Tombstone Tuesday - The Tuck Brothers

Bryan Tuck and Dewey Tuck

Jan 25, 1899 - Jan 5 1919

This double tombstone sits in the New Hope Methodist Church in Randolph, VA.  This is in the same cemetery where some of my Haley ancestors are buried. To my knowledge, I have no relationship to the Tuck brothers of Halifax County.  I just found their tombstone interesting.

It is a double tombstone and brothers were members of the Woodmen of the World.  Bryan and Dewey were the sons of Joseph A and Victoria Tuck.  At first glance the brothers appear to be twins with the same birth date of 25 Jan 1899.  

But then notice the death dates.  They are both listed as 5 Jan 1919.  Interesting and tragic.....twin brothers who died on the same day. But did they?

I did a quick search online for the Tuck brothers.  Several online Tuck family trees include both Bryan and Dewey Tuck.  These trees also have Dewey Tuck alive and living in Campbell County in 1930.  None of the trees have the brothers listed as twins.

So, Tuck family researchers, I hope the photograph is useful to you.  This stone certainly sparked my curiosity even though the brothers are not part of my ancestry.  I just might have to research their story further one day.

Tombstone Tuesday: Another Interesting Tombstone

This is a tombstone for Rachel Blythe, wife of A G Bauer.  She died in 1897 at the age of 26.  The stone is located in the Oakwood Cemetery in Wake County, NC.  Rachel's husband was an architect and erected this stone monument for his wife.   Her photograph is attached inside the columns.  It is damaged, but her image is still visible.  This is the first time I have seen a person's photograph on a tombstone.  Quite a lovely tribute to his young wife.

I did find interesting the fact that husband and wife had different surnames.  I wonder if Blythe was Rachel's maiden name?

(Cousins- Just in case you are wondering, this is not one of our ancestors.)

Tombstone Tuesday - Gravestones and Their Stories

On my recent trip to Charleston, SC I spent a lot of time wandering the historic cemeteries.  I was drawn by the stories these cemeteries told just by the gravestones that were there.  The artwork and symbolism can tell so much about the person (and the family) buried there.

 As I wondered the cemeteries, I wondered what I could learn about a person or family by just what was in the cemetery.  No computer look-ups. No prior knowledge of the family.  No other information than what was literally in front of me.

And that's when I found myself in front of the James and Elizabeth Ladson family plot in St. Michael's Church on Meeting Street. This gravestone in particular caught my attention.

This gravestone has six (6) Ladson children listed!  It was a bit difficult to read in the cemetery and in the photograph, but modern technology (i.e. Picasa) helped me decipher it.

• Robert Gilmore Ladson - died 26 May 1828, aged 1 year 53 days
• Frederick Fraser Ladson - died 29 Jun 1830,aged 4 years 6 months
• Judith Eliza Ladson - died 2 Jul 1830, aged 9 years 11 months
• Eliza Caroline Ladson - died 23 Jun 1835, aged 10 months 6 days
• Charlotte Josephine Ladson - died 25 Jul 1837, aged 6 months 2 days
• James Ladson - died 6 Jul 1839, aged 17 years

Five of the children died before the age of 10 years. All died in the early summer months.  

Why?

Here are a few of my theories:

• Charleston, SC is very hot and muggy during the summer months.  It is also very "buggy".  (Wear bug repellent when exploring this city's cemeteries!  I learned the hard way.)  Mosquitoes and other bugs can carry illnesses.  Perhaps this was a contributing factor in these children's deaths.
• With the young age of the the first five children listed, could there be a genetic disorder present in this family? Or at the very least, a genetic predisposition toward weak a immune system.
• Early medicine being what is was, the children may have died from common childhood illnesses.

In addition to the six children above, Elizabeth Ladson lost at least one other daughter in early adulthood as well as her husband.  There is no doubt about it.  Life was hard for this family.  It is hoped that in the midst the grief, joy was also found.

Tombstone Tuesday Interesting Stones

Wm Robert Andrews

 I found the color and shape of these two tombstones interesting.  Notice on the one above the place of birth is given.  For someone researching this family that could be a useful piece of information.  Now why didn't my ancestors leave clues like that!
 

Hattie Lee Andrews

Both photographs taken in Oakwood Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday Confederate Soldiers

Unknown Confederate Soldier

Confederate Soldier Section of Oakwood Cemetery

These photographs were taken in the Confederate Soldier section of Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC  It is quite an impressive sight.

Tombstone Tuesday Oakwood Cemetery

I recently visited historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC.  Oakwood Cemetery was begun in 1869 and sits close to the downtown area on 102 acres of land.  Buried there are the famous and not so famous.  A confederate soldier cemetery is also there.  Since beginning genealogy, I have found myself interested in the styles and designs of gravestones.  Oakwood Cemetery has its share of interesting stones as well.  For the next few Tombstone Tuesdays, I will share the tombstones that particularly caught my attention.  (For my cousins reading this blog, these departed are not part of our ancestry.) 



Gravestone Wth Pillow and Blanket

  This was the first time I had seen a gravestone with this motif.  This is the grave of S Brown Shepherd, Jr. Unfortunately, the dates were very worn and difficult to read.



Gravestone of S Brown Shepherd, Jr



Tombstone Tuesday Field Stone Markers

These are two field stone markers located in the Pleasant Grove Christian Church cemetery in Halifax County, VA. They are located close to the graves of Sarah Elizabeth Talbott and her son-in-law C R Elliott. According to the cemetery directory, it is not known who graves these stones mark. I found these particularly interesting. They were the first field stone markers I had actually come across.

Tombstone Tuesday Geneva Talbott Steube

Geneva T. Steube

Sept. 18, 1872

Aug. 5, 1956

Geneva Talbott was the youngest daughter of John B and Sarah (Owen) Talbott of Halifax Co, VA. Geneva was the second wife of George Ernest Steube. She is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in South Boston, VA.

Tombstone Tuesday Ammon Talbott

Ammon B Talbott

June 20, 1917 - June 19, 1994

Adell Oakley Talbott

Sept 18, 1915 - June 5, 2000

Ammon Talbott was the son of John Robert "Bob" Talbott and his wife Lottie Osborne. Ammon and his wife are buried in the Harmony Methodist Church near Alton, Halifax, VA.

Tombstone Tuesday John Robert Talbott

John Robert Talbott Lottie Osborne

Jan 21, 1867 -Jan 21, 1938 Oct 5, 1888 -Nov 24, 1965

This is the tombstone of John Robert "Uncle Bob" Talbott and his wife of Halifax County, VA. Bob was the son of John B Talbott and Sarah Owen Talbott. There tombstone is located at Harmony Methodist Church near Alton, VA.

Tombstone Tuesday Harriett Thomas

Harriett [Judd] Thomas

Wife of

T Thomas

b. Nov 18, 1808

d. Jan 6, 1901

---------

V. F.

Dau of

H. B. and B. I. Thomas

Died June 4, 1889

Age 2 1/2 years

This is the tombstone of my GGGG-Grandmother Harriett Judd Thomas, mother of Mary Adaline Thomas. Her grave is at Baptist Chapel Cemetery near Broadway, NC. This was originally the Thomas family homeplace and her tombstone was placed in the family cemetery. (The church was not at this location until about 1913.) I am unsure of who the child is that is listed on the bottom of her tombstone. Based on the age of the child, it could not have been Harriet's as she would have been in her 80's at the time the child died. Another mystery to solve....

Tombstone Tuesday Walter "Jack" Talbott

Walter C Talbott

b. 6 Jul 1902

d. 20 Sep 1967

Buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, South Boston, VA

Walter C "Jack" Talbott was the eighth child of Joseph Merritt and Rosa (Bowen) Talbott. I shared his tombstone to show the Mason's insignia on it. Many of the tombstones in this family have this insignia. It played an important role in the lives of the Talbott men. I look forward to learning more about this organization and the role it played in my ancestors' lives.

Tombstone Tuesday - Unusual Stone

I recently came across this unusual tombstone in Oak Ridge Cemetery in South Boston, VA. (Cousins, this is NOT one of our ancestors.) It is the grave of William Munford McCorkle who died in 1894. I found smaller and less elaborate stones in the image of trees with the insignia of Woodsmen of the Woods. This is by far the most elaborate I saw. Did you notice the Confederate Cross, too?

Tombstone Tuesday C R Elliott

C R Elliott

Oct 16, 1861

June 22, 1915

Gone But Not Forgotten

This is the tombstone that stands next to my great x 3 grandmother Sarah Owen Talbott at Pleasant Grove Christian Church near Halifax, VA. As you can see, the stone appears to have been broken off its original base and repaired. I believe CR Elliott to have been the son-in-law of Sarah and John B Talbott, husband of their daughter Bettie. I also have clues that he may be related to me down another line as well.

What I found interesting was where his grave is located. He and his mother-in-law Sarah Talbott are side by side in a plot with no other apparent relatives. The plot is #28 and according to the cemetery directory is owned by a George Newcomb. In addition to Sarah Talbott and CR Elliott, there is a Solomon Clay and four graves marked by field stones. I know of no connection between my ancestors and these other two men. At least, not yet....

Tombstone Tuesday Sarah Owen Talbott

Sarah Owen Talbott

1 Dec 1812

19 Jul 1910

Sarah Frances Owen Talbott was my great x 3 grandmother and the wife of John B Talbott. She is buried at Pleasant Grove Christian Church near Halifax, Va.

This is a historic church founded in 1803 with a very large cemetery. It is well tended and many old stones are still there. There are a number of graves marked only by a field stone. The church provides a cemetery directory which is located at the entrance to the cemetery. What a pleasant surprise!

Tombstone Tuesday William Haley and Clara Holt

This is the tombstone for William Henry Haley and Clara Holt Haley. They are buried at New Hope UMC in Randolph, VA. Interestingly enough, William's birth date is incorrect. He was born in 1861, not 1860. I base this on the information he provided on his marriage registration and on the information from his death certificate.

Tombstone Tuesday

The Reverend Caswell Suggs Harward (note the spelling here is Howard) was my GGG-grandfather. Here is buried in the church cemetery of Baptist Chapel Church outside of Sanford, NC. At the time of his death, the property was actually part of the homeplace for his wife Mary A Thomas Harward's family. There is some indication he may have died of typhoid fever.

Tombstone Tuesday - Connie and Mattie Howard

This is the tombstone of my great grandparents Mattie (Maddox) and Connie Howard. I was fortunate enough to know my great grandfather for many years. Unfortunately, I never knew my great-grandmother as she died in 1927. They are buried in the Moore Union Church cemetery in Lee County, NC.

Tombstone Tuesday - Leola Maddox

Leola Maddox

25 Apr 1894

2 Jun 1900

This little tombstone is that of Leola Maddox, daughter of Wesley Calvin and Martha Maddox and niece of my great-grandmother Mattie Maddox Howard. It is located at Moore Union Christian Church in Lee County, NC. It is hard to read the words in the photo. The actual tombstone itself was difficult to read. This stone is also broken and lying on its back on top of the base. It was not until I edited the photo and consulted my family tree database, that I was able to determine who's stone this was. Sadly another tombstone of a young child.

Tombstone Tuesday: Samantha Buchanon Maddox

Samantha Buchanon Maddox

1820-1892

Samantha Maddox was my great x 3 grandmother. She was the mother of James T Maddox, grandmother of Mattie Maddox, and great-grandmother of James Lester Howard. The above photo was taken at Moore Union Christian Church outside of Sanford, NC.

I have a particular fondness for Samantha, though for exactly what reason I'm not sure. Perhaps it's the mystery I found surrounding her. She was born in 1820 in Chatham County, NC and married Calvin Maddox 10 Feb 1842. Unfortunately, Calvin died before Nov 1848 leaving Samantha with three young children: Julia, James Tarleton, and Mary Frances. Calvin died without a will, thus generating a lot of estate papers including guardianship papers for the children and an inventory of the household. (More on this in a later post.)

I have found other researchers who attribute two other children to Samantha and Calvin. They were Flora Maddox (b.1853) and Sina Jane Maddox (b.1862 d. 1905). Comparing the dates of this family, neither Flora nor Sina Jane could be children of Calvin given he had died several years prior to their births. I have found no evidence that Samantha remarried after her husband's death or that she perhaps took in two nieces/orphans to raise. Indeed, the federal census records list the girls as daughters. So, Flora and Sina Jane were most likely half-sisters to my great x 2 grandfather James T Maddox. The question remains: Who was the father(s)?