billieeeeee...

The Divine Ms. Billie Holliday... ain't words for her... *sigh*

yeah yeah yeah.. i know, i'm on a youtube binge. it happens :)

intrepidfrog toodles about...

..and finds more goodies. First up, this BBC series recommended by a friend is a hoot... "The Mighty Boosh" I ordered the first and second complete series on DVD from Amazon.uk and UPS has lost it. boo hissss!

On another note: Norah Jones, so young and yet so... well, nice to listen too.


and what the heck, throw Patti Page in the mix too, because she was awesome:

Half Man Half Biscuit

just conspiracy theory or...

...something to think about, perhaps?
A friend sent me this link over the holidaze...it's a 2-hour movie, fascinating.
ZeitGeist

Merry Christmas

The secret to true happiness in life... peace and footie pajamas for everyone!

Maria had a god-daughter

DSCN9331
Originally uploaded by Michael-Ann.

From the last sentence of this (partially translated) entry i think it is safe to say that Maria had a god-daughter.

Translation in progress:

From: Liri (Siri?) March 20, 1893

Om en gång på våsans (våren?) stig ,
Du finner en fösgätej mig ,
Så bry t den af och läs i den ,
En hjert lig helsnig från din lilla gud dotter ,
Siri

If once on our path ,
Yous find a fösgätej me ,
So care/mind/worry that the af and read in the ,
A hjertlig full page from your small god daughter ,
L(S?)iri

City of Berlin

The CITY OF BERLIN was a 5,491 gross ton ship, length 488.6ft x beam 44.2ft, clipper stem, one funnel, three masts (rigged for sail), iron construction, single screw and a service speed of 15 knots.

There was accommodation for 170-1st, 100-2nd and 1,500-3rd class passengers.

Her maiden voyage started on 29th Apr.1875 when she sailed from Liverpool for Queenstown (Cobh) and New York.

She made several record passages, her best being 7days 15hrs 28mins between Sandy Hook and Queenstown at an average speed of 15.37 knots. In 1879 she was fitted with the first interior electric light on the North Atlantic, with four lamps in the cabin class saloon and two in steerage. Re-engined with triple-expansion engines in 1887 and the accommodation rebuilt with electric light throughout.

Was damaged by fire at San Francisco in Jan.1906 and was scrapped in 1921.[North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.1,p.243]

It seems this is the ship Gustaf Belin first came to America on in 1892. He must have sailed to the Port of Hull in Liverpool from Sweden, then on to NY.

Oscar II

This ship had it's maiden voyage in 1901. Sailing between Sweden and New York, it most likely wasn't the ship that brought Gustaf Emile and Maria to the Americas originally, however, was certainly the ship they sailed on during all their subsequent trips there and back.

A wealth of information about the Oscar II can be found on this website:
NorwayHeritage.com

In 1915 the Oscar II was commandeered by Henry Ford for his peace pilgrimage to Europe. Which brought about a reaction from President Wilson. Articles printed in the NY Times are available to see:

Ford Gets His Ship

Peace Ship Jarred by Wilson Message

Maria Belin's Autograph album 1892-1895

My sister was kind enough to give me this album along with some photos that my Dad was going to throw away. The last two days i have spent taking digital pics of each page of the album and of the other photos as well. I now have them online and hope that one day will be able to decipher the words written throughout.

I started trying to do some translating with the use of two online translators, first starting with on which allows me to translate full passages. Then using another one that does single words and seems to have a more thorough translation capability.

If anything, i have been able to get a "feel" of what some of those entries were about.

One thing i am almost certain of is that my great-grandmother's maiden name was most likely "Sahlberg", possibly "Svahn" - its a theory based on the number of entries with those two sirnames.

The entire album can be seen on Flickr.com:
Maria's album

Mission Control

Scooter Batallion!

Houston's very own lil' bikers en masse!
but wait! there's more!! 2nd annual Sandblast Rally... look out Galveston!

Descendants of Emil Belin

A friend whom i met online (who has access to census databases) volunteered to see what he could find regarding my long given up search for information about my family tree. Within a few hours this is what he found:

Descendants of Emil Belin

Generation No. 1

1. EMIL BELIN was born Oct 1867 in Sweden, and died Bet. 1910 - 1920 in New York. He married MARIA E. UNKNOWN 1898. She was born Feb 1872 in Sweden, and died Bet. 1920 - 1930 in New York.

Notes for EMIL BELIN:
In 1904 Emil, Maria, and Herbert returned to Brooklyn from trip back to Sweden ( ? ). Boat was the Oscar II and sailed from Christiana, Copenhagen, Denmark September 22, 1904 arriving in New York October 3, 1904.

More About EMIL BELIN:
Immigration: 1892, New York
Occupation: 1900, Cabinet Maker
Residence: 1900, 129 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Notes for MARIA E. UNKNOWN:
Per 1910 Census:
David S. Belin listed as son. Does not appear to be correct, he is shown to have immigrated in 1903 in Pa.

Boarders:
Caroline Lindbergh 26
Paul W Osterberg 28
John F Osterberg 26
Carl Lindbergh 23
George Bergstrom 21

Per 1920 Census:
Widow, both parents born in Sweden.

Cousins Maria Edlund ( 33 ) and her daughter ( 2 1/2 ) were residing there. Works as maid in boarding house.

More About MARIA E. UNKNOWN:
Immigration: 1894, New York
Naturalization: Bef. 1920
Occupation: 1920, Runs Boarding House
Residence: 1920, 1410 St. Marks Avenue, Brooklyn, Ward 9, Kings County, New York


Children of EMIL BELIN and MARIA UNKNOWN are:

i. HERBERT ALAN BELIN, b. 09 Jun 1903, New York; do. 18 Aug 1964.
Notes for HERBERT ALAN BELIN:
Middle initial wrongly listed as 'J' in 1910 Census.
Name: Herbert Alan Belin
Service Info.: LTC US ARMY WORLD WAR II
Birth Date: 9 Jun 1903
Death Date: 18 Aug 1964
Service Start Date: 7 Nov 1942
Interment Date: 21 Aug 1964
Cemetery: Beverly National Cemetery
Cemetery Address: 916 Bridgeboro Road Bridgeboro Road Beverly, NJ 08010
Buried At: Section Y Site 2111

More About HERBERT ALAN BELIN:
Burial: 21 Aug 1964, Beverly National Cemetery, 916 Bridgeboro Road Bridgeboro Road Beverly, NJ 08010, Section Y Site 2111
Military service: 07 Nov 1942, Us Army
Occupation: 1930, Telephone Repairman
Residence: 1930, Lodging house owned by Hilda Peacock, Talley Road, Montclair, NJ

ii. UNKNOWN BELIN, b. Bet. 1901 - 1910; d. Bef. 1910.