Women's History Month: Annie's Family Women Tree

 

March is Women's History Month, so I'm looking at items owned, used, or made by some of my female ancestors, as well as my memories connected with them.

This posts departs somewhat from my original them of "items owned, used, or made by some of my female ancestors," but I suddenly remembered about it, and just had to share it. It's absolutely appropriate for Women's History Month.

Titled "Annie's Family Women Tree," this cardboard and construction paper creation was done by my daughter Anne Katherine Casey when she was in 3rd grade. It was a Brownie project the year I was a co-leader. I was becoming interested in genealogy back then, and so you can guess who picked the Family Story badge!

 

I love this piece so much, mostly because it features only female ancestors. I'm sure the goal for the Brownies was to make each girl aware of the accomplishments of women in her family. 

I remember Anne talking with her Papa (paternal grandfather) about his family to gather names and a historical tidbit about each woman. It was the first time I perhaps heard some of these names, or learned a bit about them. 

So on Anne's father's side we have facts like:

• Nellie F. Taylor, preacher's wife
• Clara Blackman, assistant to husband vet
• Mary J. Weaver, moved from TN to TX in 1849, had 14 children

 

Dessie Evans Casey Cleberg's leaf.

Leaf for Claretta Hall Casey, Anne's paternal great-grandmother.

Anne asked me about some of my family and learned such facts as:

• Ann M. Kozlina, born in a house, folk dancer
• Louisa (last name unknown), born in Croatia
• Anna Tatar, born in Czechoslovakia 

Leaf for Anne's late aunt, my sister Sharon Gilbride.

Anne's maternal great-grandmother Margaret Simonik Kozlina's leaf.

The tree is pretty skimpy on my side as I did not know very much about some of Mom's Eastern European ancestors back then, and some ladies have only a relationship listed or no facts. I'm happy to report that all these years later, I actually know quite a bit about all of these women.

Some of the information in the tree was family lore that was later disproved. One such fact was that my husband's family had Native American heritage. Rightly proud, our daughter noted at the base of the tree that she was "Part Comanche, Part Cherokee." Sadly, this is not true. 

But not to fear, Anne has plenty of other great women in her tree—several women who came over on the Mayflower, as well as the Susanna North Martin, wrongly accused of witchcraft in Salem, and hanged in 1692—alongside all the dozens of great women who have come in all the generations between then and now. 

I love the little sentence Anne added to the tree trunk:

"Generation to Generation Women in Our Family Tree Have Been Pasted to this Tree

Right down to me!

Annie K. Casey" 

I hang on to this tree as a great reminder of the women who went before, and of perhaps the first time that our daughter's eyes were opened to the wonderful women in her family history.

Until next time...

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© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2024. All rights reserved.

This post was chosen for Friday Family History Finds on Empty Branches on Family Trees, for 22 March 2024. Thanks, Linda!

NOTES

 

Anne K. Casey, "Annie's Women Family Tree," created about 2002, author's personal archive, Tioga, Texas, 2024.