Tombstone Tuesday - March 23, 2010

John Densmore was born in Darlington, Ontario on November 8, 1839. He is the son of John and Clarissa (Blake) Densmore.  John  married Sarah Reynolds in Canada on June 18, 1856.  Between 1859 and 1861, John and his family came to the United States and settled in rural St Clair County near, Smith’s Creek, Michigan. John served in the Civil War in the Michigan 11th Infantry, Company K.  He enlisted as a Private on February 25, 1865 at the age of 26 in Jackson,  Michigan.  His ocupation was listed as Farmer on his enlistment papers. He mustered out on Septemeber 16, 1865 in Nashville, Tennessee.

He would after the War work for a time as a ship carpenter.  John died in Smith's Creek, Michigan and was buried in Smith's Cemetery.  Eventually his remains were moved to Woodlawn Cemetery to be buried next to his wife Sarah L. Densmore.

My Irish Roots

My Irish roots belong to the Densmores' and the McGoogans'.  Rather like the Hatfields' and the McCoys' without the fued.  On my Mother’s side the Irish roots come from the Densmore Family.

This photo is of the Charles Denmore Family of Marine City Michigan.

In the front row from left to right are: Mary Catherine, Mary Morgan (Hayner) , Harry Hayner, Charles S. holding Alan Glen, John Reynolds

In the second row, from left to right are: Jay Morgan, Elizabeth L., Charles Ray, Addie Jane , Dorothy S.

Addie Jane was my Grandmother. She was born in 1890. She died of breast cancer before I was born in April of 1955. Her Father , Charles is the son of John and Sarah (Reynolds) Densmore from Ontario, Canada. They had ten children, Elizabeth M (1857), William W.(1859) , George Elmer(1861),Alice V.(1863), Charles S. (1864), Effie M ( 1867)., Norman A. (1869), Delbert D.(1871), Worthy L (1873) , and Harvey R. (1882). John Jr. was born in 1839 in Darlington, Ontario. John’s father was John Denmore Sr. was born in Ireland in 1803. He left who came to Canada during the potato famine in Ireland. He married Clarissa Blake in Darlington, Ontario and they had 5 children, Nancy (1836), John Jr.(1839), William (1842), Mary(1843) and James (1850.

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On my Dad’s side of the Family I have a Great Great grandmother whose maiden name was McGoogan, Amanda McGoogan. Amanda was married to John Henry Crites. I have spoke about both these people several time before in my Blogs. They are a sweet couple that I have grown to cherish. I do not have a family photo of the Emma (Amanda) McGoogan's family which I can share with you but the photos that I have are of Emma (Amanda) after she was married.

John Crites(1845, Dessie Crites(1887), Amanda (1856) (Also known as Emma McGoogan) Crites, standing behind Cora Crites (1875)
 
 

 

This was always a favorite photo of Emma and John because he is looking so thoughtfully at her and not at the camera.  I have some information about this couple which indicate that there was a time when Emma was very sick.  I am suspecting that this is the time period in which this photo was taken.

And the last Photo is of their home in Uniondale, Indiana.

Just a sweet couple standing proudly outside their home. It is interesting that the deed to this house was in Emma's name only.  She purchased it after the death of her parents. I love the hosta blooming next to John.  It looks like a "Big Blue " to me.  Since it is blooming that would make this in late July or August probably.

I am happy to say that these are my known Irish roots!  Happy St Patty's Day and may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Love,

Jan

Tombstone Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday – March 16, 2010

It’s March and I am getting restless for some cemetery time…Been cooped up all winter with snow on the ground and bitter cold. Last week was the first 60 degree day and it looks like we might get a couple more this week so I think I NEED to take a cemetery trip this week…wonder where I should go?

This was my last cemetery trip last fall. Orvis - Sanborn Cemetery is located just inside the Illinois Wisconsin State line on James Road in Northern McHenry County. The Cemetery is situated in Chain of Lakes State park and is protected now. Descandants of the Sanborns or Orvis still take care of this cemetery

There are two John Sanborns buried in this small family cemetery. The center tombstone with the military Star marker is that of John Sanborn who died on Feb. 26, 1866.  The marker is a Civil War GAR marker which I will need to investigate. If John Sanborn died in 1866 (just after the Civil War)and he was 71 when he died, he could not have served in the Civil War when he was in his 70's... That would have meant he was born in 1795.  Born too late for the Revolutionary War, but he could have served  in the War of 1812. Interesting,  I will have to do some digging.  There is a bit of a write up about this cemetery and the Sanborn family on Findagrave.com. 

 John A Sanborn, XI who died in 1994 at the age of 65. Isn’t that interesting is seems to imply that their have been eleven John A Sanborn’s. I will have to see what I can find about that too.

Tombstone Tuesday - March 9, 2010

I would like you to meet John H Crites and Amanda (McGoogan) Crites. Amanda was known as Emma. They are my maternal Great Grandparent on my father's side.

I wish I could have given them a hug. I wish I had known them in the physical sense. I have become very fond of both of them. I am not exactly sure why. The search maybe, the fact that Grandpa Everett had photo’s of them maybe…. I can not be sure. Maybe because they are such a sweet looking couple. Maybe because I was able to find interesting day to day information about them from Melba. Grandpa John had a sweet tooth and chewed a bit of tobacco. Grandma Emma sewed. I hope she did it because she liked it, like me, not just because she had to….. Or that Grandpa did a lot of work to make money to pay for large doctor bills for Emma’s medical care. Wish I knew why she had been sick and what she had. Grandpa John chopped wood and sold it to pay her bills. Or maybe because she had hostas in her yard by her porch, just like me. All of these are good reasons even if they are not the right reason.

It took me some time to find where they were buried. The obit for Emma, said Clio, Michigan because that is where their oldest daughter lived. It became necessary at some point for them to go live with her. SO they did. But the cemetery showed no sigh of them being buried there. I wandered the cemetery several time looking…I looked near Alvin and Cora… I looked near Everett and Lillian….Eventually it took a visit to the Cemetery Office before I could find out exactly where their final resting place was. I could not find it because they had no gravestone. Cora must not have had enough money to buy them one. She, herself a widow, had remarried John Daly, but she did not work. She had no real money to speak of to call her own. So her parents had no gravestone. No obvious marker to tell where they were buried and acknowledge the fact that they had existed at all.

It made me feel sad. This cute couple which I had gotten to know through family documents, photos, census records, a Store ledger and a Doctors log had no gravestone. Nothing left in the world, other than records on paper, to prove that they had existed. I felt compelled to change that. I worked and I had a bit of money so I bought them one because I loved my Grandma Emma and Grandpa John. I want the next Grandchild who goes in search of this sweet couple to be able to find them. So today’s Tombstone Tuesday shows the tombstone of John H Crites and Amanda (McGoogan) Crites.

So I could finally hug them!

I love you Grandma Emma and Grandpa John!

Your Granddaughter, Jan