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Great Uncle "Chuck," the Four Horsemen, and the Rest of the Story

  Charlie "Chuck" Baker, in an image from The Cleveland Press, November 1927. 1   Mention the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to me and football is not what immediately pops into my mind. But in my family history, mentioning the Four Horsemen brings up the name Charles "Charlie" Baker (1908-1955), my grandmother's brother. I've heard the phrase, "Charlie was one of the Four Horsemen," more than once over time, from my dad, cousins, maybe even an aunt or uncle. Not being raised in a football-centric household, however, the significance of the phrase was lost on me. But curious about Charlie's connection to the fabled football heroes who played under Knute Rockne at Notre Dame in the 1920s, I went in search of the story. And I found a great story—one with a surprising Texas twist that grabbed my attention, as I live here. Much of what I learned was from an account of this greatest of Cathedral Latin football stories, written by Robert Kelley, a...
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So Many Stories to Tell

Young Thomas J. "Tommy" Kozlina and my mom Anna Margaret Kozlina.
Friends,

This past year, I have dedicated much time to my favorite hobby: family history. I have read books, listened to podcasts, attended workshops, and begun again, to research our family lines.

I do so for a variety of reasons, but mainly I am intrigued and excited by the people the research reveals. At first, it was all about the names and dates, and "how far can I get back?" And, while that is still somewhat of a focus (Apparently, we cannot go back to Ireland until I find out where the Casey line is from!), I find more and more that I am just drawn into the stories that emerge, as I find more details of our ancestors' lives.

There's the funny stuff : "Polish Wedding Causes Trouble," is the headline of a newspaper article featuring my great grandmother Margaret McAndrew Gilbride. We'll save that one for another post.

There's everyday life: "So-and-So is visiting their mother this week." The not-so-everyday: "Sleeping Sickness Fatal to Girl."

There are stories which break your heart, and ones that make you nod your head and say, "Oh, so THAT's why..."

There are discoveries of familial likenesses, shared hobbies, tales of travel from abroad, and tales of deeply held American roots. There are railroad men, a hockey player, a prominent blacksmith, several coal miners, a nun and a priest...

Newspaper snippets - the Facebook of the time - recording who visited whom, or who wore what to whose wedding. There are both slices of everyday life and memorable moments in photo. There are bunches of interesting folk, who lived sometimes ordinary, sometimes extraordinary lives.

So many stories to tell. And here in this little space, I hope to share them with you.

Come on along.
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