Cemetery Research

I have walked through many cemeteries. There are often beautiful, serene places. They are filled with history and art. It is wonderful to find a relative's memorial. I often find birth or death dates I did not know. Looking all around the memorial I sometimes find other family members. 

It is nice to find a family connection in the real world, not just another digital image. As I stand & photograph the memorial I wonder who else has stood in that spot, grieving for this individual or, like me, learning about this individual. 

Here are links to blog posts about some cemeteries I have visited. I have folder filled with more cemetery photos that I should add to future blog posts.

AT THE CEMETERIES

Connecticut

• Mount St. Peter     Kilday family
• Old St. Mary's Cemetery    Brady family
• Pine Grove     Brady family
• Saint Mary's     Coyle family

Ireland

• Searching for a Tombstone     Mullane Family

Louisiana

• Ott Cemetery     Ott family

Mississippi

• Old Cemetery     Ott family
• Wyatt Smith Cemetery     Smith family
• Edwin B. Alford cemetery     Alford

New York

• North Park     Gartner family

New Jersey

• Immaculate Conception     Brady family
• Riverside Cemetery     Gartner/Bearman family
• Calvary Cemetery     Carberry Family

Ohio

• Reedsburg Cemetery     Mark family

Pennsylvania

• St. Peter's     Ritter
• Mummert's Cemetery     Dick family
• Black Oak Ridge     Ritter family
• Rittersville  Cemetery     Ritter family
• Upper Conewago Church of the Brethren Cemetery     Dick family

Virginia

• Gordonsville Cemetery     Brumfield

When you take photographs of a cemetery be sure to add them to Find A Grave. 

There may be someone else anxious to see those memorials.

Military: Gettysburg, PA

Gettysburg

National  Military Park. PA

Here I am, many years ago, at Gettysburg. Our parents had a great love for our country and its history. They took my brothers & I to many historic places. They taught us to be proud of our country & all the men and women who helped us to gain our freedoms.

At that time I did not know we had many family members who had served, on both dies, on the Civil War. I'd like to go back now that I have an even greater appreciation of the sacrifices made during that war & other wars.

Related Posts:

• Civil War Letter
• Civil War Veterans Reunion
• Life in Civil War America

NATUR; Ireland

Saint Patrick's Well, 

Clonmel. County Tipperary, Ireland

In 2012 my oldest daughter and I traveled to Ireland. We rented a car and drove around the island. We were both site seeing & researching our Irish roots. One of the first places we went was Clonmel, home of our Daniel Mullane family. 

    The Daniel Mullane family took picnics to Saint Patrick’s Well. Old black and white home movies show the place, easily recognizable by the stone cross. Family stories tell of the dog running away with Aunt Nell’s hat and when he was chased the hat ended up in the water. I was delighted to be be in the same place my ancestors had enjoyed. Now the ancient site is the setting for memories for another generation of our family.

 It was a beautiful. peaceful place. A good place to enjoy nature & think about our family.

St. Patrick has always had d special place in my heart because I was born on his Saint's Day, St. Patrick's Day. So his well near Clonmel is special in many ways.

 I hope you enjoy these NATURE photos from our memorable trip.

Amy Johnson Crow challenges us to remember our ancestors and their families through this task: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. I completed ’52 Ancestors’ in 2014 & here I go again. This post is in response to that challenge. The topic for this week is NATURE.

Related Posts:

• My Ireland Trip, Part 6
• My Ireland Trip, Part 1
• Mary Jo Mullane Coyle

Mary (Spurlock) Brown: Parents Found?

Mary ‘Polly’ (Spurlock) Brown is my 3^rd great grandmother. She married Edward Stewart Brown. I know almost nothing about her early life. She appeals to me because she was born 1 January 1800 in Oglethorpe, Georgia. She was born with the new century. She lived 88 years; living through the War of 1812 and the Civil War. 

Unfortunately, I know nothing more about the Spurlock family.

That may have changed.

Ancestry DNA now has ‘ThruLines’ that suggest how you may be related to your DNA ancestors through common ancestors. If I click on ThruLines I am shown my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. When I scrolled down those names recently, I saw familiar names that I have spent many hours researching. Then I noticed a new name. 

Allen Spurlock (unproven)

Aug 1774 NC – 8 Aug 1864 Amite, MS

Is this Mary’s father? The name sends me to an Ancestry tree which is fully sourced. Allen Spurlock lived in Amite, MS from at least 1820 according to those sources. His wife was Frances (Traylor) Spurlock. 8 children are listed, including Mary. 

Now, how do I proceed? Maybe I should begin with the marriage of Mary & Edward. I do not have a marriage record. However, their oldest child, Allen Moses Brown, my 2^nd great grandfather, was born 26 January 1836 in Amite, MS. Look at the name of this child. Edward’s father was Moses. Was Mary’s father Allen? Was their first son named for both of their fathers?

In order for Mary & Edward to marry they had to have met. Both families were certainly in Mississippi. The Ancestry tree for Allen Spurlock shows the family in Amite, MS in 1810, 1820, 1830, 1850 & on to Allen’s death. Edward’s father, Moses Brown, was in the Carolinas & then in Marion, MS circa 1812. He left MS for OH circa 1825. But Edward remained in MS. He married Mary in Amite c. 1835 & purchased land in Amite, MS in 1840. 

Timing & location appear to fit. Allen Spurlock, his daughter, Mary, and her future husband, Edward S. Brown were all in Amite MS at the same time. Could this be a family connection? 

Happy Mothers' Day!

Happy Mothers’ Day

In Memory of my Mother,
who taught us the value of family,

& All my Grandmothers.

This is a repost from last year.

Follow the links to learn more about these wonderful women.

My mother,

Alberta Joy (Gardner) Brown

My Grandmothers:

Ivy Regina (Mark) Brown

Helen F. (Coyle) Gardner

My Great Grandmothers:

Rose Ella (Brumfield) Brown

Nancy Regina V. (Gruissy) Mark

Fannie (Edelstein) Gardner

Mary Josephine (Mullane) Coyle 

My 2x Great Grandmothers:

Emmaline (Smith) Brown

Martha Elizabeth (Alford) Brumfield

Elidia Rebecca (Ritter) Mark

Esther Barbara (Wolf) Gruissy

Devorah Dora (Horn) Gartner

Netty (Grofs) Edelstein

Margaret (Brady) Coyle

Brigid (English) Mullane

My [known] 3x Great Grandmothers:

Mary Polly (Spurlock) Brown

Euseba (Fortenberry) Smith

Charlotte Temple (Ott) Brumfield

Martha P. (Smith) Alford

Mary Isabella (Heffelfinger) Mark

Isabell (Fisher) Ritter

Mary (Grorisclauss) Gruissy

Elizabeth (Burkholder) Wolf

Mary (Cunningham) Coyle

Catherine (Gibney) Brady

Julia (Sullivan) Mullane 

Ellen (Hogan) English

My [known] 4x Great Grandmothers:

Barbara (Straum) Gruissy

Esther Barbara (Shaffer) Wolf

Elizabeth (Mowrey) Heffelfinger

Anna Mariah Ritter

Catherine Fisher

Margaret (Kelly) Brumfield

Margaret (Jackson) Ott

Elizabeth (Bryant) Alford

Joanna (Dillon) Smith

Sarah (Robertson) Brown

Violette (Kennington) Fortenberry

My [known] 5x Great Grandmothers:

Mary (Durham) Kelly

Anne (Lawrence) Dillon

Jemimah (Hollis) Smith

Martha Kennington

Hannah (Eubanks) Faulkenberry

Mary Elizabeth Ott

My [known] 6x Great Grandmothers:

Margaret (Collough) Durham

Ann (Ashley) Lawrence

Rosannah (Hagan) Hollis

Mary Dillon
Margaret (Fitchner) Ott
Ann (Ashley) Lawrence 

My [known] 7x Great Grandmothers:

Elizabeth (Nichols) Lawrence

Lucretia Ann (Hicks) Ashley

And all those Names yet to be Uncovered!

Roses for all my grandmothers.

Related Posts:

• Alberta Joy Gardner Brown
• Ivy Regina Mark Brown
• Helen F. Coyle Gardner

Our Family Tree: Nature it!

To NURTURE is to care for and encourage the growth or development of.

As genealogists, we NURTURE our Family Trees, helping them grow.
Here are some ways to nurture your family tree.

Plant the Seeds 

[Seeds of interest so others will want to learn more about the family]

·     Tell stories of Revolutionary War soldiers at a 4^thof July BBQ.

·     Display family heirlooms at family gatherings & tell who they once belonged to.

·     Share family recipes & include a biography of the person who once cooked the dish.

·     Hang pictures of ancestors on your Christmas tree; Make it a family tree

·     Have a Family Scavenger Hunt. Find someone who was once in the military; someone who has lived in 3 different states; someone who can build a log cabin…

Fertilize the Young Tree 

[Once you have their interest find ways to get others involved]

·     Make a Family Calendar that includes as many family birthdays & anniversaries, past & present as possible to make everyone feel a part of the bigger tree.

·     Write a blog or a website family members can read & learn.

·     Ask family members for their stories; everyone should be included.

·     Share family photos on a private FaceBook page.

·     Include cousins for a day at an archive, cemetery or library.

Water the Growing Tree

[Continue your research]

·     Find out new information to keep the tree growing. 

·     Edit your work. Rethink your conclusions. Be sure of your facts.

·     Start an Ancestry Tree & include sources.

Protect the Tree

·     Preserve old photos.

·     Back up your computer records.

·     Find someone in the next generation to carry on your work.

Sit under the tree & enjoy its beauty

·     Share your stories in a book.

·     Write a children’s version for the youngsters.

·     Whenever the family gathers, tell the stories you have learned.