August 2011

Above is a photo of my father’s mother, Melba, and her childhood friend, Violet (Vie), near Joaquin Miller’s house. I heard they were into Isadora Duncan. Did they meet Miller and his daughter at this age? Joaquin Miller lived in the Oakland Hills above the Stuttmeister farm and orchard located in the city of Fruitvale…

William Broderick, the husband of Alice Stuttmeister, was the Vice President of the California Barrel Company that was located in the Dogpatch, south of San Francisco, and Arcate in Humbolt County where the photograph of Melba and her grandfather is taken. The photo says it is her father, but, it is her grandfather, William Oltman…

Since I can recall, Rosemary told me and my brother we descend from Teutonic Knights on our father’s side. Eight years ago I found a Stutenmeister province in Estonia that appears to be named after a Teutonic Knight, who purchased this land. I also found a Stuttmeister Estate in the Pankow where the summer homes…

Royal Reuben Rosamond wrote an article for The West Coast Magazine titled ‘The Awakening of Ventura. My grandfather mentions the Chautauqua meetings once again. Was he a believer in the Human Be-ins of his day? These Be-in events involved camping, meeting at a central tent, or in the case of Ashland Oregon, meeting in a…

The photograph of my grandmother, Mary Magdalene Rosamond, was made into a postcard, as were the photo of she and my grandfather, Royal Rosamond, camping on Anacapa Island. The photo overlooking Ventura by the Sea was also a postcard, and appears to be my grandmother, and perhaps the photographer who took these photos. Was he…

The Wieneke cote of arms contains a bunch of grapes. The Wieneke family were Catholic Germans who were forced to flee Germany due to the Kulturkumpf (cultural warfare) waged by Bismark against the Catholic Church. Bismark’s ancestors had come to favor the religions of the Stuttmeisters, and the Rosamond family who were Protestants. Mary Magdalene…

Above are photographs of my grandfather and grandmother camping on Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Los Angeles. After John Fremont and his wife Jessie Benton secured the West Coast for the United States of America, they came, the Poets and their beautiful Muses. The first three images are…

With brush and typewriter, my grandfather, and Thomas Hart Benton, rendered a Country Masterpiece that many claim as their own – especially some politians who claim for your vote they will take you back to the good old days. They preach about Family Values, but, they can’t play the fiddle and do a square dance.…

Merry Chrismas my beloved Grandson! On this Christmas Day, I appoint your the Guardian of the Vincent Rice Trust. What an honor! Vicdnt and June Rice were stellar people in our family tree. They longed to have a child. They died childless. Becsuse there was such a diabolical attack on the Rice Trust, and your…

Nancy Hamren and I went to McCheznie Junior High in Oakland, then Oakland High. Bill Arnold was the love of Nancy’s life. She was the first girl I ever kissed. In 1966 we became roommates on Pine Street, where we partied with two members of the Jefferson Airplane when they visted the two Swedish Airline…