Tombstone Tuesday -- Before and After for Schramling or Scramlin

Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got this photo from, I've had it for over 11 years, and the minute I saw it, I knew I had to locate the tombstone of my ancestor. That was no easy task until I met my friend Sandy in 2001.

Without a cemetery name, I wasn't sure where to begin, so I turned to a message board for Oneonta, New York, and fortunately received a reply from Sandy, who knew where it was. I spent far more time worrying about how I was going to find the cemetery than it took to connect with her. Our corresponding took place during March, and with snow on the ground in upstate New York, she had to wait until it melted before she could go and see it again.  And, I had to wait.  Before long, she made a quick trip and reported back to me with the details.

Once summer came, my husband and I took a weekend research trip to Cooperstown, Canajoharie, Fonda, and Oneonta, New York. We met Sandy in Oneonta, who took us to two cemeteries, where my ancestors were buried.  The first is the of Henry Scrambling.  My photos show a very hidden cemetery, within a grove of trees, I would never have found it, without help.

Henry Schramling was my 5th great-grandfather.

Born:  Bef. 1745, Canajoharie, Montgomery Co., New York

Died:  Bet. February 24, 1808 - June 22, 1810, Oneonta, Otsego Co., New York

This is the same family I wrote about in November, in my Scrambled Eggs post.  Even in the original cemetery photo, somebody wrote the surname as Schramling AND Scramlin.

The 5 photos below were taken by my cousin, Susie Hull on March 6, 2016.

The cemetery as shown by Google Earth.

A DAR Chapter named after my Ancestor

When I worked at the DAR, I had access to many books, including one which was kept in the Human Resources room, for applicants to look at.  After I began doing my research, I decided to look at the book, and saw an article about the Hannah Woodruff DAR Chapter in Southington, Connecticut.  During that time, I was working on research on her line,  oh what joy.  Fortunately, I thought to make copies of a few pages from the book, so now, fast forward to a few weeks ago.  While surfing around, I found the book online, digitized by our friend, Google!

The Hannah Woodruff Chapter was organized on June 25, 1897 and the Charter was dated November 30, 1897.  From the Chapter Site is the following statement:
"It was the unanimous decision of the organizing committee to name the chapter for Hannah Woodruff, a granddaughter of Samuel Woodruff, the first white settler of Southington. Hannah Woodruff married Asahel Newell, by whom she had eight children.  Shortly after her husband's death she married Daniel Sloper, a widower with five children, and they soon had a son. This was Hannah's family when her husband, Captain Daniel Sloper, led the Southington company to the Revolutionary War accompanied by her three sons, Solomon, Asahel, and Mark Newell, and two of her husband's sons, Daniel and Ezekiel Sloper.  Thus, Hannah Woodruff saw six men of her family go off to serve in the Revolutionary Army, leaving her to care for the remaining nine children of their combined families. She certainly was a true patriot and heroine of the American Revolution."

Hannah was my 5th great-grandmother.

On Tuesday, March 2, 2010, I will be posting her tombstone photos for Tombstone Tuesday; however, I'm showing the plaque at the back of her stone (see 1st picture).  Unfortunately, her stone is completely washed out and almost unreadable, fortunately, the 1901 book mentioned herein, showed the tombstone and transcription.
Chapter sketches, Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution By Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution  1901, 531 pages.  Pg. 305-314  (great index, and search box to check out  Connecticut names).

Visiting the Boston Athenaeum where my 2nd great-grandfather worked

These beautiful red, leather doors greeted me as I was about to enter the Library where my great, great-grandfather worked.  For many years, I've known that he was one of the first librarians of the Boston Athenaeum, but whenever I went to the city, it was always to go to the New England Historic Genealogical Society's Library (NEHGS), and not the Athenaeum.  When the Boston Globe newspaper had an article about changes at the Boston Athenaeum, I thought I finally needed to go and visit it.  Then, a new book Culture Club: The Curious History of the Boston Athenaeum by Katherine Wolff was published and I knew I had to get the book.  Even better, the author was going to give a free lecture to discuss her book and I knew exactly when I was going for my visit, to see the Athenaeum and hear a lecture the same day!  I even managed to get to NEHGS in the afternoon.

Arrangements were made for me to have a tour of the 2nd floor to see where my ancestor, William Frederick Poole would have worked. My tour was given by the archivist who was wonderful, and guided me around and showed me several things, especially things that would have been there between 1856-1869. It was fun putting myself back in that time era. Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed, but just imagine "a wide array of newspapers and artwork, too, with paintings by Gilbert Stuart and John Singer Sargent and sculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Houdon." Lots of sitting rooms, 500 newspapers and periodicals, lovely rugs, children's Library, and peace and quiet.

Wikipedia has a lot of information about the Library, pictures, and mention of my ancestor.  

My Poole lineage began in Massachusetts in 1632, but my father was born in Evanston, Illinois. And, Evanston was also the death location of William Frederick Poole. Not until I began doing genealogy did I learn of their early Massachusetts roots, and that was a wonderful surprise.

William Pabodie and Elisabeth Alden

William Pabodie

Born:  1616 England

Died:  December 13, 1707 at Little Compton, Newport Co., Rhode Island

His wife was Elisabeth Alden, daughter of John Alden and Priscilla Mullens.  Her gravestone photos were among the first I posted. William's tombstone is next to Elisabeth's (the large monument).

They were my 9th great-grandparents.

They are both buried at the Old Commons Cemetery, Little Compton, Newport Co., Rhode Island

Skating to Some Memories

My mother only cried once in front of me. It was like yesterday. She had just heard a radio report, similar to the statement from the site of the U. S. Figure Skating organization, "On February 15, 1961, Sabena Flight 548, traveling from New York to Brussels, crashed in Berg-Kampenhout, Belgium, claiming the lives of all 72 passengers on board. Included were all 18 members of the 1961 U.S. World Figure Skating Team plus 16 of their friends, family, and coaches en route to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia."

We loved to watch figure skating on TV, and even ice skated together on the frozen pond behind my Lexington, MA elementary school. At that time, we would skate after school and on weekends. This was the era of the great Tenley Albright* who lived in the Boston area, and I think that might have fueled her interest in skating and through osmosis, the love of figure skating passed down to me. My goal for many years was to be a figure skater, ha. But, how I loved it. And years, many years later, even out of high school, my then-boyfriend, now husband, and I would go skating every Sunday evening at an indoor rink in Billerica, MA. (This was between 1969-71) And when we were done with our skating, we watched a young skating couple practice after us, during their private ice time, their father was with them and we always watched...how could we not. They went on to win the Olympic Silver in 1984 in the Pairs competition.  Thanks Peter and Kitty Carruthers.  Robert and I went to several figure skating shows in the DC area.

The first Olympic figure skater I saw was Peggy Fleming in an ice show at the Boston Garden in 1971. I went with my sister and her husband, Ralph.

My boyfriend, then husband, Bill, and I went to the annual Figure Skating program at Harvard in the fall of 70 and 71. We saw, Tenley Albright, Janet Lynn (see note), Julie Holmes, John Misha Petkevich, a world champion in 1971 and 1972, and other skaters. I remember getting lots of autographs as well. (Note for Janet Lynn. She was a U.S. Champion five times, a World medalist two times, and the 1972 Olympic bronze medalist.)

Peter and Kitty Carruthers, siblings.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of UK.

Won the Gold medal in the 1984 Olympics.

They skated to Ravel's Bolero. You should watch this.

Scott Hamilton

World Champion from 1981-1984

Olympic Gold in 1984

Russian married pairs, Oleg Protopopov and Ludmila

They won two Olympic gold medals in 1964 and 1968 I saw them in DC in December 1984. Their Swan Lake routine was like watching ballet.

Randy Gardner and Tai Babilonia

World Champions in 1979. I saw them in DC in December 1984.

The last figure skater I saw was Nancy Kerrigan who performed in an Ice Show at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell around 1998. I had a first-row seat with my husband Bill because of my connection to previously working there and I knew the right people. Nancy won the 1984 Olympic silver medal.

---------------

Information about the 1961 skating team members who died is located at Find-A-Grave and Wikipedia.  If you watch the Winter Olympics this week and happen to catch the figure skaters, please think of those who died in the crash.

*  I decided to include information found on the internet about Tenley Albright.  So many accomplishments. How could I not admire her?

"Tenley Albright began skating at eight in Massachusetts, after seeing Gretchen Merrill perform at an ice show. Soon after she committed to rigorous training, encouraged by her coach Maribel Vinson Owen, Albright contracted polio (poliomyelitis) in September 1946. She used her ice skating to regain strength after the attack, and in early 1947, she won her first major competition. By age 13, she had won her first national title, the U.S. Ladies Novice championship.
     Albright was not expected to win a berth on the 1952 Olympic figure skating team, but she did -- and then won the silver medal at Oslo, the highest rank for an American woman skater since 1924. A month after the Olympics she won her first of five consecutive U.S. national championships.
     In 1953, Tenley Albright not only won the "triple crown" (U.S., North American, and World titles) but also entered Radcliffe College as a premed student. In 1956, in the first Olympics televised around the world, she won the gold medal despite a serious injury to her ankle and competition from Carol Heiss. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating.
     Albright retired from competition in 1957. She graduated from Radcliffe that year, despite taking time off for her skating practice, and she entered Harvard Medical School, one of only 6 women out of 130 in her class. Albright became a surgeon, joining her father's practice in Boston. She retired from medicine in the 1990s."

Surname Saturday - VAN WOERT - Keeping Track - Part 2

Yesterday, in Keeping Track - Part 1, I explained one method used to keep track of my surnames and where they were living during their births, marriages and deaths.  My second method is just a listing of the surnames, as explained and shown below.

This is a way to keep everybody in your direct lines straight, meaning in the correct direct line surname sequence. My list is in alphabetical order with the oldest family line being first.  For example, I have six people by the name of Daniels, my six Stephen Daniels to be exact. How am I going to remember who was married to whom, and the dates.  It was while working on his line that I decided to devise this list.  At that time, I didn't have a laptop to bring to the library, so it was either rely on my memory, print out scads of family group sheets, or bring a one page printout of a Word document.  To print out my entire listing runs 52 pages (done in 2003), so I would simply cut and page, and carry just a few pages.

I thought it appropriate to use the example of my Van Woert line for Surname Saturday, since I just connected with a new cousin this week.  He found me, the day I posted cemetery pictures for our family on Tuesday Tombstone!  Both our lines left Oneonta, New York and settled in Battle Creek, Michigan.

This method is great for when you are looking at books with genealogies (family histories). If you were in the section that that began with "V"  in a library and found a book on Van Woert, check out the index to see if you have any of the names below. (At the bottom, is the copy I gave the students.)

VAN WOERT (all have the surname of Van Woert)
Teunis Jacobsesn (Abt. 1634--) married April 19, 1650 Sara Denys (Abt. 1629--)
Jacob Teunisse (1651-July 18, 1730) married Annatje Lookerman (--July 31, 1742)
Jacob (Bapt. Oct. 30, 1698-1765) married Oct. 17, 1723 Hendrikje Ooothout (Bapt. April 9, 1699-April 21, 1764)
Jacob (Bapt. Jan. 8, 1723/24--) married Elizabeth Fort (Bapt. April 23, 1727-May 30, 1756)
Jacob (July 7, 1754-June 27, 1843) married March 30, 1777 Sarah Van Ness (Bapt. March 15,  1754-April 22, 1832)
John (Dec. 21, 1781-Jan. 5, 1870) married Lany / Magdalane Young (May 31, 1784-March 31, 1849) Also married Nancy Hess Scrambling (1781-April 1873)
Sarah (Aug. 17, 1813-Feb. 18, 1863) married Jacob Scrambling (1810 – April 9, 1886)

Keeping Track - Part 1

Not all genealogy buffs use genealogy software. That has become rather apparent to me this past week. For example, one friend of over 35 years called to discuss our rather close line through Nathaniel Foote of Connecticut. (We are 9th cousins, twice removed.) She has been doing genealogy for a very long time, and is a DAR member, and she doesn't use genealogy software.  In our long telephone conversation from Kansas to Massachusetts, we verbally over her line. I'm sure there are many others out there who are like her, who have written their lineage on pieces of paper. And two days later, I have been in contact with the person who left a comment to my blog Tombstone Tuesday - Van Woert. He is new to genealogy, and he doesn't use genealogy software.  How do they keep track?

So how are these genealogy friends going to keep track of everything, without software? I sure hope not like I did when I first began! About eight years ago, I taught a number of beginner genealogy classes. And beginner it was. No software was used by the students. So I devised a method that they could use to keep track of their ancestors. The page below is one of the two methods I came up with.


In the locations where I have ancestors, I have listed the states in alphabetical order, then the county, then town/city. Within the towns, I then listed my surnames in alphabetical order, followed by their spouse and what personal event occurred there, such as birth-marriage-death, with the dates. I entered all my surnames this way, and kept the pages in a binder. For years, I would bring the binder to libraries. Why? It was the easiest way to see what families I had in each state and in each county. Many genealogy libraries have books shelved by state, and then county, so this method made it a breeze to go down an isle (say Vermont) and see those I have for that certain area (Vermont).


If your library doesn't have open stacks, but instead, you need a staff member to get your books (closed stacks), you first have to use a card catalog or an online catalog to see what is available. An example, search Massachusetts, then Middlesex County, then Andover to see what the library has in their holding.  Having all your states and towns typed and printed out, makes it easier to go down your list against the catalog.


I do not use this system any more; I have way too many names, towns, towns, counties and states. However, if somebody is just beginning out, I think this is a easy and free method. Of course, this only pertains to locations. What if they don't have a computer, a person can easily hand write everything.  My form for names will be shown tomorrow. The example below was done in MS Word, but you can now use Google Docs or any other document software. (Further down, is the page in a pdf.)


ESSEX COUNTY
ANDOVER  (all the below had residency in Andover)


William Ballard / Grace Berwick—He died July 10, 1689. She died April 27, 1694.
Joseph Ballard / Rebeckah Rea—He born abt. 1645, married Nov. 15, 1692, and died Sept. 29, 1722. She died Feb. 11, 1739
Josiah Ballard / Mary Chandler—He born June 22, 1699, married Aug. 7, 1721, and died Dec. 26, 1780. She born March 8, 1701 and died April 3, 1779.
Josiah Ballard / Sarah Carter—He born August 14, 1721.
Simon Bradstreet / Anne Dudley—She died September 16, 1672.
Thomas Carter / Ruth Phelps—They married Dec. 25, 1706. She born June 1, 1684.
Thomas Chandler / Hannah Brewer—She born Oct. 25, 1630. He died Jan. 15, 1702 and died Oct. 25, 1717.
Thomas Chandler / Mary Peters—He born Oct. 9, 1664. They married May 22, 1686. She died July 21, 1753.
Andrew Peters / Mercy Beamsley—They married 1659 poss. here. or Ipswich. She died Nov. 5, 1726. He died Dec. 4, 1713.
Edward Phelps / Elizabeth Adams—They married 1651 here or Newbury. She died May 4, 1718 here or Lancaster.
Edward Phelps / Ruth Andrews—They married March 9, 1682.
Maj. Nathaniel Wade / Mercy Bradstreet—They married Oct. 31, 1672. She born 1647.

President Bill Clinton, Photos one Morning on a Walk by the White House

William "Bill" Jefferson Clinton

President Clinton going back to the White House after a jog.  It was a warm but very cloudy day.

Got a huge hug, and then I pulled out my camera for these pictures.  We met at a walkway intersection. I probably saw him 15 times at various locations during my days working in DC.

Note:  Little security, but this was 1994.

Bill Clinton information from Wikipedia.

Tombstone Tuesday - VAN WOERT

Two generations of my direct lines of VAN WOERTs are buried at Plains Cemetery, Oneonta, Otsego Co., New York.  They were my 4th and 5th great-grandparents.

Jacob Van Woert

Bapt.  June 27, 1754, Albany, New York

Died:  June 27, 1843, Oneonta, Otsego Co., New York

His wife, Sarah Van Ness (Photo below.)

Sarah (Van Ness) Van Woert

Born: March 15, 1754, Albany, New York

Died: April 22, 1832, Oneonta, Otsego Co., New York

Their son, John Van Woert and his wife are below.

John Van Woert

Born:  December 21, 1781, Albany, New York

Died:  January 05, 1870

His wife, Magdalane "Lany" Young (Photo below.)

Magdalane "Lany" Young

Born:  May 31, 1784, Prob. Albany, New York

Died:  March 31, 1849, Oneonta, Otsego Co., New York

Trying to Help a Friend

Boott Mills, Lowell

When my friend Joyce wrote me the other day, to see if I could check out a surname from whatever sources I could, I thought, hum, this is going to take a while and I'll do it after dinner. Well, of course, we never wait, we all want to check these things out immediately. It took five seconds, and I had a wealth of information for her.  Why is this sentimental to me?  It is because I love the history of Lowell, and unfortunately I don't have any ancestors from this city I now live in.  To be able to help an old friend in hopes of her finding a connection between the GALUSHA and her CARTY lines was right up my alley.  It has been so much fun, and I felt I had to write about it.

A little background.  Joyce and I met through another genealogy related site four years ago, and at one time, we discovered we had our ancestors living in Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.  She knew I lived in Lowell, Massachusetts, so when she found out that her ancestor had connections to the GALUSHA family and there were some letters possibly in a Museum or Historical Society in Lowell, she asked for my help.  Later I discovered she already had copies of the transcriptions, not the originals.  All the originals were donated to the Lowell National Historical Park (NPS), just a few miles from where I live.  If you click on the NPS site, you can see how the collection was arranged.  These are important papers, and at some point, I hope to go to the National Park Service and see if I can see an original letter.

From the above NPS site is a listing of Galusha Family Relationships

The Galusha Family Collection (1820 - 1900), describes a group of letters and other items collected by J. Lynwood Smith of South Hero, Vermont, and donated to Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts.  To me, these letters are important for several reasons.  Among them, they show a glimpse of life in Lowell, during the Industrial Revolution, a true family genealogy preserved for their family and for all historians interested in this era.  I especially enjoyed seeing names of locations familiar to me.

A transcribed letter follows, however, there are many listed, and can be viewed at: Galusha Family Letters and the Names in the letters and topics of interest - spreadsheet is useful in following the family.

"WRITTEN BY AMY MELENDA GALUSHA1

TO HER PARENTS REV. WILLIAM AND POLLY GALUSHA
Lowell Oct 9 1851

Dear Parents

I received your letter and was glad that you were doing so well as you are I hope that you will not freeze to death this winter if you cannot get into the new house try to fix up the old one so that you can live in it comfortably as possible do not be discouraged for the Lord will take care of you I wish that you would write how much you owe Erastas Bard and I will try to send you the money fore I suppose if he is sick that his family will need it I shall send you ten now and will send you then more if it is necesary when I am paid I am a going to get me one dress and a cloak which will be enough for the winter I have hired a seat in the Methodist Church with Christopher and Viola C. has experianced religeon since he came here and has united with the Worthen Street M E Church on probation he is very much engaged in religeon he likes here very much and so does Viola she says she would give anything if her Father could but hear Mr Colyar preach for he would not know how to contain himself I do think myself that he is the smartest Methodist preacher that ever I heard preach why Eldar Meeker could not hold a candle to him I do not know as I shall hire a seat after this quarter which will continue till the first of January although C and V are very anxious that I should it is very pleasant wether here this fall Viola says she is not sorry that she has come and thinks she shall stay a year very contedly she was rather homesick at first but I have not heard any more of that since C. came he is very attentive and sits her up evry Sunday night. on the whole I think he is a very good little fellow I begin to like him better than I used to when we went to school together. Viola has got so that she can run four looms quite decently Mr Cooper says that she gets along remarkbly well she makes about two dolers per week I never learned a girl with so little trouble as I did her she is very smart and will make a first rate weaver Oh how lonesome I shall be shen she is gone home. I hope that Arvilla will learn as easy as she did I hope that you will not let Arvilla race around with ... this winter I think it is bad enough for her to go with boys of her own age I hope that Lele will go with her himself it will look much better than the other way but I must stop and get a light tell Lele that if he will kill gray squirrils enough to make me a boa I will five him five dollars
Charles Miner is married
John French and Rhoda called to see us to night they are well Rhoda had not heard of Janes wedding she thinks that Jane has done first rate she was very much displeased to think they tried to sheviree her Mrs Burgess is going to california and John says he shall go in the spring I believe that I should rather be in Janes place than Rhodas. I pity her but you must not say a word. tell Janette when you see her that she ought to write to Rhoda for she feels rather bad. give my love to H and L and aunt Fany and Nancy and aunt Olive and all the folks. do not let Sall see nor hear from this letter if you can heple it I guess you will laugh when you see how I have written help just as I used to say it what I was a little baby O how many little things will take place to bring back the memory of the past “Memory thou restless spirit why break my rest.” I cannot live one hour without thinking of the happy days when I knew no care when the voice of my parents was my
only guide and a Mothers bosem was the only recpticle for my childish griefs. I have been more homesick since I came back this time that I have been before since the first summer that I was in the place but that is almost done with I hope I do not think that I shall come home again till I come for good and all I wonder how you stood through the day after I came away I thought that you would cry after we were gone for all you braved it out better than I did but you was so afraid you should appear like Aunt Irena that you did not shed a tear until I was gone but if you got along without all day you did better than I did Viola and I have laughed a great many times over what pa said when he came down stairs that night after we had such a tremenoeous uprore as bad as ever they had at Ephesus about the godess Diana I cannot help thinking how ridicolously I was treated in my own Fathers house by some of my relation but never mind them we can live without them and shall probably have to give my best respects to all the friends and neighbors who shall enquire for me Lucina Ganes went from here the next week after we come down she could not get work to suite her and she went to Springfield she has writen to us once since she left she was sewing then and was expecting a chance in the mill soon it was just as I expected almost a thing imposible to get a place for a new hand in the mill I was glad that there did not any more girls come with me but Lucina did not blame me or at least she said she did not I tried all that week to get her a place and Ann Fay tried her best to get her in but did not succeed but I shall write for Arvilla when I want her tell Lele he must write to me and let me know how he gets along with the house


Amy Galusha"