Grinnell Burials in Little Compton, RI

While visiting the Little Compton (RI) Commons this summer at the Grinnell Family Association reunion, I photographed several Grinnell tombstones in the Old Commons Burial Ground and the Union Cemetery (located across Meeting House Lane, but still in the "village.")

Shown here is the tombstone of the infamous "Pirate" Dick Grinnell.

The Old Commons Burial Ground is located adjacent to the Congregational Church, where members of the Grinnell family were known to have been members for many generation.

I've posted these images on Findagrave.com. When you arrive on the front page for each cemetery, type "Grinnell" into the surname search and see what you discover!

Old Commons Burial Ground page located at:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=1962293

Union Cemetery page located at: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=455947

Edward Carley's Store and the Munith (Michigan) Fire of 1913

Sometime ago, I discovered a photograph of my great-great uncle Edward R. Carley on the website entitled Making of Modern Michigan Digital Collections (http://mmm.lib.msu.edu/). Ed owned and operated a general store in the village of Munith, Michigan which was laid out along the Grand Trunk Railroad line. It reminded me of a story my Grandmother once told me when we were looking through and old photograph album created by my Great Grandmother. One photo jumped off the page at me--it was labeled "Munith Fire 1913." I asked my grandmother, Munith burned? She replied that one of the business blocks had burned and that during the fire, the phone rang at their farm house about 3 miles away from the village. They had some special coded ring for fires so everyone would know that they should pick up the phone and listen for instructions on where to assemble to fight the fire. She said the family went in to the village and the block on the western side of Main Street at 6th Street was on fire. Everyone was fearful that the fire would jump 6th street and ignite the business blocks to the south. In the block that was threatened was Uncle Ed Carley's store and the store of Charles Crane. Grandma said that all the girls pitched in by removing the merchandise from the store and putting it into cars and buggies to be carted off to safety. But the fire was extinguished before it reached the Carley store.

Grandma stated that Uncle Ed's store was very important because it was the location of the switchboard for the phone company. Had it burned it might have been awful for this rural community to remain in touch with Jackson, Lansing and other urban centers nearby.

I now have the one image from that old album as evidence of the Munith fire in 1913. Posted here is the image from the Making of Modern Michigan of Uncle Edward Carley at the switchboard in side his store. The family resided in an apartment on the second and third floor of their store building. Later, they would also own a farm near the corner of Kennedy and Sayers Road, across the street from the Kennedy School, where so many of the members of the Carely family received their primary education.

Today, few buildings that housed business still stand in Munith with the exception of the brick buildings built by Edward Carley and Charles Crane (who was also the undertaker).

Here is a little on Ed's immediate family:

Edward Royal Carley
born: 7 November 1871 at the Carley Farm on Sayers Road, near Munith, Michigan
parents: Oren A. Carley and Mary (Calkin) Carley
married: 24 August 1899 to Ede Walz at the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Jackson, Mich.
died: 28 June 1923 in Munith, Michigan and buried at Munith Cemetery.

Ede Walz Carley
born: 13 April 1882
parents: George Walz and Elizabeth (Mayer) Walz
died: 26 April 1961 in Henrietta Township, near Munith, Michigan and buried at Munith Cemetery.

Their children:
1) Lerna Mary (1901-2000) m. Raymond M. Smith
2) Elsie (1903-1946) m. Wendell LaCoe
3) Agnes Elizabeth (1905-1986) m. Wesley Moechel

Update:

"Mrs. Lena VanBuren poolroom and adjoining property, Munith. Fire occurred Oct. 20, 1913, destroying $10,000 to $15,000 worth of property. Circumstances surrounding fire such that this department felt justified in investigating."

Annual Report of State Fire Marshal to the Governor of Michigan, 1913.

Dell (McCreery) Smith and a Thanksgiving Tradition

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day and a perfect time to reflect on family traditions and gives us time to think about our family members who have come before us and left these rich traditions to carry into the future. Although the first Thanksgiving that was celebrated in Plymouth, Mass. is filled with many idealistic images for us today, I can't help but to think about my ancestors who were Mayflower passingers and wonder what their lives must have been like. William and Susanna White, their son Resloved White and Richard Warren can all be celebrated in my lineage and I wish to honor their sufferings and sacrifices upon the venture across the Atlantic to the wildreness of North America in the 17th century. But ofcourse I never knew any of these folks and I'm sure our modern Thanksgiving celebration little resembles the feast that they celebrated back in the 1620's.

In 1899 Dell McCreery Smith, my gg-grandmother, began a tradition in our family of hosting a large Thanksgiving feast at her home for her immediate family, which also including her parents, Lawrence Hobart and Annice Ann McCreery, and any of her siblings and their families who were able to come. Dell lived on a small farm with her husband Daniel Edwin Smith, Sr. in rural Henrietta Township, Jackson County, Michigan--near the village of Munith. This became one of Dell's annual gatherings until sometime in the 1930's when the family had grow so large that it was nolonger room to feed so many family members in her house. About this time her daughters step-up to the plate. Anna Smith Carley would entertain family members at her home on Sayers Road and Nellie Smith Walz and Lulu Smith would organize the feast to be held a few miles away at the Wild Cat Mill's hall in Leoni Township. The growing family would soon outgrow this arrangement and a new venue was needed. The newly constructed Richard H. Reno Post of the American Legion would fit the bill. Located just south of the village of Munith, the Legion Hall was outfitted with a large kitchen where the meals could be prepared, a large dinning hall with enough seating for the 100+ family could sit together to enjoy a grand family celebration. Dell would attend the festivities throughout the rest of her life, the last one she attended at the ripe old age of 101 years old in 1959.

The Legion Hall was large enough to accomadate all ages in the family. A television set was brought in to entertain the men with their football games. A record player and plently of records were brought for the teenagers to listen too and dance on the upper floor of the hall. Even the young children had activities that included making the table decorations. Not to mention the team of mothers, grandmothers and great grandma's who where were busy in that huge kitchen. It was a well coordinated event. It became so well known that in 1965 the Jackson Citizen Patriot, the local daily newspaper, ran a feature story on this big family Thanksgiving tradition.

While the large gatherings didn't last beyond the 1960's, the memory of our family gatherings have lived on through the stories and the snapshots that have survived. In the center of the image included with this post, Anna Smith Carley is the women standing with her apron on. Lulu Smith is seated just in front of Anna and next to Lulu is their mother Dell Smith. Thank you Dell, Anna, Nellie and Lulu for bring the spirit of Thanksgiving too our family.

Sylvanus Lewis--Harford Cemetery

Years ago my cousin Stephen G. Fuller and I discovered a small rural graveyard on Wasson Road in Unadilla Township, Livingston County, Michigan. In the graveyard we located less than 30 individual marked grave sites which, included a few distant aunts and uncles. We found it interesting and helpful to know where some of the pieces to our family puzzle were located. The family names that we were searching for on that occasion were RISDON, FERGUSON, and perhaps LEWIS--but we just were not sure on our connection to the LEWIS' at the time. The little graveyard was also a bit confusing to pin down--it seem to have several names including Wright's Chapel Cemetery, Lewis Cemetery and Harford Cemetery. We have since learned that all three are correct--it just depends on who you talk too! During a later visit we diligently recorded the inscriptions on every stone we located and mapped there location for future reference.

After our visit, we began the task of sorting the names and over the last few years have discovered that most of the individuals laid to rest in the graveyard on Wasson Road had family connections to each other. Not too earth shattering of a notion! When we were able to finally connect our RIDSON aunts and uncles with the LEWIS' we discovered that there definitely appeared to be link between our GGGGG-Grandmother Clara (Lewis) Risdon and the folks buried in Unadilla. Clara (BD ?-c1840) was the wife of Almor/Aylmer/Almore Risdon (1789-1838). They lived in the vicinity of Vermillion, Erie County, Ohio and it was there in 1838 that Aylmer drown in the Huron River. It appears that Clara did not survive him very long, but, very little evidence has been found to verify this.

Aylmer and Clara Risdon had the following children:
1) Cynthia Ann RISDON Fox (1828-1882) m. Stephen Fox
2)Elcina RISDON (1829-1915)
m. 1) William C. SMITH, 2) Jacob BRINNINSTOOL, 3) Abel HARP
3)Adaline RISDON Harp (1830-bef. 1860) m. Abel HARP
4)Athaline RISDON Ferguson (1830-1862) m. William FERGUSON
5)Sylvanus Lewis RISDON (1833-1915) m. Alice V. NOBLE
6)Josiah RISDON (1834-1911)
m. 1) Julia VAUGHN, 2) Mary J. MOORE, 3) Caroline VAUGHN

Aylmer was married previously to Pamela or Parmelia NICHOLS and they had three children:
1)George William RISDEN (1818-1893)
2)Elial RISDEN (c1820-1901)
3)Eliza RISDEN (c1820-1864)

It appears that the family of Clara Lewis Risdon moved around a bit--Huron County, Ohio and Livingston County, Michigan. We see that Heman C. LEWIS (buried at Harford Cemetery) and several of his siblings clearly moved to Michigan from Ohio in the decade between 1840 and 1850. With the loss of both Aylmer and Clara their six children were orphaned and in need of care. It appears that all but the oldest daughter Cynthia, move to Michigan with their Lewis relatives. What was most exciting was discovering through the 1850 census that the mother of Heman and Clara was living in Michigan--here name was Cynthia! Then with the help of charts on ancestry.com we start to see the names Sylvanus LEWIS and Cynthia CHAPMAN as the parents of some of these other possible siblings of Heman and Clara. But the day I discovered the 1883 death certificate for Heman, I was convinced--he was definitely the son of Sylvanus LEWIS and Cynthia CHAPMAN.

Because I posted the remaining list of burials that Stephen and I recorded on Findagrave.com, I was surprised to see additional names listed recently on Harford Cemetery's postings. But lucky for me they were posted by another one of my cousins Richard Ramsdill of Stockbridge, Michigan. So I shot off an email to him to inquire about the source of these new postings. He send me a listing for the cemetery that incorporated transcriptions from 1943 and 1982 which included several names from stones that were not present during our 1995 reading. I returned to my files to rediscover our mapping. Would you believe we marked 18 sites where there appeared to be evidence of buried stones! Now there are only a few new recordings from these earlier transcriptions, but there is great evidence that there are additional burials in the graveyard. Several burials here also have foot stones that include simply the initials of the deceased. One of these new listings is for Sylvanus Lewis who is reported to have died on August 14, 1849 at the age of 83 years 11 months and 19 days. Wow! I have now located the burial site of another ancestor and I can be pretty sure of his location because there was indeed a foot stone with "S. L." inscribed on it. Interestingly, there are 4 more stones that appear to be buried in the vicinity of his grave site. I wonder if we will find a stone for Cynthia buried beneath the sod?

Now the planning must begin. We need to perform a little bit of cemetery archeology now. But in order to do that--I need to figure out who owns this property. In my adopted state of Pennsylvania--families own the memorials placed on the graves but I'm not sure about the laws in Michigan. I'm sure neighbors on Wasson Road would get a little freaked out if we just parked the car and began to unload shovels and picks. So I'm looking for some suggestions from any of my fellow genealogist out there on the best ethical and responsible approach to investigating these stones under the sod!

Also-a big shout out to Richard "Dutch" Ramsdill for locating the additional transcriptions! Dutch is one of the leading forces behind the Stockbridge Area Genealogical and Historical Society. Check them out at:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~misaghs/

John Grinnell and Rhoda Denning Grinnell

Thanks to my very distant cousin Laura G. Prescott, I now have images of the tombstones of my Great-Great-Great Grandparents, John GRINNELL and Rhoda DENNING Grinnell.

John GRINNELL (spelled on his tombstone GRINNEL) was the son of Nathaniel GRINNELL and Ruth CLARK and was born on 30 April 1773 in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Four generations before, his ancestors had settled in the nearby settlement of Little Compton, Rhode Island. Why Nathaniel located to Tiverton has remained unknown. The marriage between John and Rhoda DENNING took place on 14 November 1794, the location is not known. There has been much speculation as to her maiden name. Her tombstone records it as DENNING but other researchers have recorded is as DENNIS and DEMING. No conlusive evidence has been discovered on her ancestry. Rhoda's birth has been recorded as 25 May 1779, thus making her 15 years old at the time of their marriage. Her place of birth is sometimes recorded as Conneticut and other times as in Berkshire County, Massachussetts. Shortly after their marriage, the GRINNELL's left New England for western New York and settled in Farmington, Ontario County.

Western New York was the frontier at the time and John and Rhoda must have been true pioneers, clearing land and preparing themselves for lives as farmers. Little details are known about their lives. As of 1997, it was reported that the home they built in Farmington was still in use, some 200 years after it was first built. John died on 28 March 1828, leaving Rhoda with several children still at home to be cared for and reared. She appears to have remarried sometime following John's death to Mr. Henry PIERSON, a Revolutionary War veteran who also lived in the Farmington area.

Rhoda was known to have become a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church later in life. Although there was some speculation through the years that John and Rhoda were Quakers because they were buried in a Quaker cemetery. Rhoda's death took place on 2 June 1861, during the beginning months of the American Civil War. What a story she must have been able to tell--having grown up during the years of the American Revolution and living through to see the first shots of the Civil War. What changes she witnessed to our expanding infant nation.

The pioneer spirit was passed on to several of their children. Five of them migrated to Michigan and others to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Their descendants are numerous.

John and Rhoda had a large family that included thirteen children. They were:
Phebe GRINNELL 1796-1797
Joseph GRINNELL 1798-1883 m. Sylvia SKINNER
Abner GRINNELL 1799-1880 m. Eleanor LANE
Morris GRINNELL 1801-1876 m. Margaret LANE
John GRINNELL* 1804-1889 m. Eliza ISAACS
Minerva GRINNELL* 1806-1865 m. Cyrus MOORE
Clark GRINNELL 1808-1842 m. Parnell ST. JOHN
Spencer GRINNELL* 1810-1876 m. Charity MALONEY
Rhoda GRINNELL 1813-1889 m. Jacob LANE
Caroline GRINNELL 1815-1861 m. James Berry
Ezra GRINNELL* 1817-1897 m. 1)Charlotte MURRAY, 2) Lydia MURRAY, 3) Caroline GARFIELD
Thomas B. GRINNELL 1819-1879 m. Sarah CASE
Hiram GRINNELL* 1821-1869 m. Nancy MURRAY

(* denotes that this individual migrated to Michigan.)

John and Rhoda are buried at the North Farmington Friends Cemetery in Farmington, New York. This cemetery has simply been refered to in many Grinnell genealogies as the Quaker Cemetery. The images of their tombstones have also been posted on the great website: Findagrave.com

Grinnell Family Association Reunion--Providence

http://www.grinnellfamily.org/

The weekend of July 9-10 was the reunion of my family genealogical association and what a great time we all had! The host site was the Marriot in downtown Providence, RI a very nice hotel that was very busy with lots of activities. It was a great central location for our festivities. The official beginning of the reunion is dinner on Friday night at the hotel. We were delighted by the presence of Winnie Grinnell from MA who was celebrating her birthday. Seeing my distant cousins Marj, Kaye, and Larry are alway personal highlights of our reunions. This year I met up with cousin Laura Prescott on Friday night. Laura and I are the closest relatives who are active in the GFA, tracing our common ancestors back to John GRINNEL and Rhoda DENNING who resided in western New York in the early 19th century. Laura and I always have great conversations on many topics--not just genealogy. Some of her family lines came through western Pennsylvania so this calls for some future get togethers here in Pittsburgh.

The main speaker for the Friday night dinner was a terrific member of the staff of the Little Compton Historical Society. They have recently installed a new exhibition and publication entitled First Light Sakonnet. Our speaker weaved Grinnell family history into her presentation which helped us GRINNELL's focus on the community history a bit better.

http://www.littlecompton.org/

Saturday afternoon we boarded a bus for a tour of Little Compton. This town was the settlement site of some of our earliest Grinnell's in North America. We headed out from Providence and after some not so good directions we finally arrived at the Wilbour House, the main site for the Little Compton Historical Society. The site is amazing--the colonial home, its later additions, out buildings and barns are a real sneak peak into life on the Rhode Island peninsula along the Sakonnet River. As a presernvation minded archivist, I am concerned about some of the LCHS practices. Only portions of the buildings had any type of environmental controls and origianl papers, books and photographs were layed out for display. They are passionate about their history--I just wish I had seen more evidence of professional treatment of the Wilbour house site. Perhaps like all historical organizations the lack of money is the issue--so help them out if you can!!!!

After the tour at the Wilbour House we loaded back on the bus for an hour tour of the town. What a beautiful place! The views of the river and estuaries, the woods, the green, the flowers, and all the beautifully preserved homes with their stone walls. Wow! We ended our tour at Little Compton Commons where we visited the graves a many Grinnell's--Pirate Dick Grinnell and many of his descendants included. I've posted many of the pics of the Grinnell gravestones on Findagrave--Check them out:

Old Commons Burial Ground:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=1962293

Old Union Cemetery--Little Compton:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=455947

Just before heading back to the bus, I was able to peak my head into the United Congregation Church of Little Compton. Although its current structure was constructed in the 1830's, this congregation was the spiritual home of my GGGGGG Grandparents Jonathan GRINNELL and Abigail FORD.

http://www.ucclcri.org/

Little Compton is the picturesque New England town and I hope to return to this ancestral home to spend a more leisurely time soaking in the atmosphere where my forebearer once trode.

Back at the hotel for the main event--Saturday night dinner. This is always a little more formal--coat and tie for the guys and dresses for the ladies. The food was out of this world--a great mixture of New England seafood with chicken or pork! Exceptionally good! For our main speaker this night we were met with our President, Hugh Grinnell dressed and in character as the famous George Bird Grinnell. "Bird" Grinnell gave us an insightful talk about his life and adventures in the American west. He regailed us with stories from the Native American and the natural beauty he encoutered in what was to become Glacier National Park. The significant thing that I learned was Bird's interaction and later correspondence with one of my great hero's John Muir!

What a great time! One of the options batted around for a future reunion location is Glacier National Park. A great idea in my book! Here we come Glacier!!!!!

http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm

Iva May (Carley) Johnson (1908-1993)

Today I’m reflecting on my grandmother, Iva Johnson. She was born on this day 102 years ago at the Carley Farm located on Sayers Road in the rural community of Munith, Michigan. The house were she was born had been built by her grandfather Oren A. Carley who was a Civil War veteran and a local magistrate. Iva was the second daughter born to Jesse Carley and Anna Smith.

Her childhood must have been filled with many wonderful mysteries. The farm was being fully operated with live stock, the raising of grains and other crops. These activities must have filled a child with much curiosity. Great Grandma Carley once recounted the story of Iva’s early “cooking” adventures. I’m sure in an effort to mimic the baking activities of her mother, Iva was known to venture into the hen house and retrieve eggs to use in the mud pies she was preparing for her make-believe play. Anna Carley always smiled with a mother’s amazement when she recalled this story to her great-grandchildren.

Iva’s formal education began at the Kennedy School, a one room school house located about one mile north of her home on Sayers Road. Judging from surviving certificates and awards, Iva must have been a good student and she received recognition for her perfect attendance throughout the years. Later, Iva would attend school in the village of Munith, where she graduated from the 8th grade. It isn’t clear, but I believe she may have attended one year of high school at Stockbridge, but that would end her formal education pursuits. Like so many families in rural farm communities her labor was needed to assist the growing Carley family. Soon, we discover that Iva was working as a domestic in the residence of the Harr family of Munith. She would also hold jobs in some retail establishments, including Stillman’s department store in Jackson.

Aunt Nellie Walz’s house was the scene of many delightful dances and parties for the young people in the Smith-Carley-Walz clan. On one of these occasions Iva met David Benjamin Johnson of nearby Leoni, Michigan. Dave was tall, thin and handsome. He had served in both the U.S. Navy and Army and was probably working on the railroad at the time of there meeting. They courted and in October of 1934 they eloped at the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois.

Dave and Iva began their married life living in Jackson and would eventual build a home on the corner of the Carley farm in Munith. They were the parents of one daughter, Betty Ann, who was born on May 15, 1935 at the Eastside Hospital in Jackson. Iva would continue as a domestic worker for various neighbors and families in the Stockbridge-Munith area while rearing her daughter. Dave would find long-term employment at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Jackson and also worked as a farmer laborer for the large Reno and Dixon farms in Munith.

Iva was always a faith Christian. As a young girl she attended the Munith Methodist Episcopal Church, where she was baptized in 1928. Later she would help to organized the Munith Church of the Nazarene in the 1950’s, where she maintained her membership the remainder of her life. She was a leading figure in the congregation, serving as church treasurer, pianist and organist, Sunday school teacher, Superintendent of Sunday schools, and representing the congregation at District meetings. Iva loved her church and prayed often for it and its members.

Dave would become a member of the Richard H. Reno, Jr. Post of the American Legion. Iva would join the ladies auxiliary as well. Her commitment to the American Legion was very strong. Like her church membership, she would serve the American Legion’s Auxiliary as President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. When it was time to prepare food for the large gatherings, Iva and fellow auxiliary member Doris Warden could always be found in the kitchen at the legion hall.

Dave battled several episodes with breathing problems. Iva was a great caregiver to her husband during these trying illnesses which required many trips to the Veteran’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. Dave would eventually succumb to his illness in 1967, after 32 years of dedicated marriage.

After Dave’s death, Iva remained busy with her church and Ladies Auxiliary activities. Her home would often be the gathering place for events such as the meetings of the Henrietta Helping Hands and for many quilt tying parties. After dinner in the evening, she could always be found sitting in her chair watching a game show or two with a sewing needle in her hand making a quilt, or a ball of yarn in her lap and a crochet hook in hand working on hats, scarves, or a sweater as a gift. Never was there an idle moment in Iva Johnson’s life.

Iva’s home was always open for her family. When her mother was no-longer able to live on her own at the big old farm house, Iva’s door was open and Anna would reside with Iva for her remaining years. Likewise, when here younger sister Clara was stricken with blindness, Iva’s door was open. But it wasn’t to long after that and Iva’s own health began to decline. Her granddaughter KenNetha came to live and care for Iva. Although she still attended church fairly regularly, her activities slowed steadily. Iva went to sleep peacefully on May 17, 1993 surrounded by her daughter and several of her grandchildren.

Grandma is never far from my thoughts. She was a very kind and loving figure in my life and I miss her everyday. So today, I want to pay tribute to my grandma—one of the most influential person in my life. May she rest in peace!