Wordless Wednesday - 9 December 2009

great-great-grandmother, Irene FREEMAN (b: ca. 1829, probably Jefferson County, New York; d: 28 Nov 1893, Dallas, Dallas, Texas), wife of Nathan W. WILCOX (m: 13 Feb 1848, Depauville, Jefferson, New York); daughter of Edward FREEMAN and Regina GUIWITS.

Tombstone Tuesday, 8 Dec 2009 - The Mysterious Deaths of Three Freemans

Francis Freeman (my g-g-granduncle) & his wife Mary Jane had six children. The oldest three were George E. (b: 1 Jan 1841), Charles W. (b: Jan 1843), and Steward E. (b: 2 Sep 1844). The oldest, George, signed up for Company F in the 10th New York (presumed Cavalry since the 10th Infantry was a Zouave unit out of New York City and the Cavalry unit was organized in Elmira and Buffalo, closer to where George lived in Jefferson County); apparently he never got to muster in. These 3 young men died as follows:


George: 11 Dec 1861


Charles: 10 Dec 1861


Steward: 13 Dec 1861


The cause of death is unknown. The family lived in the Brownville area, but the boys are all buried in Stone Mills Cemetery in Orleans, over 10 miles from the family farm, instead of one of the closer cemeteries. The stones are located in the plot also occupied by Susanna MOAK DILLENBECK and her husband Johann Baltus DILLENBECK. The Dillenbecks were the step-grandparents of the boys' father and had already died by the time the boys passed away. I suspect that the family had burial space, which is why the bodies were interred in that cemetery.


Years later, the boys' parents passed away and were buried in Dexter Cemetery (near Brownville) in the Underwood/Freeman plot (the youngest daughter, Medora, married an Underwood). Also included were 3 memorial stones to the three young men who died back in 1861. Anyone who would examine the cemeteries of the county would be surprised to find these young men buried not once, but twice. I suspect the bodies still remain under the large tree in Stone Mills Cemetery with the Dillenbeck family.

Kreativ Blogger Award

I am humbled & pleased that I have been awarded

by a few good folks whose blogs I have enjoyed: Randy Seaver who writes "Genea-Musings" and Angela who writes "What was their Story."

According to the "rules" of the game, I need to list 7 things about me that my readers probably don't know and then pass on the award to 7 other bloggers whose work I believe deserves such recognition. So, here goes . . . what my readers probably don't know about me:

1 - I was listed in "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" back when I was an active professor, as well as some other similar publications regarding "Women in Communications," etc.

2 - I am the daughter of the late L. Roy Wilcox, a mathematician who was best known for his work in lattice theory and who taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology, but who did his earliest work as a PhD at the institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, working with Einstein and Von Neumann.

3 - I was a mediocre student in my early education (I'm dyslexic) and dropped out of college only to return to work on my BA, MA, & PhD degrees once I understood how to study and learn to love to learn.

4 - My 7th great-grandfather was John Conrad Weiser, also a direct ancestor of "Dear Myrtle," making her my something-th cousin.

5 - My 10th great-grandfather was John Gallop, who came to America in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet (he was also friends with Roger Williams, my husband's 7th great-grandfather)

6 - I have only one sibling - an older brother - and neither of us have any biological children; our parents were both only children so we have no uncles, aunts or first cousins and our Wilcox line, through Nathan W. Wilcox, ends (biologically) with us.

7 - My kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids are all courtesy of my husband and his 2 previous marriages; they are the best wedding gift he gave me and I cherish them all (to learn more about my family, check my website www.Hibben.org and click on "Groundhog Letter").

I have decided to recognize some blogs that my genealogy friends might not be aware of and some that have not already received this award; there are a lot of great genealogy blogs that deserve this recognition, but they've already received it so here are some you might not know about . . . The Seven blogs that I would like to recognize and encourage others to visit are:

1 - Folk Alley by the Folk Alley staff (this is an on-line music channel that plays some of the best selections in the field, many performed by new artists)

2 - The Word Detective by Evan Morris (not a blog in the traditional sense - he sends out quasi-regular emails to his subscribers and covers the origins of all sorts of words and phrases, one of my particularly favorite topics, as many know)

3 - It's Good to be Alive by Jack Rushton (he was one of my mentors at Santa Ana College, the LDS Institute, during my undergrad work; he suffered a life-changing accident and is now a quadriplegic whose views on life and how to make every moment count will give the reader pause)

4 - The Wright Graveyard Stew by Diane Wright, one of the Graveyard Rabbits (her love of all things cemetery makes her a true taphophile and she shares her experiences as well as her knowledge in a way that will cause you to want to rush right out and visit a cemetery, even if none of the occupants is a member of your family)

5 - Hot Coffee & Cool Jazz by Bobby Dobbins Title (she is the secretary of the Corona Genealogical Society and shares some interesting philosophical perspectives in her regular writings)

6 - Debbie's Weekly Wonders by Debbie McBrearty (this is primarily for San Diego residents, but gives a lot of great tips for saving money in activities and purchases in a time when everyone is feeling the pinch)

7 - Storycorps blog by the facilitators of the project of the same name (here is one way of preserving family stories for the future - it's a remarkable project and should be encouraged so we don't lose this element of history)

What do you do if you receive the Kreativ Blogger Award?

Like most blogger tags and awards, The Kreativ Blogger Award asks you to tell your blog readers a bit about yourself and then "pass it on" to other blogs. Specifically, write a post announcing that you have been named a Kreativ Blogger by The Family Curator. In your post, list seven things about you that your readers might not know, and then name and link to seven other blogs that you feel are worthy of the Kreativ Blogger Award. You don't have to tell why you are naming these particular blogs, but it is nice to know why they stand out in your book.

Congratulations, Kreativ Bloggers! Keep up the good work.

Family History Expo Countdown, Mesa, AZ

I've been added to the list of the

My dear friend Gena Philibert Ortega is also one of the bloggers of honor for the Mesa, AZ Family History Expo on 22-23 January 2010. Check her regular blogs by clicking on her name here and check out the other bloggers of honor by clicking on the image above.

Gena works for World Vital Records and edits their newsletter. Her website, Your Family History Research, includes information on her project of uniting people with their ancestors' artifacts gone astray, her fascinating book on The Cemeteries of the Eastern Sierra, her blog, her list of presentation topics, and her presentation calendar. If you have been fortunate enough to hear Gena speak, you know that her enthusiasm about Family History is contagious. Her knowledge of cemetery research, care of heirlooms, citing sources in your genealogy, finding female ancestors, and so much more makes her a much-requested presenter at genealogy societies and seminars.

I am in good company to be included in the Bloggers of Honor list with Gena and appreciate our friendship and professional association (she is the vice president of the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, in which I serve as president, and is also a regional director for the California State Genealogical Alliance).

Gena will be blogging about the Mesa Family History Expo in the coming weeks so check her blog, as well as this one, to learn more about what will be offered at this fabulous event happening just over a month from now.

"Tenting on the Old Camp Ground" & The Great Locomotive Chase

Last night I watched, for the first time (I'm embarrassed to admit) The Great Locomotive Chase. I have an early copy of the book on which the movie is based (written by William Pittenger, one of the participants of Andrews Raid); it's a true story of a group of Union soldiers stealing a Confederate locomotive and causing quite a disruption among the rebel troops that had to track down and retrieve the engine. After the Northerners were captured, they spent time in prison singing. Some of the old songs of the Civil War were performed (on both sides) by the actors in the film, but the one that struck me was "Tenting on the Old Campground." This song has lived long past the event of the War of the Rebellion. A friend of mine told me that, when she was a cub den leader, they sang a version of it (of course, they were speaking of a different type of campground; in the original song, the term "campground" refers to the areas where religious encampments would take place but had been turned into battlegrounds).

Years after the war, the song was reworked by James J. Clark for the reunion encampments of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic - the Union vets who gathered to lend support to each other for decades after the Civil War was older). My great-grandfather, John Adam Hollander, was one of those veterans and his songbook that they used in the encampments is one of my prized possessions. Here are the words of that song as sung by the members of the Milwaukee GAR Robert Chivas Post #2:

We're tenting tonight in places secure, Our toils and dangers o'er;
We're singing the songs of long ago, Of days that come no more.

chorus) Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,
Saddened though the strife long ceased;
Many are the hearts that are looking for the light
In Heaven's bright realms of peace.
Tenting tonight, tenting tonight, tenting on the old camp ground.

We're tenting tonight with no danger near, Our hearts beat glad and high;
And yet it brings a sadness now To think of days gone by. (chorus)

We're tenting tonight in joy and peace, Our comrades won this prize,
On freedom's alter offering up A costly sacrifice. (chorus)

We're tenting tonight, but the old camp ground, Deserted long and cold;
Like memory comes to us tonight, Mingling the new and old. (chorus)

We're tenting tonight on a new camp ground, The old one now is gone,
The new and the old we now entwine, In garland wreaths of song. (chorus)

Then here's to the old and the new camp ground, They both to us are dear,
Glad welcome to the new camp ground, The old one claims a tear. (chorus)

Let us drop a tear for the old camp ground, Where many heroes died;
Their deeds gave freedom to our land, Their names are sanctified. (chorus)

We're tenting tonight, may our campfires burn A strong and steady blaze;
While comrades make the welkin ring With songs of other days. (chorus)

If you wish to hear this version, I've recorded it on my CD "Songs of the War of the Rebellion." To read the original lyrics, check out this RootsWeb site. Ironically, the original song, written by Walter Kittredge, was published in 1864; the Great Locomotive Chase took place in 1862, so it was impossible for the prisoners to have known the song to sing it after their capture, but the drama of the song, sung by these men who were facing death, was a moving element of the movie. An MP3 of this song, performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is also available on the web (you can even get it as a ring tone for your cell phone!).

When I think of these men, who gathered at the post for regular meetings, I get a sense that they were more than comrades - they were brothers. They had shared some of the worst things that anyone could imagine and the only people who really understood were their fellow GAR members.

One of my mother's favorite stories was the one of the Great Locomotive chase . . . if you've never read it or seen the movie, it's worth the time. These men were the first to receive the Medal of Honor.

Treasure Chest Thursday - 3 December 2009

The passport for my great-great-grandparents, Ignatz & Maria Theresa (Knoetgen) Trapschuh for their 1849 trip to America on the whaling brig, William and Joseph. This lists the birth place of Ignatz - Hochpetsch, Bohemia.

They sailed on 13 February 1849 and the trip took until the end of March. The food ran out & they had to eat potato peelings. Great-grandmother told of seeing people who had died being thrown overboard, but in this family, everyone survived the trip.



All the children and birth years were listed on the back (my great-grandmother was Caroline). The youngest listed here, Gustav, always said he was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but this proves he was born in Austria (Bilin).


I am very grateful that my family threw nothing away. This is a prized possession!

Wordless Wednesday - 2 December 2009

Roy Edward, Alma Mae, Lee Alfred, and Nellie Elbert Wilcox -
children of Edward Everett WILCOX and Amanda E. WILLIFORD, Dallas, Dallas, Texas
ca. 1889