Tombstone Tuesday ~ Ed Langley and Ethel Grote

Near last week's tombstone was my Aunt and Uncle.  Edwin R Langley was the brother of my father and Dora Langley... (she will be for next week).

My cousin and I had been talking about family history via email.  In our conversations were discussions about tombstones.  He decided he wanted to personalize his parent's tombstone with a picture.  He did some study on it and this was his final email on the subject.
"Dad purchased the cemetery lots and this stone about 5+ years before he died.  He put a lot of thought into the stone and was very proud of the fact he got it done.  I have always been amazed at the pictures on some of the older stones that are always very clear and never seem to fade even when facing the sun…..recently I found out that the reason for never fading is because they are ceramic (imagine that!!!!).   Recently I sent you a pic that I took from a portriat that was taken when mom and dad were in their mid-40's which they both liked.  I have decided to add a ceramic pic to the headstone  using the one I sent you…..I think they would approve."
I agreed. I think they would have been greatly pleased.

The picture he chose.

Ethel is the Daughter of  George and Hattie Grote

Tombstone Tuesday

A post by Amy Johnson Crow took me to my cemetery pictures to see if I was following her "5 Photos You Should Take at the Cemetery"
I was good.  Whew.  Want to make sure time is not wasted when making the trip and stop.
Below is the picture of my Aunt and Uncle's Parents.  My dad's brother and sister married a brother and sister.  Those are for easy genealogy lines. JI was looking for their tombstones, which I did get, when I noticed most of the Grote family is buried in close proximity, I went ahead a grabbed a picture of  the parents tombstone.

Tombstone for George and Hattie Grote and their son Delbert.

A close up: 

I made sure I could read the epitaph.

"At rest but not forgotten"

The cemetery sign was a must since a huge number of my dad's family is buried there.

I went a little back wards at this, but I did the work. Happy Tombstone Day,

This is for Kenny and his cousins.

Tombstone Tuesday ~ The Care Taker Becomes the One Cared For

In 2010, we took Mildred to clean and care for her husband's grave and she took the time to talk with her granddaughter and great grand children.

In 2012, a picture my brother in law took of her on Memorial Day when they went and cleaned the tombstone.

2014, My sister in law on Memorial Day after she and her brother cleaned the tombstone for Mildred and Ed her husband.
How time passes.

Tombstone Tuesday

While looking for family in the Pawnee, Oklahoma cemetery, I came across this interesting tombstone.

A memorial for those members of the  Odd Fellows and Rebekah Lodge Organization in Pawnee, Oklahoma.

Tombstone Tuesday: Jasper Newton Wells

The person who shared on Ancestry never gave his name dwightbrooks2, this is also on FindaGrave

My knowledge of Jasper Newton Wells increased when two people who were not related to the Hero's ancestor, took pictures of his tombstone and shared it on Find a Grave and Ancestry.com. I contacted them both and they were glad I knew him. They were keeping it just in case they found a connection because their Wells family lived in the area.  Tombstones do count in genealogy research... I wrote a blog post about this on the WorldWide Genealogy Collaboration Blog, go HERE to see it. 

Tombstone Tuesday Or How A Death Certificate Helped Find The Grave

Walter Vance's tombstone had eluded me.

Three Children, one Grandchild

My mother-in-law said her father died in Fresno, and that she and her siblings had driven out to Fresno to bury him.  I had the California Death information from online so didn't consider purchasing a Death Certificate until I had called all the Fresno Mortuaries from the 1945 era without any results.  The Death Certificate became the focused way to find out who handled the burial. 
Since I was not a blood descendant... granddaughter-in-law ..., and California Death Certificate applications require relationship, my daughter and I went on a genealogy trip to Fresno County Hall of Records. When we stepped inside the building it was like stepping back in time.  The decor is still 1930-1940's. 

We, I say we because I brought all my genealogy information on Walter, filled out the application and handed it to the lady behind the desk.  She was surprised at the date. "1945?" she asked.  We nodded our heads and smiled.  Off she went and in less than 5 minutes she was back with the Death Certificate. 

It had the Yost and Webb Mortuary as the embalmers. They are the oldest Funeral home in the area.  Investigating the document further,  it said "Removal" in the burial information.  Now what did that mean?
Since I was sitting outside the Fesno Zoo for the afternoon fun part of the trip for the toddlers, I called my daughter in Idaho (don't you love having a  network to assist) and got the phone number of the Funeral home from her.  A quick call, the miracle of computers, and an understanding member of the funeral home revealed they had removed his body  to Bakersfield.  There wasn't any notation as to which funeral home it was they had removed him too.
The next day I began my calls to Mortuary/Funeral Homes in Bakersfield.  The first one said to call the Greenlawn Mortuary in Bakersfield as they were one of the oldest funeral homes. A quick internet look revealed they had built their chapel in 1941. Perfect.  Another call.  The lady who answered was so sweet. She looked immediately and came back to the phone saying he is buried in the Slumberland lawn.  My heart was so full!  First try, and they knew exact space3, lot A and block 71 that he was buried in. 
On Sunday we would go down and see if there was a stone still there.
Sunday arrived.  After church, we drove to Bakersfield.  The same Lady I talked with on the phone was at the desk. Bless her heart, she had everything there.  She gave me a copy of their index card.

We followed the map and there was the grave on a quiet slope.

The daughter and family who helped make it happen while I visited them.

Looking at the picture of the children at the grave in 1945, it appears to be the same spot.

I still would have missed it on an index. Who would have looked for the nickname "Bob" that didn't have anything to do with his name. Go figure.

 I will share with you in another post about the new parts of Walter's life we learned from the Death Certificate.

Tombstone Tuesday Meet The Juraschek Family

Tombstones in St Mary's Cemetery San Antonio, TX

This is one of the Tombstones in the Historical St Mary's Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.  I have looked at several genealogy family tree websites, but have not found a family tree presence for this family online.  I am adding this to FindAGrave 
Here are a few tidbits I did find for the family.
 Name: Peter Juraschek
Death Date: 21 Nov 1914
Death Place: San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
Gender: Male
Race: White
Death Age: 79 years 5 months 4 days
Estimated Birth Date:
Birth Date: 17 Jun 1835
Birthplace: Prussian Poland
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name: John Juraschek
Father's Birthplace: Prussian Poland
Mother's Name:
Mother's Birthplace: Prussian Poland
Occupation: Retired Mechanic
Place of Residence: San Antonio, Texas
Cemetery: St. Mary's
Burial Place:
Burial Date: 22 Nov 1914
Additional Relatives:
Film Number: 2051130
Digital Film Number: 4165729
Image Number: 1350
Reference Number: cn 21644
Collection: Texas Deaths, 1890-1976
( the image is available on Beta.familysearch.org)
This son was on the 1910 census with his parents he was noted as head of household.
Groom's Name: Alexander Juraschek
Bride's Name: Maria H. Pyterek
Marriage Date: 17 Feb 1920
Marriage Place: Bexar, Texas
This daughter did not show on the census because she married Witte before 1910. I did find both her marriages.  There are more daughters and a son on FamilySearch.org Record Search.
Name: Anna Juraschek Witte Robinson
Death Date: 01 Sep 1956
Death Place: San Antonio, Bexar, Texas
Gender: Female
Race: White
Death Age: 80 years 20 days
Estimated Birth Date:
Birth Date: 11 Aug 1876
Birthplace: Germany
Marital Status: Widowed
Father's Name: Peter Vincent Juraschek
Father's Birthplace: Germany
Mother's Name: Mary Kraiczyk
Mother's Birthplace: Germany

If this is your family let me know, I will share where and how to get your family started.

Tombstone Tuesday Mary Lambert Fitch

When I was wandering through the St Mary's Cemetery in San Antonio, TX, this stone caught my eye.  My early family starts with Rev. James Fitch in Connecticut. 
I have found she was with her grandmother Mary Dresch on the 1900 census, her dad was from Pennsylvania and mom from Texas. 
Found her on the death index but no information other than death date and place which I already have.  Wonder who she was, what sadness was in her life, did she have TB as many did in the 1920's?  Another mystery.  Did find a private tree that has her listed sent them a message.  Now wait and see.  : (

Tombstone Tuesday Evergreen Cemetery

Click here to go to Evergreen Cemetery

I have found a new distant cousin, Howard.  He has shared about his family and I have learned about a Gray and Blue Civil War Retirement community.
This is from his letter.

These are my 2nd great-grandparents, Leon Selwyn Shaver and Ella Cecilia Brigham.  They left Michigan to go to the Swan Colony in Fitzgerald, Georgia in 1895.  It was a retirement community planned for the veterans of the Civil War.  If you look up the history of Fitzgerald, Georgia, it's really a very inspirational story.  There were veterans from the North as well as the South who all came together and treated each other with mutual respect, blue and gray marched together, shoulder to shoulder, in the first parade they had in late 1895, if I remember right.  Ella, however, died there in 1896 from Malaria which she had contracted either before or sometime during their trip.  Her husband and children moved back to Michigan after her death and he married her sister Alice. 

Howard

Tombstone Tuesday Children's Grave

I was going through my mother's pictures and found this.  These are the children of George Washington Roberts and Katherine Roberts.  There had been no death dates for these children, and my mother when she took the picture did not know who they belonged to.  I have proved them on Census records and now I have their death dates.  Sometimes random acts are helpful.

Tombstone Tuesday The Coyne Family Found

I have not found any descendants that have trees on this family but I have put the family together.  I wish my family was a easy as this family to find. 
Michael J Coyne b 04 Nov 1862, Floughena, County Mayo, Ireland
Died  31 Mar 1934 San Antonio, Bexar, Texas
Father James Coyne, Mother Ann Freely
His Death Certificate from Family Record Search:

Jane Henry Coyne B 1875 County Sligo, Ireland
died 08 Feb 1949 San Antonio, Bexar, Texas
Father James Henry
Ah ha....the tombstone....

Janes's death certificate is not available but the summary was.
There is a Freely buried next to them will be investigating. 
This is the family in 1920 and 1930  I did not find them in 1900, although the census says they came in about 1889ish

Something I have  learned about the Irish immigrant.  They were proud of their family and shared with their family where they came from and the family left behind.  When I have found their death certificates, everything is filled out, not like my Missouri ancestors who couldn't even get their grandmother's name right.

Tombstone Tuesday Sad Cemetery

I am working on adding this and other tombstones to Find A Grave.
I was appalled at the condition of St Mary's Cemetery in San Antonio.  We will be looking at the Texas Historical Commission's Recovering a Forgotten Cemetery, to get organized for helping this little cemetery in the middle of San Antonio. TX.
This Person is not in any family trees I have found so far. I had to clear in front of this, and still missed the 1934 death date for Michael J Coyne.

Tombstone Tuesday Memorial Day

This Memorial Day weekend, I took my mother-in-law to put flags on my father-in-laws grave.  I had the toddlers with me.  I have memories of going as a child with my mom and grandmothers and visiting and leaving flowers at the graves of my grandfathers.  There would be cousins, aunts, uncles, and a whole group of people there.  They would have a picnic and we got to know our family.

We are all so spread out, that we do not do it anymore as an almost reunion, but I did it on a mini scale with the toddlers and their aunt, their great grandmother, and cousins. 

The pictures here are not meant to be disrespectful.  The toddlers went exploring and they found some of the tombstones useful for resting.  They cleaned flowers and shared with other tombstones if they didn't have flowers.  We did have to watch them.

Tombstone Tuesday Henry and Martha Reynolds

Never discount learning new facts about your family.  You never know what you are going to discover when you are cleaning and working with old files that you think you are finished with. 
A case in point, my mother-in-law was born on July 5 1919.  She loved to tell the story that until she was 9, she had always thought that July 4 was her birthday because they celebrated it on that day. 
As I was creating a grave site for Henry and Martha on Find a Grave, I just recognized a new fact that she never shared or maybe she never knew...or didn't remember, because she moved away from her grandparents when she was 9.  That was the time she started paying attention to dates.  This family had been assembled years ago and I apparently had just plugged in the numbers, not coordinating it with other information in the family.  Here is the new/old information:



Her grandmother Martha Wells was born July 6,  a day after Mom's birthday. 
Her grandparents were married July 7, two days after her birthday.
Isn't that something. 

I bet Mom's grandmother felt a special bond with her.

Tombstone Tuesday Emma Gildon

Tombstone Tuesday Sarah Hughes Thorn

Tombstone Tuesday Thomas Thorn

This was a gift from FindaGrave Old Bwana.

I would like to quote him here.  It is something that should be considered.

"I strongly suggest that old, worn grave markers be replaced every 100 years, or more often if needed. So many families just let them go and the graves of ancestors become lost forever. 

Please think about this. 

Thank you!!!"

Tombstone Tuesday The Other Side of the Pathway

As you notice, I have a street sign on my side board.  Langley/Ellsworth.  I tend to write more on my husband's side of the path than mine. This is the grave marker of my great grandfather.  His name was Benedict, but he always went by BD or Benny Dick.  Must have been the association with Benedict Arnold that he didn't like.  What ever he just never used his proper name.  His life was interesting and I have been finding out more about the customs around him and his times.

Tombstone Tuesday Wrong Family

I had asked for a picture to be taken of what I believed to be my ancestor on Find a Grave.  Interestingly, it turned out that there were different names on each side of the grave stone. 
1. Patrick O'Brien
2. Julia O'Brien Dooley
3. J J McElligott & Catherine McElligott
4. W H O'Brien

I went to Ancestry and discovered that this was Patrick's wife who remarried just before 1870 and Patrick's two children.

In 1860 Geneva, Kane Co., IL she is a widow. Notice the misspelling of O'Brien.
Name                 Age
Julia Obrine        38
William Obrine     9
James Obrine       8
John Obrine         6
Briget Obrine       2




I found it interesting that Briget is Katherine in the 1870 Blackberry, Kane Co, IL census

Michael Dooley      53
Julia Dooley     45
William Obrien     19
James Obrien     17
John Obrien     16
Katherine M Obrien     14
It is definitely not my family but I offered the information on Find a Grave and hopefully it will help someone who might be searching for this family.

Tombstone Tuesday Spellings

 

This tombstone gave much information.  He was a mason.  He served in the Civil War and her children spelled her name with a C....documents were in K