Monday, March 19, 2012

Another Confederate veteran burial location found!

As one of several Redus family genealogists, one of my main missions is to determine where all the family Civil War Confederate veterans final resting places are, even if they are just coat tail cousins. One that I have been trying to find for some time surfaced this afternoon.

Celestia Clay Redus b. 8 May 1840 in Limestone Co, Alabama (dau of Thomas Redus and Martha Adeline Clay) m Private Stephen D. Herman on Nov 26, 1862, in Giles County, Tennessee. He was the son of William Herman and Lucinda Shepard McMurray. Stephen Herman was born 09 Jan 1835 in Lauderdale County, Alabama and was a member of the "Florence Guards"(7th Alabama Infantry CSA). He enlisted as a private on April 1, 1861. Celestia died from the complications of childbirth on 13 Oct 1863. She is buried in the New Garden Cemetery, Elkmont, Limestone County, Alabama (FAG memorial #21594330).

I have not been able to find out much of Stephen life after the Civil War and until today did not know when he passed away or where he is buried.

CSA Private Stephen D. Herman died on March 9, 1900 and is buried in the Carter Cemetery in Colbert County, Alabama (FAG Memorial #59271180). He has a VA CSA marker as well as a regular tombstone. I have asked the couple who maintain his marker to link his with Celestia.



The inscription on his regular tombstone reads: "Come ye Blessed", "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God".



If anyone else knows anything about Stephen's life after his first wife passed away, please contact me at the email address in the masthead.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

I've Learned Some New Calendar Math Doing Genealogy

I have a family tree up at Ancestry.com and recently got a leaf on my Rachel Meek b. 3 Mar 1802 Adair County, Kentucky, United States, d. bef 13 Jun 1827 Henry County, Tennessee, United States. She married my Rev. John D. Witt (1802-1851)in 1828.

Her father was Jacob Meek (1760-1824). I have yet to find who Rachel's mother / Jaoob's wife was, but I can tell you who it isn't -- Mary Detwiler (1821-1880).

Out of 25 Ancestry.com public trees with this family on them, nine of them show Rachel Meek's mother as the Mary Detwiler mentioned above. Pretty good trick that Mary Detwiler can have a child in 1802 and she wasn't born until 1821.

So for you nine people who have Mary Detwiler as Rachel Meek's mother, I guess I have learned some new ways to do calendar math. Really? Really? Really!