Tombstone Tuesday ~ Joseph Wortick

Joseph Wortick was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863. 

Leon Cemetery, Butler Co., KS

Wikipedia (Information)
Geni.com (Photograph)
Online information with multiple surname spellings

Wednesday's Child: Annie Lawton

Annie is the daughter of Mary Craig and Major General Henry W. Lawton, who led the pursuit of Geronimo in 1886.

Buried: Ft. Huachuca Post Cemetery, Cochise County, AZ. Section 3, Lot 55

Based on a letter written by her mother, (linked below) weeks after Annie's death it is a good guess that she was under the age of 2.

Annie's parents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Died April 26, 1887

Please take time to read this heartbreaking letter that Mary wrote to her mother the month following Annie's death. Perhaps Annie was named after her grandmother, Mary's mother, Annie Craig.

Major General Lawton was killed in 1899. In the 1900 Jefferson County, KY federal census Mary Lawton is widowed with 4 children at home. The census record states she has 4 of 7 children living. If Annie is one of them I wonder where the other two were buried since they moved around a lot with his military career.

Information links for Major General Henry Lawton

1 Henry Ware Lawton
2 Henry Ware Lawton

Happy Independence Day!

Have you missed me? I've been spending all of my time working on my photography business and hope to have a good workflow and plan in place soon. I hope you'll stick around!

Today as we celebrate as a country our family is also joyfully counting down the weeks until our son returns from his second deployment to Afghanistan.

Cemetery vandalized

Last week Eastside Cemetery was vandalized. I took it personally. I have been working on recording and preserving the records and lives of those resting at Eastside since 2006. 67 headstones were toppled with some of them breaking.

Here is a photo of a section of Civil War veterans that had their stones broken. After Memorial Day I will do a thorough walk through with the sexton and record the damage. Thankfully I had already photographed most of the 21 broken stones.

Saw Lee surrender

He saw Lee surrender

One Hutchinson Veteran Found Who Was It At Finish

One Hutchinson veteran has been found who was at Appomattox when Gen. Lee’s army surrendered to Grant. George W. Lester was there, and was close enough to see Lee hand over his sword to Grant.

Mr. Lester was in a Pennsylvania cavalry regiment, which happened to be stationed not far away, when the historical incident occurred. He secured a piece of the wood of the famous apple tree under which the surrender took place.

Hutchinson News

April 14, 1910

Lot 374

 .................................................

• Factual reporting?
• The surrender took place where?
• What did he see? If anything?
• Was he there?
• George’s headstone shows his service as Co A, 3 NJ CAV
• George’s obituary lists 3 Cav and 25 Cav, both Co A
• Ancestry.com records list 3 Cav Co A and 25 Cav Co I
• Where is the wood today?

An urge for momentos now possessed the men of both armies. The unfortunate Wilmer McLean was besieged by Yankee officers who made off with many items from the surrender room. A few tried to assuage their consciences by forcing a payment upon the reluctant host, but the fact is that nothing was taken with his willing permission. The apple tree where Lee had rested while he waited to hear from Grant also paid for its notoriety. "Our men wanted pieces of wood from the tree under which General Lee sat," a Pennsylvania soldier explained. "They began breaking twigs and then everyone wanted a piece of the tree for a souvenir. Before they finished they had cut down five large trees."

 http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/civil_war_series/6/sec6.htm

 …and in certain areas of popular imagination it may prove far more difficult to dislodge or qualify than the story that Grant and Lee signed the surrender papers under an apple tree, a legend that arose after Lee spent time waiting for Grant on April 9 in an apple orchard.

http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Surrender_at_Appomattox

 New Jersey Cavalry - 3rd Regt

Organized at Camp Bayard, Trenton, N.J., and mustered in by Companies as follows: Company "A" January 26, Company "C" January 22, Company "E" January 4, Company "F" January 12, Companies "G" and "H" January 6, 1864; Company "D" December 2, 1863; Company "B" January 29, and Companies "I," "K," "L" and "M" March 24, 1864. March to Annapolis, Md., April 5-7, 1864. Guard Orange & Alexandria Railroad April 29-May 5. Attached to Cavalry, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac and Middle Military Division, to June, 1865. Defenses of Washington, D.C., to August, 1865.

SERVICE.--Campaign from the Rapidan to the James May 3-June 12, 1864. Wilderness May 5-7. Near Germanin Ford May 5. Picket on the Rapidan May 6. Guard pontoons May 7. Expedition to Fredericksburg May 8-9. Spotsylvania May 9-12. Spotsylvania Court House May 12-21. United States Ford May 19. North Anna River May 23-26. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Mechump's Creek May 31. Ashland Station June 1. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Totopotomoy, Gaines' Mill, Salem Church and Hawes' Shop June 2. Hawes' Shop June 3. Bethesda Church June 11. White Oak Swamp June 13. Smith's Store, near St. Mary's Church, June 15. Weldon Railroad June 20. Jerusalem Plank Road June 22-23. Milford Station June 27. Picket duty at City Point until July 16. Duty at Light House Point July 16-25. Before Petersburg July 25. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30 (Cos. "A" and "E"). Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7-November 28. Winchester August 17. Summit Point August 21. Middleway August 21. Near Kearneysville August 25. Abraham's Creek, near Winchester, September 13. Battle of Winchester September 19. Near Cedarville September 20. Front Royal September 21. Milford September 22. Waynesboro September 29. Bridgewater October 2. Tom's Brook ("Woodstock Races") October 8-9. Picket at Cedar Creek until October 13. Cedar Creek October 13. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Newtown (or Middletown) November 12. Rude's Hill, near Mr. Jackson, November 22. Expedition from Kernstown to Lacey's Springs December 19-22. Lacey's Springs December 21. Sheridan's Raid from Winchester February 27-March 24, 1865. Occupation of Staunton March 2. Action at Waynesboro March 2. Occupation of Charlottesville March 3. Near Ashland March 15. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Dinwiddie Court House March 30-31. Five Forks April 1. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Namozine Church April 3. Sailor's Creek April 6. Appomattox Station April 8. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Expedition to Danville and South Boston April 23-27. March to Washington. D.C., May. Grand Review May 23. Mustered out at Washington, D, C., August l, 1865.

http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unnjcav.htm

...............................................

Hutchinson News
1/14/1918

Hutchinson News
1/15/1918

The obituary calls him an old settler. He was in Reno County as early as the 1880 Federal Census.

1880 Reno Co., KS Federal Census

Clue to mystery

There is nothing I love more than a good mystery.

There is nothing I hate more than not solving a good mystery.

I have been bothered by these headstones since discovering them in 2005. How can you order a headstone and not know the persons name? My guess is they were ordered long after they died.

Unnamed Crithers & Unnamed Crouch

These two soldiers are buried in the Wildmead Cemetery where I own my burial plots. Recently I was preparing an updated list for the kiosk to post before Memorial day and my thoughts went back to them. So much so that it kept me awake.

Lying there I wondered "does the government keep the paperwork submitted for headstone requests?" "Where could I look?"

Today I thought I'd work on the names, even though I have more projects than I will ever finish in my lifetime, and hadn't worked on these two in a long while. I typed them into Ancestry.com, adding a military event with the state of service. I hadn't discovered anything, nada, nothing about them... until today. It's not much...but I'll take it.

What this record doesn't tell me:

• When they died
• Name of the person requesting the headstone

What this record does tell me:

• They died BEFORE 1901, which narrows my search since records of any kind for this county start in 1872.

I'm searching the state and federal census but I'm wondering if the spelling is correct on Crithers. I have found Crouch families in the area later than 1901.

I've run out of time for now. Wish me luck!

Sgt. Carter...Dead

Frank Spencer Sutton...best remembered as Sgt. Carter from Gomer Pyle, U. S. M. C.

During a visit to see my son I took a cemetery walk at the Greenwood Cemetery. The older sections contain many beautiful monuments. Near the back of the cemetery I found the burial location for the Spencer and Sutton family at the edge of the sloping lot.

Abilene TX Reporter
June 30, 1974

Sutton was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, the only child of Frank Sims Sutton and Thelma (née Spencer). When he was eight years old, his father became employed as a Linotype operator at the Nashville Tennessean in Nashville. Frank Sims Sutton died from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage on March 16, 1938, leaving behind his wife and 14-year-old son. 


While preparing for a performance of the comedy Luv at the Beverly Barn Dinner Playhouse in Shreveport, Louisiana, Frank Sutton died of a heart attack on June 28, 1974, at the age of 50. He was buried in his hometown of Clarksville. Source: Wikipedia

Sleeping Heroes

I am excited about this research program the state of Kansas has planned for school children in 3rd through 8th grade over the next few years.

I am developing a program to assist teachers in my county.

GAR section at Eastside Cemetery

Kansas State Historical Society Press Release - January 25, 2012

Students Research Local Civil War Veterans 

Through Sleeping Heroes Project

TOPEKA, KS— Attorney General Derek Schmidt will launch “Sleeping Heroes,” a Civil War veteran documentation project for students grade three through eight at 3 p.m. Friday, January 27, at Memorial Hall, 120 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka. The public is invited to attend. The Sleeping Heroes website can be found at kshs.org/17356.

Sleeping Heroes is a collaboration between the Kansas Historical Society, Kansas State Department of Education, Freedom’s Frontier, and researchers John Jackson and Don Lambert to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, 2011 – 2015. This project encourages students to research Civil War veterans in their community’s cemeteries through the use of primary sources. Students share what they learn through an online database. The project was conceived in 2006 by students at Glasco Grade School.

Kansas’ connection to the Civil War is unique. Kansas Territory witnessed bloodshed over the expansion of slavery—some claim the Civil War actually started in Kansas.  After the war, Kansas earned the nickname, “the soldier state” because so many Civil War veterans settled here.

From the Kansas State Historical Society web site:

http://www.kshs.org/p/sleeping-heroes-the-impact-of-civil-war-veterans-on-kansas-communities/17356

In recognition of the 150 anniversary of the Civil War, 2011 – 2015, the Kansas Historical Society, along with its partners, is encouraging Kansas teachers to have their students research Civil War veterans in their community. Kansas’ connection to the Civil War is unique. Kansas Territory witnessed bloodshed over the expansion of slavery—some claim the Civil War actually started in Kansas. After the war, Kansas earned the nickname, “the soldier state,” because so many Civil War veterans settled here.

With this project, students will help document information about the contributions made by Civil War veterans in Kansas through the online database. The project also provides students an opportunity to see the practical applications of conducting historical research using primary sources.

Benefit to Students and Community

The Sleeping Heroes project is a great way to engage your students in doing history—not just reading about it.  The Kansas State Department of Education supports this project. The project meets many state history standards in grades three, four, seven, and eight. The project also provides students an opportunity to see the practical applications of conducting historical research using primary sources.

We are encouraging all Kansas schools to get involved, to research Civil War veterans in their communities, and submit their findings to the Historical Society’s Sleeping Heroes database. Researcher John Jackson of Chanute created the original database and made thousands of entries, most from southeast Kansas cemeteries. The database contains entries for Union and Confederate soldiers. Our goal is to add to this database through work done by Kansas students.

Another important aspect of the project is for students to use their research to answer the question “What impact did Civil War veterans have on my community?” This project is an exceptional opportunity to create a special writing project since student’s work is not just for a class grade but has real-world application.  See suggested performance assessments and projects undertaken by Glasco students for more ideas.

American Revolution Soldier

This cemetery, containing three graves, is surrounded by a busy intersection and used car lot.

Samuel Cooper
James Cooper, son
Mary Cooper, daughter

Columbus, GA

Captain John Crane

Crane Cemetery

Last summer I spent a week in New York and found time to visit a few of the cemeteries. It was just as I imagined. Lots of wonderful old stones containing beautiful epitaphs and symbolism.

In this small cemetery is Captain John Crane, an American Revolutionary war soldier.

Soldier of the South

Linwood Cemetery

Charles Gordon Flournoy
Born
December 24, 1844
Died
April 5, 1902
Soldier of the South
Nelson Rangers

Life has flavor

Life has flavor the protected will never know

Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West

As an Army Mom with a son that recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, I was moved by this epitaph. Our soldiers that serve in war carry many burdens.

This is a fairly new cemetery. The first interment was in 2004. I was surprised however, to find a small and very old cemetery in a clump of trees. I hope I can find out a little more about it.

On the road

I have been busy lately. We traveled to Kentucky to see our son return home from Afghanistan after a year-long deployment. What a great day it was yesterday despite the cold and rain. I shared a short blog post over on the blog I've kept since our son deployed. Please stop by.

I had hoped to visit a new cemetery or two during my wait time but it has rained the entire time. Oh well, even that wasn't enough to dampen my spirits.

I'll be back soon!

Military Monday

Ellsworth Cemetery

We Interrupt This Blog

Today I've:

• screamed for joy
• felt like fainting
• prayed I wasn't dreaming

And lifted a prayer of thanks...for Clay's continued protection and safe return home...soon.

A date. I finally have a date! Subject to change, but a date! He is scheduled to leave Afghanistan April 25th, arriving back in the states about 5 days later. This has been a long journey. I have managed to endure because of my faith, family and friends.

I was so excited I just had to share...with everyone!


PFC Rodney Clayton Wall
101st Airborne



Johnny Reb

When I saw this confederate soldiers name the term "Johnny Reb" came to mind. What does it really mean? Hmmm. I turned to my friend, Google, to see what I could find.

IOOF Cemetery

Wikipedia told me this.
is the national personification of the Southern states of the United States. The latter part of his name is derived from Rebellion. Patriots used Johnny Reb and his Union counterpart Billy Yank to symbolize the lost souls in the American Civil War of the 1860s.

Johnny Reb is usually pictured in gray wool uniform that included the confederate flag. Johnny Reb was typically a young poor uneducated white male who had not yet attained 15 years of age.

Definitions.net told me this:
Johnny' was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; `greyback' derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

388

Forever lost?
Forever remembered?

Ft. Sill Post Cemetery

Nurse - war of the rebellion

Attica Cemetery

Harriet E. Johnson
Nurse during the war of
the rebellion for Co. A.
1st Iowa Cavalry.
Born Dec. 4, 1809
Died Jan. 24, 1896
She hath fought a good fight.
She has kept the faith

1st Iowa Cavalry info

1st Iowa Cavalry info

Thank you for your sacrifice

Today I took Christmas flowers to a few graves for a friend that lives out of state. While there I looked across the lane and saw the grave of a brave soldier that paid the ultimate price earlier this year. I knew he had been buried at Eastside but not where. I walked over and paid my respects. He was a young man, only 2 years older than my son.

I thanked him for his service and sacrifice. As I stood there with my heart hurting for his family I couldn't help but say a prayer for God to continue to protect my son, Clayton, deployed to Afghanistan. We are 7 months into our journey and I am weary from waking and ending my day with war and worry.

Thank you Sgt. Mena. May you rest in peace.

We interrupt this blog...

...to tell you that I am SO excited! My son, Clayton, is on his way home from Afghanistan for a 15 day visit. He should arrive in the states tomorrow. We don't get many details in advance, and I won't get on that soapbox today.

Just had to share!

Penguin in his pocket?
Read the story on our blog: dearclayton.blogspot.com
Click on the label "penguin"