre was apprehended by a trio of soldiers that Dean had positioned. They immediately brought their prisoner to him and he took lead during the march to deliver Andre to his superior officers.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

The Christian Critic

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
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It recently struck me as I continue to delve into the past, uncovering the almost forgotten stories involving my ancestors, that I have my own stories that one day will be in danger of being lost to time. As I approach the 66th anniversary of my birth, I find myself reflecting on some of the experiences I’ve had over the years. I would have to say that the stories of mine that may be most at risk of fading from public memory would be the ones that occurred in the ten year period where I was known by a different name.

From 1998 to 2008, I ran a website called Movie Parables, and was known in the online community as Michael Elliott, The Christian Critic. (Elliott, for the record, is my middle name.) It all started with watching The Man In The Iron Mask starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and becoming aware of a number of biblical truths that were reflected in this secular movie. I found this to be interesting and decided to write my observations down. For fun, I did so within the framework of a movie review. I then challenged myself to see if I could do something similar for the next movie I watched… and the one after that. 

After I collected a few, I decided to share them online. That snowballed into a number of opportunities that came my way: acceptance into the Online Film Critics Society, syndication in a handful of papers around the US, being added to the PR press junket list where I’d be flown to LA to interview the actors and directors of upcoming films, a contract with Tyndale Publishing, and the release of two books. It was a fun and exciting time.

I still believe in the premise that led to the creation of those reviews:  While art does indeed imitate life… God was the one who created it, so any art form must borrow from God’s creation. Therefore, there must be evidence of His handiwork in every movie we watch – whether it is placed there intentionally or not. All it takes are the spiritual eyes to see it. As well as the will to look for it. And once we become practiced at spotting the invisible spiritual realities, we’ll start to see those truths all around us because they were always there. And still are.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

A Family Beadle

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Questions often arise when digging through ancestral records. I recently spent a little time researching the occupation my aunt’s third great-grandfather listed on his 1891 Canadian census report. Anaclet Petit described himself as being a bedeau.

Not knowing the term, I turned to the Internet and discovered this from the website “The French Canadian Genealogist.”

“The bedeau, or beadle, was the priest’s jack-of-all-trades; he was essential to the proper administration of the church. He was mainly tasked with the maintenance of the church and preparation for religious services. During mass, he would distribute the blessed bread to the attendees and collect donations. The beadle also tried to maintain peace and quiet during services, chasing away beggars and dogs from the church doors, earning him the nickname of “chasse-chiens,” or dog hunter. He was responsible for drawing “Passover water” for baptisms and “Pentecost water” for Sunday mass. He would lead the way during any religious processions, removing any obstacles. The beadle rang the church bells, either for religious announcements or civic ones, such as weather warnings. 

The beadle was also tasked with keeping the church clean, and in winter, ensuring that the roads leading to the church were clear. Some beadles also doubled as gravediggers, a lucrative side job. 

Similar to their French counterparts, beadles wore long robes that were either blue or red, or sometimes with both colours. The left sleeve sometimes featured a silver plate or an embroidered figure representing the patron of his church. In France, beadles traditionally held a wand in their right hand. It was used as a stick, to drive out the aforementioned beggars and dogs from the church. Over time, the object evolved into an adorned symbol of authority.”

Perhaps the most well-known beadle to the uninitiated would be Charles Dickens’ character Mr. Bumble from Oliver Twist.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotape, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

The War of 1812 and the Creek Civil War

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How is the war of 1812 viewed? It all depends on where you stand. 

For Americans, it started because Britain began infringing on their maritime rights, seizing US ships, cargo, and sailors who they then impressed into serving the crown. While the US won no decisive battles against Britain, they were able to fight to a draw thus establishing their status as a world power.

For the British, it is more of a footnote in their history as they were far more focused upon their conflict with Napoleon in Europe. However they did see the American desire to expand its territory as a threat to their remaining colonies and so extended aid to the native Indians and Canadians to help stem the US expansion.

For the Canadians, it was source of national pride, as they repelled numerous attacks upon their land, fighting against a larger, superior invader. US forces were never able to gain a foothold or win a battle in their attempts to acquire sections of Canada for their use. While much of the fighting was done by British regulars, the repulsion of the US sowed the seeds of nationalism within the hearts of the Canadian people which fueled a desire to chart their own course.

For the Creek Indian nation, who were engaged in their own civil war at the time, it marked the beginning of the end. As part of the Treaty of Ghent, which laid out the conditions for the cessation of hostilities, Britain agreed to withdraw their support of America’s indigenous population, allowing the US westward expansion to continue without international interference.

Amid all this conflict stood John Bell, the 4th great grand uncle of my aunt. Along with Davy Crockett, he served in William Russell’s Company of Spies under the overall command of Andrew Jackson. Their involvement was primarily against the Red Sticks (the rebellious faction of Creek Indians allied with the British) who were attacking settlements and encampments they believed encroached upon their land. A victory at Horseshoe Bend, where Bell was wounded, marked the end of that conflict and resulted in the Creeks ceding 23 million acres to the United States.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Toby, Or Not Toby

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
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Sometimes, just by looking around the house, you can find little snippets of history just sitting there… doubling as decorative items. My parents, for whatever reason, liked collecting Toby jugs or character jugs which were vessels shaped to look like recognizable figures, either fictional or real. The one my mother passed onto me, pictured above, was made by Royal Doulton and depicts John Barleycorn, the personification of malt liquor. He also kind of looks like my dad.

Toby jugs have been around since the 18th century and there is some disputation regarding how they got their name. Some say they were named after Sir Toby Belch, the Shakespearean character from Twelfth Night. Others believe it to be a derivative of the French word “tope” which means to drink hard. But most seem to think that it was named after a notorious 18th century Yorkshire drinker, Henry Elwes, who was known as “Toby Fillpot” (or Philpot) and was inspired by an old English drinking song, “The Brown Jug.”

While many refer to any figural vessel as a “Toby jug,” purists define them as depicting full-figured personages usually seated, while a jug fashioned as the head or head and shoulders of a person is simply referred to as a character jug.  There’s also a difference between a Toby jug and a Toby mug. Jugs are used for pouring and will have spouts while mugs are used for drinking and are spoutless. 

In the early 20th century, at the height of its popularity, around two hundred companies were producing figural mugs and jugs but as interest has waned over the years, so have the number of producers. Only three companies still manufacture them. A vast collection of Toby and character jugs and mugs are on display in Evanston Illinois at the American Toby Jug Museum (https://www.tobyjugmuseum.com/)

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotape, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

The Swamp Fox

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
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I remember being fascinated by the story of “The Swamp Fox” after watching a Disney mini-series based upon his life. I even did a report on him for a grade school history project. Little did I know back then that I had a relative that served under him during the Revolutionary War.

Francis Marion (aka the Swamp Fox) was a military officer who was perhaps best known for his ability to marshal volunteer militia men into fighting units. Unlike the regular Continental Army, Marion’s Men (as his “troops” were known) were not paid, provided their own horses, arms, and often food.

Marion rarely engaged his men in prolonged battles, preferring instead to launch surprise attacks followed by sudden withdrawals, escaping into the swamp paths of which he was so well familiar.

He is considered one of the fathers of modern guerrilla warfare and maneuver warfare. He is credited in the lineage of U.S. Army Rangers and the 75th Ranger Regiment. It is said that Mel Gibson’s film “The Patriot” was inspired by Marion’s life.

James Trousdale, the grandfather of my 3rd great grand-aunt, served as a Captain under Marion’s command. He was wounded at the siege of Charleston and again at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. He and his men were also with George Washington at the Siege of Yorktown for the surrender of Cornwallis.

For his service, Trousdale was granted 640 acres of land in Sumner County Tennessee which later became the site for the town of Gallatin. His son, William, became governor of Tennessee.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Toy Tester

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
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There are many different occupations to be found on our family tree. Joseph Feo, the brother-in-law of my wife’s grand-uncle listed on the 1940s Census (as well as on his 1942 draft card) that he was a tester for the Unique Art Manufacturing Company.

I did a little research to find that Unique Art was an American company founded in 1918 in Newark that made inexpensive toys. They were especially known for their wind-up mechanical toys made from lithographed tin. In the 40s, at the height of their popularity, they acquired the rights to the L’il Abner comic strip characters and produced the L’il Abner Dogpatch Band featuring a wind-up Abner dancing, Pappy on drums, Daisy Mae playing piano with Mammy perched atop it. This was followed up with a Howdy Doody band set a few years later.

In its early years, Unique often partnered with the Marx toy company to help manufacture and distribute some of its products but, in 1949, made the decision to enter into a head to head competition with them by producing a line of tin O gauge toy trains which they were able to price lower than Marx’s existing line. Marx countered and had the resources to build better, more realistic trains forcing Unique to discontinue their production.

Unique tried again in 1951 with a toy typewriter which for a time outsold Marx’s similar toy but Marx then moved production of its line to Japan in order to lower costs and drop their prices. Unique couldn’t compete and disappeared from the market in the early 50s.

While originally known as an inexpensive toy maker, original Unique Art wind up toys have now reached collectible status. I’ve seen them offered online for hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotape, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Girl, Interrupted

~ michaelhvs ~ 1 Comment
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It becomes clear, as we read the stories of our family ancestors, that they lived lives that were very different from ours. But none that I’ve come across quite matches the life of Catherine Lorisch, my wife’s 5th great-grandmother who was born in Pennsylvania during the French and Indian wars.

When Catharine was about ten, she and her family were working out in their fields when an Indian crept up and snatched her baby sister who had been placed on the ground as the family worked. Seeing this, her mother rushed the Indian, struck him with her rake but was immediately killed with one blow from his tomahawk. Catharine, her father and her baby sister were taken captive and marched to Ohio. At one point, the Indians threatened to throw the baby into a stream to drown it due to her incessant crying. Catharine pleaded so passionately an old squaw took pity and allowed her to soothe and quiet the infant.

After a year, her father and sister were released. But the tribe had taken a liking to Catharine and so kept her with them, treating her as an adopted member of their extended family. She was eventually assigned to be a caregiver for an old warrior chief who could no longer hunt or travel with the other men. She prepared his foods and kept him comfortable.

For seven years she lived among her captors and with each year was given more and more freedom to travel beyond the camp as they came to view her as one of their own. One day, as she was in the woods gathering roots, herbs and firewood, she came upon some white men who were building a boat. They offered to take her with them. She agreed, apparently with the blessing of the old Indian chief that was still in her care. He tearfully presented her with gifts of thanks and remembrance to take with her, trinkets that she treasured until the end of her days. 

She lived for a time in the home of one of her rescuers who came to love her as a daughter; even providing her with a formal education. He desired for her to stay with him and his family but she instead chose to be reunited with her biological father whom she had managed to locate at their old family homestead. She eventually married, had children, and moved to Germantown Ohio where she lived until the age of seventy-three. It is said that, at the time of her death, her descendants numbered in the thousands and that there were at least 500 residents of Germantown who were directly related to her.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotape, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.