Tombstone Tuesday - 20 July 2010 - Abram Freeman

Abram Freeman, b: about 1825, Jefferson County, New York; d: 21 July 1880 (130 years ago tomorrow), buried in Pine Plains Cemetery, Clay, Onondaga, New York

He was my great-great-granduncle. He and his wife Bonney (AKA Elizabeth, AKA Betsy) had 8 children; the first 2 were the subject of a song I wrote a few years ago - they died as children and were buried in Freeman Cemetery in Jefferson County, New York. Sometime after their death, Abram moved his family to Clay, Onondaga County, where he provided a home for his brother Isaac. The Freeman plot in Pine Plains Cemetery is the final resting place for a number of folks from that branch of the family.

Tombstone Tuesday - 29 June 2010 - John E. Freeman

John E. Freeman (my g-g-grandmother's half-brother) was born in July 1836 (1837, according to the tombstone, but probably in error) in Jefferson County, New York, and died 29 June 1914 (96 years ago today) in Chaumont, Jefferson, New York. He is believed to be buried here, in Brownville Cemetery, Brownville, Jefferson, New York, with his wife, Margaret Walrath (they were married in 1856 and had 4 children, only one - Carrie May - who lived to adulthood, marrying, first, ___ Peck and, second, Eugene Brown).

Problem: no death date is inscribed on John's headstone (but his obituary does say this is where he lies).

John E. Freeman was born on the family farm in the Freeman District, Morris Tract, Brownville, Jefferson, New York and worked his whole life as a farmer (according to census and obituary information).

Tombstone Tuesday - 11 May 2010, Marian Gallup Freeman, d: 12 May 1850

My g-g-g-g-grandmother's grave; cemetery: unknown (somewhere in Herkimer County, NY)

(photo: courtesy of Cora Preston Davis)

Marian Gallup, b: 4 May 1768 (probably in Rhode Island), d: 12 May 1850 (160 years ago tomorrow), Stark, Herkimer, New York
Daughter of Thomas Gallup and Jane Patterson
Wife of Isaac Freeman

Tombstone Tuesday - 30 March 2010 - Gorsline/Freeman

Gorsline monument, Mohawk Village Cemetery, German Flats, Herkimer, New York

William D. Gorsline (b: 9 April 1832, d: 30 March 1915, 95 years ago today)

Peter Freeman - my 3rd great-granduncle (b: 9 May 1812, Stark, Herkimer, New York; d: 19 November 1896, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts)

Helen Mesick , wife of Peter Freeman (b: 7 March 1816, d: 26 March 1888 - 122 years ago last week)


Mesick Thomas Freeman, son of Peter & Helen (Mesick) Freeman (b: 26 September 1842, d: 4 Dec 1855, 13 years of age)

Elizabeth Freeman, 1st wife of William D. Gorsline (b: 28 April 1838, d: 19 Jan 1881).

Florence/Flora Mills, 2nd wife of William D. Gorsline (b: abt 1860, d: 26 October 1884)

Wordless Wednesday - 10 March 2010

The Freeman farm today: Freeman District, Morris Tract, Penet Square, Brownville, Jefferson County, New York

Tombstone Tuesday - 9 March 2010

Gilderoy (aka Gilderove) Freeman (b: abt 1854; d: 10 March 1864, Jefferson County, New York), son of Abram Freeman and wife Eilzabeth (aka Bonney or Betsy);
buried next to his sister Isabelle:
Buried in Freeman Cemetery, Freeman District, Morris Tract, Penet Square, Jefferson County, New York.

Treasure Chest Thursday - 11 February 2010

The widow's application my g-g-grandmother, Irene Freeman Wilcox, made, listing her 13 Feb 1848 (appears to be 1828) marriage in Depotsville (should be Depauville), New York, to Nathan W. Wilcox, future Captain of Company K, Engineering Regiment of the West. This document got me their marriage record, identification of her maiden name, and additional information about where they lived. A treasure, to say the least.

Tombstone Tuesday - 2 Feb 2010 - Three more Freeman children

Three more FREEMAN children, sons and daughter of John E. FREEMAN and Margareth WALRATH:

Gardner, b: 1861, Jefferson County, New York; d: 1862, same location
Edward F., b: 1863, Jefferson County, New York; d: 1873, same location
Cora B., b: 1865, Jefferson County, New York; d: 1873, same location

All buried in the Brownville, Jefferson County Cemetery

Their fourth child was Carrie May, born 20 January 1869. She went on to marry Eugene H. BROWN on 30 August 1893. They had two daughters: Cora Belle and Helen M. BROWN (Cora became a school teacher in Jefferson County); neither daughter married, to the best of my knowledge. They and their parents are all interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Orleans, Jefferson, New York. I have no photos of their stones (yet).

I would love to hear from anyone who is doing the research on this family line. Carrie and her older siblings, listed on the tombstone above, are my 1st cousins, 3x removed.

Treasure Chest Thursday - 28 January 2010

The deed for the property, shown on the previous posts of the Freeman farm. It led me right to the location!

Wordless Wednesday - 27 January 2010

The larger portion of the map, showing the property of my g-g-g-grandfather, Edward Freeman, at the lower left corner, over the green/red border from Clayton, in Brownville.

Tombstone Tuesday - 26 January 2010, Isabelle Freeman (d: 26 Jan 1859)

Isabelle Freeman (my 1st cousin, 3x removed) was about 4 years old when she died on this date in 1859, 151 years ago today. She is buried in the family plot on the Freeman farm, Penet Square, Brownville, Jefferson County, New York. Her brother, Gilderoy/Gilderove rests beside her (their 2 stones are beneath the tree - almost dead center on the photo below).


Their parents and siblings relocated to Onondaga, New York around 1870, leaving the 2 children behind, though other family members still lived in the area. The graveyard (yellow circle) is situated on the property, as is seen in this copy of the area map (1855); Isabelle's grandfather was Edward Freeman (my g-g-g-grandfather), whose farm is marked (blue circle).


It is for these 2 children that I wrote my song "Two Small Stones."

Treasure Chest Thursday - 21 January 2010

This photo is identified on the back as "our sainted mother." Because my 2nd cousin received this photo and 2 others from the family of Katherine WILCOX IRELAND JOHNSON WEAVER (Aunt Kate), and it was Kate who had labeled this one and the other 2 (2 of her 3 daughters), we knew that this was her mother - Irene FREEMAN WILCOX (wife of Nathan W. WILCOX). It is the only photo of her that we are aware of. (Irene's grandfather was Isaac Freeman, whose tombstone and DAR patriot information were posted in the last 2 days.)

Irene's story is one I have told many times - she was born in New York (probably Jefferson County) in about 1829 and lived her earliest years in Herkimer County, New York with her maternal grandfather, Francis GUIWITS (her mother having died either in childbirth or very soon after Irene's birth). On the death of her grandfather, Irene and her two sisters returned to her father's custody (he had remarried by that time) and she spent her youth in Jefferson County on the family farm, across from which moved the WILCOX family, including oldest son Nathan. Irene and Nathan married in 1848 and relocated to Decatur, Van Buren County, Michigan by 1850. By the time the next census came out, they had moved again, this time to New London, Henry County, Iowa, where Nathan enlisted in the Engineering Regiment of the West out of Missouri and spent the years from 1861-1866 separated from his family. Irene and her children (she had had 5, but only 3 were alive by then) moved to Tennessee in 1866 and she lost another child shortly after their arrival. They moved around Tennessee a great deal, finally retiring to Nashville (by then another child had been born, in 1869). Nathan died in 1891 and Irene moved to Texas to live with her son Ed, dying there in 1893. She was buried in a now defunct cemetery and her remains were allegedly moved to what is called Pioneer Cemetery in Dallas.

Irene FREEMAN WILCOX moved over 1500 miles throughout her life. Having a copy of her photo is one of my treasures that I acquired through contact with part of the clan that had become estranged from my father's immediate family. In doing family history research, the cousin (and distant cousin) relationships are to be treasured and nurtured, no matter the reason behind family feuds and disagreements of earlier generations.

Wordless Wednesday - 20 January 2010

The DAR application information, referenced in yesterday's Tombstone Tuesday. I descend from Isaac's son Edward.

Tombstone Tuesday - 19 January 2010

My g-g-g-g-grandfather, Isaac FREEMAN, native of Holland, Revolutionary War soldier, b: 12 August 1755. Death date is in dispute: the tombstone says 9 January 1841, and that he was 82 (making him born in about 1759), but other records indicate his death as 1 January 1841, in Stark, Herkimer County, New York. Either way, it was 169 years ago this month. His burial location is unknown (I welcome any help on that). Photo from the DAR application of his g-granddaughter, Cora E. PRESTON DAVIS. His wife was Marion/Meriam GALLUP. While I have been unable to locate the tombstone for myself, I am grateful that Mrs. Davis has done so (I only wish that information - the cemetery - was included in the DAR application).

Tombstone Tuesday - 15 December 2009

Mesick Thomas Freeman (my 1st cousin, 4x removed), b: 26 September 1842, d: 4 December 1855; buried in Mohawk Village Cemetery, German Flats, Herkimer County, New York in the Freeman/Mesick/Gorsline plot ... tallest monument in the entire cemetery!

Treasure Chest Thursday - 10 December 2009

Bounty Land Deed issued to Susannah DILLENBECK KLOCK FREEMAN, widow of Edward FREEMAN (d: 24 Feb 1856), veteran of the War of 1812.

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.

Tombstone Tuesday - 24 November 2009

Pioneer Cemetery, Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Where graves were moved from Young Cemetery
Suspected to be the area where of the relocated grave of Irene Freeman Wilcox, died 28 November 1893 (116 years ago this coming Saturday), Dallas, Dallas, Texas
No stone remains to mark her final resting place