Wordless Wednesday: Irma and Me

Watching the forecast being refined as the mainland United States awaits the arrival of Hurricane Irma is stimulating.  Whether you are in the path or close to the projected path of the largest recorded hurricane in history, the eyes of the country are watching and leaving us all pretty much wordless as we just recently witnessed the arrival of Harvey.

I have only known one Irma in my life and that was my second cousin, once removed.  Irma M WENZEL was the daughter of William Henry WENZEL(1870-1951) and Sadie Emma SIMMONS(1872-1944.)  The WENZEL family had a farm on Wenzel Rd in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA.  I guess I should say it is closer to the Mt Lebanon area.  Anyway, they had a farm and older cousins would relay tales of stopping by and grabbing fruit off the trees, even if they didn't go up to the house to see cousin William and Sadie.  As expected from those who know my heart and roots, both William and Sadie are buried at my family cemetery, the St Clair Cemetery, on Scott Rd in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.

Seeing the name Hurricane Irma brought memories of my Irma back to me.  Irma was born in May 1904 and died in Sept. 1987.  I only met her a couple of times when we would make the trek up to Pittsburgh to see my dad's aunt.  When we would visit, my sweet great-aunt would throw open the doors and tons (or so it seemed to me) of cousins would appear for various dinners.

Irma and her husband, Robert F ALGEO, would be two of the many guests dining on food, family lore and memories of the past.  I remember Irma and Robert well.  Robert was a salesman for the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco to you and me) and was considered to be a big joker.  He loved to tease and he loved to tease me.  He told me one time he would give me a nickel if I would get him more tea.  I replied that I thought the Yankees would be big spenders and that didn't qualify as one in my world.  Many roars of laughter erupted that day!

Irma was a typist, played piano and had horses and a big Eskimo type dog.  Sweet Irma.

Robert and Irma had no children.  Her one sister, Margaret Emma WENZEL, did not marry to my knowledge.  So that line is gone.  In fact, I lose track of Margaret after the 1940 census where is still single and living with sister Irma and brother-in-law Robert.

Ahhh, genealogy.  The winds of the past are swirling in my head.  Rest sweetly Irma.

©2017  AS Eldredge

Wordless Wednesday: Love Delivered on D-Day

For the last thirty years I have really not liked this week.  For this week is the week when I laid my gentle giant to rest.  Each year, I sit quietly and mourn the loss that rocked my young world.  It's amazing that the tears still readily spring to my eyes as I relive this week over and over.

The stories of D-Day have always moved my soul to remember and to pray for our fallen military men.  What bravery they displayed on what had to be the most fearful day of their lives, and the day many would perish.  Can you imagine the the scene and how intense the smell of fear had to have been?

My dad was not at Normandy on that fateful day some 72 years ago.  Instead, he was busy fighting in the Pacific.

My dad did perish on the anniversary of D-Day.  For me, that is fitting as he was truly a brave patriotic man who had followed in the footsteps of love and loyalty his ancestors displayed as they fought for this great country.

Some 12 years ago, it was my honor to organize a family reunion at what I like to call my family cemetery, the St Clair Cemetery, in Mt. Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.  It was a beautiful day as descendants came from around the country to honor two of our fallen American Revolution ancestors.  Speeches were given, flags flew in the gentle breeze, hymns were sung, a 21 gun salute was fired, and Taps was heard as we all stopped to thank all brave men and women who have served America.

Around that time, the gent in charge of the cemetery asked permission to remove some overgrown daylilly plants from one of my family plots.  I gave permission but asked him to wait until I had time to take some for myself and any other family member who wanted a living remembrance of the past.  We dug those plants up and sent them to the south and out to the west to be planted, in addition to those plants which would stay in Pittsburgh.

This week, on D-Day, as I was feeling so very blue, I happened to walk outside.  I saw one beautiful bloom on my St Clair daylilly.  It was standing tall with its beautiful pale peach color and it stopped me in my tracks.

I don't think I have ever seen such a beautiful site that screamed out the words Faith, Belief, Loyalty and Love.  My head reverberated with these thoughts as I stood wordless and thirstily absorbed the undying love from my family members who have gone before me.

The next morning I went to take a picture of the beautiful flower.  It was gone.  Not wilted, but gone.  The message sent to me from beyond the grave on D-Day stays.  Faith, Belief, Loyalty and Love.

Ahh, genealogy.  Love lives and the past speaks leaving me wordless.

©2016 ASEldredge

Family Friends Friday: Oh My! Another Cubbage in the Cupboard

Oh my goodness.

Ever have to urge to clear out an old cupboard to see what is hidden away?  I did so today, and much to my surprise, found a blog on Cubbage Genealogy.

My goodness.  It's a name one doesn't typically see in a day, that is, unless you look at my family tree.

To make it all sweet and short:

James CUBBAGE (1777-1854) married the lovely Jane GILFILLIAN (1782-1861).  One would suspect the knot was tied in Allegheny Co, PA and one would suspect it was done by the Presbyterian minister from the (what is now called) the Mt Lebanon UP Church. 

How can I say that?

Jane's father, Alexander GILFILLIAN was prominent in the old church and a resident of the neighborhood.  Oh yes, he was also a close friend to my HENRY and GLENN families.

James CUBBAGE (1777-1854), son of John CUBBAGE and his wife, Martha, was also known to the family as a member of the old church.

Of course, one of the final clues is that they are buried in the old St. Clair Cemetery, fondly known as my family cemetery.  Before 1858, one had to be a member of the church in order to be buried there.  The church did not open up burials to the public until 1858, and even then, most burials were from family members of those who are resting there.

In addition to many other children of John CUBBAGE and wife Martha is:

George CUBBAGE d. 1826 Robinson Twp, Allegheny, PA who married Nancy CALDWELL (1791-1883).  As Nancy is buried at Venice Presbyterian Church, Washington Co, PA, it is a theory George may not be there.  The church and its graveyard seems to have started around 1849, so it's a tad late for George.  To top it off, Nancy had remarried after the death of George.

To continue:
George and Nancy had seven children, one of whom is:

Sarah B CUBBAGE ( abt 1814-1851) Note:  She, too, is buried at the old St Clair Cemetery.  She married Jacob DOOLITTLE (1809-1891)  Note:  He is buried at Chartiers Cemetery, Allegheny, PA, with his second wife.

Jacob and Sarah had a daughter, Martha E DOOLITTLE (1842-1907) who married my 2nd cousin William James GLENN (1839-1908).  Read more on William James GLENN on my previous blog.

They also had another daughter who married in to the LEA family as did my great grandfather's sister.

So, there's plenty of CUBBAGE in my cupboard. Perhaps we can determine how the Cubbage Genealogy crowd connects with mine.

Ahhh, genealogy.  You never know what you can find hidden way back in the cupboard.



©2015 AS Eldredge

Thankful Thursday: Dreaming of Answers to Questions on the War of 1812

It's been a long hard road to where we are now.  Just think of how our ancestors lived in this frigid weather without benefit of the newscasters telling them how bad it was!

Seriously, the road our ancestors took was a hard one and I am so thankful for what they endured so I can sit in my toasty warm house and spend countless hours online looking for that elusive answer to the questions that swim around in my head.

I am still trying to determine what happened to those "St Clair Boys" of the War of 1812.  Someone suggested I spend some time on Fold3 where they just happen to have the pension files for those wonderful veterans of old.  Too bad for me as they only have the documents uploaded for the first 13 letters of the alphabet (that's "M" for those who have to count it out on their fingers.)  And to make it even more fun, most of them did not serve long enough to be eligible for pensions and then they had the nerve to die by 1820.

I know the St Clair Boys were under the command of James TURBETT so I went to see what I could see... and this is what I have found so far....

Muster Rolls of the Pennsylvania Volunteers in the War of 1812
Company commanded by Captain James TURBETT from St Clare Twp and attached to the 2nd Regiment of Infantry commanded by Lieut. Col. John Purvinse (PURVIANCE) commanded by Brigadier Gen'l Adamson TANEHILL of the 1st Brigade of PA Volunteers

Date of enlistment:  Sept 12, 1812
Time of engagement:  March 25, 1813
Discharged Dec 18, 1812

Marched to Meadville, the place of rendezvous  and march from Buffalo
Note: The troops marched to Meadville where they were put under the command of John PURVIANCE  of Butler, PA, in September.  Unfortunately, they were held in Meadville until November due to their firearms being defective. Can you imagine their frustration?  General Mead had sent the call out to the area to defend their state back in the late summer of 1812. These chaps volunteered and then sat for about 6 weeks or so doing nothing for the cause. More on this tomorrow.

James Turbett               Capt
George Cochran        Lieut
Nath'l Pearson            Insign
James Sibett            Sergt
Sam's Simmons        Sergt    deserted(Buffalo)
James Turner            Sergt    deserted(Buffalo)
Wm Ramsey            Sergt
Lewis McFarland        Corp'l
Chas Rigdon            Corp'l
Isaac Elliott            Corp'l
Ebenezer Pearson        Corp'l
John Maxwel            Privit
Arch'd Gilkeson        Privit
David Jewel            Privit
Thos Black            Privit
Jno Sinclear            Privit    deserted
Arch'd Allison            Privit
Thos Mathews        Privit    deserted
Jos Gooshorn            Privit
Wm Sinclear            Privit    deserted
Jno Turner                    deserted
David Kennedy
Wm McCleran (McClaren)
Nath'l Eastep (Eastop)
Geo Vonn
Jno McCallister                deserted
Hugh McKean
Thos Parker
Thos Henry
John Andrews                    deserted
Eben Kerr
Wm Cochran
Hugh Menis

Another source calls the group the Hunting Shirt Rifle Company. An 1873 affadavit of Samuel PEARSON, a younger brother of one of the men in TURBETT'S company recalled "At the time, there was much excitement about the War of 1812, and Nathaniel and his brother Ebenezer enlisted in the Hunting Shirt Rifle Company led by Captain James Turbett (1st Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia) shortly after Nathaniel's wedding. Samuel relates: "My mother & sisters filled a pretty large contract of making Linen Jackets and knapsacks for the Company. (I remember) the departure of the Co. for the seat of war. They passed my grandfather's house, and being at school a few rods distant, school was dismissed, and with the other scholars I ran and climbed upon a board fence to see the soldiers pass." Nathaniel, an Ensign, served a three-month term. His second child was named Oliver Hazard Perry Pearson in honor of the Battle of Lake Erie (1813) hero."

The pension file for Thomas (McMillan)  HENRY is boring at best, although it did provide a marriage date and location of his marriage.

War of 1812 Pension File
Svc: Capt James Torbett’s Co PA Militia
Enlisted Sept 25, 1812
Discharged Dec 31, 1812
Residences:
1850, 1855 Lawrence Co PA
1872 New Wilmington, Lawrence, PA
Maiden name of widow:  Eliza Clark
Marriage:  Jan 13, 1818 Burgettstown, Washington, PA
Death of Soldier:  Sept 15, 1873 New Wilmington, PA
Bounty Land:
77608 40 50
40971 120-55

In looking at the names of the roster, I know I am by blood related to three of them, marriage related to at least two, and am familiar with the families of a number of them.  Some of them are buried at my family cemetery (aka the old St Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.)

Ahhh, genealogy. So thankful for these men who volunteered to protect their homeland.

Sources:
Muster Rolls of the PA Volunteers: in the War of 1812-1814, edited by Thomas Lynch Montgomery, pg 729. https://books.google.com/books?id=uEQOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA730&lpg=PA730&dq=James+turbett+war+of+1812&source=bl&ots=a4dtBXedsZ&sig=bv_22WgJrLHwhmYAY37INpQhyRg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZFXvVLOGGePGsQTlvYBY&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=James%20turbett%20war%20of%201812&f=false
St Clair Cemetery Profile on Nathaniel P PEARSON http://www.stclaircemetery.com/view.php/page/Profile_Pearson
Fold3 1812 pension file on Thomas M HENRY
War of 1812, The Second Revolution by Rainier Chapter, NSDAR, pg 71, https://books.google.com/books?id=xM_AAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA71&lpg=PA71&dq=meadville+war+of+1812&source=bl&ots=Atc99_vEkI&sig=kR8oy2dcxfz2xnt3lryseAELKbk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=M17vVNW9Ja_ksATUjoHgBQ&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=meadville%20war%20of%201812&f=false

©2015 ASEldredge