Emma Kostal Psota wedding day

While looking up some recipes form my mother’s recipe blog, I found a photo of my great aunt, Emma Kostal Psota, taken on her wedding day. Emma is seated holding the flowers. Her new husband, Fred Psota, is to her right.

Emma was the younger sister of my maternal grandfather, Edward Kostal. She was born March 20,1896 and was three years younger than my grandfather. On June 29, 1914, she married Fred Psota. Three years later, their daughter Jeannette was born.

My grandfather entered the service in 1917 and left for boot camp and then overseas to France. He never saw Emma again. She became ill during the Great Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 and passed away on April 2, 1919. Two years later, Fred married another Emma Kostal (no known relation) and remained married until Fred’s death in 1969.

This picture was included in The Psota Collection which is a compilation of recipes and genealogy about the Psota family. The Psotas are an allied family with the Kostal family. In addition to Emma marrying into the Psota family, her younger sister, Albie Kostal Psota, married Fred’s brother, Rudolf.

I’m a [honorary] Kentucky Colonel!

Thanks to my cousin, Louis Cornelius, I’m an honorary Kentucky Colonel with business cards to prove it!

A couple of months ago, he and I were exchanging messages on Facebook and he asked me if I would be interested. I said I would be interested and thought nothing more of it. A few weeks later I received an 11 x 14 certificate from the governor and a couple of weeks ago received an ID card and business cards!

According to their website, “…being a Kentucky Colonel is much more than having an impressive certificate to hang on the wall. The Governor's order creating the commission states that the commission carries with it a responsibility to be ‘Kentucky's ambassador of good will and fellowship around the world.’"

Part of the reason for joining the organization is social in nature (the Kentucky Derby, for example) , but a large part is generosity and doing good works. Hopefully I can be worthy of this honorary title.

There’s an event scheduled at Churchill Downs on November 13th. I would like to be there if I can.

I’m proud to join this group and to be (in a small way) associated with these famous colonels – past and present:

• Ann Margret
• Ashley Judd
• Barry Manilow
• Betty White
• Bill Clinton
• Billy Ray Cyrus
• Bing Crosby
• Bob Barker
• Bob Hope
• Carol Channing
• Crystal Gayle
• Dale Evans
• Danny Sullivan
• Dick Smothers
• Dwight Yoakam
• Edgar G. Robinson
• Elvis Presley
• Foster Brooks
• George Bush
• Glenn Frey
• Harlan Sanders
• Hugh O’Brien
• Jeff Foxworthy
• Jeff Gordon
• Jimmy Durante
• Johnny Depp
• Jose Ferrer
• Lloyd Bridges
• Louise Mandrell
• Mae West
• Marie Osmond
• Mario Andretti
• Mel Tillis
• Muhammad Ali
• Naomi Judd
• Norm Crosby
• Norman Schwarzkopf
• Omar Bradley
• Pat Day
• Peter Graves
• Phyllis Diller
• Pope John Paul II
• Richard Petty
• Richard Thomas
• Ronald Reagan
• Rosemary Clooney
• Roy Rogers
• Shirley Temple Black
• Tiger Woods
• Tom Smothers
• Tom T. Hall
• Wayne Gretzky
• Wayne Newton
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Winston Churchill
• Wynonna Judd

Thanks once again to Cousin Louis for making this all work!

New Blogger themes

I have used Blogger since 2004. Hard to believe it has been that long since I set up this family weblog! I chose the Blogger platform initially because of its ease-of-us and the fact that it supported custom themes. In fact, it was the themes that first drew me to Blogger.

Since then, theme support has been non-existent and other blogging platforms (most notably WordPress) have added to the variety of themes offered.

Today, I logged into Blogger and discovered and wide variety of new themes that were offered. I was hesitant at first to change my theme, but I changed it to this theme and the change was very, very easy. As easy, in fact, as Posterous is to change their themes.

Ironically, my original blog had a black background and I’m glad to return it to its original color. I like the change and think it has reinvigorated my blog!

William C. Cornelius

William C. Cornelius is my 5th great grandfather. He was born circa 1732 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. William and his wife (it’s not clear about her identity) had nine children although there is a possibility that he may have had additional children. William’s 7th known child was my 4th great grandfather, John Cornelius. William died in 1801 in Lincoln County, North Carolina.

In re-reading a portion of my Uncle Jay’s Cornelius Roots and Shoots book, I found some disturbing information about William’s final resting place:

It is known that there was a small, old Cornelius family cemetery located near the old home place along the Catawba River. When a dam was being constructed to form Lake Norman on the Catawba, it became necessary that this old cemetery be moved to higher ground. It is reported that the remains of only those that were located and identified by headstones were disinterred and moved to the Rehobeth Methodist Church Cemetery in Catawba County, a few miles away. The others, unknown and unmarked, were left and soon covered by the waters of Lake Norman. William and his wife and perhaps others were apparently in unmarked graves at the time and so it must be assumed they are still there under about 100 feet of water.

Japanese General Masaharu Homma

Picture that my dad apparently took of Japanese General Masaharu Homma. The back of the picture says: “Jap General Homma and aides taken Naha Air Field.” Another similar photo continues with: “...on way to Manila to be tried for war crimes.”

According to Wikipedia, Gen. Homma was military commander of the Philippines. During the Japanese occupation, the Bataan Death March occurred and civilians were brutalized. The Japanese military, however, thought he was too cautious and too lenient with Philippine civilians and forced him into retirement in August 1943.

After the war ended, he was captured and transferred to Manila to stand trial for war crimes. He was convicted and executed on April 3, 1946.

This photo was apparently taken during a layover in Okinawa on the way to Manila. Since he was retired, that would explain why he is not wearing a military uniform.

Also according to Wikipedia, there is a film adaption in the works about the general called Beast of Bataan. Actor Hayden Christensen is attached to the project.