THE  ROBBERY  OF  JOHN  FROST  TENER

In April 2006 I posted a short story about John.  First, John was born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland in 1868. He immigrated to America with his family as a youth, and went to work in the steel industry.  Most of the young boys at that time, if they had connections like John, went to work in offices and were often office boys. His tasks could have been running documents between offices, or buildings. He would have been sent on a number of errands, and there is evidence he accompanied executive's wife's on shopping trips to carry their purchases.

John worked his way up and became the secretary to George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh. He may have grown weary of inside jobs, or he was merely selected by Mr. Westinghouse to go to Arizona in order to investigate copper properties there. He left the employ of Westinghouse and opened a mining supply business in Nogales, Arizona Territory.  

John married Nora Boyd Simpson 7 October 1896 in Wheeling, WVA.  They lived in Pittsburgh before he went West.  In March 1897 their first child was born, Virginia Simpson Tener; and in December 1899 their son John Frost Tener Jr. was born in Pittsburgh. He was naturalized a U S Citizen in August 1899 in the Western District Court.

Nora died at the family home in Pittsburgh on 2 January 1900 following a brief illness.  By March, John was in Nogales, AZ.  I believe the children were sent to Wheeling, WVA, to be cared for by the doting grandparents.  Nora was an only child whose father was a successful insurance businessman.

In the June 1900 U S Census John was enumerated as residing in Santa Cruz County and working as a Mine Manager.  In October 1900 he was listed as a Republican candidate for supervisor of Washington County. Although he received the endorsement of the local newspaper, he did not win the election.

On 14 Dec 1901 a newspaper article reported he was in partnership with his brother Norman Tener in some mining properties in the Magdelana district near Sonora, Mexico.  Two weeks later, on 28 December the Oasis newspaper in Nogales listed John as a Director of the International Bank of Nogales.  IN Jun 1902 he was selected to serve on a Civil Grand Jury for a one year term.

 In November 1903 a news article reported that John's sister Alice Tener, a single woman, moved to Nogales and brought John's son John Jr.  She lived with her brother and continued to help with John Jr.  I understand that Virginia was being raised by her Simpson grandparents in West Virginia.

Now, it is somewhat important to me to relate to the reader that this was still The Wild West! In the Utah-Wyoming areas there were a pair of outlaws gaining much notoriety- 'Butch' Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  They were active from the late 1880's and into the early 1900's.  In the Southwest there was another pair who were making quite the name for themselves -   Albert Alvord and William Stiles.  This notice appeared in a 14 January 1904 edition of the Bisbee Daily Review:

That was not the last that we would hear of these two. Why they were in jail that time I do not recall. They had amassed quite a record by that time that included murder, bank robbery, train robbery, assaults and breaking out of jails and prison.  Why do I mention these fellows?  Read on!

In early February 1904, John F. Tener was bringing a load of gold from the mine in Mexico up to the bank in Nogales.  He was accompanied by a Mr. Morris an employee of the mine and riding shotgun to help protect the gold shipment.

The 13 February 1904 edition of the Border Vidette carried a full descriptive article of the interaction between John F. Tener, Mr. Morris and the two outlaws - Bert Alvord and Billy Stiles:

Yes, John was robbed of the gold bullion, his sidearm, his horses and buggy, and if I recall correctly from another news article - they also stole their boots.  Mr. Morris recognized the two as the notorious pair and warned Mr. Tener who initially was unwilling to cede his gold.

The Nogales newspaper, The Oasis, also ran an article on the robbery -

By 16 February the posse was hard on the trail of the outlaws. The Bisbee Daily Review ran this article: 

John F. Tener had actually joined the posse and stayed with the chase. By 20 February 1904 there had been created a $10,000 reward for the capture Dead or Alive by a millionaire businessman who's life had been threatened by the pair of outlaws! In the following news article it was reported as many as 500 Americans joined the search for the pair of outlaws:

The chase continued into March 1904.  On 5 March 1904 the Flagstaff newspaper, The Coconino Sun reported the following:

I do not know when it was that John left Nogales, but he did not leave mining.  His next stop was the minefields of Goldfield, Nevada.  He was there for certain in March 1907, but I do not know when he arrived.  If he was much earlier, like in 1905 the sheriff was one of the brothers of Wyatt Earp (Virgil Earp I think).

In the Canada 1921 Census it was reported that John F. Tener arrived in Canada in 1909.  On 5 March 1912 John married Kathleen "Kay" Isabella JOY in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. On 4 December 1920 he was granted Canadian Citizenship.  In 1921 he settled down to farming in Okanagan, Yale, British Columbia.  He published a book of poetry in 1941.

On 10 April 1948, at 769 years of age, John passed away in New Westminster, British Columbia.

 ........the loss of one diminishes us all.   

I don't remember who said that.

I an sharing the death notice of yet another Tener --  Betty Jane Hodge, nee Armand.

Betty Jane Hodge

Betty's death notice appeared in the East Bay Times, 5 March 2023.  I am copying it below ---

Betty Jane Hodge passed away peacefully and surrounded by family and love on February 26, 2023, at her home in Ashland, Oregon.   She was preceded in death by her son, Scottie, and her daughter Andrea, as well as her family members Dawn Donnellan, Alyce Armand, and her sons-in-law Chris Beck and Steve Utne. 

She was a force in her grief, showed up for her loved ones, and took her losses as gainsknowing that her life had been blessed by theirs.  Betty is survived by her daughter, Jenni Beck of Ashland, her brother, Andre T. Armand of San Francisco, and her only grand-daughter, Alyssa Jane Lewis-Griffith of Sacramento, as well as her grandaughter-in-law, Trisha Lewis-Griffith, and their son Jude Ryan. 

Betty was fortunate to have spent her life surrounded by a family of close friends who will also miss her: The Beck Family, The Bobb Family, The Camalots of France, The Michaels Family, and The Carbone Family, to name a few. 

Betty Jane Armand was born at French Hospital in San Francisco on November 12, 1935. She was born into the Great Depression, and on the cusp of World War II, yet she came into this world with hope and a positive attitude which proved to be remarkable assets throughout her life. Her mother and father, Emilie Jane Tener and Andre T. Armand taught her to be sensitive and kind.  She married Whitney Hodge and had three children; Andrea Jane, Scott Whitney, and Jennifer Marie. Betty channeled her loving nature into a career in education. She taught special education at Shadelands Elementary in Concord, CA and eventually became principal there. She went on to become the administrator for special education for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. She was a fierce advocate for all the educators and students in her care, throughout her career. She was a consummate lover of life and adventuresailing, downhill skiing, traveling the world, backpacking, and camping were some of her favorite adventures. Her family cabin, HiPine, was a source of joy and special memories. 

Betty lived her life well with integrity, hope, and positivity. Her favorite saying was, "...the beat goes on". She will live on in our hearts, forever. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jack and Buena Foundation to support Camp Jack Hazard, a cause close to Betty's heart and family. www.jackandbuenafoundation.org/donate

Published by East Bay Times on Mar. 5, 2023.

She was the ray of sunshine brightening every room when she entered.  Her positive approach to things was contageous. Betty will be missed by her family and her friends.  
  

 Vol. #3 of The Tener Chronicles

Vol. 3 of the Tener Chronicles covers the life and the descendants of Hampden Evans Tener, Sr.  He was born in County Tyrone, Ireland. Educated in Nottingham, England, and returned to Co. Tyrone where he lived, and as his family grew he moved into the family home formerly occupied by his father John Kinley Tener I.

This book is only available to "family" - defined as the extended Tener line.

Inquiries to  dholmes703@aol.com. 

 Sadly, we loose another Tener . . . . . .

Christina Bofman Way     November 29, 1948  -  December 19, 2022

Hughson, California - Christina "Tina" Bofman Way, 74, of Hughson, died Monday December 19, 2022 at Emanuel Hospital in Turlock surrounded by her husband and son after a relatively short battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer.
     Tina was born to Ralph Tilden Loughlen and Virginia Tener Loughlen. Her parents were homesteading in Alaska when she was conceived. Her mother flew from Alaska to Stockton prior to her giving birth to Tina. 

     Ralph died in a car accident when Tina was 9. Virginia remarried Jack Odain "Bobby" Bofman who then adopted Tina in 1961.
     She is survived by Bruce Way her loving husband of 49 years, of Hughson; son Matthew Way, of Modesto; granddaughter Madison Way of Riverbank; grandson Noah Way of Modesto and grandniece Azsane Way, whom she raised, of Los Gatos. She was preceded in death by her parents.
     While she was an only child, Tina leaves behind 23 first cousins.
     Tina attended Mercy High School in Red Bluff; she was taught by "industrial strength" nuns. She wanted to go to Chico High. When she started college she confessed that she was more prepared for college than the majority of her classmates. She attended West Valley College in Campbell, where she met the love of her life, her future husband Bruce. Both were students with part-time jobs at the college. She worked in the bookstore and he worked in the warehouse, which meant delivering books, paper, etc. to the bookstore. They continued their friendship after graduation from West Valley with both attending San Jose State University. 

     On March 8, 1973 they were married in Pacific Grove.
     Tina lived in Hughson 45 years. She was a commercial real estate appraiser. "I'm a commercial real estate appraiser. I appraise commercial, industrial, agricultural and special purpose real estate. I don't appraise houses!" she would have to explain. In 1980, she began her 42-year appraisal career at the Stanislaus County Assessor's office. In 1984, she left the Assessor's Office to work for Robert Ford and became the first female commercial appraiser in Stanislaus County. In 2001,she and her husband Bruce started their own appraisal firm of Way and Associates. Tina was actively involved with the Northern California Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, obtaining both a MAI and an AI-GRS designation.
     Tina loved horses all her life. She rode western as a child when she competed in local horse shows. She then rode "English": so she could compete in hunters and jumpers categories at horse shows. While she was afraid of heights, jumping a horse over a five-foot fence or higher was thrilling to her. She considered it "vacation time" to work thoroughbred sales at Rancho Del Charro in Pleasanton, mucking stalls and showing horses to potential buyers from sunup until late into the night. She was also an enthusiastic horse breeder. Scouring stud books looking for the perfect horse to breed with one of her band of brood mares. 

     Tina was also a poet. In 1993, her mother submitted one of her poems to California North (NorCal) Chapter of The National League of American Pen Women. Her poem captured First Place in the NorCal Biennial Open Writing Contest.
     There will be no service at this time. A Celebration of Life is planned for Saturday March 11, 2023 at Redwood Café in Oakdale.
     Remembrances may be made to Central Catholic High School, 212 S. Carpenter Road, Modesto
95351.

 

FRANCES EARNEST BUSSELLS,  “Betsy”

April 10, 1926  --  February 28, 2022

 

Frances ‘Betsy’ Bussells passed away from natural causes surrounded by people who loved her.  She had been living in Napa, CA, since 2017 when she joined her daughters, her granddaughter, and their families, because it was becoming difficult for her to live alone.  She will be returned to her beloved Northern Neck and buried next to her husband Isaac “Bud” Bussells.

Betsy was born April 10, 1926, in a convent in Saumur, France to Frances Campbell Earnest and Herbert L. Earnest.  Her father had been invited to attend the French Cavalry School there.  As her father was a career Army Officer she happily spent her childhood on Calvary bases throughout the Midwest and Southeast.

When her father was stationed in Washington D.C. they bought their first home and Betsy attended the National Cathedral School for Girls.  As WWII neared, her father moved the family out of D.C. and to relative safety on the Northern Neck of Virginia. They bought Riverview Landing on the Rappahannock River, just outside of White Stone, VA.  She had many stories of being a teenager in the summers there with her own little boat and a large group of friends, many of whom remained her lifelong friends. She attended and graduated from St. Margaret’s School in Tappahannock in 1944 and then attended Hollins College.

She married and over the course of ten years had four children:  Ann born in VA, Ted and Fred born in Texas, and Molly born in Washington D.C.  The family moved from Virginia to Los Angeles in January 1965.  All the children graduated from high school in California, and now single again in 1977 she moved back to the Northern Neck to take care of her mother until she passed away.  Betsy then made the good decision to remain there and purchased her own home in White Stone.  She lived there for 37 years.

Then followed the happiest part of her adult life.  She involved herself in the community and Campbell United Presbyterian Church in Weems, VA.  She worked a variety of jobs, including as a bank clerk, then as a secretary and assistant in a tax office, and then an insurance office.  She was then a program coordinator for the Senior Learning Dept. on the Community College.

Betsy worked tirelessly raising funds for the Boy Scouts Camp; she was a charter member and later secretary of the Lancaster County Crime Solvers.  At her church she headed up a group of ladies called the “Knit Wits” where she taught several women how to knit and the group produced many afghans to be given to new babies and members of the community who would benefit from a warm blanket.

She reconnected with friends from her high school group, the most significant of which was Isaac ‘Bud’ Bussells. When they married some years later, they had known each other for fifty years. They had a sailboat (the Jennifer Lee) for several years and then they wanted to wander farther and purchased a Maine Trawler (the Katie Brown). They explored the Chesapeake and then went up and down the Inland Waterway and spent one winter on the boat in Florida.  They loved being on the water and took a river cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg in Russia, and then they took a freighter down the East Coast, through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific to New Zealand and Australia.  They got off the ship and spent a month in Australia, then flew to Los Angeles, made touch with family, rented a car, and then drove home via Canada.

They went together to a 50^th Anniversary commemoration in Guam where Bud served as a Marine during WWII. Betsy and Ann went to France in 1994 to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of the Liberation of Brittany, France where her father had commander troops.

After the boats became too difficult to manage, they spent a couple of years driving a fifth wheel and spent another winter in Florida.

Bud passed away in Sept. 2015 and in 2017 she moved to Napa, CA, to be with her family.

Betsy was a strong woman who stood up for herself, was very resilient, healthy, and moved very quickly.  She loved opera, classical music, all kinds of art and dancing.  She loved being on a boat and traveling. She was an excellent needleworker doing embroidery, needlepoint, crochet and most especially knitting.  She taught numerous other people to knit and continued herself until her hands just would not work anymore.  For years she always carried a knitting bag and a current project for times when she might have to wait.  She made helmet liners for Marines stationed in Afghanistan, and adorable little teddy bears for small children that she donated to Christmas boxes.

Betsy would enjoy almost any sports game on TV, but she was a dyed in the wool baseball fan especially the then Washington Senators when she was a teen, and then the Washington Nationals. When they won the World Series in 2019 she could not have been anymore delighted.

She always knew what was going on in the world, and her children grew up knowing it was important to stay informed and to always vote.

She is already missed greatly. 

Betsy was predeceased by her parents Frances Campbell Earnest and General Herbert Ludwell Earnest; her brother Clyde Tener Earnest and his wife Marie Earnest; her son Edward Frederick Earnest Craver, and her husband Isaac ‘Bud’ Bussells.

She is survived by her children – Cynthia Ann Holmes (Dennis), Theodore Frankton Craver Jr. (Marian) and Molly Elizabeth Peck (Rob);  grandchildren Clifford Tait Holmes, Theodore Frankton Craver III (Nellie), Mary Celeste Mikel (B.J.), Elizabeth Goodhue Carlitz (Jared), Cameron Elizabeth Shaw (Edgar) and Timothy Tener Shaw (Nora); and nine great grandchildren – Ted, Evelyn, Charles & Lucas Craver; Ella, Michael & Jonathan Carlitz; Talia and Daniela Cruz.

She is also survived by her niece Barbara Earnest Dawson (Larry); grandnephews – Chris Dawson and Chandler Dawson (Heather); great grandnieces Campbell Dawson & Adie Dawson and great grandnephew Tener Dawson. Also her nephew Herbert Ludwell Earnest II (Dot) and their sons Jim and Joe.

Many heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been a caregiver to Betsy over these last few years.  You are truly angels and we really needed you.  Special thanks to Collabria for hospice care; love to Monica, Rapini, Chrissy & Krystal at Napa Senior Living.

 

 Several years ago I was able to make contact with folks in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, who were associated with the Historical Society.  I was, of course, researching the Tener family, and they had some information.  As an informatiponal relationship grew, I shared information about the family.

Then, I was to learn that there was going to be a presentation on John Kinley Tener I, of Moree, The Rock, Co. Tyrone.  

I could not make the trip to Ireland to see it, but the folks there kindly sent me a DVD of that presentation.

I have tried to figure out how to post the video to no avail.  The volumn is low, and the speaker's accident is difficult for me to follow - DISCLAIMER - I am hard of hearing.

A Tener Obituary: SUSAN WALLIS VOISSEM

 As work progresses on Book #3 of The Tener Chronicles I continue to update research of 'Family" that I may have not been in touch with for some time.  That is the case here.

On 12 August 2018 the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay, Florida, published her death notice.  It also included a photo:

SUSAN WALLLIS VOISSEM

77, of St. Petersburg, FL passed away on August 4, 2018 at home with family by her side due to complications related to Alzheimer's disease. 

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 3, 1940, she spent her childhood in Boardman and Canfield, Ohio. As a child, she enjoyed singing duets with her brother, and her involvement in school theater continued throughout college. 

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Miami University and her Master's in Education from Ball State University. She went on to teach typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping at Elyria High School in Ohio before moving to St. Petersburg in 1965 where she taught at St. Petersburg Junior College and Northeast High School. 

As an educator for 35 years, her enthusiasm for teaching and for her students earned her the respect and love of her students. She was devoted to her husband and family and instilled her passion for education and learning in her daughter and granddaughters. 

Susan is survived by her husband of fifty years, Norman Herman Voissem; her daughter, Theresa Ruano; her grandchildren, Alessandra and Isabella Ruano; her twin brother, Robert Ely Tener (Marilynn); and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert William Tener Jr. and Ruth Ely Tener. 

A Funeral Mass will be conducted on Tuesday, August 14 at 10:00 a.m. at Resurrection Catholic Church, 6819 Krycul Avenue, Riverview, FL, followed by interment at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 5233 118th Avenue N., Clearwater. Memorial donations in Susan's name may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America at alzfdn.org or Resurrection Catholic Church.

 John Kinley Tener's Fifth Great Granddaughter...

Talia Cruz in JKT I"s 5th great grand daughter.  We have helped care for her for three days a week while her mother, our niece Cameron, and father were working thru the pandemic.  It has been a pure joy watching this child, currently 5 years old, grow, mature and become very self confident and - like many Tener Women, opinionated!  :>)

Cameron decided to take the summer off - to be with her children, Talia and Daniela, but we still get to see the girls because we are blessed to have a back yard big enough to allow some gardening.  And that is where this post comes from!

Cameron enjoys gardening.  So, back in the summer on 2019, among the plantings, were some pumpkin plants.  One of the plants, next to a large Meyer lemon bush, grew up into the lemon bush, and there it grew into a nice sized pumpkin.  Talia was three, and turned four, that summer - and in the Fall she harvested the pumpkin.   

Talia has a wonderful and creative imagination.  Her FIRST BOOK!!!!! was called, "Five Flying Ostriches", and it was written in a day a few months ago.  There is no record of that book because she gifted it to her friend.    This week she created her second book, "The Pumpkin That Wanted To Be A Lemon".  I enjoyed it so much, I decided to share it with you, so sit back and enjoy....

OH!  Talia just graduated from Kindergarden and her lettering is not where it should be for an inspiring author, so the "font" used in this effort is 'Cameron, 16 point' (you see my humor?)....

ENJOY ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

BOOKS!

Much has been accomplished since my last Blog entry. 
There are now two new books that can be added to the Tener Family history:
          1)     ISAAC WILLIAM TENER: His Life and His Descendants; and,
          2)     GEORGE EVANS TENER:  His Life and His Descendants.
These are available only through me, and I am making them available only to members of the Tener Family Tree.  So, as long as I have them in stock, they are available  - 1 book and U S postage for $11.50, email me for any variance.