Memorial Day Monday - Andrew Jackson Ferrier and the Civil War, 1861 - 1865

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday which occurs every year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service. 

On this Memorial Day Monday I'm going to celebrate and honor my 3rd Great Grand Uncle, Andrew Jackson Ferrier.  I wish I had a photo of him, but I don't. 

If my genealogical records are accurate I show he was born in 1830 in Harrison, Ohio and died on 4 February, 1919 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

On 23 May, 1852, at the age of 22, he married Catherine Mercer in Williams, Ohio. 

About ten years later the Civil War was in process and that's when began serving as a Union Soldier.

Below is the record indicating more specific information on his role in the Civil War. 

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 U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 about Andrew J. Ferrier

Name:	Andrew J. Ferrier
Side:	Union
Regiment State/Origin:	Pennsylvania
Regiment Name:	2 Pennsylvania H. Art'y.
Regiment Name Expanded:	2nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery (112th Volunteers)
Company:	K
Rank In:	Private
Rank In Expanded:	Private
Rank Out:	Private
Rank Out Expanded:	Private
Film Number:	M554 roll 36

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It shows he was responsible for using "heavy artillery".  During the Civil War "heavy artillery" or Siege and garrison artillery were heavy pieces that could be used either in attacking or defending fortified places.  The weight and size of siege artillery prevented it from regularly traveling with the armies. When needed, siege artillery and other material needed for siege operations were assembled into what was called a siege train and transported to the army. In the American Civil War, the siege train was always transported to the area of the siege by water.

My Uncle Andrew Ferrier died at the age of 89 on 4 February 1919.

Warm regards, 

   

Surgeon's Certificate ~ Sheridan Dean

 
I find this diagram posted here very interesting. The fact that we even have a copy of it I think is amazing. My cousin found it online and I haven't seen one like it before.  

I'm having a difficult time reading it and determining why this surgeons certificate was needed. 

One thing I do know is that Sheridan Dean, the subject of this Surgeon's Certificate, is my 2nd great grandfather.  


Warm regards, 

   

Sentimental Sunday ~ Remembering my Father Walter R. Booth on Veteran's Day

Walter Richard Booth was born on August 24, 1925 in Los Angeles, CA to Walter Booth and Esther (nee Ferrier) Booth.

At the age of 5 yrs he lived at 5524 Meridian Street, Los Angeles with his parents and one younger brother James.  

The family moved and in 1935 - 1940 Walter lived with his family on West 107th Street in Los Angeles,  By then he had three younger brothers; James, Thomas, and Jerry.

In the mid-40's, during WWII  my father served in the U. S. Navy.  
His DD214 reflects the following;  

U.S. Naval Service

Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles County Ratings Held:
S2c: Seaman 2nd Class
HA2c: Hospital Apprentice Second Class
F2c: Fireman 2nd Class
F1c: Fireman 1st Class
Service School Completed: USNNCS, Farragut, Idaho
Service (Vessels and Stations Served On): Acorn 25, US Nav.Adv.Base Russels, USS Maryland
Character of Separation: Under Honorable Conditions 

He spent time on the USS Maryland which was (BB-46), a Colorado-class battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the seventh state. Maryland steamed from San Pedro, California on 13 January 1944, rendezvoused with Task Force 53 (TF 53) at Hawaii, and sailed in time to be in position off the well-fortified Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands on the morning of 31 January. Assigned to reduce pillboxes and blockhouses on Roi Island, the old battleship fired splendidly all day and again the following morning until the assault waves were within 500 yd (460 m) of the beach. Following the operation, she steamed back to Bremerton, Washington, for new guns and an overhaul.Two months later, Maryland, again readied for battle, sailed westward on 5 May to participate in the biggest campaign yet attempted in the Pacific war - Saipan. Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner allotted TF 52 three days to soften up the island before the assault. Firing commenced 0545 on 14 June. Silencing two coastal guns, Maryland encountered little opposition as she delivered one devastating barrage after another. The Japanese attempted to strike back through the air. On 18 June, the ship's guns claimed their first victim but four days later a Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" sneaked in flying low over the still-contested Saipan hills and found two anchored battleships. Crossing the bow of Pennsylvania, she dropped a torpedo which opened a gaping hole in Maryland's portside bow. Casualties were light, and in 15 minutes she was underway for Eniwetok, shortly thereafter arriving at the repair yards at Pearl Harbor.
 
When he was finished with the service he met and married my mother, Norma Rasmussen.  They were married on August 25, 1950. 

They were married for 24 years. 

Both my parents are gone now and I miss them very much. 

I love you Daddy ... Happy Veteran's Day

With much love to you both, 

  

Sentimental Sunday - Graveyards & Headstones Facing East

I really enjoy visiting graveyards - as I'm sure many do.  There are some who find it odd but I don't think they understand the abundant stories that a graveyard tells.  All those lives from the past ~ the nostalgia.  I feel for all that are buried.  I wonder about their lives.  The babies and children that have been buried and what their mother's must have been feeling at the time of their death.  The impact that a child's death had on the entire family.  I wonder about those that have died at various times of their lives.  Sometimes I pick an interesting grave marker and research the person.  I find out about their family and see if I can learn a bit about their life.  It's fascinating to me.  It makes me feel a bit connected to them.   It gives me such a sentimental feeling. 

While doing some research I found an interesting article at "The Association for Gravestones Studies" website  www.gravestonestudies.org   I found this very interesting and something I wasn't aware of ... so I thought I'd share it.

What is the origin of the practice of all headstones facing east?

In many, but by no means all, early New England burying grounds the graves are positioned east/west.  This east/west orientation is the most common orientation in other parts of the country and world as well.  The earliest settlers had their feet pointing toward the east and the head of the coffin toward the west, ready to rise up and face the "new day" (the sun) when "the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised"  or when Christ would appear and they would be reborn.  If the body was positioned between the headstone and the footstone, with the inscriptions facing outward, the footstone might actually be facing east and the decorated face of the headstone facing west.  If the headstone inscription faces east, the body would most commonly be buried to the east of it.  Much depends on the layout of the graveyard -- if there was a church or other building in the center of the burial site, where the high ground was located, the location of access roads, etc.  Early graves were seldom in the neat rows that we are used to seeing.  Burials were more haphazard, more medieval in their irregularity; families didn't own plots and burial spaces were often reused.  The north side of the cemetery was considered less desirable and is often the last part of the burying ground to be used, or you may find the north side set aside for slaves, servants, suicides, "unknowns," etc. In many burial grounds graves face all four points on the compass. Sometimes a hilly site will have stones facing all four directions.  With the coming of the Rural Cemetery Movement in the 1830s and 40s, an entirely new style of burial became popular.  The ideal of winding roads and irregular terrain dictated the orientation of the monuments to a large degree.

Warm Regards,



  

Sepia Saturday ~ Elsie, Esther & John Ferrier

While looking at the photo for todays Sepia Saturday I got a feeling that these three individuals were siblings.  They are dressed very nice with gloves on the women's hands and I love the hats poised so nicely on their heads while the man is holding his.  

I looked through my family photos and couldn't find any with the subjects dressed as nicely.  But I did find a set of siblings who look pretty stylish.  The three siblings I have posted here are my grandmother, her sister (my great aunt) and their brother (my great uncle).   These photos are taking during the 1920s some time.  My grandmother and her sister have their hats on. If you look closely you can see the purses they are carrying.  While my grandmother (on the left) is carrying a box-type purse my aunt has a satchel bag.  It's very cute.  Both have wraps. My grandmother's like a shawl and my aunt a fur wrap.  

John Ferrier



Esther (nee Ferrier) Booth - my grandmother







Elsie (nee Ferrier) Williams



I'm not sure where the photo of my grandmother is taken but it looks like my aunt and uncle are standing in front of their home at 1109 N. Westmoreland, Los Angeles, California. 



Warm Regards,



  

Wednesday's Child ~ Grace Sherwood Allen

Grace Sherwood Allen (not a relative of mine) was a child of William H. and Emily J. Allen.  She was born on June 5, 1876 and lived at 11 Wellington Street, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.  Grace died November 11, 1880, shortly before her 5th birthday, of whopping cough.

She is buried at Forest Hills Cemetery and Cremetory in Jamaica Plain, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

This is the most unusual child tombstone I've ever seen.  I am assuming that enclosed statue is Grace.

Warm Regards,
  

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Elsie DeWinter Mulder

 

Here are two photos of the tombstone for Elsje DeWinter Mulder - my 2nd Great Grandmother.  The left one was found in an old book. I might have never known where she was buried if not for this photo. I had to take a magnifying glass to read the writing.  I'm not clear when this photo was taken.

The photo on the right is of the same tombstone and was taken about 2005.  The stone is very worn and absolutely not readable. It's hard to believe how much they disintegrate over time.  Thank goodness I have the first photo of Elsje's stone.

Elsje DeWinter Mulder

Elsje came from a high class family in Holland. She married Hans Mulder who was a baker. They had three children - Reinardus Mulder (b.1862), Laura G. Mulder (b.1877) and Margaret L. Mulder (b.1883).

Elsje's oldest child Reinardus was the first to immigrate to the United States when he was 20 years old. He settled in Lincoln, Nebraska.
When Elsje's husband, Hans, died in 1887 she brought her remaining two children, Laura and Margaret, to the United States as well. They arrived in the United States on April 25, 1887 after travelling on the Zaandam out of Amsterdam. They settled in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Warm Regards,