Thatcher Magazine - November 2010

FAMILY HISTORY
The Family History News was born in the Spring 1986. Frank R. Speer displayed his writing talent, wit and skill to create FHN, Vol. I, issue #1. The first issue and several following were designed on the theme of the Thatcher Family railroaders - complete with a silhouette logo of an old steam-engine train and coal car. The first issue begins "All 'Board ! ! ! Welcome aboard the first issue of the Family History News. Trains will be leaving our station and heading to all points back into Thatcher History. Tickets Ready???"
-And so the Thatcher Family History magazine was born - thanks to Frank R. Speer.
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Frank Speer continued as FHN editor from 1986 through 2008 - 14 years - with each issue growing in skill and size. He had begun to work on the 2009 issue so that Marjorie (Frank's wife, who had been Frank's assistant over the years) and I (sister-in-law Nancy Cerny, who knew nothing about putting together FHN) were able to follow in his tradition with the 2009 issue. Marjorie stepped up to Editor in Chief to produce the beautiful and impressive 2010 edition.
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Here are some snippets from Vol. I, issue #1:
-Number one train out will be the "Thatcher Express" loading now for an excursion around Thatcherland for a joyful trip into the past. marjorie Ann Thatcher Speer will be your engineer and sight-seeing hostess...
==THATCHER EXPRESS (Marjorie spent many, many hours searching libraries, Soundex and notebooks in preparation for her DuPage, IL project): The Thatcher family has been approved for a Pioneer Certificate from the DePage Historical Society. To be eligible, we had to send proof to link one generation to another and relatives must have been living in the DuPage county in the year of 1850 or earlier. To do this I had to put our files in order, have the library order the U.S. Census for the years 1840 to 1850 ... We are lucky in having so many scrap books to use for this project. "DuPage county, Illinois: The year was 1845 and the month of October when Nathaniel Redinghouse Thatcher, his wife, Lydia Carpenter thatcher and his daughter, Jennie May, arrived in Warrenville, DuPage county, IL. This was to join a brother of Nathaniel (who we must find more inforamtion about). In the year of 1848 Nathaniel and fmaily moved to Naperville, DuPage county, IL. This is where Nathaniel joined Lewis Ellsworth in the nursery business known as both DuPage Nurseries and also as Ellsworth & Co. Nurseries. this partnership lasted until 1874 when the partnership broke up and Natyhaniel and family purchased land in LaGrange (then called West Lyons), Cook county, IL. they took most of their nursery stock to LaGrange to start their own business."
This kind of news articles, copies of census and obituaries helped prove residence and qualify our family to pioneer status in DuPage County. (by Marjorie thatcher Speer).
==WINTON FLYER Today we are going to start out by learning about the "Zouaves" (zoo-av) and how they held a big part in our family history: Luther Winton was a brother to Grandma Minnie Thatcher, he ws a popular young man as the following article attests. "Luther "Wint" Winton, a member of the Aurora Zouaves, lives at 103 North Lincoln Avenue in Aurora, was voted 3rd place in a contest of the most popular Union men in Aurora. He was a member of the Machinists Union. He worked in the shops of the CB&Q RR as a machinist at the locomotive shops then at the standard Pneumatic Tool Company. He is said to be an expert Machinist. A member of the Creamer Lodge, Int'l. Assoc. of Machinistsm of which he was president i 1900. In 1898 Winton was among the "Zoos" that went to New York's Madison Square Garden for a month of shows. In February 1901, left for Germany with the 'Zoos." We believe older brother Frank was also a member of the Aurora Zouaves. The Zouaves were precision drill teams of the National Guard. They represented different cities and states. Zouaves from all major cities held competition exhibits of their skills. The Aurora Zouaves were organized in June 1887 by Capt. A. Hurd. They had a reputation of eing one of the finest fancy drill teams in the country. They first entered a competitive drill at Kansas city in 1890, taking third money. The Chicago Zouaves taking first and the famous Walsh Zouaves of St. Louis second. In 1891 the Aurora Zouaves drill team captured first money, $1000, at Indianapolic. The principal attraction of a Zouaves drill team are the movements and quickness of execution, the drill is a constant succession of surprises to the spectators. The drill concludes with a charge upon a wooden fort constructed especially for the purpose.
The men scale the walls of the fort, mounting on each others shoulders, and pulling the last man up by his gun. The complete drill usually takes 20 to 25minutes of fancy gun and foot movements ... The Aurora Zouavwes Champions of the US, who won fame on many a drill field and have enjoyed ovations in many big cities across the country, joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West in New York for two years... The roster of the company included Lute (Luther) Winton. The Aurora Zouaves execute 165 movements per minute which, heretofore, has awakened keen admiration among the thousands of soldiers who came to New York for ahte Grant Tomb Ceremonies and and visited the Col. Cody Show when the Zouaves were also called "Red-Legged Centipedes: because of their colorful uniforms and their precision drills. The members of this group traveled around the country and also amde a trip to Europe with the Barnum & Bailey Great American Circus. The Aurora Zouaves were reorganized for a short time in 1937 for the Aurora Centennial Celebration.
--all information from news articles printe din the Aurora Beacon News newspaper at the time.) FHN article by Marjorie Thatcher Speer.

NOTE; Future issues of Thatcher Magazine will contain additional family history transcriptions - such as these from vol. I, issue #1 @ nktc, BLOGeditor .


FAMILY NEWS
THE SISTERS
.The sisters will be traveling by bus for the second time this year (2010). This time they are going to San Antonio, Texas to walk in the footsteps of ancestors (probably not blood related, however) at the Alamo, on the River Walk and at LBJ ranch, among other tours. Marjorie will tell you all about it in the next issue of Thatcher Magazine.
.Nancy had some nice results on writing recently as she walked away with three award certificates, publication in Echoes of the Ozarks, VOL VI (2010) and was guest speaker, November 24, 2010, for the Friends of the Library at the brand new multi-million dollar library in Mountain Home (just opened in September).

INSPIRATION
Contented cats purr -
All snug and warm on the hearth
- no mouse in this house!
(In honor of Nancy's fat cat, Daphne-Dum-Dilly and Carol's sleek cat, Galaxy Star Chaser).

INTERESTING STUFF
-from page 3 of FHN Vol I, issue#1:
SHIPS IN THE NIGHT
April 20, 1944 . . WWII . . Pacific Ocean
Clarence Thatcher Jr. aboard the U.S.S. Teton: It's early morning when a mate shook "Clitz" and said "you have a visitor." And there stood Ralph thatcher, the youngest brother. He came aboard Clitz's ship to pick up radio parts for his ship, the L.C.S. #31. A pleasant hour spent in the Pacific by two brothers. "Hi, Ralph" "Hello Clitz"

the BLOG:
Family members are welcome to contribute to this BLOG by accessing the editor through either 'comment' space on thus bogstie or by emailing nktcerny@suddenlink.net or phoning (870)425-8264. You can use snail mail if you prefer. To date, I know only how to manage transcribed print information (no pictures, cut-paste or fancy formatting.
OK - I'm sitting here waiting to hear from you! Nancy y Te \