The Manx Society of Minnesota Newsletter July 2015

The Manx Society of Minnesota NewsletterThe Manx Society of Minnesota NewsletterThe Manx Society of Minnesota NewsletterThe Manx Society of Minnesota Newsletter

JulyJulyJulyJuly 2015201520152015

Last Meeting

From right to left June Sibell, Pat Boehne, Peggy Rudnitski, Amy Rudnitski, Sally Dahlquist, Bob Muhich, Kerry Shimmin, Mike

Schaitberger, Mary Heltsley, and Janice Leafer.

The last meeting took place at the Good Earth restaurant in Edina. The meeting was mainly social full

of lively conversation and excellent food. No new or old business was brought up at the meeting but we did

have several presentations. The first was a family history presented by Bob Muhich on his family connections

to the Isle of Man, it was greatly detailed and fun to listen to. He also provided newspapers from that time and

has provided his family connection info so we can add it to this newsletter to share with the group. Next Sally

gave a presentation on the landmarks on the island and information about each one with a hand out she

brought with to share. As she has visited the isle before she had a lot of wonderful information and personal

experiences to share. Amy finished with a short presentation and hand out on the landmarks as well. This

handout concentrated one some of the natural landmarks as well as some of the more obscure. As the

meeting wound down we had people went back to talking and relaxing and even having a bit the end of the

evening excitement. Our waiter that evening was also a singer and did a short blues song at the table and Bob

and Janice discovered they may have a family connection from the isle. All and all it was a most enjoyable

time, thanks to everyone for a great meeting.

The Next Meeting the Scottish Fair July 18

The Scottish Fair will be held on July 18 2015 at the faithful Shepherd Catholic School in Eagan. The

Address is 3355 Columbia Dr, Eagan MN 55121. Hours: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Ceilidh: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Admission at the gate:

Adults - $15 Seniors- (65+) - $10

Children (15 & under) - $5 or free with a donation

of a canned good for the food shelf

This is a fabulous Celtic event with heavy games, music, dancing, shopping, car show, and much more. So

please join us at the Manx table to hand out information and talk with people about the Isle of Man it has

always been a lot of fun. We usually march in the parade around noon and anyone who attends is welcome to

join in. Please RSVP to Sally Dahlquist [email protected].

Future Meeting

Janice Leafer has offered to have a meeting at her house in Excelsior on October 15 2015 she will be

showing her pictorial family tree. June will be doing a presentation of pictures from Tynwald the year Prince

Charles was there. More details about this meeting in the next newsletter but do keep the date in mind. And if

anyone has any ideas on something they would like to see presented or would like to do a presentation please

let me know at [email protected] and I will add it the next letter.

Family History Connections from Bob Muhich

Crellin Family Register

John Stephen Crellin (Maternal grandfather of Robert J. Muhich)

BORN: January 6, 1861 Glenmay, Isle of Man DIED: December 2, 1948

MOTHER: Elizabeth - b. 1831, d. 05/1872

FATHER: John Crellin - b. 1824, d. 01/1883

SIBLINGS:

Maria Catherine Crellin - b. 11/1850, d. 12/1850

Thomas Henry Crellin - b. 03/1852, d. 09/1920

Catherine Margret Crellin - b. 10/1862

William Matthew Crellin - b. 10/1865, d. 01/1905

Daniel James Crellin - b. 10/1867, 05/1929

Elizabeth Ann Crellin - b. 04/1869

WIFE: Sarah Macdowal

BORN: November 19, 1859 at Pasiris Lodge, Parish of Logie, County of Perth, Scotland

MARRIED: November 15, 1884 in the Wesley Methodist Church, Ulverstone Lancashire England

DIED: March 23, 1940

4 children born in Dalton Lancashire England

Mabel Crellin - 10/1885

James Crellin - 07/1887

Elizabeth Crellin - 07/1889

Mona Crellin - 12/1891

4 children born in Ishpeming, Michigan

Walter Crellin - 08/1895

Hilda Crellin -10/1897

Agnes Crellin - 09/1899

John Crellin -10/1901

1 child born in Chisholm, Minnesota

Myrtle Crellin - 04/1904, d. 10/1971 (Mother of Robert J. Muhich)

JOHN STEPHEN CRELLIN

Left Isle of Man for Dalton Lancashire England in September 1878. Left Liverpool England for U.S. on April 13,

1892. Arrived Ellis Island April 23, 1892. Started work at Salisbury Mine in Ishpeming Michigan, May 2, 1892.

Family left Liverpool for U.S .on April 25, 1893. Arrived in Ishpeming May 9, 1893. In charge of Foxdale Mine,

Humboldt Michigan, Oct. 30, 1901. Left Humboldt for Helen Mine, Michipicoten Canada, January 1, 1902. Left

Ishpeming for Mesabi Range Minnesota, January 28, 1903. Started Leonard Mine, February 1, 1903. In charge

of Glen Mine, Chisholm Minnesota, 1904. In charge of Gilbert Mine, Gilbert Minnesota, Oct. 14, 1912. In

charge of Norman Mine, Virginia Minnesota, August 1, 1913. In charge of Adams Mine, Eveleth Minnesota,

April 28, 1919.

Retired on January 1, 1928.

News (all from Isle of Man news today)

Isle of Man Flower Festival in full bloom

Flower Festival at Christ Church, Laxey

Jackie Turley 18:30 Thursday 09 July 2015

Isle of Man Flower Festival 2015 has got off to a good start with many visitors

already calling in to see displays at the 17 venues around the island. The festival

got underway on Sunday and runs until this Saturday.

(Bunscoill Rhumsaa flower festival display at

Milntown)

Flower Festival committee chairman Judy Matthews

said: Lots of people have already passed through the

doors of the venues and we have had a lot of positive

feedback.

The bad weather at the start of this week may have

put a bit of a damper on Tynwald Day, but it certainly hasnt stopped people visiting Flower Festival venues.

Judy added: A big thank you to all of our volunteers and organizers who have helped the festival get off to

such a good start.

The festival also features a photographic competition, open to digital entries. Pictures must have been taken

in one of the venues.

The official list of venues is St Mary de Ballaugh, Ballaugh; St Patricks Church, Jurby; St Andrews Church,

Andreas; Milntown; The Grove Museum, Ramsey; Trinity URC, Ramsey; Ramsey Independent Methodist

Church; Christ Church Dhoon, Glen Mona; Christ Church, Laxey; Onchan Elim Pentecostal Church; Onchan

Methodist Church; St Matthews Church, Douglas; The Abbey Church, Ballasalla; The Nautical Museum,

Castletown; Port Erin Methodist Church; St Peters Church, Cregneash; St Germans Cathedral, Peel. Many of

the venues have arranged additional activities during the week. Visit www.flowerfest.im for details of opening

times and events.

On the hunt with Manx Bat Group

Pipistrelle bat. Photo by Dave Marshall

Jackie Turley 11:45 Monday 06 July 2015

Associated with vampires and haunted houses, bats have not always

had the best of reputations. And its easy to assume that anyone happy

to stay up to the early hours to watch these creatures of the dark must

be a little bit, well, batty! But Nick Pinder, chairman of the Manx Bat

Group which celebrates the 25th anniversary of its launch this year, insists that bats are misunderstood. He

said: People think of them in their houses in the same way as mice but they dont build nests, they dont bring

material in or chew or damage anything. If you have a long-established colony you might get a bit of a smell

and noise but thats about it. I find them fascinating mammals. Island Life joined one of the groups regular

Bat Walks to find out more about these enigmatic animals, which are the worlds only flying mammal. A group

of about 15 of us assembled outside Marown School where the aptly named Sue Moon, accompanied by her

bat dog Billy, handed out hi-viz jackets and bat detectors. Then after a brief introductory talk, we set off

along the old railway track in the direction of the curraghs. It wasnt long before our bat detector started

clicking and a tiny bat flitted above us, twisting and turning with remarkable agility. This was a common

pipistrelle, one of seven species to be found in the island. Contrary to popular myth, bats are not blind in

fact, they can see almost as well as humans. But to fly and hunt for insects in the dark, they use a remarkable

high frequency system called echolocation, which is like natural sonar. Bats make calls as they fly and listen to

the returning echoes to build up a sonic map of their surroundings. Their high frequency calls are normally

beyond the range of human hearing. The detectors work by converting echolocation calls into a frequency that

is audible to the human ear. Its a magical box of tricks that makes bat sounds normally inaudible to us,

audible, explained Nick, who retired as general manager of the Wildlife Park in 2011. At this time of year, bats

group together in colonies of up to 200, and emerge at dusk to feed on night-flying insects, the first hour or

two of darkness being a peak time. They are most active on warm, still evenings.The most dedicated bat

watchers go out at 4am to watch them return to their roosts. Bat group member Jill Dunlop first became

fascinated in these creatures following a close encounter. Jill, education support officer at Anagh Coar School,

said: A number of years ago I was teaching at Andreas School which had bats in the loft. That captured my

interest. Further along the track our bat detectors began clicking frenetically as more bats swooped overhead.

Different species can be heard at different frequencies. A Nattarers bat, for example, makes a sound like

burning straw, apparently. A Daubentons, however, sounds like machine gun fire, as we discovered when we

retraced our steps and then crossed the road towards Glen Lough. Nick said his favourite bat is the brown

long-eared bat, which is widespread throughout the island. He said: They are in many ways the nicest. They

are the ones that if you show them to people they go aww. At shortly after 11pm, we made our way back, a

number in our group having seen a bat for the very first time in their lives. Jills husband, Bill, said: For the

conditions it was a very successful night. If it had been absolutely still we could have expected to have seen a

few more. The Manx Bat Group, which currently has 32 members, is marking its 25th anniversary this year by

holding The Big Bat Count, with the aim of verifying all the islands bat roosts identified since the groups

inception in 1990. The group hopes that members of the public, including the owners of any houses in which

bats have chosen to roost, will help. Volunteers will be out and about around the island on summer evenings

counting bats as they emerge from their roosts. Anyone wishing to help with The Big Bat Count, or to report a

bat roost, can get in touch with the organiser Nick Pinder on 897499 or by email to

[email protected] You can join the next bat walk, on July 25 around Ballasalla village and river,

meeting at the ford at 9.10pm. There is an International Bat Night walk around Andreas village on August 29,

meeting at Andreas playing field opposite the church drive at 8pm and then on September 26, there is a bat-

spotting walk around The Raggatt near Peel meeting at 6.45pm. Check the groups website for further details

at www.manxbatgroup.org

Help to protect our hedgehogs

Sandy Huyton with children at Foxdale Primary School, who have raised

money for the Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society

06:55 Thursday 09 July 2015

A Manx animal charity is set to take its work to the next level thanks to

new funding. The Manx Lottery Trust has offered a grant to the Manx

Hedgehog Conservation Society, which aims to help rehabilitate the islands sick, injured and orphaned

hedgehogs. The organisation is planning to get on the road in an eye-catching vehicle and are appealing for

help to make it happen. It wants to turn a Ford KA into a hedgehog with the help of stick-on graphics, but

needs some sponsorship to help buy the vehicle. Its the perfect shape, says founder Sandy Huyton, who also

runs Dolittles, a non-profitable animal-assisted healing organisation. Im sure it will be a memorable sight on

the islands roads that will get people talking and thinking about hedgehogs, she said. With the help of two

rescue hoglets, Sandy has been touring the islands schools and youth groups to get the message out to the

islands young people. Last week they visited Foxdale Primary School, where the children had raised money by

selling hand-made bookmarks and gifts at their school stall. Sandy says that the charitys long-term goal is to

create a hedgehog reserve and educational centre in the Isle of Man. People dont realise that they are an

endangered species, she said. The MHCS is appealing to the public to report any sightings. For more

information and tips on how to care for hedgehogs, find the Manx Hedgehog Conservation Societys page on

Facebook.

Vintage photos show glimpse into Edwardian island

(Sightseers travel by horse and carriage)

Sue Woolley 07:00 Wednesday 08 July 2015

The Grand Tour A Vintage Photographic Tour of Ellan

Vannin is the title of an exhibition currently showing at

Ramsey Town Hall. It features hundreds of images of every

town and many of the villages of the Isle of Man through the

years. For Les Clarke, Michael Starkey and Richard Radcliffe,

who have curated several previous exhibitions, this is their

most ambitious yet. A lot of people have contributed to it, said Les. It has involved many hours scanning

thousands of images and selecting the best. Most are from the Edwardian era, some by well-known

photographers, others are from private collections. Our hope is that people will come from all over to see it.

The exhibition, which opened to coincide with National Week today (Tuesday) and runs until July 25, is

sponsored by advocates Cains, Gordon Bell. Admission is free.

Manx Society of Minnesota Officers

Co-Presidents: Janice Leafer 952-474-8256 [email protected]

Sally Dahlquist 651-450-3567 [email protected]

Vice President: Peggy Rudnitski 952-884-5514 [email protected]

Secretary: Marilyn Craine Anderson 763-422-3909 [email protected]

Treasurer: Jim H. Anderson 763-545-1799 [email protected]

Newsletter: Amy Rudnitski 612-695-3844 [email protected]

Please feel free to contact any of the officers if you have a question, comment, or suggestion for your

society. We are always looking for new places to hold our meeting and new topics for discussion.