It's time for some Saturday Night Genealogy Fun!

Here it is, Saturday Night already! My, how the time does fly. Randy's challenge tonight:

1. Which of your ancestors were alive in 1909?
2. Tell us where your ancestral families were living in 1909. What country, state, county, city/town, etc. Who was in the family at the time? Use the 1910 census as "close enough."
3. Have you found each of these families in the 1910 census?

My grandfather, Rolland Victor "Vic" Phend, turned 16 years old on June 19, 1909. In 1910 he was living on Ellsworth Street in Columbia City, Indiana with his parents (my great-grandparents) Henry and Susie (Yarian) Phend and eight younger siblings. Henry was 44 years old and Susie was 37. Their other children residing with them were Cecil (15), Gladys (14), Bernice (10), Russell (9), Donald (6), Virgil (5), Paul (3), and Gerald (1).

My 2nd great-grandfather (Henry's father), Jacob Phend (82), was living in Concord Township, Elkhart County, Indiana with his daughter and son-in-law, Sophia (46) and John (55) Ernest along with one of their sons, Frederick aged 16, and John's mother Maria (81). Jacob's wife, Louisa, had passed away in 1898.

Lovina Viola Berlin (my 2nd great-grandmother and the mother of Susie Lula Yarian Phend) was 65 years old, widowed, and living by herself in Locke Township, Elkhart County, Indiana.

Hazlette Aileen Brubaker (my grandmother and future wife of Vic Phend) was 7 years old in 1909 and living on State Street in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan. In 1910 the family consisted of her father, Charles R. Brubaker (38), mother Maud C. (33), sister Choella J. (7), and brother William H. (5).

My 2nd great-grandparents, William and Malissa (Joslin) Brubaker were still residing on the Goose Lake Farm in Troy Township, Whitley County, Indiana when the census was taken in 1910. William was 66 years old and Malissa was 60. They had purchased the farm about the time they were married in 1871 and lived there until 1911 when they moved into Columbia City.

William Pythagrus and Sophia Elizabeth (Dunfee) Wise (Maud's parents, my 2nd great-grandparents) were living on their farm in Troy Township, Whitley County, Indiana in 1910. William was 58 years old and Sophia was 59. Living with them was their 23 year old daughter, Hazlette (she would be married the next year to Harlo Asher Burns).

My Dad's father, Charles, was 25 years old and living in Tippecanoe Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana with his parents Samuel (56) and Amanda (49) (Alexander) Wiseman. In the household were their daughter Lellah (19), Amanda's half-sister Jennie R. Hover (55), and their grandson Harry C. (3). I suspect that the grandson Harry was really Charles' son Perry Martin Comfort Wiseman who was born in August 1906. I have not yet located Charles' wife Elsie (Shuder) Wiseman, age 25, and their daughter Eva Leah, who was born in February 1908, in the 1910 census records.

Nancy Jane (Lavering) Shuder (my great-grandmother, Elsie's mother) was 55 years old and living in Tippecanoe Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana. She was widowed and head of household. Residing with her were her four sons and one daughter; William H. (33), Charles J. (26), Cleveland (19), Anna M. (16), and Ezra (15).

The tally of those found in the 1910 census: 3 out of 4 grandparents (whereabouts of one is not known), 7 of 8 great-grandparents (the other one was deceased), and 6 of 16 great-great-grandparents (the other 10 were deceased). However, I know where the deceased are all buried and when they died, so the only one of the 28 whose whereabouts is unknown is my grandmother, Elsie (Shuder) Wiseman. She would have been 25 years old and wherever she was, I hope she had her infant daughter Eva Leah with her!

The deceased great-grandfather:

• Isaac Shuder died August 11, 1905 (age 59) buried in North Webster Cemetery, Kosciusko County, Indiana

And the deceased great-great-grandparents (all locations are in Indiana):

• Louisa (Fisher) Phend died April 4, 1898 (age 68) buried in Hepton Union Cemetery, Kosciusko County
• Eli Yarian died January 28, 1895 (age 55) buried in South Union Cemetery, Elkhart County
• Charles Wiseman died August 14, 1895 (age 79) buried in McKay Cemetery, Switzerland County
• Naomi (Bray) Wiseman died December 8, 1908 (age 84) buried in McKay Cemetery
• William Alexander died April 7, 1899 (age 93) buried in Morris Chapel Cemetery, Kosciusko County
• Rachel (Van Curen) Alexander died December 20, 1891 (age 67) buried in Morris Chapel Cemetery
• Christian Schuder died September 2, 1885 (age 72) buried in Syracuse Cemetery, Kosciusko County
• Sarah Nancy (Huntsicker) Schuder died June 14, 1883 (age 66) buried in Syracuse Cemetery
• Daniel Lavering died October 10, 1895 (age 65) buried in Syracuse Cemetery
• Elizabeth Ann (Long) Lavering died November 23, 1895 (age 66) buried in Syracuse Cemetery

What did I learn? Nothing that I didn't already know, but here's a couple "interesting" items:

• Still can't find grandmother Elsie in the 1910 census. I looked, again. For the upteenth time.
• All of the deceased great-great-grandmothers, except one, were 66-68 years old when they died.
• Great-grandmother Nancy Jane (Lavering) Shuder lived to the age of 99 years 30 days.
• Grandfather Rolland Victor Phend lived to the age of 97 years 11 months 30 days.