Tombstone Tuesday - Clifford George & Bessie Griffin Gillespie - Danygraig Cemetery, Wales

Most of my tombstone posts are about cemeteries and graveyards in the U.S. It’s always fun when I’m able to find some in another country.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t found burial locations easy to find in other countries.  I’ve found a few in Scotland.  You can read about them here SCOTLAND - ABERDEEN & NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

This past week I’ve been researching my GILLESPIE family. There origins begin with Robert Gillespie & Elizabeth WESTON who were married in 1806 Markfield, Leicester, England.

Robert & Elizabeth’s great grandson, George William Beck Gillespie married Emma Jane BAKER.  As I was researching their children I came to Clifford George Gillespie born 22 Jan 1881 probably in Wellington, Somerset, England. Clifford is my maternal 2nd cousin twice removed.

Clifford married Bessie Haydon GRIFFIN about 1904 in Newport, Monmouthshire,Wales. 

My Ancestry tree started populating hints for these ancestors and low and behold there was a reference to burial records.  I was pretty happy to see that.

In the database UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current I was able to find Clifford and Bessie’s burial locations and view their memorials. 

FindAGrave #275545098 and #275545099.

These memorials were only added to the FindAGrave website in October 2024.  Aren’t we fortunate that people keep adding to this site?

And this also emphasizes the importance of us to keep checking various websites.

The headstone photos show an image of a headstone unlike any I have ever seen. The cemetery they are buried in has 5,881 memorials with 100% being photographed.  I scrolled through a few pages (not all of them) and didn’t see any other headstones like this one. 

I’ll be continuing my research on the Gillespie line.  I’d love to hear from you if you are connected to them.

I’d also like to hear from anyone who has seen a headstone similar to the one I’ve posted.  If so, where?

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2025   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

 

A HEADSTONE LOST FOR 256 YEARS – Now Found ~ The story of 9 year old Betty Clark (1752-1761)

Photo used with permission of "Cheshire."

This is such a wonderful story and so unexpected.  That this little girl is a member of our family tree makes it all the more heartfelt.

Her headstone was located underneath a Keene resident’s front steps.  He was replacing a loose step and found this headstone.  Can you imagine his surprise?

How does Betty fit into our family?

Betty Clark is my husband’s 1st cousin 5 times removed.  That makes her the great granddaughter of my husband’s 6th great grandparents.  Make sense?  If not, here’s how Betty Clark fits into our family.

Betty Clark – 1st cousin 5 times removed, daughter of

Deacon Simeon Clark & Betsey “Betty” Hall who was the son of

Benjamin Hall & Betty Blake – husband’s 5th great granduncle & aunt, son of

Benjamin Hall, Sr. & Sarah Fisher – my husband’s 6th great grandparents

Yesterday on a Facebook page that I follow, I saw a story about Betty Clark’s headstone, which made the local Keene, New Hampshire news, and some of the more distant national news outlets.

Due to copyright laws I cannot copy and paste the news articles here.  However, I will give you the following links so that you may watch the video and read the stories for yourself.

Here is a link to the Historical Society of Cheshire County’s facebook page.

Here is the link to the Keene Sentinel newspaper article.
Here is a link to the video from the news station – you do have to sit through a 30 second ad to watch it WMUR video

What did I know about Betty Clark prior to this story?

I knew she was the daughter of Deacon Simeon Clark (1723-1793) & Betsey Hall (1731-1817). I had her listed as the oldest child of 7 known children born to this couple.  I knew that her sister Unity Clark had died at the young age of 19 (probably in child birth) and was buried at Ash Swamp Cemetery.  I also knew that Betty’s father Deacon Simeon Clark was buried at Ash Swamp Cemetery.  

Ron and I took these photos in 2009 when we visited Keene for the specific purpose of finding out more about Ron’s family.

Ron standing at the Ash Swamp sign.  You have to climb the stairs to get to the cemetery

Ron standing inside the small cemetery

Headstone of Deacon Simeon Clark - Betty Clark's father

Headstone of Unity Clark Durant - Betty's sister

I had also located the birth record (in a book) and the death record for little Betty Clark.  I had no idea how she died or where she was buried.  The newspaper articles related to the finding of her headstone have given reference that she may have died in a small pox epidemic that occurred in 1761.  You may visit her findagrave memorial here #185054804

Birth record of Betty Clark

Death record for Betty Clark

I’ve often wondered what life was like back in those days of early Colonial America.  Of course there are many books, movies and historical documents that give us a window into their lives.  Five of Betty’s siblings lived to adulthood.  It appears that in 1774 her parents had a daughter and named her Betty as well.  I have not been able to determine if she lived to adulthood.  It was very common practice to name a subsequent child after a child who had died.

 

Here is my Family View from Legacy for this family.  If you are related to, descended from or otherwise connected to them, I’d love to hear from you.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST (all related to Keene, New Hampshire)

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY–Unity Clark Durant–1762 to 1781

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY–Ebenezer & Eunice Clark––1848 & 1865

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ Deacon Simeon Clark & Betsey Hall–New Hampshire

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ How many great grandparents headstones do I have photos for?

  
We all have eight biological great grandparents.  I was wondering today, do I have headstone photos for all of them?  Do I even know where all of them are buried?

I went to my Legacy program and got an answer to my question pretty quickly.
 
Here are my results:
PATERNAL LINE
Gould, William Val – Yes
Gould, Mary “Mae” Eve nee Thorp – Yes
Lindsay, William Wallace – No-see my explanation below
Lindsay, Elizabeth “Bessie” nee Fitzcharles – Yes

Here are the pictures of the headstones of three of my four paternal great grandparents. 
MATERNAL LINE
Milne, Andrew Charles – No
Milne Smith, Susan Anne nee Gillespie – No
Bowden, Robert Lee – No
Bowden Bell, Florence nee Hunter – No

It sure doesn’t look good on that maternal side, does it?  What are the reasons for not having headstone pictures for those ancestors?  I already know the answers to that question.

Milne, Andrew Charles – buried at Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan – no headstone.

Milne Smith, Susan nee Gillespie, wife of Andrew Charles – buried at Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan – no headstone.

Bowden, Robert Lee – buried at Highwood Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania – According to a findagrave volunteer there is no marker in the area where he is supposed to be buried.  I need to follow up with the cemetery office and find out for sure.

Bowden Bell, Florence nee Hunter – ex-wife of Robert Lee Bowden (they divorced in 1899).  She is buried at Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri.  There is no headstone for her.  She is buried next to her daughter Edna.  A findagrave volunteer sent me the following photograph of her burial place.



Regarding William Wallace Lindsay’s headstone

I had originally put “yes” next to his name in the the list above, for my paternal line.  Imagine my surprise when I started to post the pictures and found I didn’t have one for him.  I’ve been to Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit, twice in the past 6 years.  I’ve seen all the Lindsay headstones.  Surely I had a picture of my great grandfather’s marker.

Guess what?  I don’t have a picture.  I looked in my cemetery notes in Legacy and found out why.  Apparently his stone was buried 12” down and located by a cemetery staff member, after my cousin inquired about it.
 
I’ve submitted a photo request on FindAGrave, since I can’t be sure I’ll get back to Detroit this year.  Although I certainly hope I do.

One more item to add to my long list of reasons that I think blogging helps with our research.  Seems like every time I write, I discover something new or something I’ve missed.

How many of your great grandparents headstone photos do you have?
 
OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
CEMETERY RECORDS - What can they tell you?  How do you use them?

CIVIL WAR DEAD and our National cemeteries

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan

Woodlawn Cemetery, 19975 Woodward Ave.

Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan is just one of many cemeteries in Detroit, that are final resting places for my family.
 
I’ve been to the cemetery several times in recent years.  Using the “search” function in Legacy 8, I determined which of my ancestors are buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.  Please click here to see instructions on how to use the Legacy 8 search function.

This is the list created by Legacy 8.  There are 9 names on the list.



Here are the headstone pictures I have for this group.  Fortunately, I have pictures for all but two.  I have recently, via FindAGrave.com, requested headstone photos for Ralph Gillespie Forsythe and his wife, Katherine Martz.

All photos shown here were taken by me.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Robert A. Milne 1909-1969	Dorothy T. Milne nee Delahoyde 1913-1965	Joseph A. Milne 1883-1957
Merritt J. Quackenbush 1885-1955	Sarah C. Quackenbush nee Roe 1884-1952	Everett P. Roe 1893-1958 and Irene M. Roe nee Milne 1893-1989

How I am related to the ancestors buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.

DELAHOYDE, Dorothy – my Aunt (she married Robert Andrew Milne)
FORSYTH, Ralph G. – my 1st cousin twice removed
MARTZ, Katherine – the wife of Ralph G. Forsyth
MILNE, Irene “Peggy” – my maternal grand aunt
MILNE, Joseph Albert – my maternal grandfather
MILNE, Robert Andrew – my maternal uncle
QUACKENBUSH, James M. – my grandaunt’s husband’s sister’s husband
ROE, Everett P. – the husband of my grandaunt, Irene Milne
ROE, Sarah “Sally” – wife of the above James Quackenbush.

If you think you might be related to anyone mentioned in this blog post, please contact me.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY–Civil War Soldier Headstones

In keeping with last week’s post about finding our ancestors who served during military conflicts, I am posting some headstones of Civil War veterans from our family.

In total, at this point, I have 34 men who served during the Civil War.  I expect to have quite a few more once I am finished going through the lists I created in my post titled TUESDAY’S TIP – How to Determine Which War Your Ancestor May Have Participated In

Here are 6 headstones indicating their military service during the Civil War.

George B. SURDAM - Private, Co. H,  29th NY Infantry

Elijah F. GILLEN - Lieutenant, Co. S, 2nd Cavalry, West VA

Isaac GILLEN - Sergeant, Co. B, 135th Illinois Infantry

Rodney G. FLOWER - Private, Co. L, 4th Regiment, Michigan Cavalry

William W. FRAMPTON - Private, Co. I, 12th Kansas Volunteer Infantry

William D. THOMPSON - Private, Co. B, 63rd PA Volunteer Infantry

Thank you to all of my ancestors who fought during this very horrible time in our nation’s history.  I sometimes try to think what it must have been like to live in the northern, midwest and southern states during this war.  I know it even affected those out west.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
THE CIVIL WAR - How Our Country Dealt With The Aftermath
MYSTERY MONDAY - Where is the Wreck of this Civil War Era Paddle Steamer?

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION