Through Her Eyes Thursday: Mathilda Steffen Pearce

**Disclaimer ~ Having technical difficulties as you are starting your blog post is never a good thing! There is not much that can be done when the internet is down.

So, although this is a "Through Her Eyes Thursday" post, it is being brought to on Friday, February 14th (AKA Valentine's Day). Today, I would like to show some love to this lovely lady, my maternal grandmother,  Mathilda (Tillie) Steffen Pearce.

Mathilda C. Steffen

Growing Up on a Iowa Farm

She was born Mathilda C. Steffen on May 10, 1910 in Luxemburg, Dubuque County, Iowa. Although she was named Mathilda, she was just "Tillie" to all who knew and loved her.

As one of the oldest daughters in a large family growing up in the early 1920's, Tillie spent much of her childhood helping to care for her younger siblings. As was common with girls in those days, she was taken out of school after the 8th grade to help her mother.

Love and Family

In her late 20's, Tillie would travel to the outskirts of the Chicago area with her younger sister, Alice. There, in Kendall County, both Tillie and Alice would find husbands and start raising families.

Tillie met and married Gerald H. Pearce on 24 November 1937. Gerald had been a widower with a grown daughter named Elnora, and a couple of grandchildren. 

Gerald and Mathilda Pearce

Gerald and Tillie would also have two children of their own. My mother, Kathleen, and uncle, James, joined the family in 1938 and 1943.

My Grandma "Tillie" & my mom, Kathy,
on Mom's First Communion.

Cooking and Kitchens

Grandma was a wonderful cook, and was well-known in Yorkville for her kitchen skills. According to my mother, she catered many meals during her lifetime. At one point, she also was a kitchen manager in a local restaurant, also.

Grandma Tillie

 

At home, in the kitchen

She was ahead of her time in many ways, also. Throughout the 1950's, it was not that common for married women to be working outside the home. Grandma did much of the catering while married to my grandfather. 

And she continued working after his death in 1959. My mother and uncle were only 21 and 17 at the time. My mom would be married within 1 1/2 years and move 300 miles away to  southeastern Indiana.

As a widow at 49 years old, she had to become quite independent in taking care of herself and her home.

She would also drive herself and her sister, Alice, on car trips back to Iowa to visit their siblings. They took several of these car trips until their health eventually prevented them.

Grandma with three of her sisters.
L-R:  Catherine, Alice, Tillie and Florence

When house maintenance became too much in later years, my grandmother sold her house and moved herself into a senior citizen home. Here, she really enjoyed visiting with her friends, playing bingo and cards...and even taking a trip out to Vegas!

She cherished her family and her grandchildren. My Uncle Jim stayed in the Kendall County area, and he would visit Grandma often with his two kids. My family lived in southeastern Indiana, and many trips were made back and forth to see each other.

My Memories

She loved playing games with us children! I couldn't even recall how many times Yahtzee or a deck of cards were already setting on the dining room table awaiting her arrival!

Mathilda (Tillie) Steffen Pearce passed away on August 27, 1991. I have so many fantastic memories of this wonderful woman! I was only 21 years old when she passed away, and hadn't even begun to realize all that she had taught me.

Almost thirty years later, I may have forgotten the little bit of her childhood German she taught me. But, I remember everything else! Be strong. Take care of yourself. Cherish your family. Have fun!

These last photos are of the Grandma Pearce that I treasure. This is how I will remember her always.

Tillie Pearce

Grandma Pearce and
Grandma Schrader

My mom, Kathy Schrader and
Grandma Pearce

Sunday's Obituary Prompt ~ Mary Warner Severance

(Sunday’s Obituary is a daily genealogy prompt that can include an obituary and other information about a person, developed by Leslie Ann at Ancestors Live Here)

Have you ever had a brick wall  that you thought you would never break? The ancestor just seemed to appear out of nowhere, and start a direct line to your family?! 🔍🔍🔍

Mary Warner Severance was one of my biggest brick walls. In all my research on her, I had found maiden names of Warren, Warner and all kinds of variations. New York was always listed as the place of birth, but I could never find a town listed anywhere. And, last but not least, I had never heard of any children other than my great-grandmother, Frances.

Thanks to my genealogy angel and newly-discovered third cousin, Stephanie...I now have an obituary for my 2x-great grandmother, Mary Warner Severance! 

It was taken from the Aurora Daily News (June 14, 1907, p. 15), and gives much of the information that I was missing. I also discovered four more children that I didn't know existed. The only drawback that I noticed in a 1907 obituary is the daughters lack their own names. Instead, you will notice they are all Mrs. (insert husband's name).

This is so much more information than I already had for Mary, so I would like to transcribe it below to make it searchable for others. 

                                Aurora Daily News (June 14, 1907, p. 15)

(Transcribed obituary of Mary Warner Severance)

Obituary

   Mary Warner was born in Chittenango, Madison County, N.Y., May 2, 1816 and died June 10, 1907, at the advanced age of 91 years, one month and eight days.

   She was united in marriage to David Severance in 1835 and was a resident of Oswego for many years. For several years she has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Orson Pearce, near Yorkville, where she received the best of care. All that loving hands could do was done for her comfort. She was a patient sufferer for months.

   She leaves to mourn her loss four daughters and one son, Mrs. Edward Walker, of Indiana, Mrs. Jos. Hinchman, Mrs. Will Smith and Mrs. Orson Pearce of Oswego and Charles Severance.

   The funeral was held at the house Tuesday afternoon and was largely attended. The floral offerings were exceedingly beautiful and profuse. The sermon was preached by Rev. G.A. Erving. The music was furnished by W.W. Church and Miss Lillian Nading. The pallbearers were the four grandsons, Gerald Pearce, Van Andrews, Clarence Smith and Loren Hinchman.

Are They My Cousins Too, Or Just Yours?

Where do you go on vacation when you want to visit relatives, do some genealogy work and pay your respects to your ancestors?🤔🤔🤔

With these temperatures, I wish I could tell you Hawaii or Florida! 🌡⛄🌊   Lol

But, this coming week, I am heading up north to Kendall County, Illinois to do just that. 🚗🚗🚗

By now, you are asking what does this have to do with the title of  my blog post, right? Why in the world would I pick that title?  ❓❓❓

The title of this post actually comes from conversations I have had over the years from my relatives in Oswego and Yorkville in Kendall County, Illinois.

I have three different sides of my family tree all represented here in these towns where my mom grew up,...but my dad had never lived.

Let's climb aboard a time machine 🚀, and jump back to where these trees started growing in Kendall County.

First stop ~ My maternal grandfather, Gerald Pearce, was born in 

                     Oswego where his great-grandfather, Daniel Pearce, was

                     one of the first settlers. Gerald had been married with a 

                     daughter, and widowed, before meeting my 

                     grandmother. His one daughter had 12 children.

Gerald and Tillie Pearce

Second stop ~ My maternal grandmother, Mathilda Steffen, and her 

                     younger sister, Alice, moved from Iowa to Kendall 

                     County. Grandma "Tillie" married Grandpa Gerald and     
                     raised my mother and uncle in Yorkville. The 12       

                     children above (their half-neices/nephews), were     
                     approximately their age range and went to school with
                     them.

Third stop ~ My paternal grandmother, Ethel, was born and raised
                    southeastern Indiana along with her eight siblings. One
                    of her sisters, Clara, married and moved to Kendall
                    County. Clara and Tillie became good friends. When my
                    Grandma Ethel and family would visit, my mother got to
                    got to meet my father.

(L-R) Clara, Ethel Gladys and Loren Haessig

I truly hope that I haven't completely confused you yet! It was honestly has made for some interesting conversations with relatives over the years.

I am related to the Goins families in Kendall County, because my Great-aunt Clara moved from southeastern Indiana and raised her family there.

But the rest of my Illinois relatives are related to them in any way.

My Grandma Tillie Steffen married Grandpa Pearce, so I am related to all the Pearces in the area.

My Great-aunt, Alice, had moved from Iowa with big sister, Tillie. She stayed and raised a family in Kendall County, also. I am related to her children here. But, only my immediate family and closest Pearce cousins are related to them, also.

What makes all of this quite interesting is the fact that Yorkville and Oswego are small towns. They know each other as neighbors and classmates.

We, however, are in a unique position to call everyone: FAMILY!!! 

                     

The Pearces and Warners of Kendall County, Illinois

This month, I discovered, marked the 200th anniversary of Illinois statehood. In recognition of this momentous occasion, I thought this might be a good time to introduce you to my mother’s side of the family, and therefore, my Illinois heritage.

My mom, Kathy, grew up in a small town in Kendall County, Illinois, called Yorkville. Although her mother, Mathilda Steffen, had grown up in Iowa; her father, Gerald Pearce, had lived in Kendall County his entire life. However, my mom knew almost nothing of his family history. He was in his late 50's when she was born, and had died when she was just 21 years old.

Gerald Pearce and Mathilda Steffen

She had always wanted to know more about the Pearce side of the family. And, before she passed away several years ago, I was able to give her the name of her grandparents, Orsen Seth Pearce and Frances Severance.

...And then I ran smack into a brick wall!

Whenever those brick walls get the best of me, my plan of attack is to always go back to what I know. So, I visited the one place where I knew I could find Pearce family.

I am fortunate in one way, that many are not. My Pearce side of the family actually has a Pearce Cemetery in Oswego, Kendall County. But, other than my grandparents and a small handful of other relatives, I had no idea who anyone else in the cemetery was. I had only been to this cemetery a few times in my lifetime.

On my next visit to see my cousins, I stopped at the Pearce Cemetery to pay my respects to my grandparents. I also took the time to study, and write down, many of the names on the gravestones. And, I took what I discovered to the internet.

I not only learned quite a bit on my own, but my research also led me to a FB group for Onondaga County, NY Genealogy. And, by asking a question on there, led me to a 3rd cousin back in Illinois I never knew! She has been researching our Pearce/Warner lines for a long time, and was a veritable gold mine of information! (To protect her privacy, I will refer to her as Cousin Pearce)

I have also discovered a book, History of Kendall County, Illinois, from the Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time, written in 1877. Within its pages, I have found some of the county’s earliest settlers, such as John Pearce (Orson’s father), Walter Pearce and William Wilson. Walter was a brother to John, and William was his brother-in-law.

On pg. 98, I read,

“In August, 1832, John and Walter Pearce and William Wilson arrived with their families. They were from the Mad river country, Ohio, and started almost the moment they heard the [Blackhawk] war was over, with horse teams, driving their cattle and sheep before them. It was a tedious journey, and the prospect, when they reached the quaking swamps around Chicago, anything but inviting. But from that point they struck out for Fox River, and after a day’s travel in that direction were better pleased. They touched the river at Aurora, though there was not one solitary cabin then to mark the spot, and passed on down the south bank to the present site of Oswego. There Mr. Wilson drove his stake, while the Pearces crossed the river and made their claims on the other side. Oswego is therefore, by a few months, the oldest inhabited town in Kendall county…”

On pg. 104,  I also found a small entry regarding their father, Daniel Pearce, and his arrival in Oswego. My only regret when reading the following paragraph, is that the year of his arrival was not included.

“June 1st, Daniel Pearce and family arrived at Oswego, having come all the way with ox teams. They had a tedious journey, for the season was wet and the mud very deep. They often met droves of cattle knee deep in mud. Mr. Pearce at once took up his present farm - one hundred acres of prairie, surrounded with timber, on Waubonsie Creek.”

According to my newly-discovered cousin, Daniel’s house not only is still standing, but rests on the edge of a golf course! She said that all of the golf course had once been his property.

Daniel Pearce's House (Courtesy of Cousin Pearce)

John, and his wife, Marietta Marion Warner, had seven children. William Wallace, Alice A., Charles Wesley, Orson Seth, Julia, Carrie, and Mariette Marion (Ettie).

I have no photos of my great-grandfather, Orson Seth, but my newly -discovered cousin has a few of Orson's baby sister, Ettie.

The photos below are of Ettie and her family (she will later have one more son, Ralph),...

Clockwise: Marietta (Ettie) Pearce, Glenn Pearce Andrews, Frank Andrews, Burton Everett Andrews (Courtesy of Cousin Pearce)

...and of Ettie in her later years.

Ettie Pearce Andrews

Since these are the only photos I have from the Pearce line, I have merged the photos of Ettie, and her nephew, Gerald Pearce.  Without a photo of Orson's father, this is the closest that I can get to looking for a resemblance.

What do you think?

Ettie Pearce Andrews, and her nephew, Gerald Pearce

I have also started some research into John's wife line, too.  Maretta Marian Warner was born in Camillus, Onondaga County, NY to Joel Warner and Clarissa Foster. 

According to the Kendall County book, (p. 171) "Joel Warner settled one mile east of Oswego, and afterward removed to Newark."

According to census records, Marietta and seven of her siblings were born in New York, but the last three in Kendall County, Illinois. So, I knew that they had to have migrated somewhere between April 1833 and December 1835. I have heard rumors that the newly-built Erie Canal in NY ran fairly close to the property of Joel's parents, Seth Warner and Lois Squire. 

Besides looking closer into the Pearce and Warner families, I think that my next trail to follow would be how the Warners might have gotten to northern Illinois in the 1830's.

My guess would be the Erie Canal, and the Great Lakes. But, how would they do this in the early-1830's? 

Would anyone like to help me with this? Have any of you done much research into this route of migration?

Sources:

Hicks, E.W.  History of Kendall County, Illinois, from the Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time. Aurora, IL: Knickerbocker & Hodder, Steam Printers and Blank Book Makers, 1877.