Billington Reunion/Birthday Celebration July 7, 2012

REMEMBER LAST REUNION??

REMEMBER LAST REUNION:  YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS YEAR'S REUNION, DON'T YOU!   JULY 7..POT LUCK AT GOLDIES  2-10  PLEASE COME. CLICK ON PREVIOUS POST FOR DETAILS.

REUNION---CELEBRATION!!!

Know what's happening on SATURDAY July 7th?.... BILLINGTON REUNION!and 90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR BLONDIE (BILLINGTON) RASMUSSEN
THIS IS YOUR INVITATION..PLEASE COME!


Now that the time is so close, hopefully we can get a response from all of you if you are coming!


WHEN: ANYTIME BETWEEN 2:00 pm to 10:00
               We'll eat around 4 and have snacks around the campfire.
WHAT:  POT LUCK AND BBQ (bring a dish to share and your own meat to BBQ )    
Paper plates/cutlery, water/lemonade/ soft drinks provided..no alcoholic beverages please (family event)
Also bring your family pictures.
           
WHERE: Goldie's Place: 10965  Grant Creek Road, Missoula. 

RSVP: Goldie's phone number is 406-721-3014.

             Goldie's email:  goldieindreland@q.com

             Lana's phone number is 209-986-1681

             Lana's email:  lana.rankin@yahoo.com

We are looking for volunteers to help set up the reunion activities in the following areas:


Family History Display (bring your pictures or DVD's)

BBQ cooking

Pot luck set up/clean up

Volley ball set up 
Horseshoe Pit set up
Sports activities

Kid's activities (Gold Rush)
Face painting..kids
Bon fire pit set up
Sing -a-long/music/dance
Smores 




We would love to have you call or email with an RSVP so we can be well prepared. Mention where you can help and we will be glad to sign you up for that area.


Goldie's place is in a spectacular area surrounded by breathtaking tall forest trees,  a sparkling creek running through it, a giant size fire pit with cut stumps for sitting around it, and wilderness hiking trails near by making  this a beautiful panorama to view while enjoying visiting, eating and playing.  Go 5 miles up Grant Creek Road from the freeway, past Snow Bowl Road.  Stay to the right when you come to the fork in the road where the mailboxes are placed.  Watch for balloons at Goldie's place on your left.

FYI...  just to let you know Blondie's 90th birthday is coming up.  She always celebrated May 14th as her birthday, but after finding her birth certificate we see that it was really the 13th of May, 1922. She was born at 2:45 am in Livingston, Montana and was delivered by a physician by the name P.L. Sreene.  (or maybe Greene-can't tell from the document.) The birth was registered at the Park County Department of Public Health Vital Statistics on May 19, 1922.  We all wonder why the difference in the date, and since Grandma Eva is not here to ask her we can only speculate.  Was Grandma Eva superstitious and probably didn't want Friday the 13th as a birthday for her new baby? Did the doctor  or the recorder make a mistake on the date, since it was 6 days before it was recorded and her name was spelled wrong: Alvira, instead of Elvira. Blondie was always told she was born at home with a midwife, but the certificate clearly gives an address::  613 E. Lewis Street in  Livingston.  So was grandma Eva staying with her mom, Rosa, at the time of the birth, so Rosa's address was used?  All very interesting tidbits...but the fact that this year is her 90th birthday is the most amazing part of  her life.  She is in fairly good health, although losing some of her eye sight, she still maintains her own home and is happy and content.  

Anyone wishing to help us celebrate her birthday, plan to come to the family reunion on, Saturday July 7th 2012 at Goldie's place from 2:00pm to 10:00 pm.  Or you might want to send her a card at her address Bea Rasmussen  2605 Gleason Street, Missoula, Montana, 59804  or give her a call at 406-542-0444.  She will be delighted to hear from you!

Lana 

We are going to make a DVD of pictures of Blondie, so if you have some good ones and would send them to me by email by June 30, I could add them to the DVD we will show at the reunion.

More details about the reunion to come.  Please RSVP if you can come. 

CELEBRATION: BIRTHDAY/REUNION

Announcing! "SAVE THE DATE"   90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND REUNION

WHEN: SATURDAY  JULY 7TH 2012

TIME:  2:00 PM-TIL WE'RE TIRED

WHY:  BLONDIE'S 90TH BIRTHDAY PARTY AND REUNION

FOR:  ALL BILLINGTON FAMILIES

WHERE:  GOLDIE'S PLACE  10965 GRANT CREEK ROAD

WHAT TO BRING:  PICTURES OF YOUR FAMILY, POT LUCK DISH, BIRTHDAY CARD OR SINGLE YELLOW FLOWER TO MAKE A "GOLDEN" BOUQUET FOR GRANDMA

--no gifts please.

DETAILS WILL FOLLOW: 

"Did ja here there's "gold" at Goldie's place: GRANT CREEK MONTANA MINE

Golden BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION:  90 Years ..... Yikes 90 gold candles????

Golden  Memories:   MOTHER LODE OF PICTURES GALORE-DVD'S

Golden  Bar b que:   "POTs OF GOLD"  valuable pot luck/homemade ice cream  

Golden  Entertainment:  BON FIRE /|CAMPFIRE SONGS/TALENT SHOW

Golden  Sports Showcase:  VOLLEYBALL/RELAY RACES/ with golden awards

Golden  Nuggets:  "Gold Diggin'" and "Goldie's Trading Post" for the kids

Golden  Sparklers:  to celebrate the "Golden Years"

PLEASE...PLEASE REPLY BY EMAIL IF YOU CAN COME..LOVE TO SEE EVERYONE AGAIN;

lana.rankin@yahoo.com

goldieindreland@q.com

plus:  planning committe will meet at Goldie's on March 18 at 10:00 am....anyone who would like to help with making plans for the event please come or call Goldie at 406-721-3014.

Who is Elijah Boyden?

BILLINGTON STORY COLLECTION: ELIJAH BOYDEN

Elijah Loring Boyden (French- Canadian) or IFrench- DuBoyden) was born March 31, 1936 in Robbinston Maine. His parents were Otis Boyden also of Robbinston and Eliza Loring of Perry Maine. They were married April or August 19 or 20th of 1824.  Elijah’s siblings, all born in Robbinston, were: Eliza, Mary Ann, Hannah, and Otis.  The family moved to Newfoundland, Canada where Otis became a photographer. Elijah spend some time there, but was back in Maine in 1860 and appears on the census for Perry Maine. Family information tells us he became a ships captain in the Nova Scotia area before he married Ann McDonald.

She was related to the first Prime Minister of Canada, 
John Alexander MacDonald. He was her mother's brother. 
The family was also related to Prime Minister Asquith of England.

Elijah took his bride around the world which took about a year. Their
daughter (Estella Loring Boyden- June 6, 1869) was born on ship just before they reached the coast of Cape Breton. As far as we know, they
settled around Eastport, Maine. Mother McDonald died when Estella was
only a year or so old. Elijah took his daughter to French Convent in Michigan and began to pursue photography like his father and several brothers, traveling throughout Canada and the American West. At one time he was commissioned by Prime Minister McDonald of Canada to take the first pictures of British Colombia. Prime Minister McDonald wanted to unite East and West Canada and he thought this would help.
 

He came to Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota area and joined with Albert Pollack (also from Nova Scotia) around 1879.  Together they took stereoscopic views of Deadwood and surrounding areas and opened a Gallery on Gold and Main street called: Pollack and Boyden Studio. Since he was now settled he sent for his daughter who was now aged 10. He knew of a couple in Michigan who were going to come to Spearfish so he asked them to bring her. The 1880 Census of Deadwood shows the three of them in once residence.  We are assuming they had the studio in front and housing in the back of the residence. Elijah was commissioned by Prime Minister MacDonald to take photographs of British Columbia, so he retired on May 4, 1884 and dissolved the partnership.

We have only one picture of Elijah. He was quite a dapper man. He loved to dress well and to see his daughter dressed up. He loved to take pictures of her, but she didn’t like it.  We only have a few pictures of her today. According to family information, she wanted to go to with him to Canada, but he wanted her to stay. So she decided she would get married, which occurred on March 19, 1884 to D.S. Billington. D was driving "shot gun" on the stagecoach at that time. Elijah thought that was too dangerous for a family man, so he bought them a little ranch by a French settlement called St.
Onge, located between White Wood and Spearfish.

Elijah returned in August of 1886 and on November 9, 1886 bought out Albert Pollock’s Gallery where he then showed the panoramic art photos he took in Canada. Then by February 17, 1887 he sold it to A.C. Dugame who came from Washington D.C.

The Billington family did not want stay on the ranch..as D was just not a good farmer, so Elijah sold the ranch and bought them a house in Spearfish. D went into partnership with a friend, James Rogers, to buy a livery stable in 1889. He did the principal driving of the four horse stage coach between the two places for many years.

The 1900 Census of Spearfish shows Elijah living with his daughter and her family. There was a studio in Spearfish called Boyden Galleries as we have pictures of his grandchildren taken there. We are not certain if it was his or one of his brothers. He also liked to take the grandchildren to church and other places and he loved to take their pictures, of course. He also taught them French, but after he died they forgot it.

He is buried in the Rosehill Cemetery in Spearfish. 
His birth and death dates are not recorded on his 
tombstone, it only says "AT REST."

One of our 2011 Billington Boy Babies....Aaden Claar with his mom and dad making a beautiful and unique Nativity Scene

Aaden, Aaron and Jenni Claar make a

perfect Christmas Card of the Nativity.   Thank you, Aaron,  for sharing with all of us.