Obituary: Peres Miner Picket

At first glance this appears to be a reprint from an Newaygo paper.  But the date in the byline makes it look like the original article was dated March 28.  That would hardly give time for it to appear in a March Indicator.   But the obituary itself is still important, as it marks the passing of the old guard.  It is especially my own G.A.R. ancestor died a few years later.  While I have seen a hard copy of his obituary, in the Reed City Clarion, I have not been able to obtain a copy.  Hopefully this obituary will be of use to his descendents.
From an unidentified Fremont Times Indicator from March or April of 1933:

LAST G.A.R. MAN DIES AT NEWAYGO
PERES MINER PICKETT, 90, WAS SOLE SURVIVOR OF SAMUEL JUD POST
Newaygo, March 28.--Peres Miner Picket, born in New York state on Jan. 30, 1843, died at his home here Monday at the age of 90.  Mr. Pickett came to Michigan at the age of 9 and lived in Eaton county for a short time, then came to Newaygo at the age of 16 and lived in this vicinity or maintained his home here for 74 years.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. Pickett, then 18 years old said he was 21 as many did and enlisted in the Second Michigan calvary.  He was wounded and on recovering attempted to enlist again but found himself barred on account of his former service.  He attempted it again, this time under a different name, without divulging his former enlistment and served three years more.
In 1865 Mr. Pickett married Miss Ellen Platt who died here in 1915 and in 1918 he married Bilinda Shineldocker.
Mr Pickett was an active member of the Samuel Judd G. A. R.  post which once had a large membership here.  He was the last survivor and to him was given the colors to carry on to the end.  This flag will be used to drape his casket and then returned to his family.
for many years after the war, Mr. Pickett was occupied as a mason and a carpenter.  He is survived by the widow, one daughter, Mrs. Flora Burnes of Newaygo; two sons, Ed of Grand Rapids and Roy of Newaygo.
Funeral services will be held at the Newaygo congregational church Wednesday at 2 p. m.  Burial in the Newaygo cemetery.

I find it touching that the flag from the chapter was used on his casket and that it was then the property of the family.  And on a side note, what did that enlisting under another name do to his pension records?  Nothing like using an assumed name to mess with the genealogists' mind.  Especially as they did not mention here what that name was. 

Tombstone Tuesday--Peter and Mary Wells

I wanted to share to the stone of my maternal great-great grandparents, located in the Copemish Cemetery. 
It was one of my finds when cemetery hopping with my cousin.  We found the Stiver branch as soon as we drove in on the right hand side of the drive.  After that serendipitous start, we covered the entire right side rows of the cemetery with no luck. 

We continued to circle the small older cemetery, working methodically.  As we neared the end, we were in despair that with the day getting late, we may have to start in the newer cemetery, across the road.  Just as we were almost done with that side of the road, as the sprinkles started, we found them.
GGreat Grandpa Peter Delos Wells and GGrandma Mary Jane Nolf were married in April 1871 and their oldest son Calvin Wells is my ancestor.  This nice stone is simple, yet nicely shaped and in fairly good condition.  The main problem is the lichens, which plagued many of the stones there.
Just down the row from them, next to the road, were Mary Jane's family the Nolfs.  Unfortunately, by that time the sprinkles were a bit much, and the picture was rather waterspotted.  But it is always so fun to find ancestors. 
Even if they do like to hide as long as possible.

Obituary--Mrs. John J (GertrudeVanderPloeg) Oosting

In many ways, this obituary is typical of many area obituaries of this time.  Born in the Netherlands, a member of First Reformed Church, and even the so common blatant typo/editorial mess-up.  But in this one, a little more is given about her.  Her maiden name and brief biography, that are so often missing, are told here.  It is refreshing to see a detailed yet unembellished obituary.
From the 20 February 1930 Fremont Times Indicator.

MRS. J. OOSTING, 88, PASSES AWAY.
FUNERAL SERVICE THIS AFTERNOON AT FIRST REFORMED CHURCH
 Mrs. John . Oosting died Monday night at her home on Decker Ave at the age of 88 years.  She fell and dislocated her hip and broke a limb about two years ago and had been in ill health since that time.
Mrs .Oosting is survived by her (this is the mess-up I spoke of, the line is repeated in the proper place below.) was Gertrude VanderPloeg, was born in the Netherlands October 12, 1841 and was married when she was 24 years of age to John J. Oosting.  Nine days after their marriage they left for America and settled in Muskegon where they lived until 1886 when they moved to Fremont and took up farming a mile south and a quarter mile east of Fremont.  They lived there until 1903.  They then moved to Fremont and have since made their home in the city. 
She was a member of the First Reformed church.
Mrs. Oosting is survived by her husband, one daughter, Mrs. C. J. Appel of Grand Rapids and four sons, Peter, Jacob, Corneil, and John all of Fremont.  Two sons died in infancy.
The funeral service will be held this afternoon at 1:30 from the home and 2:00 from the First Reformed church, East Main St. the pastor, Rev, Wm. Rottschaefer, officiating.  Interment will be in Maple Grove cemetery. 

Just a simple little obituary. 
And one other item that is a sign of the times.  That simple sentence: Two sons died in infancy.  Those were simpler times to be sure, but also more fraught with heartache and danger.