A Very Happy Valentines Day to Everybody!!

News has arrived from the mails -- so I will pass that along as the first order of the day.


Grandma,

Sorry once again that I haven't written in a while, but now that I am out of school, I don't have as much access to a computer. I have been working for my dad for the last four or five weeks, because that job market isn't the greatest right now. But I will only be here for another week, because last week I received a call from Menards and got offered a job in Fargo. I will be starting in the Management trainee program. I will probably be in Fargo for six to ten months and then I will most likely be transferred.

I am very excited to start a real job and it sounds like the opportunity for advancement is quite good with Menards. I had always thought that I would move to the cities as soon as I was done with school, but now that I am with Jessy, plans have sort of changed. That's all right though, because I really don't mind Fargo.

That's about all that is new from me. Once again, I will try to stay in contact more than I have been, but it all depends on how much access I have to a computer. Thanks for keeping the bulletin up. It is really nice to hear how everyone is doing. Talk to you later.

Love,

Chris

Thanks for the letter Chris. Best wishes on your new job. Keep us posted!!


Becky sent a note to let us know how the rest of her tests went.

Hi,
I just thought I would let you know what I got on my tests. I got a C in Ethics I was two points off of a B. I got 95 out 100 in another. 75 out 75 in another class. 25 out of 25 in another. So three A's and a C. Other than that nothing new. Becky


Let's Ask Mom or Grandma
My first answer will be in response to the question posed by Doug in last edition's Thinking Aloud in St. Cloud column concerning relatives in The Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Most of our ancestors came to the USA from Denmark (the Andersons), Germany (the Berndts), and Ireland (the Mellons and Doyles) in the 19th and 20th centuries. They were too late to fight in the Revolutionary War, and that is the conflict I am going to write about this time.

That leaves the Cheney (my Grandma) and the Dake families. The Cheneys were early pioneers and I expect my Grandma had relatives (uncles or cousins) that fought in the Revolutionary War ---but no one has researched to see, so that will remain a supposition.

Now comes the knowledge we have of the ancestors that preceded my Dad. The reason we know about them is through the extensive research done by our cousin Leslie Green. He is no longer living -- his death occurred in the year 2000. He was a Dake through his mom who was a daughter of Dad's Uncle Frank.

Dakes of Colonial New England
Who Served in the Revolutionary War

Our ancestors were descendants of the family of George and Susannah Deake (pronounced the same as the present day spelling Dake). They had married on June15, 1721, in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. George had emigrated to the colonies in 1718 from England.

At least 10 of the family of George and Susannah served in the Revolutionary War. Lemuel Deake died in the service of the Continental Army of Connecticut in 1780.

Immanuel Deake served as a Sgt. Major during the war. In 1803 he moved to Canada and from him descended a line of Canadian Dake. He moved back to the U.S. in 1832 and then drew a pension for war duty.

Joseph and Benjamin Deake were twin brothers. They were from Hopkinton, Rhode Island. They were born Nov.27, 1753. Benjamin inlisted in 1776 under Capt. Christopher Gardner and Colonel James Varnuk in the 12th Company Rhode Island troops. According to papers in his claim for pension filed in 1832, he was one of the 2,200 men who crossed the icy Deleware with General Washington on the night of Dec. 26, 1776. Benjamin died March 4, 1837 and was buried in West Windsor ,Vermont. Les Green visited the grave and recorded that the grave is marked with a Revolutionary SAR marker.

I did not find information on the other seven --but you can do some research yourself in the big blue book that LeRoy copied and assembled for all of us from the information he received from Leslie. The name of the book is THE DAKE FAMILY OF COLONIAL NEW ENGLAND -DESCENDANTS OF RICHARD AND GEORGE DEAKE *DAKE


Letters to the Editors

From Elaine:

I got this from Muriel and thought it was so cute..Schools all dismissed..ground blizzard...no travel advised ... a quiet day for me ... jigsaws, papers, reading, eating, and getting fat!


From: Muriel Rodriguez

I want to be back in grade school....that way I could be home from school this afternoon reading a book OR I could be trying to bake something while mom is curled around in the rocking chair taking a nap and won't know about me making a mess and dad will be reading the paper and then come in the kitchen to see what I'm doing with the mixer and then wait for a sample taste from the oven. Well, enough dreaming ... back to the wonderful life of a "working woman." Ha!


From Gert:

Dear Sister Editor, Columnist and Correspondent,

I never was a good, "Big Book Reader" (except for Gone With The Wind), but have had an enjoyable time reading your great short stories. Another thought: instead of having Miss America Pageants, we should have had cooking classes by the Chef!! Waiting for the next edition.

Your Sister, and Aunty Gert


From Donna --
A special message of love for Valentines Day -- for all of us:

This is the commencement speech by the writer, Anna Quindlen, to the graduates at Villanova: (Take note of what she says)--

http://www.wowzone.com/view.htm


EDITORS:------------------Mom, Grandma, Aunt Dorothy and Others!!!!
St. Cloud Correspondent--------------------------------------Doug Anderson
Roving Correspondent no longer roving--------------------Donna Johnson