Tombstone Tuesday: Susannah (Faris) Atkinson

Yes, it's been a very long time since I've touched this blog, and I can think of no way to ease back into it than by creating a Tombstone Tuesday entry!
You are looking at photos of the gravestone of my 3rd great grandmother, Susannah (Faris) Atkinson, daughter of William and Susannah (Curtis) Faris and wife of George Atkinson. They were taken in 1999 with a film camera.My husband and I were able to visit the cemetery because he was doing some work in Columbus, OH at the time. When we got there, we couldn't find the grave right away, but I did find some of Susannah's relatives near a fallen gravestone. I became convinced that the fallen stone was the one we wanted, so John and I propped it up with pieces of the base and found that I was right! This was one of my earliest graving expeditions, so I was very excited! Poor John, though, was not so much. There was poison ivy under the marker and it was soon obvious that John should have been wearing gloves. I'll always be grateful for his help and I hope he felt like it was worth it!













You can visit Susannah's memorial on Find a Grave.

Tombstone Tuesday: Frederick Wachter

I haven't been keeping up with Tombstone Tuesday or Wordless Wednesday very well. Between dealing with a new job and with John doing upgrades to his server (where I store many of my pictures) I ended up taking a week off.

What you're seeing here are a couple shots of the grave marker for John's 2nd great-grandfather, Frederick Wachter. You may be able to tell because of the rust that this is made from iron that was painted white. It's in bad shape here, badly corroded and the cross lying on the ground used to be a part of the marker.

The inscription reads:

Frederick Wachter
Born Aug 4, 1828
Died May 13, 1917
Age 89 years, 10 months

(The age is wrong, obviously someone calculated it wrong)

He and his wife, Mary Ellen Trentmann (also known as Angelina) were both born in Germany. They lived for several years in Delphos, Ohio, where their three children were born, and later moved to Nodaway County, Missouri. Angelina died there in 1891, and Frederick spent the last years of his life living with his daughter, Margaret and her family in Woodson County, Kansas. He is buried outside Piqua, KS, at the Old Catholic Cemetery there.

You can see more info about him HERE or visit his Find a Grave memorial.

Tombstone Tuesday: Mary Fife

This is the gravestone of my great-great grandmother, Mary Frances (McConnell) Fife. She is buried with her husband at Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Her husband's family were early members of the church from the 1770s, and I believe her mother's Morrow family may have been also, although I haven't found a connection, YET, between Mary's grandfather, John Morrow and the many Morrows buried at Bethel Cemetery. Mary's father, Charles, was an immigrant from County Donegal Ireland, making him my most recent immigrant ancestor. You can see my entry about his tombstone here.

This stone reads:

Mary F.
Wife of
John Calvin Fife
Born Nov 6, 1851
Died Feb 24, 1917

Mary's husband, John Calvin Fife, died young, and you can read about him HERE. As I mentioned in the post I wrote about Calvin Fife, Mary was left alone with 3 very young children and a fourth on the way, daughter Calvin (called Callie) who was born about 3 months after her father had died. The day his obituary appeared in the newspaper, there was also the following classified ad at the bottom of the same page:

PUBLIC SALE.
The undersigned will sell at the late residence of Calvin Fife, at the corner of Green and College Streets, Canonsburg.
Saturday, November 22d, 1879
Two good work Horses, 1 spring Colt, 1 two-horse Wagon, set work Harness, Collars, Bridles, set of double Buggy Harness, Plow, Harrow, double Shovel Plow, 1 single Shovel Plow, 1 barrel of Vinegar, 1 barrel of Salt, 1 riding Saddle, Double Tree, Coal Shovel, Kitchen Furniture and numerous other articles not mentioned.

Sale to commence at 1 o'clock, p. m. A credit of 6 months will be given.
Mrs. Mary F. Fife.

I've always thought it was admirable, although very sad, too, that g-g-grandma would be thinking about the practical realities of life so soon after her husband died. She never remarried, so she must have found a way to support herself. In her later years, the census listed her as a nurse.

A legacy passed down from Mary and her family was her religion. When I first started researching, I found that my dad's side of the family were almost all members of the Presbyterian Church, so I wondered how my grandparents came to be members of the First United Methodist Church in Canonsburg, PA. When I discovered that Mary's parents were buried at Fawcett Methodist Church Cemetery, I found my answer. While Mary was buried with her husband with his family in the Presbyterian cemetery, she, along with her children and grandchildren, attended a church of the same denomination as her parents. My grandfather, raised in the Presbyterian Church, joined the Methodist Church when he and Grandma got married. He served as a church administrator in his later years, as did grandma's brother, Raymond Fife, who grew up going to the Methodist Church. Much later, my brother and I were baptized in that church.

Tombstone Tuesday: Jacob Eckroate

Here are two views of the gravestone of my mother-in-law's great grandfather, Jacob Eckroate. I believe these pictures were taken about 10 years apart. The first was taken by my husband's sister when she made a trip to Nebraska to look for family graves with her mother who is in the photo. The second shot is my husband and his mom with the same gravestone in 1998, not long after I started my own family research.

Jacob was born in Ohio, enlisted in the Army during the Civil War in Illinois, and spent most of the rest of his life in Nebraska.













Another of his descendants recently shared the following obit with me:

The Fremont Weekly Herald - Fremont, Nebraska 18 Dec 1890

AN OLD SETTLER GONE

Jacob Eckroate for many years, a resident of Pleasant Valley township, died at St. Mary's Hospital, Columbus, Tuesday night. Deceased was well-known as one of the old settlers of the County, but for some years has been living in different localities in the hope of benefiting his health. He has been at the hospital for some time, under treatment for a complication of diseases, which finally resulted in his death at the age of 63.

He is buried at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, in Pleasant Valley township, Dodge County, Nebraska, beside his wife, Barbara and a son Daniel.

His memorial on Find a Grave is here.

Tombstone Tuesday: James P. Skiles

You may not be able to read this stone. The writing on it is:

JAMES P. SKILES

Died Jan. 27, 1885

In the 70. Year of His Life

He was my 3rd great-grandfather, born in somewhere in Pennsylvania, died in Washington County, PA--probably in the area of Thompsonville.

His wife was Martha Hair (or perhaps Hare), and they were the parents of 9 children, including my great-great-grandfather, James Hare Skiles.

At the time when I found his grave, I had never seen that hand symbol pointing up before, so I was interested in whether it had some special significance. I found this:

A hand with the index finger pointing upward symbolizes the hope of heaven

When he died, he left one of the most interesting will that I've found for a family member.

Will of James P. Skiles

(Willbook 14, FHL US/CAN Film 1318308)

I James P. Skiles of Thompsonville in the County of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, do _____(?) and declare my last will and testament to be as follows, viz: I bequeath to my wife Martha all my household goods, out of which she is to give to my son Ebenezer our bedstead, one featherbed and bedding therefor.

I bequeath to my daughter Rebecca the picture now in her possession of my deceased daughter Mary Anne.

I bequeath to my daughter Martha the picture of my deceased daughter Rachel now in the possession of Wm J. Wallace.

I will that my executor sell and convey in such manner and upon such terms as to him shall seem best, all my real estate and that the proceeds thereof, and of my personal property not specifically bequeathed be applied first in payment of my debts and funeral expenses, and that the residue after payment thereof be invested by him during the life of my wife in National State or Municipal bonds, or on first mortgage or real estate that the net income therefrom be paid to her for and during her life and that at her death the principal be divided among my children then living, or hereunto born of my children who are or shall be dead, Such children to take together such share as their parent would have taken if living. In case my wife shall elect to claim to have any part of my of my estate set apart to her by virtue of any statute allowing an exemption in her favor she shall take nothing under this will.

In case any legatee under this will shall present any claim against my estate, he or she so claiming shall receive nothing under my will but shall be excluded and not counted in the distribution.

I do hereby appoint Wm. J. Wallace to be my executor of this my last will and testament.

James P. Skiles {L.S.}

Signed sealed and declared in the presence of us in in the presence of each other and at his request this twenty fourth day of July one thousand eight and eighty-three.

George Guinn
H. D. Gilkison

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Washington County S.S.

Be it remembered. That upon this 5th day of February 1885 before me John F. Cooper, Register for the Probate of Wills and granting Letters of Administration within and for said county came Geo. Guinn and H. D. Gilkeson the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing attached will of James P. Skiles deceased who after being duly qualified according to law depose and say : That they were present at the execution of said will saw the testator sign the same, heard him publish it as and for his last will and testament; that they at his request, in his presence and in the presence of each other subscribed their names thereto as witnesses.

Sworn and subscribed before
John F. Cooper
Register

George Guinn
H. D. Gilkeson

And now Feb 5, 1885; It being adjudged that the said will has been duly proved; it is admitted to probate and letters issued to Wm J. Wallace in said testament named who was qualified by

John F. Cooper
Register

I still hope I can discover who his parents were. There was one man in Washington County, a Gideon Skiles who came there from Lancaster, PA, in the early 1800s who would have been the right age to be his father, but I haven't found any connection between James P. Skiles and Gideon Skiles. There is a fairly large Skiles family in the area around Uniontown, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, but when going thru wills from that area, I have found that most of them had sons names James but none of them indicated that their James Skiles moved to Washington County. Maybe someone out there knows?

You can see an entry for James P. Skiles in my database at Rootsweb, and you can visit his entry on Find a Grave.

Tombstone Tuesday: John Atkinson

These photos show the gravestone of my immigrant Atkinson ancestor, John Atkinson, who was probably born in Ireland, sailed to Baltimore and eventually came to what is now Ohio County, WV in the late 1700s. He and his wife, Eleanor (Mitchell) Atkinson were the parents of 9 children. I descend from their son, James.

The graveyard where many of the earliest Atkinson from my family doesn't seem to have an official name. It has been transcribed as both "Riley Hill Road Cemetery" and as "Atkinson Cemetery". It's located on property that was once owned by John Atkinson that was passed down to his son, David whose descendants lived there until sometime in the last 75 years, I believe.

I was first told of it by a distant cousin in 1997, but I wasn't able to find it until 10 years later, and then just last summer I was able to visit again with a GPS to record the exact location. It's in the middle of a woods behind a field, and can be difficult to find if you don't know exactly where to go, and to make it even more confusing, if you try to follow the GPS, it will try to lead you up a dirt road that washes out before you can get where it says you can, so you have to know to go around and through a residential area.

The cemetery hasn't been well taken care of, but someone has been trying to repair the graves and clean the place up recently. I don't know who that is. I wonder if this might have been a place for kids to hang out and cause trouble, some of the broken stones look as if they've been shot. It's sad that there are people who would treat the final resting place of human beings that way.

One thing I was grateful for was a photograph of a tree that marks the location of those graves. Another researcher shared it on a private Ohio County research site. I loved that she declared that the huge, ancient oak seemed to be guarding over the Atkinson family buried there. The photo below is mine, my first view of the tree which told me that I was finally on the right path to view the graves of my earliest Atkinson relatives in America!

You can view John Atkinson's entry on Find a Grave, or see my data for him on Rootsweb.

Tombstone Tuesday: Josias Brown

This is the gravestone of my 5th great grandfather, Josias Brown. I first learned of him in 1997 when I made contact with a distant cousin whose main interest was in finding as much information about Josias' descendants as she could. My family filled in some blanks for her because I am descended from Josias Brown's daughter, Margaret (Brown) Atkinson.

I wasn't happy with the quality of the photographs I took that day at Peters Run Cemetery (AKA Old Tent Cemetery), especially the ones of the graves of Josias and his wife, Hannah (Mitchell) Brown. I guess that means I'll have to go back!

It took me years to find this cemetery. I think I first looked for it in the summer of 1998, driving back and forth several times along Peters Run Road outside Wheeling WV, a very curvy, 4.7 mile long road lined with thick trees that has a surprising amount of traffic, which made it impossible for me to drive along as slowly as I wanted to. I went back a few years later with my husband along and still couldn't find it. Finally, in 2006, someone was able to give me a general location for the cemetery, and in the summer of 2007 I finally found it! The people who own the property were very nice! They've been working on restoring the graveyard, and they gave me printouts of a cemetery reading done by the DAR back in the 50s or 60s. They also showed me two gravestones there that they had recently unearthed. The names of those two people never appeared on any previous transcript and they were hopeful that they would continue to find buried gravestones.

You can see more about Josias Brown and his family HERE, and you can visit his virtual grave on Find a Grave.

Tombstone Tuesday: Batte Peterson Clark

This is the gravestone of my husband's great-grandfather, Batte Peterson Clark, Jr. John and I visited this grave at Fairlawn Cemetery in the fall of 2005. We planned a trip to Dallas for John's 25 year high school reunion, and I talked him into adding a few extra days so we could drive up into Oklahoma to look for his family graves. It was a fun and fruitful trip to a part of Oklahoma that I had never visited before.

B. P. Clark has a family legend attached to him, and so far, I haven't found anything to confirm or disprove the following story that I found in some notes made by John's Uncle Terrence who passed down some of his genealogy research to his family.

My grandfather Clark

Batt Peterson, 4th child of Batte and Mary Clark, born in 1855, when about 16 years of age rode out of Alabama to La [Louisiana] to avenge the murder of his brother... He rode from there into La. soon afterwards the body of the man who killed Albert his brother was found behind a stump on a La road. Batt Clark never did say that he killed the fellow, but he did say enough to his son Albert to make him believe that the fellow was trying to waylay his papa as he had his papa's brother. Grandmother Watts always said that Batt killed the fellow and then road into Panola County, Texas. In those days one could commit a crime in La and get into Texas and be safe from the law.

Batte Peterson Clark was born in Alabama, lived in Texas for much of his adult life, and spent his final years in the area around Comanche, OK. His entry in my database can be seen HERE, and you can also visit his entry on Find a Grave.

Tombstone Tuesday: Charles McConnell

You are looking at the gravestone of my 3rd great-grandfather, Charles McConnell. Something that makes him particularly interesting to me is the fact that, as far as I know, he was my most recent immigrant ancestor. According to the inscription on the stone, he was "Born in Co. Donegal, Ireland 1800" and "Came to America 1820". I've never seen immigration information on any of my other family graves.

He died on December 25, 1871.

I actually know very little about him. I don't know who his parents were. I don't know what ship he came to America on. I do know that in 1850, he lived in the home of his future father-in-law, John Morrow. The census claimed he was 65 at that time, and his future wife, Ann Jane Morrow, was 28. They must have been married soon after because my great-great-grandmother Mary F. (McConnell) Fife was born in 1851. In the 1860 census, Charles listed his age as 60, which matches the date on his tombstone. Charles and Ann Jane lived all of their married life in Upper Saint Clair Twp, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, but they must have attended church in Bridgeville, PA. They were buried in the churchyard at Fawcett Methodist Church located there.

One mystery in my research were two people living in his home in 1860: Gerry and Anna McConnell who were born in Ireland. It seems likely that they were relatives, but I have not been able to locate them in any other census. I do not know if they were a married couple or perhaps brother and sister. I used to wonder if they were his children from an earlier marriage, but if Charles McConnell came to America in 1820, then Gerry and Anna, born in 1831 and '37, could not have been his children, perhaps his niece and nephew.

Charles and Ann Jane were the parents of two daughters, my previously mentioned g-g-grandma, Mary Fife, and Sarah (McConnell) Dunlap.

You can see Charles McConnell's entry on Find a Grave HERE.

Tombstone Tuesday: William Tolbert

William Steffel Tolbert was my great-grandfather. His was buried on his own land near Pax WV. His wife, Anna is also buried there, but while she obviously had her own information engraved when she picked out the stone, no one bothered to have it finished when she died in 1949. Anna was his second wife, so she wasn't a blood relative, but my mother lived with Anna until she died. My mom was 15 then, and afterwards, she went to live with Anna's brother until she married my dad. My mom was 22 then.


Several years ago, my mom and I went back to where she grew up to try to find William and Anna Tolbert's graves. My mom hadn't been there since 1949 and things had changed a lot. We had no luck finding the spot. Later, I made a posting on the Rootsweb mailing list for Fayette County, WV, and I was rewarded by a woman who went out and found them for me. She later gave me wonderful directions so I was able to find it myself later! The first time my mom and I visited, I actually drove up this road to get to it, but since then, I've been back twice, and both times I walked! It's quite a trek!

Tombstone Tuesday: John Calvin Fife

This is the grave of my g-g-grandfather, John Calvin Fife. You may be able to see that he died young, at age 33 on November 14, 1879. He was killed in an accident while he was working on building a bridge. He and one other man were killed.

It had to have been a real struggle for his widow, Mary Frances (McConnell) Fife. She was only 28, the mother of three children and pregnant with her 4th. She never remarried and supported herself as a nurse.

When her 4th child was born in February 1880, although the baby was a girl, Mary named her Calvin after her dead father. She was called Callie.

Calvin Fife was buried at Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Bethel Park, PA. Six generations of my Fife ancestors are buried there. The church's history website mentions the Fife family being associated with them from the beginning.

The sentiment engraved at the bottom of his stone is particularly touching. It reads:

Death is certain, the hour unseen.

An article that appeared in the local newspaper at the time of his death describes the accident in especially gruesome details. The paper, which was a weekly, published his obituary the next week, along with a paid notice of a public sale being held by Mary Fife. It makes me sad that she had to deal with the practical details of having to support herself and her children at a traumatic time like that. Below are transcripts of the articles from the newspaper.

From the Canonsburg Herald, Canonsburg PA, Friday Nov. 14, 1879.

_______________
Terrible Accident
Fall of a Bridge near Canonsburg-- Samuel Cochran killed-- Calvin Fife Fatally Injured-- Five others Badly Injured and Several Slightly Hurt--Aid for the Sufferers.
_______________

One of the most heart-rending local accidents which has fallen to our sad duty to chronicle, happened on Friday afternoon last. For some time past workmen have been engaged upon a new bridge over Chartiers Creek, for J. V. H. Cook, at his coal works a short distance above the railroad station at this place.

The bridge is a private one, and is to be used for running the cars from the mines on the south side of the creek to the platform on the north side. The bridge is a frame truss, 72 feet long, 9 feet wide and nine feet high, outside measure. The height of the floor to the creek is about 10 feet. John T. Roberts had the contract for the woodwork, and had the framework all complete for raising into position on last Friday morning. A solid scaffold on tressles (sic) had been constructed, and during the forenoon the eastern frame was safely put into position. This was secured by guy ropes attached to the top of the frame at each end, and tied to stakes in the ground a few rods away on each side. In the afternoon the frame for the west side was put together on the scaffold and at half past two o'clock, twenty-eight men mounted the platform to put the frame into position. The miners had been summoned from their work and a number of neighbors had collected together to assist. Mr. Roberts, the contractor, believed everything to be safe, and as every man's aid was needed, he took a position with the others to give a lift.

The heavy frame was steadily lifted, but when it was nearing it's upright position, a projecting chord caught one of the guy ropes holding the first frame, unnoticed, and the great pressure was sufficient to cause the opposite ropes to give way and cause the first raised frame to fall inwards, and in an instant the second fell back, the one directly upon the other. When the first side began to move someone gave a warning shout, and all who could, to save themselves from being crushed, sprang through the openings of the frame to the ground and creek below. In a few remarkable cases, persons were so situated that the framework fell over and around them and left them standing untouched. Frank Coleman was left standing in an opening, which appeared scarcely large enough to allow his body to pass. Mr. Cook, himself-- suddenly aware that something was wrong--turned his head as the frame passed over him. This act saved him from being carried down with the timbers.

As soon as the men could recover themselves, a sickening spectacle presented itself, four men lay crushed and mangled beneath the heavy structure. They were Samuel Cochran, John T. Roberts, Calvin Fife, and Christopher Patterson.

Several men at work upon the new railroad abutments nearby, rushed to the spot, and assisted those not disabled in extricating the injured men. The killed and wounded were the following:

• Samuel Cochran, chest crushed, died in a few minutes after he was removed from the wreck.
• Calvin Fife, lower part of the body badly crushed. Kidneys injured. He cannot recover.
• John T. Roberts, both legs broken, below the knees, and one broken above, three ribs and jaw broken. Has suffered much but will likely recover.
• Christopher Patterson, colored, right leg broken above the ankle, and the left above the knee.
• Aaron Henderson, Sr., colored, knocked off the bridge and badly hurt on his face and side.
• Vance Donaldson, son of John Donaldson, three bones broken in his foot.
• William Dungee, colored, knee cap dislocated.

Besides these several others were slightly hurt by receiving bruises and flesh wounds. Allen Thompson was struck in the back as he jumped from the bridge. Joseph Neill was struck upon the shoulder.

As soon as the wounded were extricated from their horrible positions, messengers were dispatched for physicians, Drs. Alexander, Donaldson, and Bane, and many citizens promptly hurried to the scene, and did all in their power to give relief to the sufferers. Spring wagons were brought and stretchers were made and each carried to his home. The procession, with the dead and some of the wounded in wagons and others carried upon stretchers , as it came into town, formed one of the saddest spectacles we have seen in many a day. The three physicians, together with Dr. Barnet, and later in the evening, Dr. Lacock, gave what surgical attention was needed as rapidly as the several cases could be attended to. Dr. Dickson was absent from home at the time. The citizens did all in their power to render needed assistance.

Nothing has happened in this community for a long time that has cast so great a gloom over the people, or brought out so great an expression of sympathy. Nearly all are men of families who would suffer for want of necessities and comforts, without aid from some source.

At the request of a number of citizens the Town Council held a meeting on Saturday morning to devise some means to secure pecuniary relief fro the injured men and their families. John Chambers, Sr., was appointed Treasurer, and W. R. McConnell, Wm. Martin, and W. S. Callahan a committee to disburse contributions where and when needed. W. R. Campbell, C. M. Greer and D. C. Houston were appointed a committee to solicit contributions. To this call for aid the people of the town and vicinity have responded liberally.
***************************************************

From the Canonsburg Herald, Friday Nov. 21, 1879

_______________________
The Second Victim.--Calvin Fife, one of the persons injured at the late bridge disaster, died from the effects of his injuries, on last Friday evening. He received the most assiduous medical attention, but nothing could avert the fatal result. Mr. Fife was in the 34th year of his age, and leaves a wife and three small children to mourn his loss. His funeral took place on last Sunday from his late residence at the corner of Green and College Streets. Short services were held at Bethel Church in Allegheny County whither his remains were taken to be interred. Many persons accompanied the procession.

****************************************************
Also from the same paper listed under DIED:

FIFE.-- In Canonsburg, Pa., on Friday evening Nov. 14, 1879, John Calvin Fife, aged 33 years and nine months.

****************************************************
Just below, listed under new advertisements:

PUBLIC SALE.
The undersigned will sell at the late residence of Calvin Fife, at the corner of Green and College Streets, Canonsburg.
Saturday, November 22d, 1879

Two good work Horses, 1 spring Colt, 1 two-horse Wagon, set work Harness, Collars, Bridles, set of double Buggy Harness, Plow, Harrow, double Shovel Plow, 1 single Shovel Plow, 1 barrel of Vinegar, 1 barrel of Salt, 1 riding Saddle, Double Tree, Coal Shovel, Kitchen Furniture and numerous other articles not mentioned.
Sale to commence at 1 o'clock, p. m. A credit of 6 months will be given.
Mrs. Mary F. Fife.

Tombstone Tuesday: William Faris

Here you see two photos I took of my earliest born ancestor whose burial place I know. William Faris was my 5th great grandfather. Since he was 84 when he died in 1818, he would have been born about 1734. He and his wife are buried at Stone Church Cemetery in Elm Grove, WV.

When I first started working on my genealogy in 1996, I started out with some printed trees and reports that my cousin Russell had sent to my dad. They included information Russell had collected from our aunts, uncles and cousins about their living families, and some information that Russell had added to a genealogy program that came from a family genealogy created by our grandfather's cousin back in the 40s & 50s. I entered everything into Family Tree Maker (version 3, I think) and started searching the internet. I soon found Genweb, and scoured the postings on the Ohio County, WV site looking for family connections! One of the first cousins I met online was Jane Carson Topoly. She is related to me by blood through our Brown ancestors, and also connected by marriage through the second marriage of our ancestors, William Faris (son of the man whose gravestone you see here) and his second wife, Elizabeth (Irwin) Carson. Elizabeth and her deceased first husband were Jane's 3rd great-grandparents.

Jane was a huge help to me in learning how to research my ancestors and she pointed me towards where I could find out more about them. I was soon able to find out more about William Faris' parents and located their burial place. Another distant cousin sent me photographs of the graves. It wasn't long after that when I was able to visit their burial place. I used a film camera to take pictures in 1998, and when I visited again in 2005, I used a digital camera. Just this summer, I went back again and got the newest view that you see to the left. I do not know who provided the new bronze marker for William Faris, but I am very grateful, especially since it's obvious that his original sandstone marker will eventually disintegrate. I noticed new markers on many Revolutionary War graves there.

You can see the entry I created for William Faris on Find a Grave here.

Another great resource I have found is a book called Eight Generations of the Virginia Branch of the Faris Family in the United States of America. It is a compilation of information about the descendants of William and his wife, Dorratha (Johnson) Faris that was collected by my distant cousin, Nellie L. Flack. She published her book sometime before 1919. While I was warned that there are some errors, I found it to be very accurate in showing my particular family line. And when it comes to looking for ancestors, aren't we all just looking for a nudge in the right direction so that find original sources and make our own conclusions?

Tombstone Tuesday: William & Sadie (McConnell) Dunlap

To the right, you see the grave markers for William and Sadie Dunlap. Sadie was the sister of my g-g-grandmother, Mary (McConnell) Fife. As you can see, at the time when I last visited their graves, these stones were almost completely buried under dirt and grass. Below is the large marker for the family plot. The name Schaufele was their daughter, Mary's married name. I had visited a few times, but had never found the graves of William and Sadie's daughter and son-in-law. I had wondered if their stones HAD been completely buried under the sod, or if they had never been buried there.

Through one of my genealogy email lists, I came into contact with a woman who works at Oak Spring Cemetery. she has been very helpful to me in tracking down my relatives buried there. Eventually, I realized that she might have a clue as to where the Schaufele graves might be. And I was right. She checked the records for plot ownership and found this note:

"On Feb. 10, 1966, Mrs. J. W. Schaufele sold 4 lots back to Oak Spring Cemetery since she was now living in Arizona."

Now I know, to track down what became of the descendants of my g-g-grandma's sister, I need to search in Arizona!




Interested in seeing what these people looked like? I have posted an old photograph on Find a Grave! Luckily, it's one of the few I have seen that someone IDed the people on the back of the photo!

I have also been told that the graves are no longer buried. When I get back there, I'll have to take new photos!

(Just a side note: I had a little problem with the formatting of this entry. It looks fine in Firefox, but not so good if you're using IE...sorry.)

Tombstone Tuesday: Michael McDaid

This is the grave of my 3rd great grandfather, Michael S. McDaid. This was taken long before I owned a digital camera. Michael was an interesting character, but with as much as I know about him, there is so much more I wish I knew.

He was born in Pennsylvania, but I've never found his parents. There were few McDaid families in Western Pennsylvania, but he could have been from the eastern part of the state where the name is a little more common. He was born sometime around 1809-1810, although I can't be sure. Every census gives an inconsistent age and even his pension applications after the Civil War gave ages that don't match a particular date of birth.

He married his wife, Jennet (or Janetta) McCoy, presumably before 1828 when his eldest daughter, Mary Jane, was born. He and Jennet went on to have 8 children, including my 2nd great-grandfather, Samuel S. McDaid. They moved around Greene and Washington Counties in Pennsylvania, finally seeming to settle down in West Finley Twp. However, the Civil War changed that.

Michael McDaid was about 50 years old when the war started. He and his son, William, went to Wheeling, West Virginia to enlist to fight for the Union. Michael served in Co. L of the 2nd WV Cavalry. According to his service records, though, he was away from duty quite a bit, often related to injuries that seemed to be caused by clumsiness or carelessness, although his age could have been a factor. One major injury was a dislocated shoulder caused by a rearing horse. There was some indication that he was AWOL for a time, but his excuse was that he had returned home to recuperate.

After the war, Michael never returned to live in West Finley, but instead went to live in Marshall County, WV, with a man named Jesse Gorbey. Mr. Gorbey might have been a relative -- perhaps a brother-in-law -- I've seen information that indicates that his wife's maiden name might have been "McDaid". Jennet McDaid continued to live on her own in West Finley. After the war, she filed for a pension based on the service of her son William who had died of Small Pox in Washington, DC, during the war. Her pension request included several affidavits signed by her neighbors and friends testifying to the fact that her husband had abandoned her! And yet, I have never found any indication that she and Michael were divorced. However, in 1879, Michael married Lucinda Martin in Marshall County. She was at least 25 years younger than he was, and Jennet was alive until at least 1883. The fact that Michael McDaid seemed to have been married to two women at the same time makes him interesting to me, but I know of one cousin who was upset when she found the same info I did in the pension records. She seemed sorry that she had done the research, and I don't even know if she's still doing genealogy.

Michael died in 1892, although there seems to be some confusion about exactly when. The date shown in his pension paperwork looks like February 10, 1892. However, a pension increase was approved in April 1892, and his file wasn't closed until December. It seems that Lucinda might have been a little shady. She remarried the next year to another Civil War pensioner. After he died, she applied for widow's pensions based on the service of both husbands, while indicating on each application that she had only been married to one veteran. Someone at the VA was on their toes and caught her deception. The files of her two husbands have been combined at the National Archives.

Luckily, since Michael was a veteran, his grave has been marked. He was buried at Shepherd Methodist Church in Adaline, WV. The stone only shows his name and service info, no birth or death date. I originally found a record of his burial on the website for Marshall County WV GenWeb . Also buried there was Mary Gorbey, wife of Jesse. The town is very isolated, and my husband and I had a little trouble finding it. That was in the days before Google Maps or GPS devices, but you can see it's location below. We were relieved when we located the churchyard.


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I think of Michael as one of my more interesting ancestors. In his pension file is a letter written in his own handwriting. One of my brothers-in-law does handwriting analysis. I had him look at that letter without telling him anything that I had learned about Michael McDaid. He told me that the handwriting indicated that the writer was a creative and intelligent person who bored easily and probably seemed irresponsible. He also mentioned that the handwriting indicated that Michael was a heavy drinker, but due to the age he was when the letter was written, he might also have had a minor stroke at some time. I have wondered how his abandonment of his family might have affected later generations.

Tombstone Tuesday: Nancy Jane (Chase) Wolfe

I've recently started spending more time reading other people's genealogy blogs, and I've noticed some memes I'd like to use for inspiration. One of these is "Tombstone Tuesday". Since I have uploaded almost 4100 photos (so far) to Find a Grave, I have plenty of content for sharing photos of tombstones!

For my first entry, here's the grave of my g-g-g-grandmother, Nancy Jane (Chase) Wolfe. I took this photo in July of 2005 while I was on vacation in Southwestern Pennsylvania where my dad's family lived for generations, looking for family graves. At the time, I had barely learned Nancy's name and didn't have a clue where to look for her and her husband's graves.

On our way to see the graves of my McDaid relatives who are buried at West Finley Cemetery in Washington County, we stopped at Windy Gap Cemetery which was on the way. I had read a partial transcript that showed that the sister of my g-g-grandfather, Samuel McDaid, whose name was Mary Jane, had been buried there in 1852, so I wanted to see if there was a marker. As I walked thru the gate, I saw the stone you see here. It reads:

Nancy.Wife ofLUTHER WOLFEDIEDJuly 30, 1873Aged 63 years11 Mos & 16 ds.

You can't imagine how excited I was. In fact, hers was the very first grave I entered on F-a-G. It turns out it was more than serendipitous that I found her grave then. In August of this year, I was able to visit again, and the stone had degraded so much that I'm not sure I would have recognized the name on the stone. Luckily on that day in 2005, the stone was in good enough condition and the light fell just right on the face for me to read the inscription!

I don't know a lot about Nancy beyond the basics. She was the daughter of Barnabas and Elizabeth (Carroll) Chase, born August 14, 1809, and died July 30, 1873. She married Luther Wolfe, and they had 7 children, including my g-g-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (Wolfe) McDaid. You can see Nancy Wolfe's info on Rootsweb WorldConnect HERE. Something I found very interesting about her is the fact that she's the only female ancestor I've found so far who had a will of her own. I wish I knew more about her. Here's a transcript:

Will of Nancy Wolf

(Washington County, PA, Willbook #10, page 161)

Know all men by these presents that I Nancy Wolf of West Finley Township in the County of Washington and state Pennsylvania widow being in ill health but of sound and disposing mind and memory do make and publish this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills by me at any time heretofore made.

And as to my worldly Estate, and all My property personal or mixed of which I shall die siezed and possessed or to which I shall be entitled at the time of my decease I devise bequeath and dispose. There of inasmuch following to wit. First my will is that all my just debts and funeral expenses shall by my Executor hereinafter named be paid out of my Estate as soon after my decease as shall by him be found convenient-- I give and bequeath to my daughter Sarah A. Potter one of my best milk cows her choice, also my bay mare, and the one half of my bed clothes and bedding; The other half of my bed clothes and beding I give to the children of my deceased daughter Jane Milligan. I will and bequeath to my soninlaw Samuel McDaid one hundred dollars; My will is that all the rest of myproperty be sold by my Executor and after the payment of all legal exhenses of the settlement of my estate that the ballance of the money be divided between my daughter Sarah A. Potter and the children of my deceased daughter Jane Milligan; the one half to my daughter Sarah A. Potter, the other to the children of Jane Milligan deceased-- My son Christopher C. Wolf and my daughter Elisabeth McDaid have received all that I intend them to have.

And Lastly I do nominate and appoint J. W. Milligan to be the Executor of this my last will and testament subscribed my name and affixed my seal this fifth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy two.

signed sealed published and declared by Nancy Wolf as and for her last will and testament in the presences of us, who at her request and in her presence the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses hereto

William S. Irey
Arthur Sprowl

Commonwealth of Penna.
County of Washington s.s.

Be it Remembered that upon This 2d day of Aug. 1873 before me A.O. Day Register for the Probate of wills and granting Letters of administration within and for said county came William S. Irey & Arthur sprowls the subscribing witnesses to the forgoing attached will of Nancy Wolf deceased who after being duly qualified according to law depose and say, That They were present at the execution of said will, saw the testatrix sign the same heard her publish it as and for her last will and testament, that they at her request in her presence and in the presence of each other subscribed their names ____ as witnesses, William S. Irey Arthur Sprowls sworn and subscribed before A.O. Day Register
And were Aug 2, 1873 As being adjudged that the said will has been duly heard Letters are issued to J. W. Milligan who was duly qualified. A.O. Day Regr.