Tombstone Tuesday - Charles H. N. & Loan (Churchill) Rowe

Charles H. N. and Loan Parsons (Churchill) Rowe are my 3rd great-grandparents. They are buried in the Upper Gloucester Cemetery in New Gloucester, Maine. Charles was born on June 3, 1841 and died on February 10, 1910. Loan was born on May 26, 1844 in Raymond, Maine an died on January 30, 1912 in New Gloucester, Maine. 

Findagrave Memorial #167443141

Findagrave Memorial #167442822

Charles H. N. & Loan (Churchill) Rowe

Anna Jane (Rowe) Hayes

Eva Delphinia (Hayes) Yates

Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Tombstone Tuesday - Samuel & Hannah (Sawyer) Hilton

My 5th great-grandparents

Samuel and Hannah (Sawyer) Hilton are buried in the Upper Gloucester Cemetery in New Gloucester, Maine. 

Samuel was born about 1774 and died on February 22, 1956. Hannah was born about 1788 and died on April 10, 1871. They had two daughters and probably other children. There is more research to be done on this couple. Their grandchildren, Charles H. N. Rowe & Loan Parsons Churchill married each other creating a double line of descent. 

Findagrave Memorial #167443048

Findagrave Memorial #167446375

Samuel & Hannah (Sawyer) Hilton
Catherine (Hilton) Churchill & Elizabeth (Hilton) Rowe
Loan Parsons (Churchill) Rowe m. her first cousin, Charles H. N. Rowe
Anna Jane (Rowe) Hayes
Eva Delphinia (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother
Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com)

Tombstone Tuesday - Catherine (Hilton) Churchill

My 4th great-grandmother

Catherine (Hilton) Churchill was born on July 24, 1813 in Solon, Maine. Her parents were Samuel and Hannah (Sawyer) Hilton. Catherine was married on March 27, 1832 in New Gloucester, Maine to Josiah Churchill, Jr., son of Josiah Sr. and Lydia (Orr) Churchill. He was born on May 22, 1809 in New Gloucester, Maine. His grave is unmarked but presumed to be in the same cemetery as his wife, Catherine. 

Children of Josiah & Catherine (Hilton) Churchill:

1. Sarah Rogers Churchill was born on April 10, 1833 and married Nicholas Jordan.
2. Joseph Fessenden Churchill was born on July 1, 1837 and married Sarah Smith. 
3. Hannah Churchill was born on August 21, 1839 and married Daniel Yeaton. 
4. Marshal Churchill was born on September 25, 1842 and died on March 10, 1843. 
5. Loan Parsons Churchill was born on May 26, 1844 in Raymond, Maine and died on January 30, 1912 in New Gloucester, Maine. She is buried in Upper Gloucester Cemetery. 

Catherine (Hilton) Churchill
Loan Parsons (Churchill) Rowe
Anna Jane (Rowe) Hayes
Eva Delphinia (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Bibliography:
Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com)
Taylor, Robert L. Early Families of Raymond, Maine.  Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 1998. 

Tombstone Tuesday - Samuel Akley

Samuel Akley (name is also spelled Akeley or Ackley) was a Revolutionary War veteran. In 2014, I wrote about his military service. He is buried in the Rumford Center Cemetery in Maine and he is my 5th great-grandfather. Here are some pictures from my recent visit to the cemetery.

Grave with marker & flag

Grave with marker

Grave with decoration moved

Epitaph

The epitaph is difficult to read as the stone needs to be cleaned. I believe it is a variation of this phrase. It seems to match except for the first two words. 

Remember me as you pass by

As you are now, so once was I

As I am now, so you must be

Prepare for death and follow me

Samuel Ackley

William Ackley

Sarah (Ackley) Abbott

Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen

Edward Abbott Capen

Fannie (Capen) Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Joseph & Tryphenia (Hancock) Spurr

Joseph Spurr, Jr. was the son of Joseph & Miriam (Lyon) Spurr and the brother of my 4X great-grandfather, Enoch Spurr. Joseph Jr. was born on January 6, 1759 and died on December 5, 1825. On February 1, 1797, he married Tryphenia Hancock, daughter of John & Martha (Bragg) Hancock. She was born on July 22, 1761 and died on December 17, 1830. They are buried in the Cedar Crest Cemetery in Otisfield. His brother, Samuel, and sister, Sarah, lived with him in Otisfield. 

Children of Joseph & Tryphenia (Hancock) Spurr

1. Sarah "Sally" Spurr was born on March 4, 1799 and died on August 28, 1889. She never married. 
2. Susan "Sukey" Spurr was born on October 25, 1801 and died on July 25, 1893. She married James Weston on November 24, 1825. 
3. Milly Spurr was born on May 4, 1807 and died on November 6, 1894. She married Joseph Knight on June 5, 1832. 

Joseph & Miriam (Lyon) Spurr - parents of Joseph, Jr.
Enoch Spurr
Roxanna (Spurr) Stanley
Mary Frances (Stanley) Carter
Edward Mellen Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Tombstone Tuesday - Spurr Siblings

Samuel and Sarah Spurr are the unmarried siblings of my 4X great-grandfather, Enoch Spurr. Their parents were Joseph and Miriam (Lyon) Spurr. According to The History of Otisfield, they lived with their brother, Joseph Spurr, Jr. in Otisfield. They are buried with other members of their family in the Cedar Crest Cemetery in Otisfield, Maine. These pictures were taken on April 21, 2016. 

Mr. Samuel Spurr died Oct. 26, 1845
AE 78 y'rs & 9 mo.

Miss Sarah Spurr died June 16, 1849
AE 86 yrs. 6 ms.

The Family of William Williamson

William Williamson is buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery in Bethel, Maine. He is related to my 4X great-grandfather, John Williamson, and most likely they were brothers. The fact that they are immigrants from Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland and that there are other William Williamsons living in the area make it difficult to establish the relationship with certainty. It seems likely that they arrived in this country in the 1820s, well before the potato famine that began in the 1840s. William and John were shoemakers who travelled from house to house, making shoes for the entire family. William Williamson moved to the Sunday River section of Newry, across the Androscoggin River from Middle Intervale. 

William Williamson married second Eliza (Elizabeth) Stuart/Stewart. She was considerably younger. Her memorial on Findagrave lists her birthdate as 1816 and in census records her age varies but is most consistent with 1810. After the 1860 census they appear in separate households and she is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery in Newry.  She spent her final days with her son, Richard and he lived with his nephew, Dr. William Williamson in 1870 and his brother, John in 1880. 

William Williamson's family constructed from census records: 

1. John (age 30 in 1850 census; not living with William and Eliza in 1860, I haven't found records after 1850). He must be from a prior marriage because he's only 10 years younger than Eliza. 
2. Mary J. (age 24 in 1850 census; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850) She is probably also from a prior marriage as Eliza would have been 16 when she was born. 
3. Sarah (age 18 in 1850 census; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850). I believe she may be the first child of William and Eliza based on the six year gap between Mary J. and Sarah and the more frequent births after her. 
4. Margaret (age 16 in 1850; 26 in 1860; not living with William or Eliza in 1870; I haven't found records after 1860) 
5. Rebecca (age 12 in 1850; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850)
6. William Henry (called Henry age 9 in 1850; called William H. age 19 in 1860; In 1863, William is registered as eligible for the draft in Newry, Maine. In 1870, there is a William H. living in Gorham, N.H. at a hotel and farming with a wife, Jennie, who was a pastry cook. This may or may not be the same William Henry Williamson.)
7. Maria (age 6 in 1850; called Mariah age 16 in 1860; I haven't found any records after 1860)
8. Richard (age 3 in 1850; age 13 in 1860; age 22 in 1870 living with Eliza; is head of household that includes his mother, Eliza in 1880). He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. Findagrave has his birthday as June 1, 1847 and his death date as August 8, 1923. He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. 
9. Thomas S. (age 11 in 1860) Findagrave lists his birth as June 1850 and death as January 17, 1869. He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. 
10. George (age 6 in 1860; age 17 in 1870 living with Eliza, according the The Bethel Journals, there is gravestone in Sunday River Cemetery for a George D. who died January 30, 1927; I haven't found any records after 1870). 
11. Albert (age 5 in 1860; age 14 in 1870 living with Eliza, age 24 in 1880 and working as a druggist in Norway, Maine). In the 1900 census, he is still living in Norway with a wife, Helen, who is 18 years younger. Maine marriage records show her name was Helen Augusta Tufts. Albert died February 22, 1911 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Norway, Maine. Findagrave gives his date of birth as June 27, 1855. 

The Bethel Journals - Williamson Family - some information conflicts with original records. 

Some of my other Williamson blog posts

Luck of the Irish

Celebrating an Centenarian - John Williamson, William's brother (probably)

What's Your Story, John Williamson?  - Trying to figure out the immigration of the family

The Williamson Divorce - The Dr. William Williamson with whom William (of this post) lived in 1870. 

Golgotha Memorial - First Settlers of Amesbury

In 1903, the Amesbury Improvement Association placed a marker at the site of the first settlers' burial ground and called the site Golgotha. The memorial plaque lists eighteen first settlers, although not all were buried on this site. I recently visited the site to see it for myself. It's hard to imagine all the wilderness that existed in the 17th century where there are now so many buildings and so much traffic. I tried to get some photos that cropped out the modern elements.

Golgotha (in Aramaic) or Calvary (in Latin) refers to the hill resembling a skull cap just outside the old gate of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified, buried in a tomb and rose in the Resurrection.  The dictionary definition includes "place of great suffering" or "place of burial."

My ancestors are John Bailey, John Hoyt, Henry Blaisdell, and Jarret Haddon.

John Bailey, Rebecca Bailey, Ruth Brown, Isaac Rogers, Rebecca Rogers, Stephen Blaisdell, Jr., Susannah Blaisdell, Stephen Rowe, Charles H. N. Rowe, Anna J. Rowe, Eva Hayes, Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Jarret Haddon, Mary Haddon m. Henry Blaisdell, Henry Blaisdell, Jr. John Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell, Jr. - see above for the rest of the line.

John Hoyt, Thomas Hoyt, Israel Hoyt, Dorothy Hoyt, Alice Babb, Lydia Waterhouse, Alice Garland, Richard Hayes, Sydney Hayes, George Hayes, Eva Hayes, Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother


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Tombstone Tuesday - Hezekiah Moody & Hannah R. Estes Moody

My grandfather, Clayton Blake's 2x great-grandparents in East Bethel Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Tombstone Tuesday - Simeon Brown

The stories of the death of Simeon in the Civil War can be found here and here.

Tombstone Tuesday - Carroll E. Yates

Carroll Estes Yates, son of Estes Gilbert & Eva Delphinia (Hayes) Yates, was born on June 25, 1918 and died April 28, 1992. He was my great uncle, brother to my grandmother, Linona Alice Yates. His grave is in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, on Intervale Rd. in Bethel, Maine. This cemetery is located behind a meetinghouse built in 1816. For much of my life, the meetinghouse was in the possession of the Carter family. When the upkeep became too much, the family donated it to the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse Association. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. 

I knew him as "Uncle Tom" because all of my grandmother's siblings had nicknames that did not match their given names. I didn't see him often because he lived in Colorado while I was growing up. He had both arms covered in tattoos - which was fascinating to me as a kid. He was the only person I knew with tattoos - what a different world today! He enlisted in the army on February 19, 1941. His enlistment record shows he had graduated from high school, was single with no dependents, had worked as a lumberman, and was 5 ft. 9" tall and weighed 157 pounds. He enlisted as a private but as his gravestone shows, he was promoted over time to T. Sgt. (Technical Sargeant). His Veteran's Death File record shows an enlistment date of January 29, 1941. I'm not sure what explains the discrepancy between the two records. It's quite interesting to see what kinds of things one can learn from different records. 

Decoration Day - Memorial Day Origins

Originally posted 5/27/13

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and was first officially celebrated on May 30, 1868, when flowers were used to decorate the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. It was considered a day to honor Civil War soldiers until after the First World War when it became a day to honor all war dead. It was not standardized as the last Monday in May until 1971 with the passage of the National Holiday Act. So as you celebrate this weekend with family gatherings and a day off from work, what will you do to remember the origins and purpose of this holiday? I found this news story on the web site Genealogy Bank and like the messages of the speakers. Remember not only those who put their lives on the line for us, but remember the principles for which they fought. Examine your own life and ask yourself what you can do to to advance those American ideals. 

From the Portland Daily Press, June 4, 1881, comes this description of Memorial Day (Decoration Day) events held in Bethel on May 30th. 

Decoration Day at Bethel

May 30th, as has been the custom for several years past, was appointed as the day on which to strew with flowers the widely scattered graves of our patriotic dead. About 2 o'clock Bethel Post, No. 8, formed in front of the Elm House, where they were soon joined by a large number of citizens. From there they marched down Mill hill to Greenwood cemetery, where the exercises were held. Bethel Band furnished music for the occasion. After visiting the graves of Major Frye, acting marshal of the day, called people to order, and after appropriate remarks, introduced Rev. Mr. Pease, pastor of the M.E. society, who made the prayer, thanking God that the care and suffering of the great struggle were past, that peace once more smiled upon us. He prayed that we might not forget the sacrifices of the living and the dead, but cherish not only the memories of our heroes but the principles for which they contested. 

After this, Dr. George M. Twitchell, of Fairfield, delivered the address. Strife and blood, pain and death, these are the terrible characters in which all truth is written on the world. The price of truth is the best surety of its might. The object of the day and the lessons it brings were the first thoughts of the speaker. The works of the heroic dead and living were fully presented, and then the question was taken up as to the claims which they have upon us today as citizens. Society, temperance, education, and politics were the leading points brought out and enlarged upon. The work of the hour and importance of early training was urges as the surest safeguard against the dangers which threaten. In closing he addressed fitting words to the members of the Grand Army boys, and to those who have lost dear ones who were soldiers. 

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

Tombstone Tuesday - Philip & Florence (Bertilson) Carter

Philip Lawson Carter, son of John Herbert & Verna (Kilgore) Carter, was born December 14, 1915 and died December 26, 1980. He was my second cousin, twice removed. However the family ties always seemed closer than that because of the strong friendship he and his wife had with my grandparents, T. Richard & Fern Lyndell (Cotton) Carter. Phil and Flo had five children and my grandparents had four sons. 

Florence (Bertilson) Carter, his wife, daughter of Oscar & Grace Bertilson, was born April 8, 1914 and died December 20, 1981. 

They are buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, on Intervale Rd. in Bethel, Maine. This cemetery is located behind a meetinghouse built in 1816. For much of my life, the meetinghouse was in the possession of the Carter family. When the upkeep became too much, the family donated it to the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse Association. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. 

Family memorial services were held in the meetinghouse two consecutive springs to celebrate the lives of Phil and Flo. They stick in my memory because they were informal and primarily consisted of their children and others telling stories of their adventures or misadventures growing up. The stories were punctuated with lots of laughter as they remembered all the happy times they spent together as a family. 

Common Ancestor - Elias Mellen Carter m. Rebecca Williamson

Their sons included Augustus Mellen Carter - grandfather of Thomas Richard Carter and John Herbert Carter - grandfather of Philip Lawson Carter. 

Tombstone Tuesday - Frances (Freeland) Carter

This stone is pretty weathered and hard to read but it marks the grave of Frances Freeland who married Dr. Timothy Carter on July 7, 1793 in Sutton, Massachusetts. She and Dr. Timothy came to Bethel in 1799. Her husband had studied medicine under her father, Dr. James Freeland, a Revolutionary War surgeon. Dr. Timothy Carter became the first doctor in Bethel. I wrote about them and their journey to Maine in a previous post. Frances was the daughter of James & Mehitable (Mellen) Freeland. She was born on September 4, 1771 in Sutton, Massachusetts and died November 14, 1815 in Bethel, Maine. 

Dr. Timothy Carter and Frances, or Fanny as she was called (and is recorded on her headstone), were my 4th great-grandparents and had the following children:

Rev. Lawson Carter 1793-1868 - Findagrave memorial
Galen Carter 1795-1870
James Freeland Carter 1797-1840
Timothy Jarvis Carter 1805-1838 - blog post about his death - Congressman from ME
Luther Cullen Carter 1805-1875 - Findagrave memorial - Congressman from NY
Frances Carter 1809-1902
Elias Mellen Carter 1811-1880 - My 3rd great-grandfather

She is buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, on Intervale Rd. in Bethel, Maine. This cemetery is located behind a meetinghouse built in 1816. For much of my life, the meetinghouse was in the possession of the Carter family. When the upkeep became too much, the family donated it to the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse Association. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. 

Elias M. Carter married Rebecca Williamson, an Irish immigrant. Their son, Augustus Mellen Carter married Mary Frances Abbott. Their son, Edward Mellen Carter married Fanny May Capen. Their son, Thomas Richard Carter, was my grandfather. 

Tombstone Tuesday - Edward Augustus "Gus" Carter

Edward Augustus Carter, son of Edward Mellen & Fanny May (Capen) Carter, was born on August 22, 1911 and died December 27, 1997. He was my grandfather's brother. He is buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, on Intervale Rd. in Bethel, Maine. This cemetery is located behind a meetinghouse built in 1816. For much of my life, the meetinghouse was in the possession of the Carter family. When the upkeep became too much, the family donated it to the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse Association. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. 

I have many fond memories of Uncle Gus from my childhood. He lived just a short distance from my grandparent's farm in Bethel on the Intervale Road. My sister and I loved to go visit him because he always gave us a snack - usually milk and cookies and we would listen to his stories...the Carter men are well known for their storytelling ability. Uncle Gus was divorced and his grown children lived in California. He saw them and his grandchildren on visits but between visits, my sister and I filled in for them. Uncle Gus worked for the town of Bethel on the road maintenance crew until he was forced to retire at the age of 70. 

"We Consider Her Very Dangerous"

On August 5th, I received two letters written by my 3rd great-grandfather, Elias Mellen Carter. One was written to his brother, Timothy Jarvis Carter in 1832 and the other was written to Timothy's widow, Arabella (Rawson) Carter, daughter of Samuel & Polla (Freeland) Rawson in 1844. Timothy Jarvis Carter died in 1838 while serving in the House of Representatives. He had gone out of his mind when his close friend was killed in a duel just eighteen days before. You can read the news accounts of his decline and death in this post that I published in November 2012. This second letter sent me scrambling to figure out the identity of several people mentioned and added some detail to my family story. I have transcribed it as written - with the abbreviations, grammatical errors and misspellings preserved. Elias was known for his beautiful penmanship and hopefully you can see some of that in the photos of the letters.

Folded letter showing address

Text of letter

Close up of signature and handwriting

Outside of letter unfolded

Outside of folded paper
Ea Bethel Me
Nov 28

Mrs. Timo J. Carter
Paris Me

Inside of folded paper
East Bethel Nov 27 1844
Dear Sister Arabella,
I take a few moments this eve to inform you of the health of the friends in this neighborhood. As to Mother she is no better but is still runing down, and it is very doubtfull whither she ever gets well, the rest of Father's family are as well as usual, Sister Harriet and Octavia are still at my house, Harriet's helth is very good, you proverbly learnt something of Octavia's sickness from Mr Brown. We did not think her much sick until Sunday, and then she sat up some 2 or 3 hours but on her going to bed again she grew worse, and now we consider her very dangerous, so much so that I should not be surprised if she did not live till morning, the Docts think there is but a little chance of her recovery, and it is very uncertain whither Mother ever gets up again, but still she may. My family are in as good health as usual - in haste.
Your Brother
E.M. Carter

The first thing I had to explain was the reference to "Mother" because the mother of Timothy & Elias, Frances (Freeland) Carter, died in 1815, when Timothy was ten and Elias was just five years old. However, their father, Dr. Timothy Carter, remarried in 1818 and had five additional children. Both Dr. Timothy and his second wife, Lydia (Russell) Carter were still living in 1844. As seen in the letter, Lydia's health was failing and she passed away on December 5, 1844. Dr. Timothy would also pass away that winter on February 5, 1845.

Next , who were "Sister Harriet and Octavia"? I started tracing the siblings of Elias and Timothy Jarvis to find the answer. The answer was found in the family of their older brother, James Freeland Carter. James married Harriet Rawson, daughter of Ebenezer & Elizabeth (Taylor) Rawson. I haven't traced the Rawson family enough to find the connection between Arabella, wife of Timothy J. Carter and Harriet, wife of James F. Carter but I assume they are related in some way. James and Harriet had a daughter, Harriet Octavia Carter. She was called Octavia to distinguish her from her mother. James Freeland Carter died October 30, 1840 and his widow and daughter appear to be living with or on an extended visit to Elias Mellen's family.

Findagrave provided the rest of the story. I found a picture of the gravestone of James F. Carter and it included the information for his wife and daughter. A quick email to the photographer and I gained permission to share the photo here. As seen on the gravestone, Octavia did die the day after the letter was written, probably during the night based on the concern expressed in the letter. Her condition was correctly assessed as "very dangerous" and within a week, Lydia (Russell) Carter was also dead.

Photo taken by Ken Oliver and posted on Findagrave

Puzzles unsolved - the causes of death of Octavia, Lydia, and Dr. Timothy. I'd love to find a death certificate for Timothy Jarvis Carter. He was only 38 when he died and having delusions that someone had challenged him to a duel (according on one newspaper account). I wonder if he took his own life, had a heart attack, or stroke brought on by the extreme stress after his friend was killed in the duel.

Tombstone Tuesday - Edward & Georgie (Yates) Haines

Edward Arthur Haines, son of George Leander & Grace (Swan) Haines, was born on September 28, 1911 and died May 11, 1977. 

Georgie A. (Yates) Haines, daughter of Estes Gilbert & Eva Delphinia (Hayes) Yates, was born on February 5, 1915 and died March 22, 1968. She was a sister to my grandmother. 

They are buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, on Intervale Rd. in Bethel, Maine. This cemetery is located behind a meetinghouse built in 1816. For much of my life, the meetinghouse was in the possession of the Carter family. When the upkeep became too much, the family donated it to the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse Association. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. 

I don't remember Aunt "Becky" as was her nickname. Don't ask me to make sense of it but all my grandmother's siblings were given nicknames that have nothing to do with their birth names. For example, my grandmother, Linona Alice Yates, is called "Peggy" and her brother, Russell Frank Yates was "Joe." 

I do remember Uncle Ed because he lived not too far down the road from me while I was growing up and one of the milestones of independence was becoming old enough to walk or bike to his house and visit. I remember he made really good cookies. We also stopped in every Halloween and for a couple of years after I was too old to trick or treat, my mother insisted that I dress up and at least visit the family members who looked forward to having us stop by. Uncle Ed always had a special Halloween candy package for family.

Ed & Becky had five children. I only really knew one of them very well. That was their son, Gilbert. I went to school with his daughters, his wife worked in the school cafeteria, and for a brief period in my early adult years, Gilbert & his wife were my neighbors. In a small town, there were numerous occasions when we ended up at the same social gatherings. Gilbert had a lot of the same qualities I remember in Uncle Ed. They both loved to have fun and were kind and caring individuals. Two of the children of Ed & Becky are no longer alive - Elyse died in 2000 and Gilbert died in 2001. 

Tombstone Tuesday - Estes & Eva (Hayes) Yates & son, Russell

Estes Gilbert Yates, son of Gilbert William & Laura (Emmons) Yates, was born on March 11, 1884 and died April 27, 1977. 

Eva Delphinia (Hayes) Yates, daughter of George & Anna (Rowe) Hayes, was born on September 27, 1897 and died September 19, 1982. 

Russell Frank Yates, son of Estes & Eva (Hayes) Yates, was born on February 1, 1922 and died July 8, 2007. 

They are all buried in the same plot in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, on Intervale Rd. in Bethel, Maine. This cemetery is located behind a meetinghouse built in 1816. For much of my life, the meetinghouse was in the possession of the Carter family. When the upkeep became too much, the family donated it to the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse Association. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. 

Tombstone Tuesday - Where Is the Body?

Simeon F. Brown died while serving in the Civil War. He contracted swamp fever in New Orleans and died in Marine Hospital. Records show he was initially buried in Cypress Grove Cemetery but was disinterred and moved to the Chalmette National Cemetery. However, he has a grave stone in his hometown of Bethel, Maine. That stone is inscribed for both Simeon and his wife, Harriet C. Bean, who apparently never remarried. I wonder where his body actually remains. What type of records would show whether his body was moved a second time and brought home to Maine? Was it common to erect a gravestone at home even if the body remained in the National Cemetery? I'm interested in hearing from anyone with similar stories. So far, the consensus seems to confirm what I suspected - that it is unlikely the body was moved from Louisiana and that the tombstone in Maine is a memorial marker for Simeon and marks the grave of his wife Harriet. 

1870 Census shows Harriet, her two daughters, and her mother living with her brother's family. 

Simeon F. & Harriet C. (Bean) Brown were the great-grandparents of my grandfather, Clayton L. Blake. Isabelle Brown was his grandmother.

Surname Saturday - Simeon F. Brown

Simeon F. Brown was born on June 16, 1833 to Benjamin and Mary Brown. 
He married Harriet C. Bean and they had two daughters, Isabelle, born in 1857, and Phebe, born in 1861. When the Civil War started, Simeon enlisted in the 12th Maine Infantry, Company D. The regiment was organized in Portland in November 1861. They went to Massachusetts where they were taken by steam ship to Ship Island, Mississippi. In May 1862, the regiment moved to New Orleans and thence to Camp Parapet where Simeon contracted "swamp fever." Swamp fever is also called ague and refers to a fever with alternating intervals of chills and sweating. He also was suffering from dysentery according to a letter in the widow's pension file. When his illness worsened, he was sent to Marine Hospital in New Orleans, where he died on January 9, 1863. His grave stone in the East Bethel Cemetery mistakenly says 1862 but all the documentation in his pension file says 1863. 

Wikipedia

Simeon Brown was my grandfather, Clayton L. Blake's, great-grandfather. Isabelle Brown was his grandmother. There is additional information in his pension file that will provide material for future posts. 

Photo used with permission. Originally posted at findagrave.com

http://www.civilwar.org/education/pdfs/civil-was-curriculum-medicine.pdf - Really good information on medicine during the Civil War