The World of
Grandpa Don
Current Events
In the life of Grandpa Don
On this page I have
recorded what I found significant during the past week as well as my
thoughts about those events and other reflections. I started doing
this before the practice became popular and before it had a name.
This is my "Blog", written a little each day and published weekly.
A work in progress - complete
but not finished
Week Ending
Friday October 5, 2007
Go to the Current Event
for ..
Or to learn more of Grandpa Don and his
remarkable family ...
Links of the
Week
Following the link is ...
the name of the person who led me to it.
Pilgrimage 2005
YouthWorks!
The
Prayer Corner
Visit
the On-Line Chapel www.stjulie.org
Post your prayer requests there.
Before I presume to pray ...
for my offenses against God
and everyone else, I ask pardon.
I invite you
to
Pray with me ...
In
gratitude for all those who have nurtured and mentored
us, showing us the right path to take through the ages
and in the present.
Words of Wisdom ...
"Start by doing
what's necessary, then
what's possible and suddenly you are
doing the impossible."
~ St. Francis of Assissi
A
Thought ...
No matter what
happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
Bono
Vince Malum
Overcome Evil with Good
Knight Grand Officer
Chev. Donald J Plefka, KGOStI,
OMStl
At-Large Priory Commander
Order of
Merit III
Last Saturday I alternated between the
gazebo and my computer. The desk was getting cluttered again
but the organizing I had done previously made it easy to put things in
order. I put some time into genealogy research, interest being aroused by a
connection with Joshua Copeland, an officer of the Order of St Isidore of
Seville. His occupation has him in various parts of the country but he has
roots in North Eastern Ohio, as do I. He may be connected to my father's
step brother or more likely further back to Parkhurst Tilley Copeland, born
in Vermont and who farmed in Pennsylvania and had children who
settled in Ohio. The problem is that there seems to have been many of the
Copeland's who made changes in the use of given names. Parkhurst became
Parkus and children are listed and then not found on census records. Other
Copeland names are found but no connection can be made to their parents. It
is a deep mystery.
It was difficult for me to leave the garden
to go to church on Sunday but knowing what I would miss, I tore myself away.
Once settled into my usual place, a young couple sat next to me with a
little girl, very attached to her mother. She may have been two or less but
she was a perfect lady. She did not utter a sound all the
time, simply touching a parent and gesturing her need to be held or to sit
or stand, How do they do that?
After I came home and had a light lunch, I
called my sister Rita. She and John are doing fine after a rough week. John
had to be rushed to the hospital when his glucose level dropped to 28. They
still need our prayers. It is not easy when you have serious heart problems,
diabetic and are on dialysis. Rita reports that she intends to get a
computer so she can keep up with the escapades of Grandpa Don. Conversation
went to gardens and she revealed that our father had a green thumb, and
loved raising flowers both indoor and outdoor. I keep learning little bits
about him ... nothing earthshaking but those little things that make him
more real to me.
Anne Marie spoke with me a bit latter. She
was in her pool. Its September 30 for gosh sakes!
Dom has been building shelves in the garage and she suggested that he build
a dome over the pool. Yah ... sure, like that will happen! Anthony starts a
part time job Monday as a dock hand at Crowley's Boat Yard. Now Diane,
Kelsey, Marc and Anthony work there. Nepotism? Hay ... it works! The secrete
is that those who get jobs that way must be able to pull their weight and
earn their keep.
Dick and Jan Halford were my guests for
dinner and cards Sunday. We went to Bonfire for an enjoyable dinner and
caught up on family news. And that is just it! They are not really guests
but extended family. They really enjoyed their cruise of the British Isles
and Normandy. Weather was great and the scenery was better. They have photos
for me to see when I go to their house next month. They came across the
Halford Building in a town in Whales but the locals didn't know why it was
named that or anything about the name. Joe is making another business trip
to China next week. He loves it! And their grandson Sean is settled in at
Ripon College. The evening concluded with several hands of cards at my
house.
Monday dawned like October, cool and wet. Maybe that's
because it is October. Having some time on my hands I decided to do a little
research on a town mentioned by Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society
of Mayflower Descendants. He suggested that Shepard Packard may have
originated there. I found the following:
Hebron
is a town in Oxford County,
incorporated on March 6,
1792 from Shepardsfield
Plantation, then adjusted
its boundaries in 1804,
1818, and 1829.
Settled in 1774, its
inhabitants suggested
Columbia as a name for the
town. Nevertheless, the
Massachusetts General Court
preferred Hebron, City of
Hope, instead. Hebron Academy is a
respected private school
established in 1804.
The growing community lies
northwest of the
Lewiston-Auburn area on
Maine Route 119 and 124. From Maine: An
Encyclopedia (www.themaineencyclopedia.com)
The name
Shepardsfield may have some significance as the origin of our ancestor's first
name. When I passed this information on to Peggy Cecora she responded with some
data that she uncovered related to the parents of Shepard. There was, according
to the 1830 census a Shepard Packard born July 23, 1795 in Hebron Massachusetts.
One World Tree lists him as a son of Abiel Packard (1759-?) who is listed in
Mayflower Families Volume 16 Part 1. The 1830 census lists only the age brackets
and gender of the members of the household but there is a male, the oldest son,
who matches the age of our Shepard Packard (1818-?) This connection seems to
complete the ancestry line from Samuel Packard (1612-1684) who who came to
America in 1638 on the ship Diligent from Ipswich, England. It also led me to
delve into the Mayflower Families book and other places to come up with the
following:
Samuel Packard married Elizabeth Stream (1614 -
1694) in about 1635 at Stonham, Aspal Parish, Suffolk, England. With their two
year old daughter Mary they emigrated to Massachusetts Colony where, if we are
to believe the One World Tree, they were the parents of 14 additional children.
One of their grandchildren, Zaccheus Packard (1693-1775) married Mercy Alden,
great granddaughter of John and Pricilla (Mullins) Alden who were ancestors of
ours through the marriage of their granddaughter Mary Bass' (1669-1726) to
William Copeland (1656-1716) Even of more interest, a
great-grandson James Packard (1724-1824) not only lived to be 100 but he married
Mary Thayer (1725-?) daughter of Ephraim Thayer ( 1694-1780) and Mary
Copeland (1692-1773 ). Ephraim was a great-grandson of John and Pricilla
(Mullins) Alden. Mary Copeland was a granddaughter of our ancestor Lawrence
Copeland. There is yet another Alden connection to the family in that Zaccheus
Packard (1651-1723), son of Samuel and Elizabeth married Mercy Alden (1696-1775)
after the death of his first wife in 1703. Mercy was a great granddaughter of
John and Pricilla. In addition, a G-G-granddaughter of John and Pricilla, Sarah
Alden (1734-1795), married Timothy Packard (1735-1782), a great grandson of
Samuel and Elizabeth Packard. The name Thayer has significance
here through the probable connection to my grandmother Jeannie Marie Thayer
(1878-1900) wife of Harvey Louis Copeland. The early relationships are recorded
in the book Mayflower Families.
There was at least one and maybe two additional
Shepard Packards. We have one, a brother of Abiel, who apparently died at the
age of 5 (1744-1749). Josiah and Sarah apparently had another son in 1759 and
named him Shepard as well. Supporting this theory was documentation found by
Peggy:
Shepard #1 *note 1
Shepard Packard Birthdate 1744 State MA Father Josiah Packard, Mother
Sarah Ames
Shepard Packard Death Date 1749
Sheperd #2 *note 1
Shepard Packard Birthdate 1759 State MA Father Josiah Packard, Mother
Sarah Ames
Conflicting Birthdate
Shepherd Packard Birthdate 1750, Massachusetts in the America
Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Vol. 129 Pg 76 ref.: soldiers &
sailors of the Rev. War by secy of the comwlth, MS. Boston 1896-1908
(17v):11:744
Packard, Shepherd Bridgewater--Private, Capt. Joseph Keith's co, Col.
Cotton's regt.; Service from 9/25/1777 to 10/30/1777 on a secret
expedition to Tiverton, RI etc. Massachusetts Soldiers & Sailors in the
War of the Revolution Vol. 11 Page 744
Sheperd #3 *note 1
Shepard Packard Birthdate 7/23/1795 Hebron, Oxford, ME, USA Father
Abial Packard Mother Hannah Harris
(Abial was a brother of the first two shepards
above)
*note 1
Source Information for all: Edmund West, comp..Family Data
Collection-Births/Deaths(database on-line) Provo, UT, USA, The
Generations Network, INc. 2001
One World Tree also records the second son named
Shepard but with an incorrect birth date of 1761. The birthrate of 1750 seems
logical for the second Shepard as it was the year afterthe first had died, if it
is logical at all.
And so, although the relationship between the two
Shepard Packard's in our line has not been confirmed, the link is very probable
and based on this we find that the Alden, Packard, Thayer, and Copeland families
intermarried in the 1600's and early 1700's and were drawn together again about
1900. If all this is confusing, I am still sorting it out in my Family Tree
program and hope to have it all diagramed shortly. I will also update the
"Packard" page, hopefully, next week.
All this had me so fascinated and busy that I did
little else for most of the week. I did manage to spend quite a bit of time in
the gazebo or on the swing. The weather has been heavenly, to say the least. I
will not waste God's gifts and that is what this extension of summer has been,
except for the little taste of fall on Monday.
We had our monthly session on "Knowing Your
Faith" Wednesday evening and Bible study Thursday morning. These are also things
not to be mussed. And ... Thursday afternoon was a special event for Mikey. It
was the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi and the blessing of the animals at St
Julie. We gathered near the St. Francis wayside shrine at the south entrance of
the church ... big dogs, little dogs, dogs of all colors, even one with one blue
eye and one brown. The cats were in their cages. Some animals were quiet, some
barked, and one howled along with a meow or two and a hiss. The service was
short but orderly, Franciscan Sister Gael did the greeting and organizing. After
the owners joined in prayer, Fr Artur gave each animal a generous blessing with
holy water. The people and their pets gradually drifted to their cars on a
glorious afternoon.
On Wednesday afternoon, as I sat on the swing,
the FedEx truck stopped in front of the house. I went out to meet the driver and
was surprised to get the plants that I had ordered. They were in 4" plastic
pots, healthy looking, and ready for planting along with detailed instructions.
On Thursday I received the email with the tracking number so I could know when
they were going to arrive. Well, did you notice ... it is not a perfect world.
At Bible study on Thursday, Sr Gael reminded us
that it was 2 years ago that some of us celebrated the Feast of St. Francis in
the town where he was born and lived. That was a great trip and one that I shall
remember fondly. For those of you that I did not know at the time, I invite you
to view Pilgrimage 2005 .
There are some great photos there. If I didn't have family here, it is one of
the places at which I could chose to live.
It is unbelievable! Thursday,
October 4 ... Anne Marie was relaxing in her pool after work
... in Chicago! Global warming? Well yes, they do have a pool
heater so it does recover from the cool nights. And ... I discovered that the
family members working at the boat yard has been reduced as a result of Kelly
leaving their employ to concentrate on school and her other activities.
I would like to call your attention to the link
to
YouthWorks!
. Many of the teens in the video are
from St. Julie Youth Group - TNT (Teens Need Togetherness). The footage was
taken on the trip this past summer to Cass Lake, MN. The YouthWorks! folks asked
if they would mind participating in their promotional video. The video speaks
for itself.
This morning when I went out to the gazebo there
were a few raindrops in the air. After a short while they were replaced by
sunshine. It was glorious. Among other things I reflected on the fact that I am
so very fortunate to be living in Chicago. I can cheer for the Sox but when they
are out of the running we have the Cubs. Of course, they are in danger of being
eliminated ... but wait ... I now have an adopted city ... GO,
GO,
Cleveland!
But ... I haven't given upon the Cubs ...
they could still make it!
Go,
Go,
Cubs!
The name Shepardsfield may have some
significance as the possible origin of our ancestor's first name.
.
More next week ...
and 'till then, ...
Let's be more kind than we need to be.
Grandpa Don Plefka
Anne
wanted everyone to be 'Nice'.
This button was in one of her dresser
drawers I cleaned out in August of 2004
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Current Events In the life of Grandpa Don On this page I have recorded what I found significant during the past week as well as my thoughts about those events and other reflections. I started doing this before the practice became popular and before it had a name. This is my "Blog", written a little each day and published weekly. |
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A work in progress - complete
but not finished Week Ending Friday October 5, 2007
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Last Saturday I alternated between the gazebo and my computer. The desk was getting cluttered again but the organizing I had done previously made it easy to put things in order. I put some time into genealogy research, interest being aroused by a connection with Joshua Copeland, an officer of the Order of St Isidore of Seville. His occupation has him in various parts of the country but he has roots in North Eastern Ohio, as do I. He may be connected to my father's step brother or more likely further back to Parkhurst Tilley Copeland, born in Vermont and who farmed in Pennsylvania and had children who settled in Ohio. The problem is that there seems to have been many of the Copeland's who made changes in the use of given names. Parkhurst became Parkus and children are listed and then not found on census records. Other Copeland names are found but no connection can be made to their parents. It is a deep mystery. It was difficult for me to leave the garden to go to church on Sunday but knowing what I would miss, I tore myself away. Once settled into my usual place, a young couple sat next to me with a little girl, very attached to her mother. She may have been two or less but she was a perfect lady. She did not utter a sound all the time, simply touching a parent and gesturing her need to be held or to sit or stand, How do they do that? After I came home and had a light lunch, I called my sister Rita. She and John are doing fine after a rough week. John had to be rushed to the hospital when his glucose level dropped to 28. They still need our prayers. It is not easy when you have serious heart problems, diabetic and are on dialysis. Rita reports that she intends to get a computer so she can keep up with the escapades of Grandpa Don. Conversation went to gardens and she revealed that our father had a green thumb, and loved raising flowers both indoor and outdoor. I keep learning little bits about him ... nothing earthshaking but those little things that make him more real to me. Anne Marie spoke with me a bit latter. She was in her pool. Its September 30 for gosh sakes! Dom has been building shelves in the garage and she suggested that he build a dome over the pool. Yah ... sure, like that will happen! Anthony starts a part time job Monday as a dock hand at Crowley's Boat Yard. Now Diane, Kelsey, Marc and Anthony work there. Nepotism? Hay ... it works! The secrete is that those who get jobs that way must be able to pull their weight and earn their keep. Dick and Jan Halford were my guests for dinner and cards Sunday. We went to Bonfire for an enjoyable dinner and caught up on family news. And that is just it! They are not really guests but extended family. They really enjoyed their cruise of the British Isles and Normandy. Weather was great and the scenery was better. They have photos for me to see when I go to their house next month. They came across the Halford Building in a town in Whales but the locals didn't know why it was named that or anything about the name. Joe is making another business trip to China next week. He loves it! And their grandson Sean is settled in at Ripon College. The evening concluded with several hands of cards at my house. Monday dawned like October, cool and wet. Maybe that's because it is October. Having some time on my hands I decided to do a little research on a town mentioned by Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants. He suggested that Shepard Packard may have originated there. I found the following:
The name Shepardsfield may have some significance as the origin of our ancestor's first name. When I passed this information on to Peggy Cecora she responded with some data that she uncovered related to the parents of Shepard. There was, according to the 1830 census a Shepard Packard born July 23, 1795 in Hebron Massachusetts. One World Tree lists him as a son of Abiel Packard (1759-?) who is listed in Mayflower Families Volume 16 Part 1. The 1830 census lists only the age brackets and gender of the members of the household but there is a male, the oldest son, who matches the age of our Shepard Packard (1818-?) This connection seems to complete the ancestry line from Samuel Packard (1612-1684) who who came to America in 1638 on the ship Diligent from Ipswich, England. It also led me to delve into the Mayflower Families book and other places to come up with the following: Samuel Packard married Elizabeth Stream (1614 - 1694) in about 1635 at Stonham, Aspal Parish, Suffolk, England. With their two year old daughter Mary they emigrated to Massachusetts Colony where, if we are to believe the One World Tree, they were the parents of 14 additional children. One of their grandchildren, Zaccheus Packard (1693-1775) married Mercy Alden, great granddaughter of John and Pricilla (Mullins) Alden who were ancestors of ours through the marriage of their granddaughter Mary Bass' (1669-1726) to William Copeland (1656-1716) Even of more interest, a great-grandson James Packard (1724-1824) not only lived to be 100 but he married Mary Thayer (1725-?) daughter of Ephraim Thayer ( 1694-1780) and Mary Copeland (1692-1773 ). Ephraim was a great-grandson of John and Pricilla (Mullins) Alden. Mary Copeland was a granddaughter of our ancestor Lawrence Copeland. There is yet another Alden connection to the family in that Zaccheus Packard (1651-1723), son of Samuel and Elizabeth married Mercy Alden (1696-1775) after the death of his first wife in 1703. Mercy was a great granddaughter of John and Pricilla. In addition, a G-G-granddaughter of John and Pricilla, Sarah Alden (1734-1795), married Timothy Packard (1735-1782), a great grandson of Samuel and Elizabeth Packard. The name Thayer has significance here through the probable connection to my grandmother Jeannie Marie Thayer (1878-1900) wife of Harvey Louis Copeland. The early relationships are recorded in the book Mayflower Families. There was at least one and maybe two additional Shepard Packards. We have one, a brother of Abiel, who apparently died at the age of 5 (1744-1749). Josiah and Sarah apparently had another son in 1759 and named him Shepard as well. Supporting this theory was documentation found by Peggy:
Shepard #1 *note 1
Sheperd #2 *note 1
Sheperd #3 *note 1
*note 1 One World Tree also records the second son named Shepard but with an incorrect birth date of 1761. The birthrate of 1750 seems logical for the second Shepard as it was the year afterthe first had died, if it is logical at all. And so, although the relationship between the two Shepard Packard's in our line has not been confirmed, the link is very probable and based on this we find that the Alden, Packard, Thayer, and Copeland families intermarried in the 1600's and early 1700's and were drawn together again about 1900. If all this is confusing, I am still sorting it out in my Family Tree program and hope to have it all diagramed shortly. I will also update the "Packard" page, hopefully, next week. All this had me so fascinated and busy that I did little else for most of the week. I did manage to spend quite a bit of time in the gazebo or on the swing. The weather has been heavenly, to say the least. I will not waste God's gifts and that is what this extension of summer has been, except for the little taste of fall on Monday. We had our monthly session on "Knowing Your Faith" Wednesday evening and Bible study Thursday morning. These are also things not to be mussed. And ... Thursday afternoon was a special event for Mikey. It was the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi and the blessing of the animals at St Julie. We gathered near the St. Francis wayside shrine at the south entrance of the church ... big dogs, little dogs, dogs of all colors, even one with one blue eye and one brown. The cats were in their cages. Some animals were quiet, some barked, and one howled along with a meow or two and a hiss. The service was short but orderly, Franciscan Sister Gael did the greeting and organizing. After the owners joined in prayer, Fr Artur gave each animal a generous blessing with holy water. The people and their pets gradually drifted to their cars on a glorious afternoon. On Wednesday afternoon, as I sat on the swing, the FedEx truck stopped in front of the house. I went out to meet the driver and was surprised to get the plants that I had ordered. They were in 4" plastic pots, healthy looking, and ready for planting along with detailed instructions. On Thursday I received the email with the tracking number so I could know when they were going to arrive. Well, did you notice ... it is not a perfect world. At Bible study on Thursday, Sr Gael reminded us that it was 2 years ago that some of us celebrated the Feast of St. Francis in the town where he was born and lived. That was a great trip and one that I shall remember fondly. For those of you that I did not know at the time, I invite you to view Pilgrimage 2005 . There are some great photos there. If I didn't have family here, it is one of the places at which I could chose to live. It is unbelievable! Thursday, October 4 ... Anne Marie was relaxing in her pool after work ... in Chicago! Global warming? Well yes, they do have a pool heater so it does recover from the cool nights. And ... I discovered that the family members working at the boat yard has been reduced as a result of Kelly leaving their employ to concentrate on school and her other activities. I would like to call your attention to the link to YouthWorks! . Many of the teens in the video are from St. Julie Youth Group - TNT (Teens Need Togetherness). The footage was taken on the trip this past summer to Cass Lake, MN. The YouthWorks! folks asked if they would mind participating in their promotional video. The video speaks for itself.
This morning when I went out to the gazebo there
were a few raindrops in the air. After a short while they were replaced by
sunshine. It was glorious. Among other things I reflected on the fact that I am
so very fortunate to be living in Chicago. I can cheer for the Sox but when they
are out of the running we have the Cubs. Of course, they are in danger of being
eliminated ... but wait ... I now have an adopted city ... GO,
GO,
Cleveland!
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More next week ... Let's be more kind than we need to be. Grandpa Don Plefka |
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