"Sunday's Obituary" - Gilbert Clinton

Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian, May 1999

Gilbert Clinton

Funeral Mass for Gilbert Niles Clinton of Cape Girardeau will be 

held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Msgr. Richard 

Rolwing will officiate. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Friends 

may call at Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel from 4:30 to 8 p.m. 

today, with parish prayers at 7, and Knights of Columbus rosary at 7:30. 

Clinton, 88, died Saturday, May 1, 1999, at Cape Girardeau Residential

 Care Center. He was born march 8, 1911, in Plainville, Ind., son of 

Daniel J. and Lula Fettic Clinton. He and Marie B. Grojean were married 

June 9, 1935, at Sikeston. She died Sept. 14, 1995. Survivors include

 a son, Roy Clinton of West Monroe, La.; two daughters, Barbara Lohr

 of Jackson, Bonnie Eaglin of Morehead, Ky.; four sisters, Louise 

Theissen, Joy Cunningham, Dorothy Baldwin and Ruth Hamlon, all of

 Indiana; a brother, Ray Clinton of Sikeston; 11 grandchildren; and 10 

great-grandchildren. He was precede din death by two brothers, a

 half brother and a half sister. 

I was given a black binder a few years ago from my mom. In the binder was information on my   direct ancestors and descendant of Henry Clinton and Zella Edwards. Gilbert Clinton was my 1st cousin 2x removed and I was happy to find this clipping of his obituary. Of course receiving a binder, box of letters and photographs, family bible or even a journal are full of wonderful information about our ancestors. Treasure those items and share them with your family and others.

Matrilinel Monday - Aline Marie SMITH

     Now I would like to introduce you to my great grandmother on my dad’s side Aline [Alene] Marie SMITH. She was born on 8 July 1896 in Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Her parents were John N. SMITH of Missouri and Sara CLARK from Pennsylvania.  On 12 July 1916 she married Roscoe Henderson LANGSTON in Cape Girardeau, MO.  She had five children, 2 boys, James Raymond LANGSTON, my grandfather, Gerald L LANGSTON, 3 girls, Virginia L LANGSTON, Glonda L. LANGSTON and Gertrude R LANGSTON. She died on 14 December 1942 in Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She is laid to rest at New Lorimer Cemetery, Cape Girardeau Missouri.   

     Unfortunately there isn't a lot of information that I have about Aline [Alene] Langston, she passed away before my dad was born. So needless to say there aren't any family stories. I can however tell you that she must have been an amazing mother to have raised man like my grandfather, he had the determination to succeed, and that he did. 

                                      

(photo from Find a Grave)

Matrilineal Monday - Great Grandmother Emma Josephine HARRENBURG

   

   Now I would like to introduce you to my Great Grandmother Emma Josephine HARRENBURG (Hopper). This is my dad’s grandmother, on his father’s side, her parents were Cornelia Josephine GRAY, born in Alabama, and her dad was Charles HARRENBERG, born in Missouri.

  

   Great Grandma Emma Josephine HARRENBURG (Hopper) was born 31 AUG 1890 in Missouri. She married Robert Nathanial Elmer HOPPER on 11 NOV 1912 when she was 22 years old. She lived in Cape Girardeau with my Great Grandfather after their marriage. She had five children Mary Angelina HOPPER, Charles Garrett HOPPER, Robert Eugene HOPPER, Carrie Lee HOPPER and my grandmother Lena Katherine Elizabeth HOPPER. She passed away 31 May 1966 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

     Just like my past post on my Great Grandmothers, I wasn’t around when they were with us. So I had to rely on what I remember about any stories, which was not a lot. So I turned to my dad to ask what he remembered about his grandmother. He remembers her being a very head strong lady set in her ways. She was a professional piano player that spent most of her childhood in schools in Germany. It was probably her love of the piano that drove her to trying to convince my dad to play the piano; he didn’t have any real desire to play and never did. One of the fondest memories that he has of her was during Christmas, she would make the best hot coco, and he still believes there’s no other hot coco like it.

     I’ve only touched the surface as to what Emma Josephine HARRENBURG (Hopper) was like. I have the strong suspicion that there’s a lot more that I’ll learn about her as time goes on. I’ll be sure to share those findings as they come to the surface of my search into her and her family. 

Advent Calendar - Grab Bag

     Back many years ago growing up we use to do this thing called, window shopping. Where you would drive down town, not to the mall or large chain store, get out of the car and stroll around. You would look in the store front windows and dream about all of the displays and things that you want. Most of the time we would do this on Sundays and Holidays, like Christmas. I know this is a foreign concept now since everything is open seven days a week and there are so many malls and the windows, those windows don’t always have that warm Christmas holiday feeling.  

     When I was much younger I remember all of us getting into our car and driving down town, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. When I say down town that’s what I mean, all of the shops were along the river and you had parking places in front of each store or a medium sized parking lot at the end of the street. Dad would drive around trying to find a parking space, while we were jumping around making sure all of my winter gear was on. Plus some of my jumping was pure excitement because I could see the crowds and hear some of the music playing softly in the distance.

     This was always the place that all families would go to kick of the Christmas season, Hutson’s Family Furniture store. I don’t ever recall meeting this family but if I did or could I would want them to know what wonderful memories they gave me during my childhood. See they had some of the most wonderful Christmas and Winter Wonderland displays. Each window would depict a different scene; some were out doors with singing animals, dressed, singing and dancing. My favorite was the one with the elves in Santa’s workshop hammering away on the toys and singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”  

     While stationed in Germany we had to opportunity to take our kids to see the same type of displays. I will remember the smiles and giggles on their faces forever. I wish all children had the same opportunity to experience such a wonder like that, just like I did and our kids.