Massachusetts Meanderings & More...

Massachusetts Meanderings Videos at YouTube!

2011-12-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

Well, it has taken awhile and getting caught up on things since completing all my trips this past year. I finally have been able to prepare and upload the videos of some of the cemeteries I visited when I was in Massachusetts.

Remember I had uploaded a lot of the cemetery photographs I had taken to Picasa Web Albums and I gave that link: https://picasaweb.google.com/116922332744116783581

Here are the videos I took on eight (8) of those cemeteries. I was able to get them up and going on YouTube. They are really overviews and if you want detail go to the photographs and the posts where I wrote about these cemeteries I visited on this blog: At this time they are not public on YouTube. I will get around to that later. I wanted my followers to have first look!!!

1. Palisado Cemetery, Windsor CT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPjRBUP9lXg

2. Evergreen in Winchester, New Hampshire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtvxZsvIXys&feature=g-upl

3. Burnham Cemetery, Montague, Franklin Co., MA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEJZl9naS_A

4. Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF8Mkjndcv8

5. Middle Cemetery, Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAg_wwBI8KY

6. Old Settlers Cemetery, Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCz5hrl5CLE

7. Old Common Burial Field, Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ogsq1HzKf0

8. Old Indian Cemetery, West Brookfield, Worcester Co., MA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smTSF6RfWYQ

Eventually I will put the video's in a post in the Solomon Goss of Fearing Township in Ohio blog when I write about that part of the Goss history. It will be awesome!

Enjoy!

Another Trip Completed: Ohio August 16 to September 7, 2011

2011-09-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

My trip to Ohio is completed. It was a big job and I put 1547 miles on the car rental. Got lost a couple of times or went in the wrong direction but nothing major. I found Ohio to be lovely, green and lush. The weather was just fine except for two days of really hot and muggy, then rain from tropical storm Lee. I felt like I was home except we have more fir and pine trees. It was a very good trip and I am pleased.

I am in the process of organizing my trip research and files into my giant binder like I did for Massachusetts Meanderings. I will continue to post on the trip in Ohio at the Solomon Goss of Fearing Township in Ohio Blog http://sgossfamily.wordpress.com/

Once I finish describing my adventures in Ohio and giving the links to archives I will start digging into the genealogy of my Goss, Keller, Spracklin, Delano and associated surnames in more detail on that blog. I am probably going to be quiet for awhile now and not go on any trips till Spring of 2012. I frankly need the rest. That trip will be to Michigan and Ontario if I can work it right. It will cover the MacDonald side of my family.

There are few things I need to do for Massachusetts Meanderings like post my videos of various cemeteries. That will be an interesting challenge.

Time to catch up my other blog posts....!

Ohio Is NOW!

2011-08-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

I am frantically preparing for Ohio because it is almost here! AUGGH!

First stop Columbus, Ohio where we find the Ohio Historical Society and the Columbus-Metro Public Library. Then off to Kenton, Ohio to revisit the Hardin County Genealogical Society and more. From there to Portage County to pay respects to Ebenezer Goss. After that the Ohio Genealogical Society in their new home! Then time spent in the Mount Vernon, Knox and Morrow County area of Ohio to dig into the Kellers, Delanos and Spracklins. Last, off to Marietta to see what I can learn about Solomon Goss and others!

Come join me at:

Solomon Goss of Fearing Township In Ohio! This is the correct link!

http://sgossfamily.wordpress.com/

Now where was that deed???

Moving on!

2011-07-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

This blog has been a big project. However, the time has come for me to move on. I feel I have accomplished what I intended. So I am pleased.

The Connecticut River north of Hatfield, MA

I would like to thank all my followers, seeing your fun icons as been wonderful and I am very touched that you have joined me in this quest of mine. So this blog is technically completed. I will not be posting to it very much anymore. It will stay on Blogger for some time and I will refer to it in my other blogs. I am still getting comments from viewers and that is great. Any information that others wish to share is welcomed.
I would like to give special thanks to Barbara Poole of "Life from the Roots" and Heather Rojo of "Nutfield Genealogy" for their support. Their blogs are awesome! I would also like to thank another person who is connected with FindAGrave and more. Thank you for caring!

I have struggled with this decision. I had intended to add the Ohio trip that I am planning for August 2011 which is more Goss history and other lines of my family, but...it will just not work and become to large to manage and maybe be a little confusing?

This blog was my traveling in Massachusetts and Connecticut in search of Goss and Barclay history and I think it is best served in that manner. My husband was a little surprised to see the Carmel added and I defended that with "it has "more" in the title at the end! He responded ...something about the whole world. Hmmm... a little indulgence on my part. HA!

So I am off to create another blog for the time has come to start the on the Goss family and the allied families that married into Goss and vice versa and share what I have and what I know and don't know. This is going to be another big job and it will include highlights of the trip to Ohio.
The new blog is: Solomon Goss of Fearing Township in Ohio http://sgossfamily.wordpress.com/

WordPress.com is a little different than Blogger. They do not have icons for followers. Instead, they have where you can sign up with your email (strictly private) as a widget and I put that on the right side (side bar) of my blog. They also have comments (like Blogger). I can tell if you are stopping by with the stats which Blogger has too but with Wordpress they are right there on my dashboard.

Solomon Goss was a son of Philip and Mary (Kendall) Goss. The Philip Goss who left Brookfield to go to Simsbury, North Granby, then to Granville and up to Becket. From Becket his restless feet took him to the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania where the Susquehanna River flows. This is now known as Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It wasn't back then. It was part of Connecticut.

Solomon left Pennsylvania with his wife Olive (Scott) Goss and family and headed west to a place now called Dayton, Ohio about 1792 and then to Marietta where he settled probably by 1798 when his daughter Elizabeth married Andrew Lake. Solomon and Olive are my 4th great grandparents. If they had not gone to Ohio it might have been a very different story for in Ohio we find Spracklins, Delanos and Kellers who went there and settled.

I leave you with a picture of the Connecticut River in one of its more serene moods. The first time I saw it was in East Windsor and it was swollen and looked menacing as I drove over the bridge. That was my first trip years ago. This trip it was brown with silt but still awesome from the French Bridge. I planned on more photos but just didn't get them. I love rivers and wish they could talk. I enjoy following them on my trips.

A Surprise In the Mail: Abel Goss of Lower Waterford, Vermont published 2011

2011-07-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have always loved surprises and this was a good one. In the mail came a beautiful dark green bound book . It smells wonderful it is so new and the pages of this book are shinny and crisp. It was written by my half 8th cousin once removed, David Philip Goss. I am serious! At least that is what my Legacy Database tells me about our connection?

Our common ancestor is Philip Goss (I) of Roxbury who later migrated to Lancaster and is buried there in the Old Settler Burial Field in Lancaster (the one over the railroad tracks) with the date 1698 as his death. This Philip married twice. first to Hannah Hopkins whom I descend from and second, he married Mary Prescott in 1690. She was a granddaughter of John Prescott founder of Lancaster. My half cousin descends from Philip and Mary's son John Goss, a half brother to my Capt. Philip Goss who is buried in the Old Indian Cemetery in Brookfield with his wife Judith Hayward Goss.

The book is: Abel Goss of Lower Waterford, by David Philip Goss, Otter Bay Books, 2011.

This book is literally "hot off the press."

My half cousin found this blog and was very surprised to see his name and manuscript listed in the post dated Monday, April 25, 2011 - For Thursday, April 14, 2011 Winchester, New Hampshire. I had yet to introduce myself and one day I got this wonderful email from a happy excited person. So I guess we are now even for he has surprised me with this wonderful book which is an updated and expanded version of the PDF I mentioned in the Winchester post.

This is exciting because David takes the descendancy of Philip Goss of Roxbury and Mary Prescott Goss down through their son John Goss and his wife Mary (Woods) Goss to their son Philip Goss who was the one that married Hannah Ball and tells the real story. This family left Lancaster, Massachusetts and headed up to New Hampshire and settled there. Meanwhile another Philip Goss, a cousin and a son of Philip Goss (III) of Brookfield and Keziah Cooley, headed to North Granby, Granville, Becket and then to the Wyoming Valley where the Susquehanna River flows. Some of the descendants of that Philip stayed there in the Luzerne County, Pennsylvania area and others headed further west to Ohio. This is my line.

Meanwhile, Philip and Hannah Gosses children headed to other parts of New Hampshire and Vermont and then they went west to places like Wisconsin, Colorado and Washington State! Here is a brief summary of the descendancy discussed in the book:

Philip Goss of Roxbury and Lancaster marries a 2nd time to Mary Prescott

John Goss, their, son, marries Mary Woods and their son is named Philip Goss.

Philip Goss marries Hannah Ball and migrates to Winchester, NH and settled there.

Their son Abel Goss married Irene Sprague and they name a son Abel.

This Abel married Amanda Hebard of Waterford, Vermont

From there the line goes down to David the writer and compiler of this new book.

The book has an index, footnotes with abundant sources, great photographs and examples of documents. David writes lots of narrative and explanations. A job well done!

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this book, please contact the writer of this blog or leave a comment and I will be happy to get you in touch with David.

Catching Up! My Massachusetts Meandering Binder!

2011-06-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have learned that after a trip it is vital that I get all my information and research sourced and filed properly. If I let it slide and come back to it later I wonder what I was trying to do or realize I don't remember!!!

So I am happy to report that my binder for my blog and trip Massachusetts Meanderings is organized with tabs and a wonderful Table of Contents.

It is all in a 4 inch Binder, yup...4 inches and it is full. What is in it...everything that has to do with my trip to Massachusetts and Connecticut and the blog. LOVE IT, all in one place. Of course I have my files and photos on the computer but that is under my Genealogical Trips folder which include the original itinerary, my trip journal and my blog book - a copy of my posts in Word, the photos of the trip in nice files with topics, and of course the research which will need to be moved to the Research surname files and sourced.

1. Table of Contents - very detailed because I am forgetting already???
2. Copy of the Journal of my first trip to Connecticut
3. Picasa Public Photos - a thumbnail of the tombstones printed out.
4. Blogger list of my posts - several pages
5. Streets and Trips maps - I did some editing so these are the important ones
6. Cemetery forms with the back up pages that I was using to find the graves.
7. Blog posts printed out in black and white and doublesided. Lots of pages.
8. Itinerary for each of the days with edits and my scribbles
9. Travel documents that I want to keep for awhile - reservations, airline stuff etc.
10. Maps I picked up - in plastic sleeves and other information I want to keep for awhile.
11. Emails I had connecting with people that I feel are important - making appointments etc.
12. Brochures and pamphlets of various repositories and societies as well as travel, also in plastic sleeves.

Everything is sorted in sections in between tabs so that I can find it by that event like when I visited The Brookfields or Lancaster.

In the past I had a travel file folder, a research files, pictures and everything in many places and it was difficult to remember where things were. So having it all in one place is really nice. Most is on the computer so I can at some point in a couple of years dissemble it and reuse the binder for something else.

Yeah, I know I am nuts or obssessed but I have learned that if I don't document a trip and organize it when I get home, I forget and it is more painful to piece it together later! Trips are sources. I wish my cousin Paul had been more diligent about documenting his trips to interview the family in Pennsylvania back in the 1930's and 1940's.

Now I still have some things to do but that can be done over the next months.

Adventures in Carmel, CA - A Cousin's 70th Wedding Anniversary

2011-06-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

This blog has emphasized the Goss, Spracklin, Keller and Delano side of my father's ancestry. No sooner had I returned from D.C. then I was off again to Carmel, California. I went to visit with and celebrate my dad's McDonald/MacDonald side.

Actually the name of MacDonald can be spelled several ways: McDonald, McDonell, MacDonell, Macdonell or McDonnell, Macdonnell...My father spelled it "MacDonald." His siblings and father spelled it McDonald.

My cousin Ruth and her husband John were celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. Can you believe it?They are both over 90 years old. Ruth is a descendant of Duncan McDonell brother to my Mary McDonell mother of Ronald and grandmother of my father Keith. I refer you to another blog of mine:

The Man Who Lived Airplanes at: http://macdonellfamily.wordpress.com/ I have not discussed Duncan's family yet, but will be doing so soon in future posts.

I learned of Ruth through my cousin Mary McDonell Louiseau who died a few years back. She was niece to my grandfather Ronald. I had the good fortune to visit Mary twice before she passed. She was 87 when I first met her, tiny in stature, a little bent over but big in personality. She told me about Ruth: "I think Ruth is a cousin?" was her comment one day on the phone. This was a year after I had visited her. Keep asking questions and letting family know, you never know when they will remember or tell you something about family.

So I immediately contacted Ruth and we have visited several times since. They came to my home once years ago and about two years ago my husband and I visited them in Carmel. http://www.carmelcalifornia.com/

The other part of this story is their daughter. She went into the Carmelite Monastery 50 years ago and she was celebrating as well!! She recently stepped down from being the Reverend Mother. Ruth and John have two sons in addition. She is known as Sister Teresita. I had an opportunity to visit her that same trip. http://www.carmelitesistersbythesea.net/homepage.htm Under the section Community Life there is a photograph of the sisters and my cousin is the one with the glasses.

So this was a big celebration! I left on Friday, June 10th and was at the Monterey Airport by 2:30 p.m. I rented a car and headed out to the monastery to visit with Sister Teresita and scope out the place to see where to set up my video camera and make a movie. Much to my surprise Sister Teresita was out and about preparing for the next days events. This is a cloistered monastery so having her physically in front of me where I could touch and look her in the eye was a treat. We made plans for the video. I was so proud that I remembered how to get there. It is an amazing place and the gardens are lovely.

Carmelite Monastery, Carmel, California - Mass is held regularly in the chapel to the right!

The Pacific Ocean is right across Hwy 1.

The celebration on Saturday morning was beautiful. There was beautiful music by a young violinist that Sister Teresita knew and had come from New York and his classes to just be there for her. The bishop was also there with 11 other priests. The nuns are in the cloistered area to the right of the altar but you can hear their beautiful singing voices. The Chapel was filled to the brim and it is not small. There were people up in the balcony. There were others outside who could not get in for the Chapel was full.

The service continued with prayers and what is called the Homily followed by the Jubilee Blessing and Renewal of Religious Vows and the Renewal of John and Ruth's marriage vows.

After the ceremony there would be cake and a buffet. Now this is a monastery and not really set up for a large number of people but somehow they managed to arrange things so that everyone was served. Fortunately it did not rain but it was not sunny either and they had tables outside on the lawn. The food was delicious and everyone seemed to be in good spirits and enjoying themselves.

The whole weekend was filled with food, fun and sharing. On Friday, the night before, we all gathered at a Bahama Billy's restaurant to get to know each other. After the celebration on Saturday about 5 pm family and out of town guests arrived at the Mission off Rio Drive to partake of more food and everyone taking turns to share. It was a great day.

Sunday, I waited impatiently to visit with Sister Teresita my 3rd cousin and finally 2:30 pm came and I spent a lovely time chatting with her in the first Speak Room at the monastery where she is behind the bars. She reintroduced me to her dogs. You can touch and see her but she is separate. She was wearing her garland of flowers. She said that in the olden days back when she joined the order you were even more restricted so things have changed. Her parents arrived as well as her brother John Jr. with his wife and we chatted till we headed out for dinner.

On Monday I got another chance to visit with Sister Teresita and her parents when Ruth invited me to come to the monastery that morning. I had said goodbye to them the day before but I didn't hesitate to go.

It was a beautiful weekend and I was happy I went for I was the only McDonald to be there. Most of the people attending were Flynn's or friends of the family. Of course, I listened to every word and as much as I could understand about John's family history. I did get his mother's name: Hannah.

My gift to Ruth was a booklet of her family history down from Duncan McDonell with pictures of my family so she could see how we all fit in. Now her eye sight is not good so I hope she does take time to look a little bit at the booklet. I am very glad I went to share this time with my cousin Ruth and her family. She is a tiny person. I figure she is probably the size of my Aunt Vivian, my father's older sister who was 4 ft. 11 inches. John is the sweetest man I have ever met. His face just lighted up when people greeted him. John and Ruth received a Papal blessing from the Pope as presented to them by the bishop.

Getting back home was a challenge. San Francisco was socked in with fog and my plane was delayed till 4:41 from the 2:35 time. I had to re ticket and get a later flight from San Francisco to Seattle. Good thing I had my Nook Color fully charged and could read to my hearts content.

I pondered the events of the weekend. Two people in their 90's still vibrant and as a healthy as possible and still loving each other and together at that advanced age. Wow!

My father didn't know Ruth and John. He did know Mary who was a daughter of Jack McDonald his uncle. He was nine years older than Ruth and three years older than Mary. He would be 101 years old so in reality he would not be alive now but if the heart attack had not taken back in 1970 he could have known them. John and Ruth married the same year as my parents! We traveled on vacation to California in the middle 1950's and we could have visited if we had known them. I wonder what my dad would have thought of all this??

June 4, 2011: The National Archives - Rotunda and Exhibits

2011-06-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

While planning our trip to D.C., I struggled with whether to do research at the National Archives or not. I decided that I was content. However, I had not toured the Rotunda in a long time and that was very cool. The Nation's Charters of Freedom documents are on display there.

Here is a Wikipedia short blip about them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charters_of_Freedom

Since I could not take pictures inside Wikipedia has a nice one showing what the Rotunda looks like, however, the Rotunda is now darkened so it is not quite as bright as their photo implies.

The Charters of Freedom are: The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Three of our Nation's most important documents.

There is so much to do at the National Archives I was surprised. I don't remember all this from 1999? I think things have changed a lot and restoration has been done for there was evidence that the Rotunda area was quite different than memory serves.

You stand in the line to the left and enter into the National Archives in what might be the lower floor. Once through security you can pretty much wander around to different areas and exhibits on your own following the signs.

The National Archives building on the outside is very ornate as you see from the photos.

To do research you go into the Archives on the North side of the building. I just remember the security checkpoint but there might be more to see there according to a reliable source? There are actually two buildings one in D.C. and the other in College Park. You will have to determine which works for you. When I went years ago I was so green I didn't know how to use a microfilm reader. I was so intimidated by it all. I suggest that you prepare by visiting the website and studying the rules and regulations. Also do a search of the NARA catalog and pin down as much as possible what you want to research like Civil War pensions or Revolutionary war pensions and more. I know that they have changed things greatly since then and have hours for pulling the documents, so you do need to study up and plan.

The other option is to hire someone to help you via the APG (Association of Professional Genealogist). There is a chapter in D.C. called the National Capital Area Chapter of APG. The cost of a Civil War Pension file has gone up greatly and this is an alternative.  A professional will be working for you and knows what they are doing and will make sure copies of the whole pension or service file are made for you. Yes, they will charge you but they can get the documents for less, I believe. My friend and colleague Lisa Petersen knows the D.C. area archives very well. She is a member of this chapter check out their membership listing by clicking the link.

My great grandfather George A. Barclay's Civil War pension file was not at NARA! I waited so patiently for it but they said they didn't have it. AUGGH!!! It was at the Department of Veteran's Affairs! They, the VA, copied the whole thing and didn't charge me anything. It was at least 2 inches thick. Yes, I was very fortunate. I obtained other documents as well before they raised the rates.

My first stop was the Archives Shop. Now I did see the movie "National Treasure." The gift store that is in the Archives did not look a bit like the one in the movie...giggle! I studied the gift shop carefully and pondered how I wish I could do more reading. I am amazed at all the books that are written about many topics of history. So little time!

Now they have restrooms near the Archives shop and a Cafe? I don't remember all that from before? I did not go to the Cafe for I was not hungry.  I headed to the Rotunda and was immediately stopped with the crowd of people waiting to get in.

The line wandered around with cording to guide you and there were these reading boards and a video being displayed but I had to keep moving so I didn't get to read all of that part. As you enter you first find a display about the Magna Carta. They had one of seven copies of this document. It is being prepared for a new exhibit so it was a temporary one. There is actually a hereditary organization you can join:
http://www.magnacharta.org/ It would take a lot of work to prepare for membership. I counted 10 generations for a client to just get to crossing the Atlantic Ocean and that didn't include England and those generations.

As I waited to get into the Rotunda area, I observed the murals on the wall showing our founding fathers looking very much like a Renaissance painting which was a little odd to me???? I tried to count the eagles but could only find six and not the nine they said were in the area. It was very dark and cool in there.

At a certain point they let in a group of people, lining you up shoulder to shoulder four lines deep by the gates and steps. I think they wait ten minutes and let you into the Rotunda area as a big group. I headed for the left which was backed up with a line but you can move about if you want.

They have display boards with glass and they have prepared materials to lead you to the viewing of the main document. First was the Declaration of Independence and I was amazed that they have copies with corrections on them.

The sad part was the Declaration of Independence is so faded.  They say it was in light for many years at another location and the ink and parchment do not do well in those conditions. This time the containment area they had it in did not keep dimming and coming back. So it seems they have learned to preserve documents of this type in a different manner. It did make me nervous when the people would lean on the glass but apparently it is okay to do that. There are guards standing there watching.

It was difficult to read all that they had prepared and keep the line moving but I noticed that the crowd had diminished. It was about 5:20 pm and they are open till 7 pm for summer. Hmmm...maybe it is in the timing?

The next document was the Constitution and the displays led up to how it was created after the Articles of Confederation did not work. They had George Washington's copy with his corrections. The last was the Bill of Rights and more explanation about its origins.

I wish my dad was here to see these documents. He was the true Patriot in my family!

June 4, 2011: Spracklins - Meeting a Half-Cousin

2011-06-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Spracklin family married into the Goss family. Spracklins are from Somerset in England. John Andrews Spracklin immigrated in 1817 with the Wine and Anne Rood family (his aunt) and settled in Washington Co., Ohio. There John A. Spracklin met and married Lydia Goss, daughter of Solomon and Olive Scott Goss. John and Lydia had a son named Daniel D. Spracklin and he married Elizabeth Keller in Morrow Co., Ohio. They had four children: Henry, Oliver, Mary and Amarilla. Only Amarilla and Henry survived to adulthood.

Elizabeth Keller Spracklin, my great great grandmother, died in 1859 several months after the birth of Amarilla Spracklin (later Barclay) my great grandmother. Daniel remarried to Sarah Blacketer Allgood in 1863 in Iowa where he had migrated to from Knox County, Ohio. He and Sarah had 7 more children: Lydia, Virda, Reed, Daniel, Peter George, Charles Edward, Alfred Marion. Alfred died young.

On Saturday June 4, 2011 while still in the D.C. area I met with a descendant of Peter George Spracklin. She is a perfect Half 3rd cousin. Peter George is a 1/2 brother to my Amarilla. I now know three cousins from this side of the family.

So about 10 am on Saturday, I got into a taxi at the Gaylord National Hotel south of D.C. and headed into D.C. We were scheduled to meet at 11 am.

Well...everything went really well and I was looking forward to being dropped at the American History Museum on Constitution Avenue but....Guess what? The National Mall was overwhelmed in PINK!!!

It was the RUN FOR THE CURE and streets were blocked off. My taxi driver let me out at L'Enfant Metro and I had to walk. Fortunately, it was not too hot or muggy...yet!

It was fun to walk along and observe ladies and men in different combinations of T-shirts in white with pink, pink with white and more. Some had numbers on them. Here I was in total black!!! Hmmm...??? It was truly showing the power of women. I was humbled. My mother died of colon cancer that had decided to take over her liver back in 1984. She was 74 years old and had a good life but still! I now how terrible this disease can be.

There were huge billboards with the map showing the route and water stations. This photograph shows the participants heading for the finish line.

I walked quickly heading for the American History Museum entering into the cool foyer a pleasant place to wait for my cousin to arrive. Would I recognize her? Well, she beat me to it and saw me at once!

We sat on the soft bench and immediately started chatting about the family. I showed her the family history reports that I had brought for her to study. She is interested in genealogy but has not taken the plunge. It was too confusing for her and I understand that. Having a database is vital because each generation explodes the family tree to even more great grandparents to try to learn about. I use Legacy's deluxe version. It is free for the standard version: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/

I gave her a descendants chart of our common ancestor Daniel D. Spracklin and a family group report of her great great grandfather Peter George. We happily chatted away about genealogy.

She had decided that it would be fun to go to Chinatown and I was willing. So we figured out how to get a taxi on 7th and headed to the Ming Restaurant. It was very nice restaurant and we took a table by the window.

I told her about my life and family first. A lot of girl talk! She told me about her family and of course I wrote it down. Lunch was fun! I am always blow away by the stories of another's life and the similarities of experience but yet the different choices. My cousin was being born when I was a silly teenager having Hawaiian luau parties in the 1960's.

After lunch we wandered past the Chinatown arch and found a Starbucks on the corner. Just like home! We decided to get some coffees and I staked out some stools. We spent the time lingering and talking some more about life and experiences. We did some people watching as well for it was a busy street corner and a busy Starbucks.

Now you are probably wondering if I had a list of questions to ask her and had prepared oral interview. I had some ideas but I decided I wanted to just let the conversation flow. I think I made the correct decision. Now I am not a big talker so these kinds of conversations are a bit challenging for me and take concentration. Apparently my cousin was trying to absorb as well so it was good that the conversation just flowed for our first time together.

It was about 4 pm and I had an idea that I could visit, at the very least, the Rotunda of the National Archives and view the Charters of Freedom before heading back to Gaylord National Hotel south of D.C. So we walked along 7th Avenue noticing the shops and architecture. We parted at the line waiting to get into the National Archives with several hugs.

I told my cousin about a curious thing that happens when you get involved with the genealogy of your family. It is the fact that you build new friendships when you reach out to your cousins. You rekindle relationships that are lost. I had not seen a McDonald cousin in 25 years but reconnecting with her has been priceless. I had the good fortune to visit my 87 year old cousin and get to know her before she past. You grieve with them when the loose someone dear to them. You rejoice when you surprise a cousin who doesn't know you yet by acknowledging their contribution and they didn't even know they had touched your life. HA!

It was a lovely day. I have the best cousins!!!

Wordless Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - Washington DC Sites

2011-06-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

Airplane over the Potomac

American History Museum

Julia Child's Kitchen at the history museum

Nation's Capitol from the Clock Tower

A little closer

Gaylord National Harbor Interior

Washington DC: The White House and a few art galleries!!

2011-05-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I cannot take photos inside the White House. There are a lot of restrictions for the security of the nation. I am okay with that because there are tons of books about the White House:

http://www.findoutdc.com/books/white-house-books.shtml

The annual Christmas Special put on by HGTV showing the process of how they decorate the White House for Christmas using mostly volunteers. This happens around the first part of December each year. I look forward to that special.

To arrange a tour of the White House go to your local senator's website and make your appointment through them. I did it all online by filling out a form months in advance. They also had more information about other tours and Washington DC sites so it is a good place to start.
We arrived about 11 am and got ready for the tour. We entered the line and were checked for our tour confirmation number and presented our ID. We then walked to another area where we did the same thing and showed our ID. We had to put our wallets and cellphones into a bin and walk through a security screen in one room. Then we walked a little further and entered the White House on the east side on the lower floor. You walk through an area called the Ground Floor Corridor where they have photographs on the wall showing the past presidents in black and white and the more recent presidents in color. It was very well done to see these photographs showing the presidents and their families interacting with others.

The first rooms that you view are the Library (I was ready to move in), the Vermeil Room, and the China Room. Now all you can do is stand at the door and look in. So you move from one side of the entry door to the other to get a better view. The curtains on the windows were amazing and must have weighed a ton. Lovely!

From there we walked upstairs to the main floor. You walk along at your own pace through the various rooms as they have you guided by cords and roping. The rugs are rolled back and mats are down and each room as a security guard who has knowledge of that room. You walk through the East Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room and the State House Room. Portraits of Presidents hand everywhere and first ladies as well. There are fresh flowers in all the rooms artfully arranged. Chandeliers of every size and shape glistened in the light.

In the foyer of the White House I stood there trying to get a feel for the size of our nation's first home. The White House is big with many rooms and floors but, it is not as big as you think. It is very well laid out and it is easy to access the various areas. Don't forget to look out the windows for you see well manicured gardens, beautiful giant Lillies in bloom. From the windows of the White House you could see directly across to the Jefferson Memorial and can observe the people at the fence looking at the White House. The Washington Monument was to the left a little.

They had a jazz band in uniform and my hubby thought they were Marine Corp. I stood at the front entrance and looked back at the White House and my hubby took my picture on my cellphone because you could do that outside. It will be awhile before I can access that photo.
After the White House we headed for the Renwick Gallery to the west of the White House. It is part of the Smithsonian so it was free. We were there just in time for a docent tour of the American Crafts area. She was excellent and knew her stuff. They choose 4 artists that must have done the art in the United States and they are usually artists that have not had a major gallery show. The first was an silversmith and he was outstanding. The second was an expert in pottery and again outstanding. The others were good but the theme did not interest me. I was of course overwhelmed with each artists devotion, patience and more to their craft. Boy, I am lazy!!! HA!

We stopped for lunch along 17th Avenue and then headed south to the Corcoran Gallery of Art. The first floor had landscapes and paintings by the likes of Degas. It was wonderful. It is interesting that the artists would paint about the a subject like the western part of the United States and sometimes it was usually a vision of what they thought it was and not necessarily historically correct. The famous picture of Washington Crossing the Delaware has a slight error. The boat is incorrect. The actual boat is on display at Washington Crossings in the museum there. You can read about it in my blog: Pennsylvania Wanderings for I visited there.

The evening was spent by stopping at Washington Harbor for a glass of wine at one of the restaurants there. Unfortunately they had been flooded so there was limited service. It is right there on the Potomac River with fancy expensive boats tied up at the pier. They seemed to be doing well in spite of the problem. My hubby had arranged for dinner at 1789. It was our 6th wedding anniversary so that was a bit of an extravagance but it was delicious. 1789 is in Georgetown and very fancy and elegant and the kind of restaurant that changes your table setting many times through out the dinner. Georgetown is also quite the area with many shops and old houses. I would love to explore but I don't think we have time.

I am trying to ignore the taxi cab drivers driving skills, so far so good. They have not scared me yet but driving in the DC traffic is quite an experience. They use their horns a lot! Trying to get the attention of a taxi cab driver is also an interesting challenge. They are necessary if you want to get yourself around. My hubby announced that several Metro stations were closed in the area. So challenges do exist.

The next few days we will probably visit more museums in the DC area and discover interesting restaurants to visit. On Sunday we will be attending a concert at the Phillips Collection, another art gallery.

The Dar Library: The Seimes Technology Center

2011-05-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

My next stop was the Seimes Technology Center down the hallway from the DAR Library. The first goal was to look at the Windsor, Vermont history seeking information for Stephen Delano. I had obtained the one DAR application that was listed for him as a patriot the last time I visited. I wanted to follow up on the more sources.

Entrance to the Seimes Technology Center at the DAR

The assistant at the desk helped me out and even put the film in the microfilm reader. I found the pages I needed and made my copies after some technical difficulties.

The assistant then showed me how to search for a GRC source on the computer at the Seimes Center. They have the digital pages from these GRC sources on the computer. WOW! I had found the GRC sources a bit hard at times in the library on my last visit so this was pretty easy and nice to be able to find them on the computer. Seems to me all I was able to get from the website was an index listing of the GRC. I didn't have much luck on the Evergreen Cemetery in Winchester, NH. I was hoping someone had done a cemetery publication.

So I was happily playing with the computer clicking on this and that and decided to revisit the Ancestor tab, Member tab and several other tabs and make sure I have all the DAR applications that I want. I had done quite well the last time I was there. So I put in some names and found some more original applications and in addition supplemental applications. The DAR has been busy adding more information. One of the supplementals was for Flora Montanye Osborn. Now last time I obtained her original application in which she entered through Caleb Rice. This time there was a supplement application for "Philip Goss." YES!!!! Happy DANCE! I knew she had not done all the work on Philip Goss and corresponded with Paul H. Goss for nothing!

So I spent some time revisiting the applications to make sure I had all that I wanted. I revisited Delano and Goss. Now these applications cost $15.00 from home and $10.00 at the center.

After this grand finale I had come to the end of my visit to the DAR Library.

A fond look at the DAR Library stacks...

I have mentioned the Delano surname several times. Well they also have an association which is called the Delano Kindred. I am a member and have been for several years. They are not as strict as some organizations and you can join easily. After you join you can submit your genealogy which is something that is on my ToDo list. The website is at: http://www.delanokindred.org/ They had the Delano Genealogies online for members at one time but they did have had some technical difficulties and I have not been back in awhile. They are having their reunion in Stillwater, MN this coming year, I believe. I was tempted. They like to have the reunion around the country in order to open it to Delano surnames. They also have a newsletter. I just received my mailing but didn't have time to look at it before we left for DC. Does the name Muriel Cushing mean anything to any of you? Think she is running for President this year for the Kindred. They have a bookstore and that gives some titles you will want to check out, but if you become a member you may be able to access some things so check them out first.

I walked back to the hotel via Pennsylvania Avenue after I stopped for a little lunch and a cool drink. It was really muggy. My body from the Puget Sound area does not to heat well. So I trudged along slowly and stopped at this amazing foundatin of water. It is sliding down the wall....!!!

A cool water fountain on Pennsylvania Ave on the way back to the hotel

I had to run my hands through it. It was a bit cool but not as much as you would expect.

Dinner this evening would be at RIS which was one block from our hotel. My hubby has been to DC many times and knows it pretty well so he has a lot of fun finding interesting restaurants to show me. Apparently this RIS is a woman who has made a name for herself in DC.

Research at the DAR Library: Cooley Association

2011-05-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

I am not an expert but I do try my best to learn about an archive with care. I study the website thoroughly and then prepare what I want to do so that when I get there I can make progress.

The one thing about the DAR Library is that you can access a lot of the books in the stacks yourself. You start on the main floor. This time I noticed that a lot more of the library catalogue items had been digitized so that meant I would be in the Seimes Technology Center as well as the main library.

My first goal was to find the Cooley Association Bulletin again. I had worked on it the last time and then when I returned home I found I had missed some pages and didn't write my sources down correctly so I didn't know what the pages were. No matter how hard you try when you are traveling these types of things happen. So I knew I had to fix it or it would drive me crazy. The problem was I forgot where the bulletin was in the library. All I remembered was it was up and not on the main floor.

The DAR library is divided into the Main room with tables, copiers, the reference desk and all the stacks with general books and then they start with the states. However, a lot of books are up on the balcony areas and that means you have to go out the two back doors and walk up the stairs and into the upper area. The DAR is very clever they have those rolling stacks so there is a lot more upstairs than you think. Climbing around up there is like a maze but kinda fun! They use to be the balcony area of the assembly room.

Well it turned out that the Cooley Association Bulletin was upstairs on the balcony to the right of the reference desk in the OV - over sized area. Of course it was on the top shelf about 1/4 down from the left. I had to climb up and carefully remove it. It was a big legal sized red book with about a decade of these bulletins bound inside.

It was all coming back to me how the library was set up. I returned to my seat and began going through the pages which had been typed. The range was 1939 to 1951 for the bulletin. Paul H. Goss had written about the Goss family in this bulletin and it spanned several issues so I had to revisit the whole sequence to check myself. There were also a few extras to get the volume, date, issue number and page as well.

Cooley Bulletin 2nd floor to the right on top!

You can see my stuff on the left in this photo and others busy with their research. I was told I could photograph the library but not the books and resources, those had to be copied.

The next chore was to seek out sources listed on a DAR application that I had purchased the last time. The patriot was Stephen Delano and the only application on his line came up through his daughter Elizabeth. They had listed two histories one of Windsor County and Woodstock, Vermont. I had obtained the Woodstock part that last time but I revisited it anyway just to be sure. The Windsor County was on microfilm so that meant a visit to the computer lab.

This means I have two potential patriots to choose from for my initial application and then follow up with a supplemental.

I tried finding a GRC but that too was in digital format. The DAR has been very busy putting more of their records on the computer. They had done a lot the last time but I was seeing evidence of even more progress.

If you have a Cooley ancestor in your background you need to know about the Cooley Association and go to their website at http://www.cooleyfamilyassociation.com/ I have not joined yet but plan to. It requires that you be a descendant of a Cooley ancestor and provide the usual documentation. They have reunions and it looks like it is every 2 years.

There is also a book written by Dean Mortimer E. Cooley titled the Cooley Genealogy that you should also check for information. The bulletin above that I mention may have more information about other lines in the Cooley genealogy. As for additional copies well you might find them in other libraries, societies and archives.

Washington DC: The DAR Library, A Third Visit!

2011-05-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, May 26th, I visited the DAR Library again! I had been to the Daughters of the American Revolution Library in 2000 and then in 2008. I was returning and I was looking forward to it! I was not going to be as intense as I had in 2008. I had been to the library about 5 days in a row to look for Goss sources and accomplished more than I realized. Apparently I had done well for I as not finding anything of too much significance to search for this time. That means I am getting to the bottom of it all. I found a lot of the old sources Paul and Flora used and solved a lot of puzzles. There are some that I cannot figure out but that is probably okay back in the 1930's and 1940's they used a shorthand that can be quite confusing. Since then a lot have been republished and that has caused some interesting challenges.

This time it was going to be a little less frantic. I did have several things in mind. I walked from my hotel down Pennsylvania Avenue for a good 6+ blocks in the warm muggy weather.

Statue of George Washington at One Washington Circle

People on the move on Pennsylvania Avenue

Turning down 17th the Washington Monument in the distance!

I then turned down 17th and was at the DAR library in about 4-5? blocks. All was the same on the outside.

A glimpse of the DAR as you approach

Their sign announcing the DAR

Banners along the north side....

The entrance is on the north in the middle of the block. I stopped at the security desk and received a visitor pass. I headed for the library and found that they had opened the double doors for entry and you didn't get to walk through the small narrow door. Instead of $5.00 it was now $6.00 for non-members at the library desk. Back in 2008 by the time I was done I knew the library pretty good but I had forgotten.

Announcing the Entrance to the left...

1776 Entrance...

The Main Foyer...

The double door entrance

It as time to settle in at my favorite spot at the tables which is the last row on the left. I took my time setting up and studied my first problem to solve.

Entering the Library at the DAR

Now it is time to dig into the research and just enjoy being in a place that make me happy!

The DAR Library in Washington DC - Revisiting the First Visit!

2011-05-27T05:31:00.000-07:00

Like I said, if you have any ancestor that could have been involved in the American Revolution you need to go and look at the DAR holdings either online at their website or go and visit. I suggest both if you can!

www.dar.org

I have DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and Mayflower in my line but I have yet to apply. I plan to do this in the next six months. I am finally ready. We all have to get to a certain place when we feel it is time. Well the time has come, but first I want to travel to Ohio again and see if I cannot find out more on the Goss family.

My first experience with the DAR was back in 2000 when I was very green in genealogy. I just sat there in awe the first time...all those books! I dangled my feet off the chair and knew that I was on a path of learning all I could about my ancestors. When I say I was green, well, I didn't even know what the Patriot Index was?

I was looking at the research of my Aunt Miriam and she suggested the following names: Keller and Delano. She did not include "Goss." I was too knew in the research to know anything about these other surnames names so I decided to look at the "Goss" name. Well that was an historical day for me.

The librarian explained to me about the DAR Patriot Index and of course I studied the names and decided on the Philip Goss file. Well this librarian brought me the Philip Goss file and the Goss file. He handed it to me, this tall man, and said "You probably want to see this too." When my order came he had me move upfront to a table to look at the information. They now have a lot of information online at their website and in the Seimes Computer Lab at the DAR Library.

So I sat at the table and looked through the files and found all kinds of interesting documents and of course I copied just about everything. I found documents from a Flora Montanye Osborn, someone named Wingert and a Paul H. Goss???

When I returned home I started to study these documents in detail and low and behold the connection to Mayflower was revealed to me in a manuscript written by Paul H. Goss.

The connection was: Judith Hayward Goss (wife of Philip Goss II) was the daughter of Anna Hayward who married John Hayward and was the daughter of Resolved White and Judith Vassall. Resolved was the son of William White and Susanna of the Mayflower. Remember I visited Philip Goss and Judith Goss's graves in the Old Indian Cemetery in West Brookfield, MA in previous posts on this blog.

My Aunt Miriam and my father said there was Mayflower in the family line. Since then I have been on this quest for more Goss family history using and collecting Paul's manuscripts, Flora's leads and other research leads.

Philip Goss IV and his son Solomon Goss are in the DAR Patriot Index and I was able to pull some applications the last time I visited to see what sources these individuals used. I discovered that Flora came into DAR through her other family line and put her daughter through on the Goss line.

Now that I know more I can also study the Delano line which starts with Mary Delano Keller whose daughter Elizabeth married Daniel D. Spracklin. Mary's father was Stephen Delano and her mother was Lovina Smith. Stephen's father was Stephen Delano and he married Mary Shaw. The last time I was at the DAR I was able to pull the only DAR application for Stephen Delano who married Mary Shaw. This line goes back to Philippe Delano (de lay Noye) of the Fortune.

The DAR Constitution Hall

Our Nations Capitol - Several years ago

The Keller line is still a mystery. No one yet knows who the parents of John Keller, Mary Delano Kellers husband are. Maybe when I visit Ohio in August, I can find a small tidbit that will open that door?

On the Move Again! Washington DC

2011-05-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

If you ever have a chance to travel to our nation's capital...GO! It is an amazing place with many many adventures. There are monuments like Abraham Lincoln's pavilion or Jefferson's Memorial. Both have small displays in the basement and of course a gift shop! You can even go up into the Washington Monument - the Obelisk and look out on the city. Memorials to visit to pay your respects! There are museums to examine and dally in. Just hop on the trolley, pay your fee and take the tour or the loop to all the sites. You can hop on and hop off and get various passes for a day or several. Walking can be a bit daunting...!

The Smithsonian is a group of museums and you could be exploring for days....

http://www.si.edu/Museums

There is the nation's Capitol to visit or the U.S. Supreme Court. The White House has a tour which you make your plans with your local Senator office months in advance and give a little information about yourself for security reasons. I am planning to go this time.

Here is an example of what your local Senator might have on their website and other links to other tours.
http://murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=VisitingWashingtonDC

Then there are the other amazing places to go like the DAR Library, the Library of Congress and the main National Archives. As genealogists we can't go to DC without at least doing some research in one of these locations. Don't forget that Washington DC has their own vital records and town hall. Washington DC is bigger than just the District of Columbia in terms of genealogy. So if you do research specific to D.C. you will need to consider the counties that touch it!

Me at the DAR a couple of years ago!

If you have anyone in your ancestry who could have been involved in the American Revolution than you have to go and visit the DAR library. I have been their 2 times and it is wonderful. They have placed a lot of their holdings online and are going digital now.

Then there are plays to attend like at the Warner Theatre or art to see like the Philip's Collection. The Kennedy Center has something going on all the time. http://www.kennedy-center.org/index.cfm

http://www.warnertheatre.com/ We saw Terri Hatcher there in Cabaret before Desperate Housewives. She is tall, thin and she did a good job stepping into the Liza Minnelli role.

http://www.phillipscollection.org/homepage.aspx I wonder if they still have the Boating Party by Renoir? It is wonderful and much larger than you think! I will let you know.

This will be my fifth visit to Washington D.C. My hubby has a SIIM conference to attend. So I am tagging along. Washington D.C. hotels are expensive so you do have to do some serious strategizing to get a good deal. You also want to book a hotel in the area you would like to be closest too and watch the Metro lines so you can use it. http://reservations.washington.org/3903_hotel-list_m812_r825161.html

SIIM http://www.siimweb.org/index.cfm?id=6934 This is pretty technical stuff to understand. I preferred the original name of SCAR.

We will be there soon at Gaylord National http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-national/ This could be interesting. The reviews are either they love it or hate it!

More Cemetery Photos Added!

2011-05-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have continued to add more of my cemetery photos to the public Picasa Web Albums.

15. Hazardville Cemetery, the larger and newer one in Hazardville which is part of Enfield, CT.
16. Main Street Cemetery, Granville, MA
17. Palisado Cemetery photos from my 2007 trip, Windsor, CT
18. Becket Center and Cemetery, MA
19. Middle Cemetery, Lancaster, MA
20. Chocksett Burying Ground, Sterling, MA
21. Old Indian Cemetery, West Brookfield, MA
22. Old Settlers Cemetery, Lancaster, MA behind the Middle Cemetery
23. Hillside Cemetery and the Ancient Cemetery in Thomaston, CT (This was Hillside not Hilltop.)
24. Evergreen Cemetery, Winchester, NH
25. North Becket and North Becket Cemetery, MA
26. Old Common Burial Ground, Common Rd., Lancaster, MA

Same link but with all 26 of them visible.

https://picasaweb.google.com/116922332744116783581

For information on how to care for a cemetery or an individual stone go to the Connecticut Gravestone Network http://www.ctgravestones.com/ They have information on maintenance, photographing, documentation and related links and events.

Donna E. Walcovy, Ph.D. gave a lecture at the NERGC in Springfield. She has some very interesting things to say about iconography of a tombstone. I am more interested in her philosophy on how to preserve a cemetery. She is currently involved with the Falmouth Genealogical Society and the preservation of the cemeteries in that area. She said that if she doesn't know how to repair a stone she will not touch it till she learns what to do to accomplish the repair properly. http://www.markingburials.com/ This is very interesting on the preservation of this cemetery: http://www.falgen.org/obg/restoration.htm

This site the Association of Gravestone Studies also has information on how to care for and preserve gravestones. http://www.gravestonestudies.org/

It is generally recommended not to do rubbings - sandstone, limestone and marble are especially vulnerable. The most interesting was that the stone(s) actually wick up the water and any chemicals in the ground used around them so they are very delicate and need to be treated with care. Also do not seal them for they need to breath.

Because of limited time, I did not always get a great photograph of the stone. So it does take some time and care to accomplish that task properly. Apparently a mirror is a suggested tool to shine light onto the tombstone? I will have to try it.

In addition, I usually write out the inscription on the stone onto a notepad. I am afraid I was very bad and did not do that this trip. It is so easy to forget so don't do what I didn't do. Write down what you see when you are there at the cemetery. Don't forget to look on the backside especially of the newer stones.

It was interesting to note that on cloudy days it would be really difficult to get anything to come out in the writing on a stone. On sunny days I was fighting back lighting as the sun came through trees and the stones were facing in the opposite direction. Rain caused drops on my lens and that meant I had to be diligent in keeping it clean and that wasn't easy in the pouring rain. Lower light meant I really needed to use the tripod. I can tell that some photos are fuzzy because I moved.

I am always learning!!

One more Cemetery:

27. Old Hazardville Cemetery in Hazardville part of Enfield, CT.

A Promise: More Cemeteries Photos of the Trip

2011-05-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

A big goal of this trip was to visit certain important cemeteries and if I had time other cemeteries along the way. I wish I had the time to document them all...sigh!

I have uploaded photos that I have featured on this blog from cemeteries I have visited and the extra photos I had promised as well. I uploaded them to Picasa Web Albums. These photographs are not copyrighted but I am the creator and I appreciate the acknowledgement. At my Picasa Web Albums you can get more detail, study the photos in relation to each other and get a good idea of what the cemetery looks like, how big it really is and some were huge. Then if you want to review the visit to the cemetery you can go back to this blog and find the posts related to that particular cemetery.

As of now these are open to the public under my name, Bonnie Jean MacDonald and the cemetery name and city and location at Picasa Web Albums, try this link to my public gallery of web albums:

https://picasaweb.google.com/116922332744116783581

1. Ancient Burying Ground, Hartford, CT
2. Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton, MA
3. Granby Cemetery, Granby, CT
4. Norton's Cemetery, East Otis (or Otis), MA
5. Walnut Grove Cemetery, North Brookfield, MA
6. Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, MA
7. Brookfield Cemetery, Brookfield, MA
8. Old South Cemetery, Bolton, MA
9. Center Cemetery, Peru, MA (Berkshires)
10. Longmeadow Cemetery, Longmeadow, MA
11. Forestville Cemetery, (Use to be East Cemetery) Bristol., MA
12. Burnham Cemetery, Montague, MA
13. Simsbury Cemetery, (Maybe Hopmeadow for the older one?), Simsbury, CT (2 cemeteries)
14. Palisado Cemetery, Windsor, CT - I will also add later my photos from the first trip.

More are on the way!!

For ideas on how to find out who is buried there, I did give sources or references in my past posts. Most were found on Find A Grave: Simsbury's old cemetery is under Hopmeadow. Cemeteries in the Peru and Hinsdale area of the Berkshires are listed in a publication at the Peru Public Library under their Historical section. It is a cute small red building next to the church with the two steeples. It is also at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsifield. See the links under Cemeteries to the right for more ideas.

Life on the Road - Taking Photographs of Yourself!

2011-05-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

When I travel I love to take photographs of everything, then I get home and there are no photos of me or my hubby. Oops! Well, I am learning to plan taking them.

One of my followers asked how I took the photos of myself by the tombstones? I did have help from a couple of people but mostly I was on my own. If someone helps you check their work or you end up with eyes closed or something happens.

I practiced before I went on this trip to Massachusetts with my camera. I can use the remote or the timer on my Sony Cyber-shot digital camera.

Sony Cyber-Shot

If you look closely in some of the photos you see me holding something in my hand and instead of smiling for the camera I am concentrating on what the camera is doing. I thought it was distracting and took away from the subject of the photo. The remote did make the shutter noise but if I was far away I could not hear it or any flashes that I could see. So that was not working out.

So I decided to use the timer and it was set for 10 secs. This means I have to move quickly and be careful I don't fall or trip on a tombstone. I remove my glasses, adjust my clothing, set up the timer and push the shutter release and move quickly positioning myself and smile nicely for the camera. I can see the flash from the front of the camera and when it flashes very fast several times I know it is taking the photo.

Of course, I have to put the camera on a tripod. How do you carry a big huge tripod on the airplane? Well I don't. I have these lightweight ones and I put them into my checked baggage. I look for ones that have a removable camera attachment part. I put that on the base of the camera and screw it in tightly using a quarter and check it frequently for they do loosen. This means I can put the camera on the tripod quickly and secure it and then remove it when I need to use it alone.

Tripod camera base removed from tripod

You need a screw hole in the bottom to attach the piece above.

Piece attached to the bottom of the camera using a quarter

The piece sits in the top area of the tripod and a lever is used to secure it!

Camera slipped onto the tripod and the latch on the base piece secured.

Please note that this tripod is not fully extended. I usually extend the legs and get the tripod ready and because it is so lightweight it doesn't cause a problem carrying it. Once at the site I set up the tripod, make sure it is stable. Add the camera with the base piece and secure it.

I always check my photos after I take a picture of myself because it is very easy to cut your head off and that looks a little silly. It is easy to get lost in studying the camera and not preparing my facial expression for the photo.

I really wanted more photos of myself like at Rowlandson's Rock but it was raining so hard that even my plastic bag was not working to keep the camera dry. The problem is the rain runs here and there and everything gets wet. My rain slicker's pockets has 1/2 inch of rain in them and I couldn't use them because the rain just rain off the slicker and into the pocket. There was no way I could set up the tripod and walk away leaving the camera exposed to the rain. Not a good idea! So I will need to figure something else out for bad weather situations. You don't always have the opportunity to return to the location and redo the photo. This has possibilities and doesn't look too expensive. http://www.warmcards.com/SJ1.html

Cemetery Obsessed!

2011-05-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

I am blow away, 21 followers! Now I do look at the stats but this is more fun to see your lovely faces, fancy pictures and more. Welcome to you all!!!! Let's talk about cemeteries!

I have always loved going to a cemetery and searching for ancestors whether my own or someone elses. I started a blog: BJM's Cemetery Discoveries because I was feeling guilty about hoarding these photographs that I had taken over the years of cemeteries for myself and others. Now I could have uploaded to a variety of sites like Tombstone, Internment, Find A Grave but I got intimidated by the rules!!! Hmmm...maybe it was just laziness on my part...HA!

However, this trip to Massachusetts and Connecticut has made it a confirmed fact! I am now over the edge and obsessed!

Most of the cemeteries I have visited have been in very good shape. However, I ran into some sad situations in Massachusetts and Connecticut. My friend Rose Miller from the Granville Public Library History Room said that there is no money for cemeteries.

I have learned that the cemetery association jobs are part time and if there is snow on the ground the work stops till it melts. The cemetery association shuts down during the winter and the workers are laid off till the thaw. So this means that some cemetery offices, associations do care and others need help from the community. This information came from the Evergreen Cemetery Office in NH.

The man who is in charge, called me a few days after I had returned from my trip. I had called a good month before my trip but it took him that long to get back to me. He said he was trying to catch up. He was very helpful as we talked. He was very concerned. He looked up other names for me and didn't find the ones I was interested in. So that helps. So be patient! Call even farther in advance. The individuals who do these cemetery jobs that I personally met or chatted with were in my opinion very dedicated and interested in taking care of the cemeteries.

My observation is that once a stone breaks or topples over and is on the ground the process of disappearing begins as the leaves, debree and grass start to take over and bury it. I tried prying some up in this condition but there is no way I could budge them without digging them up. So that means a very labor intensive effort. They are also heavy like the one stone in the Peru Center Cemetery. It was so wedged into the ground and heavy, it would have taken a shovel and digging to dislodge it.

Face down so you cannot read them, fast disappearing

When traveling how do you carry tools. Well you don't airline security will take them away. I do put clippers into my checked bags and they leave them alone. So this means you have to buy them when you get there and leave them behind?

Wedged at the pins here and pushed up against the base!

The head is at least an inch or more into the grass!

The above stone was so heavy the potential for injury to myself was great. So I backed off. This is going to take several strong people to dislodge and move. The face is down so you can't read it!!

On this trip to Massachusetts and Connecticut I had decided that if I stumbled on or came upon a cemetery I would try to stop and take a few photos of it and give an idea where it was located and how big it was. Now some cemeteries show up on maps but not all of them like Map Quest, Yahoo or Google. Even Google Earth doesn't have them all.

So I called these Quick Stops in Cemeteries and I made up a short form to fill out to keep track. I also made up a list so I could check it off. See an example below. Here is the list:

1. Hazardville Cemetery, Hazardville (Enfield), CT

2. Old Hazardville Cemetery, Harzardville, CT

3. Longmeadow Cemetery, Longmeadow, MA
4. Defunct Elm Street Cemetery in Springfield – moved to Springfield Cemetery 1848, MA

5. South Cemetery, Bolton

6. Warwick Cemetery in Warwick

7. Hillside Cemetery, Thomaston, CT

8. Wethersfield Village Cemetery, Wethersfield, CT

9. Granby Cemetery in Granby CT

10. Simsbury Cemetery – Simsbury, CT – John Viets

11. Walnut Grove, North Brookfield, MA

12. Wethersfield Village Cemetery, Wethersfield, CT

13. St. Patrick Cemetery, Enfield, CT

This list above changed a lot during the trip because of time mostly.

The most important focus was to document the really critical cemeteries that I wanted to visit and so I made up a bigger two page form and attached print outs from Find A Grave or other sites that I found a list of burials targeting the ancestors I was most interested in. No, I didn't fill out the whole form as I had intended but I did get quite a bit of information as to the name, when I photographed, how big it was, location, parking options, published lists of the burials and where to go for those. Again, see below for an example.

Here is one of those cemeteries that I did mention but didn't add photos to the post. This is the Walnut Grove Cemetery in North Brookfield:

Walnut Grove, North Brookfield, MA

Impressive Monument in Walnut Grove!

Well cared for - Walnut Grove.

Here is the list of those cemeteries I seriously visited, photographed and maybe a video was done!

1. Palisado in Windsor, CT - Wolcotts, Simon 9th gg and Henry 10 gg

2. Granville Main Cemetery – Granville, MA – Gibbons family

3. Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, MA – Old Settlers moved from Elm Street

4. Old Indian Cemetery, West Brookfield – Philip Goss II and Judith 7^th great gg

5. Brookfield Cemetery, Brookfield – Walkers and Gilberts married into Goss family .

6. Middle Cemetery, Lancaster more Goss family 1/2 cousins

7. Old Settler Cemetery, Lancaster – Philip Goss the first - 8^th great gg

8. Old Common Burial Field, Lancaster – Common Road near B&B – John Goss half 7^th great uncle

9. Winchester, NH Cemetery- Evergreen and Old Town – Philip Goss and Hannah Ball half 1^st cousin

10. Burnham Cemetery, Montague, MA – Philip of Montague and Esther Gale ½ Cousin

11. Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton, MA – Rowland Stebbins 10^th g.

12. Norton Cemetery, Otis, MA – Keziah Goss Haskell Rose

13. Center Cemetery, Peru, MA - Roger Haskell, Keziah's son

14. Hillside Cemetery, Thomaston, CT – Blakeslee’s are part of the Ebenezer Goss family

15. Ancient Burying Grd, Hartford – 10^th gg Andrew Warner ancestor of the Scott’s

Source: A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries, by David Allen Lambert, New England Historic & Genealogical Society, 2002. This book can be helpful in trying to locate a cemetery and also a list of the burials for that cemetery in a printed or published form if one exists. Locating a tombstone is difficult if you have an alphabetical listing. Mr. Lambert gives the local Cemetery Association or Office to contact for information. Since this was published in 2002 for Massachusetts only you may still have to contact the local public library or the town hall for help.

================================================

Here is an example of the short form:

Quick Stop Cemeteries – Photos only

Name: _____________________________________________

Location: __________________________________________

Date Established: _________________________ Size _______

Entrance Sign Dedication Plaque

North East West South Find A Grave Book/Pub

Optional Individual Graves:

Notes:

=============================================

The bigger form - it is two pages. There is room to draw a map of the cemetery but I found I did not have the time.

Date Film and Photographed _____________________________________

Cemetery Name _______________________________________________

Year established: ______________________________________________

Cemetery Location _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Size of the Cemetery: ___________________________________________

Website: ______________________________________________________

Burial Pubs: Find A Grave Pub Book Other

Still Photos:

Photos of: Cemetery Entrance Sign Dedication Sign

Parking area:

Cemetery Office Hours: ____________________ Phone _______________

Photos of the cemetery overalls – View North East South West

Photos of individual grave sites and their locations: See attached list

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Video of the cemetery:

Location of the cemetery – view of the entrance and highway to.

Entrance sign

Plaques
Cemetery Office

Overall - North East South West

Individual Graves:

Drawing a map of the cemetery note location of the grave: fence, rock wall, roads - (leave space)

You should be able to copy these forms by using your mouse to copy only the post or a portion and cutting and pasting into Word!

Wethersfield: The Historical Society and Cemetery!

2011-05-07T05:14:00.000-07:00

Before I left Wethersfield and headed to Hartford and Simsbury, I waited for the Wethersfield Historical Society to open at 10 am. This was Friday, April 22nd. If you have never been to Wethersfield, CT then you are in for a treat. Everything is in a one block radius. There are shops, restaurants, museums in the form of houses that you can visit like Silas Deane's home. There is the Wethersfield Historical Society and the Wethersfield Cemetery! The Chester Bulkley B&B is right next door to the historical society. Of course you need to check the hours.

It was like a little oasis below Hartford. You do have to drive through South Hartford to get to the Hartford downtown area if you want to do some research at the Connecticut State Library, the Connecticut Historical Society or go to the museums, public library and city hall. It only took about 15 minutes to drive up to Hartford. Of course you do have the issue of parking. I did not see any hotels in downtown Hartford close enough to not have to walk a distance or get on a bus or drive to any of these Hartford sites.

Now I chose to drive through the Wethersfield Village Cemetery and what an amazing cemetery it is. You cannot drive through the older section which is on the left up on a knoll or small hill. You can drive through the newer part. The cemetery is in good shape. They were mowing and they get so close to the tombstones!! They were edging too. People were visiting graves. One man brought some flowers and walked determinedly towards a specific area.

Find A Grave has 3170 internments in the Wethersfield Village Cemetery listed. That is pretty good but it is a big cemetery. As you can see from the pillars there are two named cemeteries. They may be lumping these two sites into one list. I cannot find an ancient burying ground for Wethersfield as a separate listing.

The Wethersfield Historical Society Museum is in an old building with a fountain out front.

You can tour it for about $5.00. The research center is down the street in another building so that means you need to make an appointment or contact them to make arrangements. I was interested in the early years of Wethersfield and wandered around that section of the exhibits. Silas Deane's name was rattling around in my brain and here is a little biography of his life: http://www.silasdeaneonline.org/class_bio.htm

Rev. John Marsh kept good vital records!!!

Apparently he did an incredible about of baptisms and more!

An interesting map of Connecticut

So, I missed these two visits in my post dated April 22, 2011: Treasures in Hartford and on to Simsbury. In their gift shop they had this book: A Visitor's Guide to Colonial and Revolutionary New England, by Patricia and Robert Foulke which sounded like an interesting book to review. I did not buy it just took a photo of it to remember to check it out. I assume that the historical society has information about the burials in the cemetery if you want to make sure and double check. Wethersfield is definitely an area for more exploring.

Aftermath of a Genealogical Research Trip!

2011-05-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

About a week and half has passed since I returned home from my trip to Connecticut and Massachusetts and it took about a week to finally feel like I was really home. Everything seemed the same but I think my brain was still back in New England. My two cats looked at me funny but they seem to be okay now!

Just a little while ago I went to my Dashboard at Massachusetts Meanderings and more and almost fell off my chair. I have two followers, WOW! Happy Dance!! Thank you to my two followers!!

Monday, my shipment of books and brochures came from Simsbury and that means that I am all complete. No major losses of research or anything. On the trip I did misplace my jacket but the B&B sent it to me and my prescription glasses which I retrieved. Whew!

I promised myself I would not indulge too much in books but I did buy a few. I have mentioned some of them in the various posts but here is the list again if you are curious. As for brochures, well I over did those but I am not going to publish them here it would take forever. I suggest you to my links on the right some are taken from the brochures on archives and travel sites that I thought would be very interesting. I might add more as I review my research.

Books purchased or were obtained on my trip to New England 2011

The Original Proprietors, Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford, Inc.

By Their Markers Ye Shall Know Them, A Chronicle of the History and Restorations of Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground, William Hosley and Shepherd M. Holcombe, Sr., 1994.

Olde Houses of the Quaboag Plantation, no date. Obtained at the Quaboag Historical Society. Also contains a map to the locations of the houses.

Quaboag Plantation alias Brookefeild, and History of East Brookfield, Massachusetts, 1686-1970, by Louise E. Roy, M.D., 1965. These you can probably get online at Google Books or Internet Archive or something like that.

“Program and Souvenir 300^th Anniversary Celebration of the Settlement of Quaboag Plantation, 1660 to 1960" pamphlet. Contains pictures, articles etc.

“350^th Parade & Weekend Celebrations – Sept. 18 & 19, 2010 – Quaboag Plantation 1660-2010 newspaper program guide.

“Map of the Brookfields, with historic markers and a key, West Brookfield Historic Commission. A smaller version is on their website along with the key.

Quabbin a History and Explorers' Guide by Michael Tougias. I wonder how many graves were missed when they flooded the area years back.

A New England Village, by Joseph S. Wood

An Historic Tour of Becket, Massachusetts, Edited and Compiled by Beverly K. Lambert for the Becket Historical Commission, no date for publication. I obtained this copy at the Becket Athenaeum in North Becket.

Bicentennial History of Becket, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, 1765-1965, Cathaline Alford Archer and Mitchell J. Mulholland 3^rd printing 2006. Paul H. Goss knew Mrs. Archer and that she was working on a history of Becket. I have seen this book before but while at the Becket Athenaeum I decided to buy it. $15.00 for this and $3 for the tour booklet.

Now you will probably think I am nuts because I have done this blog on my trip and that is pretty good in documenting it? Well, I also journaled it but that usually has more personal stuff in it and I won't publish that. So I will be working on that and it might lead to some more posts. I have my photographs to get all organized and then I plan to publish them. I took some videos of several cemeteries and I have never uploaded to the web so that could be a very interesting experience but that is going to be awhile.

I didn't get as many pictures of the Connecticut River that I had intended to. I was finding it difficult to find vantage points that would reveal this river. Sometimes she was brown in color, or lazy looking. I could barely get a glimpse as you can see in this picture from St. Patrick's Cemetery in Enfield. Fortunately the leaves had not filled out the trees and bushes so that helped. Still not as good as I would have liked.

Near Hatfield, MA

Sunday April 24, 2011: Going Home!

2011-05-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

My time in New England was up. So I made my way to Hwy 20 and pulled into the Granby Center. Yup! the McDonald's were there in the corner and everything else was closed.

The last time I stopped at this McDonald's it was odd. This time it was very pleasant. They even had cakes and cupcakes out on a table for the patrons. It was Easter and they were celebrating.

I purchased lunch and cup of coffee and took a rest break. Sort of listening to the activity and talk in the restaurant. Time to head out.

I had taken this route before so I was not to concerned. It was flat an easy highway. I west east on Hwy 20 or rather Turkey Hills Rd. I turned right onto East Granby Rd. to Rainbow Rd. and over to High St. and up to Poquonock Ave or Turnpike Rd. I got to see houses and had less traffic. Hwy 20 is 4 lanes so it was not that bad.

Poquonock or Turnpike Rd. is east of Bradley Airport and filled with gas stations, restaurants, hotels galore. I stopped and filled up the Aveo with gasoline and watched the gas gauge impatiently move to the filled up position. I turned it off and tried again. Much Better! A little more organizing and putting things away.

Nostalgia took over and I stopped the Days Inn and positioned my little Aveo in the driveway area next to the breakfast area and took this photo. You must realize that when I was there the last time on my trip I stayed her for one night before flying out. I was up at the crack of dawn and ate my breakfast watching the sun come up over the airport. Now granted I am facing west but it still was fun to watch the day come up.

Bradley Airport in the distance!

Pretty flat? Yeah it is.

My goal was the Thrifty parking lot and turning my rental car in. I had done 888 miles on this trip. I was going to miss my little Aveo. She had been a good car.

My goal back to the Thrifty lot was 2 pm and it was just about 1:45 pm. The Thrifty lot is on Spring St. and that soon came up and I turn right and then left. Checking out was easy but I was sad to leave the Aveo there!

The shuttle was waiting so I climbed in and we were soon off. Oh dear, vertigo. This thing leaned and I had to close my eyes. I had done real well on the trip with my "car anxiety." This was the first time it hit me in 3 weeks.

We dropped a man off at the Double Tree and headed back. I was United the other nice lady was Delta. She had this great bracelets on her both arms. Reminded me of Wonder Woman! I know I am silly.

I had no memory of Bradley International Airport. They had done some remodeling and it was very pleasant with the big windows letting in a lot of light. The United ticket agent was pushy. I didn't have my ticket printed out yet and she had my bags done before it so then she just took over and punched things in. Most of them leave you alone to do it yourself? Good thing no one was around. Security was a bit confusing. I didn't get all the change out of my pocket so she had to double check me. Security done I was soon at the gate but not a sole was around. So I called my hubbie and we chatted for awhile. I had plenty of time to dally.

You can use Google Images to see photos of the airport and of course anything you like. Its fun.

I started reading Breaking Dawn again. Time to see what Bella, Edward and Jacob were up to.

The flight out of Bradley was on time and since I was busy reading the time flew by and we were in good old Chicago again. The Departure board was really odd but finally I found my gate and headed there. It took a time to a walk which required doing down an escalator and on several of the flat escalators. Basically I had to under the airport to get to B wing.

I munched on my snack of crackers and cheese. I decided to wait for the plane to get some juice or water. Oh Dear....the plane was delayed. We were suppose to leave at 8:58 pm from Chicago. Well it was now 11:15 pm. Blame it on New York weather or technical difficulties.

It was a work day the next day for my hubbie but he persevered and waited for me. I think he was desperate for me to come home after 3 weeks. HA! I tried to sleep on the plane but the man next to me was restless and was constantly moving. I finished my book in Chicago. Now I am ready for the movie which will be out in the next months? The inflight movie looked odd!

Finally in at 1:30 am on Monday morning April 25, 2011. Hmmm...can I rethink the time of this?

My hubbie greeted me with a hug and headed out for a Mocha so he could drive me home. It was good to see the van, feel the air of Seattle and home. My bags both came, hurrah! All my trip research and stuff was in them!!!

The cats looked at me with a little confusion when I entered our home but soon Sneakers was at my side. A little snack and a little TV to calm me down and I was soon in bed. Home safe and sound.

The actual physical trip was over but catching up the remaining posts, links and more was still to come.

Sunday, April 24, 2011: Granby and Salmon Brook

2011-05-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

It was my last day on this trip and in New England. Sigh! I had really enjoyed myself. I had a good trip with very few problems except for the holidays and a little blip at Bristol. On the whole I had a good time!

The chore today was packing my suitcases. Having several breakfasts and lots of coffee. The packing went remarkably well. I was done in no time. The biggest chore was taking it all downstairs. Fortunately I was now down to two suitcase, my computer case, and my photo bag. A lot better than when I came in. Checkout was easy and quick.

It was sunny outside. Can you believe it. After all that rain the day before it was actually nice weather. So that means I can be outside without a problem. Therefore, I will revisit the cemetery and the historical society.

I started taking my possessions down the stairs and the lady who I believe was the head host offered to help with the big suitcase. She grabbed on end and walked it down. They really don't have valet service so you may have to ask for help? No elevator. She helped me check out. I gave her a brochure of my trip. My stay at the Simsbury 1820 House was very pleasant.

There is a brochure: Hopmeadow Walk. Mine is from the last time I visited so you might have to check out the Town of Simsbury website and the Farmington Valley Tourism for additional information.

Off I went in my Aveo first to the historical society to revisit it. I parked in the circular drive and studied the help center. The tree had been removed. I walked up and peered into the windows and it was certainly filled with boxes and things scattered everywhere and not ready for any visitors. Definitely closed. I could see damage on the gutter area and probably more inside on the roof.

Simsbury Historical Society Center

So I decided to walk the historical building area. I had not done that before. There were quite a few buildings with signs on them explaining what they were. I peered in a few windows and noticed carriages and other displays. They are at the end of Railroad St. but watch out some of the streets are one way so you need to look for others to access this area. I turned onto Wilcox and drove a block. That seemed to work. You do pass Plan B. They have all their hardware stores in this area.

Historical Society buildings to the left of the center and up on the small hill

Off to the cemetery to see if this time with the weather being much nicer find the Viets individuals I was seeking.

This cemetery photo was from Phelps St? This is the Simsbury Cemetery. Someone at Find A Grave had it under the title Hopmeadow Cemetery.

I entered again at the left side were the road was and parked the car. I headed over to section B and started looking again. I found them right there in about the 3-4 the row. Silly me!

Dedication plaque

Another plaque

John Viets on the right and Catherine his wife on the left.

John Viets b. 1675 Germany, d. Nov. 18, 1723 Simsbury, CT. on the right, Dr. John Viets
Catherine Meyers Viets b. 1679 New York, d. Mar. 6, 1734 Simsbury, CT. Tombstone says Catron Vets.

Paul H. Goss and Edith Blake Bartlett Sumner got in a big controversy over the marriage of Philip Goss IV (1724 to 1778). There was a Mary Viets who married a Goffe in the records. The website I give as a highlight of John Viet's name has for one of this couples children a Mary Viets. If you click on it you see that this Mary Viets married an Ephraim Goff and the whole genealogy of this Mary goes in a totally different direction. Another source is the Genealogy of the Viets Family at Internet Archive and on page 20 it shows that Mary Viets married a Goff. I found this absolutely fascinating! Ms. Sumner apparently was reaching.

I drove up the hill at the cemetery and over to the street and low and behold I discovered another cemetery on the top of the hill. The sign said Simsbury Cemetery. So what was the name of the one near the main road?

Simsbury Cemetery, top of the hill off Plank Hill Road

My next goal was to find Wolcott Street which was in the north area of Simsbury. I did get curious when I saw a catholic church with people gathered. It was Easter Day.

Sites of Simsbury, CT

Is this the town hall??

This building looks like a castle. I could not tell if it was the town hall there was a sign for a school on it. There was a sign out front about governmental buildings. According to Google Images it is!
Off I went on highway 202/10 north passed the Iron Horse Inn which was very modern looking. I passed the Tariffville road and came to Wolcott Rd.

Was Simon Wolcott's land nearby???

I traveled down the road a ways and pulled into an area called Wolcott Woods. It was either apartments or condos. I was trying to figure things out when a car came up behind so I took off to get out of the way. I came to Hopmeadow and stopped and was carefully checking the road an not paying attention to the light. I got honked at. So I turned onto Hopmeadow and pulled over to let him buy. He flipped the bird at me and honked. I admit was in the wrong but this is stupid. He was down the road in a second a good distance from me. Scarry drivers!

If you keep going on Hwy 202/10 you eventually come into Granby and the road's name changes to Salmon Brook St. The Salmon Brook Historical Society is just past Elmwood Ct. and at the next turn called Meadow Gate Road. You can't miss it for there is an historical sign out front. If you pass the entrance to Salmon Brook Park you have gone to far.

Now I have visited the Salmon Brook Historical Society on my first trip to this area. I had made an appointment with Carol Laun the curator. When I arrived they were gathering volunteers to do clean up or other chores, so frankly I think she was diverted. I did get some leads from her on church records which are at the Family History Library and she had missed other information in the film? I did get idea from the deeds I had for Philip Goss where his land might be. There was another man there who was knowledgeable about the area. He helped a lot with the deeds. This was a situation in which you need to be really clear and specific about what you need. I know there are more treasures in this archive.

I did purchase the new history book: Tempest in a Small Town and found the first part of the book interesting.

Granby Sign!

Entrance to the research area unless it is now in the new red building?

This is their new archive building to house their treasures.

This time I was just going to enjoy the buildings and take some photographs. I peered in the window of this one but didn't see anything except for a meeting room. Darn! On their website they do have a list of genealogies.

Now my next destination was North Granby. I found this online Self Guided Tour done by the Salmon Brook Historical Society that is really cool. It has a map and then it gives descriptions of the numbers on the map of historical sites in Granby, North Granby and West Granby plus other areas. Doesn't do East Granby. Don't forget to get the map by clicking at the top.

As I was heading up Hwy 202/10 I came to the familiar intersection of 189/202/10 and 20. I turned to the left and headed up Hwy 189 and immediately spotted the Granby Cemetery. I just had to take a quick trip through. It is out on the flat and open area. There is a lovely chapel in the back. The roads are gravel like but easy to drive on. This cemetery is at Find A Grave and also in published book form through the Salmon Brook Historical Society. No Goss are buried here!

I continued up Hwy 189 and began to realize that I had used this highway before. I had driven down it from Granville, MA when I visited the area before. The road becomes N. Granby Road. Side streets read Mechanicsville Rd., Creamery Rd.

North Granby is an intersection at Mountain Road, Hwy 189 which is still the N. Granby Rd. but once it crosses Mountain Road is becomes the Granville Rd. On the other side of Mountain Rd is East St. If you drive it you come to Cooley Rd. on the left. The highway sign reads Granville 6 miles. HA!

So if Philip Goss's land was in this area west of Cragg Mount which is on the east of Hwy 189 and north of East St. This is according to the descriptions in the Simsbury deeds that Paul H. Goss discusses in his manuscripts. Now I need to get more specific but I wanted to get a general idea of the land in this area.

The land next to Hwy 189 on the east side after Mountain/East Rd. is a ravine with a creek running through it. I drove up to Silver St. and tried to get off the road and away for this truck but he turned right with me. Darn! There was a bridge and all of a sudden there was another car taking this road.

These photos won't mean much but I tried to get a little bit of what North Granby looks like.

Frederick H. Cossitte Library, North Granby, recently remodeled on the southeast corner

A Farm on the northwest corner. I was parked in the post office parkign lot on the southwest corner

Looking north on Hwy 189 the Granville Road

Looking south on N. Granby Road

The intersection of Mt Rd, East, Hwy 189

The stream and the gorge along Cragg Mt.

In order to understand the area better I think we need to study Google Earth. Give me a little time to do that.

Now I can't let this go but go to a map and study the location of Barkhamsted, North Granby, Granville and Becket and then you see that the Goss family was not that far from each other. Add Otis and Peru and the geography gets interesting. Now granted it took them longer to get to each other than a modern road and car? Ponder, ponder!

Time to head to the airport!

Saturday, April 23, 2011: Simsbury

2011-05-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Simsbury 1820 House is very elegant. Reminds me of the Inn at Biltmore in Asheville, NC but on a smaller scale. Breakfast was delicious but more Continental style with cereal, bagels, pastries, some fruit, and coffee!!! It was from 7 to 10 am. They do provided coffee on the first floor throughout the day and wine at the front desk. These are small bottles of wine about 2 glasses. They were not bad.

You descend the stairs and turn the corner and go down a hallway (there are signs) and down more stairs into the lower area of the Simsbury House. There are tables with white table cloths and soft chairs. Food is arranged on a bar area and table area. Easy to pick and choose what you like. The walls are brick and their is a fireplace. Very intimidate area.

It was pouring rain. I could see the rain bouncing off the railing outside my window as I worked on my computer. It was not letting up. One of the hostess said it didn't look good for the whole day! Hmmm....?

So, I stayed in my room organizing my papers and getting my stuff ready to repack for my flight out the next day. It took most of the morning. Still it was raining. So I had several breakfasts and lots of coffee.

The Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library was just north of the hotel on the corner. So I grabbed an umbrella that was complimentary in the lobby area and headed out. I had tried to call them but I was not getting an answers. I was happy to see that a car was parked in the parking lot. The door opened and I was inside the familiar rooms.

There website has since improved from the last time I was there. It has lots of great links and information so go explore and have fund. They are also known as the Simsbury Free Library as opposed to the public library which is south of them in Simsbury. I was impressed with the links which included the Simsbury Public Library http://www.simsburylibrary.info/ancestors.htm You might be interested in the Simsbury Vital Records and Genealogy database.

Allison the director was sitting in her seat and I approached and chatted. I reintroduced myself and she said she remembered me. I was glad to see Allison. Things had been a little uncertain and she was brand new the last time I had visited.

I wandered around studying the titles of books, and remembering the layout which had not changed. They have their book stacks and it is a nice collection. This is small library but they had a good mix of books, periodicals and even pamphlets of interest for the area. They have titles for of course Simsbury, Granby and other towns in the area. They have Connecticut titles, Massachusetts titles and other books even Ohio. There is microfilm of the New York newspaper and Hartford papers. They also have connection to the Internet and Allison can get you on to access various things that you have to be a library member in Connecticut to do so. It was difficult not to dally on some of the book titles.

Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library

The interior is beautiful as you enter first a sort of museum area. The library is in the back area. Lovely building. The other important fact is that it is right next door to the Simsbury Cemetery. Go to there website that I gave above and take a look at the photos of the interior.

They have a booklet about the Simsbury Cemetery Vol. I but it lists the interments and more. So I studied that compilation very thoroughly. I was looking for the Viets family.

They have a very nice brochure that you can pick up "Simsbury Free Library." I found my copy at the CHS.

I found several interesting items:
First Church Records of Simsbury 1682-1930?, A Sense of Place, Thomas D. Ayres, Simsbury Historical Society, 2009. I did not find any Haskell's, Gibbons, Sewards or Goss listed.

Connecticut Cemeteries Vols. 1-4 and 5-9, New York, 1914. Mostly the eastern part of Connecticut. Some man in New York had done this burial listing of cemeteries.

Back in my room, I did more organizing of my papers and decided that I needed to ship some books and brochures home. Just no way I could stuff all this into my luggage without it weighing tons. So I found a UPS store in south Simsbury and went off in search of it. I always try to figure out the closest shipping source like Office Depot or something like that or UPS or a mailing center.

I found the UPS at 542 Hopmeadow St. and it was open. The nice man inside was chatty and we discussed the weather and cats! He took my money and when I said that was a good price because it usually is not cheap, he jokingly said he had tried to charge me more but just couldn't. Books weigh a lot! I could expect my treasures on Monday May 2, 2011. Wow, May is almost here?

Next stop was the Simsbury Cemetery. You can enter it from the Main St. in Simsbury for there is a paved road to the far left. The big gate is in the middle and you might be able to drive through but it is soft grassy and it was very wet. It is a big cemetery.

Simsbury Cemetery, Simsbury, CT.

There are some awesome tombstones in this cemetery on the hill toward the back. I drove around studying them. There are at least 4-5 Crypts up at the back top of the hill.

Usually you see one or two but 4-5 or more?

These two are amazing. Like the spire!

I was looking for John Viets and Catherine Viets. I had my page of information and walked Section B. The book I looked at had maps of the cemetery. No luck. I had the row number, no luck. It was raining and cold so I gave up for now.

Time for lunch/dinner. I thought of Meto Bis sounded delicious. However, I decided on Plan B Burger Bar on Railroad Street. Now you are probably thinking it means an alternative plan for a restaurant but no it means Burgers, Beef and Beer!

Plan B Burger Bar, Simsbury, CT

This place was hoping. You enter and there is the bar ahead of you. Downstairs is another restaurant but I was seated at a tall table and chair - I mean I climbed up. There are booths and tables but I was on my own and it was very busy. The bar is to the left and there were these big handle bars of different beers. I liked my seat because I could see what was going on and do some serious people watching.

The young man ahead of me at a similar table had a Tony the Tiger on his sweat shirt. I noticed Tony was separating. Now this is a major treasure this Tony emblem. When he left I stopped him an inquired if he knew he had a problem and he did. He told me he had been too busy to fix it. A friend had made it for him years ago. He assured me he would take care of it. Touched my shoulder and thanked me for my concern. He was probably late 20's early 30's.

Now I was studying the decor and was puzzling over the lights which were hanging from a track. I asked one of the waiters about them and he said they were ice hooks. I had observed that they had twisted wires around them and these bare light bulbs were hanging from them in two pair or four pair. Very clever! They were wonderful no glare.

My hamburger was delicious and served on a rectangular white plate like a gourmet dinner? Sort of like Red Robin but actually better. My waitress was friendly and pleasant. They were playing old Beattle's music. So I felt right at home. As I ate my dinner the place filled up even more. Two men at the bar were playing with their fancy phones. I am beginning to get jealous of these types of phones that you just take your finger and push the items along. Being a visual person it is very enticing.

A recent arrival came over to the bar and was intent on choosing the perfect beer to go with his dinner. This was a fun place! The food was very good.

My goal this time was to go to the Simsbury Historical Society but a tree fell on them. There website has a picture of the tree on the center. Ouch!

Plan B was right next door so I just drove a little ways into the historical societies parking lot. I had been here before but they had just moved into their visitor center and had not opened the archives yet. So once again I was not going to be able to access this archive. I am not really sure they have anything for me. Still I am curious.

Simsbury Historical Society Center. The tree is gone now!

It had stopped raining but it was cold and wet. When you enter the Simsbury House you come into the foyer and there is a real area like a old hotel were the receptionist sits behind working on their computer. Makes you feel like an old hotel. There is an entrance from the Main St. and a long drive through a grassy area up a incline to the parking lot. This is the photo that you see on their website. The Simsbury 1820 House is part of a group of hotels in the area. There are other rooms on the main floor that you can explore a little. All lovely.

You enter through the area of the two columns up the steps through the porch into the foyer. I had asked that the maid not clean my room because I had made a mess and put all my papers on the bed. So I also told the main desk so she would not get into trouble. She had not cleaned my room so I was pleased.

I was enjoying my room and I just relaxed for the night.

Friday, April 22, 2011: Treasures in Hartford and on to Simsbury

2011-05-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

It is Good Friday and some things are CLOSED and also on Saturday! Boy how did I miss this as a holiday. That is two holidays that I was not prepared for actually three days worth, major glitch! Easter weekend and Patriot's Day. Wikipedia has listings for each country including the USA so it is a start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_holidays_by_country#United_States_of_America

I do check Town Hall websites, County Government websites but State Websites might be a good idea too. Some holidays are regional or by state so this is important. If I had done a better search I would have moved my travel up a few days in the beginning and left New England earlier than the 24th of April...??? I was able to work around it and that was good. This was a big trip to prepare for!

Time to leave the Chester Bulkley B&B in Wethersfield. It is very quiet here. As I work on my computer I watch the sun set over the spires of the building across from the house. I like my little sitting room They have white wicker furniture in it and it is light and sweet with nicknacks here and there and litle foot stools. The house was beautifully decorated. My bedroom was roomy and the bed was inlayed wood with a rounded head on both the foot and headboard. It was very lovely. Very comfortable.

I like the lavendor doors. His garden was just about ready to burst.

I watched night fall through this window, lovely spires to look at!

My host was a young man who purchased the house and runs it on his own. He said he had decorated some of the house. This host was quieter but he was a good cook. I ate the omelette he made the day before and it was good. I usually don't eat omelettes but I ate the whole thing! My breakfast was waffles with these peaches on it and it was good too. He did answer my questions and I did get a couple of laughs out of him but he was definitely quieter than the other hosts. He seems to think that gas will be $4 to $6 dollars in the summer and with the bad snowy cold winter tourism is down. I wish him and the other B&B owners luck and good fortune and I have excellent experiences in each place I have stayed this trip.

Today I am going to see the Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford. The librarian at CSL told me that I would probably have to park on the street or in a lot and walk to it. There is a church next to it.

The individual that I am visiting is a 10th great grandfathr Andrew Warner. No one really knows where he is buried but he founded Hartford along with many others. He is a forbear of the Scott family? I have been so focused on the Goss family marrying into the Cooley's, Wolcotts, Bliss and others that I have not investigated these other lines of my family which are old and founding immigrants to America. I am getting mixed information on this man's descendants and a lot of confusion. There is a book about the descendants of Andrew Warner compiled by Lucien C. Warner and Mrs. Josephine G. Nichols, 1919 at Ancestry. Lots of good information in this book. I need to do more digging.

I made my way back to Hartford and down Main St. stopping for gas and there were 5 police cars on the other side of the street. Awh city life! I past Capitol Ave and and spotted the church and the cemetery on the left. The cemetery and church are on Jewell or Atheneum St. I don't remember if the streets were named differntly on each side? I turned left on Asylum two blocks north and parked in the lot on the corner. It was cold but partly sunny. There was wind. A Burger King was on the corner across from the Old State House. I wanted to also view the library and city hall but it was so cold even though it was sunny. Brrr...!!!

I made my way down a couple of blocks to the church and started taking my photos. There is a gate on the right side of the church were the cemetery is located. Several layers of iron fence surrounds it.

The Church notice the tall building behind

First Church of Christ

Hartford name after Hertford in 1637

Entrance gates to the Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford

This statue greets you!

Dedication plaque

There is a very large monument and large rectangular stone in honor of the African Americans buried in this cemetery with no stones. They have tried to identify who is here.

African American memorial

Daffodils are blooming along the edge.

You enter the cemetery through the gate. Considering its age it is in very good shape. My ultimate goal was the big giant obelisk in the center.

The names are alphabetized on each side. You just have to find the side of it that has the name you are looking for.

An ancient cemetery in the heart of Hartford

I am pointing to Andrew Warner's name. So the "A's" start on the side to the right. You walk counter clockwise around it. I am afraid I don't know a lot about this man and frankly I could be wrong! So I need to do some research on him. The point is that the names on this obelisk are founding father's and it is important for all of us to at least take a look at the information. It was pretty awesome to visit this cemetery in the middle of this huge city surrounded by all these tall modern buildings.

There is a website and about this cemetery. http://www.theancientburyingground.org/ This website has all kinds of information. It has a burial list and map. I also purchased a book about this cemetery. I shipped it home so I don't have the information at this time. There is also a pamphlet with a map and some of the inscriptions: "A Walking Tour of the Ancient Burying Ground of Hartford, Connecticut."

I was getting so cold I couldn't stay any longer even though I had lingered and walked some of the cemetery reading names out loud. So I walked back to the Burger King as fast as I could. I bought a hamburger and some hot coffee and enjoyed it thoroughly. I also watched Hartford come and go. I had been to Hartford but only to the state library, the historical society and the fancy convention center. So just sitting and spending time in the center of the city was a fun experience. Now it was the Good Friday so it was probably a quieter Hartford in the downtown area. Several men were napping in the corner of the restaurant. A man sat across from me. He had a huge amount of keys on his belt. He seemed tired and he was in uniform for he had a label on his shirt.

Once I was warmed up I returned to the parking lot. There was a vendor with their wares set out on the sidewalk. I paid my fee and turned right onto Asylum. I pointed the car west and off I went to the Connecticut Historical Society which is open 12 to 5 pm. Once you get on Asylum just make sure you stay right because the lanes do disappear and head west on this street till you get to Elizabeth Ave. then turn left and the entrance is right there on the left. You can't miss the building for it is big.

I had such a wonderful time there the last visit that I returned a second time. This was going to be my third visit.

Connecticut Historical Society

Entrance to the Connecticut Historical Society

This society is located at 1 Elizabeth Ave. in Hartford. The photo above shows the entrance off of Elizabeth Ave. There is parking on the west side.

I had looked at the website and studied the catalog and other finding aids but was not real sure what I was going to do. Since it was open even on a holiday, I decided to go there and see what trouble I could get into.

I was greeted by the nice young lady that I had sat next to at the Friday night banquet a the New England Regional conference. She was very nice and helpful. Another lady was at the reference desk and she too had been at the conference. I am afraid that their names have escaped me. She was busy with moving microfilm and books and rearranging things so they could bring in more materials. Just know that all the librarians are very helpful and pleasant.

You can access many items in the research room but a lot of items have to be retrieved so you make your orders on the one order card and if you have any trouble filling it out you just ask the librarian and they help you.

I revisited the Goss file in the manuscript card catalog and I didn't find anything in it that I had not already studied and obtained copies of. Sure wish Donald Lines Jacobus would have signed his letters it would make it more special.

They have WiFi so you can access that and it works wonderful. Ask at the desk for the code.

I ordered some old maps and studied Simsbury trying to see if I could find Simon Wolcott's land in Simsbury. Do you think his treasure is still buried there? I wandered the stacks and pulled some books. This library is amazing so little time!
It closed a 5 pm. So about 4:45 pm I packed up and said good bye and thanked the librarians and headed out.

Stacks at CSH

Research center

Entrance to the research center CHS

It is time to head north Simsbury. Philip Goss of Brookfield and Mary Kendall Goss were in Simsbury before they headed up to Granby, Granville and then Becket. Actually Philip's land was in North Granby. He had the births of some of his children recorded in Simsbury.

I had a reservation at Abigail's south of Simsbury. It used to be Pettibone's. They took me right into the dining room even though I was really early. I made good time and exited Hartford without too much trouble.

My dinner was tasty and Abigail's was very fancy. The area I was in seemed new so I was a little surprised and had expected something older! A family (mother, son, father, her mother) sat down across from me and was very intent on planning their meals. Apparently they had been there before. The husband was very handsome but very serious. It was clear the mother was the focal point of this family.

I was sitting on the right for my dinner

I headed for the Simsbury House 1820 in the heart of Simsbury. I missed the sign and got honked at by acar on my bumper. Grrrr....! I found the Simsbury House by turning on Library St. and coming in from the side area.

The Simsbury house turned out to be more of a hotel than a Bed and Breakfast. There is a big porch and the entry way into the foyer. The stairs are to the right and up to the second floor. My room was down the hall to the right and looked out over the parking lot.

My plan was to empty the car and gather all my belongings to repack for the flight home on Sunday. That was two days away so I had some time to get things reorganized. It took 4 trips maybe 5. Once that was done I settled into the room. The room was a good size and had a wonderful desk with a view through the window. A bathroom was off the side wall. The walls were papered with toile in a light powdery blue and the curtains were a little darker hue but still in toile. I am providing a link for those who do not know their toile!

I climbed into the big soft bed. A little TV, a little wine! Good night!

Thursday, April 21, 2011: The Connecticut State Library

2011-05-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

A delicious breakfast was served at the Chester Bulkley Bed and Breakfast in a lovely dining room with large rose and pink background wallpaper. A large grandfather clock was across the room between two windows and it chimed the quarter hour and then the top of the hour. It was very nice.

Most B&B's will give you a TV tray if you ask and you can put your computer on it and work much easier especially if they don't have a desk in the room. I asked and sure enough the host found me one to use.

Today I was off to the Connecticut State Library. Before leaving for the trip I took a look at their holdings and catalog and pulled some titles review when I arrived. The trip so far might reveal some other interesting things to review. So I was prepared for the day.

This was my second trip to Hartford and the Connecticut State Library. So I was pretty familiar with this archive from before and had studied their website thoroughly. They have a lot of great information on their website and I highly recommend that you review it before you go if you are not familiar with CSL.

The CSL is not to hard to find. It is right across from the capital building with the beautiful gold gleaming dome. It is south of there. You can park on Hungerford if you can find a space and it does not cost anything. There is a left turn lane from Capitol Ave. onto Hungerford with a light so that is nice for you do have to cross Capitol Ave. coming from the east to the west. I came up Hartford Ave. in Wethersfield to Wethersfield Ave. to Main and then I turned at Capitol and went east. Smooth sailing the whole way. It didn't take too long either.

Another thing I did was to wait till about 8:45 am before I left so I didn't have as much traffic. I did get to the Connecticut State Library (CSL) about 9:30 am.

When you park on Hungerford just make sure you read the signs carefully and park on the correct side. I had been on the left the last time but this time I was on the right side of the street facing south. It is one way I believe. Lock your valuables in the trunk. Make sure the car is locked up tight.

The walk from Hungerford is along Russ Ave. then you turn north onto Oak and the entrance to the CSL is a little odd, like in the back of the big building which is the Connecticut Museum and more. The research room is in the lower floor. You enter walking up the walkway and there is a sign and into a small court yard with a Public entrance. You skirt the parking lot and think you are going into a receiving area but it is the entrance.

The Dome of the Capital, The State Library from across Oak St.

Entrance to the State Library, be prepared for a security check

You are greeted by security and have to give up everything in your pockets etc. and go through a scanner. You don't have to remove you shoes however. Then you walk this long hallway and there are signs pointing the way. You pass through a door area and then turn right into a small room with lockers and then left into the Main Reading Room. The first things you see are card catalogs, filing cabinets and then the librarians desk and the main Reading Room. To the left is the special collections and archive area. You go into it only if you order documents that require special handling.

I found things pretty much the same in the room and headed for the table area next to the wall by the windows on the left and took over the left side of the table. I used this area before. I set up my computer and got organized and ready to dig in.

First I needed to figure out if there was a probate for James Barclay sibling to Mary J. Barclay Ford and my great grandfather George A. Barclay. I had reviewed the films the last time I was there but various indexes were missing. The librarian was a nice young woman with dark long hair. She studied what I had and talked with the other librarian (he seemed familiar) and they decided I should just order the probates for those missing indexes. She figured out what I needed and had me sign up for an Archive's pass. I filled out the paperwork and returned just about a couple minutes before 10 am. This was their first run to storage and they have them periodically throughout the day. I think the next was 12 noon? Check with them for their hours. They do hand you a flyer on the rules and times. So read that. Fill in the form and they issue you a card. You sign that and then other order forms are filled in and you are ready to put your order in. She was very helpful. It was going to take about an hour to get the information.

What this means is if you can't find an index listing on the films then the CSL might have the actual books or probate/estate packets that you can look at.

I was very impressed with this librarian she knew what she was doing and I like that!!! The other librarian was also equally helpful and pleasant. Unfortunately I didn't get their names.

They were cute calling me Miss Bonnie Jean. Made me feel young!!

They told me the former director or head of the research room had retired. He had given a lecture at the last NERGC in Hartford that I had attended. Things change.

The other good news was the woman who had given me a hard time when I had visited before was not there. It was an unfortunate situation and I had to complain to the librarian.
This time my visit to the Connecticut State Library (CSL) was a happy one and productive.

The next problem was figuring out a source that Paul H. Goss had given listing the volumes of the Founder and Patriots. There is hope. There are lineage books in volumes but unfortunately the CSL does not have Vol. 25. They also have the applications of the members. I decided that since I would be at the DAR Library again in a month and I could go to the Library of Congress, one of those archives should have Vol. 25. Why am I so interested in these sources?

Well I have been going through all of Paul's work on the Goss family looking for these old sources. First of all it is fun to investigate them. I have had some challenges in the old sources because some been republished. Once I get all the sources identified I can evaluate their value, add more updates and then publish my findings for future Goss researchers. There are primary sources and secondary sources. Paul used a log of secondary and I have been trying to figure out if they are reliable and then add more of the primary sources like births, deaths, marriages, deeds, land records, probate/estate. One thing you do have to remember is that Paul was not wealthy like most of us and he had to decide where to put his money. He did hire Donald Lines Jacobus the father of modern genealogy to help him so he did hire professional genealogists when he needed to. This was the 1930's and 1940's. It was the depression and he was raising his family. Like most of us he had to do genealogy as best he could. I think he did very well.

I was having a little problem figuring out their coding on the various books I had pulled to research. Most were in the stacks as they call them. This is a really interesting experience. You go into the hallway where all the card catalogs are and through a door that looks like a bomb shelter door. It is metal and I think "Green?" you then go down a couple steps into a cool room with rows and rows of bookshelves and books. It must me heaven!!!! No it is the stacks silly girl!! Now this room is big but then there is another room with more books and over sized books.

Be careful...you will be tempted to pull more than you came for!!! Once you start figuring out the number system you catch on and go in the direction you need to as the numbers get larger or smaller. The first one or two books or pamphlets or periodicals you are looking for might be a little slow going but then you are on your way.

The Court Cafe was still operating across Oak St. in the tan building so I head there and ordered a chicken salad sandwich and coffee. I didn't check the hours but I was concerned they would be closed by 2 pm. It is very convenient to the library.

Back at the library Reading Room and have to say that the drawback of the stacks is that you can't load up on books like you do at the Family History Library. It is too far and then there is the door. You are asked to take them back to the Reading room and work on them there rather than sit on the floor next to the stacks. It really isn't pleasant. I found that I could handled 2 - 3 books at a time but then it started to get too much. You might be able to do more. If my hubbie was there I could have really smoked!!! He is very good at finding things.

My order had come so I went into the Special Archives area and I showed my card. You sign this register. You initial another form that states I was in possession of one book of probate to look at a time. The attendant a nice young man put it on the table and I was allowed to look without gloves in the indexes for James Barclay. The book was a big book just like any court clerk's book. No Barclays at all. The second book also did not reveal any Barclays. So I was in the area a short time and had to initial this and that and sign out. I am glad the young man assisting me was so patient and kind.

Bummer, James Barclay was just not showing up in the indexes for Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1906. He died during the probate of his brother Alexander Barclay's estate. I pondered an obituary notice but I did not have a specific death date so slogging through a couple of months of a newspaper or longer was not my idea of fun and frankly I didn't have the time. So I set that aside. I would work on what I had found from his sister Mary J. Barclay Ford in Bristol and expand that information. Technically I was after my great grandmother Margaret Barclay - where she was buried, her last name and more. James could wait. I do like to study the whole family and the sibs to a point.

Now when you are in the book stacks at CSL you need to keep focused...don't start reading all the titles around your target or you will end up carrying back more books. I am just kidding go have fun! I succumbed to pulling other titles too.

I worked on other things like some Kendall family histories, checked the Church and Bible indexes, and found a copy of the thesis by Brady on the John Franklin. I have work to do when I get home.

The time flew and it was 4 pm and I was getting very tired. I was also pretty much done and ready to head out. This had been a good experience and I was pleased. The librarians were helpful, friendly and the whole day and been a good day. So I am not a fan of the CSL.

I left the building and headed to my car. The day was sunny but the wind was sharp and strong. Ouch!

My care was still on Hungerford and I had not parked incorrectly. Whew! I was soon off and on my way back to Wethersfield. This time I found my way back just fine. I turned right after the big church with the square towers onto Wethersfield Ave and then I found Hartford Ave which took me back into Wethersfield's historic district and back into time.

This time I was going to have dinner at Lucy Lou's. I ordered a Caesar salad and Crab Cake appetizers. Little did I know that they would both be big dishes of food. There was no way I could have had more dinner. It was good food, a nice class of Cabernet. They have the tall tables and chairs so I had to climb up and in and when I got down that was interesting. Loud music and big screen TV with sports on. It was fun to sit and look out the window and watch the activity on the Main Street of Wethersfield. It is a mix of old, new and very old. It works.

I am pleased that I chose the Wethersfield area to stay. It is not hard to get to Hartford just takes about 15 minutes. You step back in time there and it is quieter and lovely. Food is easy to find. I believe there are others B&B's in the area beside the Chester Bulkley.

Soon I was in my room tending to chores.

Note: Blogspot is giving me trouble and I am sorry if things are mixed up. My post on the Old Settlers Burial Field in Lancaster for April 12 was wrong and I tried to fix it and it is giving me grief. It should be April 13th. I may have to wait till I get home to see what I can do to fix the situation. I might have lost some comments as a result. I was trying to edit a post and it wouldn't accept the changes. Grrrr.....!!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011: Bristol Town Hall and on to Hartford

2011-05-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely room in the Chimney Crest Bed and Breakfast. This is a mansion. To the right is the living room and at the end is the sun room. The hallway has rounded archways in the windows and the curtains are also rounded at the top. To the left is the formal dinning area. The hostess is very kind, friendly and helpful.

You almost feel like you have traveled back in time to another world. This house is the Barnes house. A prominent family in Bristol owned it. My room was comfortable. There was a desk and chair. It was lovely. The windows looked out on the circular driveway. The house is a Tudor style. It is along Woodland Drive in Bristol near Paige Park. It is lovely. Just look for the brick pillars before you go down the steep hill.

I told the hostess that I got up early and she provided a coffee maker with cream in the ice cooler with ice! Wow! How thoughtful.

The breakfast was wonderful and the conversation with my host Cynthia was a joy. She asked me questions curious about my genealogy research. Apparently this house was her father's dream. It was a mess when he purchased it but it is lovely now! She has taken on his legacy. This was truly happy experience. Just lovely!

As usual I talked to much and had to head out on my quest for ancestors. My goal the Bristol Town Hall. Well I was told it was the white building but it was the building next to it!

Now for some reason my sense of direction was messed up in Bristol. I was having a terrible time with were things were. Hmmm....am I getting too tired?

Fortunately, I found the Bristol Town Hall. I was seeking records on my Barclay family (See the Barclay's of Pine River my blog on this line of my family. It is listed on the right under blogs.)

The Town Hall is located on N. Main St. between Laurel and Center Street. I parked on the street and I believe it is a 2 hour limit?

The sign out in front of the Town Hall, Bristol, CT

This is the Bristol Town Hall

The entrance to the Town Clerk office in the Bristol Town Hall

So far I have had no problems in Town Halls with security or restrictions. I had good experiences at the Enfield and East Windsor Town Halls. These two are in Connecticut and no problems in Massachusetts. Friendly and helpful people in all.

Well...In relating this episode I do not want to reflect badly on Bristol. It was a charming town and I enjoyed my stay there. So far everyone had been friendly, pleasant and helpful.

I knew about the privacy issues and the rules of becoming a member of various authorized genealogical or historical organizations. I investigated this before I came on the trip and decided I was within the law for the vital records and I would be okay. Well I was wrong!!!!!! I did not take into consideration that the indexes went beyond the legal requirements for birth into earlier than 100 years. I was going to look at births in the late 1800's and deaths in the early 1900's. I also brought my birth certificate, my dad's information and my Barclay's vital records to show that I was an appropriate relative.

An assistant town clerk approached me and I explained carefully what I needed. I explained I wanted to see births in the 1850 to 1900 time frame. Deaths in the 1915 to 1920 time frame. She asked if I had a card. I told her I was a professional genealogist but I was with the Association of Professional Genealogists. I believe she showed me a list for Connecticut. Of course APG is not on that list. I told her and showed her the papers I had brought about my appropriateness as a relative. She refused to look.
.
Somehow I did get lead into the vault area where they keep the land record books after signing a form and showing ID and she asked me about what I needed.  I started with the deaths and apparently that was okay for me to see. Apparently she misunderstood and reversed them thinking I wanted birth in the 1900's. I repeated what I wanted.

I was brought an index and I found them in it. I asked for the books and found the death certificates for Mary J. Ford and Jerome Ford in the death records. I requested copies and was told that they would have to be certified. I told the clerk that I really didn't need certified but that is apparently all they did and she said they "had to be certified" in a very strong tone. I said that I was just asking because some places give you a choice?

I left to get some more money because it was $20.00 a copy for a each vital record. I had forgotten to do so prior. I also needed to get my computer to try to pin the information down on births so they, the clerks, would not have to work so hard. The vital records are in the back area in another room locked away. They can only retrieve so many at one time and it is a bit of a walk.

Now I usually go into a vital records office prepared. I had my information on Mary J. Ford but not much on Jerome or their three girls. Even the obituary had not given me much to go on. It did reveal that the daughters had probably not been born in Bristol.

When I returned with my computer and money the books were gone. The first clerk said not to worry and brought them back. "We aren't suppose to leave them out!"   Now when I left I did tell her I had to go out. They had me wait for the certified copies before they came to help any further.

I then tried for birth records. Another clerk assisted me from in the other room "wondering what the controversy was about?" and pulled a index book and the first clerk yelled at me "I was not suppose to see them because I didn't have a valid card!" Then she grabbed the book from me before I had even opened it. I was so perplexed I made a face and she threatened me with the Town Clerk saying "I can have the Town Clerk explain it to you!"

I took a deep breath and in as calm a voice as possible I explained that I didn't live in Connecticut and didn't know all the rules and was just trying to find out. She seemed to be a little better. I tried to remain calm and found it difficult. She was "stomping" around and rushing around. It was all very confusing.

Another clerk who was tall and very nice assisted me when the first clerk went on break and she was very helpful. I gave her my best guess on the births and she pulled an index.  I was not suppose to see this because it went beyond the time limit. It had birth, marriage, and death and I found the marriage of one of the daughters Lizzie to a Frank E. Yale and asked for a copy. Again I had to wait.

This same clerk went in the back area of the large vault room and looked for births for Lizzie (Melissa) and others but didn't find anything and announced this. I did not look at any books.

I decided that I had about all I could handle. I did get two death records and a marriage and eliminated many things. I may have the maiden name of my great grandmother Margaret. I knew so very little of her. I also found where a sibling of great grandfather George A. Barclay was buried.

After I left the Town Clerk's office I leaned against the wall in the hallway to get my whits about me.  I was still shaking when I returned to my car and it took a long time to calm down. I was not angry just befuddled and frightened at the anger thrown at me and the hostility from this person. The other two clerks were trying to help. When I was at the counter paying for the copies she asked me if I wanted a receipt and I said yes please. She was helpful and pleasant. The first clerk would not look at me at all. Something was very wrong in this office and it is not the laws of Connecticut!

It is difficult to share this experience because it reflects badly on a town hall and Connecticut. I have worked as a government employee and I know how hard it can be to work in this type of environment. Still, this is unacceptable to me to be treated in this manner.

If you are planning on doing research in vital records in Connecticut learn from this experience. Realize not all town halls will be like this, Enfield was wonderful. I was looking at records in the middle 1800's however.

Recommendation: Join a Connecticut Society that is on their list that is acceptable no matter what and then you will not have this type of experience and if you do then you probably can really complain. It might cost $35+ but it just might be worth it. Here is the explanation and an approved list of societies: http://www.americanancestors.org/connecticut-vital-records/

While in the vault room of the Bristol Town Clerks office I found it to be a good sized room, very neat, orderly and clean. It had along the walls these cabinets that held all these land record books with numbers on the side. I wandered a round a little reading titles and was promptly asked by one of the researchers if he could help. I said no I am just looking. I did not pull anything I just observed. It was a wonderful room but hardly any tables to work on. There were several researchers who knew each other but didn't even acknowledge me. I was tempted to photograph the room but the other researchers would hear the click. I didn't wish at this time to push my luck or cause further trouble. I believe there is a finding aid to the land records.

Bristol Historical Society

Amazing castle down the street from the society

On my way out of Bristol I was driving up Center Road and I spotted the Bristol Historical Society so I stopped and took some photos. As I was walking around several people came out of the building and I asked when they were open and this nice lady approached and we started chatting. We discussed my research about the Barclays and the Fords and she told me she would take a look. I believe her name was Lillian and she was very nice. She knew about the Chimney Crest Manor belonging to the Barnes. It was a very nice exchange.

My very special goal was the Forestville Cemetery which was called the East Cemetery years ago. I was warned it was a big cemetery and was a little worried as to how I would find them.

I was looking for Mary J. Barclay Ford and Jerome B. Ford and there three daughters. I knew about Mary J. from the estate file of my great uncle Alexander Barclay. Mary and Alexander were siblings of my great grandfather George A. Barclay. I have been tracking her and it was exciting to know that I had an obituary for her and her husband. I need to study it all and do a post on my Barclays of Pine River blog. See link to the right of this blog under blog list.

Forestville Cemetery (formerly East Cemetery), Bristol, CT

The Forestville Cemetery is on Circle Street in Forestville. I found it by going along W. Washington St. to Center and then to Circle. It is a very well kept cemetery and easy to get around on the paved roads which are numbered 1-4. The information I had obtained from the History room in the Bristol Library gave me other names on tombstones to use to try to identify my family. They have a cemetery book with listings done by rows although the rows are not identified you can tell by the page number approximately where the graves might be. You could call the Forestville Cemetery Association. Most cemetery jobs are part time so you do have to be patient. I didn't do that but decided I could figure it out myself.

It took awhile but I did find them, actually I found first Frank Yale's tombstone and Melisa M. Ford but she didn't have a death date? A Tilton was buried with them?

Frank E. Yale Dec 7, 1862 to Sept. 18, 1916
Melisa M. Ford Jan 19, 1871 to ?
Alvah L. Tilton Aug. 17, 1884 to Aug. 27, 1924

Jerome Ford and Mary J. Barclay Ford were buried over by the fence and right of road #3. It was good to see the graves. Next to them was their daughter Rozelia who died at 18 years old? In Mary's obituary grandchildren are mentioned. If you are out there I want to meet you!

Jerome B. Ford, Died July 5, 1817 Age 72 yrs.
Mary J. Barclay wife of Jerome B. Ford
Died Mar. 28, 1917 Age 75 yrs. 3 Mos.

Rozelia Daughter of Jerome B. & Mary J Ford
Died Feb 28, 1866 Age 18 yrs 8 mos.

I finally had a picnic in a cemetery. The weather was okay, maybe a little misting? I ate my sandwich and cookies. My tenny runners were soaked and my socks were so wet it was difficult to remove them. I was getting ready to drive to Hartford when Jack stopped in his truck and asked if I needed help. That is when I proceeded to tell him about my problem with Melissa Ford and whether she was buried there. He went back to the office (near the entrance) to check to see if she was buried there but it appears she isn't and only two are buried in this plot. I thanked Jack for caring about the records and the cemetery. He said he was learning but he was enjoying it all and liking the challenge of figuring things out about the burials.

It was time to move on. It took awhile to find my way. Boy was my direction meter messed up. Anyway I found Hwy 6 and headed East. HURRAH! I had to take South Street to get to Hwy 4 because I missed my turn. I was trying to get out of the way of a red car behind me on my bumper and almost hit another car on my right in my blind spot. I felt bad.

What is it about Connecticut drivers??? Why do they hang on your bumper? I did not have this problem in Massachusetts. AUGHH!

I headed up Hwy 4 and found Boulevard Drive. It was lovely. The houses were lined up on both sides and were large and beautiful. All different designs. The road was smooth and pleasant to drive. It was a kick looking at the all the beautiful homes. It calmed me down. I was still pretty wired because of the day's events.

This road became Capital Ave. and I was back in the center of Hartford and driving past the State Library and I remembered it all from my first trip years back. The Capitol Dome is beautiful and gleams gold in the light.

Chester Bulkley House Bed and Breakfast

I was looking for Wethersfield Steet but it was really Main St. Turning south I ended up on Franklin but then I used Prospect to go to Wethersfield St. I was in South Hartford. When I saw I was on Silas Dean Hwy I knew I was too far south but there was a sign to the historic district of Wethersfield and I took it. I think it was Wells Road and it became Main St in Wethersfield. I headed north again and doubled back finding the Chester Bulkley Bed and Breakfast on the east side of the road south of the main area of Wethersfield.

This area of Wethersfield is very lovely. It was like a little oasis near Hartford. I parked across from the Chester Bulkley B&B and rang the door bell. No one answered. It was about 4 pm so I was about 2 hours early. I was thinking of going to the Hartford City Hall for vital records but my experience at Bristol had made me rethink that idea. They had on their website that the records started in 1852 and that was really too late for my needs. Not worth it.

I tried the doorbell again but no one answered. So I wandered down the driveway on the south side and ran into puppy dogs and the owner who was surprised to see me. The dogs were okay and she gathered them up. She offered to call the B&B for me. I turned around and wandered back to the front of the B&B and the door opened up. I was greeted by the host and entered into the foyer.

He took me to my room, up some very steep stairs and down a hall way and up and over a small built up area with steps on both sides. Oh dear this was going to be hard to negotiate. The host did help me later after I had eaten. However, my room was delightful and had a little sitting area out in the hallway. Hmmm...no desk but there was Wifi.

My host told me that there were several restaurants north of the B&B just a few houses up and I could walk to them. So I parked my car in the driveway in the back parking area. I walked south first but I saw only shops and then turned north and over to some lovely Saltbox houses on the west side of the road. I spotted other buildings that looked interesting.

Wethersfield's Historical District is a step back in time. The Wethersfield Historical Society was across the street. Silas Deane's home was on the west side. Silas Deane, why do I know that name? I picked the Village Pizza Restaurant. It was pleasant. I spotted a cemetery in the distance? My dinner was good and simple. The teenagers behind me kept kicking their seats but finally settled down. My tummy was happy!

My room in the Chester Bulkeley B&B is on the second floor and I have a little sitting area with a TV. I miss my Dish!!! My hubbie is probably having fun watching what he wants. I did find NCIS but it is not my favorite. I found Criminal Minds. So I am content.

Sitting room area 2nd floor

The sun finally came out and I could smell Spring in the air. I have a window and I watched the sun go down in Wethersfield over the spires of the building north of the B&B.
So I was having trouble posting.

Note: B logspot started to give me error messages and would not accept by edits.

April 19, 2011: Bristol, Connecticut - Barclays and Ford!

2011-05-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

It was getting to late and I was going to miss the Bristol Public Library hours in the History Room if I didn't get going. So I flew through Thomaston and crossed the bridge onto Hwy 6 going east. Originally I was going to stop at the Plymouth Town Hall and get the birth records for Ebenezer's children but I was running out of time and somehow I missed it. Well the Plymouth Town Hall is in Terryville on Hwy 6 just beyond the turn onto Hwy 72. No wonder I missed it. No matter how much planning you do there are always problems.

As I was driving along I realized I was no longer going to be in the "country" and that I was headed to the more urban areas around Hartford.

The research shifts to back to my Barclay family. One of the Barclay siblings Mary married a Jerome Ford and settled in Bristol. Last time I was in Connecticut I obtained her estate file at the Connecticut State Library. What I wanted to find out this time was where she and Jerome were buried and if I couldn't learn more about the mother Margaret wife of John Barclay my great grandparents.

I had learned that the Bristol Public Library had a History Room and the hours were 2-4 pm and it was getting late. The library is on High Street off Main St. In Bristol there is N. Main and a Main St. The Main Street sign is bent? Yeah I know...tricky. I arrived in the library parking lot about 3 pm so I didn't have much time. I lost a bit of time trying to figure out where I was in Bristol and my map was temporarily missing. Ah HA! I finally found it and then I figured out I was over on Divinity and once I realized where I was okay!!!

Bristol Public Library, Connecticut - very nice!

I found the History Room in the back of the library and entered. Here is the link. I recommend this source for Bristol. Excellent archive.

http://www.bristollib.com/BristolHistory/BristolHistory.html

Bristol Public Library History Room

The librarian was very helpful. I was required to fill out a form, present my driver's license and then he could retrieve items from the locked vault area. There were several people there doing research and it opened up a lively exchange and got me answers. I had 45 minutes to figure out where Mary J. Ford and Jerome Ford were buried.

Now I had tried to find the East Cemetery in Bristol online and kept ending up in Plainsville and that East Cemetery did not work at all. Well the East Cemetery in Bristol is now the Forestville Cemetery. There were finding aids in the History Room that helped to pin this down. Cemetery listings which revealed their names and more. There was a card file of obituaries and I found them in that as well. They also had the newspapers for Bristol on microfilm. The city directories I asked were retrieved and I looked through them. I had Mary's death but not Jerome. Well it turned out she had died several months before him but both within a short time of each other. Why he was not showing in probate I don't know.

The time slipped by and it was soon 4 pm and it appears that you can continue to work outside in the main library after the History Room closes. They will retrieve films and other things for you. Of course you will have to inquire. I was looking up the obituary and had to get my things out of the History Room. I like the librarian and I think his name was Terry? He was very nice, helpful and interested. The others in the room were also very helpful and gave me directions to the Forestville Cemetery.

Apparently Jerome and Mary Ford lived in an area called Edgewood a part of Bristol to the north. It was a successful session and I had a street they lived on and the cemetery they were buried in. All I needed was death and other vital records. That would have to wait till tomorrow.

I choose the Chimney Crest Manor House to stay in in Bristol. From the library I took High Street east and turned on Goodwin St, then turned onto Sterns St. and drove through some brick pillars and found the home and pulled into the circular drive. It is not too hard to miss because it is a very large Tudor style home.

This manor house is like slipping back into the past. I felt like I needed to have a stylish dress on and not my black cords and velour jacket. I pushed the bell at the door and the hostess greeted me warmly.

The entrance to the Chimney Crest Manor

Push the doorbell!

Notice the beautiful edging around the arched wood door.

You enter this huge foyer and to the left is the formal dinning room and to the right is a rounded archway and the very large living area.

My hostess was a delight. Friendly, warm and very attentive. We hit it off! Business was quickly taken care of and a quick tour of the rooms on the first floor. WOW! The living room was one of those rooms in which there are several sitting areas and a fireplace at both ends. Wifi was available but probably not in my room but in the other areas of the house. Up the stairs to the 2nd floor and there was a sitting area and down the hall to the right was my room.

The Foyer

The beautiful hallway. The curtains are also rounded at the top.

My room was a dream room large with a full bath. It it had a desk! A flat screen TV. My hostess asked is I drank coffee and I said yes and that I usually was up early. So she said she would bring me some items for that purpose?

This home reminded me a little of Biltmore in Ashville, NC in some ways.

My hostess tried to help me find dinner in Bristol but I was not prepared to a lot of driving. I was hungry and tired and tried find the pub we thought might be good and ended up at Carmine's on Farmington Ave.

I don't know what it is about Bristol but my sense of direction was all messed up. I guess I am use to north/south not east/west or I was just very tired and starting to get over load?? Usually I find my way. My hostest even noticed I was messed up on east and west. HA!

Carmine's was pleasant and they had big picture windows so it was fun to see out and watch the city. My dinner was just fine.

It was time for retiring, plenty of relaxing and getting ready for the next day.

April 19, 2011: From Litchfield to Thomaston - Ebenezer Goss Country

2011-05-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I love New England! You can get someplace so quickly by car. After Litchfield I headed east on Hwy 118 and turned south on to Hwy 254. It would take me through Northfield into Thomaston, Connecticut.

There is a road named Blakeslee along Hwy 254 and I found it surrounded by large grassy fields. It is very short. Now is this were they had their land? Hmmm....don't really know. It was very pretty.

Thomaston was part of Plymouth before it separated. I am heading into Ebenezer Goss and Blakeslee country. Ebenezer Goss was the younger brother of Solomon Goss and son of Philip and Mary Goss.

As I drove south from the Blakeslee Road sign I studied the area and saw large fields and then houses on both sides of the Hwy and as I entered Thomaston the houses increased. I really didn't know where exactly Ebenezer and Bede had lived but it was suppose to be 1.5 miles on the Hwy to Northfield from Thomaston. This would be south of Northfield and a little ways after you get to the Knife Shop Road? This is where they had their children Mary, 1782 to 1841, David 1786-1848, Carver 1791-1821 and Beder 1796-1879. I kept on going. The house was still standing in the 1930's?

Ebenezer married Bede Blakeslee a daughter of David and Abigail Blakeslee. Some records refer to her as Obedience. Married 18 May 1752. Ebenezer packed up the family left Plymouth (Thomaston) about 1804 and headed to Ohio. The history books for Portage County describe the journey.

This is a link to a Family Tree online titled "My Goss Family" compiled by Claudette M. Beerman-Rogers. My cousin Ken Goss has mentioned her several times and visited with her when she lived in Portage County, Ohio. She has since migrated and moved away but she still has this tree posted about the Goss Family and it has some interesting tidbits on the Goss family and on Ebenezer Goss's line.

The town hall for Thomaston was built on land that use to be the old cemetery. The burials were removed to the Hillside Cemetery in what is called the Ancient Cemetery a part of the larger cemetery.

Find A Grave has a memorial and picture of the David Blakeslee tombstones. There are lots of Blakeslees in this cemetery and a lot more exploring that could be done.

Finding the Hilltop Cemetery is very interesting. I came into Thomaston on Hwy 254 going south and it is basically through a valley and then you come to the stoplight and the main street which runs parallel to the Naugatuck River. I turned right onto S. Main St. and started to head for Waterbury. This was tempting but going to Waterbury was a trip in itself. Digging into the Scott Family was a tall order and I just didn't have the time this time. So I turned around and looked up to the left trying to spot the cemetery on the hill and there it was among the trees. I turned onto Center and then onto Marine St. and there was the entrance.

Hilltop is truly on a hill. Driving around is an interesting experience there are levels that go higher. This cemetery is huge and not for trying to find graves without some help. I suggest the cemetery office and a map.

Entrance to the upper level.

Really a Hilltop Cemetery, Thomaston, CT

You can drive around the Hilltop Cemetery on paved roads. There are graves tucked in areas that are wooded and you have to walk to them. There is a pond but don't drive that road it stops and you don't want to get stuck in the soft grassy areas. I think another road ends too so be careful!

So I spent about 45 minutes wandering the Hilltop and didn't find the Ancient Cemetery? Well, much to my surprise I had blown right by it. The entrance is at the very front almost across from the entrance sign I showed earlier and before you get to the maintenance building. You don't have to go into the main cemetery and you can park in the maintenance building parking lot. It was not a problem when I was there no one was around.

Ancient Cemetery next to the front entrance of Hilltop Cemetery, Thomaston, CT

Ancient Cemetery entrance, Hilltop Cemetery, CT

Frankly I am very worried about this cemetery which is tucked back up a path in the woods. It was in sad condition with tombstones toppled over and half buried.

As you can see from the entrance you have to climb a little but it is not too bad. You do need to find parking and walk in. There is a path through the woods and I would say about 1 block in?

Path to Ancient Cemetery looking to the entrance.

Path to Ancient Cemetery looking to the tombstones

I found David Blakeslee's tombstones about in the middle of the burial area.

Capt. David Blakeslee Bede's father's tombstone

David Blakeslee died Feb 11, 1781 Plymouth, Litchfield County, CT.

I had pondered taking photos of cemeteries in detail but I just didn't have the time. I felt the tug a lot at this cemetery even though it really wasn't my family line. I come down from Ebenezer's brother Solomon Goss. I came here to honor my cousin Paul H. Goss and his line down from Ebenezer.

I have more photos which I will upload when I get the chance for this cemetery.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011: Granville again, Yes a Third Time! Then on to Litchfield

2011-05-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Time to leave Massachusetts and return to Connecticut. The Patriot's Day Holiday had forced a change of plans. I had really wanted to visit the Granville Town Hall and I was determined that today I would stop there. This meant that I might have to give up some other side trip or outing. My ultimate goal was Bristol and their public library history room which was open 2-4 pm.

I checked out of the Comfort Inn and headed back to Connecticut. This Comfort Inn is not as good as others that I have stayed at. I actually have upgraded from Days Inn's to Comfort Inn's and received much better accommodations. My room was okay except for the huge bathroom and no shelving for the handicapped. Loved the shower with all the handle bars and movable shower head. Showers can be a challenge when you travel.

The laundromat was on the first floor in a stacked arrangement and I put all my quarters into the dryer first....AUGH!! The receptionist told me to go to the corner for more change. Hmmm....what has happened to the concept of Petty Cash? I am sorry, I should not rant! There are so many more motels around this area of Hwy 20/7 that they might be worth checking out and as far as I could see they all looked in good condition? Comfort Inn does serve breakfast and they have a points reward program. I have liked my past rooms and the service.

Coffee Maker carefully situated on the sink!

My goal is to head for Litchfield, CT but before that I want to stop in Granville and visit the town hall. I originally planned to stop in Barkhamsted and try to find the tavern of Thomas Goss brother to Philip Goss IV who migrated to Simsbury, Granby and Granville. I think his tavern is where the Christmas Tree farm is north of Barkhamsted Center. The original burned a while back. Still seeing where he lived would be interesting. I didn't have the time if I was to be in Bristol at the library before the History Room closed at 4 pm. There is a Barkhamsted Historical Society and it might be a good idea to do a little more investigating before attempting this. I will talk a little more at Thomas Goss later in this post.

I knew the road to Granville. So it was easy to drive down Hwy 20 to Hwy 8 to Hwy 57 and make my way along. I passed the covered bridge again just north of New Boston and turned sharply left onto Hwy 57 and headed east to Granville. This second time went fast and I zoomed by Rose's home. Someone was raking in the yard. I kept going although it was tempting to stop and say hello?

The Granville Town Hall is a bright white. I was a little concerned that the Administrative Assistant might not be there but I spotted a car and knew it was open. I had been told by the town clerk when I called that if she was not there I could leave a note if I wanted something. I had confidence that I would be able to access the records for Granville. Rose told me the Administrative Assistant should be there but I should call. I did email but it was like a holiday and the chance she would see it would be small.

Granville Town Hall, MA

You park on the right side or in the back. You enter the building through the door in the back. The front doors are locked.

The Administrative Assistant was there and helping a man with his taxes. I explained I wanted to look at the vital records and she said the town clerk was not in but I could look. She led me into the town clerk's office and took me behind the wood swing gate to the metal filing cabinets and on top were metal card files. She cleared off a desk area for me to work. She explained that the information was in the card file. She left returning to her office on the other side. No one was in the room. These are cards with hand written names, dates and information on them and not much else in information.

The vital records of Granville, MA in the dark metal card file drawers.

I studied the dates and pulled out the drawer I wanted and started taking photographs of the cards that I was interested in with the names Goss, Haskell, Rose, Gibbons etc. I looked at birth, marriage and death.

Before I left I wrote out a note asking for the birth record for Solomon Goss and gave my $5.00. I asked were the original records were and was told they were too fragile and that was about it. I am very confused? This is the second town hall in Massachusetts and so far no original records. Now that is not very many town halls. Hmmmm....!! I did appreciate being given access to these records on the cards.

Granville Town Clerks Office

No more time for dallying. So I headed west on Hwy 57 back to New Boston and turned the car south Hwy 8 and headed back to Connecticut. Boy did it come fast. A lake came into view on my left and I realized that Connecticut was very close.

Not always easy to get a sign like this with no parking in site!

Now I was planning to turn and go to Riverton and then north and around to Barkhamsted Center but decided that I need to press on. I was soon in Winsted and it was now or never to go east to Barkhamsted? I opted to continued south on Hwy 8 which had become a very nice four lane highway and was a dream to drive on.

Well, I might not have investigated Barkhamsted but I could stop in Litchfield and check it out. My question was "Where did they hang poor Thomas Goss?"

Barkhamsted is where Thomas Goss lived and he murdered his wife Eunice because he thought she was a witch or as the story goes? Thomas Goss was a brother to Philip Goss IV who married Mary Kendall. Thomas had been in Granville and then he migrated to Barkhamsted. He is listed with Philip Goss on the Granville Land Map that I viewed at the Granville Public Library.

Now I would publish the newspaper articles for Thomas Goss describing his arrest and the hanging but there is a "reproduction prohibited without permission" at the bottom. So here is the source:

1. Article #2 - No Title Connecticut Courant and Weekly Intelligencer (1778-1791); Aug. 29, 1785, ProQuest Historical Newspapers pg. 2. This is about the trial of Thomas Goss (written Gofs) for the murder of his wife. "guilty of willful and premeditated murder!"

2. Article #5 - No Title Connecticut Courant and Weekly Intelligencer (1778-1791); Aug. 29, 1785, ProQuest Historical Newspapers pg. 3. "Litchfield, Nov. 15, Laft Wednefday Thomas Gofs, late of Berhamfted was executed at this place, pursuant to the fentence of the Superior Court for the murder of his wife, -- His defence, upon trial was Infanity..." "and under pretense that his wife was a witch..." I obtained this on the internet at a Connecticut Library which has access to the newspapers. You might be able to get copies in some other way?

Thomas Goss served in the Revolutionary War and that might have caused some problems afterwards. Here is one source about this service.

Book: Litchfield County Revolutionary Soldiers – Honor Roll, Josephine Elli Richards, Editor-in-Chief, published by Mary Flloyd Tallmade Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Litchfield, Connecticut, 1912 Pg 41 - Thomas Goss Bark. Men, page 19 – Rec. Conn. Men. 17, 471

Soon I was at the turn off for Hwy 118 to Litchfield which is not that far to go. Litchfield is wonderful. I immediately liked what I saw. They have a great big town green that is divided up with streets and you do have to pay attention to the streets signs and highway signs. I turned on South St. (Hwy 63) and then parked my car across from a long line of buildings that must be their downtown area.

Litchfield Shopping!

There was a restaurant named DiFranco's and I decided to give it a try. Perfect, just what I wanted a sit down restaurant with a variety of items to choose from. I sat in the window so I could watch the action outside.

People looking very much like lawyers were coming in and out of this building that looked more like a church and I asked a man if it was the courthouse and he said "yes." You can see rain drops on my camera lens!

Down the street to the east on the corner was the Litchfield Historical Society. It was after 11 am and I knew that I might after all be in luck and be able to visit it. Sure enough it was open. I was greet by a nice friendly receptionist who asked me to sign in and I think I paid $5.00? I told him what I needed was to find out information about Thomas Goss and he sent me downstairs to the Archives.

Right on the corner !

One of the attendants behind the desk offered to help and I told her about Thomas Goss and she jumped up and went into the back through a door and a few minutes later she and another person came out with a file folder with a few items in it about Thomas Goss. They had the two articles I had obtained from the Connecticut newspaper and have listed above and another article from the Litchfield paper which she gave me a copy.

Source: Republican-American (Waterbury newspaper?) Sunday June 13, 2010 "Race's murderous hill has history of hangings pg 1 and continued on page 4A by Brigitte Ruthman. "It was known as "The Gallows," just off the Town Green and a half-mile from the courthouse and jail. It is where, during the 1700s and 1800s at least four convicted murderers were hanged....hangings were conducted at a hangman's tree." Several cases are presented in this article with names. "Thomas Goss was a 52-year old innkeeper who was said to have showed signs of insanity in 1785. "He fancies himself beset by the minions of the spirit word and used to speak of goblins harassing him," according to historical accounts, "and began calling himself the second Lamb of God." He killed his wife with an ax, believing her to be a witch and "smeared her gore over the bodies of her three children: to keep her form casting a spell on him. He then walked to a neighbors house to confess his crime. He was hanged at Litchfield Nov. 7, 1785."

How sad!!!! The descriptions of the hangings are documented in "Legal Executions," a comprehensive reference by Daniel Allen Hearn at the Connecticut State Library. I have not check this source from the newspaper article."

I asked her were he might have been hung and she mention Gallows Lane featured in the article. Then she said quietly that they really didn't know. I said "Gallows Lane and where is that?" So she pulled out a another map not the Walking tour map of Litchfield that I had found and showed me it was south on Hwy 63. Gallows Lane is flat when you first approach and then there is a steep hill to a valley below. It is very short with trees on one side and houses on the other. The tree is long gone but it is believed to be haunted. I guess I have watched too many CSI's.

Now there is another family of interest in Litchfield. Oliver Wolcott Sr. buried in the East Cemetery in Litchfield and Oliver Wolcott Jr. Their houses are in Litchfield on Hwy 63. The Walking Tour of Historic Litchfield. According to this map the Litchfield Library is Oliver Wolcott Jr's home and across the street is opposite Wolcott St. as it butts up to South Street is Oliver Sr's home.

Well this is what happens when you hurry! The Library at Litchfield

Oliver Srs. Home

Litchfield would be worth returning to and exploring it was lovely even in the rain!

Monday, April 18, 2011: Granville Revisited

2011-04-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

April 18th was Patriot's Day in Massachusetts. I had planned to go to Granville and visit their town hall on this day. Well, that did not happen. Everything was closed. There was no mail, no garbage pickup and all town halls and libraries were closed. I usually check for holiday's but this I missed. Granville's Town Hall only has town clerk hours on Monday. So that makes things a little difficult to plan a visit.

I had visited the Granville Public Library on Wednesday April 6th in the afternoon and did this side trip from Springfield because it had hours that didn't work with the town clerk. I met with Rose Miller the Town Historian and she suggested that when I came back to Granville we could visit. I called her to tell her my problem and she also had a problem too in her schedule. We figured out that we could meet around 1 pm at the Granville Public Library. The library was going to be closed but she had access. She was meeting with a man from New York who was researching his family. So our plans were set and I would come down much later in the day rather than get their by 9 am. This was good because I could take my time.

Meanwhile, I spent the morning busy with chores and I left the Comfort Inn about 11:30 am.

It takes about an hour, maybe a little less, to drive from Pittsfield to Granville. I used Hwy 20 and changed to Hwy 8 and then turned east on Hwy 57. I had no problem at the intersection for I-90 and was able to keep on Hwy 20 south.

This was going to be an interesting drive because so far I have only come to Granville from the east to the west and now I was going from the west to the east. This would give me a better idea of the distance and terrain. The road was good in places but damaged and rough in others. There was hardly any traffic which I love. Going down Hwy 20 was easy. The town of Lee was a lovely town and they even had a bookstore which was tempting but I did stop I kept going.

Just before turning onto Hwy 57 there is a covered bridge just north of the town of New Boston. It is bright red and over the Farmington River. Since I didn't go to the one west of Winchester, NH, I decided to top and enjoy this one. I parked the car and walked over to the bridge and stepped inside noting the big chunky floor boards with a little of the river peeking through. There was a viewing window on the right side and I peered through it. It had a plaque on it probably a dedication?

Granville has an interesting history as Rose describes it. The area where the library is located was East Granville. The Granville Center was Granville and then there is West Granville. Well, Tolland broke off because it was too far to travel and everything shifted. There is no longer an East Granville although you will see it in the records. It is where the Granville Library is located and the Granville Country Store. So that means there is Granville, Granville Center and West Granville in today's world. West Granville is not that close to the library area. The town hall is in Granville Center. The Main Cemetery is along the road north of Granville Center where the road dips and rises.

Entering Granville established 1754 - Solomon Goss was born in that year?

The road to Granville is up and down, around and wiggling here and there. I pondered what it would be like if there was snow and I am not sure I would be able to get around with all the hills and dales. You come first to Tolland and that is when the New Boston Road becomes the W. Granville Rd. Next is West Granville and it is about a few miles to Granville Center and then it becomes the Main Rd.

I came upon the Main Road Cemetery and tried to find a place to park along the road. They come fast on this road. The Main Road Cemetery is on the north east side of the road and there is room to park there but I did not want to try doing a U turn for I was headed to the library. The cemetery is hilly so you do have to step carefully because you could fall if you are backing up and not paying attention. Again it was mushy due to the rain so that made it slippery. In certain parts you can look down on other houses and lawns. One of the houses was just beautiful and the land around it was immaculate. This cemetery is in pretty good shape. I saw evidence of repair of a few stones using metal rods to fix the cracked pieced knitting them back together. They had tape with numbers written on some of the stones and stuck on the sides. Others had orange tape tied on them?? You can see one of the orange ribbons in the photo below.

This stone has flaked off the inscription, not unusual

There is a stone wall parallel to the road and parking to the left

An iron gate to walk through, no driving in this cemetery

I found who I was looking for? Peter Gibbons and Sarah Green Gibbons. The parents of Lemuel Gibbons who married Marry Goss sister to my Solomon, Ebenezer and Nathaniel and the others. Mary was a daughter of Philip and Mary Kendall Goss. Peter and Sarah married in Hardwick and I believe they came with Zachariah Haskell and Keziah Goss Haskell to the Granville area? I cannot seem to prove it? I found Roger Haskell the son buried at the Center Cemetery in Peru! I have not been able to find any further information out about Lemuel in the Granville area. He is truly a mysterious person. Now Lemuel is not my ancestor. He married into the Gosses. I am interested in him because he married Mary and she is the ancestor of my cousin Ken Goss. Lemuel was not in the deeds in Hampden County, however, his father Peter was. I think a probate file for Peter might be interesting to see. Although he died after his son Lemuel many years later.

Find A Grave has a listing for the Main Road Cemetery and a listing for the Gibbons buried there. Someone has posted a lot of information on this family with links to other memorials that do not have a stone.

In Memory of Peter Gibbons who died Dec. 6, 1822, Age 92 and Sarah his wife who died Feb. 8, 1811 age 80.

Sarah is at this link and Lemuel is listed as one of her children. As you can see the links are very long when you go to an individual listing.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Gibbons&GSiman=1&GScid=2364126&GRid=45468842&

I cannot find a grave for Lemuel Gibbons in the Granville area. The Find A Grave listing for him also does not have any idea where he is buried but does mention the confusion over the information about his potential death place. The Gibbons family were very prominent in Granville and had many descendants.

The interesting thing is that Paul H. Goss didn't really acknowledge this Mary Goss, a sister. I have seen her birth in the records of Granville on a Family History Film #185380. There is also a book titled "Turning of Hearts: William Davidson Gibbons Family History Family History Book 929.273 G352 that talks about the Gibbons family and its connection to the Goss family.

No more dallying for it was a little after 1 pm and I headed to the Granville Public Library to meet Rose Miller the Historian. She was waiting patiently in her car and fortunately it wasn't for me but for her appointment. He was late! He did appear as I was getting out of the car and had his three little girls with him.

Rose took us into the library and the alarm went off so she disappeared quickly. She opened the door to the Historical Room of the library and we settled in at the table. She began helping him which was fine with me. I needed to eat my lunch. I asked where I could eat my sandwich. Rose gave me permission. I was content to listen to these two discuss his family research and try to find and figure people out. He had come from New York to the library today for his appointment with Rose and she was willing to come in on a holiday. The girls were told they could read books in the children's room but they had to put them back. So they were content for at least one hour and then the energy level increased.

Granville Public Library

Timothy Mather Cooley kept very careful vital records of the Granville Church.

She handed him cemetery records, histories of Granville and more. She reviewed Timothy Mather Cooley's church records trying to find information to help him. She had pulled the land cards that the surveyor had compiled and shared those with him. Rose explained that he would have to go to Westfield or Springfield to access the land records and deeds at the Registry of Deeds for Hampden County. There are two offices for this Registry of Deeds but the websites don't tell you which is the one you need to go to. So you will have to call to ask.

Unfortunately I did not catch his name but he had gone to the Granville Town Hall and the clerk had not been able to find any information for him on his people. She had accessed her cards to find the information. I listened intently at this point. Cards, no original records....hmmmm....?

Rose and the young man worked on the research for a good hour and more before he packed up and headed out. I just realized he probably ran into trouble because the government offices were closed for Patriot's Day.

Rose and I headed back to the Main Road Cemetery. She was going to help me by taking a picture of me with the graves. I had not done that when I visited earlier that day. She pulled her car over and we went into the Main Street Cemetery which does have a grassy area next to the cemetery but be careful for the ground is real soft and you could get stuck. Having her take a picture or two meant I didn't have to set up my tripod and use the timer. See the photo above.

More Main Road Cemetery in Granville

I pointed out the tape and ribbon on some of the stones and she puzzled over that. We walked around a little and Rose remembered and commented on some of the bigger stones. Rose's husband Hank had been the one who ran the Historical Room in the library and he was avid in his pursuit of genealogy and history. He is the one responsible for a lot of the records in this library. Before him there was another lady who was also devoted to the history of Granville. There are a lot more records there than you think. If they don't have original's they have copies. Hank has been gone 11 years and Rose stepped in to help.

We left the cemetery and I followed Rose up the road into West Granville. I had pondered which house she lived in but was not prepared for the Saltbox that I saw. WOW! It was built in 1730. It was a brown color with a light blue door with a flag on it. The yard area was lovely and wooded. Her husband had wanted a lot of land something like 120 acres and they ended up with 30 acres??? She chatted happily and gave me permission to photograph anything I wanted but it was her home so I restrained myself. The barn on the right which is somewhat shrouded was something like 150 years old.

We entered the sun room and I was greeted with a delightful room filled with knickknacks but not overly done. Rose quilts and braids the most wonderful oval rugs. She had them all around the house. They were soft and wonderful on the feet. The wide wood planked floors were amazing. Rose is a "hooker" and no it isn't the other definition. It is someone who hooks rugs and she has wonderful wall hanging rugs. These are picture rugs that you can hang on the wall or place on the floor. They are small maybe 3 ft by 2 ft? She has them scattered her and there. This is fine rug making. The quilts she had made were hanging on a railing in the staircase were gorgeous. All handmade. It was like stepping back in time.

The rooms in the home are all delightful and have either the white wall, or a wallpapered wall or the dark knotty pine I love or a dark wood beam. The kitchen as she called it had this huge fireplace with this stone interior and a oven for baking on the side. She had her rustic kitchen in the end area. Around the fireplace was a sitting area. Oh and books everywhere!

All the rooms were charming and filled with her treasures and collections. Her bedroom on the second floor was to die for. She had an office with the slanted roof and her husband had his office which looked like it had not been disturbed. Her sewing room was next to the powder room on the first floor. It was very tiny but charming. Silly me was stroking the wood panelling and touching the stone around the fireplace. Talk about heaven and seeing the real thing rather than a photograph in a decorating magazine. I was truly in heaven.

I usually book into old B&B's but this was my first time inside a Saltbox house that was an actual family's home. Why she invited me, of all people, I don't know but I was very much touched by her kindness and generosity.

She then served me tea in lovely fancy cups with a saucer, which reminded me of my Mom, and let me eat the homemade chocolate chip cookies that a friend had given her. She doesn't like chocolate chips cookies so she wanted me too to finish them off. I left one for her. We chatted about life. What a delightful and lovely day and what a wonderful surprise.
She took me upstairs to her office and showed me this card file collection of the Granville surveyor's records and we studied them for Goss, Haskell, Gibbons, Davidson and more names. The surveyor had done a study of the deeds in the area and who bought what land and sold to another. I took pictures of the ones that interested me. I will compare his findings with my own research on the deeds and see what this will reveal.

Deed Records by a former Granville Surveyor carefully preserved

My time was done and I needed to move on. It was 4 pm. I had another cemetery to visit and I had to go back to Peru. I had misplaced my prescription glasses and I decided that the Center Cemetery was where I had lost them. I needed to take a chance and retrieve them if I could. This meant a little more driving than I had planned.

I waived goodbye and thanked Rose for her kindness and help. Off I went back onto Hwy 57 heading west back to New Boston and then up Hwy 8. The sky was darkening and the rain was beginning by the time I got to Otis. I was going in search of the Norton Cemetery in East Otis. So I turned on Hwy 23 at Otis and drove about a mile or more to the Norton Road. I entered a road with a sign that said "Closed MUD."

I proceed cautiously but I went too far up this gravel road. So I turned back and there was the cemetery on the right. I parked the car and was greeted by a very unhappy dog belonging to the house across from the entrance to the cemetery. The owner was trying to contain him. I gathered my things and proceeded into the cemetery which is only about 1 block from the entrance onto Norton Rd. I had been concentrating on the right side of the road and the houses so that is why I missed it as I drove in. You park and walk into this cemetery.

Norton Cemetery, East Otis, MA

The cemetery is on a slope and it is in an open area with a stone wall around it. I easily found the Haskell family and there was Keziah Goss Haskell Rose's grave broken in half. Fortunately I could see the inscription and it was really something to see that name "KEZIAH" across the top. The stones are to the right as you enter the cemetery and along the road side near the stone wall and lined up together.

It reads Keziah the widow of John Rose died Aug 17, 1815 age 87

Philip Haskell, June 6, 1756, d April 18, 1849.
He served his country in the Revolution from its beginning to its close.

This Peter Haskell is a brother of Roger and therefore son of Keziah Rose (Keziah Goss Haskell Rose) and son of Zachariah. There are more graves but seem to be more of his wives and it looks like he married several times? I have some work to do.

The real fun was seeing the name "Keziah" carved in a tombstone. This Keziah caused quite a problem along with her mother back in the 1930's and 1940's when Paul H. Goss was trying to figure who was who and who married whom. I just wish we could find her mother Keziah Cooley Goss Brown and where she is buried? Someone on the internet said Timothy Brown headed to Winchester NH but he is not on the list in the Evergreen cemetery there and neither is Keziah?

The doggie was still not happy with me as I climbed into my car but the man was kind and made sure his puppy was undercontrol and had put him on a leash. Funny, this medium sized dog was wagging his tail as he barked at me! I decided not to push my luck.

Here is a very nice blog on this cemetery which was a great help to me in finding it: http://stuofdoom.com/main/?p=808 They also have a video.

Here is a listing of the burials: http://www.uscemeteryproj.com/massachusetts/berkshire/norton/norton.htm

Time to head back to Otis and then turn north onto Hwy 8 and head for Hinsdale. I did go through Becket Center and North Becket again and this time I continued up Hwy 8 rather than drive the Washington Mountain Road and bounce myself around. Hwy 8 is much better to drive. It was starting to rain heavier as I continued north. I am so glad roads don't move around like the stairs at Hogworth in Harry Potter!!!! I know I said that before, HA!

The drive took about half an hour. I went through the town of Washington and back into Hinsdale and turned onto Hwy 148 and up the hill to Peru and right to Center Cemetery. I put on my slicker and my tenny runners and turned and there I spotted my glasses on the ground in the puddle with the arms sticking up right where I had parked the car the day before. HURRAH! Now I can see when I drive. I mean, I can see things but they are a little fuzzy and I can't read some of the smaller signs. They are transition lenses so it helps with the sun and glare. No more 20/20. Sigh!

Before I left I walked quickly up the hill and said goodbye to Roger, Mary and Zechariah Haskell turned and headed back from Peru to Dalton and into Pittsfield. No he is not the Zechariah I seek but probably Roger and Mary Haskell's son. Darn! However, finding Philip and Roger Haskell the two brothers and the sons of Zechariah and Keziah Goss is pretty cool! I had help for others are tracking these lines online and I thought I would help out a little with some better photos of these cemeteries.

Again driving through Pittsfield was easy because of the holiday (Patriots Day). I didn't realize that when I visited Pittsfield and the Berkshires that I was going to get a total view of the highways in the area. As I was coming up the hill to the NARA turn off and getting close to the Comfort Inn I noted Mazzeo's Ristorante was open. There were cars crowding the parking lot but I turned in anyway and parked.

The wine I chose was wonderful - David Norman from Australia? I had Fettucine Alfredo with broccoli and the plates was a perfect size. Sometimes Fettucine can be a never ending bowl. It was good I was hungry. They had a great Caesar salad which I ate all of and usually don't. It was definitely a people watching environment. There was a waitress with very blonde hair in a ponytail and she was very intent on her job and zipping about with determination. Their uniforms were black shirt and pants. She was also very pretty. I think she was a budding future restaurant owner because of her determination?

It was a very slick restaurant and modern, my table was a dark wood coated to a gleam. It was noisy but apparently it was popular! I had been curious passing by it and so now I was content.

Time to go get ready an move on tomorrow and head back to Connecticut.

Sunday: April 17, 2011: A Change of Plans - Peru, MA & Wahconah Falls

2011-04-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday in the Berkshires and everything is closed. That is okay, I need a little time to recover.

The Dakota Restaurant had a brunch from 10 to 2 pm and I decided to try it. I arrived about 1 pm and they had a full buffet. It was very good and even better than Old Sturbridge Village. The waiter who served me did everything: take orders, tend the bar, bus the tables. Next stop was feeding the car. Gasoline was at $3.50 to $4+. Ouch!

I proceeded up Holmes St. to Arrowhead the museum and soon discovered that I completely misread the website and that they are not opened till after Memorial Day. I just went back and revisited it and the information is at the very bottom of the website about opening times. Here is the link away Herman Melville.

I ran into the Executive Director Betsy and she told me that Melville had been coming to the area since a child of 13. Greylock Mountain was the inspiration for Moby Dick. Like everyone I read "Moby Dick," and new it by heart. Of course, you have to see the Gregory Peck movie version.

I learned that they give tours every hour at his home starting at 10 am when opened. Betsy informed me that they have just received the paperwork to go ahead and repaint Arrowhead, which is really in need of some help and funds to do so. The paint was peeling as I wandering around taking photos. They have to proceed carefully because of the historical significance of the house. No power washing here.

The Movie Website gives some information about this movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049513/ It was done in 1956 and it was not bad. I believe that Patrick Stewart was Capt Ahab and did a TV version in 1998 with Gregory Peck in another role. Patrick Stewart was formerly Capt. Picard in Star Trek Next Generation.

There are other interesting things you can do in the Berkshires like the Hancock Shaker Village, The Berkshire Museum or the Museum of the Gilded age. Betsy tried to entice me but I was more interested in the Center Cemetery in Peru, Massachusetts and decided to drive there and investigate.

Well, I missed the turn to Hinsdale and ended up at Wahconah Falls State Park. I had thought of stopping there on my way to Pittsfield on Friday but changed my mind. Well there it was so I followed this other car onto the turn and gravel road and headed to the Falls. A short walk after parking the car and I found something reminiscent of home! Awe this is more like it. Raging water over rocks!! Enjoy!!

A short easy and pleasant walk.

I have noticed that although there is forest which is mixed with deciduous and pine trees, there is no undergrowth like ferns and bushes in these forests and like back home. It was very pretty and there are barbecues situated here and there, ready for a picnic. It looked like there were trails to follow.

A young couple was at the falls and I asked how to get to Hinsdale. She corrected me and called it Hinnnsdale. Oops! I smiled. Well she was right, I missed the sign. So from Hwy 9 you turn onto Hwy 8 which takes you to Hinsdale with a sharp turn left onto Hwy 143 and head up a very steep hill to Peru (formerly Partridgefield, officially changed to Peru in 1805.)

My quest was to find Haskell's. Roger Haskell the son of Zachariah (Zechariah) Haskell and Keziah Goss Haskell was buried in the Center Cemetery in Peru. Now this cemetery might also be called "Hill Top." My theory is they all came west together. No one knows where Zachariah and Keziah Goss Haskell are buried. I was hoping to find a sign. I did find their son Roger and his wife Mary's tombstones.

As I turned south to go to the cemetery after reaching the center of Peru. I drove by a chained Doberman Pincher. Lots of the dogs that live in the country in Massachusetts do not like cars. I had never witnessed this behavior. He was chained but it seems dangerous for the animal??

The Center Cemetery was very wet. There were puddles by some of the stones, mushy grass, mud and my shoes got really wet. It was threatening rain even though the pictures doesn't seem to indicate it with the fluffy clouds. The cemetery is sort of on a hill and slope. It is a good size. I tried to pull the Aveo in but she protested and spun her wheels so I carefully turned around so I could get out and didn't go any further which put me in a puddle. Ugh!

I found Roger and his wife and other Haskell's. One tombstone was toppled over and I could not budge it and the danger of hurting myself was imminent so I backed off. It is a Zechariah Haskell but not the one I want to find. Darn!

I am a little worried about this cemetery. It is out in the open but it does seem to need to be cared for? I worry about our heritage and see it slipping away. The ground was so soft and the tombstones were leaning in all directions and lots of breakage. I know it was a rough winter and there has not been a lot of time to get to repair, I hope they do.

Roger Haskell is on the left and Mary on the right

Roger Haskell died Apr 8, 1842 age 90 years (hard to read he was leaning over. Next to him on the right, Mary Haskell died Dec. 13, AD 1849 aged 86 years and 23 days.

More Haskells - Hannah Haskell wife of Cullen B. Watkins 1843 to 1931 on the left

Little Bertha, Precous Jewel on the left, George Haskell 1844 to 1914.

It needs a shovel and several people to move it and flip it, not to mention fixed it.

The Berkshire Collection had a book titled Cemeteries of Hinsdale and Peru. I took copies of the Center Cemetery but messed up some photos so I will have to revisit that book. There was a handwritten notation that listed Haskell names in the collection but only gave page numbers. I was going too fast and running out of time at the Berkshire Athenaeum. The lesson, take photocopies as well of critical stuff.

Find A Grave has a listing for this cemetery but it is not complete. I have more photos of this cemetery and will post them later when I get a chance.

The Peru Church with two steeples!! The Library is to the left!

I returned on Hwy 148 to Hwy 8 to Hwy 9 to Dalton and then Pittsfield which was quiet today because it was Sunday so I was able to study the city of Pittsfield. I missed a Rite Aid because it was housed in a building butted up to others. If I could describe Pittsfield it is that the streets are wide in the downtown area.

I really didn't want to eat at the Dakota for I had done that twice but the Italian ristorante was not opened so I had dinner in my room in the Comfort Inn.

Before I had left for the day and went to brunch about 1 pm I called Rose Miller of the Granville Library and explained I had a problem. The original plan was to go to the Granville Town Hall and view vital records with the town clerk who was there in the morning and afternoon on Mondays. Well with Patriot's Day that was not going to happen. Rose also had a conflict but an appointment at the library at 1 pm. She had access for it was also closed. So I would drive down to Granville and visit with her and see the Main Street Cemetery.

Chores and dinner done, I settled in to bed.