The Ledger
(click on images to enlarge)
Waiting is never an easy thing to do when you know a particular record could hold the answer to a question you are just unable to let go of and you need to wait to see that record. In Where do the Remains of Carrie Terry Warner Actually Reside? (Part 1) a review was made of all known information about where my paternal great grandmother Carrie Terry Warner was buried and about the family story. I learned about old ledgers that existed at my cousin's tombstone business from the previous owner. I hoped these records might hold answers to my nagging question.
The day had finally come and here the ledgers were in front of me. Finally being able to see and hold the ledgers was so exciting! My cousin had marked pages he thought I'd be interested in so it was time to see if they actually did hold the answer I was looking for.
The first thing to always look for is an index:
Reminder: When you are looking at an Index be sure you understand how the Index is set up. While names are all "W" names, they were added as services were ordered. The names are not listed alphabetically.
The following entry is dated June 15, 1915. Page 348
OK, the question I had about Carrie having a headstone is now answered! There was a headstone and this is what it was to look like, it was to be made out of blue marble and cost $12.00. The date the headstone was ordered is now known and the bill was to go to Carrie & John's eldest son Terry, who at the time resided in Watermill, NY. Why was the bill being sent to him instead of his father John? I have no idea. Perhaps Terry was in charge of taking care of this for John and his brothers? (Terry would have been 22 years old, married and a father at the time.) I also know that the headstone was for the Baiting Hollow Cemetery which is where Carrie was buried after her death in 1910.
With additional searching another entry was located. Be careful! As I reviewed the pages in the Index I found that the listing is not always under the name of the person that died. Sometimes the listing is under the name of the person who ordered or paid for the service, in this case Carrie's husband John. That definitely changes my searching method for future entries.
The following entry is dated June 4, 1910. Page 236
This is the order for Carrie's funeral. Wow! I did not know until this 'find' that the business that was in charge of the headstones was also in charge of the funeral, etc.
Transcription:
To Silver gray half couch casket and chestnut box for Carrie T. Warner dec'd.
Laying out & Embalming body
Use of chairs
White dress
Hearse
Attendance w/funeral
Pillow of flowers word Mother
(images made using Copilot)
What a wealth of information about my great grandmother's funeral. Carrie was buried in a new white dress, they used a hearse, the cost in 1910 was $167.00 and there was a pillow of flowers with the word Mother from her six sons. Again, my heart breaks when I think about my paternal grandfather who was only five years old when this was happening.
But there was still no answer to the question -Where do Carrie's remains actually reside? Hmm... Well, I am so grateful for what I have learned but this did not answer that gnawing question.
While I was looking at the ledgers I decided to look for Carrie's husband (my great grandfather) John's funeral and perhaps the headstone that is at the Aquebogue Cemetery. John's funeral was listed.
The following entry is dated June 23, 1920:
Transcription of highlighted area:
Opening grave
Moving body of wife deceased
WOW!! After all these years. Finally, there is the answer I have been searching for! Carrie's remains were removed from the Baiting Hollow Cemetery and moved to the Aquebogue Cemetery. Payment would not have been made had they been unable to move her. The story I had heard was partially true...her body was moved to the cemetery alongside her husband.
The order for the headstone that is in the Aquebogue Cemetery was also located.
The following entry is dated October 10, 1921
Payment for the stone was made by Carrie & John's son J. Wesley Warner. At this time John Wesley was 31 years old and married. Perhaps he was the spokesman for the brothers?
Whatever happened to Carrie's original headstone in the Baiting Hollow Cemetery? I have no idea. Did one of the sons take it after she was moved to the Aquebogue Cemetery? Perhaps. Was the headstone recycled somehow or just discarded? I have no idea but I do wonder about this.
The journey to find the answer to my nagging question about where actually my paternal great grandmother is buried has taken many years with several interesting twists and turns. Looking beyond the commonly found records, often available online, is not always easy to do but if you take the time to search, it's amazing to see what you may find. Constantly asking people in the area about records has led me to finding records I never would have thought to ask for or that I would be even able to locate. There are so many records out there that we don't even know exist. As genealogists we should pursue getting these lesser known records scanned and saved for other researchers and future generations. If you have any suggestions on who to contact at FamilySearch, Ancestry, My Heritage, or anywhere else, please let me know.
If you have any corrections or
additions or stories to share, I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby
No comments:
Post a Comment