June Kirk (Gilliland) Lambertson (1898-1951), Adoptive Surname, 52 Ancestors # 8

June Gilliland

The eighth ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my maternal great-grandmother, June Kirk (Gilliland) Lambertson (1898-1951). Previously, I'd written about the details of her life in an Exploratory Data post.

June's origin story has been the subject of the first major mystery in my genealogy research.  Her daughter, my grandmother, told me that June was an orphan, but there was more to that story.  June's father's name remains unknown at this point, and this post will tell how she came to have the Gilliland surname. 

June's birth certificate

June was born in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana on June 11, 1898.   Her birth announcement lists the fact that she was born at the "Door of Hope", which was associated with the Wheeler Mission in Indianapolis.  Her birth certificate lists her as "Infant (female) Davis" and her parents are listed as Atkinson and Ida Davis.  The search for just exactly who June's father was continues, with previous posts on the subject here and here. 

Ida (Davis) Hancock Morris (1874-1900), June's mother, has an entire section devoted to the mysteries of her life on this blog.  She died when June was just two years old, leaving her an orphan.  June also had older sister, Pansy.

Both June and Pansy were taken in and raised by Ida's mother, Mary Ellen (Swafford) Davis Gilliland (1854-1932).  Mary raised her two granddaughters, Pansy and June alongside the two children she had with her second husband, Robert Farrell Gilliland (1850-1916).

June Gilliland

I've not yet located any formal documentation that states that June was formally adopted by her grandmother and step-grandfather, or when exactly she started going by the Gilliland surname.  These records may either be located in Monroe or Owen Counties, Indiana.

June has not yet been located in the 1900 census, but her sister Pansy was found living with the Gilliland's and listed with the surname Davis in Clay Township, Owen County, Indiana.

At the time of the 1910 census in Richland Township, Monroe County, Indiana, June was listed as the step-granddaughter in the Robert Gilliland household as "June Gilliland".  According to newspaper accounts of her baptism at the Ellettsville Baptist Church in 1911, June was using the Gilliland surname.  When she married my great-grandfather in Monroe County, Indiana on June 28, 1917, she listed her surname as Gilliland.  Pansy was also using the Gilliland surname when she married Peter Decker in 1912.

Clemon and June Lambertson

It's pretty evident that June clearly went by the Gilliland surname from a young age, whether or not she was formally adopted by her grandmother and step-grandfather.  Whether she ever knew who her father was or his surname will never be known.

This explains why we have the Gilliland surname in our family tree though we do not have Gilliland ancestry.

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.

Clemon Beals Lambertson (1898-1994), Memories, 52 Ancestors # 7

Clemon Lambertson, 1916, likely Cicero, Indiana

The seventh ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks project is my maternal great-grandfather, Clemon Beals Lambertson (1898-1994), who married June Gilliland (1898-1951), on June 28, 1917 in Monroe County, Indiana. I had previously written about the events of his life in an Exploratory Data post.
Grandpa Clemon was the oldest ancestor that I have memories of having direct interaction.  Although we didn't interact very much, I do have a few memories of him.

The earliest memory I have of him was being at his house on Silver Street in Anderson, Indiana in the mid-1970s.  I don't remember the circumstances, but I do remember being at the house and seeing family pictures on the wall.  I also remember it not being too far to the Best-Ever Dairy, which was a great place to get ice cream.

Clemon Lambertson with Travis, Jason & Michelle LeMaster, 1979, Anderson, Indiana

I remember my dad borrowing Clemon's copy of the Chronology of the Beals Family and making copies from it for his genealogy research, which might have occurred around the same time as we hauled bricks away from Uncle Floyd's home in Elwood.  This was my first exposure to a compiled family genealogy - as an adult I purchased my own copy for my research.

I remember one time speaking with him on the phone when he called our house and we talked about baseball and the World Series.  The Dodgers were playing at the time, so this must have been around the 1978 series.

I also remember Grandpa Clemon coming to visit at my grandma's house.  As a little kid, I don't remember what we did or said.  Fortunately, I was able to find a copy of this photo of him at a birthday celebration.

Clemon Lambertson birthday, 1978, Bonnie Wright, Lynn Priest, Ruby Walsh, Martha Lambertson, Cissy Priest, Alexandria, Indiana

The last memory I have of him was when his daughter, my grandmother, passed away in 1984. At that time he would have been 86 years old.  I remember his comment that you weren't supposed to bury your child.  I can't imagine how painful that was for him.

I wish I could have talked to him about family history and share some of the things I've discovered over the years about his ancestors.

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.

Edna Muriel "Peach" (Pierce) Wright (1897-1968), Diabetic, 52 Ancestors # 6

The sixth ancestor in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my maternal great-grandmother, Edna Muriel "Peach" (Pierce) Wright (1897-1968).  She was known by her nickname of "Peach", presumably given to her by her father.

As I've researched her life, it's been relatively easy to document the major milestones of her life.  Previously, I've written about the facts of her life in an Exploratory Data post.  The stories that have been passed down have given a picture of a farm wife who was strong-willed and enjoyed everything from gardening to watching wrestling on television.

Peach with huge cabbage

Grandma Peach was also a diabetic. Being a diabetic means a restricted diet, and especially back in the 1950s it must have been interesting to manage.  According to my mother, Peach used to carry her own food when she went anywhere.

Peach's concerns about her health and the health of others in the family caused some strange behavior. 

One story that was passed down from her grandchildren was that she used to test the boy's urine to measure blood sugar levels before allowing them an ice cream treat.

Sweets were limited in the house, but Grandpa Virgil did manage to keep chocolate covered ice cream bars in the freezer, so he could sneak them without Peach finding out.  Being a diabetic himself, this was a no-no.

Some incidents of what might seem like peculiar behavior by Grandma Peach are actually grounded in her life experiences.  While lifestyle and diet can contribute to diabetes, there are also genetic factors.

Peach's mother had died of diabetic coma in 1906 (at age 37) when Peach was just 9 years old.  I'm sure that the loss of her mother to the disease weighed on her mind as she later dealt with her own diabetes and that of her husband, Virgil.

I've tracked some mentions of her being in the hospital at various times, shortly before her death, but treatment reasons were not generally mentioned in the hospital notes.

She died at Community Hospital in Anderson, Madison County, Indiana on March 3, 1968.  The official cause of death was pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure, but a contributing cause listed was diabetes melittus.

Edna Muriel Wright, death certificate, 1968

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.