OUR GERMAN ROOTS PART 4
~The Children of Gerhard and Maria Bruemmer~
Thus far, I have shared with you my findings from my research on the first three children of Gerhard and Maria Bruemmer.
We now come to their fourth child named Otto.
Born on October 30, 1875, Otto was the third son in the Bruemmer family. A WW1 draft card describes Otto as a tall man, slender, light brown hair and blue eyes (the photo here depicts a different color due to the the my heritage colorization program).
He first worked as Butcher, then as a fireman before becoming an engineer with Michelmann Steel Construction Co. Founded in 1865, this company stills exists today! Below is a photo of the building as it looked during the time Otto worked there.
On May 22, 1900 Otto would marry Mathilda "Tillie" Schnenk.
Born on May 23, Mathilda was one of five children in the family of Anton and Theresa (Deitrich) Schenk. Her parents were both born in Austria, arriving on American soil in 1875. Below is a family photo of the Schenk's taken in 1851.
Anna
Mathilda
Theresa
Anton
Henry
Louis
Edward
The Schenk family lived in Lyon, Franklin County Missouri, where Anton worked as a farmer. Except for Anna and Edward, four of the six children, got married and had families of their own. In total, Anton and Rosa had nearly 22 grandchildren! Below are of three of the Schenk children as adults. Alas, the photo of Henry came from another family tree whose only photo was a xerox copy.
Anna
Edward
Henry
The Children of Otto and Mathilda
Otto and Mathilda raised five children together all of whom got married and went onto having families of their own-giving their parents 16 grandchildren!
Here is what I was able to find in my research of the
Otto Bruemmer family.
Daughter ~ Agnes M Bruemmer
Born on April 16, 1901, Agnes was the oldest of the Bruemmer siblings. On September 18 1929 she would marry Antonio Passarelli.
Antonio was one of seven children in the family of Salvatore and Concetta (Di Lio) Passarelli. Both of his parents were born in San Fili, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. San Fili is a small village located in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy as shown in this map below.
San Fili as it looks now
Antonio and his family arrived in America in 1902 settling in Quincy Illinois.
His father Salvatore worked as laborer for the Sears Roebuck and Co. A WW1 draft registration describes him as short in height and medium build with dark brown eyes and black hair.
Below are two Passarelli family photos
A WW2 registration describes son Antonio as standing 5 feet 6 inches, with brown hair and a ruddy complexion. During WW1, Antonio had served as a Corporal in Company B, 52nd Infantry.
This regiment was first activated in June 1917. During WW1, the unit saw combat in France, first in Meuse-Argonn and then in Alsace until the war ended in 1918.
On September 18, 1929, Antonio and Agnes were wed. Below is the wedding day photo. In the center of photo are Agnes and Anthony, Raymond Bruemmer right of groom, Teresa Bruemmer 2nd from right.
Salvatore and Concetta.
Passarelli Brothers 1918 Joe & Sal, Alex, Frank, Tony and Abe
Antonio's military experience continued into WW2. His enlistment record shows that he was semiskilled brick and stone mason as well as a tile setter.
Agnes and Antonio had three sons James Salvatore, William Raymond and Michael Francis. Below are their photos along with ones of their wives. Apologies on the first two photos of Stella and Patrula, these came from year book scans posted on the ancestry.com website.
James Salvatore Passarelli
Born October 12 1930 in Illinois
Died on May 3 2012
Stella E. Janettas
Born April 4 1931 in Illinois
Died on February 8 2012
William Raymond Passarelli
Born on June 10 1933 in New Haven, Franklin, MO
Died on July 21 2003 in Grundy County, IL
Patrula Morris- Passarelli
Born on March 4 1939 in Whitley, Kentucky,
Michael Francis Passarelli
Born on May 11 1934 in Missouri
Kathryn Margaret Caffarelli
Born on July 6, 1939 in Elmhurst, Illinois
While visiting in Port Charlotte Florida, Antonio suddenly passed away on August 20 1974. Two years later Agnes died on January 9, 1976. Both are buried at the Resurrection Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleums in Justice, Illinois
Son~Andrew Bruemmer
Raymond
Andrew
Teresa
Born on February 28, 1903 Andrew was the second born and first son of Otto and Mathilda. His WW2 draft card describes Andrew as standing 5 '6, brown eyes, dark brown hair with a light complexion.
In early 1920, Andrew worked as a book keeper at State Savings and Loans. Below is a photo of what this historic building looked like during his time there.
Then in 1924, Andrew worked for Halbach-Schroeder a large department store. The building still exists today, but is now an apartment complex.
Andrew was a member of St. Peter's Catholic church in Quincy Illinois. He also belonged to its Holy Name Society. Other memberships included the Eagles, and the North Side and South Side Boat Clubs.
Then in 1923, Andrew would meet Marguerite "Margie" Elizabeth" Wegs.
Apologies for this picture which came
from a newspaper clipping. Thus far
it is the only known photo of Marguerite!
Born on September 2, 1906, Marguerite but known to her friends and family as"Margie" was one of seven children in the family of Henry William and Elizabeth A. (Blocker) Wegs. Her father Henry worked as a traveling salesman for a local fruit produce company.
According to the Quincy Daily Journal: "Andrew and Margie were marred in a surprise wedding at Palmyra Missouri. They 'motored' there with friends Mr. and Mrs. Irl Hunsaker. They were married by a Judge Hayden.
The civil wedding took place Thursday, 12 July 1923, followed by a church 'ceremony' (possibly a marriage blessing) at St. Rose Catholic church the next day.
St. Rose of Lima Church
(It is not made explicit in the wedding article, but, "St. Rose" is likely St. Rose of Lima church in Quincy, Illinois.)
Father Brennan officiated in that "ceremony.". They then waited until the following Thursday, 19 July 1923, to announce their marriage to family and friends. Upon hearing the happy news, two post-nuptial parties were given: one hosted by the bride's mother and one by a friend, Miss Dorothy Heckenkamp. In this way, all were able to celebrate!"
Continuing on with Andrew's career.
Shortly after his marriage to Margie, he began work as a timekeeper for Gardner-Denver Manufacturing company which makes air-compressors, blowers, and vacuum pumps. This company began in mid-1800s as the manufacturer of the Flyball Governor, the first effective speed controls for steam engines. In their words, it is now a global corporation with a diversified product portfolio and operations in over 30 countries. Below is a historic photo of the factory as it looked during Andrew's time there.
On January 12 1924, Margie would give birth to their only child, a girl they named Elizabeth Ann. Below are two pictures of Elizabeth- one from her high school year book and the other as she looked in later years.
Elizabeth married a David Richardson (photo above right) and had four children. Her husband David passed on April 26, 2005. The following year Elizabeth passed away on December 3 2006.
Her father Andrew passed away at age 67 on October 14, 1967. Ten years later, her mom Margie would remarry a man by the name of Cyril John Mescher.
Born January 12 1904, Cyril was one of eight children in the family of Heinrich and Katharina (Winklejohn) Moenning. His parents both came from the area of Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany, arriving in America in/around 1860. Heinrich worked as a miller for a large flour company all his life.
Cyril's first marriage was to Kathryn A. Luehrman. Together they raised six children. In 1942, Cyril and his family moved to Wisconsin where he found work as a machinist for the company called Kearney & Trecker Corporation.
Edward J. Kearney (1868-1934) and Theodore Trecker (1868-1955) left Kempsmith Manufacturing Co. and founded the Kearney & Trecker Company in 1898. They tried to buy a Kempsmith milling machine for their shop but Kempsmith refused to sell them one, so they ended up building their own, which was a close copy of the Kempsmith design
.
Kearney & Trecker incorporated in 1906. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and later West Allis, WI, the partners designed and manufactured the famous “Milwaukee” series knee-type milling machines. Since 1912, the “double overarm” arbor support design was the signature feature of their horizontal milling machines, along with the “Milwaukee” brand name.
By World War II Kearney & Trecker was the dominant American manufacturer of milling machines, known for their broad lineup of high quality machines that could withstand the rigors of production. After the war K&T was an early innovator of CNC machining. Early CNC customers were predominantly in aerospace and there was a constant push toward complexity and gizmocity at the expense of cost-effectiveness, which created an opening for Swiss, German and Japanese competition; K&T and the other big American machine tool manufacturers lost their early lead in CNC technology. During the 1980s competition from Japanese manufacturers began to erode K&T's mainstream milling-machine sales and profit numbers. The US Government did not provide much support or protection for the strategically important machine tool industry and in 1993 K&T joined a long list of American machine tool manufacturers that closed its doors.
Sadly, Katheryn passed away at age 72 on October 20, 1976. The following year on February 25, Cyril would marry Margie in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The couple lived out their golden years in Quincy Illinois both passing away in 1987 within seven months of each other, Cyril on April 26 and Margie on November 24. Cyril is buried with his first wife Katheryn at Saint Peters Cemetery in East Troy Wisconsin. Margie is buried with her first husband Andrew at Calvary Cemetery in Quincy.
Son~Francis H "Frank"Bruemmer
Born August 17 1906, Francis "Frank" H Bruemmer was the third born and second son of Otto and Mathilda. A WW2 draft card describes Frank as standing "5 9" with light brown/blonde hair and blue eyes.
Frank held a variety of jobs during his life time. His first job was that of an errand boy for a daily paper, then as an auto mechanic for a local garage. In 1938, Frank switched careers working for the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co and then as a shipping clerk for the K.D K shoe factory. But it was also in that same year that he would meet Sara J Colgan.
Born on July 12, 1900 in Valley Township, Stark County, Illinois, Sara was one of eight children in the family of Francis and Jane Dunn Colgan. Frank and Sara were married on June 3, 1938 in Peoria and below is the newspaper clipping
Frank's final job was as a machinist at WABCO. He worked there for 28 years, retiring in 1970. For those not familiar with WABCO, here is an article from the Peoria Illinois magazine website dated Jan 11, 2011 . Written by Jerry Klein, he describes their city and the birth of an industry:
"If one might be permitted to amend the remark by Calvin Coolidge which goes, “The business of America is business,” it might read, “The business of Peoria is making things.” For about the time that President Coolidge made that observation, it was claimed that 900 items bore the title, “Made in Peoria.”
To detail all these products is impractical, but they included everything from cigars and bicycles to bricks and plows, nails and gloves, crackers and pottery, wagons and barbed wire, tombstones and rope, washing machines and caskets, automobiles and peanut roasters, oil burners, kitchen ranges, lawn sprinklers, lift trucks, steel fabrications, and, of course, tractors, beer and whiskey.
For several decades, “making things” was Peoria’s very reason for existence. The practice was fueled in the beginning by the river, which not only made this city a destination for all kinds of imports, but an export point from which all manner of goods could be shipped. This was long before paved roads or railroads, when river shipping was the only way to go, giving river cities a head start in the business of making things. And among the earliest products of the “Made in Peoria” era were whiskey and beer.
Earth-moving & Manufacturing
While the distilleries and breweries brought astonishing wealth to so many in such a short time, its demise still left the city with the unchallenged title of earth moving capital of the world. Today, it is Caterpillar which assures the claim to the title. In recent years, “Big Yellow” has molded Peoria’s economy with its massive workforce, its wages and benefits, and its international reach. But before Caterpillar, there was Avery, the city’s major industrial presence, which was located in what was then known as Averyville.
In 1898, the Avery Company was capable of producing 250 grain separators a year, 150 threshing engines, 225 self-feeders for grain separators, 3,000 corn planters, 1,500 stalk cutters and 2,000 farm wagons, plus countless steel-wheel tractors. A 1913 article in The Peorian boasted that “Avery machines are bearing the name ‘Peoria’ to all parts of the globe.” In 1920, it employed 20,600 workers in the plant formerly known as the Kingman Plow Company. But in 1924, the firm went broke. What remained were the buildings, the town of Averyville and the farm machines that are now collectors’ items.
The empty plant was eventually purchased by Robert Gilmour LeTourneau, who had located in Peoria in 1935, setting up shop between the site of Woodruff Field and the Avery plant. He bought the Avery Company in 1941, and during World War II, produced hundreds of Tournapull scrapers, dozers, rooters and rollers for military roads and airfields. His famous Tournapulls could move 27 tons of earth at 17 miles per hour. LeTourneau, who said that God runs his business, sold his plant to Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) in 1953. It later became home to American Standard, Dresser, Komatsu-Dresser and now Komatsu. A statue of LeTourneau now stands near the tennis courts in Glen Oak Park.
Frank was also a member of WABCO’s Retirees Club, St. Bernard’s Catholic church, its Men’s Club, Peoria Senior Golfers and Peoria Senior Bowling League. Sara was also involved with groups such as the St. Joseph’s Solidarity, St. Bernard Catholic Church, its Mother’s Club and its Blue Circle Sewing Club.
CHILDREN OF FRANK AND SARAH
Frank and Sarah had two children, a son they named Thomas (born August 11, 1940) and a daughter named Martha Louise (born in March 1947). Luckily I was able to find their year book pictures from the school they previously attended called the Academy of Our Lady and Spalding Institute in Peoria Illinois.
The Academy of Our Lady and Spalding Institute
Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute
This school has quite a bit of history to it. So as quoted from the Wikipedia website:
The Academy of Our Lady and Spalding Institute were Catholic high schools across the street from each other in downtown Peoria, Illinois.
The Academy (AOL), a girls' school, traced its lineage back to 1863. The Spalding Institute (SI), the boys' school, was founded in 1899 by the Franciscan Brothers of Mountbellew, Ireland, at the invitation of John Lancaster Spalding, the first Bishop of Peoria.
It was one of the communities which left that religious congregation to split off and become part of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance, based in Rome, Italy.
The schools merged into one co-educational school, Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute in 1973.[2] AOL/SI (also known as Academy/Spalding) was merged with Bergan High School to form Peoria Notre Dame High School in 1988, and the campus was closed at the end of the 1988–1989 school year.
Father Sweeney School for the Academically Gifted was also housed at the Spalding Institute building until it's closure in the early 2000s. Joe Girardi is an alum of both schools, Father Sweeney middle school, and Spalding Institute high school
Thomas Bruemmer recently passed away in 2020. His obituary provided me with a great deal of information on his adult life:
Thomas "Tom" Bruemmer, 80, passed away Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. Tom was born in Peoria, Illinois, on Aug. 11, 1940. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Air Force and then moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he met and married his wife, Linda (Oliver) Bruemmer (photo below taken from her high school yearbook)
Tom had a great love for aviation and was a registered pilot. He retired from AT&T, a member of the Teamsters. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Linda, and by a sister, Martha Yalow (husband Ed), and many nieces and nephews. His parents, Frank and Sarah Bruemmer, preceded him in death.
A Mass will be celebrated for Tom on Sept. 14, 2020, at his parish, Sacred Heart Cathedral, at 5:30 p.m.
Linda would like to especially thank friends and family for their support of her and Tom during his illness and upon his passing.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Pet Pride, P.O. Box 70229, Fairbanks, AK, 99707, or to the Fairbanks Community Food Bank, 725 26th Ave. #101, Fairbanks, AK, 99701, in his memory.
Published by Daily News-Miner on Sep. 10, 2020.
His sister Martha Louise married Edward C Yalow/Yalov (Born October 1947). Martha and Ed are still alive living in Pikesville MD. Martha's yearbook pictures are many due to all the school activities she was involved in. Below is her senior year book description and a photo of Martha and Ed from 2015.
Thomas and Martha's father Frank H. Bruemmer passed away at age 75,on April 12, 1982. Below is the obituary taken from the local paper.
Twelve years later in 1994 their mother Sarah would pass away on September 23 at age 94. Sarah and Frank are buried at the Resurrection Cemetery and Mausoleum in Peoria Illinois.
Daughter ~Teresa Mathilda Bruemmer
Teresa Mathilda was the fourth born child and second daughter of Otto and Mathilda. Born on July 17, 1909 she was quite the beauty as you can see in the above photo on the right. A census from 1930, shows Teresa working as a seamstress for a local Shirt Factory. The following year she would marry Raymond Rupert Griesbaum.
Raymond Rupert Griesbaum
Born on November 7 in 1907, Raymond was one of four children in the family of Joseph and Cora Ann (Musick) Griesbaum Jr. His parents were born and raised in the area of Marion county, Missouri.
CORA AND JOSEPH
A census from 1910 shows Joseph as a plasterer for a local contractor.
In 1918 WW1 Joe's draft registration describes his job as a grain farmer, a job he held until 1930 when he went into business for himself working in the Plastering business.
For those not familiar with the term plasterer, the site Wikipedia describes it this way:
A plasterer is a tradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. The process of creating plaster work, called plastering, has been used in building construction for centuries.
On October 28, 1931 Raymond and Teresa were married. Below are three family wedding photos of that special day!
Raymond and Teresa raised a large family of six children. Originally, I had thought it was only four children, but as I continued my search I soon learned that there were two more!!! All were married and went onto raise families of their own.
RAYMOND AND TERESA GRIESBAUM FAMILY
Luella Marie
Born on November 28 1933, Luella lived quite the full life as you will see in this the obituary from the Zehender Robinson Stormer Cookson Funeral Home's
Luella "Lu" M. Jarvill, 84, of Quincy, passed away at 10:05 pm Wednesday (July 4, 2018) in Sunset Home.
Born November 28, 1933 in Washington, Missouri, Lu was the daughter of Raymond and Teresa Bruemmer Griesbaum. She married Robert A. "Bob" Jarvill (picture below) on July 23, 1952 in St. Mary's Church in Quincy. He survives.
A 1951 graduate of Quincy Senior High School, Lu attended St. Anthony Catholic Church. She enjoyed traveling, gardening, bowling and sending greeting cards. She was also an avid sports fan. Lu was a 50 year member of the Pinochle Club with her High School friends, a past member of the Mart Heinen Club and the 55 Club. She also enjoyed get-together s with the Stitch Club gals.
Lu was first employed as a Supervisor in the Policy Issue Department and Great Lakes Life Insurance Company for 7 years. She then worked at Quincy University in Payroll, Fringe Benefits and the Insurance Department for 23 1/2 years until her retirement in May of 1991.
Survivors include a son, David R. Jarvill of Payson; one brother, Robert L. Griesbaum (Judy) of Hickory Hills; a sister, Verona "Suzi" Garbat (Dennis) of Boulder City, NV; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Lu was preceded in death by her parents;two brothers, Daniel J. Griesbaum and Richard J. Griesbaum and a sister, Mary Agnes Griesbaum Zwierzycki; a sister-in-law, Diane Griesbaum; a brother-in-law, Charles F. Jarvill; a niece, Debra Zwierzycki Kothe.
Died on November 7 2019
ROBERT LEROY GRISBAUM
David from his High School Year Book.
Robert was the twin of his brother Richard, both born in Missouri on July 12 1935. Attempting to affirm the facts of Robert lead me down a blocked path. However, what is known is that Robert moved to Hickory Hills Illinois in 1957.
Later censuses reveal that Robert's wife was this lady below by the name of Judy Clare Morrison born abt 1943.
My search for Robert and Judy via other informational websites show them as both alive. It is unknown if they had any children.
RICHARD JOHN GRISBAUM
As mentioned Richard was the twin of Robert. As quoted by the Chicago Tribune: the obituary for him reads as follows:
Richard J. Griesbaum, Veteran of the U.S. Army. Beloved husband of the late Diane D. (nee Overzat) Picture below..
Loving father of John D. (Elizabeth) Griesbaum, Jennifer (John) Hranicka, Julie (Mario) Donato & Sara (Michael) Blejski. Proud grandfather of Jacob, Marisa, Nathan, Alec, Nicholas, Benjamin, Isabella, Zachery & Derek. Dear brother of Lu (Robert) Jarvill, Robert (Judy) Griesbaum, late Mary (late Frank) Zwierzycki, Sue (Dennis) Garbat & late Dan Griesbaum. Kind uncle of many. Visitation Tuesday from 3 until 8 p.m. Chapel prayers Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. at the Kerry Funeral Home, 7020 W. 127th Street, Palos Heights proceeding to Saint Louis de Montfort Church, Oak Lawn, Mass 11:30 a.m. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
MARY AGNES GRISBAUM
Mary and Francis on their wedding day!
Mary Agnes was born on December 15 1937 in Missouri. On September 8, 1955 she would marry Francis Bernard Zwierzycki.
Born on May 10, 1933 in Cook County Illinois, Francis Bernard was one of three sons in the family of Stanley and Marie Veronica (Gawlik) Zwierzycki.
His mother Marie was born on September 9, 1902 in Johnstown, Cambria, Pennsylvania and his father Stanley was born on May 1, 1897 in Jaraczewo, Poland. As quoted from the site WIKIPEDIA: "Jaraczewo is a town in Jarocin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Jaraczewo. It lies approximately 14 kilometres west of Jarocin and 55 km south-east of the regional capital Poznań."
The Zwierzycki family arrived in America on December 1 1910 when Stanley was 13 years old. Below is a copy of the Naturalization Record signed by Stanley on June 3, 1926.
Stanley died at age 42 on May 30, 1939. His wife Marie passed away at age 84 in 1986.
Francis and Mary only had one child, a daughter by the name of Debra Ann.
Debra Ann was born on August 15, 1956 and appears to have been married and divorced at least three times.
Sadly her mother Mary Agnes passed away at the young age of 46 on November 22 1981. Debra Ann died on December 3, 2011. Her father Francis lived to age 80 passing away on March 3,2014. For some reason the year of death was not put on the headstone.
Died on November 29, 2005
Verona Sue Griesbaum
Just as I was about to save and publish the blog two weeks ago, several new hints came up on my ancestry tree showing that indeed there was another daughter born to Teresa and Raymond! Her name was Verona Sue Griesbaum.
It appears that some of the Griesbaum family members moved to Boulder City Nevada. As to why the family or just a few members moved there is still to be determined.
In 1967, Verona would marry Dennis Adams Garbat.
Born on July 1, 1941, Dennis was one of several children in the family of Walter Frank and Agnes Veronica (Sobieszczyk) Garbatowicz.
Both parents were born in Chicago Illinois, Walter on January 25 in 1910 & Agnes on December 31st in 1914
Agnes & Frank on their wedding day November 11, 1933
Garbat family photos taken during the 1940's
Verona and Dennis had two daughters, Jennifer born in 1969 and Cynthia born in 1972. Below is a gallery of photos I was able to find of the family.
Their mother Verona once worked as an engraver and is now retired. Their father Dennis passed away last year on December 10 and below is his obituary.
Daniel Joseph Griesbaum
We now come to the last born child and son of Teresa and Raymond named , Daniel Joseph. Born on July 30, 1946, Daniel joined the army to serve in the Vietnam War.
His rank was SP5 which refers to the rank of Specialist 5, a rank of Enlisted 5, equal to Sergeant but reserved more for support and technical instead of combat arms.
A few ancestry trees indicate that Daniel married a woman by the name of Kathy (born in Missouri in/abt 1946/possible last name of Tringali) on October 22, 1975. The marriage only lasted four years ending in divorce on July 19, 1979. Story of the marriage was not included in his obituary.
Below is a photo gallery of Daniel taken over the years.
Daniel died at age 67 and his obituary read as follows:
Daniel "Dan" Joseph Griesbaum, 67, of Boulder City, passed away suddenly in his home, Jan. 16, 2014. Dan was born in Quincy, Ill., July 30, 1946, the youngest son of the late Raymond and Teresa (nee Bruemmer) Griesbaum. He lived and worked in the Chicago area for many years, after serving in the U.S. Army. He then moved to Boulder City, where he was employed by the Clark County School District until his retirement. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Mary Agnes (Griesbaum) Zwierzycki; a sister-in-law, Diane (Overzat) Griesbaum; and a niece, Debra (Zwierzycki) Kothe. He is survived by his twin brothers, Richard Griesbaum of Willowbrook, Ill. and Robert Griesbaum (Judy) of Hickory Hills, Ill., both in the Chicago area; two sisters, Luella "Lu" Jarvill (Robert) of Quincy and Sue Garbat (Dennis) of Boulder City; a brother-in-law, Frank Zwierzycki of White Hills, Ariz.; along with many cousins, nephews, nieces and friends.
