Wordless Wednesday: The Original Nuremberg Laws Finally at National Archives

General Patton ignored orders from General Eisenhower in 1945--

but the original Nuremberg Laws finally make it to the National Archives in 2010.








My parents had the opportunity to visit some of Hitler's concentration camps while my dad was part of the American Occupation Force after World War II.  The sight, the smell, the feelings of being there where so many lives were lost due to Hitler's policies were overwhelming according to my mom.  She never forgot the sights and the horrors of the tour of the camps.  When she talked about the visit, she would close her eyes and shudder as the tears would roll down her face.

Ahh, genealogy.  Sometimes history comes back to us in the sight and in the sounds of today.  I guess I'll just take a moment and say a prayer for those who suffered and died in the concentration camps, and remember my mom.



©2010 AS Eldredge

Got to Cool Off to Get Hot

Ok, my dear cousins--  whether you are inlaws or outlaws---  I've got the hint!

I'm going to stop writing new blogs (oh, the horror of it all) until I get the NEWEST info up on our tree.  Two different sources have written to me in the last week to see if I am still interested in the family.

So, I'll cool down the writing for a few days so my family ties on that one line can be updated. 

I've also been hot on the trail of my 4g grandpa and have located his EXACT address in 1839.  I've been using that to determine which cemetery is the most likely for his bones to be located.  However, I've been told just today that the most probable cemetery from 1843 Wheeling is now a playground.  Sigh.

In the meantime, has anyone run across the Virginia Militia 1st Battalion of the 4th Regiment under the command of Col B F Kelly?

Ahh, genealogy.  All it takes is a gentle prod or two to get me back hot on the trail again.


©2010 AS Eldredge

Ancestry Day in Atlanta Scheduled for September 18 at National Archives

The following is a blurb sent out by Ancestry.com and by the Afro-American Genealogy Society, Metro Atlanta Chapter.  Looks like it could be a fun day!

Saturday, September 18, 2010
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA South East Region),
5780 Jonesboro Road; Morrow, GA 30260

9:00am–4:00pm (doors open 8:30)
$10.00 Registration includes a box lunch at noon.

Free parking, seating is limited.

Presentations:    - Getting the Most from your Ancestry.com Membership
- Online Member Trees: Ancestry's Powerful Tool Keeps Getting Better
- Ancestry World Archives Project and You
- African American Collection at Ancestry
- Southern Claims Commission Records (Presented by Reginald Washington from the National Archives - Washington, DC)

Have you seen recent TV shows focusing on family history? If so, you may be wondering how you can get started on your own family history. Or you may be a long time user of Ancestry.com and are wondering how to get more from your membership. Register today to attend our Ancestry Day in Atlanta and learn about the premier family history website from a true insider.

Sponsored by: The Afro-American Genealogical Society Inc., Metro Atlanta Chapter (www.rootsweb.com/~gaaahgs) in partnership with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) South East Region (www.archives.gov/southeast/) are excited to host Ancestry.com at this event!

Your presenter, Lisa Arnold is a content manager for Ancestry.com and has been involved in genealogical research, teaching, and lecturing for more than 15 years. She holds a B.S. in Family History from Brigham Young University and is currently a Master's Degree candidate at the University of Limerick. From the Philadelphia area originally, she is the former Director of the Family History Center in Valley Forge, PA, and author of "Finding Your Quaker Ancestors". Lisa is the Chapter Coordinator for her local chapter for the Association of Professional Genealogists and is the proud grandmother of 5 (and counting!).

--

Ahh, genealogy.  Live the life.  Love the life.

Wordless Wednesday: Artifacts of Civil War Prison Camp Lawton Revealed

What can I say?  Job well done!!!! 

All eyes in the world of history and that of the Civil War were at Magnolia Springs today in Jenkins County, GA.  Georgia Southern University will place the artifacts on exhibition starting October 10 at 2pm at the Georgia Southern University Museum.

http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/camplawton/index.php/home

Oh, and Georgia Southern is my alma mater.

Ahh, genealogy.  Dig, brother, dig.  Find those roots!

Tombstone Tuesday: Bitten While Hiking to Shoot a Family

My love for history and genealogy has led to some interesting field trips around the area in which I live.  As a volunteer for Find-a-Grave, I get requests from time to time for photographs of long departed loved ones.  I don't know these genealogy buffs who submit the requests, but I enjoy the hunt.  I always learn something new.

For instance, take a closer look at one of the recent requests to come my way.  It seemed easy enough.  All the lady wanted was some pictures of a couple of gravestones in the Old Landrum Family Cemetery in Fayette Co, GA. 

Looking it up seemed easy to do.  Here it was.  And then I got lost. 

The description of the location was confusing as I am not an "oldtimer" of the area.  The directions said, "accessible from the abandoned section of Peachtree Parkway."  Hmm, abandoned Peachtree Parkway?

One fine, steamy day last week, I took a quick drive to the area I thought could be the abandoned Peachtree Parkway.  Well, the area is all built up and even has an elementary school on it. So, if it was it, it's not now.

Being an enterprising young grasshopper, I popped into the first funeral home I saw.  The kindly gentleman asked (in a oh-so-sorry-for-your-loss-gentle-voice) if he could be of service.  I told him  I was looking for a graveyard.  One can imagine the looks on the faces as I beamed and said I wanted to shoot someone.  Oops, clarification was needed.  I wanted to photograph someone who was buried in a local cemetery and I couldn't find it.

Well, they couldn't either.  The lady who was happily and joyfully assisting me at this point called City Hall to see what they knew.  Nothing.  But, they knew someone who would know. 

My new buddy and I were looking at maps of the development of Peachtree City when she spotted an area called "Landrum's Mill Pond."  About that time, the lady at City Hall called back and told us she has spoken to someone else at the library who said the cemetery was down a well worn path through the woods.  She even had directions!

"Go up Hwy 74.  Turn onto Peachtree Parkway, and turn left onto World Dr.  Go to the cul-de-sac and park.  Walk down the path and it will be in the woods."

A quick driveby told me it was going to be a little harder than that, so I went home and got my energetic fun loving family and dogs.  As usual, they were eager to assist :).

Hiking, we went down the path which quickly showed evidence of asphalt and old faded lines.  Eureka, it's the abandoned Peachtree Parkway that we didn't know existed!  Hmm.  No graveyard seen here.  Let's start taking some of the paths off of this path.

At the second path I sent the kids and dogs down, they started yelling.  "Come quick! It's a cemetery."

There sat the old Landrum Family Cemetery in a nicely fenced in area. 

As I surveyed the area, I could see a spot where the trees were younger.  Could this have been the site of the family home of Jeptha Landrum?  He was the owner of the land from around 1825 or so, and is reported to have assisted the Creek Indians in their removal after the Creek Nation signed the land over to the state of Georgia.  The Landrum family owned quite a large plantation and Landrum served the new county as a Judge and also as sheriff.

I don't know if the clearing with the young trees was the house site, but I can imagine the site if it had been.  The cemetery would have been down the hill off of the dirt road leading to the house in an area close enough to visit, but not close enough to be disturbed by the creek or mill pond.  The mill pond is still there and is further down the path from the cemetery.

Back in the cemetery, I started taking shots of the graves.  Some were legible and others were not.  There were a number of broken stones that appear to once have had markings on them.  Others had succumbed to the elements of time.  Still, other spots were quite sunken.  Could these be the slaves indicated by the Landrum family to be buried there?  Early tax records show the Landrum family had somewhere around a dozen slaves or so around the 1850 time frame.  Of course, these same records indicate taxes on the land were less than $1.  Oh, if only I could have that tax bill today!

We wiped off some of the stones as I snapped away.  Some of the markings appear to be gone.  Others, I can probably make out enough to match them with the index of the cemetery put online by a Landrum family member.

I sent some of the pictures to a local photographer friend who tried to bring out the details for me.  She suggested I go back and take some more shots for her to play with.

I plan to go back out there in the fall to retake some shots.  Photographs of old graves can provide some more clues if the lighting is different (hence, a different time of year and time of day).  I will also take some water with me to sprinkle on the graves.

Yes, I will go out there again on another hike.  But I think I will wait until the chigger bites heal!

Ahh, genealogy.  It's fun hiking around the past, even if the present bites you.

Note:  Many thanks to the wonderful folks at the Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home and Crematory on Senoia Rd in Peachtree City.  They were super as they spent about an hour with me trying to find the old cemetery.  I appreciate their kindness!

©2010 AS Eldredge

Dear Mary, The War is Over

Can you imagine the scene when General Lee made the decision to surrender on April 9, 1865, to General Grant?  Can you imagine the heartache, the despair?  General Lee was surrounded after the fall of Richmond and Petersburg.  All he had was a tired, starving army and lots of Union soldiers between him and the supplies so badly needed.


It took great courage to surrender.  The terms he requested of General Grant included immediate pardons for his army.  Grant honored that request and also supplied some food to the starving Confederates.  It took most of the day as the two generals sat and talked in Appomattox. By all accounts, they had not seen each other in over 20 years.  Reports tell us they talked some of the past before they settled down to the business at hand.

The war was over.  Can you imagine how much relief was felt by the men wearing their uniforms of blue and gray that day!  The struggle was over.  No longer would brother take arms up against his brother. They could go home.  They could back to life. 

With time, the Union would truly reunite.  A note of interest is that after the Civil War, the United States of America becomes a single entity when referring to it.


What was it like on that fateful day?  The following letter provides only a quick mention of Lee's surrender.  More fighting would be in the future for other soldiers that day and many more to come.
The letter below was written by George LEMMON, of Co. F, 139th PA Infantry, at the end of the Civil War, to his cousin, Mary Shoop.  The family of Mary Shoop has preserved the letters sent to her by her brother, George SHOOP,  and plans to have the collection published. 

A special thanks to her 2g-grandson, John Snowden, for giving me permission to publish this one letter of the collection on my genealogy blog.  



Camp Near Burks Station, Va. April 30 {1865}

    Cousin Mary,

    Your welcome letter came to hand this morning. I was very glad to hear
    from you. I am in good health at the present time. I hope these few lines
    may find you all the same. We have been moving Camp today and building
    summer quarters. We have gay quarters built but I donât think we will stay
    here very long. I think we are going back to Richmond or Petersburg closer
    to our base of supplies. The 5^th and 2^nd Corps moved in that direction
    this morning. The report is that we will remain here a few days yet.

    Well Mary, I did not get time to finish this letter last evening. I was
    called on to draw rations. I will do as well as I can this morning. We had
    some rain here in the night and looks as if it will rain more today. I
    hope we will not have such a flood as you had the day I started to the
    Regât.

    I suppose you have heard all the news about the last battle. I got through
    safe and was there when Lee surrendered to Grant. I was talking to your
    brother George when the news came that he had surrendered. I tell you
    there was a happy set of boys. The cheering went from one end of the line
    to the other, and our caps was flying in the air and all the brass bands
    was playing The Star Spangled Banner.

    Well Mary, we got good news this morning that the rebel General Johnston
    has surrendered to Sherman. If this story is true, we will soon get home.
    I think the last battle has been fought. I donât want to hear another
    cannon fired.

    We got some very unwelcome news the other day about the assassination of
    the President. It created great excitement in our camps for several days.

    Well Mary I think I will close. Your brother George is well. I send my
    best wishes to all the family. I will wait very patiently for an answer.

    I remain, your cousin,

    George Lemmon


Ahh, genealogy. Reading letters of the past can open our eyes.  Perhaps you have some letters buried deep in your family? 


©2010 AS Eldredge

Sighted! Johnny Reb in Union Camp!

Oh dear!  How can Johnny Reb be listed in an union database?

This was similar to the question I recently asked myself when I saw an article on a National Graves Registration Project run by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.  Wouldn't the database be just for those boys in blue?

While the project dates from 1996, the database is relatively new with a start date in 2005.  The great news for all of us genealogy and history buffs is that it doesn't matter which side your beloved fought with during the War of the Northern Aggression! 

Yes, the database accepts both Confederate and Union Civil War final resting spots.  With this new found knowledge, I thought I'd give it a try.

The database is free to the public to search.  However, if you want to contribute or correct entries, then you must sign up as a submitter and be approved.   I don't know what the process is, but it took about one week for me to be approved.

Trying the database on for size!

According to estimates, over 4 million American men were part of the Recent Unpleasantness.  Does it matter which side your blood flows from?  No.  These young men all fought for their vision of America and states' rights.

Just this morning, I submitted four names to the database.  Two wore the blue uniforms and two wore the gray.  I'll be interested in seeing how long it takes for them to be verified by the group.  I still don't know the approval process, but I will find it interesting to see if they are approved at approximately the same time or if a delay is seen.  Be aware you need to have quite a bit of information on your beloved in order to enter them.  It takes more than the standard name, rank and serial number.  The form asks for the unit, the date of enlistment, date of discharge, state fought for, company, dates of birth and death, and information on final resting spot.  There is even a spot to indicate if there is a stone or if it needs replacing.  Short comments can also be added.

And before you wonder, I am related to the four American heroes I submitted this morning.  Yes, my blood has the Rebel Call as well as the Union Blue Glory coursing through my body.

Here is the site in case you want to check it out:  http://www.suvcwdb.org/home/about.php

Ahh, genealogy.  We are all red, white and blue patriots, even if some of our family fought for "the others." We are descendants of Americans who lived, fought, and sometimes, died for our freedoms.

Update:  12 hours later--  one each (Reb and Yank) has been approved and now available for viewing.

Update 2:  24 hours later--  All submitted beloveds have been added to the database.  Guess I'll have to send more! This time, I'll send a Gettysburg Yank Hero and a Chickamauga Rebel Casualty. Yes, I am an equal opportunity battlefield history buff.

©2010 AS Eldredge

Treasure Chest Thursday: Whirlwind of Treasure in Carnegie

In the last week or so, there has been a flurry of activity on the DOOLITTLE family of Carnegie, Allegheny, PA.  It all started when I wrote a post on August 3 about cousin William James GLENN.  Little did I know finding the Civil War personal war sketch at the  CarnegieCarnegie site of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, Allegheny, PA, could make me so happy.

Emails have been flying around since then from a descendant of Jacob DOOLITTLE (1809-1891) asking if I could assist with more documentation about his wife, Sarah CUBBAGE, and her family.

Sarah CUBBAGE was the daughter of Irishman George CUBBAGE and his wife, Nancy CALDWELL.  I have not yet been able to find evidence that Nancy is one of my CALDWELL clan, but her 1791 birth in the same general neighborhood as my documented 1830ish births make it likely.  To read more on CUBBAGE family, go to St Clair Cemetery.

The cool find for me in the email was the noting of the final resting place of Nancy CALDWELL CUBBAGE. She is listed at Venice Presbyterian Church Cemetery in McDonald, Washington, PA.  Of more interest was noting Nancy's final resting spot uses the surname of her first husband, George CUBBAGE.  My notes and research indicate she married Alexander EWING after the 1826 death of George.

A quick check with the descendant of George and Nancy confirmed what I thought I knew on the marriage to EWING.

To my knowledge, Jacob DOOLITTLE and Sarah CUBBAGE had five daughters.  Two of them are of special interest to me.

Susan Belinda DOOLITTLE married into the LEA family--  that is, J W LEA of Carnegie.  The LEA family was the neighbors, friends, and sometimes, spouses of my blood line.  See a recent posting on Cassius M LEA, the husband of my 2g aunt. 

The other daughter of Jacob and Sarah who married into my family was Martha E DOOLITTLE (1842-1907.)  Martha was the wife of William James GLENN (1839-9018.)

Maggie (ah, how I love THAT name) of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie also contacted me to see if I could identify any of the gents in the picture they have of the Thomas Espy GAR Post as I have several cousins in that group.  I took a quick look at the photo and realized that the odds of me recognizing the older men in full beards was basically little to none.

So, I started on a new journey of looking through old files and records to see if I could locate any pictures of some of these men when they were younger.  I guess the folks at the library have most likely identified cousin George B FORSYTHE as my dearest cousin, his granddaughter, (yes, I know her) recently donated some more Civil War relics to the post. 

I've also seen pictures of some of the GLENN men when they were younger.  Could I see enough family resemblences in the pictures as they aged?  I think not.

BUT-

I dug around and found some living descendants of William James GLENN!  After making a phone call and leaving a message, it was now time to wait.

Today, I got the phone call.  After speaking with the gentleman who confirmed his identity and his love of genealogy, my heart experienced a whirlwind of activity.  Another connection to the past established!  He has pictures!  He has stories!  And he has a cousin that he works with to research the past!  Oh, glorious day!

Click to read the post that is causing such a whirlwind of activity:  http://genitalesga.blogspot.com/2010/08/tombstone-tuesday-simply-i-am-survivor.html

Special note to Maggie at the library--  I hope to have some photo ids for you soon.

Ahh, genealogy.  What treasures a whirlwind of new finds can be!  Sometimes, it takes just a nudge from someone new to bring new energy to the hunt. 



©2010 AS Eldredge

Arlington National Cemetery to Get a Much Needed Facelift in Burial Records

Yippee!  There's almost nothing as disappointing as when a cemetery has been sloppy in keeping records or in finding out the old cemetery keeper of the information's family thought it worthless and threw it out.  I'm so glad this project to preserve the burial records and information of our nation's heroes is getting the assistance it needs from volunteers! Read on......


Northern Virginia Technology Council Member Organizations to Assess Arlington National Cemetery's Information Technology Requirements


/PRNewswire/ -- The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) announced today that the Department of the Army has accepted in principle the organization's pro bono offer to provide assistance in the assessment of the information technology requirements to rectify the unacceptable state of the records at Arlington National Cemetery. This effort stems from an Army investigation earlier this year that found the Cemetery's record keeping in shambles, burial records on index cards, improperly marked graves and serious difficulties in accurately locating the graves in the cemetery. All these issues persisted despite spending more than $5 million on a program to digitize burial records that has shown no results.


In response to public reports of this serious problem to record keeping, the following 15 NVTC member companies have volunteered their assistance to constitute an assessment group: ACS, a Xerox Company; Blue Canopy; Booz Allen Hamilton; CACI; CGI; Consumer Electronics Association (CEA); Corporation for National Research Initiatives; CSC; IBM; Lee Technologies; MAXIMUS; Microsoft; MITRE; SoltechOne; and Vistronix.


"The NVTC membership is eager and willing to support the U.S. Army as it responds to this difficult situation. We want to ensure that we honor the women and men who served their country and, in many cases, gave the ultimate sacrifice for this nation. We are united in our willingness to support Senator Warner in his efforts to remedy this crisis," said George C. Newstrom, President and COO of Lee Technologies and former Secretary of Technology for then-Governor Mark Warner.


"NVTC is made up of the country's most well respected and innovative technology companies and this collaborative pro bono effort demonstrates their loyalty, compassion and admiration for those who served in the armed forces, many making the ultimate sacrifice," said Bobbie Kilberg, President and CEO, NVTC. "We applaud Senator Warner for his leadership in trying to resolve this important matter. NVTC looks forward to working under the direction of Army Secretary McHugh and his team to help assess Arlington Cemetery's technology requirements. It is an honor and privilege to be involved."
-----




©2010 AS Eldredge

Use Your Imagination to Investigate the Past

We've all heard it. "My family can't be found," or "The census didn't list slaves," or "The courthouse burned."

Well, yes, this can be a real mind blocker. Use your imagination when looking at various resources.  Don't just depend on the census lists.  And, for the sake of all genealogy racing heartbeats, don't grab a name from the census and plop it in your tree just "cause it was the same name."  Like no name has ever been duplicated in history!!!!

Look at everything. 

Examples include:
Wills
Estate Inventories  - (can be great if the estate had owned slaves)
Land Records
Church Records
Cemetery Records
Bibles
Local County Histories
Orphans Court Records
Local Tax Records
Local Historical Societies
Local Genealogy Societies
Probate Court Records
Lawsuits -  (I found a part of one family after I ordered the records about a trial.)
Asylum Records
Old Church Magazines
Journals of old genealogy societies
Newspapers of the era and place of interest  (1888-1899 newspapers are great finds.)
Family History Library


As you look at every source you can find, have an open mind.  Don't be stuck in the "blame game" of genealogy.  Perhaps someone moved away.  Perhaps someone was listed as "chattel."  Perhaps you've looked in all the wrong places.  Perhaps the trail has gone cold.  Keep looking as it may warm back up one day.

My tip of the day:  Be open as you continually search for documentation to support your theories.  Be open to investigate the not-so-readily-available sources.  Be open to traveling to the area of your interest and digging in the old records or hire someone to do it for you. 

Use your imagination to investigate the past.  And use the facts to document your current family trees.

Ahh, genealogy.  It's only as good as the documented research.  Otherwise, it can make a pretty good bed time story for the kids, not to mention the hair pulling of someone who has documented the facts:)


©2010 AS Eldredge

Free Lowcountry Estate Records?

Yeppers, they are.  Thanks to a super effort of Low Country Africana and the South Carolina Department of Archives and History teaming up with Footnote, there's some great early records online.

Just yesterday, my buddy, Low Country Africana, sent a message out to one of the groups I follow that said the estate records and inventories from 1839-1867 were available for FREE on Footnote. 

Since they were from the center of the universe that some other non-knowledgeable folks call Charleston, I thought I'd take a look. 

If you've ever used Footnote to view their collections, this is a cinch to find.  Just type in "South Carolina Estate Inventories and Bills of Sale, 1732-1872," and you're there.  It's easy to use the index pages for each of the volumes.

While I did find some preliminary info on the estates of a COX and of a COWARD relative,  I was disappointed not to find more.  Of course, it would have helped if my family members had been so kind as to pass on during 1839-1867, and if they had all lived in the Charleston District!

These records are a tremendous resource for those who are looking for information on slaves owned at the time of the estate owner's death. 

Many thanks to Low Country Africana for pointing me to the estate inventories.  I look forward to seeing more years up soon.  You're doing a super job!

Ahh, genealogy.  It's always neat to find such great volunteers to give of their time so others can reap the harvest.

Weaving the Pieces of the Puzzle Together

I recently received an email from a DORRINGTON descendent who is trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together for Thomas DORRINGTON and James GLENN.

.....I am researching my Dorrington ancestors and I read your blog and info on James Glenn.  I am new at this and I can’t find the link between James Glenn and Thomas and Jane Young Dorrington.  I see a Jane Dorrington who married Walter Glenn b. 1777, but didn’t find James in that tree......

Yes, it was a mystery at first to me as well.  But time and research has paid off in making the connections in the right places.  It's a tough mystery as the good Irish grandpas made sure to name everyone "James."

Of course, it didn't hurt that I happen to have a copy of family papers from another cousin that he had put together in the early 1900s. 

I first found Irish immigrant Thomas DORRINGTON and his wife, Jane YOUNG, on a trip to my family cemetery that everyone else calls St Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny Co, PA in 2004.

Thomas and wife, Jane, are buried smack dab right next to two of their grandsons, Thomas DORRINGTON, Jr and James GLENN (1824-1901). Thomas and Jane's headstones conveniently list them as "grandfather" and "grandmother" in the younger James GLENN's plot.

How?  His parents were Walter GLENN (1777-1843) and Jane DORRINGTON (d.1843).  This young James never married, yet he was the James GLENN of the Civil War Fame.  Click here to read more of his bravery at Gettysburg.

This James GLENN (1824-1901) is the grandson of my 4g grandparents, James GLENN (1750-1813) and Janet BUCHANAN (1752-1807).

I first visited the cemetery as a child with my dad and my great aunt.  She told me my roots in Pittsburgh were deep and that there were something like seven generations of my blood buried there. (I've only documented six of them at this point.) Since that early trip, I have made several trips to the cemetery and have thrown new headstone dedication parties there.  You can read more about the cemetery online and read many of my early research contributions to the St Clair Cemetery at http://www.stclaircemetery.com/view.php/page/History_cemetery

Ahh, genealogy.  What fun it is to fill in the missing pieces!  Just be sure to document your sources so the errors some have made won't be repeated again.  And if you plan to use others' research, please remember to give them the credit.



Sources:
Allegheny Co, PA, Will Bk 5 No. 424
Marriage Notices 1786-1910 Film P356 Roll #1: Carnegie Library
Wall, Elizabeth J. "Extracts from Cramers's Pittsburgh Almanack" WPGSQ 3 no. 4 (May 1977): 137.
1822,  4/4     Walter Glenn to Jane Darrington, all of St. Clair Twp., Alleg. Co.
Record of death:  RD Docket, Vol 14, pg 470
Will:  WB Dkt, Vol 67, pg 228
obit from Carnegie Signal 28 Aug 1901:
Colonel James Glenn
Colonel James Glenn, one of the best known residents of this vicinity, died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Chesterfield Robb at Glenndale, last Friday, August 23, 1901, in his 78th year.  He had been ill for many weeks and his death was expected.


©2010 AS Eldredge

Tombstone Tuesday: "Simply, I am a Survivor"

It's another blistering hot summer day as I sit and think about my beloved heroes of the past.  To me, it doesn't really matter which side of the "War of Northern Aggression" they believed in and fought.  To me, it's the blood that matters.

Recently, I found some interesting tidbits about Civil War cousin, Captain James GLENN of the PA 149th Co. D.  Click here to read more about his bravery and willingness to never give up the fight.

I also recently found the Civil War records of my great grandpa, George CALDWELL, who served the Yanks in the PA 102nd Infantry Co E.  Click here to read more of George's story.

Today, I found the information of the GAR Captain Thomas Espy Post 153 on the CarnegieCarnegie site of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, Allegheny, PA.  I've known of the membership of several of my cousins for quite some time and have found this band quite interesting.  I guess it is because I am related either through blood or marriage to many of them.  At the least, they were the comrades, the friends and the neighbors of my family.

The site is still under construction, but I took a gander and looked at cousin William James GLENN--  and found-----  his Personal War Sketch Questionnaire.  Pretty interesting stuff here.

William was a member of the PA 61st Regiment Co E. I found where he and grandpa were both at the battle of Fair Oaks on that fateful day, May 31, 1862, when grandpa George was injured. 

William was the first cousin, once removed, from Captain James GLENN and lived in the same general neighborhood and spent his youth in the same church.  After William's marriage in 1865 to Martha Doolittle, they attended the Presbyterian Church closer to home in Carnegie.

William and his wife broke tradition with the GLENN family in the final resting place they chose.  They are both buried in the Chartiers Cemetery in Carnegie.  Was it because Martha's dad, Jacob DOOLITTLE, is buried there with 2nd wife?  Martha's mom is buried at my family cemetery that most folks call the St Clair Cemetery. 

Or is it because William's folks decided to be buried at the Chartiers Cemetery?  I guess it was closer to the family homestead than trekking over to Mt Lebanon (five minutes by car, a lot longer by horse).  Never mind.  They are remembered and loved.

The most interesting part of the questionnaire was the last statement. 

"So many I can't remember them - I simply, reverently thank God, I am a Survivor."
William James GLENN 1839-1908

Ah, genealogy.  Perhaps ours words will one day echo those of cousin William J GLENN.  Perhaps your words already do.



©2010 AS Eldredge