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| Although I do not have a photograph of Herman Nichels, I have his signature from the attendance book of my Grandpa Findahl's funeral. Notice not only the preference for the 'e' spelling but I find it intriguing he left off the 's' from Nichels. |
Donald Ash writes:
Herman J. Nichels was born on December 22, 1885 in Detroit, MI (making him the first naturalized American citizen of the family.)
Herman was a bachelor and worked at many different trades; one (which he loved to talk about) was when he sailed on the Great Lakes freighters. He started out as a deck hand and finally became a wheelsman. Why he did not stay working on the freighters I do not know. (Note from John Stoskopf: My mother Marjorie recalls Uncle Herman liked to build model ships and she remembers some of his work on display at Aunt Emma's house.)
During the depression he bought himself a farm located north of Howell, MI and raised chickens for their eggs which he sold to neighboring stores or bartered for goods he needed at the time.
He sold the farm during World War II and boarded with my Mom and Dad working at Ford Motor all during the war. When the war was over the company wanted him to move from one plant to another but instead he retired and lived with Mom and Dad in Dearborn, MI until he died on October 16, 1970 from natural causes.
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| Emma Ottilie Nickels |
I understand that my mother and father met at a dance which was very popular in those days. They were married on July 1, 1916.
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| Clarence & Emma (Nichels) Ash |
My Dad Clarence Ash was born on December 27, 1885 near Belleville, MI and raised on a farm where my Grandpa Ash was working on shares. Grandpa Ash never owned his own farm but in his later years he also was a bartender in a saloon in Carlton, MI.
Dad became a barber in town until one day he and his cousin decided to join the Navy. Dad would spend four years serving on President Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet which consisted of 16 battleships. All of the supporting ships that made up the fleet were painted white and sent around the world to show that the United States was a strong nation.
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| Flagship Connecticut: One of a set of commemorative postcards of the ships of the Great White Fleet |
Dad always thought of himself as being very fortunate as this little cruise lasted over two years and it allowed him to see the world, something he would have never been able to do on his own.
He was aboard the U.S.S. Connecticut, which was the Flagship of the fleet. When he was discharged he had the rank of Second Class Gunners' Mate.
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| Map of the Great White Fleet's voyage. (Map created by João Felipe C.S) |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.
It consisted of 16 battleships divided into four squadrons, along with various escorts. Roosevelt sought to demonstrate growing American military power and blue-water navy capability.
President Theodore Roosevelt [on the 12-inch (30 cm) gun turret at right] addresses officers and crewmen on the Connecticut, in Hampton Roads, Virginia, upon her return from the Fleet's cruise around the world, 22 February 1909.
I wonder if Uncle Clarence is somewhere here!
When Mom met Dad he was working as a machinist and later was hired into Ford Motor Company working with Uncle Frank as a Pattern Maker until he retired 33 years later.
I (Donald Ash) was born on December 10, 1919. A couple of years after I was born Mom and Dad bought a lot and built a small home in Springwells Township which is now part of the City of Dearborn. Here I grew up and went to school, worked at Greenfield Village, joined the Army Air Corps, served four years as an instructor after graduation from the Airplane Mechanic School and was also a B-24 Engineer Instructor.
I was discharged in December of 1945 with the rank of S/Sgt.. After returning home I became a Metal Pattern Maker like my dad at Ford Motor Company and retired after 35 years.
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| Marjorie Findahl (Donald's cousin), Joe Tardiff (Bernice's brother), Anna Mae Tardiff (Bernice's sister and Maid of Honor), Leo Szwalick (Donald's friend and Best Man), Bernice & Donald Ash, Joe Schemanske (Donald's cousin) & Betty Wilson (friend of the family) - June 28, 1947 |
A short time after being discharged I met Bernice J. Tardiff who was born on June 21, 1927 in Highland Park, MI. After our courtship we became husband and wife on June 28, 1947 and lived in the termporary home of Mom and Dad's for a while. Here two of our three children (James & Kathy) were born. We moved to our present home in 1953 just a couple of months before our third child (Gary) was born.
The first time I brought Bernice home to meet my mom and dad she spotted a picture of a certain girl on our mantel shelf and wanted to know why we had her picture. She was so surprised and said, "I know that girl!" I explained she was my cousin Marjorie Findahl and Bernice told us that she went to school with Marjorie. So when we got married we asked Marjorie to become one of the bride's maids.
I grew up as the only child but I did have a sister that died in infancy. According to a note I found she was born in June 1921 and is buried in The Lutheran Cemetery on June 13, 1921.
Clarence Ash passed away on August 3, 1971. (Note from John Stoskopf: While not trying to be morbid I wish to explain a memory of my own about Mr. Ash. I went with my mother, father and Grandma Martha Findahl to visit the funeral home where Uncle Clarence was after he died. It was the first time I'd ever been to something like this and no one had forced me to go, I felt at age 11 it was time. After all, death is at least as important as life and it had the profound effect on me I suspected it would.)
Emma Ash passed away on January 14, 1981.
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