Pottery, Blue and Blue and Blue

Camark Pottery

More of my pottery collection, these are my favorite cobalt blue ones. I love their attitudes! This one above isn’t labeled but it was made by Camark Pottery. Camark was a pottery company that was founded in 1924 in Arkansas. The company was in business until 1983. I just love the form and shape.

This one is just labeled 505 USA but a photo online tells me it was made by Camark.

This one has part of a Camark label and 864 USA on it.

This pitcher is unlabeled but it was made by Camark Pottery in the 1930’s. I love the lines of it and all the curly cues!

Germany to America, an Ancestor's Life Travels through Documents

Intermediate Genealogy

Johanns Evangelist Zwisler

The photo above is of my husband’s Great-Great Grandfather on his mother’s paternal side, Johanns Evangelist Zwisler. He was born in Germany and traveled to America in 1852. He moved to Pennsylvania, then Iowa, and then settled in Staten Island, New York where he died.

This blog post is going to show you how the documents that are generated for an individual person can provide strong clues about their life and family. I spend time every day researching my ancestors. It is a wonderful hobby and one of my passions!

Above is a copy of Johanns’s birth record. He was born in Burgberg, Germany, 19 September 1833, and his parents were Gallus Zwisler and Kreszenz Reidle. In 1989 a researcher in Germany found his emigration records which stated that he was a baker and planned to work at his former fellow , the master baker Reiger, now in Philadelphia. This was in July 1852. He showed the authorities a shipping contract that showed his voyage would begin in Le Havre with the ship Merkur. At that time he was living with his father and step-mother in Gorisried, Germany. John actually is listed as a passenger on the ship Germania that arrived in New York on 25 September 1852. He stated he was a farmer and he traveled in steerage.

John signed an Intent to become a Citizen on the 26th of August 1854 in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It stated that he arrived in New York on September 28, 1852 and intended to settle in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Catharina Elizabeth Metzler Zwisler

John Zwisler and Catharina Elizabeth Metzler were married 2 October 1855 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by Bishop Charles F. Seidel. A search of marriage records for that time period was unsuccessful however an entry in the family bible gave this date and minister. (In May 1855 Bishop Charles F. Seidel was a Vice-President of the Moravian Church’s forty-second Provincial Synod in Bethlehem.) John and Elizabeth’s oldest child, Caroline (Carrie) was born in Bethlehem in July 1856 however by the time their second child, John was born in December 1857, they had moved to Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa. A search of the 1860 census for the family in Iowa was unsuccessful maybe because foreign surnames were often spelled wrong by census takers.

The 1869 Burlington, Iowa City Directory lists John as a clerk in a grocery store, the same occupation listed in the 1870 census so we know this is our John.

The 1870 Burlington, Iowa City Directory lists him (with the surname spelled Swissler) working as a porter for Thul but the family has moved to 7 S. Sixth Street.

In the 1870 Census, shown above, (surname spelled Swisler) the family is living in Burlington, Des Moines County, Iowa. John is a clerk in a grocery store. John’s grandson Perry told me that the family left Iowa because Germans were not treated well where they lived.

The 1871 City Directory spells the surname as Swissler. John is still a clerk with Thul and the family is living at the same address. (Each Directory is publishing information that was gathered months previously and then published.) By 1871 the family had moved to New York where their youngest child Frieda Ernestine was born in November 1871. The 1872 Burlington City Directory had no entry for John. Elizabeth Metzler Zwisler died 12 May 1877 in Staten Island. On 10 June 1877 the three youngest children, Carl Friedrich, Wilhelmine Frieda, and Frieda Ernestine were all baptized at the German Evangelical Church of Staten Island.

John married his second wife, Babette Blyer on the 19th of October in 1879 in Stapleton, Staten Island, New York.

Babette Zwisler

The 1880 Census shows John and Babette living with John’s three youngest children in the village of Edgewater, Middletown, Richmond County, New York and John is a Machinist.

The five children of John and Elizabeth Zwisler who lived to adulthood, left to right, Ernestine, Caroline, Frederick, John and Minnie.

John died 18 August 1895 and he and Elizabeth are buried in Sunnyside Cemetery, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York. In the 1950’s the Family Bible was in the possession of John’s Grandson, Fred , son of Frederick. (He changed his name to Fred Swisler.) It was borrowed and a copy was made but unfortunately it didn’t include the title page with the date of publication. In the 1980’s a relative went back to see it and they couldn’t find it so the present location is unknown.

I have done research in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City in German Parish Registers for John’s ancestors and have been successful for a few generations back but that search can be another blog post someday.

Another Hoppy Easter Tablescape

My second Easter table theme for this year with lots of bunnies. The centerpiece bunny came from Pottery Barn a few years ago. There are several similar ones for sale this year at various places. The tablecloth probably came from HomeGoods some years ago. I found the other large bunnies at HomeGoods this year.

Found the tiny bunny at a garage sale, there is a second one on the other side. I love these little ones!

The green and white bunnies salad plate was at HomeGoods this year. I developed the table theme around this plate. The dinner plate is Fiesta in lime green. I think I got those on sale at Macys some years ago. I used the same charger in the Winter White tablescape my daughter and I did in February. I bought it at William Sonoma a few years ago and it’s called Antique Beaded.

The flatware is Madeline Green flatware and I bought it at World Market some years ago. You can also see it in my Fall tablescape last year. I use this flatware often.

I bought the tall white goblet on sale at Z Gallerie some years ago. I have black ones also. It is the tallest goblet I have in my collection! The spiral green goblet came from Pier 1 a few years ago. I use this one often in tablescapes. You can see it in last years Fall tablescape. It normally looks tall but not next to the white one!

The green napkin came from Pier 1 a few years ago. The green check one came from HomeGoods this year. Can’t remember where I bought the bunny napkin ring. I Love that floppy ear!

The bunny salt and pepper came from HomeGoods this year. Can’t remember where I found the place card holders.

I bought the large green pottery bowl years ago on ebay. It usually sits on the coffee table.

Lots of bunnies! Hoppy Easter!

Some Bunnies coming to the Easter Dinner Tablescape

Bunnies and eggs on a Spring table.

I had three different ideas for Easter tablescapes and couldn’t decide which one to do so I am doing all three, one each week until Easter.

I have seen many table settings lately with neutral tones or gray tones. Somehow I just can’t get into doing one of those, at least not right now. When I think of Easter, I think of bright colors. As soon as I saw this tablecloth at HomeGoods a couple weeks ago, I knew the color scheme for one of my Easter tables. I have had the rabbit centerpiece for a few years, can’t remember where I bought it, same with the eggs and small bunnies candle. I bought the yellow bowl on ebay several years ago when I was collecting pottery.

The deep pink place mat (camera doesn’t show that it really matches the goblet) came from Pier 1, I have several of these in different colors. I bought most of them on sale and I found some online. The white dinner plate is one of my favorites, I love the scallops and the raised design. I bought it at Pier 1 maybe last year, the design is called Lacy. The yellow egg plate came from HomeGoods a few years ago and was made by Magenta. I have it in blue, pink, green and yellow. I love that raised design too and it works perfectly with the dinner plate. I found the napkins at HomeGoods with the tablecloth. Tucking them under the plate saves having to use a napkin ring. Handy when you don’t have one you like that will work.

I found both goblets at HomeGoods a couple years ago. They are Le Stelle crystal and were made in Italy. I like the etched design with the butterflies and flowers. How I love bargains from HomeGoods!

I bought the frosted blue flatware on sale online at Wayfair a few years ago, it is made by Cambridge. It is 18/0 so the fork tines are a bit sharper than I would like but I really liked the color. Wayfair has really good sales on flatware sometimes.

I found the place card holder at HomeGoods a few years ago. I suddenly remembered them and knew they would work well on this table.

I found this cute little bunny bowl at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago, they have them online too. It comes in blue, yellow, pink, and something they call green which is really more of a light turquoise. Had to have a few in each color, polka dots are a great mix and match pattern.

I pulled several different things together for this table, using the tablecloth as a guide. This about as different from neutral or gray tones as you can get!