Person:Nellie Amsbaugh (1)

According to the 1880 census, Nellie and her family were in Ingham County. Both of her parents were born in New York.

Amsbough, Adam38 Amsbaugh, Mrs Adam40(her name was Annie Marie Vanderveer) Amsbought, Nellie I 1

A 1954 plat book shows Nellie as occupant/owner of property in Green Oak Twp.

From Driver Memoirs, written by Byron Driver's family - from Joyce Bowers

... We know only that our mother's parents lived in an old log cabin home in Kingsland, Eaton County, Michigan. Nellie's mother - Annie Marie Vanderveer and father - Adam Amsbaugh. Adam was in the Civil War and ... a letter he wrote of his civil war days [is available. He was in Private Co., 100 Division, enlisted 4 Aug 1862 for three years. Captured 8 Sept 1863 in action at Limestone Station, Tennessee, he was returned to his company 14 June 1864 and mustered out 10 June 1865.]

One of the few remembrances I have of my mother telling about the old log house was of the snakes crawling along through the chinks in the logs from the inside walls. They could be felt thru the paper that covered the wall. They also had to watch for snakes while gathering wild berries.

... Nellie Irene had discovered she could play music by ear, and did while it was fresh in her memory. Later, she continued the playing adding more fingers then her hands. If she ever took lessons there was no evidence. Some of self study and practice. When her parents moved to Lansing, she sang alto in the Methodist Church choir and played the church organ when needed.

Our father, quite a handsome young man was driving a milk delivery truck for his older brother, Oscar, from Holt to Lansing. It was there they met.

They were married at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Adam Amsbaugh, 1208 Vine St., Lansing... Byron and Nellie moved to the home of his older brother, Oscar Driver, where Byron continued working on the milk route... Nellie and Byron shared Oscar's home with his wife, Nella Barnes and their five children.

Flossie was born and our parents moved to Byron's father's farm near Meridian, living there until after the births of Marion and Harriet.

Byron continued working his father's farm along with another 56 acres which he had purchased a mile away. Later, he added another 40 acres to it.

... With a big family, my father had trouble keeping track of his garden tools. This day in his round of questioning said, "Elmer, do you know where my hoe is?" Elmer's reply, "I know where it is, but I can't find it."

... When news circulated that Byron Driver was building a new barn, many neighbors came to him with the suggestion he put in smooth floors making a place for neighborhood parties and barn dances, promising that enough would come to pay for the smooth floor. The barn soon began with its band stand, and a band with Frank Roback, the violinist, Ray LaDoo from Lansing, the caller, Fobes Jewell of Fowlerville, the pianist, and the drummer, whose name is unrecalled. Our mother always prepared a midnight lunch for the band, then during this intermission went to he barn herself to play two steps and waltz time for those inclined. Homemade ice cream was also sold. Too, nap time sleeping quarters were prepared for children in the grain bin area with sleeping blankets and pillows. Dance tickets were 50 cents and ice cream was 10 cents. Some people came as far as Lansing, riding in side seat horse and hack carriage. A twelve mile trip that returned them home as daylight dawned.

... The 17th day of July 1919, Byron Driver... came to Green Oak and purchased the 132 acre farm of Mary Peer and sons Thad and Newton, not taking immediate possession of the home. Byron set up temporary quarters in the tool shed where two of his older daughters, Marion and Harriet cooked the meals on an old oil stove and where he slept on his old iron bed, while the girls had a room in the seven bedroom home of the former owners. His wife and rest of his family remained at the Meridian home to take care of chores and farm work left there.

... Byron, a small energetic man soon became the neighborhood thresherman and silo filler... He later took up and specialized in gardening. Introducing the Golden Heart Watermelon and Japanese popcorn, which were both totally new and became in great demand around the Lakes area. Sweet corn also was a specialty.

... With passing years and three daughters now already married, grown sons now leaving the farm for other occupations, Byron established the first boat livery on Lime Kiln Lake. A part of the farm which grew into a small park, attracted many Detroiters and eventually to the selling of lake lots. A lake community began to grow.

... In the mid thirties and forties, our father Byron was an avid member of the Michigan Milk Producers Association and freely expressed his views on this and several other issues through Voices of the People, the Daily Press and others.

The electric light as we know it today was invented simultaneously in 1879 by two people: Thomas Alva Edison in the United States and Sir Joseph Wilson Swan in England.

Swan was actually the first to make an electric light bulb, but he had trouble maintaining a vacuum in his bulb. Edison's lamp consisted of a filament housed in a glass vacuum bulb. By January 1879, Edison had built a small electric light you could use at home. It worked by passing electricity through a thin platinum filament in the glass vacuum bulb, which delayed the filament from melting. The lamp only burned for a few hours.

Edison decided to try a carbonized cotton thread filament. (He even thought about using tungsten, which is the metal used for light bulb filaments now, but the tools at that time could not handle this element.) When he applied voltage to the completed bulb, it gave off a soft orange glow. Fifteen hours later, the filament finally burned out. Success! And by the end of 1880, Edison had produced a 16-watt bulb that lasted 1500 hours.

1. ↑ Family Tree Maker. Selected US/International Marriage Records 1560-1900's.
2. ↑ Researcher.

   Joyce Matthews Bowers (a descendant through Mary Ellen Driver), Rick Amsbaugh, Bill Zehm