Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

RESEARCH FINDINGS

Bertha (Alberta) Morse Snook (Simeon DeWitt Morse, Joseph Morse, Alithea Wiser, Benjamin Wiser), daughter of Simeon DeWitt and Prudence (Elliott) Morse, was born October 28, 1860 at Merrillsville, New York and died January 31, 1934 at Kenmore, New York (near Buffalo, New York).  As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, next to Alberta’s birth and death entry in the Family Bible, it states, “full-blooded Indian.”

Last month, I found a new descendant of this family, Danette Fisher, who has been searching for a number of years for her family’s origin. From her query on the internet she writes, “I am new at this, and am trying to find out much of the same info you are. Before my grandfather died he told me that we have Indian heritage in our family. His name was Charles (Detig) Snook, Detig not being our family name, because he changed it from Snook.  I was told as a child that a statue of Mary Jemison in the Letchworth State Park on the Genesee River was my GGGG grandmother.  Somehow this must have followed the Snook family line. I have not been able to trace past my grandparents, since they all died when I was a child.”

                                                                                                                              .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Charles W. Snook Detig was born on September 27, 1916. He was the son of George W. and Bertha (Morse) Snook. Charles married Onnolee (Denise) (Waterman) Detig, who was born June 20, 1907. They were married on July 21, 1940, in Kenmore, Erie County, New York. Onnolee had been previously married to Otto Detig.  Otto Detig knowing he had a terminal disease, married Onnolee. Mr. Otto had substantial assets and wanted to leave them to someone, since he had just fled Germany prior to the beginning of WWII. Charles Snook and Otto Detig were great friends and decided that Onnolee should marry Otto to leave his estate to her. Charles and Onnolee married soon after Otto's death, and Charles took the last name of Detig on their wedding day.  As one can see, the family tradition of being American Indian has been correctly passed down through many generations.  However, Bertha is a direct descendant of Benjamin Wiser, a Nipmuck Indian originally from Massachusetts, not Mary Jemison (see story in box above).

OBITUARIES

A few years ago, I visited Erma Egan in Oneida, New York.  She was the first descendant of Alithea Wiser Morse whom I ever met. She passed away this last week and will be missed. Her obituary follows:

 July 1998, Erma Egan of Oneida and nephew, Gregory Partington of Toronto, Canada

Syracuse, 19 Dec 2001; Erma Egan; Erma Parrott Egan (Pearl Blanche McGinness Parrott, Alforetta (Etta) Morse McGinness, Simeon DeWitt Morse, Joseph C. Morse, Alithea Wiser Morse, Benjamin Wiser), 82, of 226 Farrier Ave., Oneida, died Tuesday. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, she attended Jarvis Collegiate Institute in Toronto. She worked at Eaton Department Stores in Canada. She was a communicant of St. Joseph's Church, a member of Zonta International and a former board member of Oneida Towers Resident Association. Her husband, J. Arthur, died in 1976. Survivors: A stepson, Michael J. Egan of Fulton; two stepgrandchildren. [Erma Parrott, daughter of James William and Pearl Blanche (McGinness) Parrott, was born August 26, 1919 in Toronto, Canada.]

  Verdell Smith

Logan Herald Journal, 19 Nov 2001; FRANKLIN, Idaho — Verdell Smith, 80, passed away Saturday, Nov. 17, 2001, at the Franklin County Medical Center in Preston, Idaho. He was born July 4, 1921, in Lewiston, Utah, the son of Walter and Ada Wiser (George Harmon Wiser, John McCormick Wiser, Samuel Wiser, Benjamin Wiser) Smith. He married Leone Hendricks on June 21, 1948, in Elko, Nev. She preceded him in death on March 2, 1969. He married Jeanne Schumacher on April 8, 1977, in Elko, Nevada. He was a very loving father, grandfather, husband, and friend. He will be greatly missed for his wit, compassion, and kindness. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne, Franklin; by five daughters and one son, Patricia (Sam) Kent, Smithfield, Utah; Linda (Joe) Douglas, Draper, Utah; Julie (Leon) Beckstead, Preston, Idaho; Lana (Jay) Larsen, Las Vegas, Nev.; Nedra (Brent) Thomas, Bountiful, Utah; Jerry (Lona) Smith, Franklin; by forty-nine grandchildren, seventy-seven great grandchildren, and by five stepsons and three stepdaughters, Dennis Zook, Spokane, Wash.; Dana (Leslie) Zook, Kentucky; Lonny (Shauna) Zook, Logan, Utah; Vicki (Frank) Michael, Pocatello, Idaho; Charmaine (Alan) Carter, Franklin; Jace (Juanita) Zook, Nebraska; Candice Zook, Pocatello, Idaho; and Patrick (Cindy) Zook, Preston, Idaho. He was preceded in death by his wife, Leone, by two grandsons, and by a stepson, Duane Zook. Interment will be in the Franklin Cemetery.

POSTSCRIPT

This now completes my sixth year of publication.  I have appreciated your kind comments and support.  I hope each of you enjoy this holiday season.  I wish each of you a Happy New Year.  Thanks to my wife, Cindy, and sons, J.T., Logan and Andrew for their patience while I do research during my already busy schedule.

Please let me know if you find any new information in your research.  I appreciate anything you can add to our research efforts.

Once again, thanks for your contributions to our family newsletter.  You may contact me at or 6 Baton Rouge, Roswell, NM  88201, or (505) 623-2534.

You can find some previous newsletters at the website, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~raymondfamily/wiser/.