The Manx Society of Minnesota Newsletter

July 2015
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 salgrl@comcast.net.

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 fairygodmother29@yahoo.com 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
records@manxbatgroup.org 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 batspotting 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 janiceleafer@centurylink.net
Sally Dahlquist 651-450-3567 salgrl@comcast.net
Vice President: Peggy Rudnitski 952-884-5514 peggyr01@yahoo.com
Secretary: Marilyn Craine Anderson 763-422-3909 marealtor99@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Jim H. Anderson 763-545-1799 jha@skypoint.com
Newsletter: Amy Rudnitski 612-695-3844 fairygodmother29@yahoo.com
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.