Dear Family,

Another great picture treasure from cousin Curt Guernsey.  A picture of the Honderick sisters, your great or great-great aunts.  Lena would be your great or gg  grandmother.  Lena Madalena Honderick married my grandfather Elmer J. Guernsey.

I assume the picture was taken around 1884-5.  According to the 1880 census the girls were living with their parents. John Honderick and Elizabeth King Honderick. in Roscoe, Davis Co., Iowa.

Honderick Sisters

Their birth dates are as follows:

Mary J. “Jennie” Honderick, born 1863

Lena Madalena      ”                 ”     1865

Ellen                          ”                ”     1869   (Ellens name is spelled Ella in the picture).

Elizabeth                  ”                 ”     1872

Minnie                       ”                ”      1876

Maud                        ”                 ”      1880

Gere Masters wrote she thought the sisters were “beautiful women.”   Also, cousin Susan Master’s middle name is Elizabeth and she may have been named after Elizabeth Honderick.  I would assume Aunt Minnie Innes and Alida Lena Anderson also got their names from the Honderick sisters.

Susan Masters was told that Elizabeth Honderick was quite an accomplished artist.  Would it not be fun if any of her art work was floating around somewhere?

To my cousins Curt, John and George – I have seen several versions of Madalena’s full name, which one do you think is right??

Madalena May Honderick

Lena Madalena Honderick

Madalena Lena Honderick

The 1880 census list her name as Lena Madalena, which would get my vote.

That’s our history lesson for the day, thanks again Curt for the wonderful picture.

Jim Lee