Author Archives: kathy

Sepia Saturday – The X Factor

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Sepia Saturday provides bloggers with an opportunity to share their history through the medium of photographs. Historical photographs of any age or kind become the launchpad for explorations of family history, local history and social history in fact or fiction, poetry or prose, words or further images. If you want to play along, sign up to the link, try to visit as many of the other participants as possible, and have fun.

X Factor:
* an unknown or unexplained element that makes something more interesting or valuable.
* a special quality, especially one that is essential for success and is difficult to describe.
* a quality that makes people in possession of it the epitome of cool.
* The letter “x” is often used in algebra to mean a value that is not yet known.

The prompt photo reminded me of a photo I took at the Coal Mining Museum in Centerville, Iowa in 2016. Unfortunately, it is a terrible photo.

It is the cylindrical shapes and the attached wires in the prompt that reminded me of this photo. When I first saw this contraption in the museum I had no idea what it was and I was immediately drawn to it. An unknown quantity for sure. Here is a similar permanent wave machine manufactured in 1934.

Doesn’t look very comfortable, does it?

By Louis Calvete – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4388216

I wonder if a user achieved the epitome of cool?

Back to X-rays…

Why are they called X rays, anyway? Well, a German physicist, Wilhelm Roentgen, discovered a new form of radiation in 1895. He called it X-radiation because he didn’t know what it was.

Wilhelm Roentgen posing for statue

Roentgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery and refused to claim a patent, preferring to benefit humankind in this way.

X-rays –> radiation –> me telling you about my personal encounter with radiation

I have been receiving radiation therapy for a recurrence of ampullary cancer.

The treatment I received is called Stereotactic Radiotherapy. It was first used as a nonsurgical treatment for brain tumors, but is now also used for small tumors in other parts of the body. This is fortunate for me, because my tumor is in a lymph node in my abdomen where surgery is not possible.

Of course I was nervous, not knowing what to expect – and because I suffer from claustrophobia.
Me + radiation + claustrophobia = X.
Or maybe
Me + X + claustrophobia x 30 minutes = ?

After the other cancer treatments I have had – stem cell transplant, Whipple procedure, and the chemotherapies that accompanied those (all unknown to me until my “education”), this has actually been a piece of cake. Except for the first day jitters.

One receives a higher dose of radiation with this treatment than with traditional radiation therapy, thereby decreasing the number of treatments necessary. For me, five over the course of two weeks. Each treatment takes more time than traditional radiation and I was concerned about having to be still for that long. Mine were 30 minutes each and it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be to stay still. I have had almost no side effects other than some fatigue.

The first step is a CT scan for measurements and marking and preparation of a stabilization mold. Then a trial run using the actual radiation equipment and more measurements. And finally the radiation treatments. This is what was prepared for me each time I arrived for treatment.

That scrunchy looking thing sticking out from under the sheet is the stabilization mold. It becomes rigid once it “sets” so you just lie on it and stay in place.

I had only a limited understanding of how this would work. Once I was positioned in that mold, arms overhead, compression belt on my belly and a guard to “remind” my legs not to move, all I could really see was what was above me and in my peripheral vision. Thank goodness for the two lighted panels in the ceiling that look like a window open to a blue sky with some wispy clouds, a partial tree branch, and a flying seagull. Always the last patient of the day, I tried not to keep the radiology therapists for long with my questions and spaced them out to a couple a day. One while getting prepped and one while preparing to leave.

During the second treatment, I decided I felt like I was in a Star Trek episode and the round thing appearing in my peripheral vision was a robot peeping at me. What can I say? I had to entertain myself.

I got most of my questions answered over the course of the five treatments. The radiation comes from the round part of the machine and was delivered during the course of six rotations. The other two components on the arms that extend out from the machine work like a CT scan. I was scanned three times each session – before the first rotation of radiation, once in the middle, and again at the end. This was to ensure the accuracy of each treatment.

I found it all quite fascinating. The video below is very similar to my experience.

I finished on Thursday and met briefly with the radiologist, who said he was very pleased with the technology and expects good results. It takes time for the cancer cells to die and be “eaten up”, so the follow up scan will be in two months. Fingers crossed!

I am lucky to live within a fifteen minute drive to the oncology office where this advanced medicine is available to me. Advances in cancer treatment have kept me alive for the past seven years.

Scientists, researchers and medical practitioners most assuredly have the X Factor. They are the epitome of cool!

And thanks to Wilhelm for noticing that interesting, unexplained element that is difficult to describe and often essential for success.

Also – Does the machine that delivered radiation to me bear a slight resemblance to the permanent wave machine, or is that just me?

I do not know what other Sepia Saturday participants have prepared for us today. Perhaps some have made a new discovery. I have learned, over the years, that Sepians possess the X Factor, so I advise you to discover for yourself: X marks the spot.

 

Sepia Saturday – Two Fiddling Webbers

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Sepia Saturday provides bloggers with an opportunity to share their history through the medium of photographs. Historical photographs of any age or kind become the launchpad for explorations of family history, local history and social history in fact or fiction, poetry or prose, words or further images. If you want to play along, sign up to the link, try to visit as many of the other participants as possible, and have fun.

The prompt photo brought to mind a photo of my great-grandfather Myron David Webber.

M. D. Webber playing fiddle

Looking at this photo, I have several thoughts and questions:
When and where was it taken?
What about those clothes, the hair, the missing mustache?
The position of the fiddle?
Did he play only for his own (and his family’s) enjoyment, or did he play publicly?
Did someone teach him to play, or did he teach himself?
How did he acquire his fiddle?
What happened to it?

M. D. Webber was born 15 October 1874 in Villisca, Iowa. Sometime before July of 1888, the Webber family moved to Lurray, Kansas. M. D. married Dorinda Strange on Christmas Day 1897, at the age of twenty-three.

Below is a wedding photo for comparison. On his wedding day, M. D. was sporting a mustache and tamed that curly hair.

Wedding of Myron David Webber (left) to Dorinda Rebecca Strange

I always remember him having a mustache and other photos I have of him show a mustache. So does the lack of one indicate that the photo was taken before 1897?

Great-grandfather Webber and me

But wait. Is that the glint of a wedding band on his left hand?

M. D. Webber playing fiddle

Maybe the mustache had not yet become a permanent fixture when this photo was taken. And has his hairline receded, or is it just the way his hair was combed in the wedding photo that makes it seem so?

I wish I knew more about men’s fashion at the time. His shirt has a stiff collar. A quick internet search has me wondering if this is a separable collar, worn to look stylish without the expense of frequent laundering, starching and pressing. These were often paired with separable cuffs, which M. D. does not have. His collar is stiff and pristine, but his shirt is soft and not stiffly pressed. “Dress casual,” but not “Sunday best?” And can someone please tell me about that wide, dark waistband/belt?

Typically, the violin or fiddle is played with the instrument tucked under the chin. M. D. is not holding his fiddle in that position. My cousin identified the photo as M. D. Webber playing fiddle, so I’ll assume he played fiddle music rather than classical. Is his positioning of the instrument more in line with fiddlers? I don’t know. Maybe one of my musical friends can help me out.

One cousin says she heard that M. D. sold his fiddle to help finance the family move from Fairfield, Iowa to Iowa City. I have written several posts about M. D. and Dorinda’s son, Fred Webber, who won a debate scholarship to the University of Iowa. The family moved in 1926 so that Fred could attend the university.

So far, my best guess as to the date is early 1900s. And place is either Luray, Kansas or Fairfield, Iowa.

Unfortunately, there are no living family who heard M. D. play the fiddle or know much about his skill or public or private playing. In his early years, he was a teacher and minister and active in the community. Did he ever play with others in church or at a club meeting? One thing seems clear: this instrument was for pleasure and when money was needed to assure his son’s university education, it’s usefulness was as a source of income.

In 2018, I wrote a Sepia Saturday post that linked the cornet band in Luray, Kansas and M. D. Webber’s uncle, James T. Webber. Although Jim Webber was not in the cornet band, he was a supporter and I found references to him playing the fiddle.

Luray Headlight, 7 Mar 1889

And other references that do not specify which Webber played the violin. I’ll assume the reference is to Jim.

Luray Headlight, 20 Oct 1887

The Luray Headlight (Luray, Ks) 18 Oct 1888

Maybe Uncle Jim taught M. D. Webber to play. And since Jim was known for his fiddle playing, one can assume that family gatherings included fiddle music and perhaps some singing too. I found other references to Uncle Jim singing in the choir and his sister Nettie playing organ (if I remember correctly).

I haven’t been able to answer all of my questions, but I do like this photo and the little peek it provides into a fuller understanding of my great-grandfather.

Since my Webber and Strange families lived on the prairies of Kansas, I went looking for a fiddle song to include. If you read the Little House books, you know that Pa played the fiddle. I have now learned that several musicians have recorded the songs that Pa played in the books. I’ll include one each from two different groups.

 

Little snippets in the town newspaper in the 1880s about Jim Webber portray him as quite a talker and joker. I can imagine him playing these lively tunes.

Don’t fiddle around. Dance on over to Sepia Saturday and see what musical notes others have offered today. And join in!

Sepia Saturday: In Search of U

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Sepia Saturday provides bloggers with an opportunity to share their history through the medium of photographs. Historical photographs of any age or kind become the launchpad for explorations of family history, local history and social history in fact or fiction, poetry or prose, words or further images. If you want to play along, sign up to the link, try to visit as many of the other participants as possible, and have fun.
The prompt photo this week features a man repairing an umbrella. I am in short supply of photos that feature umbrellas. The only two I have, I shared in a Sepia Saturday post back in 2013: Umbrellas for Rain, Shine, and Romance

I used one of those umbrella photos again a few months later.

Me in front of Elsie Swick’s house on Brick Row, Ottumwa, Iowa

Although not a Sepia Saturday post, it has a Sepia Saturday connection. Co-founder Kat Mortensen helped me locate a book from childhood. The book includes an illustration much like my photo above. See:
A Rediscovered Book from Childhood

I learned the value of having an umbrella handy when I was a freshman in college. On one particular day, I found myself across campus from my next class without an umbrella during a downpour. I must have really needed to attend that day, because instead of heading back to the dorm, I walked as fast as I could to the class. I entered the old building with wooden floors where my German class was about to begin. I lowered my head and mustered my courage as I dripped and sloshed and squeaked, trying to slip quietly into a desk right next to a boy I had just started dating. Puddles formed at my feet as I dripped from head to toe. There was no look of recognition or sympathy from that boy! He didn’t recognize me! I took umbrage!

But I married him anyway.

According to dictionary.com:
J.K. Rowling chose the name Dolores Umbridge to reflect her character. Her first name comes from the Latin word for “sorrow” or “pain,” dolor. Umbridge is a play on umbrage (“offense” or “annoyance”), which comes from the Latin umbra (“shade” or “shadow”). The word usually appears in the phrase to take umbrage. 

I have dressed up as Dolores Umbridge a couple of times for the Halloween party and class we have for our adult ESL students. That’s a quill in my hand.

I dressed as Dolores Umbridge for our Halloween class again this year, but since it was on zoom, I only had to be in costume from the waist up and found an image of her office that I could use as a background.

I looked at my family tree to see if there is someone I could feature who has a name that begins with U. Unknown is a fairly popular name in my tree.

U. M., Ulysses, and Uriah are essentially unknown to me as well due to their distance on the family tree.

One of my family lines is STRANGE, which means unusual. I get very frustrated when I search old newspapers for my kin. STRANGE may be an unusual surname, but it is a very popular word! Here is my 2nd great-grandfather, John Sylvester Strange

An old meaning of the word umbrage is shade or shadow, especially as cast by trees. There is a family story about one of our Stranges who met his demise in the umbrage of a beech tree. My grand aunt, Woodye Webber, was the family genealogist and wrote two family histories. She recorded the story in Ancestors – Kings? Horsetheives? Or What?

Before going on, a story written during the depression by WPA writers is one we heard many times from Mother. This is about one of Grandfather Strange’s  uncles.
The village of Strange Creek was so-named because of the young survivor who was stranded from his companions in the year 1795. No amount of searching for either the party or William was successful. Years later, on the bank of the creek William Strange was found – his bones beneath a beech tree, his rifle leaning against it with the shot pouch dangling from the ramrod. Carved in the tree was the following message:

Strange is my name and I’m on strange ground
And strange it is I can’t be found.

Since she mentioned the WPA, I went in search of the story. By googling the entire message carved into the tree, I found it referenced in a couple of modern newspaper stories about name places with unusual backstories. Besides a mention of the story in a couple of other books, I found the passage contained in The WPA Guide to West Virginia: The Mountain State. It reads as follows on page 406:

STRANGE CREEK, 21.3 m. (807 alt., 60 pop.), has its center across the Elk River at the mouth of a stream of the same name. Originally called Turkey Run, the creek was named for William Strange who wandered from a surveying party near the headwaters of the Elk in 1795; his companions searched for him in vain. Years later, on the bank of Turkey Run, 40 miles from the spot where he was last seen, his bones were found beneath a great beech tree, against which leaned his rifle, the shot pouch dangling from the ramrod. Carved in the bark was this couplet:
Strange is my name and I’m on strange ground
And strange it is I can’t be found.

Pretty much what Aunt Woodye wrote… although I believe she meant to type surveyor instead of survivor.

Another source, found on the West Virginia Explorer website, Old Legend of Strange Creek Might Never Be Confirmed, provides more details to the legend, as well as the author’s attempt to authenticate it and find the location where William is said to have met his lonely fate. This article includes the story as told by a West Virginia historian named Charles Carpenter. Carpenter states that the first printed record of the story appears in the 1876 book History of Kanawha County, written by George Atkinson, who later became governor of West Virginia. Atkinson devoted a full two and a half pages to the story of William Strange and Strange Creek. His description of William is rather unflattering: “Mr Strange was a very indifferent woodsman, and to him was assigned the duty of taking the pack-horse from one camping place to another.” Apparently William wasn’t very good at following directions and got lost.

I’m not exactly sure where this William Strange should be included in my tree. Woodye said in the quote above that William was one of her grandfather’s uncles, but the 1795 date would put him another generation back. In a later family history, Woodye writes a similar story, but names the Strange as Charles. All of the books and articles I found online reference a William. It is all so unclear! Possibly unknowable. Family lore connects him to us and Strange is not the most common surname, so l hope to figure out our real relationship some day.

The story of William Strange is very unfortunate. For some reason, I keep thinking of a song I learned as a child in Girl Scouts:  Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree. It is a much happier tale. Here are some unlikely folks singing along:

Sometimes I begin a Sepia Saturday post unsure of what to write and unaware of where my thoughts and searches may take me. Undoubtably, this is one of those posts.

Please understand that the unique pleasure of Sepia Saturday is visiting all of the participants. U can do that here: Sepia Saturday.