September 14, 1935--December 4, 2004

Joni Case
TX. 4-42-214-665-665e->665e2a1*
 

Keeper of the Silvius Wave Members List

In Memory of Joni Case

From Mary Cole:  I personally will miss her very much.  For those newer to the list - Joni was not only a great Silvius researcher and contributor to our list, but she was in charge of updating all the Silv... members with their connection to the family.  I always relied on Joni to send us an updated list whenever there was a new chart.  She will be truly missed.

Donna Sparlin:   She has been a great Silvius Cousin.  With her passing a void has been created.  This is sad sad news.

Marcia:  I also am very sorry to hear about Joni passing away as she was a great help to all of us & she'll be greatly missed. 

Marcia Norton:  I also agree with Marcia regarding the passing of Joni.

Judy Bedford:  What a valiant, humble lady!  She had a terrific battle with cancer, losing one eye, her hair, and many other details she shared with me over the last two and a half years. She wore an eye patch and light hurt her eye and computer screens were not good.  She said that she could not get out to do much genealogy but that she could help the list keep track of who was related to whom.  She was our phone book and switch board operator!   

Ellen Pulwer:  A sad message.  Sorry to lose someone so dedicated.

Donald J. Silvius:  Joni Case complemented Mary Cole's efforts magnificently.  Joni welcomed me as a cousin and supportively answered my questions. "Newby's" will miss her, but no doubt there will be other Silvius' cousins that will fill in for her as it seems we are a helpful bunch of folk.  I'm sure there are many of our clan who have benefited from her efforts who may not "sign in" with comments.   Don Silvius, #2-22-101-432-432a-432a2->432a2a1.

Richard Winder:  Very sad to hear this.  I always appreciated her efforts to update the connections list.

Michael Gallagher:  I also appreciated her efforts, even being a relatively "new" clan member.

Marie Robinson:  Joni was synonymous with "the Silvius list."

In Memory of Carol Wakefield-Silves

From Mary Cole:   I will certainly miss Carol.  She has been a wonderful help to us.

From Judy Bedford:  She came to Phila a year or two ago, some of you may remember, and she wrote asking me the best place to eat and what to do in Philly when you only have a few hours to search.  I recommended the Historical Society. I also sent her my phone number should she have any problems...because a hurricane was predicted for the east coast during that time they were here.  I think they hurried up because of this and didn't get to do too much.  She shared much information from those counties in Western PA where we had been unable to do personal research. Venango, Butler and some others...she found original records, like obits, wills, deeds, marriage licenses for anyone with their name spelled SILVES. Then she went the second mile and looked for the other spellings and later on, posted those.  (She was a genealogist's genealogist.)

We were so glad to have her happy up-beat attitude and her willingness to share with the group.

This is the second one within the year from our group who has joined the great big Silvius reunion in the sky. Bill Neiswonger is the other.   They will both be missed. And definitely not forgotten.   Judy

Died July 30, 2001

Obituary at:
http://www.thesunlink.com/tributes/augustoctober2001.html
Search (Ctrl-F) for Wakefield

Edia Monroe Silvis
PA. 1-11-50-306-306k-306k(9)-306k(9)a*
ediasilvis@tbscc.com

No longer a member of the list but
one of the founders of the list and a valued contributor.

My mother Jewel, my wife Carolyn [now deceased], and me
taken at a high school graduation party.
[Updated 10/2006]

Donald J. Silvius, Max, and Lady
CA. 2-22-101-432-432a-432a2->432a2a1.
greyowl@walla.com
djs2498@yahoo.com
djs732@hotmail.com
djs732@earthlink.net

My father met his grandmother in Chicago when he was about 7 years old (1905) and recalled she was not much taller than he at that time, was dark complected (Caucasian), and did not speak English very well. These three clues tend to point to European ancestry, vaguely.

Mary (Silfies) Ripley and friend
NY. 1-11-60-321d(5)
marysrip@icqmail.com

Judy's mom

1915 - 25 November 2011

Judy Bedford
DE. 1-12-62-339-339a-339a.13
cypagent2002@aol.com

One of the founders of the list and a valued contributor.

I have been doing genealogy since the 60s.   I was still in school in the 50s but was listening to the family stories which really got me interested.  But I never did any courthouse stuff or any of that 'til around 1962 and onward.  I have a copy of the first letter Mary Cole sent me with a 2 paragraph outline!  I had advertised in the Genealogical Helper for info on Nicholas Silvus #62 and told the story how he deserted his family.  From that I got several letters which started the ball rolling but Mary's was the most productive.

Marie (Des Marais) Robinson
MN. 1-12-66-373/1

I began genealogy in 1977 when my husband and I received a bible as a wedding gift and I tried to fill in the genealogy information.   My parents knew only the names of my great-grandparents--nothing further back so I thought I would see what I could learn on my own.  I've been hooked ever since--with more time off than on during the little kid years.  The other three members of my family--21 year old Meghan, 18 year old Christopher, and husband Paul--do not share my zeal for genealogy.  Although they will listen to something I think is interesting enough to share with them, they tend to get glazed looks on their faces!

Denise Wadsworth
FL. 4-42-214-661-661e-661e6-661e6b
thewadsworths@eolusa.com

Cathy Neiswongers

William Darl (Bill) Neiswongers II
died May 24, 2001

SC. 1-11-50-302a
neiswonger@cpis.net

Donna Sparlin
England. 2-22-101-437a(1)(a)
nilraps@jps.net

Donna Sparlin, married to David, two children, Joe 23 years old and Katrina (married to Jason Putnam) 25 years old. After working for the United States Navy in the same location for 28 years, my husband and I set out on an adventure when he transferred from NAS Lemoore, California, to JMF St. Mawgan, Cornwall, England.  My husband and I have been involved in the genealogy of both of our families since the early 1970's.  My love for family history was inspired by my Grandmother, Mary Josephine (Silvius) Kelley, who had documented what she knew and researched from the 1940's until she died in the 1980's.

Theresa Berg
WA. 2-24-123-541-541f
webfeet@email.msn.com

Theresa Berg, photo at the Belagio, Las Vegas, June, 2000.   I am the fifth great-granddaughter of William Silvius, Sr.  My interest in genealogy began as a young girl with a family genealogy book that my grandmother had (her mother was Susan Catherine Silvuse).  I never knew anything about the Silvius branch, only that my third great-grandfather was Jacob Silvuse born about 1800 in VA and was struck by lightning and died in 1826.  With the advent of the computer, I queried Darrell Tussing through Rootsweb (I believe), back in 1997, asking him if he thought I might be related to his Silveus?  He introduced me to the Wave and I've been a member ever since.  I am 46 years old and work as a freight forwarder in Seattle, WA.

Elaine Pulwer
PA. 1-11-60-321-321a-321a(11)-321a(11)a
EPulwer@aol.com

Marcia and Ray Norton
IL. 1-12-63-350-350h-350h4-350h4c-350h4cl*
marcianorton@comcast.net

Ray and I have been dabbling in family history off and on for about 15 years.  We've traced Ray's Norton and Dolan side back to Athlone, Roscommon, Ireland, while I'm still lost in Pennsylvania working on my mother's family--Sylvis, Moon, Pierce, Rorabaugh, and Schaffer, plus others. 

Left to right:
Trinity (our adopted daughter), me (Robin), Donny. 
Front: 
is our daughter India and son Taylor.
rosmith@cox-internet.com

AR. 4-42-214-665-665b-665b(5)-665b(5)(g)-
665b(5)(g)1

I have always been interested in ancestry since I was a girl.  I think genealogy is sometimes like liking spinach or not liking it. . . some people are just born with the curiosity!  :>)  I don't have a lot of time to actually do the digging at this point in my life and rely on people like "the wave" to share what they find with me.  I do it mostly to preserve the information for my children.  So that they will know their heritage and melting pot of nationalities.

Roy Robinson and wife Joanne
Great-grandson of #591 Lydia
MN.  2-26-145-591-591h . . .
joanne.robinson4@get.net

I began my searches in about 1980 soon after a family reunion my mother put together after my father had passed away..I pulled out an old chart my son had made in grade school and took it to the picnic . . . there was some interest.  At the time my maternal Grandmother had one brother who was still living--he gave me leads but very little info.  Most of my research has come about by just pure LUCK.  We have spent the last 20 years researching at historical society libraries (Madison, WI, and Minnesota, the Jail Museum in Rushville, IL) the LDS branches—we have visited many distant cousins we have discovered, and walked thru many a cemetery.  I have written many a letter to various surnames in my many lines and have had a good response--of course many of my surnames are not common.  The internet has been a good link.  It has been a fun hobby which has become my OBSESSION!  Roy and I have been married 47 years, we had nine children--eight still living--they all live near by.  We have 18 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.  The past four years I have been making a personal family history book for wedding presents for nieces, nephews, and cousins--these have been well received. 

I first got involved with genealogy only months after my father's death in early 1992.  In the "healing" process, I began thinking about where the family came from, who they were, etc. and decided to find out. This was not only a great way to begin that "healing" process, but also a way to make my father, grandparents, etc., live on.  My genealogy program's database now has over 18,000 names and is growing. The state of Virginia has very good records and they are easily accessed in the Shenandoah Valley at several excellent genealogical libraries.    I know the Virginia branch of the family is less numerous, but we are in the process of being documented with much thanks to the Pennsylvania branch ;-)

I live in the Shenandoah Valley with my wife and two kids on property that was once owned by my ancestors! My great grandmother owned it--and possibly in the 1830's it was owned by my great great great grandfather, who was a second cousin of General George Armstrong Custer. I work for a computer software company as an Oracle Database Administrator. 

I used to write for an online magazine--history, genealogy, etc.   This is an article called "Why Do We Do This to Ourselves" about why we research our families.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~vashenan/cem/dothis.html   

"One Man's Children" - that one man is my ancestor #24  William, who came to the Valley and "procreated."  http://www.rootsweb.com/~vashenan/cem/oneman.html  

This article is called "Shenandoah Roots" and is about a cemetery where there are four or five generations of about four branches of my family buried (not Silvius family, but family just the same).  http://www.rootsweb.com/~vashenan/cem/sroots.html