December 2008 – Edition 45

Apologies for not writing to you for quite a while (mid
2007 to be exact). How time flies!

Plans for our Christmas celebrations are in full swing.
I have asked Carol to come over to take
photographs, with her brother Lance. My wife
Elizabeth says that Lance is a big
improvement over some of the scruffy friends that
Carol used to bring, and he is much better looking.
Unfortunately St Peter still insists that Carol
uses an
old black and white camera. She says that she
prefers black and white photography anyway, but
Lance says she should use a digital camera
(whatever that is) so that he can email the photos to
you.

The Civil War and American Revolutionary War boys
will be back again this year, led by Jesse
Jerrems. Some of them come from our side of
the family but most come from the side of the family
that Sandra has been researching. There will be
some new faces, like Thomas Mayborn, James
Jerrems, Robert Colbrook, and Gavin McCoy. We
have asked Nicholas Herkimer if he could
lead the veterans, but there is a rumour that George
Washington is having a special Xmas party for his
Generals, so Uncle Nick (as a Brigadier
General) would
probably go to that party if there is a conflict in timing.

The Civil War boys were very excited to hear about
Barak Obama winning the election. Also they were
very pleased when I showed them the photo of
Sandra sitting near the veteran’s graves, with
the American flags on them.

Sandra’s side of the family outnumbers our side of the
family, possible because Sandra has been doing a lot
of research. A complicating factor has been that some
of them are not sure whether they should call
themselves “Jerrems” or “Jerrams”. Spelling is not
their strong point. I told them that they are very
welcome regardless. The more the merrier!

With Xmas coming up I have been dusting off my
Santa Claus suit. As I mentioned in one of my
earlier
emails I have always been asked to play Santa at our
Xmas parties. One big advantage is that I get first
choice of the Xmas cakes and puddings. Another
advantage is that, being 18 stone, nobody
asks me to
climb ladders to put up Xmas decorations, a job I find
tedious in the extreme.

On the other hand everybody expects a large person
like me to be a humorist, an expectation I sometimes
find difficult to live up to, so I have built up a fund of
standard jokes. For instance I use one of my
favourites when there is a discussion about what
someone died from. Up here everyone has died from
something, so this is a fertile (but infinitely boring)
topic of conversation. I don’t know why some of the
women find it so interesting; once you are dead the
question is academic. Anyway, to get to my point, if I
am asked if I know what someone died from I like to
say “Nothing serious”. My wife says this is very rude,
but I like it.

Another of my favourites when conversation is lagging
is to use the word “dead”, which is particularly
appropriate for us. At every opportunity I use terms
like “you are dead right”, “I live in the dead centre of the
village”, “dead ahead”, “dead as a doornail”, ” I am
deadly serious” and “in the dead of night”. One of my
great great grandsons is named Ernest Alfred
Jerrems, Ray’s grandfather. I have been itching to
describe him as being “in deadly Ernest” but he is
such a nice fellow, and a great humorist, that I have
resisted the temptation.

How We Might Pass the Infinite Time Up Here

Recently my wife decided that our side of the family
should expand their interests, so she has drawn up a
list of activities, and the family members who will
teach them. Some of these (with the reasons why
they have been chosen where this may not be obvious
to you) are:
1. Annie Healy-aerobics class (she
learned a lot of sports at the Ogontz School for Young
Ladies)Carol-photography
2. Leonore Smith Jerrems-still life
painting
3. Great great grandson Donald ll–
cross country jogging for men
4. My wife Elizabeth-cooking
5. Genevieve-Women’s fashion-
(she always dressed immaculately, even when she
was caught speeding in William George ll’s car)
6. William George ll-collecting (he
was a famous coin collector)
7. Helen-tax minimisation (a skill
she acquired after being fined for not declaring
clothes she had brought into New York)
8. Joseph (Sandra’s great
grandfather) -cabinet-making (he was a carpenter)

9. Grandson Charles-bookbinding
(he has medals from International Exhibitions for this)

10. Cousin James Jnr-weight training
for men (he was a blacksmith)
11. Mary (my great great grandson Arthur’s
wife)-piano playing and music composition (she
plays at our functions and published a piece of music
before she came here.)

Joseph’s brother James Snr offered to teach
soapmaking, but after reading Ray’s article pointing
out the smelly process I said to my wife that we
should decline the offer. In any case we already have
a wide variety of soap up here, and my wife has
always used Pears soap. Alexander offered to
teach gridiron, but my wife is reluctant to put this on
her list because she says that it is a very rough game
and should not be encouraged.

I see that you have a Guardian Angel, Angie.
This is a good idea, but there has been some debate
up here lately as to the responsibilities of a Guardian
Angel. This came to a head as the result of the recent
economic downturn on Earth. Recent arrivals have
been complaining that their Guardian Angels should
have protected them against the sub-prime meltdown
and the subsequent share market and bank crashes
etc. St Peter has been forced to intervene.

Personally I think that people’s expectations are too
high. A Guardian Angel can stop someone
accidentally walking in front of a bus, but to expect her
to give financial advice is absurd.

I see that Old Rascal Ray has been giving
trouble, popping up here and there, gate crashing
Nicole Kidman’s wedding, and the G8
Summit last year.

Fortunately pesky ghosts do not come under
St Peter’s jurisdiction, in fact I doubt whether ghosts
are supervised by anybody at all. Your Guardian Angel
(Angie) tried and failed. At least Old Rascal Ray is
merely a practical joker; he does not do too much
damage.

This edition will provide some insight to the January
2009 issue in which another Jerrems Family Quiz will
appear. Be sure to study up!

January 2008. This edition featured three

youthful subscribers from the Blackberry
Generation.
=== Angie, the family Guardian Angel
=== Stephanie who Ray found on Facebook.

=== And Jacqueline who earned a college
scholarship to the enduring joy of her parents
Warren and Mia.
=== We also introduced new subscribers, Sarah
Papageorge and Sandra Walcyk.

February 2008. Harkened back to the
olden days in Wappenham UK where much of
our
ancestry resided until a couple of centuries ago. We
also began a genealogy series of Sandra’s
Wappenham forbears. We also tried to sort out
the vexing question: Is A Jerrams by Any Other Name
Still a Jerrems?

March 2008. Digital visit to modern day,
Wappenham. the Birthplace of some of the Jerrems
Lineage. Wappenham – a town with no bars – which
maybe why the Jerrems people left.

April 2008. Article about importance
of grouping people into locations in genealogical
research.
Street scene photos from Fulton Genealogy website,
article about website.
We welcomed Ray Lloyd (Wappenham
researcher…and more from him in a future edition)
and announcing the arrival of Ray’s granddaughter
Samantha, (included photo of Sebring
racehorse) and trainer.

May 2008. Photo of Warren and
Donald at Red Sox game in Fenway Park
during Boston Marathon week.
Article about Plank Roads, a tie-in story to Sandra’s
ancestry in the western New York area.
Photo of Ray’s granddaughters Jessica and
newborn
Samantha

June 2008. Article about David
Jerrems and his service in American
Revolutionary, including photos of muster sheets.
Copy of newspaper article on marriage of Mary
Hayes to Alexander Snr, photo of Mary.
Photo of statue of General Nicholas Herkimer
(Uncle Nick), hero from the Oriskany
Battlefield.

July 2008. Article about James
Jerrems, who was born in Wappenham, England,
in 1812.

Photo of Leonore Smith Jerrems’s Rooster
painting with article about rooster shawl
(originally featured in JJ#21 January 2007). We
included a surprise letter from Leonore Neary
now the owner of the shawl. She is the
granddaughter of Leonore and Arthur Wallace
Jerrems Jr.

Photo of CD cover “Cicada” band tour. Memo
to Stephanie and Steven: Please submit your
travelogue story about the band tour.

August 2008. Sandra Walcyk’ s
photo of entrance to Forest Hill Cemetery, the resting
place of James, Joseph Jerrems and other
relations.

1910 Newspaper account about scofflaw Helen
Jerrems’ evasion of import duty.
Photos of graves in Forest Hill Cemetery (including
photo of Sandra Walcyk), Utica street scene.

Mid-year report from Angie, the Jerrems family
Guardian Angel including photo of family ghost
Old Ray misbehaving at the G8
Summit.

September 2008. Article about
Annie at Ogontz School for Young Ladies,
photos of class.

Excerpts from 1943 letter found by Chick in
his attic; letter writer William George ll letter to
young
Betty Wright Rizzo, daughter of Marjorie Jerrems
Wright Teasdale.

October 2008. Photo of Healy
family (Annie, Mark l, Mark 2, Patricia),
School photo of Anne Letitia Jerrems.

Article about life of Annie Healy, and the
three “Marks” with three generations of photos.

Ray’s comments on William George ll’s
letter to
Betty.

November 2008. Articles and photos
from “Remember Us” series about Anna,
Sandra’s great grandmother, and the cup
presented to William George l.

Unlike last year, I can not send the link to watch
them dance. If you want to see them, REPLY TO THIS
MESSAGE, and I will send it separately