Collins was the first rural mail carrier in the Covington, Garfield Co., OK area – selling the route to John Fortnay, his assistant, sometime around 1920-1923 when he & his family moved to Vinita, OK.
Collins T. McArdle was born in Virginia, but lived most of his early life in Vermilion Co, IL. where my part of the family stayed. He moved his family to Leavenworth Co, KS in 1866. Collins took part in the Cherokee Strip Land Rush – taking along several of his sons & daughters. He & a few of his children remained on his claim long enough for his patent to be completed, then sold his land & returned to Leavenworth (Tonganoxie area), Kansas where he died in1909. Collins T. McArdle was my First Cousin 3X Removed. (His grandfather was my 3rd great-grandfather)
My records list this as a picture of Collins T. McArdle. It shows him in uniform getting ready to deliver mail. I think the source of this picture is Karin McArdle. Her husband is descended from Collins T. McArdle and she has done a lot of research on that branch of the family.
Here’s another document that I have copied that I think is the health certificate for my great grandmother to enter the US. 
From my translation it’s a written certificate for Maria and Francis (the second is a guess at the name) Moretto and Catherina Negri. In the 11th Month (crossed out year) born in Locana and living in Locana.
It certifies that they have a healthy constitution, are vaccinated, and are not infected with any deadly or contagious diseases.
It looks like it is signed in Locana on November 25th, 1904- and stamped with the Locana city seal.
As the documents age they turn yellow due to the acid in the paper. There are ways to keep paper from turning yellow such as archival spray. You can also get sleeves for archiving – stores such as Gaylord Brothers are great for supplies like this. I have heard frequently about laminating documents, but DON’T.
Is it okay to laminate a document?
Lamination is not considered a safe conservation technique because the process may potentially damage a document due to high heat and pressure during application. Moreover, the laminating materials themselves may be chemically unstable and contribute even more to the deterioration of the document. Lamination also violates a cardinal rule of conservation, and that is to only apply treatments that do not alter the item and which can be reversed. Source: http://loricase.com/faq.html
All the documents I include though are with family and I have only scanned them. I would suggest to at least create a digital copy of all documents before attempting anything with them. As documents degrade over time also I have never regretted having made a digital copy (only that the technology to make a higher quality copy wasn’t available when I had the chance). I also keep a backup in a separate location.
My great grandfather was a coal miner when he declared his intent to become a citizen. It’s amazing what information this paper includes. If I hadn’t already found the ship manifest showing his immigration this would point me to the ship and date.
It gives his description, birthday and so much information. He applied in 1917 – just a short time before he died. He was one of the casualties of the flu of 1918.
Finding paperwork like this becomes more and more difficult as papers age. A guide to Naturalization records can be found at: http://www.germanroots.com/naturalizationrecords.html and a guide to types of naturalization records is available at http://www.genealogybranches.com/naturalization.html I was lucky to get to scan copies of these for my great grandmother and great grandfather, but in many cases these are lost over time. Some also didn’t file. My great grandmother intended to apply using my great grandfather (rules were 5 year wait for him so she would have been eligible when he would have received citizenship in 1922 if he had survived). My great grandmother instead waited until many years later to apply. Even after having 7 kids in the United States my great grandmother was still nervous that she would be sent back. Though my mother says that when asked she would just say she didn’t want to go home because it’s too long a trip.
My great grandfather worked in the mines in Clinton IN originally then moved to Westville Illinois. He had immigrated to the US before my great grandmother came to join him. – Most likely to work and earn enough to send for her. My great grandmother came to the US with three children, and given the times one wonders how scary it must have been to make such a long journey from home with three little girls, knowing no one on the way. What if one of the kids got sick on the way? Would they be turned away? My great grandmother came through Ellis Island and at that time if any illness was suspected immigrants were not allowed to enter the US. (They also turned away anyone that was suspected of not being able to support themselves)
Family has since gotten a plaque at Ellis Island. I’ve been lucky enough to visit and have pictures in my collection. My grandmother and great grandmother were both pretty amazing women.
Not much is known about my great grandfather, but he was hard working and supported his family doing dangerous dirty work (in the coal mines). My grandmother was not yet 2 when he passed away and didn’t have any stories to share. My other aunts that I spoke to most were all under 6 so they also didn’t have stories.
I have seen a picture at my grandmother’s house of my great grandmother and great grandfather. It’s an old black and white photo and hints at how hard a life my great grandmother and great grandfather had.
We just got back from visiting the other side of the family. I was glad to get updated pictures of my in laws. The nieces and nephews are getting so big! I’ve got a separate family tree for my husband’s side of the family. My husband is only the second generation born in the US so that makes it a lot easier. So far I have found city directories, census, and ship manifests. As I find information we all find out more about the family. The city directories include occupation and address.
One of the City Directories:
Some of the pictures from our trip:
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My immediate family has been VERY busy with my oldest going off to college, my middle son starting high school and my youngest being evaluated for preschool. My youngest seems to little to even think about sending off to school, but I know it will be good for him. He is still not speaking well – he still on the one word level as opposed to even tying three words together to make a sentence. He’s really good at pointing though.
Kris (middle) started high school and seems to be doing okay. He is writing his blog and doing a great job! My only worry is that he didn’t get a foreign language class this year, but he’s pretty happy with his schedule – so no biggie. Kris blog is http://kristopherskingdom.com… He even has it set up on Kindle so that you can get notification of new posts.
Kevin took off for UK last Friday. Getting him ready and our of the house was an ordeal. Everything from a parking brake issue, broken dishes, and a key that was supposed to stay in Lexington that ended up in Bowling Green…. and the fact that guaranteed overnight delivery doesn’t apply when pertaining to a residence hall. Ultimately we finally got the parking brake turned off (Thursday), bought Kevin new dishes after all his dishes broke on the pavement (Friday), and he finally got his key back on Monday. I’m fairly certain there are a lot of things that are still here in town that he will need, but Kevin will have to find a way to get by until the next time he comes home…. I’m pretty sure laundry detergent is on the list…. so it won’t be too long.
Besides all that my father found out he needs the valve in his heart replaced as well as needing a pacemaker. He doesn’t want the pacemaker because of welding issues… as I have been doing research (All this is a scary thing)…. I have found some sites that say only 40 percent of patients see no benefit to getting pacemakers. Definitely a study I want to ask about… Not being a doctor I have no idea what it all means, but it sounds like it depends on the amount of delay between heartbeats. The pacemaker is recommended if the delay is greater than .12, but it’s only beneficial if greater than .15…. It also mentioned a recall of pacemakers that occurred in 2005 (recalled 69 pacemakers and resulted in one death)….
Another site had a list of devices to watch out for, so besides welding there are a few other places to be wary of. One was the Anti Theft devices… – These are the things a lot of stores have in their doors. Apparently you need to be careful not to stand near one for prolonged amounts of time….. Metal Detectors are also a problem and you also have to tell the person if you have to be wanded with a metal detector (I’m thinking that means no MRIs too after)…. Also cell phones as they come out with new models and MP3 player headphones…. (Not sure that’s too big a deal as I can’t see my dad using headphones, but he does have a cell phone.) There are more listed… that include machines to dissolve kidney stones, MRI machines, arc welders, strong magnets, and so on… The list is available at hearts.org…. Another article in the Dallas News told why a certain type of pacemaker fails to help half the people receiving it, but it was set up so that you can’t read with out a subscription…..
This weekend is my cousin Don and Sue’s Richter Family Party. Anyone who can heads to Oakwood to come to the party. So it looks like I’ll drive 6 hours up on Saturday and 6 hours back on Sunday to visit for a few hours at the party. While I’m there I’d like to hear more stories from my dad (and Don) about the past. Every time I make it to these parties I get to hear good and bad stories about the past. The good usually are about my dad, his siblings, cousins, and more – the bad, stories about me and K-12 years….Hearing about my father’s health reinforces the need to get the stories recorded before everyone forgets or isn’t available anymore.
For geneology though parties like this are a great chance to find out more family history. The stories are really what makes it interesting… Just knowing names and dates without knowing who the person really was is not as exciting to me. Before going to the party I just finished looking back through the 125 years of history of Oakwood book. I’ve got a list of questions all ready. As I get more experience I’ve learned to write everything down and take lots of notes. A video camera is a great tool also for recording all the stories.
The 12 hours of driving is a lot of time and with the cost of gas, not too cheap either, but if something were to happen to my dad before I make it up to visit again – I’d regret not making it up to visit.
I am also lucky enough to have a copy of the birth certificate for my great grandmother. It shows her name as Negri Maria Caterina (Last name first). Not sure about the name order because I had thought her first name was Caterina…. Maria is pretty common in our family. My middle name is Maria also and one of my grandmother’s sisters was Maria (or Mary). From what I can tell it shows her father as Giacomo and mother as Pizzetti Maria Francesca – showing she was born November 18, 1874. the 1950 date at the bottom is unusual. I almost think maybe that was the date it was issued. Maybe this was a copy my great grandmother got while getting citizenship here in the US….
Earlier this week I posted the marriage certificate for my great-grandmother – Catherina Moretto. The really tough part of the older certificates is that they may be in another language (in this case Italian). I have tried to learn Italian, but when you combine Italian with older handwriting, I have no clue what the translation is. In Italian I know Commune is the town, Chiesa – church and so on. A few other words I can guess at too – but finding someone who speaks the language is pretty important. Additionally in my case a dialect is involved. Locana, Italy is just a short distance from the border with France.
In the past I’ve gotten some of the information involved:
14. Giovanni Moretto, son of Benardo Moretto and Domenica Cula was born on 01 Oct 1880 in Locana Italy. He died on 14 Oct 1918 in Westville, Illinois. He married Caterina Maria Negri on 11 Apr 1903. (I think the certificate actually says he was born in Costallamente and that’s what I had heard previously)
15. Caterina Maria Negri, daughter of Giacomo Negri and Francesca Maria Pezetti was born on 17 Nov 1874 in Locana Italy. She died on 01 Jul 1961 in Belgium Town, Illinois at 7:30 pm.
The marriage certificate includes names, place of birth, parents, and dates. From what I’ve heard that seems to be collaborated from the official certificate, Italian weddings involved two separate ‘weddings’. One being a civil wedding and one a church wedding. I’m going to see if I can get with friends in Italy and see if they can translate this a little more for me.
One of the documents I have is the marriage license for my Great Grandmother. This provides a lot of great info, but is completely in Italian.
My father is a Richter. One of 10 kids, Tom, Harold, Howard, Robert, Dorothy, Margaret, Ethel, Linda, Norma, Cleda Fern (the only one that didn’t live to be an adult). In that time period it was amazing to have ten kids with 9 living to be adults. (Five are still living) All of my Aunts that are still living have battled Cancer at one point or another and are all pretty amazing. My father and my Uncle Tom are the only brothers still around. As they get older (and I do to) I don’t get to see them as often. For me it usually involves a special trip up to visit.
My dad has lots of great stories from his time growing up. Everything from damming up the creek that is now beside my parents house to when my grandfather and his brothers put cows on top of the local store. All of these stores are great to get on paper (or digital), and I keep trying to remember them all. I am also lucky to have a cousin that is about the same age as my father that has written several books on local history.
If you get the chance sit down with your father (and if possible a digital recorder) and get some of the stories recorded. You may think oh I’ve heard that a million times, but when you go to remember it later it’s hard to remember the details. If you have ever played the game of telephone you know how easy stories go from one thing to a totally different subject in the process of retelling.
As you know I have also scanned all the old photos. I try to use family parties as a chance to get each photo identified. I’ve been lucky to have several of my aunts and uncles that are no longer with us go through and label everything. I’ve also given each a copy of their part of the family tree so that they can update it. I hope to get all the pictures printed in a book someday soon so that I can have better copies for them to identify. Most of my older family members aren’t computer savvy enough to identify pictures online, and don’t have the time it would take either. Going through a book with me identifying all the pictures is easier and can lead to some great stories to go with….
In my records I found a picture of Collins T McArdle. (With an unidentified woman that should be his wife). In my family records I show three Collins McArdles – one is far enough back that it is obviously not the correct record. The other two are father and son. (The father is my 2nd great grand uncle) The son is listed as Collins Tint leading me to think that is him…. but it could be either….
Father information:
From Karin McArdle:
Collins and Nancy (Stevens) McArdle They were married in IL and in 1860 established their home on a farm of 200 acres in Tonganoxie Twp, Leavenworth Co, KS. They were pioneer farmers and honored citizens of the county.”
” The first land opening (in OK Territory) was on April 22, 1889. Robert Keltner did not run until the opening of the Cherokee Strip on Sept 16, 1893. Collins McArdle also ran on this day…” (p. 3)
Collins’ funeral was held at the Friends Church. In the obit of Aug 1909, he married Nancy Stevens and “Then came to this part of the country and located in this county, where he resided until the opening of OK. He took a claim but later came back here. About 8 yrs ago, he was stricken with paralysis and suffered from it ever since. Besides a wife and brother, 11 children survive, all of whom were present at the funeral except . The sons are : Remus, James, and Collins T. Of Covington, OK. Virgil of Beaver Co. OK and John T of Tonganoxie. The daughters are Mrs. Birdie Pardee of South Dakota: Mrs Jennie Keltner of Beaver Co, OK, Mrs W.W. McWilliams, Mrs Henry Geib, Mrs Julia Moore and Mrs Bessie Vantine of this place.”
Came to Okla. staked claim 6 miles South of Covington, but before he received the patent in Aug 12, 1905 he sold it and moved back to KS.
Son:
Mi. 1896/1919, US Army – Spanish American War; WWI
From Karin McArdle:
In the Tongonoxie Mirror Collins was badly beaten by two prisoners who escaped from jail at which he was a jailer. When he left the rom, they stole his revolver, beating him with it. He was unconscious for 2 days and returned to work with badly bruised and beaten face and body (1923)
Collins McArdle applied for veteran’s pension based on multiple discabilies associated with his military duties in Cuba and World War I. As part of his pension application is a handwritten note to Winfield Scott, then head of the Pension Bureau, Dept of Interior. His letter begins, “Dear Friend”. On the envelope, Gen (Ret) Scott writes: “Folger – Make this case special as soon as med exam arrives. Tell him so. I know him. (Signed) Scott, Com” Dtd Oct 1923)
Collins T was married to Molleine Mallory Covington and lived in Kansas also. Me is listed as passing away in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (in 1940) and his wife passed away in 1979.
His daughter Mary Katheryn McArdle is listed as moving to live with her daughter and grandchildren in Louisville, KY. It might be worthwhile to look up their information and visit sometime. – they might be able to verify the photo is of Collins Tint McArdle. The records I have show the daughter of Mary Katheryn as Delphina Kay Johnson. – who married a Danavell Orville Miller.
I’ll have to look more into it later….
I’m including more pictures of Collins McArdle (father or son)
This was a photo of Collins McArdle’s Casket
Collins McArdle Gravestone
Collins T McArdle as a mail carrier
Cemetery where Collins McArdle is buried
Collins Tint McArdle and Moliene McArdle
Collins T McArdle and Sons (This is obviously Collins Tint McArdle) – The first son to the left is named John from the bottom of the scan.
And finally a copy of the census record for Collins McArdle – This shows Collins T McArdle with Moleine and two others in the 1910 census.
This still comes down to: Do I go on and dig up more information about another line of my family or concentrate on my direct branch. As fun as it is to go on these branches where do you draw the line? I have most of this information from Karin who is in this direct line. Time for me to email and see what her thoughts are and keep in touch. Maybe it’s time for a visit.
Collins was the first rural mail carrier in the Covington, Garfield Co., OK area – selling the route to John Fortnay, his assistant, sometime around 1920-1923 when he & his family moved to Vinita, OK.
