Shortly before my paternal grandfather (Cleon Earl Anthony Sr) passed away, he handed me a set of rolled oversized papers. “I want you to have these,” he said. I could barely breathe! I knew that these blueprint-sized papers were actually a handwritten history of the Glougie family! Grandpa Anthony explained that he knew I had an interest in genealogy so he thought I should be the one to have them. I grasped them in my hands and felt I had something more priceless than gold!
Unfortunately, the feeling was short-lived. Grandpa Anthony began expressing concern that these were the last known copies of his maternal grandmother’s history – the history of Martha Hull Glougie. He began to advise me how to care for them. Then . . . he changed his mind.
He must have noticed that I was holding back tears because after taking the roll of papers back into his hands, he offered the idea of having copies made. After a few phone calls, we were able to find a business in downtown Morro Bay that would copy the blueprints.
Thankfully, I was able to have and keep this copy of family history for many years, but the large paper format made it very difficult for me to share with others. I manually transcribed the notes and info onto genealogy databases. It took hours of work but it was worth it!
Years later, I discovered the blueprints could be converted to a PDF. I had two fears about the conversion process. The first was the price. It’s a bit costly. The second fear was letting the papers out of my hands. It must run in the family genes!
I finally got over my fears and was able to create a PDF so others can view the original notes and data compiled by Lindon Shafer in 1981. The PDF can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. The second page of the PDF document explains that much of the information comes from Martha Hull Glougie and her uncle, Robert Edwards in 1920. Donald and Fredrick Shafer recorded the 1920 information. Then Lindon gathered the previously known data and added to it.
I think it’s important to take a moment and consider the actual Glougie surname. It is quite unique! The ancestry of the Glougies stem from a Jean Baptiste Gladu. Curious about how Gladu became Glougie, I visited with our local high school French language teacher, a native of France. Without saying anything, I wrote Gladu on a scrap of paper and asked her to pronounce it as a French term. Her pronunciation was something like this: glaw-juh. Close enough! Somehow glaw-juh became glaw-jie. I’m guessing some poor census taker couldn’t figure out the correct spelling, though other sources say it was purposely changed. We may never know why it was changed but one can be sure that the roots of the name are indeed French!
Martha Hull Glougie and her husband, John, eventually made their way to Fresno, California. A short biography of John R. Glougie can be found on pages 885 and 886 of the book History of Fresno County, California: With Biographical Sketches, Volume 1 (1919). Among other things noted in this biography, John R. Glougie is described as “a most excellent man, with an enviable record for real accomplishment.” To read the complete biography click here: Glougie History of Fresno County California with Biographical Sketches
Of particular note in the Fresno County biography is the report given of Martha Hull Glougie as a “cultured, refined woman loving the beautiful and things of good report . . . .” It was also said that “she is interested in the genealogy of her family . . . .” Genealogy. It must run in the family genes!
To download the history recorded by the Shafer brothers, click here: Glougie History by Shafer
My Kindredology 