The letter typed

I asked my mother to sit down with me and take a look at Martha Marie Soper Casler's letter and see if we could read all of her cursive.. my mom is much better at that than me. We read and studied it and this is what we came up with. Feel free to give me any pointers or tips to anything you see that we didn't catch. Here is the letter:



Thomas do you know where Mand Pickard is?

Flint April 23 1921

my dear brother & children your long looked for letter recived at last. You rote the 13 mailed it the 16 I got it the 21. We was o so glad to here from you to know that you was still on earth. I have thought of you o so many times & so have the rest of us. I am not at all well. I am as well as I can be expected to be. I have passed my 73 year last Feb the 19. I am only waiting for the call to go home to be with Jesus & all the dear ones over there. They are watching and waiting for us over there. So we will hold on to god a little longer. we hope this will find you better thomas dear brother and all of you well & happie.
& family. I am riteing to them. They will here from you tomorrow or monday. thomas do you remember dealas sister mary? I had a fine visit with her the last time I was to Edwins. as for seath we dont know where he is. Edwin thinkes he knows at any time where to find us. have you any idea where he is? I have no complaints to bring only I long to leave this world & be with Jesus. thomas I hope you have not broke up your home for there is no place like your own home to go to when you need rest. I hope you see my meanining. it is the advise I give to all weather men.
You did not say where you was staying but I thought mite be with will your sone. I think you children are some scatared over the earth. You can't see them verry often. You did not say how far you was from mattie. I can get to Jennie in 3 hours & 2 hours will take me to Eddies. Teain is not to miles from me. I go to her on the street car. & Joanna we sit at tabble together 3 times a day. how many children has willie got? amanda tusday said tomie was better so he could walk with a cane. he has been verry sick. mertle (mertie?) is no better. she can't do anything much. John martin has passed away. the last one of mira's boys. she has been gone most a year. gil & hide are well as far as I know. so is our dear brother Edwin.
or women. how I wish I could see you but I dont expect to in this world. I know get about 30 dollars a month for which I am verry thankful for it. Well as it is near time for the mail I will close from you sisiter martha to her Dear brother & his Dear children. pray for us. rite often. tell the children their aunt sendes love to them all. I was going to ask how is times out there? well you will get tired of this so I will have to say by by for this time.
rite often.
from mrs. s. w. casler
god bless you all in my prear

I looked at my family history event calendar and found we have some more birthdays today! Happy Birthday Jason, Uncle Norm and Cinders! Three on one day! Sounds like the 10th of Feburary is a popular day. Happy Birthday Everyone!!

Happy Birthday Ernest!

Today is Ernest H. Hect's 130th birthday! He was born on Feb. 9, 1880 in Lapeer County Michigan. Ernest is married to Martha Marie Soper and Solomon W. Casler's daughter who I believe is named Ernestine Christine Casler. We are still searching more sources for her name. Ernest and Ernestine had 6 children together.
So everyone remember Ernest H. Hect today and maybe try to search him out a little.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERNEST!

The inspired search for Solomon W. Casler

Yesterday I was talking to my mom about doing family history work, how much I love it and the importance of it, when the thought popped into my head to search the Canadian census records on Ancestry.com for Solomon W. Casler. I have searched his name before on Ancestry.com, but was limited until just recently to only the United states information. I realized that oh, since I now have access to the world wide search I would be able to potentially find more information on him.
Today I put in Solomon W. Casler's name and information and YES! I was so excited new information came up! I was just expecting to find Canadian census information and was hoping to find more information on his parents from it since we didn't have their names. Not only was there census information for him, but I found someones family tree with information and pictures of our family! The family tree owner is someone that I have been in contact with in the past few months, but I found some new information on her page. She is a distant distant relative that lives in Canada and has been so helpful!

Some of what I found posted was:

A four page letter from Martha Marie Soper Casler (Solomon's Wife) to her brother-in-law Thomas Baldwin Little. Thomas Married Martha's sister Sarah Jane Soper. I Loved reading the letter and feeling her faith in Christ and that our loved ones are watching and waiting for us. I LOVE how she says that " We will hold on to God a little longer." What a great woman! I can't wait to meet her someday.
pictures of Solomon W. Casler and Martha Marie Soper Casler's headstones which stand in Otter Lake Cemetery in Marathon, Michigan.

A picture of two postcards she sent her nieces, Martha and Mary for the New Year.

And last but not least she had the names of Solomon's Parents!!! I was so excited to find them!Their names are Joseph Casler (Born: march 30, 1809 in German Flatts, Herkimer, New York)and Hanna Winterstein (Born: July 20, 1816 in York, Whitchurch Twp, On (I am wondering if On means Ontario,Canada that's where their families were)) Hanna's Parents are also listed too! so I am very very excited!

I didn't expect to find the things that I did and it was such a treat! I know that it wasn't just coincidence, The spirit was telling me where to go to find the information that we needed at this time! It's all so wonderful! Miracles happen every day. Even and especially in the quiet promptings of the Holy Ghost.

The Letter!

This is the letter written by Martha Marie Soper Casler to her brother-in-law Thomas Baldwin Little. Thomas was married to Martha's sister Sarah Jane Soper.

postcards from Martha Marie Soper Casler

Joseph Casler and Hanna Winterstein's headstone

Solomon and Martha Casler's headstones

Stefano Antonio Mosca "Tony"

This picture is of The Baron Steuben Hotel Staff of 1956. But more than just that, it is a picture of Stefano Antonio Mosca, my husband Bill's grandfather. Our family didn't have that much information on him and only one picture of him survived a 1972 flood. (which was the year before he passed away.)
I have been searching out more information on him and trying to find his family in the US and in Italy. We have found out so much about him and it's so much fun to get to know him. I thought that if I found any picture it would be a military one. But I contacted the Corning- Painted Post Historical Society looking for more information on The Baron Steuben hotel (because Tony worked there for over 23 years as a chef)and they sent me this picture along with a few other things. But A PICTURE!?! I was SO excited to find another picture of him! It was the fist picture I had seen of him. Bill looks so much like him. I can see a little bit of him in all of Bill's siblings too.
Bill and I put the information we had found up until that point into a book for his Mom, Joanne, and we gave it to her for her christmas present. It was fun to give her that for christmas. I've really come to love Tony so much. I can't wait to see him on the other side and to talk to him. And maybe if I'm lucky, He will make me some of his wonderful recipes!