Father’s Day 2023

Happy Father’s Day to my Father.

In a previous post about Mother’s Day I mentioned that Anna Jarvis celebrated the first one a little over a 100 years ago. The next year Sonora Smart Dodd heard a sermon about Anna Jarvis and Mother’s Day and decided to create a day to also honor fathers. Father’s Day did not initially become a national holiday like Mother’s Day. Father’s Day did not become a permanent national holiday until 1972 when Richard Nixon signed it into law.

The spelling of the holiday gives the intent of the holiday. It is officially Father’s Day. This means that the day belongs to a father. The holiday is intended for a family to honor their own father.

Father's Day - My Father and Me - Holiday - Honoring FathersHere is a picture of me with my father shortly after I was born.

Wasn’t I such a cute little baby? Oh wait, this is about my Father. Doesn’t my Father look so proud holding his sweet little baby :-). This was taken at the farm we lived at near Wellman, Iowa. I am the only one of my siblings who was born when we lived on the farm. The others are all city kids ;-).

Dad and Me - Father's Day - Ottumwa, Iowa - Family sitting on treeHere is a picture from a year or so later when we had moved to the big city of Ottumwa, Iowa. Here I am sitting with my father on a tree that he had cut down and was getting ready to cut into smaller pieces.

I learned so many things from my father about how to work with tools and also an understanding of mechanical principles. This knowledge comes in handy in my work today.

Father's Day - Dad the Jungle Gym - Honoring FathersWhile looking for the pictures of my father, I also saw this one. Here my father is acting as a jungle gym for my two sisters. This was in our kitchen in Iowa and just seeing this picture brings back some memories. Especially the hot-wheel track hanging on the wall by the door. Does anyone want to guess what it was used for?

Father's Day, Dad and SisHere is my father today with my big sister

I hope that all of my friends have a great Father’s day as they honor their Fathers or are honored as a Father.

Steven

Posted in Holidays, Memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Virtual Hike to Cadiz, Ohio

The next destination on my Virtual Hike was Cadiz, Ohio.

Cadiz, Ohio, West Virginia, Bethany, Eldersville, Campbell, Ohio riverThe previous destination on my virtual hike was Eldersville, Pennsylvania.

The virtual hike route from Eldersville went through hills, valleys and across a river.

I did take a small detour and did not proceed straight to Cadiz.

Pennsyvania, West Virginia, Leeper, strip mining, eldersvilleThe detour started by heading south to where the Leeper family lived in the late 1700’s.

The place where they lived was right on what became the border between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. When they first moved there it was part of Virginia and it was not until later that this area became part of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the area has been strip mined and the foundations of the house no longer exist. It was here that Absalom Leeper was born in 1798.

Cadiz, Ohio, West Virginia, Bethany, Eldersville, Campbell, Ohio riverI continued on south to just east of Bethany, West Virginia. Here is the study of Alexander Campbell who was in this area of Pennsylvania and West Virginia much later than the people I have talked about in the last couple of posts.

You can read more about this location in two previous posts I have written: Alexander Campbell Mansion  and Two Historic Church Buildings

The second historic church building is a future destination on the Virtual Hike.

Cadiz, Ohio, West Virginia, Bethany, Eldersville, Campbell, Ohio riverTo cross over into Ohio I had to head back north to cross the Ohio River at Stuebenville. There are not too many places where you can cross over the river.

Cadiz, Ohio, West Virginia, Bethany, Eldersville, Campbell, Ohio riverI finally arrived in Cadiz which is the county seat of Harrison County, Ohio. Here is the court house.

My 6th Great Grandfather Absalom Kent spent the last years of his life in Cadiz, Oho. His daughter Elizabeth married James Leeper the son of Samuel Leeper. They were the parents of Absalom Leeper.

Cadiz is also where Clark Gable was born, but this was after my family had moved further west.

The next destination on my Virtual Hike is another location with a family connection.

I have been setting shorter distances between destinations for better motivation for my daily walking and so far it has been working. I have been walking more each day and have made good progress on my Virtual Hike. I am still a few stops behind on my posts.

I am now heading west and have some interesting stops planned that are family or history related.

Steven

Images in this post are from Google Maps and Street View


WWRI – Written With Real Intelligence

Posted in Blog, Culture, History, Virtual Hike | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments