Me and Dr. Hardgrove - Part II

It's been over five years since I talked about my late friend, Dr. Maurice Hardgrove.

A new story has emerged that needs to be told, out of excitement, and for posterity.

Just a refresher, my original post about him for the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in April 2012.

My heroes were different. My view of "celebrities" was different. Case in point, Dr. Maurice Hardgrove. All my youth, there was this really cool model of the Titanic on top of the large card catalogue in the Fond du Lac Public Library. I always glanced up at it in the adult section (it wasn't in the kids'). One day I looked more closely at the sign inside the glass case it was in and it said that it was built by Dr. Maurice Hardgrove. I looked closer and it said that not only did he make it, but he was on the Carpathia (the ship that picked up the survivors of the Titanic) when he was a boy. This was so cool to me. The odds of me meeting one of the remaining survivors of the Titanic at age 15? 0% chance. This was the next best thing. He was equally important from a different aspect of the tragedy we all know. He was my celebrity. I wanted to meet him. I wanted his autograph.

I told my mom. I was 15. "If you want to get me something for my birthday, I'll take Dr. Hardgrove's autograph." I didn't think my mom took it seriously.

She did.

It was the summer of 1990, I was 15 and we came to Milwaukee and I met Dr. Hardgrove and his wife. They were two of the nicest people you could possibly meet. We spent a few hours at their home. After a bit, Dr. Hardgrove stood up and went to a door and said to come with him. I went down to his basement and he pointed at a box, "Jack, can you please bring up that box?" I gladly obliged and brought it upstairs. It turned out to be his box of Titanic items (newsletters from the Titanic Historical Society and his postcards that he kept since he was a boy from the Carpathia and this great photo of him, with his parents, aunt & uncle, and grandparents -- grandfather was a Civil War vet). They were from Fond du Lac and I knew the names. His uncle, Dr. Frank McGauley pronounced my great-grandfather dead on April 3, 1916. His grandfather, the Civil War vet, was Maurice McKenna, a well respected attorney in Fond du Lac, who wrote the 1912 History of Fond du Lac County. They were also were friends with Fond du Lac's most prominent doctor, William Minahan, who would go down on the Titanic just two nights after this photo was taken.

Young, 8 year old Dr. Hardgrove is standing right over his grandfather's shoulder. I asked him what he remembered and he told me that he couldn't sleep that night and he snuck out of the cabin and went into the hallway. He saw two crewmembers who were talking about how the ship was turning around. Then they saw him and told him he better get back to his cabin. He also remembered that everyone tried to bring warm blankets and clothes up to the deck after the survivors were on board.

Didn't read that in a book. I heard it first hand.

HERE IS THE TWIST!

So now there IS a book about the passengers' recollections from the Carpathia, and Dr. Hardgrove's parents, uncle and grandparents are among the stories! There's even a reference to Dr. Hardgrove himself!

According to his mother, the ship was 60 miles away from the Titanic when the distress call was received. It took a day to find their friend, Mrs. Minahan on board. The family, including his grandparents, the McKennas, took in a newly widowed woman and her two little girls in their room. Her name was Ada Mary West, age 33. She was second class passenger, traveling with her husband Edwy Arthur West, age 36, and her daughters Constance Miriam West (age 5) and Barbara Joyce West (age 11 months).

The date of the photo of the West family is unknown, but is guessed to have been taken in 1911. The family was traveling to Gainesville, Florida. A recollection of the fateful night in 1912 from Mrs. West has been located:

'We were all asleep when the collision took place, but were only jolted in our berths - my husband and children not even being awakened, and it was only the hurrying of passengers outside the cabin that caused alarm. The steward bade us all get up and dress thoroughly with plenty of warm things. Arthur placed lifebelts upon the children and then carried them to the boat deck. I followed carrying my handbag. After seeing us safely into the lifeboat Arthur returned to the cabin for a thermos of hot milk, and, finding the lifeboat let down he reached it by means of a rope, gave the flask to me, and, with a farewell, returned to the deck of the ship.'

They had boarded lifeboat # 10. Edwy's body would never be recovered. The other kicker? Mrs. West was also pregnant!

The families, as both Dr. Tim Hardgrove (Dr. Hardgrove's father) and Maurice McKenna stated in their own words, were poorly dressed for the cool air. The word McKenna used several times about the survivors was "pathetic".

Dr. Hardgrove's mother stated: "We did what we could. One little girl has Maurice's blouse on for a dress, one lady my shoes, etc."

Dr. Hardgrove gave his shirt for the little girl pictured above who just lost her father and was going through what we would now call post-traumatic stress disorder. He was 8 1/2. Seeing the faces of the people that he encountered hit me as a very real, very human moment. I felt reconnected instantly to him and his family again.

This is a photo of Mrs. West and her girls a few years later.

Maurice McKenna, Dr. Hardgrove's namesake, stated that while Mrs. West rested, he took the young Constance up to the deck for some fresh air. She asked him for a pencil and some paper, which he obliged. She then addressed a letter to "Daddy" asking him what was keeping him and that they arrived on the ship (Carpathia) before him. When she finished her letter, she gave it to McKenna and asked him to deliver it to her father when he found him on the ship. He knew Mr. West's fate and said "we all knew that her father was deep in the Atlantic Ocean, but no one dared to tell the child the truth."

Let that sink in for a minute. These recollections that he could not illustrate for me when we met have been revealed in full detail to me now. It is incredible.

To me, this is what makes history real. The Titanic is a very personal story for me.

Dr. Hardgrove and his parents.

I said it before, and I'll say it again, God bless Dr. Hardgrove and his family. God bless the Carpathian. God bless the souls and families affected by the Titanic tragedy. 



The black and white photo postcard is another gift from Dr. Hardgrove. It was a postcard he actually kept from the Carpathia, April 1912.

Summer Reading Recommendations

Summer Reading Recommendations

For as long as I can remember, summer has always been a time to read. I guess it's the warm weather, relaxing mindset and want for escape. To further support the name of my blog, I have ten books that I would recommend to anyone, at any time -- especially summer.

Bonus picks: 1776 -- David McCullough

Want to understand why 1776 was so important in American History. History teachers didn't have these resources or time to tell you these stories. The ingenuity of the Americans is never-ending.

American Lion -- Jon Meacham

How about a complete enigma? There is not a tougher US President that was also so contradictory, as Jackson. Starting from a questionable marriage that led to the first real Presidential election (mud slinging and all), to a man with a brutal Indian removal policy, yet adopts one as a stepson.

10) The Last Lincolns -- Charles Lachman

What happened after Lincoln was killed? We know Tad died shortly thereafter, and Mary went on to an insane asylum as a result of a nasty dispute with her eldest son, Robert-- but what about his children? The line has died out, but how? What about Abraham Lincoln II?

9) Horse Soldiers -- Doug Stanton

We cannot ever forget 9/11, but what did the soldiers have to do when the US sought justice? The ancient world crashes into the most advanced armed forces in the world. Just a stunning revelation.

8) Stealing Lincoln's Body -- Thomas J. Craughwell

Who would've ever thought of holding a Presidential corpse for ransom? Sounds ridiculous? It happened, and on the eve of the Centennial celebration of American independence. This outrageous story reads like a novel and is something that will likely surprise you.

7) When Pride Still Mattered -- David Maraniss

Like him or not, Vince Lombardi is likely the most revered coach of all time. This is the most personal account I ever read of someone's life. I didn't want to finish the book because I knew he died, but I felt like I personally knew him and didn't want to suffer the loss. Amazing writing.

6) On Hallowed Ground -- Robert M. Poole

This is a fantastic explanation of how once revered US General Robert E. Lee has his home sequestered and becomes the most famous and important cemetery of the US -- Arlington National Cemetery.

5) The Sinking of the Eastland -- Jay Bonasinga

Fast paced and brutally graphic, learn about the biggest loss of life since the Titanic, and it happened in the heart of Chicago during a company picnic.

4) Grant's Final Victory -- Charles Bracelen Flood

This thing should be a movie. Bernie Madoff wasn't the first to use a ponzi scheme; and poor retired President U.S. Grant had his fortune wiped out. Terminally ill, Grant races against time to release his memoirs, with Mark Twain as his editor.

3) Operation Mincemeat -- Ben Macintyre

Can a corpse fool Hitler? Did spies like James Bond exist in WWII? The answers are yes and almost. One of the main areas behind this ingenious and critical mission was none other than James Bond creator Ian Flemming. Spy novel of the realest kind -- true.

2) Firestorm at Peshtigo -- Denise Gess & William Lutz

Another great fast paced, novel like book. It was a real page turner and is in my top three favorite books of all time. Everyone remembers Chicago, but that same night, Peshtigo burned and with much worse results.

1) Ghost Soldiers -- Hampton Sides

My favorite book, flat-out. American ingenuity meets WWII in the Pacific Theater. Unreal, exciting and quite frankly I have no idea why it hasn't been made into a movie. This is the first Army Ranger rescue mission and it's fast paced and so well written, you won't be able to put it down.

How an angry 19 year old made our world, 100 years ago today....

(or if only the driver knew how to drive)


Lots of people don't know about World War I, the Great War. It was truly the beginning of our modern world. It all happened in a little unsuspecting part of Europe most people can't even point out on a map -- Sarajevo, Bosnia.

When people hear of Bosnia, chances are they think of the Bosnian war of the early 1990s, the ethnic cleansing and the travesty of Slobodan Milošević. Most people don't even know what a Balkan is. The middle of eastern Europe sure knew. This area had been left to the feudal world for centuries. The rolling mountains, the desolation, the tribal people all essentially left to fend for themselves, be overtaxed while the rich landlords made the rules. It went through wars over the territory but had not been independent since Medieval times. The floundering Ottoman Empire (Turkey and the far East) had ruled for hundreds of years, but was slowly falling apart. All empires were, they just didn't know it yet.

So the Ottomans gave their "problem child" to the Austrian Hungarian empire -- the direct remains of the old Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne dating back to the 900s. This expansive empire was also in its decay. The emperor who lived thousands of miles away from his subjects had no idea, nor care, what was happening to the bottom of the caste system. This would haunt them and they would pay.

The Balkans were a powder-keg waiting to ignite. On June 28, 1914, a young educated poor 19 year old had had enough. He had attended school away from the rolling hills of his family's home during a very radical period. Some were anarchists, others communists, and so on. His opportunity knocked when the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian empire came for a little visit.

The king of the empire was Franz Joseph,

who was ailing in health and had lost his son and the heir to the empire almost two decades earlier (Rudolph would enter a love-suicide pact with his female companion and kill himself). Now the unclear future had to be addressed, and quickly as Joseph got older. His nephew, Franz (Francis) Ferdinand was prepped to take over. He was inept to say the least. Much like the leaders of the old empires of Russia, Spain, and others these leaders were raised in a privileged world loaded with luxuries beyond comprehension while the "yes men" buffered them from the harsh realities of the suffering of so many.

On a goodwill tour to its "protectorate" Serbia, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife went to visit Sarajevo. Gavrilo Princip knew the motorcade was coming and he was ready.

There had already been some backlash on the route including bomb detonations, so the route was altered slightly to accommodate the Archduke. The old car, a modern marvel but also still a new machine to understand and control, travelled across the Latin Bridge. As the car continued on its course, it overshot a turn and lurched a bit into the crowd standing by. The inexperienced driver stopped and began to back up. Princip had just stepped out of a café, approached the stopped vehicle, stepped onto the sideboard and fired his pistol at the Archduke's wife Sophie into her abdomen. Then he shot Ferdinand in the neck.

He was seized almost immediately, but a dying Ferdinand cried out to his wife "Don't die darling! Live for our children!". They both died.

Ferdinand's shirt

Lying in state

The car today

The gun that started World War I

The assassin

A furious Joseph essentially stepped forward, backed by a military pact with the Germans and their king (Kaiser) Wilhelm issued an ultimatum. Hand over Princip and surrender any co-conspirators in Serbia and the issue would be addressed. Serbia had its own military agreement with Russia, whom it felt was the lesser of two evils. Backed by the Tsar, Nicholas II, Serbia said, no thanks, we'll take care of this. The standoff lasted 30 days. Then the war began.

This was a fall of empires. By the time the war would be done, a new type of modern warfare had been created, wreaking havoc not only on the soldiers but the citizens too. Mustard gas, tanks, trenches, airplanes, machine guns, naval battles, it had it all.

Kaiser Wilhelm (right) was a distant cousin of Tsar Nicholas (left). Their genetics were not enough to stop this. Their mutual cousin, King George (middle) in England couldn't stop it and had to defend Russia and France (the Triple Alliance). The war was a stalemate after the first year.

No one knew how to end it.

However, the people knew how to end it. Russia finally collapsed. The Tsar was ousted in March 1917, and he abdicated in favor of his brother. His brother followed suit the next day. Now the vacuum began and the "Reds" led by Vladimir Lenin seized the moment of the unstable provincial government that had been established. By 1918, Lenin was in power and told the Allies they were not interested in a war, and pulled out. America had joined in on the side of it's British friends in 1917, essentially replacing Russia. Nicholas, his family, some servants, a doctor and even their dog were brutally assassinated in exile in 1918.

Their bodies would be mutilated and dumped in a mine, found once in secret in the '20s, would not find a final resting place until 1997. Yeah, that's Boris Yeltsin, Putin's successor.

 

The Germans weren't far behind, and in November 1918, Wilhelm was out as the monarchy was abolished. This finally weakened the country and the war ultimately collapsed on itself as the empires imploded. Joseph was already dead in 1916 so the country was ripe for the picking. At least Wilhelm got to live in exile until 1941.

To the victors go the spoils, and they did. France, America, Britain and to some degree a lesser ally, Italy, went to Versailles in Paris in 1919 and began to spilt up the world. It was here that the colonies of Germany were seized and reallocated, leading to the collapse of many governments in Africa, which still suffer from lawlessness today.

Arabia was created to buffer the Turks and Muslims while making sure parts of modern day Iran and Iraq would be accessible to the European powers for their oil-rich fields.

Poland reappeared after being absorbed by the Russians. This wasn't done as a favor to the Polish, but rather to create a buffer between Europe and the curious new nation, the Soviet Union. And you know, that Poland place was in the way for the Nazi's in 1939 when they invaded and started WWII.

Germany was completely dissolved. There was no military allowed. Land west of the Rhine River was taken over as a non-militarized zone maintained by the Allies. How was this so impactful? Many viewed the Treaty of Versailles, signed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month (Armistice Day, now Veteran's Day) as a 20 year cease fire.

 

Armistice Day in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

 

 

Many disenfranchised, like Princip, had their hatred grow of the outsiders. This would simmer under the surface until a certain, angry man from Austria inspired the people to reunite Germany -- Adolph Hitler.

The American President, Woodrow Wilson, was a strong intellectual (albeit a racist one) who believed things could be resolved by talking. He pushed for and helped create the League of Nations. This was the forefather of the United Nations. The problem was, they had no actual power to legislate or execute any directives. They would ultimately fail and America wasn't even able to join as the bickering between political parties (Wilson, a Democrat, and the newly Republican controlled Congress) would not ratify the agreement to join. It also is argued to have cost Wilson his chance at re-election.

 The Ottoman Empire had it's own Arab Revolt in 1916 that tore away at itself leaving a much smaller remnant, Turkey.

The Austrian-Hungarian empire was broken apart with newly formed nations that included Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Ukrane. Do many of these countries sound familiar? They should, as the Nazis and the Soviets would seize these countries for their own purposes over the next several decades, the "Third Reich" and the "Iron Curtain". Many of these countries still suffer from inept governments and are in the news daily.

And that's just the start of it. Nations that weren't even involved in the war were reaching out to the leaders of the victorious countries trying to have their sway of influence; this included the Japanese, the Koreans and even a dishwasher from far away Vietnam, who was concerned about the future of his homeland; Wilson should have probably listened to future Vietcong leader Ho Chi Minh. Do you see the pattern? Japan (WWII), Korea (still a problem), Vietnam? It was all laid out in Paris in 1919.

The action that was taken by Gavrilo Princip one hundred years ago was nothing less than throwing a rock into a still pond and watching the rings echo across. We are still feeling those waves today. People know about Hitler and WWII, Vietnam, and even more recently the Iraq war, but it was June 28, 1914 that set our world as we know it in motion. Learn about the Great War and appreciate it for the men and women (women were on the warfront too, just not in battle) that helped us pass from "the past" into our current era.

And now, today, June 28, 2014, a statue was unveiled of Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. Villain or hero?
It depends on your perception of history.

JFK - November 22, 2013

50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President Kennedy

 

What draws us to JFK half a century later? His charisma? His demure, beautiful wife? His adorable children? His war record? His eye toward the future? His football with the family?
Some of all of it. It's easy to be sentimental looking back at our country's leader who was slain before thousands in broad daylight, the victim of a desperate loner who wanted fame in the worst way.

It mimicked Lincoln, both elected a century apart, both assassinated while at the height of popularity.

I was born in 1975, 12 years after JFK was killed. I have no recollection of him, or the tragedy that was seared into the collective consciousness of America on November 22, 1963. I can tell you where my parents and grandparents were though. I can tell you what they were doing and what their reactions were. Flash back a generation, and December 7, 1941 was seared into the memories of my grandparents and great-grandparents. Flash forward a generation, and we had September 11, 2001.

Kennedy was a flawed man and president. We are all flawed. Do I think he accomplished a huge amount? No. He did accomplish many things, but he also became fixated on things that he should have let go, like Cuba. He created the Peace Corps. He pressed forward with man stepping onto some other celestial body that was not the earth. He was a symbol.


A symbol of hope. Of the next generation taking control of the helm of the US. People watched him lose a son just months before he would be assassinated. His funeral would be held on his son's third birthday. With my son's third birthday next month, I would be lying if I didn't say that really struck a cord with me.

Many people would say they felt that JFK's assassination was the unraveling of America sending it into a decade of turmoil, but it was already a powder keg. It's debatable, but probable that the event in Dallas that happened 50 years ago tomorrow did put things in motion, or at least gave them a push.

So why does it matter to me? I grew up in a Kennedy household. My aunt campaigned for him in Fond du Lac and she, along with my mom, met not only JFK, but RFK. They got their autographs. Too bad it wasn't the cell phone age, or there'd have been tons of photos, but there weren't.

I think my name says it all as to my connection. It is more than a coincidence that my mother grew more and more fond of the name "Jack".

I'm not going to play scholar tonight and stand on a soap box. I just would like to remind everyone that every generation has a sheer tragedy that reshapes their foundations and perspectives. My generation has experienced ours, but this is my parents'. This isn't about politics because I honestly believe if I were of the Republican party and not the Democratic, I'd still feel the same way. A young, inspirational leader struck down. A son and daughter robbed of their father. A wife of her husband. A nation of its leader.

Some day I'll write more, but I thought it would be wrong if I didn't put my personal feelings out there about John Fitzgerald Kennedy. May you rest in peace and thank you for living on "eternally". For it is said, and true, that something lives only as long as the last person who remembers it. With the eternal flame, you will not be forgotten.

The Reverend Waller's Bi-Centennial

7/24/13

That seems like a normal July day to most people. It's 200 years in the waiting for me.

Today, July 24, 2013, is the 200th anniversary of the birth of my great-great-great grandfather, Comfort Babcock Waller.

This is honestly a very personal day for me. That may sound crazy to most, but it's true.

It all started with this:

My maternal grandmother's father died when she was four so she didn't remember him much. He is buried in a simple grave with a simple marker, hand-chiseled by his wife's second husband. Was he a threat dead when she died in 1944? Nope, but her second husband made sure there was an empty grave between her and Frank Waller, my great-grandfather for all of eternity.

I remember going around to the cemeteries with my maternal grandfather as a boy and watering all of the flower boxes we'd put out every spring until fall. That's when I asked about F. Waller and why he had a geranium that we kept up. That's when I learned about the past.

You have to understand that as an only child, I spent an enormous amount of time with my grandparents because they lived just a short ways away from me and I'd see them usually daily (often several times a day for hours on end). I'd do anything to please them.

Then my grandpa bought six photo albums on Sidewalk Sale day in downtown Fond du Lac, I believe in 1987 (he loved a good deal). He then asked me to help him organize the loose photos in two drawers of their desk in the bedroom. So I did. Then I heard the stories as I would ask who people were. Next thing I knew, I was typing it out on homemade biographical data sheets on their typewriter to keep everyone straight. That was the end of my leisure time; I've been hooked on genealogy ever since.

Seeing my grandma didn't know much about her dad, I wanted to help her learn. The information she gave me outside of her father's siblings (most of whom she knew), the parentage was completely wrong. She thought her father was born in Scotland in a town that started with the letter "N". When I found her parents' marriage certificate from Fond du Lac in 1902 stating he was born in Wisconsin, she was so upset, she didn't talk to me for a day! She said I had the wrong family, etc., etc. I didn't.
                                                                                                          My great-grandfather Frank Waller

 

My late Uncle Dave took me to the county Register of Deeds, introduced me to her (ironically, she had defeated his brother, the incumbent for the position) and they showed me how to check the indexes and look up the records.

I found Frank's father, Lorenzo (grandma thought it was Peter). Then I found his marriage and death records and they said his father was C.B. Waller. More digging identified him as Rev. C.B. Waller. Minister? No one said anything about minister. The initials were spelled out on one of the certificates: Comfort Babcock Waller.

The name was familiar because my great-grandfather Frank had a younger brother, Comfort Babcock Waller. I went to my grandparents' apartment and told my grandma. She said that she remembered at his funeral in 1958 that she was shown the family plot in a rural cemetery miles outside of Fond du Lac and that she was told her grandfather (Lorenzo) was buried there, along with his parents -- his father was a minister. Oh, she thought it was Methodist.

 

That was wrong too (but trust me, most of what my grandparents told me turned out to be correct, but that's another story). I looked up some obituaries and found that Rev. C.B. Waller was a Freewill Baptist minister, not to be confused with "regular" Baptists. I had no idea who they were, what their beliefs were or anything. Of course this is well before the Internet, so I was pretty much stuck.

My next lead was a marriage certificate that Rev. Waller wrote completely in his own hand for his daughter Marilla.

It listed the county she was born in back in Ohio. I contacted the county historical society who provided me with information including some records from 1840 referencing a church that was founded on his property!

Gold mine!

Of course photos would be nice. Unfortunately for my great-grandmother who was a widow at 32 in 1916, she needed a husband, quickly. Frank died April 3rd, and on September 5th, she married Clarence Thornburg. When that happened, her Waller in-laws basically said, you're not a Waller anymore. A few photos had trickled down to my grandmother and as she grew older and some of the frost melted, she was provided with a few more. She had in total five photos of her father, one of her grandfather taken shortly before his death, and zero beyond that.

I put together what I could based on the limited information that I had found and presented my grandmother with her father's biography that I typed up manually for her birthday, August 28, 1993. It would turn out to be her last, she passed away December 12th that year.

My journey did not stop, but grew more fierce. Yes, I was in college, but my thirst was not quenched. I was relentless, which I'm sure both my mom and wife can attest to. I continued to follow down any leads that I could over the years and "met" several distant relatives.






Finally, on April 1, 2004, I received an email after responding to a posting on Rootsweb.com about David M. Waller who served out of WI in the Civil War. Was anyone familiar with him? I was, it was the Reverend's son who was captured and died in Andersonville. The man had responded not only with a photo of David, but the twins....my great-great grandfather Lorenzo and his brother Alonzo, and a couple identified as "Grandma and Grandpa".









Was this the face of Rev. Waller after all these years? I was sure, but the distant relative cautioned me that it could have been on a different branch (this was through Comfort & Nancy's daughter Mary). However, the style of the photo suggested Civil War era and the "grandfather" on the other non-related branch died in 1859, prior to these types of cabinet photos. There was a tax stamp (ordered by President Lincoln) on the back of the photo he had in his custody and those were issued after the other man was dead. It had to be him. I kept thinking "This isn't an April Fool's joke, is it?".

A while later, I found another distant cousin from Ann Waller's branch, the eldest child of the Reverend. He told me that he had a family Bible and looked in it to help me update my records. He was kind enough to make photocopies and send them to me. There it was! The same photo of Comfort & Nancy Waller, identified, along with separate portraits. Comfort's even stated "Traveling preacher and cooper". I was right and beat the odds! It took me 17 years, but by God, I found it. I found it again through the Reverend's brother's family again earlier this year.

By now the Internet was quite powerful and allowed me to locate another person researching the Freewill Baptists in the Fond du Lac area. The next thing I knew, we had co-founded the Wisconsin Freewill Baptist Historical Society and found the descendant of the first Freewill Baptist minister in the state dating back to 1840. It was through this that in 2007, my wife and I participated in a Civil War re-enactment, and I was fortunate enough to represent the Reverend. It was something I'll never forget.

Focusing on the ever-growing Waller family history that I have been trying to write for the last 11 years (researching for 26), I was determined to have it written and published for the Reverend Waller's bicentennial of his birth.


Here I sit now, the deadline has come and gone. I didn't make it. Not because I failed but because so much new information has come to me since my refocusing back in January of this year, that I've found many new distant cousins, broken down some more brick walls, found more photos, filled in more blanks and through one of the cousins, even found over 70 pages of letters from the Civil War from the Reverend's son, Harlow (right).

All of this will go into the book, but I'm not there yet. I had to finally cave in to hire a professional researcher for the third time in New York because I cannot find Comfort's parents. I found his mother, but no surname. His father "died when he was quite young". I found a Comfort Waller who died in the same county the Reverend was born in, Washington County, NY, in February 1813. That means if this was his father, he never even got to meet him. Another handwritten note floated by a distant relative suggested his father's name was John. The resources in Washington County have dried up and I cannot find who his father was.

Once that link is made, the rest of the Wallers have been traced back to their origin, the Norman invasion of England under William the Conqueror in 1060. That means once I have the final link, I will have traced the family back a millennium. 1,000 years. I cannot fathom it to be honest.

I need that link for the book to be complete. Without it, I'll never be satisfied. I would rather delay the book and have everything right than hurry and continue to make updates and spend additional money for revised editions.




So here I am, 38 years old having started at 12. I had the opportunity to question three of my four grandparents and have researched all branches of my family. Some with great or limited success, others are still a brick wall, but the Waller branch has been special. Extra special for me. This is where it all started. With partial information and a scattering of photos. Now I've been able to compile a family history, starting off with the life of my great-great-great grandfather whom I knew nothing about. The draft is hovering over 700 pages right now, and growing.

Now I know that this man was an abolitionist, a minister, likely involved in the Underground Railroad as he travelled from Ohio to Wisconsin fairly frequently (and lived on one of the Wisconsin routes), had a lake named after him where he performed baptisms. I've located his mother & step-father's graves. I've not only found all of his family, and located photos of all of his children, but corresponded with at least one person in each of the branches in modern times. I have three photos of him, along with the complete original church record book from the church founded on his property in Lykens, Crawford County, Ohio, but also have photos of all of the churches that he served at. One cousin even provided me with a copy of a letter in his hand to his daughter Ann, giving fatherly advice as she left home to become a woman.

This has been one hell of a ride. I think if the Reverend Waller were alive today, he'd be surprised and happy that someone knows a little about him. I also think he'd be somewhat embarrassed that someone spent so much time focusing on him, but you know, this really wasn't about him -- it was about me. Who I am and where I came from. The story of me and of my ancestors. I've learned a lot and learned that the meaning of life, to me at least, is family. I have learned a lot from my great-great-great grandfather and I never even met him. Thank you my dear ancestor for being there, so I can be here.

 

Happy Birthday Reverend Waller,

Love from your great-great-great grandson,

Jack Copet

7/24/1813 - 7/24/2013


                                                                       CHURCHES                                             

                                      Trenton Freewill Baptist Church, Washington Co., WI

 

 

Fond du Lac Freewill Baptist Church, WI

 

Oakfield Freewill Baptist Church, WI

 

 

Waupun Freewill Baptist Church, WI

 

 

 

 

 

2007

 

 

Sermon, parade raise thoughts of days past

By Audrey Juds
Correspondent

Posted: Sept. 12, 2007

The sun was beating down at full strength for Prospect Hill Historic Day on Sept. 9. As the bell in the Freewill Baptist Church was calling parishioners to the noon re-enactment of an old-time service, the Rev. C.B. Waller and his wife, Alana, led a parade of worshippers into the church.

The couple was dressed in black, much too warm for even the one-block walk from the historic buildings across National Avenue. Some of the women following them wore long dresses and carried parasols.

As organist Kay Jashinsky was playing prelude music on the antique organ, the pastor stepped up to the altar, mopping his brow. He faithfully wore the long, black preacher-style coat, much too heavy for summer weather.

We've heard how old-time preachers would give hour-long sermons. But these parishioners, who filled the place to standing-room only, fortunately got just a sampling.

I was expecting a fire and brimstone-type sermon. Waller, however, had consulted New Berlin historian Libbie Nolan, who provided him with a copy of the Rev. Ransom Dunn's sermon, "A Discourse on the Freedom of the Will."

Reading through several pages of this material, Waller told his congregation God is all-knowledgeable and wishes to see the wicked forsake their evil ways. Yet God gives people freedom to choose between sin and holiness. Waller concluded it is through this free will the historic building was named Freewill Baptist Church.

Originally the preacher was supposed to arrive on horseback, but the horse was missing.

However, it was waiting for him after the service, so Waller got to ride it the short distance back to the park and later in the parade along National Avenue.

Among the antique equipment and automobiles in the parade, was a 1945 Jeep provided by the New Berlin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post.

Other popular events included the Spring City Squares dance and storytelling at the schoolhouse. Some of the stories were whoppers. Civil War encampment participants added to the fun with shooting demonstrations, plus there were the usual barrel rides, family games and a raffle.

The church dates to 1859. When it closed its doors in 1925 due to waning membership, it was taken over by the Freewill Baptist Ladies Aid Society, now known as the Prospect Aid Society.

Most of this building was consumed by a fire April 11, 1985. Fortunately, it was rebuilt based on plans on file in Washington D.C., and it remains on the list of national historical buildings.

The next Historic Day event is Apple Fest on Sunday, Oct. 7. The buildings are open from noon to 4 p.m. during the four festival events held each year.

Audrey Juds is a longtime New Berlin resident who worked as a reporter covering the city for 25 years.

 

 

Fundraising mishap found in the Milwaukee Sentinel from 1860

 

 

 

 

 Detailed obituary

Publicity

 

 

 

Waller's Lake

 

 

 

 

The following are marriages that have positively been confirmed as having been performed by Reverend Comfort B. Waller. They are in chronological order:

Full name of husband	Full name of wife	Place of marriage	Date of marriage	Minister
William Hughs	Elvira (spelling?) Owen	Scott, WI	January 19, 1856	C.B. Waller
James Stanley	Mary (spelling?) P. Lefever		September 24, 1856	C.B. Waller
Melvin Cole	Marsha Multer	Scott, WI	June 21, 1857	C.B. Waller
John Ruck	Emeline Buchannan	Scott, WI	October 24, 1858	C.B. Waller
Jacob Albright	Lousia Davenport (spelling?)	Scott, WI	March 13, 1859	C.B. Waller
Benjamin Frink	May Tileza (spelling?)	Scott, WI	October 9, 1859	C.B. Waller
John Drake	Elizabeth Staatz	Scott, WI	November 2, 1859	C.B. Waller
Ezra M. Rogers	Harriet L. Hazelton	Trenton, WI	November 13, 1861	C.B. Waller
Christian Albright	Mary Young	Farmington, WI	November 26, 1861	C.B. Waller
John Myers	Elizabeth Wescott	Farmington, WI	December 12, 1861	C.B. Waller
George Rowe, Jr.	Augustine Larrabee	Trenton, WI	December 22, 1861	C.B. Waller
Edmond W. Romain	Celia P. Rusco	Farmington, WI	December 25, 1862	C.B. Waller
John G. Aupperla	Mary A. Hamilton	Trenton, WI	April 15, 1862	C.B. Waller
James Little	Amanda Ann McQueen	Barton, WI	March 12, 1863	C.B. Waller
Lyman P. Root	Ella S. Foster	Barton, WI	November 5, 1863	C.B. Waller
William Brown	Henrietta Hamilton	Farmington, WI	November 17, 1864	C.B. Waller
George Lemley	Elizabeth Norman	Farmington, WI	March 6, 1864	C.B. Waller
Fredrick Schuuhr	May Bolton	Scott, WI	June 26, 1864	C.B. Waller
John D. Taylor	Elisabeth Fliggins	West Bend, WI	September 14, 1864	C.B. Waller
John A. Lasan (spelling?)	Mary A. Houk	Scott, WI	October 6, 1864	C.B. Waller
Benjamin Brottl	Betsey A. Stevens	Trenton, WI	November 9, 1864	C.B. Waller
Asa Stevens	Martha Bullard	Farmington, WI	November 24, 1864	C.B. Waller
James W. Smith	Flora Ann Thomas	Erin, WI	January 4, 1865	C.B. Waller
James E. Cole	Elizabeth J. Drake	Farmington, WI	January 29, 1865	C.B. Waller
Jackson Williams	Martha Thompson	Farmington, WI	April 2, 1865	C.B. Waller
James P. Jenkins	Ester C. Potter	Trenton, WI	April 14, 1865	C.B. Waller
James E. Gese	Loretta Church	Farmington, WI	June 21, 1865	C.B. Waller
James A. Berrian	Imilda Wendell	West Bend, WI	August 17, 1865	C.B. Waller
Newton A. Bolton	Mary L. Norton	Farmington, WI	November 12, 1865	C.B. Waller
Henry A. Ripley	Mary A. Wheeler	Oakfield, WI	November 7, 1867	C.B. Waller
Delia Hatch	Ellen Johnston	Oakfield, WI	September 15, 1867	C.B. Waller
George R. Holt	Marilla Waller	Oakfield, WI	July 17, 1868	C.B. Waller
John Albright	Adelaide E. Taylor	Farmington, WI	June 12, 1869	C.B. Waller
Edwin E. Atkins	Frankie C. Couriet (spelling?)	Oakfield, WI	December 4, 1869	C.B. Waller
Levi Albright	Arlintha L. Ingalls	Farmington, WI	December 30, 1869	C.B. Waller
Charles M. Phillips	Laurah Oakley	Byron, WI	February 20, 1870	C.B. Waller
D.C. Jamison	Blanch J. Ross	Oakfield, WI	July or August 1871	C.B. Waller
Alonzo L. Waller	Lucy A. Beirne	Oakfield, WI	March 18, 1871	C.B. Waller
James H. Beirne	Lodena A. Hubbard	Oakfield, WI	October 1877	C.B. Waller
Lorenzo A. Waller	Listina Kun Wolfgram	Alto, WI	July 15, 1880	C.B. Waller