This Week On My Family History Calendar

November 29~
   My paternal 6th Great Grandparents, Samuel Cook and Alice (Cook) Dargan (1753-?) were married on this day in 1771. They would be celebrating their 245th wedding anniversary. They were most likely married in the Sumter District area of South Carolina.

Nov. 30-

 Louvinia Blanche (Thames) Hudson (1886-1918), my paternal Great Grandmother, died 98 years ago. Blanche was 32 years old when she died a week after having her first child.  Her cause of death was due to "complications of childbirth". Blanche died at home in Clarendon County, South Carolina and was buried in Home Branch Cemetery.

Louvinia Blanche (Thames) Hudson
Headstone
Home Branch Cemetery
Clarendon County, South Carolina
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Blanche Hudson Tribute
The Manning Times
(Manning, South Carolina)
19 Dec. 1919 pg8

December 1~
    Beulah Mae (Price) Roberts (1897-1980), my maternal Great Grandmother, died 36 years ago in Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina at the age of 83. She is buried in Quaker Cemetery, Kershaw, South Carolina.

Beulah. Roberts
Headstone
Quaker Cemetery
Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Gold Star Mother
Beulah. Roberts
Gold Star Mother
Quaker Cemetery
Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina
©Cheri Hudson Passey

December 2~
    This day marks the 217 anniversary of the birth of my paternal 4th Great Grandfather. John Milton Dargan (1799-1847). He was born in Sumter District, South Carolina and was the son of John Dargan (1749-1817) and Mary (Strother) Dargan (1772-1822).


Are we kin? Need help with your research? Please contact me.

 Together we can find our people.

 Thanks so much for stopping by!

This Week On My Family History Calendar~

September 15-October 1

September. 27~
  Matilda C. Martin (?-1876), my paternal 3rd Great Grandmother died 140 years ago in Iredell County, North Carolina. She is buried in the Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina.

Matilda C. Martin
Headstone
Bethesda Presbyterian Cemetery
Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina

 September 29~
 My maternal Grandfather, Gilbert Ernest Roberts, Sr. died 71 years ago. He was killed in action on the island of Peleliu while serving in the Marines during WWII.  He is buried in Quaker Cemetery, Kershaw, Camden, South Carolina. 

Gilbert Ernest Roberts (1920-1944)

  Are we kin? Need help with your research? Please contact me.

 Together we can find our people.

 Thanks so much for stopping by!

                                

                                

Tombstone Tuesday~Thomas Jasper Williams-Leading Me To Family

 My Step-Grandfather Francis "Frank" Emerson Sullivan, Jr. (1923-2004) never knew much about his family since both of his parents died when he was a child. He was raised by his mother's Father and Step-Mother. By the time Frank was 19 they had also passed away. 
  Frank's parents are buried in Quaker Cemetery, Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina. His father's military headstone is on the right, not too far from the front gate, his mother's next to his in an unmarked grave. His Grandparents and other family members were not buried there, or so he believed.

 Visiting Quaker Cemetery is something done quite often as there are many of my family members buried there. On one visit, I again walked over to Frank's parents graves. Reflecting on the fact that I still hadn't found much about their ancestors, I silently said a prayer and out loud explained to them that they needed to help me find their people! The thought occurred to me that I had never walked around to see who was buried near them. 
Wouldn't you know, right in front of the Sullivan graves was the headstone for a Thomas J. Williams (1858-1938) and his wife Ella Taylor Williams (1867-1930). 

Thomas Jasper Williams
Headstone
Quaker Cemetery, Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina
@Cheri Hudson Passey

Williams. Frank's mother's maiden name was Williams! Was there a connection?

After a few weeks of searching for information on this newly found couple I discovered that yes, Thomas Jasper Williams was in fact the son of Frank's 3rd Great Grandfather!  The jury is still out as to whether Frank's Great Great Grandmother had his Grandfather out of wedlock or if she was a widow and the name of his Williams Great Great Grandfather is unknown. Either way, Thomas is related to Frank via his maternal Williams line. This information lead me back several generations to find a Civil War Hero and a new surname, Young, to research. 

I needed a little shove that day. I needed to be reminded of something I already knew. When doing cemetery research, always look for and record the information on the surrounding headstones.There may not seem to be a connection at the time, but cemeteries are like little communities. Often family, friends, and neighbors are buried close by.
 Was it Frank, his parents or Thomas himself? I'll never know, but I know that our ancestors want to be found and if we will let them, they will help us!

Have you discovered unknown ancestors while visiting a cemetery? Did you feel like you were being lead to them? I would love to hear your story!

Are we kin? Need help with your research? Please contact me.

Together we can find our people.

Thanks so much for stopping by!


  

This Week On My Family History Calendar

Sept. 27-Oct. 3

Sept. 27~

     

   Matilda C. Martin (?-1876), my paternal 3rd Great Grandmother died 139 years ago in Iredell County, North Carolina. She is buried in the Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina.

                                

Matilda C. Martin
Headstone
Bethesda Presbyterian Cemetery
Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina

Sept. 29~

  

  My maternal Grandfather, Gilbert Ernest Roberts, Sr. died 71 years ago. He was killed in action on the island of Peleliu while serving in the Marines during WWII.  He is buried in Quaker Cemetery, Kershaw, Camden, South Carolina. 

Gilbert Ernest Roberts (1920-1944)

Are we kin? Please contact me. Together we can find our people.

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

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


Are we kin? Please contact me. Together we can find our people.
Thanks so much for stopping by.




   
   

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

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,