Tombstone Tuesday: What's Up With That One?

Last June when I went back East to see Mom and family, we all made Brother drive us to Magnolia, West Virginia, a long lost town now in the deep dark back woods. And I mean back woods! Here's the link to a post about our trip and visit to the old and still cherrished Cherry Orchard Cemetery: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/06/let-me-take-you-to-magnolia.html

There was an unusual, at least to me, tombstone there and here's a photo of it and a view of the Cherry Orchard Cemetery. As you can see, and I hope that I can correctly read, the inscription says in part, "OXWBLL, MCH 277, 1861." It could be a fragment, don't you think, with the left side missing...?

The mystery tombstone

Entrance to the Cheery Orchard Cemetery

In old and now gone Magnolia, West Virginia.

Last October I went again back East to see Mom and family and we took a ride west of the little town of Frostburg, Maryland where Mom lives to a roadside attraction called Penn Alps and Artisan Village. It's located right smack next to the Castleman River and the old historic Castleman River Bridge seen below. It's still a picturesque and historic bridge. 

(Photo from Wikipedia)



On the porch of one of the cottages was this tombstone in a similar style, I thought, as the Cherry Orchard Cemetery one. See what you think. These two tombstones are maybe 60 miles apart, as the crow flies and as best as I can tell, but this is mountainous country and the drive is at least 100 miles. The informational card says that the tombstone came from Salisbury, Pennsylvania and that moves the distance from the Cherry Orchard stone to at least 100 miles as the crow flies, and more driving especially depending on the depth of snow on the roads this time of year which - and I've personally seen this - can be over a man's head!

Tombstone and informational panel from the Penn Alps Village.

This is the only tombstone that bears any resemblance to the Cherry Orchard one I've ever seen, but then I don't really get around much. 

There are similarities and differences too. Here are my random observations:

* The 1818 stone is complete in regard the writing and the Cherry Orchard stone is a fragment.
* The style of inscription is different but both are freehand and not "professional" with straight lines and uniform lettering. 

* Taking the style from the Penn Alps stone as a guide to layout and placement of information, I'm guessing that the date of death might be March 27, 1861, and the double 77 following the 2 is a corrected error. Maybe, maybe not.

* I am clueless as to the OXWBLL on the Cherry Orchard stone. Is it a name or a place or none of the above? 

Am wondering if I'm trying to connect the dots and they don't belong together at all. That happens to me in an effort to seek meaning. Sometimes the dots just don't connect, don't belong together. 

May all your tombstones be easily identifiable and already on FindAGrave, with lots of bio information:)

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/01/tombstone-tuesday-whats-up-with-that-one.html 

Tombstone Tuesday

On to another Tombstone Tuesday, a challenge put out there by Geneabloggers at http://www.geneabloggers.com/ where they always offer fun and interesting daily blogging prompts. I jumped on board this train two weeks ago but couldn't follow through last week because of internet problems, which I won't bore you with:)

Again this week I'm back at the Cherry Orchard Cemetery in lovely and almost gone, Magnolia West Virginia, only accessible by dirt roads in pretty rough condition. It is on Find A Grave at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=77996&CScn=cherry+orchard&CScntry=4&CSst=52&
But as you can see, there are only four folks listed.

Mom went to Cherry Orchard Cemetery a number of years ago when she talked Dad into taking here there, and I really don't know how she pulled off that trick! On my last trip to see Mom she navigated us there while brother heroically drove. But for this Tombstone Tuesday, I'm working with Mom's old photos of the stones taken a number of years ago.

SNIDER, James, CO. C, 2nd MD. INF.
(1840 - 1861)

MANNING, John H. 1891 - 1945
MANNING, Missouri 1902 - 1979

SHAMBAUGH, Samuel A. 1854 - 1936

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/08/tombstone-tuesday_21.html

Tombstone Tuesday

Geneabloggers at http://www.geneabloggers.com/ offers genealogy bloggers daily prompts. I usually have some topic at hand but this morning thought it a nice idea to try for somewhat regular posting on Tuesdays of tombstone, thus joining their Tumbstone Tuesdays.

While visiting Mom last fall I copied over her album (physical) of photos she'd taken at cemeteries. While Dad was still alive and driving she'd always be after him to stop at some old cemetery or other all over Western Maryland, South Western Pennsylvania and of course that little pocket of West Virginia known as Preston and Morgan Counties. She has quite a collection and it's my thought that they are not doing anyone any good sitting in her album on a shelf. So here we go. And if you have any suggestions on how else I should share and handle these images please don't y'all be shy!

This grouping is from the Cherry Orchard Cemetery in Magnolia West Virginia. I'm guessing here but Mom must have taken them 10 or even 20 years ago. I say this because I've just been there the last time I visited Mom in June of this year and it looks different now, what with the passage of time.
See blog post: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/06/let-me-take-you-to-magnolia.html

SHAMBAUGH, Mary M., 1882 - 1969 and Samuel A. 1887 - 1932.

SHAMBAUGH, Elijah, 1820 - 1859

SHAMBAUGH, Orie

SHAMBAUGH, Marion A. "Ike", 1910 - 1991

 Here are two "Tombstone Mysteries" found at Cherry Orchard Cemetery. At least they are a total mystery to this newbie. I've never seen anything like them and don't know what to make of them and neither does Mom. Mom took these photos of them whenever she was there and I saw them in June and took photos of them too and I can tell you they look as depicted here! If you have a clue, please relieve us of our confusion!

 

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/08/tombstone-tuesday.html

Big Family Secret: Dunkers

Still considering myself a newbie to this genealogy stuff, and am imagining that will continue for years. I constantly feel as though I'm simply stumbling from thing to thing even though I do make lists that outline my research goals. But often as not, in following a line of inquiry there's a bit that demands my attention as though it's calling my name. Look here, it shouts. So I do. Then stumbling I go into a fact that shines a completely new light on a tiny branch of the family tree. Suddenly I feel that I understand what happened to the ancestors in a completely different way! Things start to make sense.

And so it was with the Samuel Albert House situation. This blog post is a continuation of one you'll find below, entitled "Big Family Secrets." Here's the link, if you want to catch up:
http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/06/big-family-secrets.html

Got thinking about the Biggerstaff family, especially after making contact with Cousin William through Ancestry.com Messages. Noticed that we share our 2nd GGF, SA House. He has a nice big tree in Members Public Trees and I messaged him about the SA House info he had there and the Biggerstaff line. He shared some web sites and other stuff.

As you seen in the previous post, Samuel Albert was illegitimate and every indication is that Isaac Biggerstaff was his father. But why didn't he marry Rebecca House, Samuel Albert's mother? Cousin William's info kept me thinking.

Can't even tell you how I got there but I found a web site about the Tarvin Family, and many thanks to them! Here's the link: http://www.tarvinfamily.org/ As you see, it's beautifully done and a wealth of information even if none of our people are Tarvins!

There are two links on the main page that caught my eye. First is the PDF of the book, "Allegheny Passage: Dunkards on the Cacapon." The description reads: "We have received permission to scan and re-publish a key reference work on the history of the Brethren religion in the western area of Maryland and Virginia. The chapter that contains references to Rev. George Tarvin's family is posted here online."

I looked at the PDF and found about a full page on the Biggerstaff family as well as mention of the Longstreth family, both Church members. William and Samuel are mentioned by name, William being Isaacs's GF and Samuel his father. It also mentioned William's will, with which I was recently familiar due to the good graces of Cousin William.

As you might note from the previous post, Isaac Biggerstaff married a Longstreth girl instead of Rebecca House, mother of Samuel Albert. Mystery solved: he was expected to marry within his faith. I copy the following from a wonderfully lucid presentation by Rev. George Tarvin in 1988 at a Tarvin family reunion.

Here's the link: http://www.tarvinfamily.org/brethren.php  I have taken the liberty to quote at length here and hope that it does not offend. It's of such importance that I can't help myself... and I'm forever grateful to the Tarvin Family for this text! The bolded portions have been added by me to emphasize the importance of marrying within the faith.

To more fully understand our ancestor, a person must first look at the history and doctrine of the Dunker Church. The German Baptist Brethren, called Dunkers, grew out of the Pietist movement of Germany in the late 17th century. The Church of the Brethren was officially organized at Schwartzenau in 1708 by Alexander Mack, a miller. There were eight original members baptized by triple immersion (hence the name Dunker) in the Elbe River. Their belief was to live as close to Bible teachings as possible. They found themselves a persecuted people and by 1719 the first group came by ship to Pennsylvania to seek a refuge where they could worship as they pleased. This first group settled in Germantown, now a part of Philadelphia. In 1729, Alexander Mack led the remainder of his group from their native Germany to America.
During these early years, several Brethren communities were founded in southeast Pennsylvania and two in Maryland. The Dunkers were progressive farmers and tried to live simply, hence they were invariably included among the so-called "plain people" of Pennsylvania. They were often on the frontier, locating in the mountains of Pennsylvania and Virginia, and later extending south to the Carolinas and Tennessee and west to Virginia and Ohio.
The Dunkers were one of the historic peace churches. Most Dunkers have been conscientious objectors to military service. On the frontier, this went as far as not carrying guns and being friends with the Indians.
Some of the distinguishing beliefs of the Brethren were (1) baptism by triple immersion, previously mentioned as the reason for being called Dunkers; (2) full communion service including a meal and a footwashing service; (3) "Fellowship of Believers" which in the early days meant marriage primarily within the membership of the church; and (4) simplicity, meaning to dress plainly and to avoid any extravagance in spending. There was no official church creed and the main emphasis was on living as close to the teachings of the New Testament as possible. It was said, "A Dunker's word is as good as his bond."
Their beliefs which set them apart, and especially their emphasis on marrying within the faith, led to a close-knit group with a tremendous number of intermarriages among the few well-known family names.

Now I'm adding score points to the theory that Issac might have married Rebecca had they been of the same faith.


Photo of the day from my Archive:

Elizabeth Longstreth Biggerstaff's stone,

Cherry Orchard Cemetery,

Magnolia (or what's left of it) WVa,

She was Isaac's wife.

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/07/big-family-secret-dunkers.html