Obituary: Myrtle Gilbert Schermerhorn, Revisited

Last time I showed the grave of my grand aunt Myrtle. In the picture below she is the oldest daughter, on the left. My grandpa Leon is the oldest boy, on the right. Of course I never knew her, but I am glad I caught this glimpse of her short life.

The following is from the 24 March 1921 Reed City paper, the Osceola County Herald, page 6
Obituary -MRS RILEY SCHERMERHORN
Myrtle Fay Gilbert, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Gilbert, was born in this vicinity August 17, 1898, and was married to Mr. Riley Schermerhorn of Hawkins May 2d, 1920.  The young couple established their home in flint and deceased lived there until the time of her death.
Deceased united with the Barton U.B. church eleven years ago and had been a faithful member. Besides the husband and parents, she leaves an infant babe, three sisters and two brothers, besides a host of friends.  Funeral services were held from the Baptist church Sunday afternoon, Rev Pegg officiating.
"Live true, dear soul, thru your sorrow,
Keep Christ as your Savior nearby.
Look upward, look onward each moment,
Reach Heaven your home yonder, on high
(line partially illegible "Once began"?) each word, each action
Will mold your future abode,
God's love over all overshadows
Though 'tis as yet not understood."

This was also on page 6.
CARD OF THANKS
We wish to express our heart-felt thanks to the friends and neighbors who so kindly assisted us during the illness and death of our darling wife and daughter.  Especially do we thank those who sent flowers and furnished cars.
Riley Schermerhorn and son, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Gilbert and Family

Tombstone Tuesday--Myrtle Gilbert Schermerhorn

 The line of stones that I have talked about before, with my great- and great-great-grandparents.  Those darn flat stones that are sunk level with the surrounding ground.  The fifth in the row of five stones belong to older sister of my grandpa Leon. 
Myrtle Fay Gilbert married Riley Schermerhorn in 1920 and died in 1920 giving birth to her son.  Her son, although he lived near Lansing, would still visit her grave in Chase, Michigan.  I often found flowers when I would visit the grave in the summertime.  I think her stone is still clear because both her son and I would clear it off on our visits.

In this family photo Grand Aunt Myrtle is the tallest child, pictured with her siblings and my Great-Grandpa Roy and GGrandma Ada.  My grandpa Leon is the tallest boy in the middle. Uncle Harry is still in skirts in Grandma's arms. Also picture here are Aunt Goldie in back left, and Aunt Nellie in front between GGrandpa Roy and Grandpa Leon.  Aunt Dorothy was still a "gleam in her father's eye."

I must close with this bit of family legend.  I heard from one of my family members, (unfortunately I didn't write down who--bad me!) that she died in childbirth only because the only doctor available was a veterinarian who "butchered"  After this, the townspeople ran him out of town. 

Tombstone Tuesday--Great Great Great Grandpa Jacob Gilbert

The stone below, located in a Chester township, Ottawa county, Michigan cemetery.
Not much information is it?
I can tell only by the death date given here, and by all the Gilberts that surround him.

Many of his children are here, as well ast this large family stone.  I didn't record the exact location, but I believe that is his stone the the left of this pink granite one.

What I found funny was that although all the information of his wife Sarah is complete, the death information for Jacob has been left off the large stone.  Perhaps he died after putting this monument on the plot.  And after he died, no one updated the large stone, but just provided the small one with the death information. 
Don't these ancestors just drive you crazy sometimes?

Tombestone Tuesday: Cemetery Frustrations

One of things I find frustrating are buried and broken stones. 
Chief among these types of stones are my whole row of Gilbert family stones in Chase Cemetery, Lake County, Michigan.
Below is the second in line.  I have mentioned before, I think my frustrations with them.  To begin with, the stones for GGgrandpa Armenus and GGgranndma Adelia have no names.  Just dates with the inscription Mother (shown here--you will have to trust me.) and Father.  And as is the case through Ggrandpa Roy and Ggrandma Ada, and their oldest daughter Myrtle, they all have stones that a flush with the ground.  This picture shows what I have to contend with.  Being flush they get buried very easily.

Every year that I can get here, I have to brush back leaves, and try to trowel back the dirt that has started to bury the stones.  I skipped a year and the next year I was there, I couldn't find them.  So I must get there this spring and spend some time there digging them out.
This second stone is of the broken variety.
Very faintly it says wife of Oscar Averill.  The transcript for the cemetery says Oscar and leaves out the "wife of" part.  I was quite dismayed when I went looking for Oscar. 

 For a while I wondered if the stone for Minerva was the top half, but then I poked around the cemetery a little more.

 And there on this newer obelisk style stone for the Averill family was Minerva.

 

But on closer inspection....  No luck there either.  

Since Michael is, I believe Oscar's brother, I must continue to look.  And besides, I later found that Oscar's wife was Sarah, and no stone around there says Sarah.  
The search goes on.

Tombstone Tuesday--Some Family Granite

A visit today to some of the family granite.  This time, it is the stones that drive me crazy.

In a lovely cemetery just north of Newaygo County, lie my Great-, and Great-great-grandparents.  The GGgrandpa was the first ancestor that I discovered when I began researching my mothers side of the family.  He was a Civil War veteran and according to my uncle, his son (my Great-grandpa) used to call him the Old Gent.

Quite distinguished, huh? 
 Anyway, the Gilbert stone shown above faces North and arranged behind them are the stones for the Old Gent and his wife, son and his wife, and a grandddaughter.  Almost all other large stones in the cemetery face East or West. 
Now, you would think that a stone that big would be easy to find, but for some reason, even though this is a fairly small cemetery, on many of my trips here, I search and search, and sometimes still do not find it.  Or the individual stones behind it.
These stones give a hint of while the individual stones are hard to find

 This picture of Roy's stone, and that of Ada below were taken in 2004.  I had come with my cousin and armed with a trowel, we had dug the sod away, exposing the pink granite that had been covered all five of the small stones. 

Those picture were taken just 14 months after the pictures shown below.  I had no trowel that day in 2003, and the stones were simply cleared as best as I could with no tools. 

The sod was encroaching, but the names were visible, if not the edges of the stones.

The stone of their daughter, Myrtle Schermerhorn I barely touched.  I knew that there were living descendants of hers, and while I cleaned, I didn't want to disturb too much. You can see here though, that the sod is covering nearly all of the pink polished border.

 

I would like to add that these stones are the most frustrating of my family.  Besides the simple act of trying to find them (and last time I stopped there, I could not find any of my Gilberts, even if close to other family). I hate the fact that they keep getting buried by sod.
And I want to add, my family have all been strictly warned, I want a stone that stands above the surface when I go,  Not one of these flush to the ground vanishing stones.
No vanishing stone for me!

Obituary--Gilbert Samis

This is the articles concerning the death of my first cousin, twice removed, Gilbert Samis. When I was doing research in a small town north of where I live, looking for my great-grandparents graves I found an article about the Gilbert Samis VFW post.
To say it was a surprise was an understatement. I have both Gilberts and Samis's in my family, and I had been looking for both sets of relatives. We just HAD to be related. In digging around I discovered that Gilbert's mother, Sadie (or Sarah) Gilbert was my great-grandfather's sister. His father was my great-grandmother's brother James Francis Samis.
Here he is below, on the right. Handsome young man.
From Reed City Clarion, 5 December 1918, page 1.

GILBERT SAMIS WOUNDED OCT. 2 AND PASSED AWAY OCT. 28.
-------------
SAW SERVICE IN MEXICO---WAS IN THE THICKEST OF FIGHTING IN FRANCE
--------------Though the war has been over three weeks yet the list of casualties show contributions for this community to the fight for democracy. Gilbert Samis has been numbered among those giving his life, word having been received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Samis, last week that Gilbert had died October 28.
Gilbert A. Samis was born in Lake county May 13, 1987 and attended the rural schools until coming to Reed City with his family in 1909 when he attended high school for a time. For two years he was in Park Lane, taking the examinations at the Marion schools.
When trouble broke out with Mexico Gilbert enlisted, joining the Big Rapids Co H. 126th Inf. 32nd Division on June 20, 1916. He spent many do this loses the magic of compound months on the border. After receiving an honorable discharge the soldier returned to Reed City and went into the restaurant business with his father. However, he still felt the call to the colors and again enlisted and went overseas last February. He went through the battle at Chateau Thierry, was wounded, recovered and returned to his ranks. He received wound in the fighting at Arogonne Forest on October 2 and on the 28th day of that month passed away, dying like a martyr as thousands of others have done on the fields of France.
Gilbert was of a disposition that brought cheer to his parents and sisters, Edna, Beatrice and Blanche and he will be greatly missed by them as well as by his many friends.
Deceased was a member of the Fraternal Ranks Lodge and was also associated with the Baptist church.
The golden gates are opened wide.
A gentle voice said come.
And angel from the other side
Welcomed our loved one home.
The VFW Post in Reed City is named after Gilbert Samis.

See? I told you about the VFW Post. I found the second picture of him with one of these articles.
How sad it is that even though the Armistice was signed earlier, soldiers were still dying weeks later.

REED CITY MICHIGAN, Clarion, January 1919

GILBERT A. SAMIS
---------
REMAINS OF OVERSEAS
SOLDIER BROUGHT TO
REED CITY FRIDAY
-----------
MILITARY FUNERAL SUN.
-----------
COMRADES OF FALLEN HERO
AID IN LAST RITES--BURIAL
AT WOODLAWN
----------
The remains of Private 1st Class Gilbert A. Samis, who lost his life overseas, accompanied by a government escort from Hoboken, N.J., arrived in Reed City, Friday, Jan. 9, and by request was taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. S. Wolfe.
Funeral services were preached by Rev. Hiram Pegg at the Baptist Church Sunday afternoon.
Military services held at the grave under the auspices of Harry Kunzie Post, Big Rapids, and directed by Major McCormick. Prayer by Chaplin Darrow. These being members of the company in which Gilbert served overseas. Taps were sounded at the grave.
Private Gilbert A. Samis was born in Lake county, Mich. May 13, 1897, and was wounded in action in Meuse-Argonne, France, Oct. 2 1918. He was taken to Base Hospital No. 67 and died from his wounds Oct. 28, 1918. He was one of the first Reed City boys to make the supreme sacrifice in a foreign land, in defense of the stars and stripes in the Great World War.
Gilbert volunteered his service to his country and enlisted June 20, 1916, with Co. H Old National Guards, at Big Rapids, serving on the Mexican border. He was later transferred to Co. I. 126th Infantry, U.S. army, and sailed in February 1917 with the 32nd division.
He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Samis, and two sisters, Mrs. Luther Joyner and Blanche, all of Detroit, besides other relatives many of whom were in attendance at the funeral. Interment was in Woodland cemetery.
The following ex-soldiers acted as pall bearers; Royal Gingrich, Gordon Roggow, Lyle Pickett, William Torrey, Vance Dailey, Lynn Luce, William Small, and Charles Rowe.
Those attending the funeral from out of town were Mr. and Mrs. A. Gilbert of Casnovia, Mrs. James Samis of Lansing, Mr. and Mrs. James Dark and Mr. and Mrs. Milan King and son of Kalamazoo, and Mr. and Mrs. Gilman Stone of Hersey.

I have done enough research in the Chase/Reed City area that now many of the pall bearer's names seem familiar. And I can identifiy nearly all of those who attended the funeral. My Civil War GGgrandfather Armenus Gilbert, my GGgrandmother Sarah Smith Samis, and other family members.
Truly obituaries, although sad they may be are still gold mines for genealogists.

Tombstone Tuesday--East Hesperia

As you may guess, it has been a busy week, but a post will be forthcoming about Saturday's Genealogy conference.

But today, I am posting pictures of East Hesperia Cemetery. This is my hometown, and my parents and maternal grandparents rest here. There is also a West Hesperia Cemetery, across the main street of town, in the adjoining county. Fun time for finding records when the town is split between 2 counties.

There are a wide variety of stones and monuments. Like many of the area cemeteries, there are the "tree stump" memorials like this one that I like so much.

The name on this monument is Britton. There are many large and elaborate stones in this cemetery, as well as the more subdued ones.

This stone and marker lean against a much larger one. The worn marble slab beside the GAR marker are so close to the large monument, I am sure they must be the same family or person. But the slab is very worn and nothing is legible.

I don't believe I have ever seen a stone of this shape. The child died at the age of 7 months and 12 days. At least in the picture, there are not family stones nearby.

There are stones showing so much of the death symbols that are so prevalent on older stones. This stone for Jennie Eldridge shows the pall cloth draped over the stone and the tassels at each corner.

This stone, for Dora M Maynard who died in 1881 at the age of 21, shows the clasped hands. I am unable to tell if they are a man's and women's hand. Given her age, it is possible, as that would stand for the man saying farewell to his wife.

Again with the bushes! Someone has to tell people, don't plant shrubs in front of the stones. They do grow up you know. This stone has an open book on the top, probably symbolizing the Word of God, or book of knowledge. Without being able to see if there is a scripture verse on the top it is hard to tell.

As I mentioned I have parents and grandparents buried here. There is a couple of rather new areas, as well as the large older area. The stones are varied. One stone of a young farmer who died often has small toy tractors as a memory of the life he lived. Another more recent has a ornate monument that resembles the twin towers of the former Trade Center. They do help in locating other stones, as they are quite prominent.

Basics for Good Obit Writing

I picked out the obituary here as simply the first one I grabbed from my family files.
I am not saying it is perfect, but there are some good points here that should always be included. Now keep in mind that this is not current, but the basics are the same.
1--Give the date of death. They almost have it here. No year is listed, but given her birth date and age at death, you can figure it was 1927.
2--Give place of death. Helps in finding death certificates for later generations.
3--Give date and place of birth if known. I realize you may not always know them for some next of kin, but it helps if you find out.
4--List parents names, if known. If they are your parents or grandparents, you better know them.
5--If married, give spouse's name, and when and where married if known.
6--Names of survivors. Try to get the names of children, and possibly grand children if not too many. Also nice to list surviving brothers and sisters. Not necessary to list pets, or favorite cars. Listing a special friend of Trixie or Bambi for your elderly grandfather could have more distant relatives asking questions that can't be answered in later years.
7--If deceased was known by nickname that can be listed in quotations marks. "Bob" for Robert may be obvious, but if Francis was commonly know as "Freddy" some people may not even realize whose obituary it is!
8--It seems not many people are being interned now days, at least from the obituaries I have been typing up for our data base. But, if so, list the cemetery. Or state if just cremated. It could save descendants searching cemetery after cemetery if it states Uncle Potsie was scattered over Lake Michigan.
9--If the deceased served in the military, or some other notable service--be sure to mention it. Other items from personal history could be profession, public service work, and societies person was involved in.
If you are lucky to live in area like we do where the local paper publishes obituaries for free, don't go too crazy, but list the facts and try to make it easy for future genealogists.

The Thrill of the Hunt

One of the best things about genealogy has got to be the excitement of finding an unknown ancestor. I know when I made my first discovery that gave me the name of my Great-grandpa’s father I was thrilled. Before this, none of my family members could tell me anything. The oldest family members on that branch were an uncle and aunt. The aunt had Alzheimers and would say anything I wanted to hear. My uncle, the oldest sibling, was unable to do much better.

However, once I came up with a name, the uncle opened up with pictures of his own. Although he only knew this ancestor as “the Old Gent,” which was what my great-grandfather called him, he was able to tell me a little, including where he was buried.

Now GGGrandpa Armenus is my pride and joy. He was not only my first discovery, but also my first confirmed Civil War vet. Through his name I was able to contact distant cousins who generously shared more information and pictures.

It was exciting to make this first step and start learning about this whole branch of ancestors and put names, and occasionally faces to them. A young girl captured by Indians and later ransomed, who married and then ran off with another man—who was my ancestor. A young man who bravely served in the Spanish-American war and later was killed in France at the end of World War I. The 3 successive generations who lived to be 90, and the families who lost small children.

My family.

Intro to Me

I’m Linda, the quiet and shy snow-loving member of our twosome. I’m married to a farmer who has never lived more than half a mile from where we now live. I have two grown sons, both farmers through and through. While I have moved around some, I have stayed in the West Michigan area all my life. My love of family history began with my grandmother telling me stories of how we were related to Ethan Allen (un-proven as yet) and how Gerald Ford used to attend our Ford family reunions as a child. Much work had been done on my father’s family history, so my first breakthrough came when I discovered my first Civil War ancestor on my mother’s side. It has been an exciting quest to dig into the Allen, Ford, Cross, Samis, Gilbert, Cunningham, Wells, Stiver, Hagen, and Walsworth lines. (Just to name a few.)
One of my biggest college regrets was that I decided not to pursue a history minor. Digging into the family history as well as the area history has been never-ending and rewarding adventure.