Early Ancestors of Vyvian Musser Family
I.
Hans Moser, b. c. 1650, d. 1710-1714, Alsace; m. Elizabeth.
II.
Samuel Moser b. c.1680, d. Feb. 20, J755,Alsace;
Ill.
rvncnaet Moser b. JUly 11, rt 1'1 m Atsace, d. York Lo. pa c. Ins~. m . .Eva
Maria Elsasser, b. Sept. 11, 1717 in Alsace, d. June 27,1807, Ohio. (moved to
Ohio 1801)
I v.
Peter Musservb, Apru ze, 174U in .HischwIUer, Atscaee, d. Nov • ze, H~m~.m.
Margaret Wortman b. 1743, d. 1821.
V.
J. Peter IVlusser Jr, b. Mar, 11, 1TIll, frederIck Lounty,LVlaryland; d. June
13, 1852. m. Nancy Ann Newcomer Dec. 23, 1800 at Franklin on the Juniata
River, Huntington Co., Pennsylvania. Nancy b. Mar 1, 1782, d. 1866.
VI.
Cyrus Boyd, b. Dec. 9,1822, d. c.1901,Ohio.
1845 in Wisconsin.
VII.
Luther LeRoy IVlusser, b. Uct, IH47, Omo. m. Anza (Lisa) Jane
1849 Canada, immigrated 1860.
m. Catherine Weiss
m. Julia Waldron, March 3,
ruu.,
b. Apr,
V111. Alvin Cyrus Musser, b. Uct. HSb7, Kiver J.falls, Wisconsin, d. Aug. 14, 19S.l,
Johnson Co., Buffalo, Wyoming. M. Nettie Jane Dwyer, July 4, 1888. Nettie
b. Mar. 22, IMbM, Kinni Kinic, St. Crotx Co, Wisconsin. d. Jan. 29, 1953
Evanston, Wyoming. (have birth certificates)
lX.
Vyvian .Floyd Musser, b. June 13, 1M,)1, Kinni Kinic, Wisconsin, d. Dee 2,
1960, Denver, Colorado. m. Lillian Goodyear Fitzmaurice Apr, 2, 1912, Big
Horn Co., Basin, Wyoming. Lillian b. Jan. 31, 18')4, Omaha, Nebraska, d.
Dec. 22, 1993 Morrison, Colorado.
Note: Lillian's father, Harry Green .Fitzmaurice b. Mar. 3, 1854, Albany, N.
Y., d. Feb. 7, 1942 Homelake, Colorado. m. Maggie H. Wyckoff Feb. 21,
1899. Maggie b. Jan 7, 1863 Pontiac, Michigan, d. Aug 28,1941.
x.
Robert Wendell Musser, b. July 16, 1921, Brighton, Colorado, m. Ruby
Juanita Musser, Apr. 4, 1944, Denver, Co. Juanita h. Jan 28, 1923, Byers, Co.
IX Vyvian Floyd Musser (9) - My Grandfather
Vyvian (Vya) Floyd Musser was born on Jun 13, 1891 in Kinnikinnic, Wisconsin. He married
Lillian Goodyear Fitzmaurice on Apr 2, 1912 in Basin, Wyoming. He died on Dee 2, 1960 in
Denver, Colorado. Vya and Lillian had six children:
(1) Floyd Maurice Musser b. Aug 21, 1914 in Worland, Wyoming; m. Nancy Bell
Eakel in Denver, Co. who died Dec. 28, 1936 (or 1937) .. 2nd m. Bereith Wolcott
Musser on Sept. 5, 1938,; Floyd d. April 1, 1979 in Thornton, Co. They had two
children: Charles and Marie.
(2) Harry Frances Musser b. Oct 28, 1917 in Cheyenne, Wyoming; m. 1st wife, Julie,
and they had two children, William and Lillian. Married 2nd wife, Carol Gosling
March 3, 1945 and they had two children, Robin and Diane. Harry died April 28,
1997.
(3) Kathlyn Margaret Musser b. Feb 18, 1919 in Laramie, Wyoming. Married Everell
Reed, and they had two children, Donna and Mark.
(4) Robert Wendell Musser born July 16, 1921 in Brighton, Colorado. Married Ruby
Juanita Oberg on April 5, 1944. They had three children: Janet Lynn, Janine, and
Gregg Robert.
(5) Gregg Elwin Musser born May 11, 1925. Married Levis Glass. They had one child,
Dean, who died soon after he was born.
(6) Lillian (Jayne) Musser born Nov. 1, 1927 in Denver, Colorado. Married Charles
Richard Osborn on Nov. 18, 1947. They had three children: Charles Richard Jr.
(Rick), Deby, and David.
Grannys' Story
I had a happy childhood. I was the last of my family of six children. Each of my parents had
married and divorced before they married each other. Dad met Mom in Omaha and she already
had Ralph. My father, Harry Green Fitzmaurice married my mother Maggie Wycoff
My father's father was William Fitzmaurice from Dublin, Ireland. He came from some English
royalty. One of his ancestors was Lord Thomas Fitzmaurice. (Irish-Scotch) and another was an
Irish King. King Fitzmaurice.
I grew up on the Alerton- Thompson Ranch in Nebraska. I had a big home at ranch
headquarters. My father was the foreman on the East end. I attended Clifton Hill School in
Omaha until I'was eight years of age. When I was a child, there were Indians around so we
never went far from the house.
We moved near Elgin, Nebraska and lived on a farm. I went to school at a little red school
house, and at a community church until we moved to Worland, Wyoming in 1909. We bought
an 80 acre farm in Wyoming, and I attended Worland High School until 1912. (I quit school at
lOth grade to take care of my mother.)
I met Vya in Worland, Wyoming during the time of the cattle-sheep war. He worked in a
printing shop. I was the school-court reporter of "The Grit". I married Vya on April 2, 1912
and we lived in Worland until Mar. of 1915. Our first child, a son, FloydM., was born there on
21st Aug 1914.
Grandpa Musser played the violin for dances. Charles (his first grandson) has his violin. Your
Daddy (Bob) would tap dance to the music.
Grandpa's father, Alvin Cyrus Musser, moved to Levenworth, Kansas after his divorce. He was
a turnkey in the state prison. He left his first wife and their children because their religious
beliefs clashed.
Kathlyn's Memories
Grandpa (my dad) was very much like his father. He was handsome. He wasn't as tall or as
broad shouldered. He took care of the boy's problems and Mom took care of the girls. If I had
a problem, he would tell me, "Well, go ask your mother." Daddy was very good to me. He
loved all of his kids. He loved babies. It pained all of us when boys got punished.
I remember when the boys came home from the war and we had moved to a one-bedroom
apartment atl 065 Gaylord Street. Mom admitted that she regretted that move because the boys
felt like they didn't have their home to come to. Floyd came home first late at night. Jane and I
slept in the living room. I looked through the peephole, saw him and yelled, "Floyd." It was a
rowdy happy time. Carol and Robin were living with us.
I answered the door again when Bob came home. Daddy came out of the bedroom and Bob had
all of his medals on. They shook hands and Daddy pulled Bob toward him, and he hugged him
and he cried. I never saw my Daddy cry except then.
Mother told me about her courtship and marriage to Daddy. She said that Daddy came out and
visited a lot. Grandpa was off tending sheep. Daddy would take Mom for buggy rides. He was
good to her, and she liked him. One day she was out in back in the sun, wearing a straw hat,
and Vy was inside talking to Grandma. "Lillian, come in," Grandma called. "Take your bag.
You're goin'with Vy. She packed a little bag and went with him. It was an arranged marriage,
and Mom said it turned out good. He was always a good man.
Granny and Grandpa didn't go out anywhere. They sometimes had neighbors over once in a
while, but mostly they visited with family like Uncle Roy and Aunt Mary. It was the depression
and we entertained ourselves. We played Rummy and sometimes we would push the dining
room table back and turn on the radio and dance.
Mom once told me, "I think he killed himself working for his kids and me." He had a stomach
ulcer and had to have it removed. The he had a gall bladder operation and got blood poisoning.
There was lots of infection, and Dad couldn't work. Floyd and Harry were gone, so Bob quit
school when he was fourteen and worked Dad's milk route to provide for the family. I was in
High School and I later wondered why it hadn't occurred to me to quit to help out. Womenjust
didn't work then. Mom was always home with the kids, until she had to go to work during the
war.
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Aunt Jayne's Memories
Dad would take us over to Progress Plunge Swimming Pool on the milk truck, and we sat on
wooden milk cartons. One thing that happened with Kathlyn was so funny. She was in the pool
and Daddy thought she was having trouble, and possibly drowning. Daddy was so flustered,
that he took off his hat and began dipping the water out with it in an attempt to save her. Ask
Kathlyn if she remembers it. I think I was about 8 or 9.
Daddy - He was a very hard worker. And he loved his family. Daddy only said nice things to
people. If he didn't have something nice to say, he wouldn't say anything. He always had a
good insight on people, and he thought the world of Carol.
Carol came from England with her infant son, Robin. Harry was still serving in the Navy in
England and Germany. We went to the train station to meet them. I was so excited. Daddy and
Mom were so happy to see her. We all were. She was a brave young lady to come all that way
by herself When she got here they were just thrilled to have her. I had the two best sister-inlaws I could ever have, Juanita and Carol.
We often drove to Laramie to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Daddy also took us to the ranch, to
the homestead, and I used to stand up in the back of the car right behind Daddy. I would touch
his bald spot and say, "Beep-Beep." He didn't say anything, but Mother said he would always
smile when I did it. He was always good to me. He was more strict with the boys.
Daddy was thrilled when Harry joined at the Navy when he was only seventeen. He was proud
of him. We had balloons and popped them. He was proud of all four of his boys.
Mom was always there for me. She was a good mother. She never interfered, but she was firm.
I learned one time just how firm. 1 was in High School and was dating. I was usually home by
eleven, and 1 always had to be in before midnight. Well, I had been a little late a few times, and
Mom said, "Jane, if you're late one more time, that's it. You wont go out again" So, I went out
on Friday night, and I got in about five minutes late. I also had a date for Saturday night with
my steady boyfriend, and I got ready and went out into the living room. Mom said, "You are
not going. I told you could not go out if you were late one more time." I was sure that this
would be the end of my life! I was going to have to tell my date that I had to stay home. I
pleaded with her, and she finally let me go. I was never late again.
When I was in Elementary School, my mother made me a light green coat. I loved that coat.
She made it for me for Easter and since it was my only coat, I wore it to church and school all
year around. A friend of mine named Eleanor Gray had a new winter coat. She said to me one
day, "Oh, you're wearing your green coat. Don't you have a winter one?" I said, "1 have a
sweater on underneath, and I like the one my mother made me."
Mom accomplished so many things. She was very sharp. In her later years, if her kids couldn't
remember something, Mom could. She put up with so much pain. She perservered to the end.
Bereith gave a beautiful eulogy to her at the funeral.
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Dad had false teeth, and the one in front got chipped. He kept them in a jar on the tank of the
toilet. I was cleaning up and I accidentally knocked them off into the toilet. The teeth were
pretty new. I was in High School. I cleaned them and never said a word and he never did
either. Finally, a few days later, he asked me, "Kathlyn, how did this happen?" He grinned and
showed me the chipped tooth. I told him I had knocked them into the toilet, and he spit them
out. He wasn't mad, he was just being funny.
Bob Musser's Memories
When I was in kindergarten, Dad was a bread man for Macklum Baking Co. and he had a rural
route to Boulder, Broomfield, Kingsburg, Lafayette and neighboring towns. He delivered
bread to grocery stores.
Later, he was in business for himself selling car batteries and doing light auto repair.
Dad was always good to us. We had to be quiet in the house when he was sleeping. Dad was
always concerned about his children. He would get scared when we got the sniffles.
My Mom and Dad had homestead property in the mountains above the Glenn Carr Ranch,
approximately 15 miles away. The mountains were beautiful, and the cabin was built in a very
grassy meadow. It was natural grass, good cattle land. My parents applied to the government
for the homestead, and received the property under the Homestead Act. You had to spend a
minimum of 120 days a year for 7 years for it to become your property. We would go up for
four months in the summertime, and I was probably eight or nine when they got the property.
Uncle Glen, who was married to Dad's sister Sylvia, leased the land from Mom and Dad so he
could run a large herd of cattle on it. They eventually sold the homestead to Glenn.
When Dad got sick, I had to quit school and take over his milk route. I was fourteen years old.
When Dad was older, and feeling pretty low, Mildred Oberg, my mother-in-law, gave him a
parakeet. He named him Petey and trained him to talk and to stand on his finger. He would
open the birdcage door and Petey would step onto his finger. Dad would let him fly around the
room and throughout the house, then the bird would land back on his shoulder. When Dad put
out of his finger, Petey would land on it and Dad would put him back in the cage. Petey was
good company for Dad, but Mom didn't like cleaning up after him, and would scold Dad when
he let him fly around the house.
Granny - She was "Mom". I just loved her. I always thought a great deal of her.
She was a homemaker and took us to S. Broadway Presbyterian Church. We all enjoyed going
to church with Mom.
Granny was always thanking me for being able to support the family.
How much I miss her! She wanted to go home. She would wonder why she was still here and
why she couldn't go home. I told her that she had touched so many people in her life, and only
the Lord knows how many more needed to be touched. She really was beautiful.
Juanita's Memories
Grandpa (Vya) was a quiet man. He was very nice. My first memory of him is when Bob and I
were going together, and we went over to his house for dinner. To my surprise, his father
cooked the dinner. The dinner was goulash and other trimmings. I thought that was really nice.
I wondered if Bob could cook too. Grandpa was a loving father. I never heard him raise his
VOice.
They didn't do things as a family too much. We would occasionally go on picnics with them up
to Turkey Creek Canyon. Grandpa didn't do much because he worked seven nights a week at a
filling station on Speer Blvd.. He slept during the days.
When he was well, he was always quiet, observing and courteous. Granny was more outgoing.
When we lived next door at 3627-3629 So. Bannock, we would visit often. We'd have coffee.
(Grandpa usually came over separately.) I could talk to her about anything. If! had a problem,
I could discuss it with her. She was a good mother-in-law.
She didn't play with you kids, but she would come out and talk to you in the backyard. She
would baby-sit occasionally.
Granny would sometimes ask me to help her move the furniture. I always thought she had very
good ideas for fixing up the house and she had a way of getting it done.
She was very intellegent, I believe. You would be proud to be with her at any time. She was
always very attractive and cared about her appearance. When she was in the nursing home, she
would have her hair done and it always looked so pretty.
Carol's Memories
I carne to America on the Queen Mary. We arrived in New York, then took a train to Chicago,
and then second train to Denver. Granny and Grandpa, Jayne and Kathlyn and Everell met me.
I remember what a wonderful welcome the whole family gave me when I came over here.
They really did give me such a nice welcome. They prepared a terrific breakfast cooked with
everything including eggs and bacon. They knew certain foods were scarce in England.
Mom and Dad lived in a one-bedroom apartment at 1065 Gaylord Street. Dad slept in the bed
during the day and worked at night. Mom and Jane slept in the bed at night, and Mom worked
during the day. I slept on the couch and Robin slept in a pram.
I got along so well with Grandpa Musser (Dad). He was a darling. Mom and Dad couldn't do
enough for me. Dad used to make his false teeth clatter up and down to entertain us kids.
Mom and Dad took me up to the mountains to Turkey Creek Canyon, above Evergreen, and
Aunt Jayne had made a marble cake. I had never seen or heard of a marble cake. I took black
and white pictures, and sent them to my parents in England. I got them back when my parents
died.
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