Wednesday's Child

__________  Silver

Daughter of

Francis & Sarah E

Silver

March 20, 1926

March 22, 1935

Suffer little children

to come unto me

This grave stone is not that old, but it has seen more than its share of weather wear.  The engraving was difficult to read.  The first name may be Elizabeth, or some abbreviation for it, but I wasn't quite sure. 

This stone is in Darlington Cemetery here in Maryland.  The Silver family was a prominent family in the area.  They probably still are.  They may even be dear friends or many-times-removed relatives of my Harford County family; I have at least one great-great-uncle with the middle name Silver. 

Update:  Leslie Brinkley Lawson said...

Perhaps you could review the 1930 census for the parents household to see if this child was listed? Just a thought!

Thanks, Leslie!  I didn't think to do that, so here it is...

The 1930 Census, enumerated on April 29 of that year 1930, has this family living in the Darlington area.  In the first column, for street/road, is listed "Conowingo Dam in Darlington." 

Francis, age 32

Sarah P, age 33  (I thought it was an "E" on the stone)

Bette, age 5

Millicent, age 4

Williams, age 3

Nancy C., age 1.5

So there is our Wednesday's Child, known as Bette, at age 5.  Her father is a canner in a canning factory.  In this post, I mention my Jordan ancestors and the other side of their family, the "Jourdans."  The Jourdan family owned and operated canning factories.   So while this doesn't confirm that the Wednesday's Child family is a certainly a relative of mine, at least I know I'm in looking along the right lines.

Thanks again, Leslie, for the suggestion.

Tombstone Tuesday - Darlington Cemetery

In Memory

This most unusual marker is in Darlington Cemetery, in northern Maryland.  The plaque reads:

In Memory

Maude W. Bedford

Killed

In Performance of Her

duties at

Edgewood Arsenal, Md.

May 25, 1945

Presented by

Her Fellow Workers

Mrs. Bedford and 11 co-workers where killed when two of the military base's grenade assembly buildings exploded.   Edgewood Arsenal is part of a government facility now known as Aberdeen Proving Ground.  More information is available about Mrs. Bedford here. 

They are war heroes of a different type, but as just as important to our freedom.

Military Monday - More On "Two Sides of a Tombstone"

Recently, Valerie Craft at Begin with 'Craft' told us of her experiences, and why you always read both sides of a tombstone.


John Walker Sams is not my family member.  But while loading my photos of a recent visit to Darlington Cemetery, I saw this and thought, another perfect example. 
 

John Walker Sams
SGT US Army
Vietnam
Apr 26 1944 - Apr 8 2006
Bronze Star Medal



Last week as I walked through the cemetery, I was attracted to the dark granite, high polish, and organic shape of this stone.  I walked over for a closer look and snapped a photo or two. 

Having learned my lesson on looking at both sides, I did so and was taken by surprise.  This person is much loved, and I think there must be a genealogist in the family, because the stone has been designed to tell the story of their lives.     





 SAMS

John Walker

Apr 26 1944

Apr 8 2006

Beloved Husband, Father

Devoted Christian, Soldier

Kathy Lynn

Aug. 12 1947



And here's the "other" side of the story:

Engravings include a brief epitaph for John, his wife's name and birth date, plus an eagle for his Airborne Division, a cross entwined with flowers, on his wife's side is the winged rod and serpents that form the RN cross (sometimes associated with the Army Medical Corps), wedding rings with anniversary date and "Till We Meet Again" engraved, and, nestled sleeping in the upper left corner, a kitten. 

John Walker Sams: a devoted husband, father and Christian who also served his country and loved cats...sounds like a nice man to know.

Close-ups of the SAMS engravings.
My photo, 11/2011.

Who's That Cutie?

Our Genealogy Discussion Group held its annual holiday party this past week.  What fun!  I don't have to tell you that genealogists, whether professionals, long-time hobbyists, or total newbies, are a great bunch of people.  So you can imagine that 30 or more of this group in holiday mode is just a blast. 

In addition to a lovely spread of food, we played a fantastic game that we called Whose That Cutie?  The "cuties" were photos of all the members in our younger days, from age ten and down.  The photos covered the full age range. 

The photos included this one of me, obviously unhappy that my snack time has been interrupted for a photo shoot.  I'm a bit over a year old here.  I think this was the youngest child in the collection of photos.  And I guess I don't look too much like this anymore, so it did stump a few folks, which is a good thing. 

One of the photos was of a boy, about four years old, in a Naval officer suit.  Adorable.  Some of young girls on satin pillows, with blond hair and blue eyes.  Precious.  There were several First Holy Communion photos, lots of school photos and a few around the Christmas tree.  Looking at old family photos is fun, no matter whose photos they are.  Everyone really seemed to enjoy the game, studying who has blue eyes, or a dimple, or looking at the outfits and hair styles and trying to put it all together.

Almost 30 people submitted photos in the contest.  The winner had nine correct guesses! 

Our group is not only fun, they're generous, too.  Many donated door prizes, so that no one went home empty-handed.  We're so fortunate to know such a great group of people!

The Waiting Game...

Step One:  The Kit.
Image by National Geographic.

I'm sure I've mentioned here in the past about my hubby, and how he supports my crazy self 99% of the time. 

He's done it again.  For my birthday, which recently passed, he gifted me with a DNA kit from National Geographic's Genographic Project. 

Nothing says "genealogy geek" like a DNA kit as your birthday gift! 

But wow, was I ever excited as I tore open the box!  I read through all the paperwork, of which there was a good bit.  On the next weekend, I had breakfast, watched the clock to make sure I had nothing to eat or drink for an hour, then used the swabbing implement to scrap the inside of both cheeks. 

The directions say to swab "vigorously," but not so vigorously that blood is drawn.  No problem there, the swab had no sharp edges whatsoever.  Simply swab, unscrew the top of the tube, which has some sort of enzyme solution in it, and eject the DNA-containing swab into the tube.  Wait eight hours, repeat, using a second swab and tube.  So easy even a caveman could do it!  Wouldn't it be great if it could report back that many generations!

Step Two:  The Lab
Image by National Geographic.

As a double-X, I'm testing the mitochondrial (maternal) DNA, which is handed down, mother to child, with no changes whatsoever, generation after generation after generation, after generation.  You get the idea. 

Lucky for me that hubby runs a genetics lab at the local children's hospital.  I thank him for his input in helping me better understand this whole process and results.   Even though the website has good videos to explain the process, hubby's knowledge helped me tremendously. 

Step Three: The Results
Image by National Geographic.

The test will provide DNA markers, not specific countries of origin for my ancestors.  I already have a good idea of that.  This will give me the opportunity to learn about potential haplogroup matches of earliest human ancestors, and to contribute the results of my test to the Genographic Project.  The Project is mapping all the results to track human migration across the planet over the centuries.  The DVD that accompanies the test kit explains what is already known about the migration patterns; it's a fascinating trek. 

If you're at all interested, go to the website; it's full of very good information on all about the Genographic Project, genetics, the results to date, and more.

Nowhere in the kit did it give an idea of how long the process could take.  So my Friday night fun was a quick log-in to see where I stand.  I'm halfway home!

There are six stages in the processing of my material:
Kit Received  - Complete
Batch Created - Complete
DNA Isolated - Complete
DNA Analysis,
Quality Control, and
Results Uploaded. 

Soon I should know the whole haplo-whatever-group story of my earliest human ancestors, and where and how they lived.  Plus anything else that the Project throws into the results. 

And again, nothing says genealogy geek like "I can't wait to sit down with a cup of tea and decipher my DNA kit results!"

Remembering Grandma

December 2 is the birthday of my maternal grandmother, Ida Mae Morgan.

Born in 1907, Grandma was one of nine children.  With two sisters and six brothers, she grew up as part of a large, loving and close-knit family.  Those qualities, along with her caring and generous spirit stayed with her forever. 

I could fill a calendar day by day, for decades, with all the wonderful memories of time spent with Grandma and Uncle Earle, my step-grandfather. 

Grandma would be an amazing 104 this year!  Sadly, of course, she is no longer with us.  That does not mean, however, that we will not honor her memory.

I recently acquired this photograph.  My grandmother is on the left, a large bow in her hair.  I think she’s about 12 years old here.  That looks about right, and that also coincides with the era when those over-sized bows were in vogue.  Also in the photo are her two sisters: toddler Bonnie and older sister Annie, who is holding her son. 

My mom has the original of this photo, which is 8 x 10 inches.  I found it unusual to have an original from this era, in this size, and said so to my mother.  That’s when she told me a family member had owned a photo studio!  What?!!  How could something like this have slipped past my attention?!!  I’m checking my city directories and other resources to learn more about this potential gold mine.

Thinking of you with love today, Grandma.

Borrowed From the Library: The American Resting Place

The American Resting Place: Four Hundred Years of History through Our Cemeteries and Burial Grounds

by Marilyn Yalom

Photography by Reid S. Yalom



Photo by Reid S. Yalom,
copyright 2008.



In writing this book, this mother and son team visited dozens of cemeteries across the United States, from the Old Burying Ground in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with stones adorned by the death’s head, willows, urns, and more, to the California's gleaming Hollywood Forever mausoleam. 

The Yaloms traveled down the East Coast, noting burial practices and the course of history at cemeteries in Boston, Newport, New York City and on to Philadelphia and Lancaster Counties.  The unique and quite probably haunted graveyards (aren't they all?) of South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana are covered, with a discussion of voodoo practices and the above-ground graves that are well-known in New Orleans, plus the devastating effects that Hurricane Katrina had the area.  Also visited were cemeteries in St. Louis (MO), Chicago, Texas, California and Hawaii.  There's also some information on Arlington and Gettysburg National cemeteries, plus a few others military sites.

  

King's Chapel Burying Ground,
Boston MA.
Photo by Reid S. Yalom, copyright 2008



The book’s last chapter, “Old and New Fashions in Death,” is an interesting and in-depth view of the many ways that people are attempting to give death “a more personal face.” 

If you enjoy trolling through cemeteries, as I do, you will like this book.  You'll also learn a lot about the history of cemeteries and burial traditions.  The author mentions her favorites, and those stones and markers she found unique in some way.  She does not focus solely on the famous and infamous.  She is sure to point out those that indicate a change in burial practices over time. 

If you follow so many blogs that tackling a book seems overwhelming right now, get this book from the library anyway!  Reid S. Yalom, the author’s son, has done an absolutely stunning job with the photography.  I must admit, that's my favorite part of this book. 



Native American Veteran Grave Marker,
reservation cemetery in Gunlock, Utah.
Photo by Reid S. Yalom, Copyright 2008.



I thumbed through the photos every time I sat down to read another chapter.  They are that good, that simple, that black-and-white beautiful, that heartbreaking! 

This book is a great cemetery walk, and I didn’t have to give up half of my weekend to enjoy it!