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Week 43 - Urban - Lorraine Sheridan

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In 1942, a 19-year-old woman left her small rural hometown of less than 400 people and boarded a train bound for Detroit, one of the busiest urban centers in America. The city was alive around the clock, its streets glowing with factory lights and the constant hum of war production. Her name was Lorraine Sheridan, and she was the youngest of six children of John and Pauline (Prince) Sheridan. And my mom.  A recent graduate of Fulton schools in Perrinton, Michigan she decided to head to the big city. She found work at the Lyon Manufacturing Company located at 151 South Waterman St along the waterfront. It had turned from making farm equipment to producing 40 mm cartridge cases. It was her first time in a big city — and her first time working the midnight shift. Inside the vast plant, the air smelled of oil and hot metal, and the noise of machines filled every corner. Mom worked six days a week in a relief position and would take over for other workers that were going on breaks. She ...
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Week 42 - Fire - Conner/Graham

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Isaac Graham was around 19 years old when he immigrated from Canada into Marion township, Michigan to join his older brother John in 1862. The two brothers had purchased land using funds that their father had supplied. Land was becoming too expensive in Canada, so he had sent them to Michigan to settle. Isaac's twin brother Charles had come with them, but after a bad winter and getting sickly from working in the woods, he decided to go back to Canada. Isaac purchased 80 acres in what became the town of Deckerville in Sanilac County, located in the thumb of Michigan. He cleared some acres, planted an orchard and built a small wood frame home. In 1871 Isaac returned home to Taylor's Corner in Victoria county, Ontario, Canada and there he married Charlotte Harmon on July 17th.  During the year of 1871, there was a severe drought that ran from the Dakotas, across Minnesota and into Wisconsin and also included the state of Michigan. Following lightning strikes in the Dakotas, fires ...
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Week 41 - Water - Daly/Wilcox

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When Allison Wilcox started a well-drilling business in 1948, he never dreamed that three of his sons would become involved in the business.  Allison and his wife Margaret had seven children: James, Richard, Charles, Lyle, Ralph, Freddy and daughter Lucille.  Richard, my husband's uncle showed a marked interest is helping his dad in the family business. When Richard was a child, he was helping his dad with an injured horse, and his dad told him 'Go get me some rope Doc' and it stuck. From then on, he was always called Doc Wilcox. Many knew him for a lifetime and never knew his real name. When my husband Dan was in his early teens, he would spend his summers working with his Uncle Doc while staying with his grandmother (Margaret (Smith) Daly at Barnes Lake in Columbiaville, Michigan. Doc was married to Patricia Daly, and they had three children. Doc and his brothers Charlie and Jim each had their own individual well drilling businesses. Doc would pay him $14.00 a day. And if...
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Week 40 - Cemetery - Dillingham

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In 1632 Edward Dillingham immigrated into Massachusetts from Cottsbach, Leicestershire, England and settled in the town of Lynn.  In 1637, Edward was one of ten men who were sent by the King of England to found the town of Sandwich, the first English town on Cape Cod. All ten men received land grants for their work. Initially a Puritan, Edward later embraced Quaker beliefs. He played an active role in the community's civic affairs. Edward had married Ursula Carter in 1614, and they had a total of seven children. I descent through their son Henry and his wife Hannah (Perry). Edward was my 8x great grandfather on my paternal side. (My grandma Porter was a Dillingham). The oldest of my ancestor's burials in America would be that of Edward who was born 6 December 1594/1595 and died 1 May 1667 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts.    The original headstone for Edward has disappeared, though he shows on the cemetery map as being buried in plot #264. Old Town Cemetery in Sandw...
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Week 39 - Disappeared - Porter

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As a kid growing up in the 50's and 60's, there was a weekly routine that was followed by our family pretty much all the time.  As the middle of five daughters, I grew up with seven of us—Mom, Dad, and all us girls—crowded around the table at every meal. Monday through Thursday, dinner went on the table at 6:00 PM. And you better be there. We all sat down together, ate together, said please and thank you and at the end of dinner, you asked to be excused and took your plate to the kitchen. My job was to set the table and then after dinner I was expected to sweep the dining room floor. My older sisters would start the dishes, but the younger ones were excused from those nightly chores. On meatless Fridays it was pancakes, French toast, macaroni and cheese or tuna casserole.  On Sunday's we would all read the paper and fight over the funny pages.  By the time all five of us, plus Mom would read the paper it was a total mess. I loved reading Ann Landers and checking out ...
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Week 38 - Animals - Sheridan

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The 1880 Agriculture Census of Gratiot County, Michigan shows a complete listing of animals that were on the original Sheridan farm that was located just south of the town of Fulton. To those that read these missives...Fulton became the town of Perrinton. My 2x great grandfather Patrick Sheridan and his wife Margaret started the farm and grew it into a thriving homestead. Their son Michael and his wife Elizabeth (my great grandparents) expanded the farm into supplying the Poultry Hall with the excess animals that were produced on those acres.  The agriculture census reads like a farm diary. It starts with land owned (160 acres), land tilled (80 acres), woodland and forest (80 acres), products grown - Hay, clover, oats, corn, wheat, potatoes (Irish!), orchards with apples and peaches. Vineyards with grapes and harvesting lumber from the wooded areas of their land. And animals! Milch cows, beef cattle, hogs, sheep and lambs, chickens and other poultry, and horses. To put it into pers...
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Week 37 - In the News - Sheridan

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My grandparents John and Pauline (Prince) Sheridan took over the family business from grandpa's parents, Michael and Elizabeth (Holland) Sheridan. Michael had taken it over from his parents Patrick and Margaret (Hughes) Sheridan. It was named the M E Sheridan Poultry Hall, and they processed chickens, turkeys, etc. and also shipped eggs and meat to Detroit to market. All the poultry were raised on the family farm that was located south of the town of Perrinton, Michigan. It was a small community with a population of approximately 300 people.  ME Sheridan Poultry Hall - John O Sheridan on right at upper level Michael Sheridan standing in front with moustache It was a thriving business for the area and the times. I grew up with the story that when my mom was a baby the business burned down, and all was lost as they did not have insurance on the building or contents. From then on, it seemed like they moved around a lot into different houses never straying from town. Grandpa worked oft...
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