Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Ever Widening Circle

Many of you that have read my blog, (though not many) know that this is a blog about my genenalogy... and have read about my search for my Native American roots.  I have found rather quickly in my research information about Fredric Webster son of Solomon & Mary (Wilson) Webster.  I stated in the blog entry "...Some in Michigan are living..." -

"Calling me back "home," beckoning me is a little piece of land. Ironically it is called Barkhamsted Lighthouse. I ponder the inhabitants of the Lighthouse "Tribe" even thought what it's name would mean to those coming after them. To me it is a beacon deep in my heart. A passion that was my mother's and my grandmother's to stand where the Websters & Chagum's once stood."

It's all coming full circle.... Probably a year ago I connected with Coni Allen-Dubois, also descendant of the Barkhamsted Lighthouse Tribe. (I figured out that she is my 7th cousin, 1x's removed - LOL!)  She has done extensive work & traveled far & wide to collect the "stories" of our family.  Coni has asked me to join her blog & write updates on my Webster family line there.  I am truly honored & totally excited to be joining an awesome sister to dig up all the stories we can collect on the Barkhamsted Lighthouse Tribe. :-)  You can check her Blog out at Ever Widening Circle - I will be posting very soon :)

Summer's here!!!

G'morning! Summer is here, school is out & it's time to take weekly visits to cemeteries... I've been out & about to 3 cemeteries... plan on more.  I think it's very important to teach my children the importance of taking care of graves & how to respect them. 

I remember trips to cemeteries in the summer with my Grammy Vincent. She would tell me stories about our family. Things like "My uncles lived there," pointing to a empty piece of land... "... and after they died me & my girlfriends used it as a playhouse until one day your grandpa & some of his friends scared us and filled the kitchen table with dead birds!"
She goes on to tell me about her uncles...
"Uncle Stub & Uncle Steven were farmers.  They have always lived together.  Uncle Stub was, well something was wrong with him, he looked like someone had smash his head down into his body, he was slow mentally.  But he was so sweet to us kids.  They died within days of each other, I remember going to the funeral, they had died from tuberculous or something that was going around at that time."

Clayborn "Stub" Palmer

I then did some research...

Stephen Lewis and Clayborn Lester were 6th & 9th son of Syrenous Palmer & Terissa A. Chase.

Stephen was born on 7 Sept 1878 in Michigan or Ohio.  I find him in 1880 in Duplain, Clinton County, MI with his parents.  Clayborn was born 8 September 1885 in Brant, Saginaw County, MI.  I find both Sephen & Clayborn in 1900 & 1910 in Brant, Saginaw County, MI with their parents.  They lived together in 1920 in Brant, Saginaw County, MI.

Stephen died on 11 April 1931 in Brant of Pneumonia (not really tuberculous but my grandma was 9 at the time of their death).  Clayborn died on 13 April 1931 in Brant of Pneumonia, only 2 days after Stephen died.

Both are buried in Brant Cemetery in Saginaw County, Michigan.

Clayborn & Stephen's Grave Stone in Brant Cemetery.