Monday, May 27, 2024

Time Marches on!

 Oh my, has time passed fast! It seemed like it was just fall and almost summer here. I think it is time to update you on what has been happening.

Our engagement with the community continues to be a priority. We diligently answer all the emails and inquiries that we receive weekly, and we are always thrilled when community members stop by with questions or bring us stories of their family history. Your involvement is what makes our work meaningful!

I write articles for the Springville Journal each week. I love it when people suggest stories or events about which I want to know more.  I research and try to write a story that answers all their questions or shares all the facts they gave me.  I am always open to ideas, so share them with me.

I now go to several Senior Centers and Public Libraries and give talks on our Old Artifacts, the history of the area, the books I have written, how to write your own stories and get them self-published, or the artwork on gravestones.  At each event, I hear the stories of others they share with me.

I assisted Hamburg Middle School, where several students researched and wrote reports on different topics, such as old farm equipment, Victrola record players and songwriters, and old kitchen items.  I helped them understand where to research, what items they were seeing, and how to use them, as well as to inform them about Jack Yellen and all the songs and lyrics he wrote. 

My daughter-in-law's Crime Lit. class in New Hampshire used one of my books, Secrets Buried, and created a timeline.  They all had to research, give me their opinions, and be able to back them up with facts.  I will update this book as I have received information from the FBI and family members, so you can look forward to that this year.

On June 1st, there is an event called Art Crawl, where I will have a few local Authors selling and signing their books. I will also feature my new book, Gather Around the Radio, with Fran Striker, Author of The Lone Ranger and More. 

Let’s go back to the days of Radio programs. How wonderful it was that the family would sit near the radio and listen to the story, the sound effects adding to the imagination. I grew up in the age of television, but my parents would always talk about the shows, so I got cassettes of the “old-time radio shows” to listen to. I also got hooked on them; they took me to a place in my mind where I made the scene come alive as I heard the words and sounds from the speakers. Some of my favorite radio shows were …. The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, and others. Imagine my delight when I moved up to Western New York and found out that the Creator of the series was from this area!! I volunteered at a Church Camp, and lo and behold, I later found out that was where he lived part-time and created some of the stories. Who am I talking about? Fran Striker~ and so the story begins.

ALL OF MY BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED THROUGH ME OR THROUGH AMAZON.

Here is a list of all the books that I have written.

Secrets Buried: The Mysterious Death of Christina Jureller

UPDATE: I have received more information and will soon update this book with more facts and stories from family members who contacted me. Stay tuned!

In the distance, a train blew its whistle as it traveled from town to town. It was October 1936, the weather was still warm, and two men parked their truck on the side of the road to go into the field to enjoy their lunch on that fine day. While looking for a spot to sit and eat, they made a gruesome discovery near the road. The body of a young lady, lying on the ground, covered with fall leaves, eyes partially open, marks around her neck, and sadly dead.

Discover this true story as it unfolds. Christina Jureller got on the train in Springville and headed to Buffalo to visit her niece. She was not on the train when it arrived in Buffalo. Read about the discovery and the phone calls the two men made to the local police department and the FBI to get involved. Learn about each family member and the law enforcers as they try to discover the killer.

Was it her lover who murdered her? A stranger? Why was she left on the Indian Reservation, so far from home, and where was she heading that day? When did she get off the train? Who did she meet? How did she get to the spot where the men found her? You will find the answers within the pages of this book.

I'll Be Home for my Birthday

This is a true story about John Peck Myers. A soldier and P OW of the Civil War, A husband, a father, and an entrepreneur who disappeared in 1895. He survived the Civil War and his time in the Andersonville Prison. He was monumental in erecting the Soldier’s Monument here in Springville for the comrades who lost their lives during the Civil War. He was active in the community and had several businesses. He goes to Buffalo, New York, to handle some business for Dave Ingall’s Will and then to New York City. He writes to his wife and says, go ahead and plan my birthday party; I will be home in time for it… and then he is never heard from again. What Happened? Did he run away and leave his family destitute? Was he murdered? After reading this book, you tell me… an unsolved case from 1895 from Springville, New York.

Reporting from the Past

Book one of this series includes six stories. 

Chapter 1, Aliens Among Us, 

Chapter 2, The Thayer Brothers

Chapter 3, Adventures in Camping from New York to Florida in the 1920s

Chapter 4, Gatling, New York

Chapter 5, Dygert Family Farm, Racetrack, and Horse Racing Exploit

Chapter 6, Fire!!  ( how the fire companies got started in Springville, New York)

 You will learn about various events, some that happened, some that almost happened, and some that did not, and the history along the way.

Letter's Home to Mama

This book is one where I took my Dad's letters home to his mother in WW2 and my mother's letters to introduce herself to his mom. I transcribed the letters and enjoyed seeing their story before they got married in these letters. They met at a Hospitality Hut, later renamed the USO. It was a love story that lasted a long time!


Time Marches on!

 Oh my, has time passed fast! It seemed like it was just fall and almost summer here. I think it is time to update you on what has been happ...