Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 200: Today, I am grateful for sexton's records.
Cemetery recordkeepers are a genealogist's best friend. The sexton's records are typically kept in the cemetery office. I have been down the rabbit hole digging in records as I attempt to prepare Mayflower/DAR applications. Both require details, records, and more records. I've always loved walking in old graveyards and reading the stones. One modern addition is that many are including the names of their children. It is a way of confirming the story for the next generation.
I know this sounds odd... but we used to have an annual picnic at our church cemetery. I remember attending long before we had children. My nearly life-long friend, Ms. Velma Hirstein, never missed it. My dear Jill, called it "visiting the relatives." There were many Roth, King, Ropp, Yordy, Ingold, and other names that were very familiar. I loved hearing the stories of how everyone was connected.
I remember wanting the boys to show respect, but not be shy. Burial grounds are a part of life. We often had good music to go with the food. It was fun and fellowship in an unusual setting. The location is the original church grounds. It is a historic site for the congregation and visiting as a church family deepened our connections. Please know, the graves were the backdrop, not where we sat. I think it was called the Heritage Picnic, but we called it the "Cemetery Celebration."
Being the cemetery's sexton is humble but important work. Getting it accurate counts. The information will be shared with generations to come. Trying to track down information from the 1700's is a challenge. There are seasons when record keeping is good, and seasons when war and hardship left people just trying to hold on. Keeping good records could get lost in the shuffle and the grief.
I had to share two of my favorite pictures. Mama Ina Mae was named after her grandmother, Ina Mae Burgett St. John. Great Grandma Ina Mae's grandmother was Caroline (Hiram W.) Calkins St. John. She is my third Grandmother... not that far back in my line. Her Great-Grandfathers and Uncles are everywhere in the Revolution. There is an entire book on the Calkins part of the family and their service to our country. I've read through most of it and it is humbling to hear the stories of what they endured and how they survived, often because of kindness in unexpected places.
The other picture is from my trip to Washington, IL, about 7 miles away. My 4th Great Grand-Aunt was the first wife of William Holland. They had 14 children together. There is a "Bess Street" in Washington. Lovisa's grandmother was Catherine (Elizabeth Catherine Hoyle/Heyl Bosch/Best/Bess) and there is a Catherine street, too. She had given birth on the trip to Illinois from North Carolina. The new land was wild in every way. Uncle William Holland's work was to be a blacksmith for the Native Americans and Fort Clark. He is a legend and she was fierce. They were married by Jacob Ramsour before coming west. They were tied to the people of King's Mountain and Ramsour's Mill that were key battles in the Revolutionary War. They brought what they knew with them. In fact, he built the first grist mill in the area. Aunt Lovisa/Vichy was his wife and partner until her death in 1833.
With the celebration of 250 years as the United States of America, I know there are still undiscovered stories. Technology does allow us to dig without being present, but there is nothing like touching a gravestone and saying "thank you."
Today, I am grateful for sexton's records.
