Week 1 "First"

Part of the reason I wanted to get back into blogging was because of a Blogging challenge I heard of called 52 ancestors in 52 weeks. Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has come up with 52 writing prompts to challenge people to write about their ancestors each week following the theme for each week. I've done other blogging challenges but this one connects it with Genealogy which makes it even more special!!

The week 1 topic is "First". Amy mentions that some of the topics are pretty vague to allow your creativity to roam. But it also makes some topics hard to focus on. This was one of them. Great way to start out I thought. But then I thought about the First Ancestor who really sparked my genealogy love and inspired my first big genealogy  road trip.

Effie "Van Dorin" Brain

Effie and 3 of her sisters 

Effie lived quite a life and had a rather tragic ending. I believe this is why I was so drawn to her and her story. Effie is my Great Grandfather's Sister on my moms fathers side. Effie was born in 1889 in Kansas. Her family originated in southern Iowa but had moved to Kansas for a short while but later returned and settled back in Iowa. Effie was married to Fred Brain. After her marriage she and her husband moved from Southeastern Iowa all the way to the Southeast corner of Wyoming near Chugwater. That's 700 miles!! I've always had a strong facination with the American West and have read numerous books about people settling in the west and traveling. Hearing about one of my own ancestors really peeked my interest. From the stories I recall hearing they traveled out there by train. They built a modest farm house, which is still standing today, and started their lives out in the west. I'm lucky enough to have some post cards she sent back home which has helped me get to know who she was as a person. She definitely had a sense of humor.

About 6+ years ago a woman contacted my aunt and grandmother saying that she lived on the farm that Effie and Fred had homesteaded and had done research about Effie and the family and somehow got connected with us. I'd always wanted to go to Wyoming so I contacted her and made arrangements to meet and myself and a friend set out West! It was both of our's first big road trip on our own without our parents. We'd been out of high school only 1 year. So the trip in its self was a huge deal.

We made our way to the tiny town of Chugwater, Wyoming which is about 40 min north of Cheyenne. As you're leaving Cheyenne heading north there's a huge sign saying "No Gas" for a lot a miles ahead. They country is beautiful in that part of Wyoming. Gentle rolling hills and wide open prairie that you can look out forever. Not many crops were grown up there mostly cattle so it was all beautiful grasslands. We followed the woman's directions and found our way to the little homestead.

The original house with some additions and updates. 

The View from the front of the homestead.

While we were there the woman shared all the information that she had found out about Effie. Fred and Effie never had any living children but after doing research the woman had discovered that they had lost 5-6 babies. I don't know if they were miscarriages or if they were born and died young. No birth records were recorded. But they had forensic dogs out to the farm and in a small lot next to the house they found the bodies of the babies. I can't imagine the sadness they faced together so far from both of their families.   

This is the lot where the babies are buried. 

Diagram of where babies are buried. 

Then in August of 1923 Fred and Effie were returning home from Cheyenne in their Car when heavy rain struck. They attempted to cross a place in the road covered with water not knowing how deep it was. The car was swept away and Effie was thrown from the car and her body swept away. Fred was able to get out. They found Effie's body but it was too late she had drowned. The woman took us out to the location where they believe the accident happened. It's emotional to hear about a story but to stand where it happened is such a surreal experience. We were visiting in August of 2013 exactly 90 years to the month that the accident had happened.

A view of the area where the accident happened.

At the age of 34 Effie passed away in such a tragic manner. After her passing her parents wanted her to be buried back in Iowa. So they brought her back on a train and shes buried in the small town of Moravia, Iowa. I visit her grave every year if not more. She will always hold such a special place in my heart having the chance to experience where she lived and died. Though she had no children I will be the person who helps her story live on at least until i'm gone.