Remembering Dad - It's Been Seven Years

Seven years ago, my father, Frederick Henry Pape, died rather suddenly at age 88.  It's the anniversary of the first of three family deaths that happened in NO-vember.  This photo was taken March 12, 2006, when I visited my parents at their post-retirement home in Fredericksburg, Texas.  Every time I visited, Dad would clean my windshield before I left.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

An Old Well on the Granbury Courthouse Square

Earlier this week, I got a sneak peek at the new location of local/my favorite restaurant, Christina's American Table, which will be on the first floor of the recently-restored historic Nutt House Hotel.  In the men's room, there is a window in the floor with a view of an old well (see the photo below).

Above:  View through a window in the floor of the men's room of the old well underneath the Nutt House Hotel and Christina's American Table.

Below:  A wider view of the men's room and the "window to the well."

Apparently, one of the stone pier-and-beam supports when this stone building was constructed (sometime between March 1893 and July 1898) was placed right over the old well opening, and the well was rediscovered in the recent renovation.  So of course I immediately wondered if the well showed up in any old Sanborn fire insurance maps.

Well, it is not specifically marked on any of the available maps.  However, I have a guess on where it was located.  First, look at this map from July 1898.  The building is on the northwest corner of the intersection of Bridge and Crockett. It first appears, in its present stone (indicated by the blue coloring) form, on the July 1898 Sanborn map. Note the location of the wooden posts down the middle of the building (where the red arrow is pointing - click on the image of the map to enlarge it).  They are still there, and this well is to the west (left on the map) of them.

Above:  excerpt of the July 1898 Sanborn fire insurance map for the building that is now the Nutt House Hotel and Christina's American Table in Granbury, Texas -  https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/sanborn/g-i/txu-sanborn-granbury-1898-2.jpg

Below:  excerpt of the March 1893 Sanborn fire insurance map for the site of the building that is now the Nutt House Hotel and Christina's American Table in Granbury, Texas - https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/sanborn/g-i/txu-sanborn-granbury-1893-1.jpg

The building in present form (see the photo below) was constructed sometime between March 1893 (based on the Sanborn map above) and July 1898. Its predecessor was two wood frame (indicated by the yellow coloring) buildings. Note that the one on the left does not extend as deeply into the lot as the one on the right. Although no well is indicated on this map, the well could have been constructed after March 1893, and then the stone building of today built over it.

Above:  Nutt House Hotel on March 2, 2023, after the March 1, 2023 fire that nearly destroyed it when its restoration was nearly complete.

Below:  Nutt House Hotel on October 24, 2024, about to reopen, with Christina's American Table on the first floor.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

Success in a Remote Cemetery in Oklahoma

On the way home from visiting my late husband's first cousin in Oklahoma City last Friday, I went almost to the state of Oklahoma's eastern border with Arkansas, in search of the Vaughn Memorial Cemetery in Le Flore County, near the community of Gilmore, which is east of Poteau and north of Monroe.

As I wrote in an earlier post, I found my husband's great-grandfather, John L. Gresham, listed in a 1937 inventory for this cemetery.  I made a photo request through FindAGrave, but it hadn't been fulfilled in some time, which made me think that perhaps the grave marker didn't exist any more.

Well, it's there.  Here's a photo of the top of the marker, which has toppled from its base and now lies flat on the ground.  It reads:

J. L. Gresham

Born Feb. 1, 1855

Died Feb. 15, 1892

Above:  Photo of the top of the grave marker for J[ohn] L Gresham, showing the inscription.  Click on the image to view it larger.

Below:  The sign for the Vaughn Memorial Cemetery on Le Flore County Road N4780 (also known as the Gilmore Road), near Poteau, Oklahoma.  The red arrow points to the toppled grave marker for John L. Gresham (which I also marked for this photo by placing a water bottle on it.  Click on the image to view it larger.

Amazingly, between my GPS, a map on my phone, and notes about mileages and turns, I didn't get lost finding this (but I did learn that there are NO rest stops with restrooms on Interstate 50 between Oklahoma City and Sallisaw, near the Arkansas border).  My strategy upon arrival was to search near the cemetery sign pictured above, which was next to the road.  The older graves appeared to be in this area, and it made sense to me that burials would have started closer to the road.  This turned out to be a good strategy, because as you can see from the red arrow, John's grave WAS close to the front.

What I noticed first was the footstone, pictured below, which was propped up against the base of a toppled monument.  "J. L. G." - John L. Gresham - this had to be it!

Above:  Footstone for the grave of J[ohn] L G[resham], leaning against the base of a toppled monument

Below:  Looking over the base to the toppled monument.

I was amazed to see that the front of the monument was quite detailed!  (Click on the image below to enlarge.)  Although somewhat worn from the weather, there is clearly a flying dove carrying a banner that reads "At Rest" flying under an arched roof made by multiple columns leading into some sort of room with a tiled floor. At the bottom of the front of the monument, these words are engraved: "Resting in hope of a glorious resurrection."

Above:  the detailed front of the grave marker for John L. Gresham

Below:  Looking at the toppled monument from the top down - the inscription with the name and dates of birth and death is upside down at the bottom of the photograph.

I was thrilled to find this, and I've updated John L. Gresham's FindAGrave memorial with these images.  

I also visited the nearby Monroe Cemetery (just 3.4 miles due south), where my husband's great-great-grandmother Mary Malissa Hallmark Self is buried (along with one of her grandsons).  I did not find her husband, Vincent Garner Self Jr., there, nor did I find their daughter, John L. Gresham's wife (and my husband's great-grandmother) Lucinda "Lulu" Vina Self Gresham Young, in the Oak Hill (aka Kiowa City) Cemetery in the town of Kiowa in Pittsburgh County, 89.4 miles southwest.  It's possible they never had markers, the markers are long gone, or the newspaper accounts of their deaths were incorrect about the burial places.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

Mom Would Have Been 96 Today

Geraldine Margaret Guokas Pape (1928-2019), about 1952, Houston, Texas.  

She is wearing a hat with a face veil, popular at that time.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

Happy 94th Birthday to My Aunt!

My aunt, Jo Ann (Sister Jean Marie) Guokas, was born September 12, 1930, so she is 94 years old today.  She's also been a nun for 75 years.  In 1949, she made her first profession of religious vows as a member of the Congregation of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament.  This photo of her and me was taken on June 8, 2024 at a celebration of the event (her 75th Jubilee) at the Villa De Matel in Houston, Texas, where members of her convent now reside.  Normally this event might have been held closer to her feast day (which is is that of her patron saint, Jean-Marie Vianney) on August 4, I'm glad the event was held in June, so that my late husband Mark was able to attend.  Unfortunately, there was not a good picture of the three of us at the event.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

70 Years Ago...

...my parents, Geraldine Margaret Guokas (1928-2019) and Frederick Henry Pape (1929-2017) got married, September 11, 1954, at Annunciation Catholic Church in Houston, Texas.  This photo is from their reception at the Milford House.  The photo is by Kaye Marvins.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

Happy Birthday, My Love

Mark Gresham would have turned 83 today.  This photo was taken at Bell's Studio in Corpus Christi, Texas.  I think it may be from 1946 - although the shirt he is wearing is similar, Mark looks a little younger here than he does in his 1947-48 Travis Elementary first grade picture.  Bell's Studio is listed in the 1946 Corpus Christi city directory.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

My Beloved: Mark Edward Gresham, August 24, 1941 - August 2, 2024

Mark Gresham, May 29, 1981

Budget Director, City of Corpus Christi, Texas

photo by Sammy Gold of Gold's Studio

Mark Edward Gresham, of Granbury, Texas, died Friday, August 2, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas, just three weeks shy of his 83rd birthday.  Mark was born on August 24, 1941, in San Antonio, Texas, the oldest child and only son of Francis Edward Gresham and Jewel Moore Gresham.

As a result of his father's Navy service and civilian military defense work, Mark spent his early years in Corpus Christi, Texas; Suitland, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.; and the Myrtle Grove area of Pensacola, Florida.  In 1954, his family moved to Guam, where Mark was a Boy Scout.  He graduated from George Washington High School in 1959 and attended the Territorial College of Guam the next year.  In 1964, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University), majoring in political science, government, and public administration, and minoring in sociology and Spanish.  He completed all requirements except the thesis for a Master of Arts in public administration at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas).

While in graduate school, Mark began his career in Texas city management.  From 1965 to 1969, he served as administrative assistant to the city manager in Garland, including one year as acting city secretary.  He was city manager of Terrell from 1969 to 1971 and of San Marcos from 1971 to 1973.  He was the budget director for the City of Corpus Christi from 1974 to 1985, and senior deputy city manager in Grand Prairie from 1985 to his retirement in 1993.  He spent the next twelve years in California, where he served on the Orange County Grand Jury.  In 2005, he moved back to Texas, settling in Granbury.

Mark was an active member of the Texas City Management Association, the Texas Municipal League, the International City/County Management Association, and the Government (formerly Municipal) Finance Officers Association.  Mark also taught courses in public administration, local government financial management, and urban economics at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi.  

In retirement, Mark was a member of the Grand Jurors' Association of Orange County, and served as vice-chairman of the Charter Review Commission for the City of Granbury in 2018.  He volunteered as a shipbuilder with the Twin Brigantine Project of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute.  He also volunteered with the Friends of the Library of Hood County, building a sales countertop for their store and auditing their financial records.

In his free time, Mark was passionate about sailing.  From 1978 to 2002, he co-owned a 22-foot Catalina (The Wagon) and (from 1981) solo-owned a 27-foot Pearson (Contagious, also known as Contigo), both in the Corpus Christi Marina.  He was an avid photographer who set up his own black-and-white darkroom in his homes.  He also enjoyed fishing, reading, cooking, gardening, dining out, playing the guitar, and listening to music.

Mark is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 18 (and friend of 45) years, Amanda Pape; and by his two younger sisters, Ann Gresham (Michael) Beug of Husum, Washington, and June Gresham (Gregory) Crane of Red Hook, New York.  He has three children, Kim Gresham (Mike) Williams of McKinney, Texas, Noël Gresham (Philip) Blaschke of Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Drew (Carolyn Shierk) Gresham of San Antonio, Texas; and two stepchildren, Eric Bolme of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Diane Kulju of Washington, D.C.  He is also survived by ten grandchildren, Holly Brown (Lindsey) Watson, Heidi Brown (Ryan) Mason, Austin Blaschke, Jennifer Williams (Christopher) Cain, Adam Brown, Drew Brown, Madison Blaschke (Daniel) Nicholson, Lindsay Williams, Evan Blaschke, and Luke Williams; three great-grandchildren, Walker Mason, Rylan Nicholson, and Noah Mason; and by four nephews, three cousins, four siblings-in-law, and their families. 

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

Monument in Gikoniai, Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania

Right about in the middle of Gikoniai, Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania, there is a monument beside the road, erected in 1999 in memory of the inhabitants of Gikoniai in 1945, many of whom were exiled to Siberia by the Soviets.  There is a wood sculpture of Mary, Mother of God, resting on a cube with inscriptions on all four sides. The base has 32 stones on its exterior, many of which are inscribed with names of residents. According to my third cousin Osvaldas Guokas, the monument is called "Stone Wreaths."

Above:  Monument in Gikoniai, Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania, photo by Osvaldas Guokas, 2 June 2017.

Below:  Gikonys- Paminklas 32 kaimo šeimoms - Monument with the names of 32 families in Gikoniai village - by Silvestras Gaižiūnas, 28 September 2010.

The front of the cube has this inscription in Lithuanian:
"Gikonių kaimo/ gyventojų / atminimui/ 1945 m./ Kaime buvo 32 sodybos"

which roughly translates to:
"In memory of the inhabitants of the village of Gikoniai in 1945. There were 32 homesteads in the village"

This side also includes a drawing of the Savickas windmill and a double cross.

The next side (visible in the photo and in the link just above) reads as follows in Lithuanian:
"Gikoniai/ poeto/ Henriko / Radausko / tėviškė/ 1910-1970 /O žmonės gimė, sėjo, pjovė, / juos kirto laikas H.R."

which roughly translates to:

"Gikoniai/ poet/ Henrikas/ Radauskas/ fatherland/ 1910-1970 / And people were born, sowed, reaped, / they were cut time H.R.''
The last two lines are apparently from a poem from the famous Lithuanian poet Henrikas Radauskas, who was from Gikoniai.

The third side of the cube (pictured below) says this in Lithuanian:
"1948.05.22. Sibiran/ ištremtos 4 šeimos/ (Penkiolika žmonių)/ Tremtyje mirė/ Pranas Jasilionis"

which translates roughly to:

"1948.05.22 4 families (15 persons) were exiled to Siberia.  Pranas Jasilionis died in exile."

There's also an image of a broken tree, which may be a symbol for Pranas' death.

I have been able to count 15 people from the Pakruojos region who were exiled to Siberia between 1945 and 1949, with the Jasilionis, Urlakis, and Guokas surnames.  Twelve of them were from the Jasilionis family (Osvaldas' great-grandmother was a Jasilionis, as was my Guokas great-grandfather's first wife).  Fulgentas Jasilionis (1892-AFT 1948), who I wrote about in an earlier post, also died in exile.

Above and below:  photos of two of the sides of the monument in Gikoniai, Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania, by Osvaldas Guokas, 2 June 2017.

The last side of the cube (pictured above) reads in Lithuanian:
"Viešpatie laimink/ jų palikuonis / 1999"

which roughly translates to:

"Lord bless their descendants 1999"
There's a stylized cross on this side.  The monument was built in 1999.

The sculptor of the statue of Mary is Elvyra Radauskaitė (1923-2020), who was born in Gikoniai.  In a memoir, she says, "In the village cemetery, there were two very beautiful chapel pillars by Jonas Danauskas, a folk craftsman from Rozalimas. I really liked them. Saint Martin rode a white horse, cutting a piece of his red cloak with his sword to wrap around the frozen beggar's shoulders. Holy Mary, standing on the serpent and the Moon. I also dreamed of making such sculptures. Although ungirly, this was my dream. When I was maybe 12 years old, I carved a similar Mary from a small piece of birch and painted it with watercolor paints. After 63 years, I restored the statue, building a monument in memory of the people of Gikoniai village."

Osvaldas said, "This monument is a mix of Lithuanian pagan and Catholic symbols. We can see the Moon near Marija's feet.  The Moon is the god of night light, a warrior in Lithuanian pagan religion.  The Moon is responsible for the growing of plants. We can see a grass-snake near her feet. It is a holy animal in Lithuanian pagan religion.

A žaltys (literally: grass snake) is a household spirit in the Lithuanian mythology. As a sacred animal of the sun goddess Saulė (the Sun), it is a guardian of the home and a symbol of fertility. People used to keep it as a pet by the stove or other special area of the house, believing that it would bring good harvest and wealth. Killing a žaltys was said to bring great misfortunes upon the household. If a žaltys was found in the field, people gave it milk attempting to befriend the creature and make it a sacred household pet.

We can see the Savickas windmill, and a double cross (Lithuanian-style cross). There was a big wooden Lithuanian double cross in the old Gikoniai cemetery. [On the base,] we can see stones with all families that lived here in those times."

The photos below correspond with the sides of the statue's base described above.

Some of the names on the first side (photo below) - I can't read them all:

-Juozas ir Ona Savickai - this may be Juozapas Savickas (born c1900), my fourth cousin twice removed, and his wife Ona Krikštanavičiūtė Savickienė (born c1895), my second cousin twice removed.

-Tremteniai Fulgentas ir Felagėja Jasilioniai - Exiles Fulgentas (1892-AFT 1948) and his wife Felagėja Ramanauskaitė Jasilionienė who were sent to Krasnojarsko (Krasnoyarsk) krai in Siberia in the Soviet Union in 1948.  Fulgentas died in exile; Felagėja and three of their children who were exiled with them returned in 1958.  Fulgentas operated the milk collection point I wrote about earlier.  

-Justo Radausko seima - Justinas Radauskas family.

-Razgaičiai Stanislovas Elena ? ? ? - Stanislovas Razgaitis and his wife Elena Giedrikaitė Razgaitienė (born 1911), who is my third cousin twice removed.  The other three names that I can't read are probably their children.

-Uržos Jonas-Paulina - Jonas and Paulina Urža.

Above:  close-up of one side of the base of the monument in Gikoniai, Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania, cropped from a photo by Osvaldas Guokas, 2 June 2017.

Below:  close-up of one side of the base of the Gikoniai monument, cropped from a photo by Silvestras Gaižiūnas, 28 September 2010.

On the second side (photo above):

-Igno Radausko šeima - Ignas (nickname for Ignacijus) Radauskas family - this probably refers to the Ignacijus Radauskas (born 1894) who was my first cousin twice removed.

-Urlakiai Apolinara Valerija Aldona Valerija, Petras - Urlakis family - Apolinaras (born 1889), probably his wife Valerija, and probably their children Aldona, Valerija, and Petras.

-Ušinskai - Ušinskas family.

-Jasilioniai - Jasilionis family. 

On the third side (photo below):

-Bronislava ir Jonas Razgaičiai - Bronislova Vilkūnaitė Razgaitienė (born 1912), and her husband Jonas Razgaitis, my fifth cousin once removed.

-(the next one is hard to read, but I think it says) Radauskai Justas Salomeja (can't read the rest) - Justinas and Salomeja Radauskas.

Above and below:  close-ups of the last two sides of the base of the monument in Gikoniai, Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania, cropped from photos by Osvaldas Guokas, 2 June 2017.

And finally, on the fourth side (photo above):

-Ona, Stanislovas Razgaičiai - Ona Ivanauskaitė Razgaitienė and her husband, my fifth cousin once removed Stanislovas Razgaitis (born 1902).

-Keturakis Vladas - Vladas Keturakis.

-Vinco Radausko šeima - Vincas (Vincentas) Radauskas family.

-Mykolas ir Agota Savickai - Mykolas Savickas (born c1900), my fourth cousin twice removed and his wife Agota Žukauskaitė Savickienė (born c1910).  The Savickas cross in Gikoniai was built in their honor.

-Domo ir Viktorija Radausko šeima - probably Dominykas (Domas) and Viktorija Radauskas family.

-Savicko Jono šeima 1888-1955? - Jonas Savickas (born 1888) family.

Osvaldas noted that there were "a lot of persons in Gikoniai who have the same surnames. They used nicknames for daily communication. There were 8 houses of Radauskas, 5 Urlakis houses, 4 Savickas houses and others.

Nicknames:

Agota Guokaitė Radauskienė [1861-1942] they called ''Ignienė" -  wife of Ignas (Ignacijus) [this is the sister of my great-grandfather Kazimieras "Charles" Guokas];

Justinas Radauskas [1888-1977], (sculptor Elvyra's father) was "Martyniukas" [his father's name was Martynas];

Justinas Radauskas was "Baukas" - he might be the son [born 1888] of Agota Guokaitė Radauskienė [and this my first cousin twice removed];

Jonas Radauskas [born 1878] - "Pranejons" like Jonas [son] of Pranas;

Alfonsas Urlakis [born 1886] - "Bismarkas";

Dominykas Radauskas - "Pūkis" [which translates to "Fluffy"];

Stanislovas Razgaitis [born 1902] - "Ponadievs" like "LordGod" because he was a marshal in the church."

The monument is on the property originally owned by sculptor Elvyra Radauskaitė's father Justinas Radauskas, which is about halfway down the road that runs north from the Savickas cross to the Radauskas cross.  This cross is at the junction of the road that leads to the "Bridge of Love," crossing the Daugyvelė river over to Plaučiškiai.  You can see the land at the left center on the Gikoniai maps in this post.  In this 2017 virtual tour of Gikoniai, the monument appears on the left at the 28-second mark, and the Radauskas cross can be seen quite well on the right at the one-minute mark:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wleR-Eifrn4.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!

Bridges on the Daugyvenė River, Gikoniai, Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania

According to my third cousin Osvaldas Guokas, near the Savickas windmill and the Jasilonis building (discussed in my last post) near Gikoniai (in Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania) was an old bridge across the Daugyvenė river.  Osvaldas said, 

"It is a good place for swimming and my uncle and other children from Čelkiai went here in summer time in childhood."  He found the place where the old bridge was located, on an old road from Gikoniai to Šeduva.  In the photos below, you can see where the bridge once was, with some of its stone supports in the water and the wooden supports to the side.

Above and below:  Site of the old bridge over the Daugyvenė river, south of Gikoniai, Pakruojo, Šiauliai, Lithuania.  Photos by Osvaldas Guokas, 2 June 2017.

Near the home of Steponas Radauskas (1899-1944), my first cousin twice removed, at the north end of Gikoniai, there is another bridge over the Daugyvenė river.  According to Osvaldas, it was constructed during the Soviet era.  On the other side of the river is the village of Plaučiškiai.  

The daughter of Steponas, Aldona Radauskaitė Zigmantavičienė (1934-2018), married Alfonsas Zigmantavičius (1929-2004), who was from Plaučiškiai, and after their marriage they lived in that village.  His workplace was apparently closer to the Radauskas home in Gikoniai, so Osvaldas thought he organized a group to build the bridge to shorten their commute over the old bridge.

However, Osvaldas later learned, from talking with older ladies in Plaučiškiai, that it was constructed earlier than that.  When he told the ladies his theory, they "just smiled and said, 'Oh no! He did it directly from Plaučiškiai to the Radauskas yard, for easier visits with Aldona Radauskaitė. It is a Bridge of Love!'"

Above:  bridge over the Daugyvenė river, leaving Gikoniai and heading towards Plaučiškiai in Šiauliai county, Lithuania.

Below:  map of memories of Aldona Radauskaitė Zigmantavičienė of the Gikoniai area, annotated by Osvaldas Guokas to mark the old bridge and the "Bridge of Love" over the Daugyvenė river.

© Amanda Pape - 2024 - e-mail me!