Sitting on the front porch with Edwina, what Ancestor do you wish to sit on a porch with?

Edwina Wilson Jepson. House party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Hughes in Florala, Alabama, 1911.
 J. R.Wilson family history notebook.

Why I chose Edwina and Kelon to sit with on the front porch.

Through my research, I've found that my grandmother wasn't making things up as my mother and Aunts once thought. Edwina's family came to America early, as she always said. If I could join the 1911 porch party in this photo, I'd be sitting with my Grandmother, Edwina Wilson Jepsen 1890-1978.  I would be hopeful to also have her mother, Kelon Fleming Wilson by her side. 

First the Danish Immigrants

 

First let me give a little info on Edwina's husband's family. The Jepsens came to America relatively late, in comparison to Edwina's ancestors, from Denmark in the 1870’s.  I have been so fortunate to have found a few Jepsen cousins. One in particular is Linda Berney, who has written about the Paulsens and the Jepsens. She has been a huge help in my research. She works with Find A Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/ and is a sleuth at finding old newspaper articles! There are several sources available but here's one to check out, http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/whadoin/newspapr.htm. One of these days I will make a trip to Denmark.  The Jepsens were Nebraska pioneers http://www.dannebrognebraska.org/ and we are fortunate to have historical documentation that allows a glimpse into what their lives were like.  Small town newspapers are a genealogist’s dream!  

Plaque at Dannebrog, Nebraska

"Nine Danish Immigrants, by Linda Berney

Understanding the Jepsen story is an important part of understanding Flight Officer Bruce Fleming Jepsen 1917 Florida-1945 China.  I hope to do much more on Jepsen family history.  I love the nostalgic British ww2 poster, “Keep calm and carry on”,  I have another one I like to keep in mind, “Keep calm and travel to Denmark”.

A bit Of My Own Bohemian Story 

Please indulge me here and I will get to the very early American history soon. I am a proud Nebraskan. My paternal grandparents, the Cupaks and the Kozliks came from Austria and Bohemia (Czech Republic) in the early 1900's. Their story after arriving in America is somewhat complicated and at the same time quite simple.  It was a struggle for my father. Considering how his story began and the strength and hard work it took in order for him to become successful, one realizes what a remarkable story it is. They immigrated to Omaha and settled in the community called "Little Bohemia". My cousin, Linda and I also share early Nebraska Bohemian history. There were many Czechoslovakian immigrants who became farmers in Nebraska. I also happen to have a longtime friend who's farm family was from Prague, Nebraska. My sister has asked me why I don’t do more research on our Bohemian side. Please understand this genealogist’s perspective. Our Grandparents came in 1905, which means, we have people that remained in "the old country", not all that long ago.  I will be meeting those cousins who, I hope, will have family stories to share. I will be writing about it one day and it will include a trip to Prague.

 The House Party

Now, back to Edwina and the porch party.  Edwina wrote on the photo, "June 1911, house party at Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, Florala, Alabama."  There's a group of people sitting at a table playing cards.  On the other side is an older couple, possibly the hosts, sitting in rocking chairs just enjoying the breeze. Next to Edwina is a couple of young women possibly enjoying a bit of gossip, perhaps Edwina's sisters or her mother, Kelon. If Kelon is on this porch, it would be the only photo we have of her (sad me). Edwina is very well dressed, as if she has just come from church or possibly there was a special event that had taken place before the "house party."  She was just coming of age and would, herself, marry in just a few years. While I was growing up, Edwina may have had a tendency to flower things somewhat.  It was hard to take her very seriously. My mother regrets that now. As a genealogist, I can assure you that I do not make things up.  We are professionals who seek the truth. As a writer, well, the raw facts are what make a story interesting. Edwina was correct when she stated that her family had been in America a very long time. She was correct when she stated they were Scot-Irish and French. She may not have been aware how British she was.

Grandmother's Nickname

We called her "Pudgy". The nickname was a southern one, pronounced Poogee. My mother says it started when she was young. Edwina's mother and sisters gave her a pet name which is still quite common in the south. Her mother later called her daughter "Ed". Why "Pudgy"? It may be that she was a heavy child but the photos don't show this to be the case, and as an adult, she was quite thin. Rather than being called Grandma, she preferred her nickname. So I’m sitting on that front porch with Pudgy.  I loved my grandmother and I love this photo of her.  She also had a tendency to destroy photos of herself.  This is one she kept.  I think it's such a great photo of the quintessential south.

Early History

I've traced Edwina's mother, Kelon's history back to 1400s but we'll start with the early 1600's Virginia. They were part of the earliest groups of people who came from the United Kingdom. There are many surnames and ship names, which I may list later. Cary Cox, who served in the Revolution was born in Va. and moved to Putnam County, Ga. His daughter Bethany Cox married a Frenchman, named Edmond Dismukes (The American version of the French name, DeMeaux). It was their daughter, Henrietta who married William Walker Fleming of Georgia. Their son Thomas Jefferson Fleming moved to Alabama in the mid 1850's prior to the Civil war. He married Julia Solomon and their daughter, Kelon Thomas Fleming was born in Alabama in 1872. She married John Robert Wilson, the son of the Scots, in 1889. John Robert's grandfather also served in the Revolution. Edwina, the oldest of six children, was born in 1890 Alabama, and she had quite the patriotic history in her family.

The Wilsons

The Wilsons came to Virginia and Pa. eventually moving south to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Some of the Wilson family went to Ohio and also ended up in Ga. Our Wilsons, John Robert's father, David Wilson moved to Alabama on a land Grant in 1858. J. R. helped work the farm and attained more land. He became a logger and a successful businessman. Edwina was raised Baptist. She was educated at an all ladies school, now known as Troy State University, where she studied music and Shakespeare. She became a teacher of music and at the time our "house party" photo was taken she was working as a music teacher. She moved to Florida where her step father had a home in a small railroad town near Orlando. Eventually, Edwina's mother moved to, close by, Mims, Florida. Harry and his father, Peter Jepsen were well known Danish immigrants from Nebraska who were developers of the community called Indian River City. Edwina married Harry Jepson in 1915. Their son Bruce Fleming Jepson was born at their home at Indian River City, Florida in 1917.

I plan to share more about Bruce Fleming Jepson's family history. I hope you enjoy it. I love doing the research! If you have questions or comments please feel free.

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