Fred Lacey
1860 - 1921
Maria Lacey
1854 - 1926
Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, Massachusetts
Three small stones with initials of:
G. S. L.
M. L.
F. L.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Newberry Library, A Bust and Portrait of my Ancestor Taken by Diane Boumenot
I wrote about the Library in my post, "A Library, A Librarian and Two Cousins" three years ago this month, and have always wanted photos of the interior. My genealogy friend and blogger, Diane Boumenot who writes the blog, One Rhode Island Family mentioned she was going to go to the Newberry Library in Chicago if she had time during a conference. I asked if she did, could she take photos for me. She did a year ago, and I am just now posting them. Thank you, Diane.
My ancestor was the first Librarian at the Newberry, and Diane was aware of that. Below are a bust and portrait of him, William Frederick Poole.
The Library stands on the site
formerly occupied by the
Mahlon D. Ogden residence
the only house in the path of
the great fire of 1871
which was not burned.
Presented by the General Henry Dearborn Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution
1929
formerly occupied by the
Mahlon D. Ogden residence
the only house in the path of
the great fire of 1871
which was not burned.
Presented by the General Henry Dearborn Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution
1929
Poole's Index of Periodical Literature was written by my 2nd great-grandfather.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
James Nichols of Reading, Massachusetts -- Tombstone Tuesday
James Nichols is my most recently discovered ancestor. Fortunately, he lived rather close to where I am now living, so that made it easy to visit his burial site at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Reading, Massachusetts. He was married to Mary Poole, but I was unable to locate her site.
This is my 147th photo of an ancestor's tombstone.
First row of tombstone in the old section at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Amazingly, they are of my Pooles, and I didn't know they were buried there.
This is my 147th photo of an ancestor's tombstone.
Here
Lyes Buried
Ye
Body of Mr.
JAMES
NICHOLS
Who
Departed this life
Jan.
12, 1744/5 in Ye 87th
Year of
His Age.
I Shall
Rise again.
James Nichols was my 8th great-grandfather.
Side view of headstone and foot-stone.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Growing Up In Lexington
When I began my 4th fourth grade at the Adams School in Lexington, Massachusetts, I knew nothing of my new town's history. My parents moved there from two previous towns in Connecticut, and from my first fourth grade in California. I consider Lexington to be my favorite town of all the places I've lived.
Many of us have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, as well as ancestors who were born in Lexington. I've several who fought in the War and were born there, and even my "brick wall" person, John Adams was in Lexington at the time of the war.
During several of my school years, our local history played an important part in our learning. My early classes took field trips down the street to see and learn about what happened. My Girl Scout troop planted flowering bulbs in the fall at some of the historic homes, and the church we attended was the tall one at the Lexington green.
Every April 19th, my Girl Scout troop marched in the Lexington Patriot's Day parade, there were two parades, I marched in the one at 7 AM! Of course, being much younger, I didn't mind, but sometimes it was cold. My mother was ecstatic about one 2 PM parade, when Sen. John F. Kennedy marched. I remember her pointing him out, but I thought, "who is he?" Both the 7 AM and 2 PM parades marched just two blocks from my house, and it was a very big deal. Many years after we moved, my mother always went back on that date to see it and visit with old friends. She even did that on the day she died, on her return trip home from Lexington. And whenever I returned for visits from Virginia, I always visited Lexington. Even now, it is about a 30 minute trip, so we go there frequently.
For eight years, I was in the Lexington school system, until my 11th grade, then we moved again. During my 8th grade, our class got to rename our junior high school, as there was another junior high being built. It had to have a patriotic name. I can't remember what I wrote about and why I chose the name, but the two winners were Diamond and Muzzy, so there were new names for each of the schools. Many years later, Muzzy Jr. High became condos. Always changing, but then, nothing looks changed. It is a beautiful town, see photos below.
 |
| The town, April 11, 2010 |
 |
| Lexington Green |
 |
| Cary Memorial Library |
 |
| Afternoon parade, ca. 1960. I saw JFK march in one of these parades. |
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| Years after we moved, I had to show a boyfriend where I lived! |
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| The house, photo taken three years ago. |
Post was originally posted April 18, 2010.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Listen My Children Poem
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1807-1882
Written April 19, 1860; first published in 1863 as part of "Tales of a Wayside Inn"
Photo of the Battle Road Trail in the
Minute Man National Historical Park
(Lexington, Lincoln, Concord)
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British
march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!" and with
muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.
Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,--
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,--
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,--
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,--
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.
It was twelve by the village clock
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball.
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball.
You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,---
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
How the British Regulars fired and fled,---
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
Poem copied from The National Center for Public Policy
Paul Revere's Capture Site in Lincoln, Massachusetts on the 19th of April, 1775
Paul Revere's Capture Site
Lincoln, Massachusetts on the 19th of April, 1775
AT THIS POINT,
ON THE OLD CONCORD ROAD AS IT THEN WAS,
ENDED THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF
PAUL REVERE.
HE HAD, AT ABOUT TWO O’CLOCK OF THE MORNING
OF APRIL 19, 1775, THE NIGHT BEING CLEAR AND THE
MOON IN ITS THIRD QUARTER, GOT THIS FAR ON HIS
WAY FROM LEXINGTON TO CONCORD, ALARMING THE
INHABITANTS AS HE WENT, WHEN HE AND HIS
COMPANIONS, WILLIAM DAWES, OF BOSTON, AND DR.
SAMUEL PRESCOTT, OF CONCORD, WERE SUDDENLY
HALTED BY A BRITISH PATROL, WHO HAD STATIONED
THEMSELVES AT THIS BEND OF THE ROAD. DAWES,
TURNING BACK, MADE HIS ESCAPE. PRESCOTT,
CLEARNING THE STONE WALL, AND FOLLOWING A PATH
KNOWN TO HIM THROUGH THE LOW GROUND, REGAINED
THE HIGHWAY AT A POINT FURTHER ON, AND GAVE THE
ALARM AT CONCORD. REVERE TRIED TO REACH THE
NEIGHBORING WOOD, BUT WAS INTERCEPTED BY
A PARTY OF OFFICERS ACCOMPANYING THE PATROL,
DETAINED AND KEPT IN ARREST. PRESENTLY
HE WAS CARRIED BY THE PATROL BACK
TO LEXINGTON. THERE RELEASED, AND THAT
MORNING JOINED HANCOCK AND ADAMS.
THREE MEN OF LEXINGTON, SANDERSON,
BROWN AND LORING, STOPPED AT AN EARLIER
HOUR OF THE NIGHT BY THE SAME PATROL,
WERE ALSO TAKEN BACK WITH REVERE.
Friday, April 18, 2014
The Paul Revere Lantern
One of my favorite museums is the Concord Museum in Concord, Massachusetts. There is a new exhibit beginning today, called, "The Shot Heard Around the World: April 19, 1775." I took the two photos last fall and planned on posting them today, an anniversary day of April 18, 1775.
From the Concord Museum's web page is the following:
"Late in the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere got word that the British were about to set out on a raid of the Provincial Congress’ military supplies stockpiled in Concord. He ordered fellow Patriots to set two lighted lanterns in the
belfry of Boston’s Christ Church (Old North Church). This prearranged signal was intended for the Patriot leaders across the Charles River in Charlestown and indicated the route of the British march. Since 1853, this lantern has been identified as one of the lanterns hung as a signal in the church belfry. The collector, Cummings Davis (1816-1896) acquired this lantern around 1853 with the history that it was “bought in 1782 by Captain Daniel Brown, of Concord,
from the sexton of Christ Church in Boston, and affirmed by the said sexton at the time to have been one of the two lanterns flashed from the belfry of that church by order of Paul Revere on the evening of April 18, 1775.”
Monday, April 14, 2014
Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA -- How to locate Records from Home or in Person
Researching for a tombstone at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA couldn't be easier, no matter if you do it from home or in person, even with 97,000 people buried there. The instructions on how to do it from home are after the first section of photos in which I show you how to do it in person.
A little bit about the cemetery, information from a flyer. "Today Mount Auburn's 175 acres are still recognized as one of the most significant designed landscapes in the country. The grounds are an internationally renowned arboretum and botanical garden, encompassing more than 9,400 trees and shrubs."
Another detailed map shows the location where I need to search. Woodbine Path is in the upper middle, and with so many paths, I felt I needed the exact location, so we went to the office for help.
My Rev. Joy H. Fairchild tombstone is shown above and since this is a hilly area, you need to walk, of course when my person was buried in 1859, that is what you had to do. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to read the inscription. His family of 7 others were buried here, but this was the only marker. He was the father-in-law to Anthony Ten Eyck, I recently wrote about Anthony and his Hawaiian Connection, see HERE.
How to search from home
Below is the website to Mount Auburn along with their instructions.
http://mountauburn.org/2011/location-of-burial/
and additional information: http://mountauburn.org/2011/research-requests/
To start your search, you must complete both the name field and provide a range of dates for the burial in the form below. Click the "Search" button, to see a list of all matching records from our database. To see the burial location for anyone in the resulting list, simply click on the appropriate record and the location will appear on our map.
A Few Tips:
+ To narrow your search, please type in as much of the name as possible, for example "John James Smith" rather than just "J Smith."
+ Providing a range of dates for burial can either expand or narrow your search results. If you are unsure when the burial might have taken place, you can always search our records from 1831 to the present. If you know the approximate date of burial, limiting your search to a few years or even a decade will narrow the results.
+ If you are looking for all individuals buried at the Cemetery with a specific surname, simply type the last name into the form and search all records from 1831 to the present.
(Below is what I filled out at home.) The list of Fairchilds buried there are below.)
A little bit about the cemetery, information from a flyer. "Today Mount Auburn's 175 acres are still recognized as one of the most significant designed landscapes in the country. The grounds are an internationally renowned arboretum and botanical garden, encompassing more than 9,400 trees and shrubs."
View of the Visitors Center from the main entrance. If you are looking for a site, this is where you would go first.
You enter the small room on the right.
Inside, there is one touch screen, with instructions. First thing you enter is the surname. All those with that name appear, and you select the given name. My example was Fairchild, then Joy (the father). My husband is holding the large map of the cemetery that was just printed out for me. On the lower left are the names of those buried in Lot 241.
We were here on Saturday morning and was happy to find it open.
The helpful employee printed out a very detailed map with the exact location marked with the small green circle. In addition, she sent me a pdf to my email. This nice service had me wishing I had more family buried here.
Huge tree greets you as you enter through the main gate.
Lovely stained glass photo taken from the restroom.
How to search from home
Below is the website to Mount Auburn along with their instructions.
http://mountauburn.org/2011/location-of-burial/
and additional information: http://mountauburn.org/2011/research-requests/
To start your search, you must complete both the name field and provide a range of dates for the burial in the form below. Click the "Search" button, to see a list of all matching records from our database. To see the burial location for anyone in the resulting list, simply click on the appropriate record and the location will appear on our map.
A Few Tips:
+ To narrow your search, please type in as much of the name as possible, for example "John James Smith" rather than just "J Smith."
+ Providing a range of dates for burial can either expand or narrow your search results. If you are unsure when the burial might have taken place, you can always search our records from 1831 to the present. If you know the approximate date of burial, limiting your search to a few years or even a decade will narrow the results.
+ If you are looking for all individuals buried at the Cemetery with a specific surname, simply type the last name into the form and search all records from 1831 to the present.
(Below is what I filled out at home.) The list of Fairchilds buried there are below.)
Search
Use this interactive search tool to locate a specific plot.
- CARRIE FAIRCHILD
Interred 7/29/1882 - FLORINA F. FAIRCHILD
Interred 4/15/1853 - JOY H. FAIRCHILD
Interred 2/24/1859 - LENNIE JOY FAIRCHILD
Interred 11/16/1868 - MARY B. FAIRCHILD
Interred 1/18/1864 - MARY JOY FAIRCHILD
Interred 7/20/1843 - SENECA CREGEAN FAIRCHILD
Interred 8/5/1863
UPDATE: JUNE 23, 2015: History of Mount Auburn Cemetery from Mass (Massachusetts) Moments
https://mountauburn.org/?cache Go to Explore Burial Search Tab: https://www.remembermyjourney.com/Search/Cemetery/325/Map
https://mountauburn.org/digitization-days-revealing-the-individuals-in-our-past/
https://mountauburn.org/?cache Go to Explore Burial Search Tab: https://www.remembermyjourney.com/Search/Cemetery/325/Map
https://mountauburn.org/digitization-days-revealing-the-individuals-in-our-past/
Genealogical Research Requests
Mount Auburn offers a range of research and genealogy services. Please choose from the services below:
- Verification of Burial and/or Cremation
- Location of Burial
- Copy of Cemetery Map
- Copy of Cemetery Lot Card
- Copy of Decedent Card
- Copy of Burial Records
- Digital Photograph of Lot, Monument, or Marker
- Search of Files for Related Information
- Search for and Copy Historic Images or Inscriptions of Lot, Monument, or Marker
To request these services, please visit our web store, print out and mail a copy of our research request form, or contact our Historical Collections Department directly at research@mountauburn.org.
For location of burials, please utilize our map feature by simply entering the surname of the deceased and the approximate dates of interment.
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