Lexington Revolutionary War Marker -- Anybody Ever Seen This?

Near this spot

the Eight Minute Men

killed April 19, 1775

were first buried.

Their remains

were removed to the

Battle Green.

"The Old Burying Ground, established in 1690, lies northwest of the Battle Green. The burial ground contains the remains of Lexington Minutemen who were killed in the battle, as well as a British Soldier." From:  http://www.freedomsway.org/towns/lexington/lexington.html I returned to the cemetery today, April 22, 2015 and my photos are below. The fence was broken in several places, my personal feeling is, they were broken from snow weight or a snow plow. Patriot's Day was celebrated three days ago on the 19th, so, I was surprised there were no flags.

Three Generations in My Family Wrote to the Same Cemetery

Yates and Belle Adams

My great-grandparents buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Several years ago, I requested information from the Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan to see if they had any information on quite a few ancestors and family members buried there. Since this post is about three generations contacting the same cemetery about the same question, I am making me as generation one. My father is generation two and my grandfather is generation three.

They responded by providing plat cards, a map of the cemetery, and enclosing copies of letters written to them by my father, grandfather, and grandmother! The most recent letter was written in 1961 by my father, as shown below. Clearly, my father wasn't into genealogy because he had question marks on four names.

Through the years, I managed to get cemetery photos of my direct ancestors buried there, solved the relationships, and now know all their full names. I loved knowing that my grandparents and father had an interest in those buried in the plot.

But, the best part of all this is what my grandfather wrote, "So far as I know, the statement in the letter above is correct since Mrs. Poole had never been able to find any trace of the John A. Adams branch of the family." It is because of this statement that I'm doing this post.

Naturally, I was up to the challenge, since this was my great-granduncle. My ancestor stayed in Michigan whereas his brother moved to Texas. Tracing the family was rather simple, but I never tried to contact family members, although I think I could have because of their business. Then one day, a few months ago.....my third cousin wrote me! She was thrilled that I knew the answers to some of her questions, and I was beyond excited to hear from her line and to get answers to some of mine. She mailed me a manuscript, and I've gotten together copies of all my Adams papers to mail to her. Because of my new cousin, I ordered and just received last week, the will and probate of our 3rd great-grandfather who died in 1879 in Wisconsin. It will be a treat to share it with her.

THE LETTERS

Letter to Oak Hill Cemetery from my father:

April 5, 1961

Oak Hill Cemetery Company
255 South Ave.
Battle Creek, Mich.

Gentlemen:

In [sic] working up a genealogy for the Adams branch of my family, I have come across records stating that my grandfather and grandmother, also some great grandparents are buried at Oak Hill. I have very little information on them and would appreciate any data you might have on the following;

1.  Sarah Belle Adams
2.  Yates Adams
3.   Martha Anderson Adams
4.   Charles A. Hamilton, first husband of Sarah (1.)
5.   John Adams, brother? of Yates (2)
6.   Wife of John (5.)

A letter from my mother, Marjorie Anderson Adams Poole, indicates that the lot number is 797 for the above.

In lot 665, are my great grandparents as follows:
7.   John N. Farmer
8.   Lana? Scramlin wife of (7.)
9.   Elsie Farmer
10. Nannie? Farmer
11. Mary? second wife of (7.)

I would greatly appreciate any vital statistics of the above families. To my knowledge, no plats were ever made up for my family as indicated in your letter to my father Clarence F. Poole, Chicago, Ill., dated Feb. 3, 1953. If these plats are available, I would appreciate a copy of them.

Sincerely yours,
John A. Poole

Copy of original letter my father wrote.

I also received a copy of what my grandfather wrote in 1953, shortly after my grandmother's death. She had been interested in the family plot as well.

My grandfather, Clarence F. Poole wrote to Oak Hill Cemetery on January 30, 1953.

"Gentlemen:
I am writing to inquire regarding the status of Lot 797 which, I believe, is entered in the names of John A. Adams and Yates A. Adams, and the East 1/2 of Lot 665 which, I believe is entered in the name of John N. Farmer.

I am executor of the estate of Marjorie A. Poole who passed away a few weeks ago. (There are two more paragraphs about what he is trying to find out.)

Small note by my grandmother, never mailed by her, but was sent by her husband five years later.

"Among her (my grandmother) papers, I find a letter which was hand written to you but never mailed, this letter being dated June 6, 1948, and reading as follows:

'Oak Hill Cemetery Co:
Dear Sirs:

I have made an effort to trace the heirs of John A. Adams wo whom is ascribed the ownership of Lot 797, W 1/2 and have not been able to trace them. They were last in Texas - Beeville - in 1910 or 1912 and there was a Howard Adams and two daughters, but I have heard nothing of them since. I have hoped to go to Battle Creek before this time to settle the matter of perpetual care, etc., but have been ill and unable to do so. However, I expect to be in Battle Creek in the near future. Yours Sincerely,  /s/ Marjorie A. Poole'

So far as I know, the statement in the letter above is correct since Mrs. Poole had never been able to find any trace of the John A. Adams branch of the family."

Father John's Medicine Co., Inc. -- My First Job (for 10 years)

Father John's Medicine Co., Inc.
73 - 93 Market Street
Lowell, Massachusetts

The photo above was taken sometime in 1922, about 40 years before I began my job there. In 1962, the area above looked quite different. There was a private room (for the president) on the right, with a wall between the wall clock and beyond the post, the wall continued to the wall shown. A door was installed. From the new wall on the right, a new oak railing went right to left (to behind the lady in the foreground). This area is where the vice president and treasurer sat, and I was several feet away. My desk is shown below. So when I typed, I would face the front of the building and my bosses.

Photo by Barbara Poole

 My desk, shown above, was on the first floor.

One of my duties was to open all mail. I decided to keep this envelope from 1965 because I was a stamp collector.

The below employees were working on the second floor, doing assembly line work. Employees shown: Margaret Jones, Anna M. Maloney, Ray Wylie, Lila Shannon.

Missing are Frank Shannon, Theodore "Ted" Villandry, Lucien "Sonny" Villandry, Agnes Mellen, Winnie McKuen? and Tommy Fox. In the office were Helen "Mary" McNamara, Annette Tartre, and myself, plus the Donehue brothers, Gerald and George. Chemist, Thomas Casey, Eddie O'Hare, and several men in shipping; Paul Morin, Bill Cheetham, and Joe Carty. Does anybody know any of these people?

Photo by Barbara Poole
Margaret Jones and Lila Shannon

Photo by Barbara Poole

Frank Wylie

Photo by Barbara Poole

Anna Maroney?

Photo by Barbara Poole

Photo by Barbara Poole

The company was sold in 1977 and is now used for senior housing.

Photo by Barbara Poole

Photo by Barbara Poole

Photo by Barbara Poole

Back alley, where the trains would pull up to unload boxes, bottles, and other materials used for manufacturing. The tracks have been removed, and there is now an entrance to a new small park.

Over the years, I've come to realize how lucky I was to have had certain jobs, including this one. Of course at the time, I probably didn't think so.  Imagine these days, going to a building, ringing a doorbell, and asking for a job.

That is what I did, one cold October Friday afternoon. The vice president met with me and gave me an interview, of sorts, no resume or anything.  I was right out of high school. Then his father spoke with me, the elderly president and vice-president.  I began work the following Monday learning the job from Bessie Wallach who had given her notice hours earlier.  That would rarely happen these days.  No references, no experience, nothing. And, I stayed 10 years!

Father John's Medicine Company was in a huge building, with very few employees.  The office where I worked as a secretary had two much older, single women, the president, vice-president, and secretary/ treasurer (father and two sons).  Every day for all those years, the job was pretty much the same. It was like working in a museum, my 1943 manual typewriter was my pride and joy. I used carbon paper and learned to type perfectly very quickly. Regarding printing, Once a year I used the typesetter to compose Christmas letters to orphanages and there were many throughout the United States. I notivied them we were send ing a box of the medicine. By the way, I don't think anybody does typesetting any more. Each day, after lunch, my boss, the vp, dictated letters to me, which I really enjoyed (I took shorthand in school). Before I forget, this medicine company was established in 1855 and since the cough medicine was made in the building, I could smell the ingredients, such as cod liver oil, all the time. You got used to it.

It was the kind of job where there was a lot of flexibility and tons of fun.  I met and dated two guys who worked there, one I am now married to. Yes, it was fun. It was also the kind of job that was impossible to leave. My regular hours were 8:30 to 4:30 with an hour for lunch. In the summer it was 9-4, an hour for lunch. Same pay, so I could never leave in the summer since I was only working 30 hours a week. Every Christmas, we received a week's pay as a bonus and received time off for Christmas shopping.  Every July we received a special bonus, depending on sales, it was usually three week's pay. I was happily stuck there, the benefits were too good, and we even had free health insurance. However, I did finally leave after ten years.

On March 15, 1995, we attended an exhibit of Father John's Medicine memorabilia. It was sponsored by The Archives of St. Patrick Parish between March - April 1995. Below is a large flyer for that event.

 

Jennison of Watertown, Massachusetts -- Tombstone Tuesday

The Old Burying Place, the small cemetery in the center of Watertown, Massachusetts was the first cemetery I visited in 2015. Samuel Jennison, my 7th great-grandfather is buried here. If you have old Watertown roots, your ancestors might be here as well. Jane Devlin typed a list of all Epitaphs Collected by William Thaddeus Harris, L. L. B. in 1869. You may see the names on her website HERE.

Here lyes Buried

Y^e Body of M^r.

Samuel Jenison

Who Departed this

Life Decem^br 2^nd, 1730
Aged 57 Years.

Samuel Jenison / Jennison was my 7th great-grandfather

Rev. William Jennison (above) was the son of Samuel.

Here lyes Interr^d y^e Body

of y^e Rev^d M^r. William Jennison; Formerly Pastor

of ye 2^d Ch'h of Christ in Salem

(but late of Watertown) Who

Died April y^e 1^st 1750 in y^e

45^th Year of His Age.

Samuel and his son William were buried in the center of the small cemetery.