ASK THE LOCALS
Another thought on cemeteries -- on our first family research trip after we became "hooked." We had difficulty locating ancestral graves in a very nice, fairly large cemetery in a small northeast town. We struggled for quite a while using one of our now standard research aids, binoculars (so we could scan a number of rows at once).
We saw an older gentleman in one section, and my husband engaged him in conversation, telling him the family for whom we were searching. Lo and behold, he was able to direct us to another cemetery on a farm out of town. The local historical society did not even know that this cemetery existed.
After asking permission to go to the cemetery, we found it was a super find, filled with folks who had previously been only names and dates to us. And there on the rusted gate, was a plaque with the name of one of our now favorite ancestors, Col. Asa Stanton.
Moral of the story: Don't give up and ask, ask, ask!
Louise Hawley
We saw an older gentleman in one section, and my husband engaged him in conversation, telling him the family for whom we were searching. Lo and behold, he was able to direct us to another cemetery on a farm out of town. The local historical society did not even know that this cemetery existed.
After asking permission to go to the cemetery, we found it was a super find, filled with folks who had previously been only names and dates to us. And there on the rusted gate, was a plaque with the name of one of our now favorite ancestors, Col. Asa Stanton.
Moral of the story: Don't give up and ask, ask, ask!
Louise Hawley
WWI DRAFT CARDS OPEN DOORS
In reading about your WWI draft cards, I recalled that my grandmother's brother's information was sketchy at best, until I opened up a huge door by looking up his WWI draft card. I hadn't thought at all about looking it up, until I realized that he was probably of draft age during that war. I had only an idea that he may have lived in North Tonawanda NY, from a letter that I had.
I checked his name in the WWI draft cards, and lo and behold, there he was! And what a wealth of information I got from one little card! I found out his definite birth date, his wife's name and address (I wasn't even sure he ever married), the name of the company he worked for, and what his position was (Master of Steam Ships on the Great Lakes, for O. W. Blodgett), and the fact that, even though he lived in Tonawanda NY, he registered in Duluth, Minnesota. Because of this information, I started querying on line, and was put in touch with a man who has a site started that is about Great Lakes ships and their personnel. He found even more about my ancestor, Henry Wilson Spaulding. And because of the kindnesses of others online, I now know that he died suddenly (I still don't know of what) in Menominee, Michigan in 1926, and is buried in Elm Lawn cemetery in Tonawanda.
Myra Herron
I checked his name in the WWI draft cards, and lo and behold, there he was! And what a wealth of information I got from one little card! I found out his definite birth date, his wife's name and address (I wasn't even sure he ever married), the name of the company he worked for, and what his position was (Master of Steam Ships on the Great Lakes, for O. W. Blodgett), and the fact that, even though he lived in Tonawanda NY, he registered in Duluth, Minnesota. Because of this information, I started querying on line, and was put in touch with a man who has a site started that is about Great Lakes ships and their personnel. He found even more about my ancestor, Henry Wilson Spaulding. And because of the kindnesses of others online, I now know that he died suddenly (I still don't know of what) in Menominee, Michigan in 1926, and is buried in Elm Lawn cemetery in Tonawanda.
Myra Herron
from ANCESTRY QUICK TIP JAMBOREE
8 November 2005
posted by Hugh W at 12:51 pm
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