Denis Michael Hill (1960-2011)

Denis Michael Hill was born on 6 November 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio.  Denis was the fourth child out of seven children and he is my brother.  Denis was taken from us at the young age of 50.  It is for this reason that I wish to share my brother with you.  Denis did not have an easy life, he was born deaf and with cerebral palsy, but he was a happy guy who enjoyed being around people. 

Denis was born three months premature and weighed only 3 lbs. 3 oz.  He had yellow jaundice as an infant, suffered from convulsions as a toddler, and had the German measles twice.  In 1965, Denis went to the Rosemary Home where he lived for 8 years.  It was there that he learned the basics to dress, eat, play, and swim.  Denis attended St. John School for the Deaf in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1972 to 1976 where he learned sign language.  At the age of 16, Denis returned to his family in Cleveland, Ohio and went to the United Cerebral Palsy Workshop where he learned to do some basic work skills.  The Cleveland Board of Education developed a new work/study program at the Vocational Opportunity Center which he attended from 1980 to 1983.  Denis graduated from the program and attended the commencement ceremonies at Lincoln West High School where he received a special diploma.  He went back to United Cerebral Palsy and entered the adult workshop program where he learned work adjustment training.  Denis worked there until 1990 when he moved to Arizona with his mom, dad, and one sister. 

In Arizona, Denis lived with his parents for awhile before moving into a group home where he worked at various jobs and where he learned some basic home skills such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry.  He also learned basic life skills such as handling money and using public transportation.

Denis passed away on Thursday, 17 March 2011 from thrombosis - a blood clot in his lungs.  It was unexpected and very sudden.  (I still can't believe he's gone.)  My Ohio siblings and I flew to Arizona the next day to be with my parents and attend the funeral.  The day of the funeral was a cold and rainy day and out of sorts from the prior days.  My mother always said bad weather meant the person wasn't ready to leave this earth.  I believe my brother wasn't ready...we definitely weren't ready.  But then something happened at the funeral - Denis gave us a wonderful sign that he was okay.  He gave us a rainbow.

During his life, Denis was a very crafty person and made pencil cups, hot pads, picture frames and jewelry boxes out of popsicle sticks.  He even made a lamp and night light out of popsicle sticks (my dad helped him with the electrical).  My favorite items he made out of popsicle sticks is the sign for "I love you" and a cross.  Denis always enjoyed coloring and found his knack with the felt pictures - he was very good at choosing colors and putting them together.  My parents have quite a few of his pictures hanging in their home. 
Here is a sampling of some of Denis' artwork.  I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoy the items.




Thanks for reading this post about my brother.
~Susan

Edward George Caughey 1883 - 1936

Edward G. Caughey is my great grand uncle.

Edward was born on 3 August 1883 in Cleveland, Ohio.  His parents were George Sterrett Caughey and Flora Adell Coe.  Edward had three brothers and one sister.  Ed was 5 ft. 6-1/2 in. tall with brown hair and blue eyes.

Edward married Alice M. Thomas of Buffalo, New York on 17 April 1908 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio by William Brown, Justice of the Peace.  At the time of the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Ed and Alice were living in Cleveland and Ed was working in a machine shop. 

On 30 November 1917, when Ed was 34 years old, he joined the United States Army and served in the Quartermaster Corps Mechanical Repair Unit 302.  While at Camp Meigs in 1917, the camp was quarantined for smallpox. Ed was also having trouble getting paper and stamps to write home.  While in the service, Ed gave his nephew Paul, Jr. his tools to borrow and to keep if he doesn't return.  Ed served in France where he met someone from Toledo, Ohio.  He sent a couple pictures home to his sister.  When Ed returned to Camp Meigs in Washington DC he needed dental work done before heading home. Ed was discharged at Camp Sherman, Ohio on 20 June 1919 and received the Bronze Victory Button.  He arrived home with no wounds and in good physical condition.

By the 1920 Census, Ed was no longer married to Alice.  He was living with his mom Flora in Cleveland, Ohio and working as a garage mechanic.  According to a letter Ed wrote to his sister Agnes in January 1921, he was in living in Kansas, Missouri working at Packard Co. with his brother Robert.

Edward Caughey died on 16 August 1936 at the age of 53 from acute dilation of heart and is buried at West Park Cemetery on Ridge Road in Cleveland, Ohio. 

There is more to Ed's story and I am still researching his life.  I will update this entry as I make new discoveries.  I would like to thank my cousin Leon Schierbaum for providing me with copies of Ed's service papers and the bible pages of births, marriages, and deaths for some of the Schierbaum and Caughey families.

Your comments are always welcome and appreciated.
~Susan

Frederick Wilhelm Schierbaum (1845-1919)

Frederick W. Schierbaum is my paternal great, great grandfather. 

Frederick was born on April 24, 1845 in Germany and died on 15 April 1919 of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) at the age of 74 years, 11 months, 21 days .  He is buried at the Monroe Street Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

According to the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Fredrick immigrated to the United States in 1869.  He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on March 31, 1886 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 

Frederick worked as a painter and fresco artist.  He is listed in the Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900, A Biographical Dictionary (The Kent State University Press) as a fresco artist who worked in Cleveland between 1879 and 1894. 

Monroe Street Cemetery

Hello.  Today I'm writing about the Monroe Street Cemetery located in Cleveland, Ohio. 

The Monroe Street Cemetery is a city-owned cemetery dating back to the 1800's. It's a beautiful and old cemetery and my paternal great-great grandparents, Fred and Clara Schierbaum, are buried there. 

My first visit to the Cemetery took place during the summer of 2009.  I arrived at the cemetery with my husband, some supplies, and, most importantly, this hand-drawn map of the area where my great-great grandparents are buried. 

Happy New Year!!

Well, here we are in another year ... a new year for new genealogy discoveries and resolutions.

Do you have any resolutions for 2011?  This is the first year for my genealogy resolutions.  I stopped making resolutions years ago because I never kept them.  Maybe you can help me this year.  My genealogy resolutions are:

(1) Keep up with my blog...updating it at least twice a month!
(2) Work on my genealogy every week!
(3) Increase my knowledge of genealogy through reading, classes, and seminars.

Now that I've written my goals down, I must keep them.  I'll keep you posted on my resolution status.

Take Care and Happy 2011.

My Italian Grandparents

My maternal grandparents who lived in Cleveland, Ohio and spoke very little English - were 100% Italian, straight from Udine, Italy. My grandfather, Federico, first came to the United States in 1921. He worked and returned to Italy and married my grandmother, Maria, in 1926. He returned to the U.S. leaving my grandmother in Italy. He continued to work in the U.S. and visit his family in Italy. When my grandmother came to the U.S. in 1930, she arrived with my aunt Lydia who was 3 years old. My grandfather became a U.S. citizen in 1929.