Tombstone Tuesday - A Farmer & His Wife

Lee & Phyllis (nee Manmiller) Stitzel

Location: Zion Moselem Lutheran Church, Moselem Church Road, Richmond Township, Berks County, PA 

Although Lee Stitzel was four years younger than my stepfather, Walter C. L. Adam, Lee was actually the much younger half-brother of my stepdad's father, Walter J. Adam. So Lee was my stepfather's uncle, even though he was younger than my stepfather..

Aren't overlapping generations fun in family trees? You'd think from ages that Walt would be Lee's older cousin, but Walt was actually Lee's nephew.

Lee was a proud farmer and hunter and wanted that memorialized in his stone design. His wife, a fan of playing BINGO has her imprint in the BINGO card that also is featured on the stone.

(Photo by Karen Fox 2010)

Click the photo for a larger image

Wordless Wednesday - Whither Thou Goest...

OK, so it's Not-Quite-Wordless Wednesday

My Maternal Grandparents

Raymond & Ethel (Dyer) Hirst

North Watertown Cemetery

Watertown, Jefferson County, New York

 

Married on May 21, 1926, Raymond died of a heart attack on December 17, 1965. A heart broken Ethel followed him just four months later, dying of heart failure on April 26, 1966. 

Sentimental Sunday - 5 Generations, Same Church

St. John's Church

Mt. Aetna, Berks County, PA

 View of St. John's from the far end of the cemetery

(photo taken 25 September 2010 by Karen Fox)

St. John's Church is a small intimate country church. It was originated as a Protestant Reformed Congregation, and for many years was associated with the United Church of Christ. In 2003,  it elected to become an independent, non-denominational Christian Church. This was the church of my paternal family for five generations.

Buried in the adjoining church cemetery are

• my gr-gr-grandparents, Nathan and Elizabeth (Achenbach) Gruber
• my gr-grandparents, T.(Thomas) Henry and Mary E. (Gruber) DeHart
• my grandparents, Earl L. and Ada M. (DeHart) Yohn
• my father, John Henry Yohn
• I  [Karen M. (Yohn) Fox] was baptized as an infant in St. John's Church in 1958.

In addition, many extended family members were baptized, confirmed, married and/or buried at St. John's.

Interior view of St. John's sanctuary taken from rear right corner

(Photo taken 25 September 2010 by Karen Fox)

As a child I have many memories of visiting the cemetery to place flowers on my grandparents' grave (they both passed before I was born). When I'd see a familiar last name or an interesting looking tombstone, I'd always pester my father with questions -  "Who is that? Tell me about them!". He'd do his best, even if it belonged to a stranger. As I grew older, I saw the empty spaces in the cemetery slowly start to fill with relatives I knew and loved - my many gr-aunts and gr-uncles, my own aunts and uncles, my father's cousins, and then my father joined them. Visiting that cemetery is visiting my childhood.

*

Wednesday's Child - Dyer Infants

Dyer Infant Boys
Died Four Months Apart in 1851

Redwood Cemetery

Oneida, Madison County, NY

These two older graves sit by themselves to the left and behind the adults in the Dyer/Tuttle Family plot. Burton H. Dyer was my gr-gr-gr-grandfather and he  and his wife are also buried in Redwood Cemetery to the front of the boys.

(original photo taken by Polly Held)

The stone to the left is inscribed:

William J. Dyer
 Died
 August 24, 1851
 Aged 3 yrs & 9 mos
 Son of
 Burton H. Dyer

The stone to the right is inscribed:

Little G A R Dyer

 Died
 April 11, 1851
 Infant Son of
Burton H. Dyer

[Note: the photographer guessed at the G A R as it was almost illegible]

~ Karen the AncesTree Sprite 

Thanks Polly for your act of genealogical kindness. 
 

Tombstone Tuesday - A Backyard Cemetery

Livingood Private Family Cemetery

Tulpehocken Township, Berks Co., PA

(original photo taken 25 Sept 2010 by Karen Fox)

Disclaimer: I am not related to the Livingood Family (well, that I know as of now).

The Livingood Family Cemetery is located outside the Village of Mt. Aetna, in Tulpehocken Township, Berks County, PA on privately owned land (it actually sits in a family's back yard, at the end of their driveway) and is not normally accessible to the public. Although the property no longer belongs to Livingood family descendants, the current owners do a fine job of respecting and maintaining the graves.

I was fortunate to be able to visit this site while participating in a driving tour sponsored by the local Andulhea Heritage Center during which the property owners granted special access permission to participants that day. 

At one point in time, 26 stones were standing and their inscriptions  were recorded. There are indications that there was room for 125 graves, most lots were likely filled. The modern monument lists all known family members that are buried there.

One of the known burials is of Georg Livengood, a Civil War soldier who died from wounds received in the Battle of Gettysburg.

List of Livungood Cemetery Burials 

Inscriptions of the 26 stones that were recorded


Just because you aren't my own ancestor, doesn't mean that I don't find you interesting,

~ Karen the AncesTree Sprite

Sunday's Obituary - George Burton Dyer 1841-1905

Obituary: George Burton Dyer (1841 - 1905)

(my maternal gr-gr-grandfather)

George Burton Dyer in his Civil War Uniform

Oneida Independent Calvary Company (NY)

George Burton Dyer

May 1893

Oneida Democratic Union Page 2 Column on Thursday, February 9, 1905

GEORGE B. DYER

George B. Dyer, a former well known and respected citizen of Oneida, died in his home in Redwood, Jefferson Co., on Saturday morning, aged 62 years. He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Burton H. Dyer, of this city, and until removing to Redwood a few years ago had passed the most of his life in Oneida and vicinity. Mr. Dyer was a veteran of the civil war, having enlisted August 10, 1861 in the Oneida Independent Cavalry, and remaining as orderly sergeant of the company to the close of the war, being mustered out of service June, 1865. Since removing to Redwood he had been proprietor of the Dyer Hotel, which he was conducting at the time of his death. He had been in failing health for about two years, though able to attend to business the greater portion of the time. He is survived by a widow, three sons and two daughters; also by one sister, Mrs. John F. Tuttle, of Syracuse. He was a genial kind hearted man who enjoyed the esteem of a large acquaintance. He was a member of John R. Stewart Post G. A. R. and numbered among the friends he prized most highly outside the family circle were his old Army comrades. It was his expressed desire, shortly before his demise, that his body be borne to the grave in Glenwood, by some of the survivors of his old company. Dwight Chapin was apprised of this fact through a communication from a son of the deceased and made arrangements accordingly, himself, Joseph Veiling and Patrick Clark, of this city, and Treat Miner, of Georgetown, serving as bearers and accompanying the body to Glenwood Tuesday afternoon. The funeral took place at the late home of the deceased that morning, and accompanied by members of the family, the body arrived in Oneida that afternoon.

==============

 Notes

Oneida in this article refers to Oneida in Madison County, New York State. Redwood Cemetery in located at Oneida.

Dwight Chapin mentioned in the obituary, served in the Oneida Independent Cavalry Co. with George Dyer and later married George's cousin, Hannah Dyer.

For more information about the Oneida Independent Cavalry Company and their unique role in the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War, click here.

My relationship to George is as follows
George Burton Dyer > Harry Sherman Dyer > Ethel (Dyer) Hirst > Olie (Hirst) Yohn Adam > me

George B. Dyer

Oneida Indpt. Cav. Co.

1841 - 1905

Dyer/Tuttle Family Plot

Redwood Cemetery

Oneida, Madison Co., NY

~ Karen the AncesTree Sprite