Linda Osborne Cynowa

Moving on to ‘Macomb Township’

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

I sent my ‘Washington Township’ book off to the publisher in March 2019. It had been such a large portion of my everyday life for the last six months, my thoughts turned to “now what”! But very quickly the thought of another book came to mind, as I had really loved what I had been doing. It had taken some time to figure out what would or should come next, but Arcadia did help in that department. They suggested ‘Macomb Township’, and for me it did make sense, because my family had lived in the township for twenty seven years before I moved to Washington.

I had been told that they did have someone who a few years before had contracted to do the book, but for what ever reason the book was not finished. That did sort of raise alarm bells for me, in that, why was it not finished? Any way I went ahead and contacted the elements that I thought would have the most images I could use. The people at the Mt. Clemens Public Library were able to help and I got the ball rolling with them. I contacted the Macomb Township Supervisor at the time in Janet Dunn, and she was kind enough to have me meet Peggy Arccado of their Historical Commission. I explained what I was doing and I was handed a box of what they had.

After seeing what the Mt. Clemens Library had on Macomb and the Commission had on Macomb, the concern set in. I was able to come up with about 30 images out of the 240 some I would need. Was this the reason the previous person did not finish the book before?

While I mentioned in a previous post, that with my first book, I had not really put it ‘out there’ because I wasn’t sure what the out come would be. Well with that thought, I knew I would have to get help from the public in large in order to make this happen.

Facebook here I come! That made all the difference, and I realized just how much interest there was in the idea of a book about the vintage times of Macomb Township.

And six months later, with that, my second book ‘Macomb Township’ was published in the middle of a pandemic on 3 August, 2020.

In September shortly after the books release, the township held a book launch to get ‘Macomb Township’ out to the public. They would do it in a very special way. The hall located at 19925 23 Mile Road was built in 1919 and served the township community until a newer building was erected in the same location in 1974. The old hall was sold to a private buyer and moved to Romeo Plank Rd just north of 23 Mike Rd onto the Wade’s Nursery property.

By 2020, the nursery property was sold to the township to be used as an additional park area, and the original hall was back in the care of the township once again. Restoration would begin and become the new home for the Macomb Township Historical Commission. More work will be done to make this one room building less seasonal as time continues. They’re really couldn’t have been a better place to hold a book launch for ‘Macomb Township’.

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week.

Original Macomb Township Hall, Romeo Plank Rd, day of the book launch

Thank you for visiting and reading today. Be sure to share with your friends using the share buttons below. If you haven’t already please enter your email address in the form below to receive my stories by email.

How the Writing Started

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s:

I have for many years loved the Arcadia Publishing books, their vintage photo images and memories of times long past. Knowing that they have in excess of 14,000 titles to choose from, there was always one that would peak my interest. From purchasing them from areas I would visit, or the places I have lived, or just stories that interested me, I have been a big fan.

While still volunteering at the library, I mentioned to the girls there that I had asked about why didn’t Arcadia have a book on Washington Township, and to my surprise I had been told, “it was because I hadn’t written it yet”! Not being aware that these books were put together by everyday people who have a passion for history and photography, this surprised me. When I told this to Stacie at the library, she asked why didn’t I do the book on Washington myself. This is not a thought I would have had in my wildest dreams, and stated to her, “I couldn’t do that”, and she asked me “why not”? I guess with the work I had been doing for them on the historic homes, she and Julie had more faith in me than I had in my self.

After much thought, I contacted Arcadia and they had me put together a proposal. And with no end of help from Cherie Allen and the rest of the Greater Washington Historical Society, and the image scanning genius of Julie at the Romeo Archives, I would start the project. I submitted my proposal to Arcadia, and within a couple of weeks I was sent a contract, and a request that within the next six months they would like a finished product! While I was totally thrilled, I was also a ‘wee’ bit scared, could I do this?

I found I did not mention what I was doing to many people, I guess in the back of my mind the less people who knew, the less people to know I might fail? Once I found my best way to research and collect images and begin my writing, I found that this was something I might have a talent for. But basically I loved what I was doing! The support from Stacie and Julie at the Kezar, Cherie from GWAHS, my family and those friends I had told about it, was more than I could have hoped for. While turning the book into to be published three weeks early, I became the proud author of Washington Township on September 3rd, 2019!

With the New Year of 2021 coming in the next few days, my thoughts turn to not having concerns about finding toilet paper, being able to hug our friends again and getting to a point of being able to breath the fresh air without our masks. Hopefully we can see the light at the end of this long 2020 tunnel. My best hopes and wishes are for a more ‘normal’ and healthy New Year for all of us.

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week

Romeo Observer Christmas

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

With this being Christmas week, my thoughts turned too a wonderful and surprising find from when I first started researching. While looking through the Romeo Observer newspapers once again for an obituary or article I was needing, I was handling an unbound set of these fragile and delicate papers, when on this particular search, I see a touch of bright color coming from down deep in the archival box that was holding these papers.

My curiosity was peaked, and when removing the top papers, this wonderful unfaded image was looking back at me, with a printing date of December 20, 1916! Color was extremely rare throughout these papers, so the beauty of this artwork was just remarkable. Edwin King seems to have been the artist, it is not known to me if he was a local artist to the Romeo area or not. But he did some lovely work, and it’s nice to know it will be preserved.

I have this image in a frame, were it sits under a Christmas tree, filled with the Romeo historic homes ornaments that the Romeo Historical Society puts out each year since 1997. The tree sits in the den were I work and is a constant reminder of the fortunate situation I had with being able to research these lovely historic homes.

Much to my disappointment I was never able to come across another image such as this one, and it was not from a lack of trying. Although there are many bound editions of the Observers held by the archives, there are many that are individual paper sections that have not been bound because of the quality of the paper used at times years ago and are in a very precarious state, but being kept safe in the hands of the archivists at the library.

Courtesy of the Melvin E and Joan D Bleich Collection at the Romeo Community Archives, Romeo District Library.

Have a great Christmas,

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week.

Romeo Observer Newspaper December 20, 1916

Kezar Memorial Library

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

Samuel and Nancy Kezar from Turner, New York, would live in a Queen Anne style home on Church Street that they built in 1894. When Samuel passed away in Romeo in 1898, his wife and daughter would move to San Francisco on the west coast. Mrs. Kezar’s would come into an inheritance and remembered their time in Romeo and donate the money to build the Kezar Memorial Library on the corner of Church and Main Street.

In 1910 a New York architect would draw up a plan for an ‘Old English Inn’ and building would begin. Henry Stephens II donated $1000. for the purchase of books, which did come with a proviso that he wanted to choose most of the books to be bought. But a generous gift never the less. Today when entering the library you are transported back to a time when life was more simpler and serene. Additions have been added over the years, never changing the original idea of the ‘perfect small town library’.

This was were I was directed to go to find the historical and genealogical information I was looking for. I had lived in the area for almost 10 years at the time and never knew about this treasure. Being someone who loves books and likes to own them,’borrowing’ books from a library had not entered the realm of my thought process. But finding the fact that they were the greatest source of research material, the Kezar became my home away from home.

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week.

Getting Started

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

I have decided to start my blogging adventure with stories and research information that I have gathered along the way in my book writing journey these last couple of years.

After an innocent question about genealogy at the local library. I was told if I was interested in anything for history (yes) or genealogy (yes) that I should go into Romeo and see what the Kezar Library had to offer. One of the best moves I could have made.

I met Stacie and Julie the librarians, archivists at the library, they opened my world in ways I hadn’t thought possible. I was asked if I would be interested in volunteering to do some genealogy work on the original owners of the Romeo historical homes when they were first built. After spending over 25 years on my own family history stories, I wasn’t sure how interesting researching people that had no connection to my own family would be. Nothing could have been further from the truth!

My starting point for most of the work came from a ‘A Tour of Historic Romeo’ by Richard M Daugherty, a wonderful brochure/booklet that first came out in 1970, a very through work on these beautiful homes. I would compile files for each of the homes I worked on and gathered what ever information that was available including vintage pictures and also current images (photography being a past employment part of my life and now a hobby orientated part). I was given access to their treasury of Romeo Observer Newspapers and their archive of books, photographic images and various collections from Romeo and surrounding areas. While often looking through the Observers for the wonderfully written obituaries of many of the founding settlers of the surrounding areas, I would find myself getting lost in the lovely stories and articles of the long ago past, and having to pull myself back to present.

While I was able to do quite a bit of work from my own home, my knowledge of Romeo and its interesting founding pioneers was just the beginning of this new experience.

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week.