PATRICIA WERMELSKIRKEN

Patricia Wermelskirchen 2007
Our kinswoman Patricia Ann Wermelskirchen lives in Marysville, Missouri. She is the Grand daughter of Elizabeth Ann (Walsh) and William Charles Fecht. Photo courtesy of Charlotte Dunn
Daniel Sullivan and his sister Patricia Wermelskirchen. The little boy is our kinsman Bradley Rankin.

BOST STORE IN HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania militia encampment - Homestead, PA
(click on image to enlarge) Historic Bost Building is circled. The Bost General Store is just to the left of the building.

Photo of Homestead, Pennsylvania. (click on image to enlarge

Detail of Homestead, Pennsylvania 1896. (click on image to enlarge

In early January 2009, our kinsman Dan Sullivan wrote Ron Baraff (at the recommendation of our kinswoman Bonnie Harvey about the suspected Bost photographs in the previous posting on this blog. Mr. Baraff is the Archivist of the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation in Homestead, Pennsylvania.
Dan wrote:
"I'm a cousin of Bonnie (The Bost Ghost) Harvey, and she asked me to forward the attached photos from my family to you. I'd b grateful for any
information you could give us about them.
Connections:
Jacob Fecht. William Bost, Margaret Bost, John Pomi

Ron Baraff wrote in return:
"These are great photos. Can you identify who is in them? The photos are, I believe, of the Bost grocery store which was next door to this building> This building primarily was a hotel, restaurant, and bar. I am attaching a photos of the Bost Building (the larger building in center of photo) from 1892 and c. 1896. The store is to the left of the building.
Hope this helps. Ron Baraff."

Jerry Fecht's note:
Bonnie Harvey gave us our first strong evidence of the relationship between Bosts of Homestead, Pennsylvania with Margaret Fecht (whose maiden name was Bost) acting as godmother for a Bost baby. (see: previous postings this blog). Dan Sullivan's discovery of a grocery store among the photographs of William Bost (Swartwood collection in Fulton, Missouri, are very important - for, as the above email from Ron Baraff, there was a Bost Grocery Store just left of the famous Bost Building in Homestead. (The building circled in this Pennsylvania militia photograph.)

A VISIT WITH DOROTHY FETTERHOFF

Dorothy Fetterhoff, Carol Fetterhoff and Dan Sullivan.
Dorothy and Dan are first cousins. Carol is the wife of William Glen Fetterhoff. (click on images to enlarge)

Sarah Voss and Dorothy Fetterhoff. Sarah is the wife of Dan Sullivan. Taken during Dan's visit to Jackson, Missouri.

Cousins Dorothy Fetterhoff and Dan Sullivan.

(clockwise from the left) Dorothy Fetterhoff, Dan Sullivan, William G. Fetterhoff, Scott Fetterhoff (Bill and Carol's son) and William "Biill" Fahrenkrog (Bill is Anita's husband)

FLORENCE AND DAN SULLIVAN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPH

Florence and Dan Sullivan. Likely their wedding photograph. The original copy sent to the collection, by Dr. Dan Sullivan has a lot of fading on the left side, and in the background. I photoshopped this image to make it clearer, and put in a new background.
If anyone wishes the original image, I will be happy to send it as a jpg file.

IOWA FARM ANTICS AND WORK

Dan Sullivan tries on elk antlers at home of Vincent Hogan.
Dan and Florence Sullivan and Dan's relative Mark Sullivan

Working an subsistence farms was labor intensive. There were no weekends off from animal or weather-related chores. With no radio or television, people created their own entertainment. In the fall of the year, animals were "thinned out", to save on grain and fodder needed to feed livestock. Only "brood" stock was kept over the winter. The rest were slaughtered and preserved by smoking or salt-curing. Survival meant using every bit of a slaughtered animal.
Here Dan and Florence Sullivan are engaged in the rendering of a hog's fat into lard. (Those were the days before anyone ever heard of transfat.) Lard was used for deep frying, baking and other things such as the making of soap. It was dangerous work involving boiling water and sharp knives.
To keep children away from the process, pig's bladders were removed, scrubbed and blown up into crude footballs and baloons. Some families covered the pig bladders with hog leather - thus, we have the origins of football and soccer, both played at harvest time.
These photos were shared by our kinsman Dr. Dan Sullivan of Omaha, Nebraska. Photos between 1920s and 30s

HOMESTEADING IN MONTANA

Bill Fecht and Dan Sullivan clowning around in Montana. Saturday was the day set aside to go into town to buy supplies, such as flour, tools and seed. Both Dan and Bill "proved" homesteads in Montana.
Harry Candy drives a mule team in Montana.
Harry Candy was the first husband of Ann Fecht, the eldest daughter of Elizabeth Ann (Walsh) and William Charles Fecht. In 1918, Ann returned to Mexico, Missouri with her baby Rosemary. Harry packed a railroad car with the little family's possessions and left his unsuccessful homestead for good. On the way to Missouri, the railroad car caught fire. Harry was drenched with water while fighting the fire. He hadn't been feeling well when he left Montana. Chilled and exposed to influenza, he fainted when he left the train in Mexico, Missouri. People stepped over him, thinking that he was likely drunk.
By the time Harry was rescued, exposure and fever took his life.
These photographs we shared with this blog by Dr. Dan Sullivan.

THE MEN OF THE FAMILY

This photograph was taken in 1941 in a town called Chillicothe, Missouri. The village is about half way between Corning, Iowa and Mexico, Missouri, and the site of a family gathering.
Left to Right
John D. (Jack) Fecht, William T. (Bill) Fecht, Bernard Sullivan, James L. (Jimmie) Fecht, Hugh Hogan, Lawrence (Buck) Fecht and Dan Sullivan.
I believe this event took place while Jimmie was still in high school or had just graduated from St. Brendan High School, and prior to the outbreak of World War II. Both Jim and his cousin Bernard Sullivan would serve in the armer forces.

FAMILY OF DAN AND FLORENCE SULLIVAN

One nice thing about a photoshop program is the ability to enlarge pictures. This photo of the Iowa Sullivans is just a couple of inches. Here, blown up, we can get a closer image of some of Dan and Florence Sullivan's family when their son Bernard was home on leave.
left to right:
Dan and Florence Sullivan, and four of their children: Helen Doris, Patricia and Bernard. The little boy, then called Maurice, is Dan Sullivan.
The Sullivan kids are the great grandchildren of Margaret (Bost) and Jacob Fecht.

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH - OMAHA, NEBRASKA 1951

Fecht Apartment on 9th Street, Omaha Nebraska 1951

Left to Right
Florence and Dan Sullivan, Mildred and Bill Fecht, Hugh Hogan
Genevieve Rebbe, Patricia Sullivan Chapasco, Julia Hogan, Bernard Sullivan
Charlotte and Danny Chapasco

This photograph was taken at the time of the Korean War.