"Happy July 4th. America!"

Happy 4th. of July to all...

Let us all remember the true meaning of our celebrations and especially those responsible.

"Every true Christian is a patriot."
- John Frederic Oberlin, 1792

-Submitted by Steve Oberlin,
President, Indiana Society
Sons of the American Revolution

From My Email Box - "Puzzles - Just for Fun!"

Genealogists are detectives... puzzle solvers! I thought it might be fun for visitors to have a few puzzles to sharpen their puzzle solving skills.

Telephone Mathematical Puzzle

Grab a calculator. (You won't be able to do this one in your head)

1. Key in the first three digits of your phone number(NOT the Area
code...)
2. Multiply by 80
3. Add 1
4. Multiply by 250
5. Add to this the last 4 digits of your phone number
6. Add to this the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
7. Subtract 250
8. Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer?
- Submitted by Sherri Bradley

From Alice Warner comes the mathematical explanation how the above puzzle was developed and how it works... she makes it all quite simple!

When done properly, it should concatenate the two numbers used (the
first three digits, and the last 4 digits) so that you wind up with
your 7 digit phone number.

The way this works is through algebra. Assume the first three digits
to be "x" and the last 4 to be "y". The instructions lead you to this:

Step 1: x
Step 2: 80x
Step 3: 80x+1
Step 4: (80x+1)*250 = 2000x+250
Step 5: 2000x+250+y
Step 6: 2000x+250+2y
Step 7: 2000x+250+2y-250 = 2000x+2y
Step 8: (2000x+2y)/2 = 1000x+y

Then, since multiplying by multiples of 10 shifts the decimal point
one number, 1000x means that your three digit exchange becomes
###0000. Then by adding the last 4 digits you wind up with #######,
which will always be the first three digits concatenated by the last 4
digits, on the assumption that the first number x is ALWAYS a 3 digit
number and the second number y is ALWAYS a 4 digit number.

My cousin Beverly Justus Jones sent me this great puzzle that will help you learn the locations of exactly where each state fits in our country - it is kind of a geography puzzle.

Place the States!

This is fun, lets see how good you are.!!!

Place exactly on the spot....

Wonder how a high school senior would do on this one. See how you do in placing the states of the United States of America. All you do is look at the top of the page and "drag'n'drop" the state where it belongs. Smart map, varies the order of the states' placement with each new try! Look across from the word Place to see the state!

It isn't easy mostly because placing a state in the precise location when it as yet has no boundaries in place is a bit tricky! No half credit for close but over a tad....If you get it wrong, click and drag to the correct area which will show up in red.

http://jimspages.com/States.htm
Click on the above site.

Have some fun and improve some of your genealogical skills! - JGWest

Tombstone Thursday - Kroener

Kroener Family Tombstone -

Oak Hill Cemetery, Evansville, Indiana

Photographed 27 June 2009

Philip Frederick Kroener
Born Oct. 17, 1838
Died Feb. 7, 1886

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Augustina His Wife
Born Mar. 24, 1840
Died May 2, 1896

[One one side of stone]

Frederick B. Son of
Rev. P. & A. Kroener
Born Mar. 2, 1864
Died Dec 17, 1887
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Otto C. Kroener
Born May 24, 1868
Died sept. 9, 1907
[on other side of stone]

- Photos taken & submitted by Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

From the FIRST MATE's PHOTO ALBUM...

My Little Princess at the Evansville Zoo

Halle West poses for Grandpa for this photo at the Amazonia Exhibit at the Evansville Mesker Park Zoo. One of her favorites are the bats! (Summer 2009)

- Photo taken & submitted by JGWest

Walking Through the Park with Grandpa

Evan West walks through Evansville Mesker Park Zoo with his Grandpa West (Summer 2009).

- Photo taken with a cell phone by JJ West (Evan's father & son of John West - aka Grandpa)

"Death of Purdue Football Player From Evansville"

Poughkeepsie Star-Enterprise - September 17, 1936


Second Purdue Grid Star Dies: Tom McGannon Victim of Shower Room Blast


Lafayette, Ind. (AP) - Tom McGannon, star Purdue University halfback from Evansville, Ind., died this morning from burns received in a shower room explosion of gasoline fumes after practice last Saturday. Two blood transfusions were given McGannon in an effort to save his life.


McGannon, 20 year-old junior, was the second mainstay of this year's Purdue team to succumb to burns suffered in the fire, caused when a coal stove ignited gasoline fumes. Carl E. Dahlbec, of Lyndonville, Vt., veteran guard, died Sunday. Still another of the stars from whom Coach Noble Kizer had expected to be the nucleus of his 1936 gridiron machine is in serious condition. Lowell Decker of Reading, Mich, fullback, suffered sever burns and his recover was not certain. Of the six players burned, Pat Malaska of Crawfordsville had improved while Jim Maloney of Chicago was out of danger. John Drake of Chicago has reported back to football practice. The gasoline had been used to remove adhesive tape from the players.


McGannon was born in Evansville, Nov. 20, 1915, the son of Mr. and Mrs. L.G. McGannon, who were at his bedside as were three brothers, one sister, and his sweetheart, Grace Hellrich of Evansville. McGannon was a pole vaulter on the track team and a member of the Phi Kappa Fraternity. Two fraternity brothers gave their blood in the transfusions which it had been hoped would save McGannon's life.


To see pictures of McGannon on his football team, in the 1936 Purdue Yearbook, and information from the Board of Trustee's report of the accident, search the Purdue University Library Archives at http://is.gd/1iNGV.

- Submitted by Taneya Koonce

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

Evansville's President General

of the National Society

Daughters of the American Revolution

Mary Parke McFerson Foster

1895-1896

Oak Hill Cemetery, Evansville, Indiana

This plaque was placed on the tombstone of John Watson Foster and his wife Mary who was an early leader of the DAR, serving as President General... the highest office in DAR.

-Photo taken & submitted by JGWest

"Brief Look at the Former Selvin High School"

Selvin High School Class of 1959

Celebrate Their 50th. Anniversary Reunion

Larry Oxley acts as class representative to welcome all Selvin School students to the reunion and remembers those Selvin students who passed away in the last year. Selvin School began in the 1880's and closed completely in 1963. The high school was closed as part of a large statewide consolidation of schools in 1962. I was a freshman at Selvin that year in 1962... they sent me to Dale High School in Spencer County for my Sophomore year. Then in 1963 the state closed Selvin Grade School and my sister Bettina (Tina) West was a member of the last Eighth Grade to graduate from Selvin Grade School. That year they closed Tennyson High School south of Selvin on Indiana Highway 161, sending those students to Boonville High School (Warrick County) and they decided to reduce out of county tuition payments to Spencer County by transporting me with the Tennyson kids to Boonville to attend my Junior year of school. I lived in one house and attended 3 high schools in 3 years. I graduated at Boonville High School in 1965, while the 15 freshmen students from Selvin in 1962 when they closed our school ended up, without moving from their homes, graduating from 5 different schools: Lynnville, Boonville, Dale, Holland & Jasper high schools. My younger brother, Donald West, entered Selvin Grade School as a first grader in 1959... so, for one year all four of us were in school at Selvin: Glen, me, Tina & Don.

Above is the Class of 1959 from Selvin High School in Selvin, Indiana (located in northeastern Warrick County). L-R: Roger King, Joyce Moesner, Larry Oxley, Ronald Dowdell, Jim Osborne, Gaither Glennis West(II), Larry Powell. [NOTE: Lanny Ingram was unable to attend. Only one of the graduates of this class has died - Carmen Surkamp (about 1990).]

-Photos taken & submitted by JGWest