Ashes of 11 Year Old Boy Found in Woods

From a Ohio newspaper we learn the sad story of a young boy's ashes found in a wooded area still in the urn:  

"BELLVILLE, Ohio — Richland County Sheriff's deputies have a mystery on their hands, as they look for the owner of a brass urn believed to contain the ashes of an 11-year-old child."

The name Casey Shaun is etched on the top of the urn, with a birth date of 1986, and date of death as 1998. Investigators are hoping to find relatives of this young boy

Read the full story which also contains a phone number you can call if you have information, on Urn with 11-year-old's ashes found in rural area

Credits: Image from http://myfox28columbus.com/

Ohio Mystery of the Wandering Tombstone

I love stories like this! What a great mystery in Ohio.

A Copley Township landowner recently discovered a 19th century headstone buried in underbrush on land that has belonged to his family for at least 60 years. The marble slab is for Akron businessman William D. Stevens (1819-1886).

The mystery is that Mr. Stevens is buried in a family plot at Glendale in Akron Ohio, and this is confirmed by cemetery records. So how and why did his tombstone end up on a stranger's land? And....is Mr. Steven's body there too?

Continue reading at Local history: Unearthed Copley headstone is mystery beyond grave

Image: Screenshot from Akron Beacon Journal website 

Picnic With The Dead August 29th

Olive Tree Genealogy received this email from Woodland Cemetery in Ohio. What a great idea!

Each of us comes from somewhere and someone.  Most of us know something of our history and family members who have gone before us. On August 29, 2015 Woodland Cemetery Foundation would like to spend the day with you and with your ancestors.  The foundation is hosting a gathering of descendants at the cemetery and would be honored if you and your family members joined in the celebration.  Please come and share a few thoughts about, of words from, and remembrances of your ancestors who reside now at Woodland Cemetery [6901 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44104].

Come visit your family gravesites and maybe spruce them up a bit –bring your tools and supplies and plant your flowers!  Or just to come and enjoy the beauty of the park and share time and words with your loved ones, with your family and friends, and with other the other descendants who have come to visit their ancestors. Woodland Cemetery is one of the loveliest and most peaceful places in all of Cleveland.  Let us share.

On August 29, 2015, let us share.  Let us share our family stories and the beauty that is around us.  Let us share the history of ourselves and of our city.  Let us share the stories of our common past and maybe carry lessons learned into our communal future.

No celebration is complete without a feast.  Please plan to share a potluck picnic luncheon with your family, friends, and other descendants.  Bring a favorite family dish or share one that your ancestors favored.  Bring your own picnic basket.  Woodland Cemetery Foundation will be providing food and drink and your contribution would be most welcome.  Let us share.

Festivities will start on August 29th at 10:00AM, with the picnic potluck beginning around 11:00AM and continuing throughout the day.  Please bring your dish to share along with your picnic basket and blanket – or table – and your memories and stories.  Please remember that Woodland Cemetery is an alcohol free zone, so no alcoholic beverages, please!

If you have never been to Woodland Cemetery, it is a wonderful place to visit.  If you are unsure of how to get to the grave location of your ancestor, members of the foundation will be more than happy to assist.  If you send us an email ahead of time, we will provide you with the burial records and the grave location for your ancestors. Or visit our website and find ancestors at our online database: http://www.wcfcle.org/interment/wcfiis_search.php

Serendipity in Genealogy

Last week I decided to play around with FamilySearch and their new Labs, in particular Record Search.

It's easy and free to register, so after filling out the form, I logged in and began my search. I was not looking for anything or anyone specifically, I simply wanted to try it out.

Imagine my surprise when typing in my family surname (McGINNIS) from Ontario, up popped a 1920s death record in Ohio.

A closer look revealed it was my great-grandfather's brother, an individual in my McGinnis Family Tree I'd lost after the 1881 census, and a man I'd almost given up hope of ever finding! I had no idea he'd gone to Ohio, in fact family lore swore he had left Guelph Ontario for Hamilton Ontario. I'd searched Ontario for him without success.

And now, here he was dying in Ohio. His wife's name and her residence were given on the dath record. A note stated the body was being sent to Ontario for burial. With those clues I was able to find his wife and their children and a whole new branch of research has opened for me.

Serendipity at its best. So don't overlook taking the time to play with new genealogy records you find online. It can pay off!