Mark Twain has a new book out!

Several years ago I went to Elmira, NY to find the house my mother and her family had lived in. While I was there I had to go and see Mark Twain's grave and his home. I always loved Mark Twain's books and I am sure I have read them all, some a couple of times.

I was so happy when I discovered he has a new one out! A hundred years after his death. How could this happen?

The last years of his life he dictated his autobiography. (side note: he had an affair with the lady who took dictation and typed it up, then he fired her) He wanted to be perfectly honest, yet he didn't want to hurt the feelings of anyone. So he requested that it not be published for a hundred years. As one reporter said, "It is the best marketing scheme ever."

I am certain that Twain could not have imagined that thousands of copies would be pre-ordered on line. I can't wait to get my copy!

A note to genealogists: Twain(Clements) has no direct descendants.

A poem of a cemetery spot

Written by John F. Quinn of Buffalo, New York. Although this is about his auntie it could be about any child.

In a distant cemetery
at the corner of the lot
Lies buried and forgotten,
a little Irish tot.

The site once had a marker
that told a name and date:
Isabell Ryan,
born nineteen eight.

Her father made a cross to show
his little girl his love,
Was Christan born and baptised,
Bless the living God above.

Her family was not well to do
they had no time to choose,
a proper site, she died so fast,
just barely in her twos.

The grave-yard people deemed
the homemade crosses crude,
They tore them down, left Isabel,
in lonely solitude.

It just seems awful tragic
That this little girl should be
away from all the folks she knew,
Her friends and family.

I know she isn't really there
It's just her little bones.
Her soul has traveled far up high
To God's almighty thrones.

And still sometimes I travel there,
Down a dusty road, rutted trail,
There's wild flowers growing around
Birds sing on the rail.

I have a special interest there,
in this story I tell,
For she's my private little Saint,
She's my "Auntie Isabel".

Edith Mae, Hank and Friends Walk Through History

Edith Mae and Hank are on an adventure. They want to tell the stories of their years traveling to discover American's History. The first story is about all the cemeteries they have explored. They have had so much fun. Hank, of course, loves to run around and between the stones. Sometimes he runs toward cemetery critters such as squirrels, rabbits, and ducks. They scattered fast but he only wants to say "Hi."

Edith Mae got a new dress so they went to Sunnyslope Cemetery today. Nobody seemed to noticed, but then most of our friends are underground.

We can't wait to start giving our presentations, and boy!, do we have stories to tell.

Wish us luck!

From My Family Album. Samuel and Jannie Shockey

OBITUARY OF JANNIE (ALLEN) SHOCKEY (Taken from the Onaga (Kansas) Herald, Sept. 19, 1940.) Jannie Shockey, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Allen, was born March 1, 1869 in Winnebago Co., Ill. and passed away at her home in Onaga, Kansas, September 9, 1940, at the age of 71 years, 6 months and 8 days. On May 23, 1883, she united in marriage to Samuel T. Shockey, who passed away October 19, 1935. To this union eleven children were born. Surviving are: Allen Shockey, Mrs. Margaret Perrussel, and Mrs. Philena Holmgren of Onaga, KS; Mrs. Elsie Shaw of Irving, KS ; Hattie Perrussel of Fraser, CO; Mrs. Winnie Baughman of Riverdale, CA; and Samuel Shockey, Jr. of Pacific Beach, CA, also those proceeding her in death: George, Mose and John Shockey and Bessie Ramsey. - Since her marriage, Mrs. Shockey lived on a farm near Wheaton, KS for 34 years and then in Winifred, KS for 20 years and spent her last 4 years in Onaga, KS. after her husband's death. - S!he joined the Baptist church in Wheaton, KS at the age of 9 and changed her letter to the Baptist church in Onaga, KS in March 1940. - She leaves to mourn her passing seven children; one brother, Mose Allen of Winner, SD, who has now reached the age of 97 years; two sisters, Mrs. Sarah Brown of Hamilton, KS and Mrs. Charity Connway of Fostoria, KS; 55 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and a number of other relatives and a host of friends, all of whom have loved her dearly. - Mrs. Shockey lived a good Christian life, and before her death, she wrote the testimony that she was ready to leave her home on earth to met her Master. - Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at the Baptist Church, conducted by Miss Ruth Campbell. Interment was in the Onaga (KS) Cemetery next to her husband, Samuel Shockey.

Tombstone Tuesday, Lucy and Me

Lucy, the Belguim Shepard to the left, always has to have her nose in everything!! LOL!

This morning we went out on a Find A Grave hunt. We didn't have alot of luck. I have 14 requests and found only 3.

This picture is sending me on another hunt. The grave is for Thomas W. Cook. He died at 30 years old in 1899. I don't know a thing about him. I checked on the regular sites but I guess I need a trip to the library. Lucy won't understand why she can't come with me. After all she found him!

From My Family Album, Fred and Grace Boller

Buried at the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in San Diego are my maternal grandparents. Fred and Grace Boller lived a quiet life. They never spoke to me about their life before they came to California in 1947.

A couple of years ago I went to their hometowns in New York. It was a wonderful experience. I went to the homes that they had lived in. I visited the libraries and researched the newspapers. I was even able to speak to a old timer that remembered my grandfather, although the man, now an old man himself, was a little boy at the time. I visited my grandfather's hardware store in Corning, New York.

They raised four children, had 11 grandchildren, with greats and greatgreats coming along at regular intervals. I hope they are looking down and are proud of us.

Before it was History, it was News

This picture was taken at the Corning Public Library in Corning, New York. It was taped near the microfilm reader.

Newspapers are my favorite research source. You may not be able to find the information you want anywhere else. It is most valuable for cemetery search. I have found the obvious: obituaries and information about the people that died, but there are always many stories about the local cemeteries in town. You can piece the information together to create a great cemetery history.

Jesse Hill, Baseball Coach OBIT. DAY

JESS HILL, LEGENDARY TROJAN PLAYER, COACH, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, DIES AT 86
09/27/93
Jesse T. Hill, whose career as a player, coach and athletic director at USCspanned six decades, died Aug. 31 in Pasadena. He was 86.Hill was USC's head football coach from 1951 through 1956. His 1952 team providedthe Pacific Coast Conference with its first victory over a Big Ten team in theRose Bowl by beating Wisconsin, 7-0.He became athletic director in 1957 and served until 1972. He then became thefirst commissioner of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, serving until hisretirement in 1978.During Hill's tenure as athletic director, USC won 29 national championships.As a student athlete, he starred in three sports, earning letters in football(1928-29), track (1927-29) and baseball (1930). He played on Trojan footballteams that won the 1928 national championship and the 1930 Rose Bowl. He was areserve USC fullback in 1928 and 1929 on Howard Jones' famed Thundering Herdteams. He was exceptionally fast and, in 1929, led the conference with an averageof 8.2 yards in his 54 carries.Hill was a long jumper on the track team. He ended his track career in 1929 bywinning the long jump at the IC 4- A meet with a meet-record distance of 25 feetand seven- eighths of an inch.He played on the USC baseball team in 1930 and was the leading batter in theCalifornia Intercollegiate Baseball Association with an average of .389.Graduating cum laude in 1930, he signed a professional baseball contract with theHollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. In his first at-bat at Wrigley Fieldagainst the Los Angeles Angels, Hill hit a home run.Purchased by the New York Yankees, Hill played for Newark in 1932, St. Paul in1933 and Newark again in 1934 before being called up by the Yankees in 1935.An outfielder, he played in 107 games and batted .293. He was with the WashingtonSenators in 1936, batting .305. Hill played for the Senators and the PhiladelphiaAthletics in 1937. He finished his baseball career with the Oakland Oaks of thePCL in 1938 and 1939.In his off-seasons during his baseball career, Hill began his coaching careerwith stops at Corona High, Riverside Junior College and Long Beach City College.He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served until 1946, earning the rank of lieutenant commander.Hill returned to USC in 1946 as freshman football coach and assistant trackcoach. He succeeded the legendary Dean Cromwell as track coach in 1948, guidingthe Trojans to a pair of undefeated seasons and NCAA crowns. He also was USC'strack coach in 1962, following the sudden death of Jess Mortensen, and led theTrojans to a third-place NCAA finish.Hill is survived by a daughter, Mary Bett Carter, and a son, Jess Hill Jr. He had five grandchildren and one great- grandchild.

My note: His death date is left blank, look closely at the picture. It took a while to make sure that he was really under the stone. He was cremated.

Isaac Denton Stockton

Isaac Denton Stockton is buried in Sunnyslope Cemetery in Corona, CA. If he has any relatives nearby I can’t identify them. On the cemetery records the manner of death is “crushed by a sliding wall of clay” at Filmore, California.
As I researched him I wondered why he was buried in Corona. He didn’t appear in any Corona census. I checked the family trees at all the popular web sites and none of his family names appeared in the Corona cemetery or on the Corona City Federal census. I was very puzzled.
FamilySearch shows him married to Bernice Leola in 1914. His draft registration shows him single, not widowed, in 1917. However, the draft registration gave me the information I wanted: he did live in Corona. He worked for his father on the farm north of Corona center on Harrison Street.
I love to see the description on the draft registrations. Denton, as he was called, was short, had blue eyes, brown hair and was hard of hearing.
I’ll bring you a flower now and again, Denton.

Veteran List and Missing Soldier

Photo is of missing veteran, Kenneth L. Kimes.

Kathleen, my cemetery friend, and I have identified 366 veterans buried at Sunnyslope. One for each day of the year plus one more. We typed their names into Excel including the war (Civil War to the current war) that they were identified with, the birth and death dates and any special notes. We have checked and rechecked to make sure we got them all. The list was emailed to the local American Legion Post who is named after one of the veterans on the list, Joe Dominquez.

Of course just when you think you have it perfect, another soldier is identified.

I was telling another good friend about the project. She said “You have my dad, of course?” I must have turned a hundred shades of red. I was at her dad’s funeral, I know about him. I saw the flag that draped his coffin. I see it proudly displayed in his daughter’s home. But he wasn’t on any of the other “official” sources we bashed together to compile the list.

Now I keep wondering who else have we missed. I am keeping my ear close to the ground (pun intended) in case I hear of any more missing men or women.

The 15th annual Sunnyslope Cemetery Stroll is underway. Last year our theme was Civil War soldiers. It was such a success we thought that the soldiers theme should be continued. The soldiers we have selected are:

Henry Cunningham, Civil War

Captian Cuthbert Gully, Spanish American and WWI

Elmer Fern Gleason, Spanish American War

Chester Husted, WWI

Hugh Whitcomb, Spanish American War

Willa Mae Capen, WWII

Willard Capen, WWI

I am so anxious to share the information on these people but their stories will be held close to the vest until the date of the Stroll.

The Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls

The Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls sounds ugly, but the cemetery that is connected with this home is in a pretty park, plush green grass and shady trees. The history of the place is a sample of what life could be at the turn of the century.

The cemetery is located on the campus of UTA (University of Texas at Arlington), but is hidden at the north edge of Doug Russell Park. The names that are on the stones are Infant No, 1, Infant No. 2 and so on. There are some stones that list only the first names of the child, George, Emma or Mary. You see, the babies are mostly the result of unwed mothers living at the home. Some graves are of mothers that died in childbirth.

Rev. James Tony Upchurch founded this home to save these wild girls (how about the boys?). He believed that mother and child should not be separated so he saw to it that the girls learned a trade such as sewing or nursing. After they acquired a trade they could leave and start their lives. They could also stay if they wanted as there was plenty to do at the home. The school had 67 acres, 10 buildings, its own hospital, barn and chapel.

According to some documents the girls were happy. They found meaningful work and everyone there understood their circumstances.

After all Berachah is Hebrew for blessing.

Travels to Texas

Texas is a great place to roam cemeteries: there are so many old ones.

Today I went to see the Smithfield Cemetery, North Richland Hills, Texas. Judy from Cemeteries with Texas Ties wrote a story about it a year ago. She did all the research and I just had to visit. There are many interesting graves as these pictures show.

The one on the left is handpainted. Beautiful job. The chickens appear to be folk art, cut out of wood and tole-painted. These are for two different families. What do they mean? Did the people like pigs and chickens? Or were they farmers? Or it has a meaning that only the families knows.

The Rabbit Travels

Yesterday I was able to share stories from my blog with the Pomona Valley Genealogy Society. Here I am as the Graveyard Rabbit, walking stick and all. I love to talk about these stories and you know that there is a small group that really likes graveyards...and it is any group of genealogists. They know history is worth repeating. As I do this I hope I am raising awarness that there are many cemeteries that need our help to keep all those ancestors that have passed before us alive in our hearts.

Abel White, Found!

I found Abel White about 20 years ago. He is my husband's 3rd great grandfather.
The search continues. Last time I was in SLC I decided to start from scratch and look for him as though I didn’t have a thing on him. The first place I looked was deeds, at the insistence of the friend I was with. I couldn’t believe what I found. I found a document that deeded land from his property for a family cemetery.

On the first part of the document he asked to have a “suitable tombstone to mark my grave after my demise” Then this description of the property is given.
"The following describes parcel of land situated in said County of Franklin and state of Indiana designated by a line drawn from the north west corner of section twenty four of town nine of range two west as established by James N. Clements. Commencing at said corner aforesaid and running east on the north line of said quarter twenty five five rods thence south twenty eight rods to a stone thence west four rods to a stone, and thence north four rods to the first stone (can’t read) corner stone: said above described parcel of land to be held in trust by said Board of Commissioners of Franklin County as a Private Cemetery for the use and interment of the family of the said Abel White"
Signed October 10, 1855

I continued to look but in my heart I knew I needed to make some phone calls. As soon as I got home I did call a few places in Indiana but to no avail. I put the project on the top shelf then continued to other research projects.

A week ago I suddenly had the thought that I had to work on g-g-g-grandpa White. I called the deed office in Franklin Co., Indiana. The lady couldn’t help but offered to give me the name and number of the Historic Society. I called and spoke to this wonderful man that was happy I called. He is also on the Cemetery Commission and one of their projects was to restore the White Cemetery! Talk about being excited. I wanted to act professional and proper but it was hard to resist jumping up and down and calling out many loud cheers.

During the exchange of several emails I learned that the land is currently owned by a man that had bought the land just to use for deer hunting. He had given permission to the Commission to restore the cemetery. I have thought about this so much. Abel White owned many, many acres in his time and that land was used as a family farm and as commodity. To him this was his land and his children’s future. He probably couldn’t imagine a future time that it wasn’t important to someone’s very existence. Can you imagine the difference between what the land means to us in 2010 and what they thought about it in 1855? I always thought that he worked hard to make all the land a prosperous farm. It never occurred to me that he might have used a portion of it to hunt deer too.

Of course he must have thought that the land would always be in his family since he wanted the family cemetery to be there. Forever.

When I got the picture of Abel’s grave from my new friend in Indiana I was beyond thrilled!! I am sure I research family history just as an excuse to find cemeteries.

I still have not been able to find his parents, but I found his grave.

Lincoln Park Cemetery

There are 10,000 bodies buried under Lincoln Park in Chicago. They have been forgotten for many decades. Perhaps one of us is looking for an ancestor that died in Chicago. This story will deepen the mystery if it doesn’t clear it up.

It is no secret that Lincoln Park was once a cemetery. It began as a cemetery for cholera victims in 1877 because it was considered to be a safe distance from town. There are also 4,000 confederate soldiers that died at Camp Douglas, a POW camp, from awful conditions.

Soon there was a Catholic cemetery, a Jewish cemetery, a pauper cemetery as well as The City Cemetery. At its height there may have been 35,000 graves. Then the Chicago Fire came through and destroyed markers. The official story is that the fire was responsible for graves that were left behind and not reinterred when others were moved to make way for the new park.

Often bones are discovered when routine work is done on the Park or on nearby homes. Most recently (Feb 2010) while a 19th century townhouse was under construction bones were found under a concrete basement floor. They were believed to be from the Old Catholic cemetery. At the same site bones were found in 1947. The Catholic cemetery was sold off in separate lots and sales in the late 1800s.

A terrific researcher named Pamela Bannos has spent an enormous amount of time collecting information to verify, identify and document anything and everything about Lincoln Park’s former identity. Her web site, Hidden Truths, gives any researcher many hours of pleasure digging through all the information she has been able to collect. She provides images of her research and encourages the reader to follow her on her journey of discovering the “Hidden Truths.”

Note: The image above is from Weird Chicago. The tomb is that of Ira Couch.

Maple Grove Cemetery, Valley Center, Kansas

A while ago I wrote about a cemetery I found in Kansas. I still wonder about it often. I was happy to discover that others are concerned about this graveyard as well. I found a recent article on the internet today, thanks to my sister in law, Susan Follis.
Maple Grove Cemetery in Valley Center, Kansas might just get some attention. It appears from this story that there really are many people buried there without a marker. I am always touched when I discover that a grave is stone-less.
It illustrates that we should never give up when we are looking for our ancestors because maybe some other good soul might discover their final resting place and write about it, list it, log it and place it on Find A Grave or another spot where it can be found again.

The Mystery of the Irish at Duffy’s Cut

The 175-year-old mystery of Irish Catholic railroad workers may now be solved after a team led by brothers Dr. William and Frank Watson, has been found.

The labourers arrived in Pennsylvania in June 1832 to construct the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad but six weeks later all had died and were buried without ceremony in a ditch. The deaths were orginally covered up, then later said that the men perished in a cholera epidemic. There are also theories that they were murdered by anti-Irish vigilantes. If the deaths were murder, then it will become a crime scene, even after all these years.

The Watson brothers think they have found the spot of the grave. A marker was put up in 2004, but the actual site was not known at that time. They are finding many personal items such as buttons, pipes, cooking utensils as well as bones, at a site nearby.

There is so much to be done in this discovery but funding is a issue.

There are many articles on line about Duffy’s Cut, a book, and videos. Here is one to entice you. Duffy's Cut

Are one of these men the relative you have been searching for?

Jennie Wade for Tombstone Tuesday

Jennie Wade, Gettysburg, PA She was the first person killed in the Battle. She was in her sister's kitchen baking bread for the Union troops when a stray bullet came through the door and shot her in the back.

Ocie Taylor Songer

Ocie Taylor Songer was in town recently. She told The Corona Historic Preservation Society about her experiences in early Corona. She arrived is 1896, the very begining of this little hamlet. Her father was the offical founder. She lived here until her death in 1971, at age 94. Of course she had some tales to tell. She knew all the early residents as well as many that came later to make their mark on Corona.

Ocie was portrayed by...moi, me and myself. I enjoyed it so much. Ocie left all her scrapbooks, the family bible, family papers and documents to the public library. At the Heritage Room the documents are in a special collection that can be browse through. It was such a pleasure to be able to tell her story and know that everything was as she saw it, because the information all came from her own pen.

When I visit her grave Ialways tell her that I hope she is pleased with me for keeping her alive in Corona. She did so much in the way of writing Corona's history as it took place. I want to keep it going.

One thing she said in a letter (written in her hand) was that "the older ones are going and the young ones don't care about Corona's story."

I always think that whatever I say about Corona is also the story of every town in America. The faces and names are changed but the stories are alike.

The news of yesterday is the history of today.

Warkintin Family in Newton, KS for Tombstone Tuesday

In Newton, Kansas there is a beautiful Victorian home, complete with much orginal furnishings. It offers tours and tells the history of the Warkentine Family and their connection to Newton. This home is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bernard Warkintine was responsible for the Turkey red hard winter wheat that Kansas is famous for. He had many interests in Kansas and Oklahoma. He died of an accidental gunshot wound while he was in the Holy Land in 1908. His wife Wilhelmina contined to live in the home until her death in 1932.

The grave is located in Greenwood Cemetery, about four miles from the home. I peeked inside the tomb. There looks to be four marble crypts, and a lovely stained glass window. Although it was snowing and cold the day I was there. the sun shined through the glass giving the tomb a very church like atmosphere, which I am sure the Warkentins would like.

Good Graveyard Reading

I just read the best books by Sarah Stewart Taylor. These stories are about a college professor whose speciality is gravestones, cemetery art and mourning jewelery.
Sweeney St. George, the red headed professor always ends up around a murder mystery that she solves, of course, and along the way teaches the reader about cemeteries.
What's not to love?

Maple Grove Cemetery, Valley Center, KS

It was freezing cold the day we saw this cemetery from the freeway and made a U turn to get to the gate. It is located Hwy I35, and 85th North. I was afraid the gate was locked, not that it would have stopped me, but Hubby yelled out the window "It is not locked, don't hop over it." Sure enough it was open so I went in and dashed around taking pictures of each grave.

When we got back to my sister's house we told her about the cemetery we "discovered." She told us that they no longer use it because everytime they would try to dig a new grave, somebody would already have it occupied. And there would not be a marker. The locals think what happened was during The Depression people would be buried there and there was no money for a marker. There is a cemetery map but many, many people are not on the map either. So they just gave up burying people there. I couldn't find independent confirmation of this story.

And genealogists wonder why they can't find their ancestors gravesite!!

You can find it transcribed at http://genealogytrails.com/kan/sedgwick/hostmapelcemetery.html

What a difference the years make!

Grave of Joe Dalcamo, 1909-1922

Sunnyslope Cemetery, Corona, CA

Photo on the left was taken 2010 by Diane S. Wright.

Photo on the right is courtesy of Corona Public Library, taken in 1922

The angel is not longer crowning the stone, but the rest of the family fills the family plot.

Hotel Cemetery, Fort Worth, Texas

Texas Historical Lanmark 1984

This cemetery is in a hotel parking lot. There are hedges around the cemetery and it is very pretty and well kept.

In 1861, Benjamin Patton Ayres (1801? - 1862) and his wife Emily (1811? - 1863) bought a 320-acre farm and set aside two acres on a hillside as a family cemetery. Ayres served as the second District Clerk of Tarrant County and helped organize the Fort Worth First Christian Church.
An unknown number of plots lie outside the fenced family plot. They include victims of spring fevers and frequent Trinity River floods. None of their fieldstones have survived.
NOTABLE BURIALS - William Alfred Sanderson - A native of England, Sanderson came to Texas in 1841. He obtained a Republic of Texas land grant and settled in Tarrant County with his wife, the former Isabella Frances Ayres. He soon established himself as a farmer and stock raiser. He was a charter member of the Fort Worth First Christian Church and Justice of the Peace and played a role in the relocation of the Tarrant County seat from Birdville to Fort Worth.

New Trinity Cemetery, Fort Worth, Texas

New Trinity Cemetery, Fort Worth Texas. This is a all black cemetery. It is not vandelized but neglected. When I got back to my computer I found Cemeteries of Tarrant County. This cemetery needs to be transcribed. Oh I wish I could stay here longer, I would love to do it. But I am on my way to Kansas tomorrow. There are so many neat cemeteries nearby to where I am staying.

Irish Gravestone for Tombstone Tuesday

Photo by Jerry from the Corona Genealogy Society.

I just love it when someone sends me a really interesting grave picture! Thank You, my friend.

And my new research assistant is...........

Just for fun, I tried some "wingding" research ideas. Before you say I don't have enough to do with my time look at this.

On ebay is a picture of Daniel W. Schmidt of Newton, Harvey County, Kansas. (2 pictures for sale for $30.00) On Find a Grave is the picture of his grave at Grace Hill Mennoite Church.

Just putting pieces together.

My new research assistant is....ebay!

Tombstone Tuesday, Archibald Brownlee

Archibald Brownlee was born 12 Jan 1795 and died 10 Sept 1853.

Archibald, son of Thomas and Martha (Shearer) Brownlee, was born on the farm in Buffalo township, Washington county. He was one of the first Abolitionists, and took an active part in smuggling slaves, being interested in the underground railway, which was made to assist the fugitive negro in escaping to Canada.

He is buried in the South Buffalo Cemetery in Washington, PA.

Tombstone Tuesday, Amos Walton

Amos Walton (1750-1827) is buried at the North Ten Mile Cemetery in Washington, PA. He is buried in an old section behind the Baptist Church.

He served in the Revoultionary War in Capt. Abner Howell's Mitilia. He also did frequent tours with the Frontier Rangers.

Critters at the Cemetery

Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, CN, Oct 2009

1930 Census Taker, Bessie Hough

I had a great time portraying Bessie Hough at Questing Heirs of Long Beach. Bessie was one of the 87,800 enumerators for 1930 in the United States. I walked her district, visited her house and found her grave.

I almost feel as though I took the census with her.

Bessie shared her experiences of taking the 1930 census in Corona, Ca. She tells us about the enumerator instructions and about the people she spoke to as she walked her assigned district. Bessie is a little bit of a gossip too.

She is my most popular character. I love to be her. I hope she is looking down and is happy that she is remembered.

Following Her Footsteps

The picture is of a rock with Indian writing called "Painted Rock". It was moved for a railroad track.

I didn't know hiking for history could be so much fun. Hey, did I coin a new phrase? "Hiking for History," sounds good.

Since the Janet Gould dedication we decided to make it Janet's Week. We followed her footsteps around Corona.

Kathleen wrote this up about our adventures:

"Diane Wright and I spent a wonderful three days hiking looking for all of the monuments in the Temescal Valley. We now know that three of them no longer exist. After being unsuccessful in our quest to find them, we went to the Corona Library's Heritage Room and listened to Janet Gould's tapes. It was exciting to hear her voice again. According to Gould, Carved Rock had been vandalized and carried away in pieces by the early 1960s. We found evidence that the other "missing" monuments were no longer standing as well. The Butterfield Stage Marker is on a rock as it was originally but no longer says that it is a State Marker. Perhaps when it was rededicated and moved to Dos Lagos it no longer qualified."

This is my personal dilemma: Janet has a very simply stone in the cemetery and she really gave alot to Corona, then there is another person, whom I will not name yet, who has a large nice stone and I can't find much about the life this person lived. If I were to give a speech tomorrow on cemetery ideas, one would be not to judge the man or women by the size of his gravestone.

DAR Dedication for Janet Gould

Janet Gould was honored yesterday for her work in the Auranta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She died in 1964 after doing much historic work for Southern California. She was the first in Corona to recognize that local historic sites need to be marked. She was the driving force behind placing several monuments around the city of Corona. She loved to wear dangly earrings and multitudinous braclets which make a tinkling sound when she moved her hands. She lectured about events that took place in Corona and Southern California.
Several ladies of the DAR came dressed in colonial clothing to place a DAR marker on her grave. The caretaker cleaned and shined her stone as well as that of her husband and son. A ceremonial prayer was said as the marker was dedicated.
DAR Chaplain, Diane Stephens, spoke about the life of Janet and her love of history, genealogy and of teaching others of importance of the past.
A story in the Golden Jubliee Edition of the local paper on April 27, 1936 sums it up well. “Author, lecturer, researcher, into early Californiana, Janet Williams Gould of this city (Corona) has devoted many years to the absorbing study of Southern California with the result that she is considered an outstanding authority. Tireless in her search for factual information about the early days, she has been recognized by the Southern California Historical Society as one of its most interested members.”
It was a honor to pay tribute to this charming lady who was known as Corona’s “Duchess.”
To read more of her life go to the Corona Genealogy Society www.coronagensoc.org/sunnyslope.html and read about her as she was portrayed at a Cemetery Stroll.