Sentimental Sunday: We Meet Again

Kristi, Kathyrn and ME

10 October 2007

Sheppard Airforce Base Air show

Wichita Falls, Texas

To most people a photo with their mom is not that big of a deal. 

However, to me it is!

You see, up until this particular week, I had not seen my mom in 33 years.  You heard me correctly.  When I was a little girl, her and my father divorced when I was 4.  I had not spoken to or seen her since. 

In Feb. of 2007 I had just moved to Wichita Falls and happened to be at lunch and my grandmother called.  She informed me that my dad had brought us a letter from our cousin Rene.  In the letter it told my father that she was looking for Robin and Krisit and if she didn't have the right person, to please forgive her.  If so, then she was hopping to contact us and if he didn't want to give us the letter she would understand.  Well, obviously he gave us the letter.

At first I was in shock and didn't know what to say, think or feel. 

When I went home that night, I sat down and wrote her a letter back and it wasn't very nice.  It stayed in the door of my car for months.  In late March, early April, I sat down to write another letter.  The next morning I gave it to my ex-mother in law and asked her to mail it for me.  Sometime in mid April I received a phone call shortly after I got home from Rene(my cousin).  We talked for a while that night and hung up.  The next night, we talked again and I also received a call from my mom.  I knew instantly who it was without her even telling me. 

In October of 2007, they all came to Texas to visit.  When I first saw her I was actually numb.  I was not sure how to feel or what to say.  I think for the first few days I actually walked around like a zombie.  I can't say that the visit was perfect and had a totally happy ending.  It didn't!  However, I can say that at the end of the visit I no longer had questions or regret.  It has taken the last 3 years for us to become friends.  However, I have not regrets nor hard feelings.  I can honestly say that when I leave this world that I am ok with it and no matter what I wont't leave wondering.....

Wordless Wednesday: Grandma's Lilac Tree

Submission #2-My Family - Word clouds - WordItOut

My Family - Word clouds - WordItOut

Well, I am rappidly working through my events and completing as many of the task as possible on Day 1. Here is my second submission for the Winter 2010 GeneaBlogger Games. This event is #4 Epand You Knowledge. The Task is to complete a surname visualization using Wordle or Word It Out. I have choosen Word It Out for this competiton. I already have a surname visualition posted in my sidebar from Wordle and didn't think that it would be fair to use that one since it was created at the beginning of Where I Come From.

Surname Partial Listing:
Baker
Bardin
Beasley
Campbell
Clark
Cordell
Dougan(Dugan)
Evans
Faleris(Faleri-Greek Lineage)
Hall
Inge
Keng
Maness
Scopis (Sgoupakou-Greek Lineage)
Walker
Williams

Part 4: My Family Quilt- My Mothers Side (Continued...)

HELEN MARJORIE BAKER FALERIS

born: 26 Jan 1926, St Vincent, Ontario, Canada

died: 07 June, 1998, St. Ignance, Michigan

written by: Rene Corwin Young

This story is a continuance of the orginal post: "My Family Quilt". In Feb of 2007 Rene's dream and promise to Helen Faleris just before she died was fullfilled. When our Grama Helen got sick, one of her last request to Rene was to find my sister and I. She wanted to see us before she died. Unfortunately, grama was unable to have that wish. Before Rene's visit to Texas in October of 2007, she created a Scrapbook of the Faleris Family for me as a gift. In "My Family Quilt, "My Mother's Side", the story she wrote is that which I am sharing with you.

Grama was born in Canada and would always joke with us that she was born in the "Asshole of the Eggplant". You will have to look at the map of Canada to understand the story she told us. Grama's father (Joseph Baker) was a laborer, and Grama's mother (Irene Baker) was a house wife and mother of eight.

A Childhood Memory Come True.... (Part 2)

photo provided by: Rene Corwin Young

March 2009

St. Ignace, MI

When I first started my story I told you about a Childhood Memory that my cousin helped me relive when she came to Texas in October of 2007. This story and the photos are of the memory. While the photos are recent, they took me back to 1974....

I have not been able to get a specific date, but I think the date was sometime in 1974 when my mom took my sister and I to St. Ignace MI to visit her parents. My memories of the trip are nothing but pleasant other than the fact that my YIYI had passed away prior to us arriving.

While there I discovered SNOW for the very first time. My memory was of me playing outside and something started to falling and I asked what it was. I was told that Grama responded by telling me it was Snow and i began to run around the lilac tree singing...: It's Snowing, It's Snowing". I was told later by my cousin that everyone stood in the door laughing and smiling at my enjoyment. The picture of the tree above is the very tree that I have such a wonderful memory of and it's covered in snow.

The other memory I have is of something that reminded me of a bridge tower. However, I never could exactly find out what that was. Until April of 2007. When I first spoke to my cousin I mentioned the memory and she instantly told me it was the Mackinac Bridge This is a photo of almost my exact memory. Rene spent several months trying to get the perfect shot of the memory I had described to her and this is as close as it gets. I remember being a little closer, probably almost directly under it as I woke from the back seat and looked up. But this photo is perfect.

Thanks Rene for the memories!

Part 3: My Family Quilt (Contiuned)

James and Helen Faleris

21 June 1943

Canada

written by: Rene Corwin Young

This story is a continuance of the orginal post: "My Family Quilt". In Feb of 2007 Rene's dream and promise to Helen Faleris just before she died was fullfilled. When our Grama Helen got sick, one of her last request to Rene was to find my sister and I. She wanted to see us before she died. Unfortunately, grama was unable to have that wish. Before Rene's visit to Texas in October of 2007, she created a Scrapbook of the Faleris Family for me as a gift. In "My Family Quilt, "My Mother's Side", the story she wrote is that which I am sharing with you.

In 1942 Papa met Grama (Helen Baker) while she was working in a resturant. From the stories I remember he was trying to make his girlfriend jealous. After they broke up Papa went back to the resturant and courted Grama and they m arried 21 June 1943. Papa either had a job in the states or got a job in the states hauling coal for a company in Detroit, MI. Papa decided to make a move to Detroit where they would raise their family, as they found out that Grama was pregnant with her first child Joan. In July when Grma tried to cross into the states she was refused entrane because of the war that was going on at the time. In November 1943 Grama was allowed to move to the states with her husband, but was not allowed to become a US Citizen.

Detroit, MI is where they made their home until about 1957. When they moved to St. Ignace, MI Papa got a job ofer from his brother-in-law to help run his resturant(The Belle Isle). Grama and Papa had three children by this time, Joan, George and Kathy which all had been born in Detorit, MI. I remember being told "YiYi" (papas mother) had a home in detroit as well.

My Family Quilt: My Mothers Side Continued...

In the last post I told you about my grandfather James Faleris and in a previous post I told you about his mother Jennie Scopis from Sparta Greece. Not much is known about Frank and Jennie's voyage from Greece to the America's. Other than the information already posted this is all the information I have about my grandfathers parents....

Frank K Faleris born abt 1883, Sparta Greece, Died: 17 Feb 1957, Detroit, Wayne Michigan
Jennie Scopis born abt 1885, Sparta Greece, Died: 22 Sept 1974, St. Ignace, MacKinac, Michigan
Date of Marriage Unknown. All that is known about Frank is that he was a Canday Maker. I have no information about his family in Greece.

Children:
George Faleris:..................abt 1902, Greece
Pauline Faleris:.................abt 1903, Mepois, Greece
Tessea Faleris:..................abt 1904, Mepois, Greece
Harry Andrew Faleris:.....31 Jan 1907, Greece - 10 July 1981, St. Ignace, MacKinac, MI
Helen Faleris:....................9 June 1908, Baltimore, MD - 10 Jan 1996, Riverside, California
Mary Faleris:....................14 Sept 1909, Baltimore, MD- May 11985, El Dorado Springs, Cedar, MS
Thomas Faleris:...............7 July 1915, Hamilton, ,Ontario, Candada - 15 april 1993, Scranton, Lackawanna, PA Charles Faleris:................5 May 1917, Owen Sound, , Ontario, Canada-7 Nov 1990, Detroit, Wayne, MI
William Faleris:................10 Aug 1918, Greece- 10 Oct 1990, Ferndale, , MI
James Faleris:..................24 Sept 1919, Canada-4 March 1989 St Ignace, MacKinac, MI
Bessie Faleris:..................26 July 1921, Colbourge, Ontarios Canada-

My Family Quilt- My Mothers Side

My cousin Rene Corwin Young wrote the following story for me while creating a Scrapbook of the Faleris Family before her Journey to Texas to meet my sister and I in October of 2007.

James Faleris

Born: 24 September 1919, Canada

Died: 04 March 1989, St. Ignace, MI

This is the story that Rene remembers as being told to her as a child growing up in the Faleris Family about our "Grandpa".

"Papa was born in Canada. Although the family orginated from Greece, they travelled many times in and out of Greece, to Canada and the US. They resided in several States in the US, before settling in Ontario, Canada. When Papa Jim was 9 yrs old he was diagnosed with Spinal Meningitis and was pronounced dead. The story was when PAPA awoke he was in the morgue. There had been a law passed, that it was mandatory to embalm persons before burying them. Rene said that she remembers being told by Papa that when he was young he worked as a volunteer for the Search & Resue Department for the Canadian Mounty, between the ages of 17-20. He had a passion for riding horses. Rene states, "This could be a childs imagination as I am the only one who remembers this story. Papas Father FRANK FALERIS was a candy maker in Greece and Canada. Rene said she could not find out what kind of candy Frank made. Papa's mother "YIYI" (greek for Grandma), was a house wife and a mother of 12 children.

(...to be continued)

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS...

Jennie Scopis

1885-1974

when i was 5 my mom took me to visit my grandparents in MI. Unfortunately my "YIYI" passed away shortly before I arrive. When I arrived, my grandmother gave me a picture of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. I remember it being metal of some sort and very heavy. It was only about a 3x5. On the back it had something written about Mary and Jesus. I cherished it until my ex-husband destroyed it. Listed below is the information I know about her and my Great-Grandfather Frank. I do not have a photo of him.

This is YiYi, she was born 1885 in Sparta, Greece and she passed away on 22 Septemeber 1974, in St. Ignace MI. She married Frank K. Faleris and together they had 11 children. George, Pauline, Tessea andHarry were all born in Greece. Pauline and Tessea where born in Mepois, Greece. The exact location of the others is known. Helen was born in Baltimore Maryland, and the rest were born in Canada. Their son William was born in Greece in 1919.

This is the Border Crossing Canada to US 1895-1956 document which I located on ancestory.com. It states that Frank and his Family arrived 24 May 1923. Port of Arrival is Deroit and also states he was 43 at the time and a "Candy Maker" This would put Franks year of birth at abt 1880.

However, I have also located a Detroit Border crossing & Passender & Crew List 1905-1957.

(see below)

The information on this document states he arrived on 6 Nov 1938 and he was 55 years old at the time. That would put his year of birth abt 1883. It says something about 1906, but the image is not clear enough for me to tell what it is saying. I dont know if 1906 was when they arrived in Canada or not. If anyone knows about these documents I would love to know what the difference is and would love to know where I can find Frank and Jennie's parents information in Greece.

Below is another document that I located and said it was the manifest document. It is front and back. If you can help me locate their parents or any other information please let me know where to start.

The Beginning....

Well, for many years I have been interested in my family history and wanted to know where my roots started and how I got here. However, I never actually knew just how to start. While in a Family Law Class in College... my professor assigned us our Final Exam the first day of class. The assignment was to create a FAMILY TREE. I signed on to Ancestory.com and from there started with me and the family I knew of. I didnt find a lot of information by the end of the year, but had some.

Until last year, had put the family research on the back burner and not thought much about it. Here and there would think it would be nice to put all the pictures I had in an album, but never did. The I moved to Wichita Falls in 2007. One afternoon while on lunch break I called my grandmother to talk to her while waiting in line at McDonalds to place my lunch order. While talking with her, she informed me that my father had received a letter from (what I thought she said was my mother...whom I had not spoke to in 33 years). However, what she said was from my cousin. She stated who she was and who she was looking for and apologized if she had the wrong person. She understood if this was the correct person that if he chose not to give my sister and I the letter. However, my father had taken the letter to my grandmother and gave it to my sister and read it to me.

It took me two months to actually write and send her a letter in response. My first attemt sat in the door of my car till October of 2007. However, the second letter was written and I had my ex-mother-in law send it for me. I knew if I didn't have her do it, I never would. It was about 3 weeks later and I received a phone call while cooking dinner one evening and it was my Cousin from MI. We talked for ever it seemed. The following night after I had spoke to Rene (my cousin), I received a phone call from another unknown number... the caller id said it was from Michigan. I had a knot in my stomach and knew instantly it was my MOTHER. 33 years of emotions came flooding over me and not sure what to do or say I answered the phone. On the other end of the phone was a very distanct "YANKEE" accent and the words "ROBIN" do you know who this is? My reply was "YES"? And she asked me who and I told her my mom. Even thought it had been 33 years since I had spoke to her and I was now 38, I remembered the voice as if it were yesterday when I had heard it. That was on April 12th, 2007. We only spoke for a few seconds and she said her phone was dying and she would call me tomorrow. I knew in my heart that was not the truth. She like I was over whelmed with emotion and didn't truly know how to handle the moment. I hung up the phone and instantly called Rene back telling her I had just spoke to "My Mother".

I did not know weather or not I would ever here from her again. However, for just a moment my wish had come true and I had found my mom. The story behind our journey is long and not always so pleasant. However, for just a moment I had turned back into a little girl. My first actually conversation with my mom other than hello, was on Friday, April 13th while sitting in the "kamikaze" at the carnaval about to do something I shouldn't be doing she called. I couldn't answer the phone as the ride had put my body upside down about 20 feet or so in the air. "Couldn't actually answer screaming in here ear... HELP" I figured when I didn't answer she would think I didn't want to talk. However, once I got down and was able to walk, I manage to sit down and call her. We talked for a short time and I explained what I was doing and would call her when we got home.

For the next several months Rene, My Mom and I talked every night. Rene and I spent the time reliving my childhood memories that I had decided where dreams. However, in reality they did exsist. My mom and I spent the time getting to know each other and catch up on life. In OCTOBER of 2007 my cousin brought her family and my mom to TEXAS. At about 2am on October 19th my Family called and said they were in Wichita Falls and LOST. I woke from falling asleep on the couch waiting and told them I would be right there. For the first time in 33 years I was about to meet my mother all over again. And also for the first time, she was about to meet her grandchildren.

Thus begins my journey......