Hart’s Market

Our grandfather, Myron Hart, generally known as Mike, moved up north to the tiny town of Millersburg, Michigan, with his second wife, Dorothy Junth, in the late 1940s. They bought a grocery/general store on Main Street, formerly known as Whitsitt’s Cash Market. The store was renamed Hart’s Market, and Mike and Dorothy lived in the upstairs apartment. After Grandpa died in 1961, Dorothy sold the store & moved back to Detroit. In 1997 the building burned, leaving only the storage area in the rear usable. Today the Millersburg Mini Mart /Citgo gas station stands on the spot with the surviving storeroom still in use.

Though little remains of Hart’s Market, our time spent there in childhood is one of the fonder memories of Mike’s grandchildren and their cousins. We roamed the aisles of the store and visited the attached creamery to watch the centrifugal separator whirl off cream from the milk brought in by local farmers. Driving Grandpa’s tractor and shooting at tin cans in the back yard were favorite pastimes. Across the street from the store stood a vintage fire pumper (now on display around the corner in front of the modern fire station) and two very large metal animal cages, which we thought of as jails and used as props for our childish adventures. Also nearby and a favorite place to visit were the Ocqueoc (Ocky Ock) Falls, the only waterfalls in Michigan’s lower peninsula. In the evenings Grandpa liked to take us out in the car looking for deer and bear. My mother never forgot her shock when on one of these excursions Grandpa suddenly stopped the car, leapt out and charged into the brush after a bear he had spotted. Luckily the bear was long gone. Although I never visited Millersburg in winter, photos from one of my cousins show that the snowfall could be formidable, no doubt the real reason for Grandpa having a tractor.

4th of July

The 4th of July was a time for celebration in the Solomon Hart household.

Not only was it Independence Day, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence from Great Briton. The 4th of July was Solomon’s and his sister Charlotte’s birthday. Both of them were born on July 4th 1854.

But that wasn’t enough for Solomon. He married Esther Anne McCormick on July 4th 1881, and they were able to celebrate fifty-0ne 4th of July’s together.

This photo was taken celebrating one of those 4th of July’s.

 

Scottish and Irish Naming Patterns

Typical Naming Pattern

Sons:

  • 1st born son named for father’s father
  • 2nd born son named for mother’s father
  • 3rd born son named for the father
  • 4th born son named for father’s oldest brother
  • 5th born son named for mother’s oldest brother

Daughters:

  • 1st born daughter named for mother’s mother
  • 2nd born daughter named for father’s mother
  • 3rd born daughter named for mother
  • 4th born daughter named for mother’s eldest sister
  • 5th born daughter named for father’s eldest sister

Middle Names

  • It was customary to give a middle name to a least one child after the surname of the local parish minister who christen the child
  • It was customary to name a child’s middle name after the surname of the person for whom they were named
  • It was common to give a child a middle name after the maiden name of the mother

Variations

  • If a child died during the parent’s childbearing years, it was common to use that child’s name again.
  • Sometimes named out of pattern to honor a person who has died.
  • Sometimes reversing the naming pattern (for example: naming the first born son after the mothers father)

These patterns are not exclusive rules but were used extensively in the 1700’s and up to the late 1800’s. It is felt that these patterns were followed as sign of respect and a sense of honor for their ancestors.

The passing of a generation: Aunt Ellie RIP (1915-2013)

I received this email from one of our cousins, Bill Sayre, sent last night Tuesday Mar 12, 2013

Dear Cousins,

My Aunt Ellie, Elnora Hart Johnson, passed away today at her home in Florida. She was the last of my mother’s generation and will be sorely missed. She was attended by her daughter, Nancy and grandson, Chad, and was lucid until the end.

Elnora Hart Johnson

She had suffered a previous stroke, a recent heart attack and was believed to have had a cancerous mass in her colon.

Aunt Ellie was a surrogate mother to me and my sisters since we lost our mother (Ellie’s older sister) in 1955. She was also the person to whom the book, A Family Journal, was dedicated. I am so thankful she was able to enjoy its content between Christmas and now. She was overwhelmed by the project we all helped produce and wrote two thank-you notes to me. In fact, her daughter brought it to the hospital to share passages prior to her death.

It now falls to us in our generation to pick up the torch and hold it high. We are Harts, loving and proud.

Bill