23 Aug Genealogist- Newsletter- August 23, 2025
Contents
GENEALOGIST- NOT YOUR GRANDPA’S MARCHING BAND
GENEALOGIST- NOT YOUR GRANDPA’S MARCHING BANDMy wife’s grandfather was a drummer in the Straughn, KS, Concert Band, standing to the left of the drum in the colorized picture below.
My wife inherited the legacy and was in marching band in high school and college. Later in life, she joined the local community orchestra and a traveling “second time around band” that performed in the 2019 Macy’s Parade and the 2021 Dublin, Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day parade. That band has transformed into a traveling symphony and has performed in Germany, Austria, Italy, and will next year perform in Belgium, France, and Germany.
As part of following the music, a few weeks ago, we attended the Drum Corps International Championships in Indianapolis. To understand, think of drum corps as marching music turned into an Olympic-level sport. It’s a performing ensemble made up of three main sections:
• Brass – trumpets, mellophones, baritones, euphoniums, tubas.
• Percussion – the “battery” (snare, tenor, bass drums) and “front ensemble” (keyboards, drums, auxiliary percussion).
• Color Guard – visual performers using flags, rifles, sabres, props, and dance to tell the story.
They don’t just play music — they perform a fully designed production on a football field, combining music, movement, visuals, and storytelling. Drum Corps International is like the NFL for junior drum corps — the top tier of competition for performers usually aged 13–22. Every summer, corps travel the country performing the same meticulously polished 10–12-minute show, competing almost nightly.
Performances are scored on:
• Music – brass, percussion, and ensemble quality.
• Visual – marching precision, choreography, and integration.
• Effect – how much the overall show connects emotionally and creatively with the audience.
For a newcomer, it’s often a shock to the senses:
• The Sound – A wall of brass and percussion that can literally vibrate in your chest.
• The Precision – Dozens of performers moving in perfect sync while playing complex music.
• The Drama – Every show is built to take you on an emotional ride, from goosebumps to tears to standing ovations.
• The Energy – These performers sprint, spin, and shout while delivering flawless music, often in brutal summer heat.
In short: DCI drum corps is part concert, part athletic event, part Broadway show — but all happening live on a football field, without a single note of recorded music.
Since there were no corps from our home area, we were cheering for all of the teams, as they are all masterful at music and pageantry. However, while trying to learn about and understand the ecosystem of the Drum Corps, I discovered that many of the members of the Trooper Corps from Casper, WY (pictured above), were from Denton County, TX, due to a connection to the University of North Texas, which allowed us to have a favorite.
If you want to see what AI did with the grandpa’s band, here you go:
Glen Harvey Straughn Concert Band Drummer 1908 left of drum 1
GENEALOGIST- THE OPEN SEA CRASH OF THE QUEEN MARY
We recently visited the Queen Mary in Long Beach, where I learned of this story.
On the morning of 2 October 1942, the HMS Curacoa (pictured) rendezvoused north of Ireland with the ocean liner Queen Mary, which was carrying approximately 10,000 American troops of the 29th Infantry Division. The liner was steaming an evasive “Zig-Zag Pattern No. 8” course at a speed of 32.8 mph to evade submarine attacks. The elderly cruiser remained on a straight course at a top speed of 29 mph and would eventually be overtaken by the liner.
Each captain had different interpretations of The Rule of the Road, believing his ship had the right of way. Captain John Wilfred Boutwood of Curacoa, kept to the liner’s mean course to maximize his ability to defend the liner from enemy aircraft. At the same time, Commodore Sir Cyril Gordon Illingworth of Queen Mary continued their zig-zag pattern, expecting the escort cruiser to give way.
“We could see our escort zig-zagging in front of us- it was common for the ships and cruisers to zig-zag to confuse the U-boats. In this particular case, however, the escort was very, very close to us”. I said to my mate, “You know she’s zig-zagging all over the place in front of us, I’m sure we’re going to hit her.” And sure enough, the Queen Mary sliced the cruiser in two like a piece of butter, straight through the six-inch armoured plating. — Alfred Johnson, eye witness, BBC: “HMS Curacao Tragedy”
At 13:32, during the zig-zag, it became apparent that Queen Mary would come too close to the cruiser, and the liner’s officer of the watch interrupted the turn to avoid Curacoa. Upon hearing this command, Illingworth told his officer to: “Carry on with the zig-zag. These chaps are used to escorting; they will keep out of your way and won’t interfere with you.” At 14:04, Queen Mary started the starboard turn from a position slightly behind the cruiser and at a distance of two cables (about 400 yards). Boutwood perceived the danger, but the distance was too close for either of the hard turns ordered for each ship to make any difference at the speeds that they were travelling. Queen Mary struck Curacoa amidships at full speed, cutting the cruiser in half (see drawing below). The aft end sank almost immediately, but the rest of the ship stayed on the surface a few minutes longer.
Acting under orders not to stop due to the risk of U-boat attacks, Queen Mary steamed onwards with a damaged bow. She radioed the other destroyers of her escort, about seven nautical miles (18.1 mi) away, and reported the collision. Hours later, the convoy’s lead escort, consisting of Bramham and HMS Cowdray, returned to rescue approximately 101 survivors, including Boutwood. Lost with Curacoa were 337 officers and men of her crew, according to the naval casualty file released by The United Kingdom National Archives in June 2013. Most of the lost men are commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial and the rest on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Those who died after rescue, or whose bodies were recovered, were buried in Chatham and Ashaig Cemetery on the Isle of Skye. Under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, Curacoa’s wrecksite is designated a “protected place”.
Those who witnessed the collision were sworn to secrecy due to national security concerns. The loss was not publicly reported until after the war ended. However, the Admiralty filed a writ against Queen Mary’s owners, Cunard White Star Line, on 22 September 1943 in the Admiralty Court of the High Court of Justice. Little happened until 1945, when the case went to trial in June; it was adjourned to November and then to December 1946. Mr. Justice Pilcher exonerated Queen Mary’s crew and her owners from blame on 21 January 1947 and laid all fault on Curacoa’s officers. The Admiralty appealed his ruling, and the Court of Appeal modified the ruling, assigning two-thirds of the blame to the Admiralty and one-third to Cunard White Star. The latter appealed to the House of Lords, but the decision was upheld.
GENEALOGIST- THE BULLS OF NORWAY
GENEALOGIST- THE BULLS OF NORWAYHere’s an article from one of Dancestors’ genealogists- You could be missing some fantastic stories and photos of your ancestors right now. If you have taken a DNA test through a consumer company like Ancestry, you potentially have dozens of distant cousins (DNA matches) to reach out to! I have found a wealth of stories and photos of my own ancestors through distant cousins I would’ve never known or seen had I not reached out to them.
A few years ago, I was researching my Norwegian family lines. I wanted more stories of the families that came from a tiny fjord in the northern part of Norway. Along the way, I found a relative, Ulf, who had a wealth of stories to share. He told me about a large bull that needed to be killed and shipped via boat to a nearby village. No one could get the bull to move. My 2x-great-grandfather punched it in the face and grabbed it with the nose ring and pulled it down to the shoreline. Once there, they needed to kill it to get it into the boat to ship. But the bull would be too heavy to lift into the boat. My ancestor planned to try to shoot it and push it over into the boat. Upon trying this, the bull fell, missed the boat, and sank to the bottom of the bay. I laughed hearing this story. It brought my ancestors to life for me. There are no records that could tell this story. Over the years, Ulf and my family have developed a friendly connection and stayed in touch often. My father flew to Oslo, where Ulf picked him up from the airport, while shouting “My Family!” in the best Scandinavian accent you can think of.
I looked for more distant cousins on my DNA match list. Another cousin, Paul, shared pictures of the fjord my family comes from. He also showed me a picture of a small house (pictured) built by our shared 3 X great-grandfather. To my surprise, Paul currently owns the house as a vacation home! He told me I am welcome to stay in the house anytime. He included many tales and facts about our family and how the home was built.
There are many reasons why we research our family. Sometimes it’s to have a record to hand down to our children and grandchildren. Sometimes it’s to find family we don’t know. Sometimes it’s to find a sense of identity and belonging. If you aren’t reaching out to distant families, I guarantee you are missing some of what you are looking for. Because I reached out to Paul, I’ll be able to stay in the house my 3x-great-grandfather built with his own hands. Because I reached out to Ulf, I’ll have a dear cousin waiting for me at the airport with a hug and a salutation.
GENEALOGIST- THE U.S. GRANT PRESIDENTIAL PAPERS ARE WHERE?
GENEALOGIST- THE U.S. GRANT PRESIDENTIAL PAPERS ARE WHERE?When I moved to TX, I knew I had relatives up in the Amarillo area. I understood that my Great-Great Grandfather Henry Smith Adams’ (pictured) Civil War diary was in the possession of some of those relatives.
Working with my mom’s second cousin, Perry, we learned that they were stored in a safe deposit box by a non-bloodline relative, Frances, who had inherited them. I met with her and other relatives when I was up in the area. I convinced her to scan copies for me, which she did, and I transcribed them. Perry also had letters written home by Henry from before the war, during the war, and after the war.
Frances later offered the diaries to me to care for them, so I could finish assembling them and ensure everything was somewhat organized (they were written in various small notepads and such). She asked that we find a permanent home where family members could see them upon request, and they would be accessible to scholars and be preserved for future generations.
When it came to looking for a home, Perry and I solicited advice from people we knew who would understand the importance of such a choice. We learned that donating them to the federal government was not a good idea, as we all saw the National Treasure movies, as it would end up in a giant warehouse, never to be seen again.
After our search, ironically, we both came back with the same answer. The US Grant Collection at Mississippi State in Starkville. I thought it ironic that the man who tormented the state as the head of the Union Army’s Department of the Mississippi would be honored in such a place. The collection had been previously stored at the campus of Southern Illinois University, and they were no longer interested in housing the collection.
We have visited many presidential libraries and museums, and Mississippi State is one of only five universities to house presidential papers. In May 2012, on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, Mississippi State University was selected as the permanent location for Ulysses S. Grant’s Presidential Library. President Grant’s artifacts are to remain permanently at the Mitchell Memorial Library on the MSU campus. These include Grant’s letters and photographs during his presidency, from 1869 to 1877. The MSU library catalogued and cross-referenced 15,000 linear feet of material. Grant’s letters have been edited and published in 32 volumes by the Ulysses S. Grant Association and the Southern Illinois University Press.
Of course, most importantly, the diaries of Union soldier Henry Smith Adams are housed under the protection of his former commander.
Here’s a nice tour of the museum: US Grant Collection
GENEALOGIST- MORE ON SOLOMON BRUNER OR SOLOMON HOWELL
In the last edition, I covered the funeral procession that had gone wrong for Solomon Howell Bruner. It was the capstone of an odd life. One of the challenges of learning about Solomon’s life is shown below.
In the 1870 census below, he is indexed as Solomon Brown, and his wife, Elizabeth, is listed along with children, Edward, Benjamin, Amanda, Joseph, and William, living in Gloucester, NJ.
By 1880, he and Elizabeth had divorced and remarried. However, now Solomon is listed as living as S.B. Howell (switching his middle and last names) and living with his second wife, the widow Harriet Stiles. I was only able to find them because of Harriet’s four Stiles children. Notice that their son Alfred (Winfield) is using the Howell surname. 1870 children were either on their own or not indexed in the 1880 census.
By 1900, he’s back to being Solomon Bruner, with wife Harriet, and sons Winfield (Alfred), Russel, and Grover.
GENEALOGIST- FLOOD PREVENTION BACK IN THE DAY
My wife’s great-grandfather Eli Needham owned a pipe yard in Upland, CA. Most of the pipe and tile used to route water down the steep foothills of Mt. Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains was their product. You can see the pipe yard with Mt. Baldy behind it. It also produced some strong young men, with her grandfather and his three brothers also pictured.
GENEALOGIST- PRESERVE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY, TODAY
GENEALOGIST- PRESERVE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY, TODAYReach out to Dancestors Genealogy. Our genealogists will research, discover, and preserve your family history. No one is getting any younger, and stories disappear from memory every year, eventually fading from our ability to find them.
Preserve your legacy and the heritage of your ancestors.
Paper gets thrown in the trash; books survive!
Ready to embark on your family history journey? Don’t hesitate. Call Dan Nelson and get your project started!
