SUNDAY’S OBITUARY ~ Susan Burgess Gillespie–my maternal 2nd great grandmother (1841-1933)

My maternal 2nd great grandmother, Susan BURGESS was born 20 Nov 1840 in England (no specific location known).  She was the daughter of Henry Burgess (about 1812-before 1875) and Elizabeth GAYDON (1813-1884).  She had two known siblings, William and John.

Susan immigrated to the United States on 23 Dec 1862, with her husband Joseph GILLESPE, two infants, and her widowed mother, Elizabeth Gaydon Burgess. This is recorded in the book Passage to American, 1851-1869, page 68, a record of Passenger Agent, Richard Elliott. 

At the time of her immigration Susan was 22 yrs. old, her husband Joseph was 25, infant daughter Susie was 2 years old and her infant son Joseph, 9 months old.  Other than the reference in the book noted above, I have not located an immigration record. 

Susan and her husband Joseph went on to have two more children, born in Detroit. Elizabeth in 1865 and Louise in 1866. 

Susan became a widow on 26 May 1908, when Joseph died at age 71.  She lost her only son, William Henry Gillespie just 3 years later in 1911. He was only 49 years old and left a wife and 3 sons. 

Susan lived for 25 years after the death of Joseph and was 92 when she died.  I am fortunate to have several pictures of Susan. 

Left to right - Joseph & Susan Gillespie with their great granddaughter Dorothy Milne circa 1907, Susan and Joseph with their granddaughter, Irene Milne circa 1910 and photo on far right is Susan age late 80's-90 standing on the left, the young child is her great granddaughter, Betty Jane Roe, the woman with the little girl is someone named Aunt Sally and the woman standing on the right is Susan's daughter, Susie Gillespie Milne 

We each have 16 2nd great grandparents.  Of those, I have pictures of only 5.  I feel quite fortunate to have those.  Depending on your age, you may have more pictures of your 2nd great grandparents.

At the top of this post, you can see the page from the scrapbook where the information about Susan Gillespie’s death was kept all these years.  I visited her great granddaughter Betty Jane Roe in 2009 and she was kind enough to share many family photos and articles with me.

Here is Susan’s obituary and below that, my transcription.

Obituary for Mrs. Susan Gillespie - Detroit Free Press, page 5 - 10 Mar 1933

Funeral services for Mrs. Susan Gillespie, for 70 years a resident of Detroit, will be held Saturday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock in the Church of the Messiah, Lafayette Ave. and E. Grand Blvd.  Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

Mrs. Gillespie died Wednesday in the home of her daughter, Mrs. James Forsyth, at 1438 Helen Ave.  She was 92 years old.  Her husband, James [misprint, should be Joseph] died 25 years ago.  A son, William, formerly circulation manager of the Free Press, died 22 years ago.

Surviving are Mrs. Forsyth and two other daughters, Mrs. Clyde Smith of Detroit, and Mrs. James B. Verney, of Toronto.

I searched the Detroit Free Press for any articles that might have included Susan’s name.  Any societies she was a member of, teas or gatherings she attended etc.  I found none.  I have no idea about the details of Susan’s life.  What did she enjoy doing?  Who were her friends? 

I wish I had those answers.

If you are connected to anyone mentioned in this blog post, I’d love to hear from you.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks–Week #4–Elizabeth Gaydon Burgess–1813-1884–My 3rd great grandmother – this post is about Susan’s mother

SUNDAY’S OBITUARY ~ Elizabeth Gillespie Verney–my great grandaunt (1865-1948) – this is Susan’s daughter

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2021   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ My maternal 2nd great grandparents–Joseph Gillespie (1837-1908) and Susan Burgess (1841-1933)

Far left is Susan Gillespie, next to her Joseph Gillespie - the larger stone is their daughter, Louise Forsyth & her husband James F. Forsyth - the lone stone on the right is Susan Gillespie's mother, Elizabeth Gaydon Burgess (1813-1884) 

My maternal 2nd great grandparents were both born in Devonshire, England.  Joseph in Tiverton and Susan in Barnstaple. 

They immigrated to the United States in 1862 with their 2 infants, Susan (my great grandmother) and little William.

Joseph died at age 71 on 26 May 1908 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.  His death certificate states the cause of death as Dilation of the Heart.

Susan outlived him by 25 years.  She died of Myocarditis, on 8 Mar 1933 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan at age 91.

They are buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.  I’ve been to this cemetery a couple of times during my visits from California.  There are 32 members of my family at rest in this cemetery.

Here are the photos of their headstones

They are in Section O, Lot 53, Graves 14 & 15. 

You may visit their memorials here Joseph #21177918 and Susan #21177747.

If you are connected to this couple I’d love to hear from you.  Joseph had 9 brothers and a sister so there must be many descendants out there.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

I wrote about Susan’s mother here - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks–Week #4–Elizabeth Gaydon Burgess–1813-1884–My 3rd great grandmother

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks–Week #4–Elizabeth Gaydon Burgess–1813-1884–My 3rd great grandmother

Me visiting Elizabeth in 2007

Elizabeth Gaydon is my 3rd great grandmother.  She was born

30 Jan 1813 in Barnstaple, Devon, England. 

Her parents were Richard Gaydon and Mary Thomas

Here is the index for the baptismal record.  No image has been located.
Devon Baptisms
First name(s)    Eliza
Last name    Gaydon
Baptism year    1813
Birth year    1813
Birth date   30 Jan 1813
Father's first name    Richard
Father's occupation    Mason
Mother's first name    Mary
Baptism place    Barnstaple St Peter
Residence    Barnstaple
County    Devon
Record set    Devon Baptisms
Category    Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Record collection   Births & baptisms
Collections from    Great Britain

The next record I have for Elizabeth is her marriage to Henry Burgess on 14 Nov 1832 in Barnstaple, Devon, England.


NOTE:  I began looking for the marriage record of Elizabeth and Henry Burgess in July 2009.  At the time I did not know what Elizabeth’s maiden name was.  I found several records that were possible, but Henry Burgess is a common name and of course, so is Elizabeth.  I keep research notes in my Legacy database and I date each entry.  Here’s the entry from my notes when I located the marriage record and my conclusions as to why I believed it to be the correct one.  Keeping research notes is critical for us as we look for information on our ancestors
.
7/18/14 - I believe I have just located the correct marriage record on FindMyPast.co.uk.  I believe this based on the name of the groom - Henry Burgess, the place - Barnstaple, the county - Devon, the year of marriage is before the recorded birth year of the first child - 1832 and the bride's name is Elizabeth Gaydon - I have her name as Elizabeth Gaden from the death certificate of their daughter Susan.

Devon Marriages from FindMyPast website 
No image available
First name(s)  Henry
Last name  Burgess
Marriage year  1832
Marriage date   14 Nov 1832
Parish  Barnstaple
Place   Barnstaple
Spouse's first name(s  )Elizabeth
Spouse's last name  Gaydon
County    Devon
Record setDevon Marriages
CategoryBirth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Record collectionMarriages & divorces
Collections from    Great Britain

Henry & Elizabeth had 3 children that I know of – William Gayden Burgess born 27 Nov 1835, John born about 1837 (married Jane Browning) and my 2nd great grandmother, Susan born 20 Nov 1841 and lived to the age of 91.

I find Henry and Elizabeth enumerated in the 1851 and 1861 census in Tiverton, Devon, England.

Here’s the 1851 census.  From my post 2 weeks ago about Thomas Gillespie, you’ll note that Thomas and his family are living next door to the Burgess family.  Susan Burgess later married Joseph Gillespie.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE IN THIS POST, TO ENLARGE IT)


Here’s the Burgess family in the 1861 English census.  The children are out of the house, but I notice the same boarder that was with them in 1851, Charlotte Rudaway. I wonder if she is a relative?


Elizabeth is next found as the person who paid for her daughter Susan and husband Joseph Gillespie and their two children to come to the United States on 23 Dec 1862.
  
Source for this information came from a book I purchased titled Passage to America 1851-1869: The Record of Richard Elliott, Passenger Agent, Detroit, Michigan, by Mary Lou Straith Duncan  My family is listed on page 68.  This book was published by the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research c/o Burton Historical Collection.  The ISBN is 0-943112-22-2.  You can find the book here.  Scroll down to the 12th item on the page.

The transcript from page 68 gives the following information:
Date: 23 Dec 1862
No. 3120
By Whom Paid – Mrs. Elizabeth Burgess
Port of Departure – Liverpool
Destination – Detroit
Passenger’s Names – Joseph Gillespie, Susan Gillespie, 2 infts
Total cost – 56.00 (there is no notation as to what currency)

There are two Elizabeth Burgess’ listed on other pages in this book.  One is on page 64, item 3026, travel date 27 May 1862.  The other on page 113, item 4219, travel date 16 Aug 1866.  Could either one of these be our Elizabeth?  Since no ages or other identifying information is given, it’s difficult to determine.  I find no passenger records to go along with these dates.

In the 1880 census I find Elizabeth Burgess living with her daughter Susan and husband Joseph at 71 Jones St., Detroit, Michigan.

QUESTIONS: 

• When did Henry Burgess die?  I have looked on FindMyPast, Ancestry and Family Search for a death record and cannot find one.  Plenty of Henry Burgess’ but which one is the right one?
• When did Elizabeth Burgess come over to the U.S.?  Based on the information in the book referenced above, she did not travel with her daughter, Susan and family as only 2 adults are listed and paid for.  However, there are two other listing for Elizabeth Burgess in the book.  Could one of them be her?

I located the notice of Elizabeth’s funeral. This notice was published in the Detroit Free Press, Sunday, May 18, 1884, page 1.  It reads as follows:

“BURGESS – At the residence of her son-in-law, J. Gillespie, 71 Jones street, on Friday, May 18, at ___o’clock p.m, Mrs. Elizabeth Burgess, aged 70 years, after a long and painful illness.  The funeral will take place on Monday afternoon at ___o’clock from residence.  Friends of the family invited to attend.”

I don’t know what the “painful illness” was.  The death certificate I received from the State of Michigan is woefully lacking in detail.  I would like to see the actual register entry for her death and will look for it on my next visit to the Family History Library.



I was able to locate a copy of Elizabeth’s probate record.
 
Here is the cover of the will packet.


Here is the first page of the probate record and my transcription of it.

PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATOR

To the Hon. Edgar O. Durfee, Judge of Probate for the County of Wayne, in the State of Michigan:

            The Petition of Susan Gillespie who is the age of twenty-one years and upwards, of the County of Wayne of State of Michigan respectfully shows:

            That Elizabeth Burgess departed this life on Friday the Sixteenth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-four leaving her last Will and Testament, as your petitioner is informed and verily believes.

That said deceased was, at the time of her death, an inhabitant of the City of Detroit in said County of Wayne and State of Michigan that she was possessed of real and personal Estate, situate and being in the County of Wayne, to be administered, and that the estimated value thereof is the sum of One Thousand Dollars, or thereabout, of which Fifty Dollars is personal estate, as your petitioner is informed and verily believes.

            And your petitioner further shows that the names and residences of the heirs of law of said deceased, and other persons interested in said estate are as follows:

            Susan Gillespie, Detroit County Wayne Mich.

            William Burgess     “         “          “           “

            John Burgess         “         “          “           “

            Susan Milne           “         “          “           “

           

            Said Susan, William and John Burgess being children of said deceased and said Susan Milne being a grandchild of said deceased and lega__ under said will.

            Your petitioner therefore prays That said will which is placed on file for probate may be allowed and that admistration [misspelled on form] of said estate may be granted to Edwin F. Culver the _______________ named and that such other further order and proceedings may be had in the premises as may be required by the statues in such case made and provided.

            Dated May 21^st A.D. 1994

                                                                            Susan Gillespie (signature)

I was able to visit Elizabeth’s burial place in Detroit, when I went there in June 2007.  She is buried at Elmwood Cemetery near her daughter, Susan and son-in-law Joseph Gillespie.  The back of her headstone says “wife of Henry Burgess died May 16, 1884 aged 69 years.”

 

You can see the front of her headstone in the picture at the top of this post.

You may visit her FindAGrave memorial here #2177653.

I still don’t know anything, other than names, for Elizabeth’s parents or if she had any siblings. Work yet to be done.

If you are related to anyone mentioned in this post, please contact me, we might be cousins.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS–Week #2–Thomas Gillespie–My 3rd Great Grandfather-1794-1868

I’ll start this post off by saying that I have limited information about the life of my 3rd great grandfather, Thomas Gillespie.  Here’s what I do know.

Thomas was born about 1794 in Stenton, Derbyshire, England possibly to Robert Gillespie and Elizabeth (maiden name not known).  My source for the parent’s is information I received from another researcher.  I have not been able to verify the information, yet.

Thomas married Susannah BARROWCLIFF in 1815 in Wilne, Derbyshire, England.  Here is the only image for that marriage that I currently have, from Pallots Marriage Index 1780-1837, found on Ancestry.com.



Here is a map of the area where Derbyshire is located in England.  Also on this map is the location of Devonshire, where this family moves to after the birth of their son, John in 1821 and before the birth of twins, Joseph and Robert in 1825.



I have located baptismal records for some of the children.  The children I have so far, for this couple are:

David, baptized 12 Jan 1817 in Derbyshire, died in 1866 in Tiverton, Devonshire
John, baptized 14 Feb 1819 in Derbyshire
William, baptized 29 Apr 1821 in Derbyshire
Twins, Joseph and Robert, born 23 Oct 1825 in Devonshire (I believe they may have died young and two other children were later named after them)
Robert, born about 1828 married Elizabeth COSWAY in 1849
Mary A. baptized 13 Sep 1829 in Devonshire
Thomas, born about 1832 in Devonshire, married Sophia CARPTENTER
Richard born about 1836 in Devonshire, married Eliza Jane PATTERSON in 1854
Joseph (my 2nd great grandfather), born 11 Apr 1837 in Devonshire, married Susan BURGESS on 24 Dec 1859 in Tiverton, Devon, England and immigrated to the United States in 23 Dec 1862 with his wife and their oldest child, also named Susan.

That’s 9 boys and 1 girl.  According to a letter written to me, by my grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne (who was the family historian before me), there were 12 boys and 1 girl born to this couple.  I’m still looking for 3 more boys.

I’ve located Thomas and Susannah and their family in the 1841 and 1851 English census records.  They were living in Tiverton, Devon at the time.  I have not been able to locate this family in the 1861 English census.
 
Here is the 1841 census.  This shows Thomas and Susannah with their children, William, Mary, Robert, Thomas, Richard and Joseph.  Thomas is working in the Lace industry, which fits with other records I have for him.



Here’s a close up of the family.



Here’s the family in the 1851 census. 

 
NOTE:  Living next door are Henry Burgess and his family.  Among the children in the Burgess household is a daughter named Susan.  She married Joseph Gillespie on 24 Dec 1859 and became my 2nd great grandmother.
 
Also of note in this census is a granddaughter named Mary A., age 8.  This would put her birth about 1843.  My original thought was that she was the daughter of Mary Ann Gillespie.  However, Mary Ann would have been 14 at the time of the birth.  Certainly not impossible.  I don’t have a husband for Mary Ann Gillespie, nor have I found other records for her.  So is Mary A. the 8 yr. old hers?  Or is she the daughter of one of the brothers and just named after Mary Ann?

The only other record I have for Thomas is a death record.  He died 16 Jan 1868, age 74 years.  His occupation is listed as Foreman of Silk department, Lace Manufactory.  He died of Bronchitis.  I obtained this record by sending a request to the General Register Office.



I have located no records for the death of Thomas’ wife, Susannah.  I also have no burial location for Thomas.  I’ve always wished the UK death records list the burial locations, as do many of the U.S. records.

I would certainly love to hear from any of you that may be related to either the Gillespie or the Burgess families.  With all those sons, there have to be many descendants.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - My grandmother's journal with info & photos of Susan Burgess

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - With info & photos of Joseph Gillespie

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM A PROBATE RECORD? HERE'S ONE FROM 1884 FOR MY 3RD GREAT GRANDMOTHER

  

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have located the probate record for my 3rd great grandmother, Elizabeth BURGESS nee GADEN/GAYDON.  Here is the link to that post:  http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2014/11/want-to-find-probate-records-online.html

BACKGROUND: Elizabeth was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England on 30 Jan 1813.  Her parents were Richard GAYDON and Mary THOMAS.  She married Henry BURGESS on 14 Nov 1832 in Barnstaple, Devon, England.  To them were born 3 known children: William born 27 Nov 1835, John born about 1837 and Susan born 20 Nov 1841.  To my knowledge all children were born in Barnstaple, Devon, England.  On 23 Dec 1862 Susan came to the United States with her daughter Susan and Susan’s husband Joseph GILLESPIE and their two infant children.  There is no record of Elizabeth’s husband, Henry traveling with them, nor have I been able to locate a death date or burial location for Henry.  Elizabeth BURGESS died on 16 May 1884 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.
 
I was very excited to have located her probate record.  I have only ever been able to obtain probate records for a couple of my ancestors.  Not for lack of wanting to find them, but many weren’t and still are not online.  The ones I have located were found when I traveled to various locations and went to courthouses.

Having located the probate index record on familysearch.org and finding that the actual record was not online, I requested help from a contact who lives in Detroit.  I know her via the Detroit Genealogy Facebook group.  Her name is Deidre Denton and she is available if you would like her to obtain Michigan records for you. 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO DEIDRE'S WEBSITE AND CONTACT HER

I took the time to transcribe all 16 pages of this probate record.  Doing so, helped me to read it carefully, word by word.

SO EXACTLY WHAT DID I LEARN FROM THIS 16 PAGE PROBATE RECORD?

• Conformation that Elizabeth Burgess died on Friday, 16 May 1884
• She was a resident in the City of Detroit, County of Wayne, State of Michigan at the time of her death
• She was possessed of real and personal estate with an estimated value of $1,000 of which $50 was her personal estate
• That the names, relationships & residences of her heirs were: Susan Gillespie, William Burgess, John Burgess (children) and Susan Milne (grandchild), all of Detroit, Michigan. 
• The administrator of her will was Edwin F. Culver
• That there were two notices of the pending probate published in the newspaper (a copy of those articles is even shown in the probate papers)
• That Elizabeth Burgess left several pieces of real estate and a house to her daughter, Susan Gillespie
• That she left $50 to each of her sons, William & John Burgess
• That she left a watch to her granddaughter, Susan Milne
• The names of the two witnesses to her will
• That Elizabeth Burgess probably couldn’t write, as she left “her mark” on the will (later confirmed by an 1870 census)
• The various amounts of money paid from the estate for rent, tax and other items
• That the record was final & filed on 11 Nov 1885

That is quite a bit of information.  

WERE THERE ANY EARTH SHATTERING, JUMP UP AND DOWN DISCOVERIES IN THIS PROBATE RECORD?

I’d have to say no to that.  However, what I did learn was that she owned some property and that her two sons, according to this record, were living in Detroit, Michigan.  I had no idea if they had ever traveled over from England.
 
This also, of course, gives confirmation of relationships, which we are always looking for in our research.

MY NEXT STEPS

• Try to locate where her property was in Detroit
• Find records for her sons, John & William in the U.S.
• Attach the probate record to Elizabeth in my Legacy database & cite my source
• Share this record with my brother, John, who is the other genealogist in our family
• AND, go back to Family Search and find more probate records (I’m already in the process & have found others)

Probate records can be very helpful in your research.  Some are more revealing than others.  But, all of them give us a little bit more insight into our ancestor’s lives.  Isn’t that what our research is all about?

Here are a few more pictures of the actual pages of the probate & will.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)
  
    

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST 
EVALUATING YOUR RECORDS ON AN INDIVIDUAL - WHAT YOU WILL LEARN 

WHAT ABOUT THOSE RECORDS WITH COMPLETELY INCORRECT NAMES? HOW I FOUND MY GRANDMOTHER'S BIRTH RECORD 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FOLLOW UP TO PHOTO DUPLICATION REQUESTS FROM FAMILY SEARCH

Hi everyone.  On 7/13/14 I wrote about submitting photo duplication requests to familysearch.org.  You can read that post here PHOTO DUPLICATION REQUESTS ON FAMILY SEARCH PLUS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LEGACY & EVERNOTE

On July 12th, I submitted five requests to Family Search for death certificates.  All five deaths occurred in the state of Michigan.

GILLESPIE, Mary Eva - 1949 - Eloise, Wayne, Michigan
GILLESPIE, Susan - 1933 - Detroit, Michigan
PICKARD, Ellen  - 1927 - Detroit, Michigan
THORNTON, Mary - 1929 - Muskegon, Michigan
THORPE, Catherine  - 1941 - Detroit, Michigan
 
Based on the timeline given on the familysearch website, I didn’t expect to receive these records, if I did receive them at all, until 4-6 weeks after my request was submitted.
 
SURPRISE!
 
On July 16, just four (4) days after my requests, I received four of the death certificates. Oh my gosh!  Was I every surprised to get that email.  Of course I was away from home and saw the email on my phone.  I didn’t get home for several hours, but couldn’t wait to download and view those certificates.
 
The only certificate I didn’t receive was the 1927 death of Ellen Pickard.  As of this date, I have still not received that one.  I sure hope I do because she is my grand aunt and my grandmother talked about her all the time.
 
But, the four others have been enough to keep me quite busy and have led to the discovery of a set of 4th great grandparents and other data.  
 
And to answer the question about whether I would receive the two certificates for the deaths that occurred after 1938.  The answer is YES.
 
Here are the certificates I received.
 
(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)





Unfortunately, I have only had the time to actually “work” on the certificate for my 2nd Great Grandmother, Susan Gillespie.  It’s just been one of those busy weeks.  I’m sure you can all relate.  

However, that one certificate has led me to the following information, some of it I already had, some of it was new.

• Her name
• Her date of birth
• Her husband’s name
• Her place of birth (I believe it should say Tiverton, England and not Twerton)
• Her father’s name
• Her mother’s maiden name (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her cause of death (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her place of death (NEW INFORMATION)
• The informant on her death certificate (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her place of burial
• The funeral home that handled the arrangements for the family (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her residence at the time of her death (NEW INFORMATION)
• How long she had been in the U.S. (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her length of residence in Detroit, Michigan (NEW INFORMATION)

I’d say that is quite a list, wouldn’t you?  Including 8 pieces of NEW INFORMATION.
I definitely did my genealogy happy dance
Thanks to finding that maiden name for Susan Gillespie’s mother, Elizabeth Gaden, I have used the website FindMyPast to locate more information about the Gaden/Gaydon/Gayden family from Devonshire, England.  

NOTE:  On my very first genealogy trip back in 2007, I went to Detroit, Michigan.  My birthplace and the birthplace for many of my family members.  On that trip I was able to go to several cemeteries in Detroit and photograph headstones.  It was an absolutely wonderful trip.  One of the headstones I photographed was for Elizabeth Gaden who’s married name was Burgess.  I have wanted to learn more about her ever since that time.

Here I am in 2007 at the headstone for my 3rd great grandmother Elizabeth Gaden Burgess

Here is the back of her headstone naming her husband, her date of death and her age

  

I can’t wait to explore the other three certificates I received and see what they will reveal.

TIP:  Even though I have looked over the information on this certificate and gleaned every possible piece of data that I could.  I will still go back another time or two as I am citing this source and making those entries in Legacy.  We often miss things when we first see a document and another look or three or four, never hurts.

This has been a very good experience and I am counting the days until I can submit 5 more requests to Family Search.  Until then, I have plenty to do.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PHOTO DUPLICATION SERVICE WAS DISCONTINUED BY FAMILY SEARCH - EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 5, 2014.  YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT IN THIS POST 

 http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2014/11/photo-duplication-service-to-be.html

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION