Heirlooms: Little Mementos of Our Ancestors

I've been reading a book for my personal summer reading program called "Gratitude: Affirming One Another Through Stories." By Len Froyen. 2013. I was inspired to compile a list of heirlooms we have by a couple of sentences in a chapter: "Gratitude inspires one generations contributions to the next." and "Gratitude preserves the indispensable heritage of each generation."

Reminds me of my favorite Bible verse found in Proverbs 24:3,4 

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." 

Both of us have a wealth of cards, letters, newspaper clippings, photos and recipes that have been shared with us and they are scattered throughout this blog. Be sure to come back to see this list as it is sure to grow longer, for when we sat down to compile a list of our treasures, things that we had forgotten about kept coming to mind. Why just today, my husband dug down in a cabinet to retrieve something of his dad's! smile! 

Here are some of HIS heirlooms:

Ishmael Rush's Bolo Tie clasp he purchased while  on vacation to South Dakota. 

Ishmael Rush's Cuff Links. 

Marie Rush's Red Willow Plate. It hung in her farmhouse kitchen for years and she gave it to me when she learned I loved the novel "Blue Willow" by Doris Gates.  Both Marie and I shared a love of reading. 📚

Norman Rush's toy car. 

Norman Rush's candlestick that he made in high school shop class. It is dated 1950. 

Bertha Carrender's cookie jar. 

And here are some of HER heirlooms:

Tacy Ullom's graniteware cup. Tacy cooked in her husband's inn before and after marriage in Coffeyville, Kansas and in Streator, Illinois before moving out to Postle in the panhandle of Oklahoma to settle.

Gladys O'Neal's print of the Good Shepherd given to her by her Sunday School class. It is from a painting by Warner E. Sallman.

Gladys O'Neal also had a framed copy of this print which was hanging in one of her bedrooms. She gave it to our son. It is called "The Pilot." Also by Warner E. Sallman. 

Gladys Esther (White) O'Neal worked on her genealogy for 28 years, finally publishing it in 1983. Each one of her children and grandchildren received a copy. There are no more copies and Vera Lane holds the copyright. 

Gladys O'Neal had a little ceramic shop out in her garage. Many of the ceramic pieces was used in the wedding cakes she made for the young couples in the area and as VBS crafts. She took some china painting classes and this is one of the plates she painted. I always thought this plate was lovely, so it came to me upon her death as she had a little note taped to the back of the plate that I was to have it.  

Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale.

Gladys O'Neal received this book for Christmas from her parents, Papa and Mama White when she was a girl. 

Russell Griffith's book "The Little Brown Suitcase" is at the bottom of this post. 

Maurine Ullom's Household Searchlight cookbook that she traded a chicken for.

Maurine Ullom's lamp. It was moved from Maurine and John's 2 story old farmhouse to their new ranch house that John had built in the 1960s on their Postle, Oklahoma farm.

Maurine Ullom's Dutch couple. 

Maurine Ullom's small crockery pitcher. She had a love for dolls and miniatures and she used it for toothpicks. 

We visited Hallie Maple at her 2-story home up in Stanberry, MO several times where she gave me all of her genealogy notes for the Bailey and Morris families and gave me this old doll. She made the dress herself as it was to grace her made bed as a bed doll.  According to the internet, classic boudoir dolls were meant for decoration rather than play and was popular during the 1920s to 1940s. 

Robert O'Neal's 2 year old summer suit he wore for a photo along with long hose that went up over his knees and high top, tie-on oxford shoes. Imagine wrestling a squirmy kid in and out of this outfit. 😁

Little Robert, when about two or three years old, played with these little dolls. As worn as the paint is on the female doll, I'd say his three siblings played with them too! 😄

Lavon Robertson purchased a pair of these lamps as a gift for her mother. They sat on the vanity in the guest bedroom for many years.

Melba Robertson gave Lavon this perfume bottle which sat on her dresser until Lavon's passing. 

Mom's repainted porch glider.

Article written and updated by : Dolores J. Rush. 

It Might Be In Your Genes!

What’s your family disorder (abnormalities) heritage? While doctors cannot predict 100% of the time you or your descendants will have certain disorders, the predisposition to some seem to be genetic in nature, depending on your combination of inherited DNA genes. I have listed some of the patterns or tendencies towards inherited conditions that I've observed in our family tree, both mine and my husband's below. 

Which makes me curious to know where I inherited my pigmentary glaucoma from, because I’ve never heard of any ancestor who has had this disorder. It’s a birth defect. Mom said she really messed me up! LOL! I also have several other conditions that I live with on a daily basis. The blue eyes I was born with will eventually turn brown. Right now they are a hazel color.

Two national health months that have come into my horizon (I'm sure there are many more) is January which is National Glaucoma Month and October which is National Breast Cancer Month. Just like you get your breast exams in October (men shouldn’t be excluded from this as they also can get breast cancer), so January should be your month to get your eye exams, so add them to your planner.


I was diagnosed several years ago with the pigmentary glaucoma. It usually pops up in a persons' middle age and mine did too, right on schedule. It’s a fairly rare disorder I’m told. My eye doctor told me to think of it this way = 100% is the population of the United States = 5% of that 100% have some type of glaucoma, whether they are aware of it or not. 1% of that 5% of all glaucoma patients have my type of glaucoma. And just recently one of my sisters was told she is losing the pigment cells in her irises, a precursor to this condition, since then, she has been diagnosed with macular telangiectasia, a retinal eye disorder and has been enrolled in the Mac Tel Project study (link below). 

I don’t live my life as a hypochondriac in fear, but I’ve become more aware of the physical legacy handed down from my ancestors. I’ve also told our son of the disorders and diseases (infectious) that we know about, so that he can inform his doctor should anything crop up. If you are one of my relatives and know of an ancestor or of another descendant in our generation who has or might have had this eye condition, please drop me a line in the comment section below. 

If you are healthy, Thank God for it! 

Dolores' crooked pinky! 

Update: Scientists found something huge that all blue-eyed people have in common!

Update: Since some members of our family have taken their DNA tests (click here to learn more), we've learned of two adopted-out family members. I have interviewed several of our cousins via email during the updating of this article and some of the disorders below are ones that have been observed being passed down through the generations. 

HER MATERNAL SIDE: addictions, allergies (environmental & food), big bones, blue eyes, bipolar, cleft lip and palate, gallstones & gallbladder removal, depression, diabetes, hypoglycemia, neuropathy, pacemaker, senior dementia, sleep apnea plus nocturnal hypoxia, skin barnacles or seborrheic keratosis, stroke, widow's peak hairline,

HER PATERNAL SIDE: ADD, allergies, baldness, blue eyes, Bright's disease, cancer, color blindness, early grey hair, medium sized bones, glaucoma plus super nuclear palsy, lazy eye, leukemia, metal allergies, nearsightedness, senior hearing loss, sleep apnea, stroke, Type 1.5 Chiari Malformation, Syringomyelia, a retroflexed odontoid plus Ehlers Danlos Syndrome,

UNKNOWN: AB positive, anemia, asthma, astigmatism, clinodactyly (crooked pinkies), colitis (autoimmune disorder), extra vertebra (L-6), fructose malabsorption, gastritis/GERD, lactose malabsorption, osteoarthritis, macular telangiectasia (MacTel Project) pigmentary glaucoma,  congenital short leg (1/2"), situs inversus dextrocardia (rare),  straight-neck syndrome, segmental vitiligo (autoimmune disorder), Triple X Syndrome, ulcer 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

HIS MATERNAL SIDE: allergies, endometriosis, male pattern baldness, gallbladder removal, hypertension, nearsightedness, pancreatic cancer, scoliosis, 

HIS PATERNAL SIDE: appendix ruptures, camptodactyly (bent pinkies), complex febrile seizures, diabetes; neuropathy, O negative, one first cousin has "complete heterochromia" (two different colored eyes), pancreatitis, skin barnacles or seborrheic keratosis

UNKNOWN: chest bone abnormalities, eczema, Osgood-Schlatter,  straight neck syndrome, strawberry hemangioma birthmark, sleep apnea; 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

More to Read:
Old Names of Diseases 

Compiled by Dolores J. Rush, Updated: 6/9/2022.

Ancestry DNA Test Results

I'm kind of skeptical about DNA testing, but David was curious to know about his, especially since Ancestry.com was offering a sale on the test.  So, he spit into the test tube provided, sent the box off and these are the results that came back today:

HIS TEST RESULTS: 

44 % Great Britain 
40 % Ireland, Scotland & Wales
11 % Western Europe
4 % Scandinavia

(No surprises on any of those, however, the one below is! Hum!)

1 % Middle East 

~~~~~~~~~~

HIS UPDATED TEST RESULTS ON 9.23.2020

54% England & Northwestern Europe

24% Scotland

9% Ireland

7% Wales

6% Norway

(9/2/2021)

England & Northwestern Europe 54%

Scotland 24%

Ireland 9%

Wales 7%

Norway 6%

(20 Sep 2021)

England & Northwestern Europe 45%

Scotland 17%

Ireland 14%

Wales 12%

Norway 10%

Sweden & Denmark 2%

~~~~~~~~~~ 

A cousin who has had the DNA testing done said: "Ancestry uses an autosomal DNA test. It's the best of both worlds in that it tests for maternal and paternal ancestors." 

Remember that the DNA test is a tool to further your genealogical research. For instance, if you have hit a brick wall and haven't figured out how to get over it or around it, this might give you clues as to where to go next in your search for the next piece of the family jigsaw puzzle. Your family tree will probably not be all laid out for you unless you happen to find the treasure of a genealogical book compiled by a relative. It will take a little work on your part, beginning with yourself and working backward to make your personal family tree. Of course, there will be cousins along the way who have been on a similar genealogical journey that you can exchange information with. That's the fun part - getting acquainted with cousins whose ancestors knew your ancestors and either died or moved and lost touch with each other. 

* * * * * * * * *

I finally received my test results from Ancestry.com.

HER DNA TEST RESULTS ON 4.16.2018. Born Brunette with Blue Eyes.

England and Wales - 70%
Ireland and Scotland - 27%
Norway - 3%

Additional Communities in the USA"

1. Lower Midwest & Virginia Settlers (includes northern Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Northern North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.) 

The closest DNA match was a previously unknown nephew. My match list grows longer day by day and has become overwhelming. Some of my matches have family trees, but many do not. 

I heard that the DNA results only measure back approximately 500 years, which for me would indicate the ancestors who lived about 1521. DNA may help with brick walls. One of our brick walls is James White. My grandmother said her parents told her that the Whites came over on the Mayflower (a Fletcher also). It would be nice to compare a known Mayflower White descendant's DNA with mine.

                          =========================================

MY DNA UPDATE (15 November 2019) 

1. English, Wales, & Northwestern Europe (66%)
Includes Belgium, the Channel Islands, Denmark, England, France, Switzerland and Wales.

2. Ireland & Scotland (24%)
Includes both North & South Ireland, Isle of Man, and Scotland.

3. Germanic Europe (10%)
Includes Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands & Switzerland. 

                           =========================================

MY DNA UPDATE (17 September 2020) 

Supposedly my DNA doesn't change, but Ancestry's science results do, so here's my Ethnicity Estimate to date (you will see some overlap in the countries represented). 

1. England & Northwestern Europe 55%

Includes the communities of Belgium, Channel Islands, Denmark, Faroe Islands, England, France, Germany, Isle of Man, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland and Wales. 

2. Scotland 20%

3. Ireland 16%

Includes the Channel Islands, England, Faroe Islands, France, Iceland, Isle of Man, and Northern Scotland.

4. Germanic Europe 7%

Includes Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. 

5. Sweden 2%

Norway and Sweden are on the same peninsula arm of Europe. Norway is on the West side and Sweden is on the East side. This Swedish DNA result includes not only Sweden, but also Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands and Norway.

Now wait a minute. Why change it to Sweden when my first results said Norway? What gives? I'd say that their science ain't perfect yet. 

                             ======================================

MY DNA UPDATE (24 September 2021) 

England & Northwestern Europe 44%

Scotland 24%

Ireland 15%

Sweden & Denmark 9% 

Germanic Europe 5%

Norway 2%

Basque 1%

Well, the UK results are about the same, but they have thrown in Basque and we're back to Norway results. I have no idea who may be Basque in my background 500 years ago. 

                           =======================================

No.1 Blonde Sister's 23andme DNA results

British & Irish 78.5%

French & German 17.6%

Broadly European 3%

Italian .2%

Cypriot .7%

and

Neanderthal - less than 2%

                            =======================================

MY DNA UPDATE (20 May 2022)

Indicates distant origins (500 - 1,000 years ago).

Me:

England & Northwestern Europe 54%

Scotland 15%

Ireland 11%

Sweden & Denmark 6%

Germanic Europe 6%

Norway 4%

Wales 4%

The newest thing is figuring out which parent gave me what ethnicity without them ever haven taken a DNA test themselves. I got 1/2 of each of my parent's DNA that combined to make ME! I wonder how many different combinations can be created from just two people's whole DNA?  Here are my results. 

Parent 1 = 

England & Northwestern Europe 33%

Scotland 3%

Sweden & Denmark 6%

Germanic Europe  6%

Wales 2%

Parent 2 =

England & Northwestern Europe 21%

Scotland 12%

Ireland 11%

Norway 4%

Wales 2%

                             =====================================

MY DNA UPDATE (26 Aug 2022)

My DNA Results Have Been Shuffled Around Again!  

England & Northwestern Europe 43%

Scotland 27%

Wales 9%

Germanic Europe 8%

Sweden & Denmark 6%

Ireland 6%

Norway 1%

                             =====================================

MY DNA UPDATE (18 Apr 2023)

This time they have added the two DNA matches that are closest to me and compared our DNA with each other. One is a nephew and the other is a maternal first cousin.

My results again:

England 43%

Scotland 27%

Wales 9%

Germanic Europe 8%

Sweden/Denmark 6%

Ireland 6%

Norway 1%

========================================

Fine Tuning My Test Results (8 Jan 2024)

England and Northwestern Europe 50%

Scotland 23%

Germanic Europe 8%

Ireland 7%

Sweden and Denmark 6%

Wales 4%

Norway 2%

========================================

Okay, I had another kind of genetic test done last August 

and got the results in January 2024.

I am positive for Trisomy X Syndrome. All that means is that I have an extra X chromosome. Women generally have two XX and men have an XY. That’s the gender genes. In my case, either mom’s or dad’s X chromosome that were blended together at my conception, divided before it was supposed to, giving me an extra X at conception. According to the stuff I’ve read online, about 1 in 1,000 girls are born with an extra X. I’ve joined the ranks of the special. 😇 Oh, and mind you, boys can also have a similar condition where they get an extra Y. Also according to what I’ve read, I can’t pass my extra X down to the next generation. Whew! Son missed that bombshell!!!

I also have a variant on another gene, but I don’t know much about it. So when I find out more, I’ll update this post. 

===================================

If you are related to either one of us and feel comfortable sharing here, please feel free to tell us your results in the comments below.

Article updated on 1/8/2024.

Decoration Day

Facsimile of US Flag

In the Rush family, I have observed that Decoration Day is practiced religiously. I don't know how it came to be such an important tradition in the life of this family, but it has been practiced every year by both David's grandparents and continuing the custom, his parents. 

 Right after I met David, I was invited to come down to meet his grandparents and to their Decoration Day commemoration picnic at the Rush Chapel Cemetery. I was unfamiliar with this ritual of eating together at a cemetery, because my immediate family did not observe it nor did any in my circle of friends. Most of our family members were scattered across Kansas and Oklahoma and we only saw them twice a year -- during Christmas and mid-summer holidays from school. Only after I had become a member of the Rush family, did I learn there had been a pioneer Methodist church on the spot where their picnic was held that had been torn down sometime in the 1960s. Family came from near and far to decorate the graves of their loved ones with flowers and it was almost a family reunion of sorts. Since the cemetery is located in hilly terrain between Mary's Home and Tuscumbia, Mo., when driving between all the parked cars on the downhill slope of the gravel road became somewhat of a problem, someone suggested moving the family reunion to Eldon where it has been held every year since then at the Air Park, however, decorating the graves is still practiced. 

Recently I learned about how Decoration Day came to be. It seems that on May 5, 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Commander-in-Chief, John A. Logan, Jr. of Illinois, by General Order No. 11, had assigned May 30, 1868, as a memorial day which was to be devoted to the strewing of flowers on the graves of deceased comrades who had died in the defense of the country during the Civil War. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a national organization begun in Decatur, Illinois on April 6, 1866 for former Civil War Union soldiers and sailors who served between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865. It was organized to preserve brotherly feelings between veterans and to provide for those in need of assistance -- orphans, widows, and disabled servicemen.

Ironically, John A. Logan, Jr. was the son of Dr. John Logan, Sr. whom Logan county, Illinois was honorably named for as suggested by his friend, Abraham Lincoln. My third-great Grandfather, Elder Martin White, was the first elected representative of Logan and (Dane) Christian Counties in the Illinois State House of Representatives (1840-42) after both counties were divided from Sangamon County, IL. in 1839. The surveyor, friend of Lincoln's, John Calhoun, began a petition to have them split off.  

Decoration or Memorial Day has come to be a national holiday, not only for decorating soldier's graves but also for decorating the graves of family members who have passed on. To David's knowledge, there were no GAR members in the Rush or allied families, however there were several who fought on the Union side, namely Jacob Bittle, Granville Carrinder, Wm. S. Golden, Levi Morgan, Rufus B. Roberts, James M. Rush, John Wm. Rush, and Alexander Sullens. 

 More to Read:
1.) How Rush Chapel Came to Be

2) The Photographic History of the Civil War: Armies & Leaders. Edited by Robert S. Lanier. Fairfax Press, New York, 1983.
3.) Elder Martin White biography

4.) Rev. Alexander Sullens biography

William "Bill" McKinley Carrender



Bert & Bill's 50th
Anniversary

William "Bill" McKinley Carrender (1898-1989) = Logger (cut timber for staves). Farmer.  Bill was born on July 24 to George Alfred (1852-1920) and Lucy GOOD CARRENDER (1874-1944) in Cole County, MO. He was their fourth child of five children and their first son. His last years were spent in the care of his first daughter and he died in his sleep at her home in Wyandotte County, Kansas on January 8, but was laid to rest in the same county he was born in at the Hickory Hill, MO. Cemetery.

His wife of fifty-eight years, Bertha "Bert" Edith (1904-1991) was born in Miller County, MO. on April 19 to Joseph (1866-1947) and Mary "Mollie" Elizabeth STAPP GOLDEN (1870-1914). She passed away just a few days shy of her 87th birthday on April 8 in Cole County, MO. They married on January 11, 1931 and their last home together was a small cottage in the tiny village of Henley, Cole Co., Missouri.

Bill and Bert had four children. The first one, a daughter, eloped by bus, to meet and marry her fiancé. He was stationed at the army base, Fort Bliss, in El Paso, TX. They went to Los Cruces, New Mexico to get married by a justice of the peace. Must have been true love as they celebrated their 66th anniversary. And by the way, they begat five children.

Their second daughter, Shirley Mae  (1934-1973), married William Norment and had two boys.

The third one married twice; the second time after she was widowed. She had six children, including a pair of twins by her first husband and two more by her second.

The fourth child, finally a male descendant, Billy Joe Carrender (1939-1986), married Pinky Bias; had three children, but, sadly, his marriage ended in divorce.

Thus Bill and Bert's four children yielded eighteen grandchildren all told. 

More to Read: 

1.  The Car(r)ender, Car(r)inder, Carnder, Cornder, Car(r)inger, Car(r)ander, Car(r)endar, Cor(r)inder, Ker(r)ender, and allied lines, 1740-1990. By Minnie Carender.  Stevenson Print. Co, Richmond, Ind ; 1992. World Cat. 

2. The Rush Report. By Gaynelle Jenkins Moore & David Wayne Rush. Historical Data Services, Glen Falls, NY; 2003. p.187, 260, 291, 300, 357,391, 448, 503. Internet Archive.   

3. Col. Morgan Morgan Reunion website

4. Bill's Findagrave Memorial # 22532962

5. Bert's Findagrave Memorial #22532944

Emigrating Ancestors

My dictionary defines " to migrate" as to change one's place of abode on a seasonal basis such as migrating birds; " to emigrate" means permanently leaving the country or region from a certain point of departure; " to immigrate" is defined as relocating to a country or region in which one is not native in order to settle there; and " to transmigrate" also means migrating or passing from one place or condition to another. 

For our purpose, we are titling this article as "Emigrating Ancestors." They have uprooted themselves from one country and have moved lock, stock, and barrel to another, in this case, to the Americas to seek a better life. As we find more ancestors whom have emigrated from there to here, we'll continue to add them to this list. All dates are approximate. 

GOLDEN, William (1613-1672) Emigrated from Ireland in 1635 on the ship "George Jo." Died in Monmouth Co, NJ.

LOVEALL, Henry (1694-1772). Emigrated from Cambridge-shire, England. Died in Baltimore Co, MD.

MORGAN, Col. Morgan (1688-1766) Emigrated from Wales. Died in Berkeley Co, WV.

RUSH, William (1615-1690); Emigrated 1635. Ship: Matthew of London."

STEPP, James (bc. 1760) England. 

STOUT, Richard (1614-1705); Emigrated from Nottinghamshire, England. Died in Middletown, N.J. 

SULLENS, John (1739-1808) Son of Richard. Emigrated from England. Died in St. Louis Co., MO.

SULLENS, Richard (1720-1771) Father of John, Josiah & Nathan. Emigrated from England. Died in Putnam Co, TN.

Family Crafting

Once upon a time, many young ladies were taught practical skills necessary to run households and provide clothing and meals for their future families. Mothers were the primary teachers, but grandmothers and aunts, if they lived nearby, assisted in the lessons. Boys learned from the men in the family to furnish their families' meat for the table by hunting and fishing. Woodworking skills helped build log cabins and furniture, but today we mostly craft, not out of necessity, but as fun hobbies.

Deliah (BAILEY) LARUE was a milliner (ladies hat-maker) and seamstress by trade. Mom said she can remember Grandma Deliah "Della" coming to visit and making several dresses for her out of matching feed-sacks when a schoolteacher sent a note home from school saying mom’s dresses was immodestly too short. 

One of her daughters, Maurine ULLOM, crocheted lovely afghans and doilies for all her children and grandchildren and taught me how to crochet too. I have a quilt she made me for high school graduation. Later, my mother sewed clothing for my siblings and I. To earn a badge, I learned some simple embroidery skills and knitting from a Girl Scout leader. My sister, joining the home sales team of Creative Moments, taught us how to photo-scrapbook. I took that a step further and taught myself how to rubber stamp, thinking to use it in my scrapbooks later.

Gladys (WHITE) O’NEAL made wedding cakes for years and to decorate them, she made ceramic figures. She taught my mother how to make and paint molded ceramics and my mother, in turn, taught ceramic classes for many years at Janet’s Ceramics. Mom crafted a lacy background arch with a light on a white ceramic base for our Precious Moments wedding figurine that decorated our wedding cake. Sadly the whole thing broke during one of our moves. She also made porcelain dolls and now paints realistic watercolors. 

Bertha (GOLDEN) CARRENDER, crocheted also. She made us a lovely white crocheted tablecloth for a wedding gift. David's mother also crochets and makes tied patchwork quilts.

Nanny Marie RUSH, sewed quilts out of feedbag fabric and crocheted. She was a member of a homemaker’s craft club near where she lived. Both she and my mother-in-law showed me how to make several small crocheted gift items and I have written out the directions to several on my craft blog. Click on links to articles.

Crocheted Potholders

Crocheted Framed Christmas Cards

Last Supper

Scrap Pincushion

My Sunbonnet Card