Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!

You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.
                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. 
Share by scrolling down and adding your story to the comments section or you may also put a link to a blog post telling about what had you dancing this week.

My Happy Dance moment this week:

Writing posts about our ancestors is one of the best ways to make contact with others who are seeking information about them. From time to time I receive a message from someone who found me via my blog and wants to connect. It happened again this week. An email came from someone who was helping with locating family members of the 504th Parachute Infantry Division who had served in WWII. My great uncle Edman George Roberts (1922-1943) was one of those men.
A photo collage was created using a photo of Edman to honor his service. Edman did not come home from the war but is still listed as Missing In Action. In addition to the photo, a jump will be held in his honor in a few weeks. His photo will then be placed on the wall of the plane along with others who have been so honored.
 The discovery lead me to a researcher who is looking into the company Edman was assigned to when he went missing, the story the family has told of his plane going down seems not to be true after all. Was Edman captured and held hostage? Time will tell as more research is done by those gathering information about the details of Company G.
My services have been requested to help find the descendants of other members of this company. Some made it home, but others like Edman are MIA.
As so many times before, family stories need to be researched and the truths pulled out of records that may be available.
A family mystery? Yep! That has me dancing this week!!

What had you dancing this week?
                                                                                 

                                                                                              Share your discovery!

                                                                                  
                                                                                         Let the dancing commence!

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Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!

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Helping you climb your family tree,

Quaker Cemetery~One of My Favorite Places

           

  As a genealogist, cemeteries are on the top of my list of favorite places. One of my favorite cemeteries is Quaker Cemetry in Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina. Not only is it a beautiful, historic burying ground, but it is the final resting place of many of my ancestors. 

Main Entrance to Quaker Cemetery

    The cemetery originally owned by early Quaker settlers of the Camden area.  Founded in 1759, Quaker Cemetery was bought by the city in 1914 and retained its historical name. Buried there are members of the early Quaker Church, Revolutionary, and Civil War soldiers as well as those from the World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam. Generations of the community have been interred in this peaceful place.

Roberts' Plot
Quaker Cemetery

    Historical markers are placed on several graves including those of my maternal Great Grandfather Gilbert Ernest Roberts, Sr. (1920-1944) and his brothers Wilbert Lewis Roberts (1918-1944) and Edman George Roberts (1922-1943). The brothers died as a result of combat in WWII.

  Some of the older graves are wonderful resources for genealogists. The stones were carved with information about the person buried along with family names and dates. Some even include the country of origin.

  Why would a cemetery be one of my favorite genealogy places? Family Connections. Those buried together in the same plot tell a story. Inscriptions on stones give clues to the lives of those long gone.

  Visiting the burial sites of my where my ancestors helps me to feel a connection to them. Memories of experiences and love shared with those I knew and a desire to learn more about those I didn't always fills me while I am there.

Learning about their GGMom & Frank
 Quaker Cemetery July 2015

     Recently, my daughter took her four children to visit the graves of their ancestors buried in Quaker. Sitting them on the wall that surrounds the graves of their Great Great Grandparent's, she told stories of the lives and memories of "GGMom and Frank". 
Azile Juanita Daughrity Roberts Sullivan (1921-2009) and Francis "Frank" Emerson Sullivan (1923-2004).

  Cemeteries are a great source of family history information and a source to the connect the generations. They can be a peaceful place to ponder and appreciate those who have gone before.

 Do you include cemeteries on your list of favorite places?

This blog post was written for Any Johnson Crow's  52 Ancestors Week 38 -Favorite Place


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The Roberts Brothers~Remembering on Memorial Day

  On this Memorial Day, my thoughts are as always on my maternal grandfather, Gilbert Ernest Roberts, and two of his brothers who lost their lives while serving in WWII.

Edmund, Gilbert, and Wilbert Roberts
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Edman George Roberts -Officially declared dead July 11, 1944
Gilbert Ernest Roberts - Killed in Action 29, Sept. 1944
Wilbert Lewis Roberts -Killed in Action 1 Oct. 1944

 Remembering their sacrifice for our freedom.

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Three Brothers-Three Telegrams: Remembering on Memorial Day

Telegram 1

Sent to my Grand Aunt Bertie Lee Roberts in August of 1944 letting her know that her brother Edman, who had been listed as Missing in Action, had now been declared dead.

Telegram 2

Sent on October 20, 1944, to my Grandmother Azile Daughrity Roberts informing her of the death of her husband, my Grandfather, Gilbert Roberts.

Telegram 3

Sent on October 20, 1944, by Bertie Lee Roberts to a friend letting her know that both of her brothers Gilbert and Wilbert had been killed.

In November of 1948, the remains of Gilbert and Wilbert were returned to their families. Edman's body was never recovered. A memorial service was held at Quaker Cemetery in Camden, SC for all three Roberts brothers.

Graveside service for Gilbert, Wilbert and Edman Roberts
November 1948
Quaker Cemetery, Camden, SC
© Cheri Hudson Passey

The Roberts' Family Plot
Quaker Cemetery
Camden, South Carolina
©Cheri Hudson Passey

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Helping you climb your family tree,