Fun with Search Terms

It's time for another round of "Fun with Search Terms!" People type certain words or phrases into search engines. If the combination is right, my blog turns up in the search results. Sometimes the searches are funny. Sometimes I can provide more information to users, if only they'd comment on my blog. Either way, I enjoy the process. Please note that these searches are anonymous so I don't know who is stumbling on my blog. I just comment in the hope that they find it again.

Now on with the show. Actual search phrases are in bold.


kelly rodgers cemetery cameron parish

In January of 2009, I made a trip to Cameron Parish, Louisiana. On the way home, I stopped and took some pictures at the Kelly Rodgers cemetery. I blogged about it and put the photos on Find a Grave. The cemetery is just a patch of land. It's not very big and the graves are pretty compact, Louisiana-style.


become an arbitrator on family search
After someone volunteers for FamilySearch Indexing, the next step is FamilySearch Arbitration. The arbitrators oversee the work done by the indexers and make decisions when the indexers information differs from each other. I started as a volunteer indexer and did that for several months (at least 6). One day I got a notice from FamilySearch with an invitation to be an arbitrator. I watched some videos and read instructions and the rest is history. If you want to be an arbitrator, keep faithfully doing the indexing work until your time comes.


+search blob
This blog has been described many ways, but "search blob" is a first.

who do I need to contact regarding St. Joseph cemetery Rayne, La
There are two St. Joseph cemeteries in Rayne. The first and oldest is right next to St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church. St. Joseph #2--as it is called--is on the edge of town. I do not know who handles both cemeteries, but the Church may have the answer for you. I would call them.

amy coffin book reviews
All book reviews I feature on this blog are tagged "book reviews" and can be found by clicking the label that says that on the right.

complete family tree in minutes
Oh this I gotta see...

What happened to the Shiloh cemetery in Russellville, Ark?
As far as I know, the original Shiloh-Williamson cemetery was down by Lake Dardanelle. It was moved (in the 1950's or 60's? Don't quote me on this) to its present location in order to make way for said Lake. This makes me sad because so many of my Williamson ancestors were affected. When I visit the current cemetery it just feels like I'm looking at markers and the *real* final resting place is still down by that lake. If you need more information, call the Russellville branch of the Pope County Library and ask to speak to the genealogy department. They'll be able to help.

is jay verkler evil?
I don't think so, but if the President and CEO of FamilySearch International is truly evil, he certainly hides it very well.

My Ancestral Ties to the Civil War

Battle of Calcasieu Pass Civil War Memorial

Cameron Parish Courthouse, Louisiana

This week marks the sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War. Many genealogy bloggers are writing profiles of their ancestors who fought. I've enjoyed reading these.

Though I don't have the time to write profiles of my own, I thought that the 1.5 family members who read my blog might be interested in knowing who in their family tree participated in the Civil War.

Union

Maximillian Baerecke 1827-1904 ( Max > Harry > Gertrude > Buster )
Max Baerecke was a German immigrant living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served in the 26th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, Company I. A book called The Sigel Regiment by James S. Pula (affiliate link) was written about this group and their experiences including Gettysburg. Max is in there. He also served in the Mexican War. [Note to family: I own this book if you ever want to borrow it. --Amy]

Joseph Smith 1826-1903 ( Joseph > Mary > John A > Buster )
Joseph Smith (also Schmidt) was a German immigrant living in Kilkenny, Minnesota. He served in the 2nd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Company I. His pension file doesn't say much about his experiences and I haven't investigated further yet. Joseph also served in the Mexican War.

Confederate

John Laurens Williamson 1811-1862 (John > William > Sam > Doris )
I haven't researched this person's service too much. Confederate records are more challenging to search, plus there are a few John Williamsons out there. I did read in an unsourced book, that John was injured in his leg in the War. He died at home in Pope County, Arkansas, but his injuries may have contributed to his passing.

Richard M. Jones 1828-1864 ( Richard > Frank > Frankie > Doris )
The photo at the top of this post is a memorial that has Richard's name on it as "Sgt. R.M. Jones." This is the only ancestor I know of so far that died in battle. You can read about the Battle of Calcasieu Pass at this website.

All of these men are my great-great-great grandfathers. There may be more ancestors out there who served in the Civil War. I just haven't found them yet.

So, dear family, when you see stories about the Civil War on television, know that you have roots on both sides of the battle. Also, there will be a quiz on this at Christmas.
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2010 Family Heritage Tour, Part 1

[Part 1 of 3 in a series. Part 2 here and part 3 here. --Amy]

Today began the 2010 Family Heritage Tour, where we go to my mom's ancestral homeland. For many folks, that would be another continent. For my mom, it's Louisiana since the 1700's. This particular tour, however, is focusing on the French and Belgian immigrants who came to Acadia Parish in the 1880's.

After we crossed from Texas into Louisiana, I went south on route 27 to go to Cameron. However, I forgot there were two route 27s, and I was on the wrong one. That's ok because I got to see Holly Beach again. You'll be glad to know we didn't see any oil, just a lot of shells.

The because of my wrong turn, we had to go on the ferry to get from Holly Beach to Cameron. My son took this picture while we were waiting for the ferry:

When we got to the Cameron Parish courthouse, we paid a visit to the Civil War memorial that had my great-great grandfather's name on it (among many other who died that day):

All that travel made us hungry, so we stopped in Lake Charles for lunch:

I recommend a plate of pistolettes.

After lunch, we ventured off I-10 and took the more scenic route to our hotel. My mom got to see a bit of her "ancestral homeland" along the way. Once we got to the hotel, we chatted by the pool, which overlooks the bayou.

For dinner, we went to Prejean's, where we had delicious food and sat at a table in front of the web cam. We called my aunt in California and told her to look for us online. She said it looked like we ordered a lot of food, but I think she was just jealous that she wasn't with us. (Need I remind her of the fried pie incident? But I digress...) Maybe I can do these family heritage tours for hire...

Next up, a visit to the cemetery where my mom's great grandparents are buried and a first-time meeting with my mom's second cousin. Big day ahead on the 2010 Family Heritage Tour!

Click here for part 2.

Tombstone Tuesday: Between Censuses

I have a *thing* for children who lived short existences between federal censuses. The U.S. census is taken every 10 years. Many children were born and died between the time a census was taken. They don't show up as being part of a family on those records.

Whenever I visit a cemetery to track my own ancestors, I always do a quick check of the whole lot for "children between censuses," as I call them. Then I take pictures as a way to record their existence. It's weird, I know, but I just don't want anyone to be forgotten.

Today's child between censuses is Myrtle Chadwell. She is buried in Kelley-Rogers Cemetery in Cameron, Louisiana.

Note the Mardi Gras beads. I don't know if someone put them there, lost them there or they just settled there after Hurricane Ike.

Hopefully a blog visitor down the road sees this photo and can fit Myrtle into his or her family tree. She belongs to someone, somewhere. Just don't look for her in a federal census.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

This is my first Wordless Wednesday. Can you believe it? I can. I always have too much to say and not enough worthy pictures...until today:


Picture taken during my trip to Kelley-Rogers Cemetery in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

The Little Cemetery That Could: Kelley-Rogers Cemetery, Cameron, Louisiana

Earlier this month, I posted a two-part piece about my day trip to Cameron, Louisiana in search of my great-great-great grandfather's final resting place and Civil War memorial.

What I didn't mention at the time was that there was a third part to the day's events. At the same Cameron Parish courthouse that held the Civil War memorial was a monument to the survivors of Hurricane Rita. The marker also mentioned that 38 out of the 40 local cemeteries were destroyed during the 2005 disaster.

That number haunted me as I drove away from Cameron. Just to the left on the road out of town, I spotted a small cemetery at a corner in the highway. It was one of the 2 remaining cemeteries.

I got out of the car again, just to look at this chunk of land--no bigger than my bedroom--and the 30 or so tightly-packed markers and remains that survived at least two major hurricanes. There was no cemetery sign, and the surrounding chain link fence was bent like a paper clip due to Hurricane Rita. In fact, I didn't even know there was a fence until I saw it through the mud. There wasn't much else separating these graves and the highway.

I took pictures of all the head stones. They were just about the only things left in Cameron, and I figured they deserved a spot in Internet history.

FindAGrave.com helped me learn the name of the Kelley-Rogers Cemetery. I in turn uploaded all my pictures and information I had for the location and those buried there. It's the least I could do for The Little Cemetery That Could.

Battle of Calcasieu Pass Memorial, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

Recently, I shared details about my day trip to Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Before I went on the trip, I read about the area, and that there was a war memorial at the Cameron Parish courthouse. Supposedly, the marker included the names of Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Battle of Calcasieu Pass on May 6, 1864. However, I could find no pictures or further information on the Internet about the memorial so I drove there to see for myself.

Below are some photos of the marker and a transcription of the writing on the side of the memorial facing the street. There is writing on all four sides, but the side shown discusses the Battle of Calcasieu Pass:

BATTLE OF CALCASIEU PASS

NEAR THIS SPOT CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS UNDER

THE COMMAND OF COL. W. H. GRIFFIN CAPTURED THE

UNION GUNBOATS WAVE AND GRANITE CITY IN THE

BATTLE OF CALCASIEU PASS, CAMERON, LOUISIANA, ON

MAY 6, 1864. THESE GALLANT MEN DIED FOR THEIR CAUSE:

UNION

QUARTERMASTER JOHN W. TINDALL

SEAMAN JOSEPH JOHNSON

ENGISN HENRY JACKSON

ENSIGN S. R. TYRREL

SEAMAN JOHN SCOTT

QUARTERMASTER JOHN JACOBS

ORD. SEAMAN WILLIAM HAYDEN

ENSIGN A. H. BERRY

CONFEDERATE

PVT. WILLIAM KNEIP

CPL. FERDINAND FAHRENTHOLD

PVT. JOHN LYNCH

PVT. HENRY FOESTERMAHN

PVT. AARON RUSSELL

PVT. J. D. LANCASTER

SGT. R. M. JONES

PVT. A. SCRINKLE

PVT. W. A. JACKSON

PVT. P. WHITTENBERG

PVT. M. YVARRO

PVT. JACKSON J. RISINGER

SGT. WILLIAM INGLE

PVT. WILLIAM GUHRE

I have several pictures of this memorial and close ups of the names. I also have photos of all four sides of the marker, commemorating WWI, WWII and the Korean Conflict. These sides also have the names of Cameron Parish soldiers who served and the dates they were killed in action. If you are interested in these photos, email me at the address provided in the right side of this blog page.

The R. M. JONES mentioned in this memorial is Richard Monson Jones. I also have genalogical information about him I'm willing to share.

Looking for Sergeant Jones, part 2

[Please read Looking for Sergeant Jones, part 1 here. Below is part 2.]

The courthouse survived Rita and Ike. The monument survived Rita and Ike. Would I find Sgt. Jones on the list? I walked forward to get a closer look.

He was there.



I stood there for a minute and took it all in--the battle, the death, the burial, the memorial and the fact that I had this connection to it. I went up the courthouse steps to try and get a better view of Monkey Island. It was clear the ferry that used to run to the island was long gone with the hurricane and would never be back. My chance to see the burial ground was lost forever. I felt sad for a moment, then got real. The burial site of Sgt. Jones was there, but chances were that Rita's storm surge (or Audrey's before that) had displaced the remains. Monkey Island was really just a symbol now. I could see it just steps across the water, but never reach it.

When I visit a site connected to my ancestors, I always stand there for a moment and try to visualize what their lives were like. I imagine the land as it looked in their day. However, the sights and sounds of Cameron's current devastation kept interfering. It was had to get past the isolation. It was just me out there and the creaking destruction blowing in the wind.

I walked down the courthouse steps and over to another monument. This one marked the passing of Hurricane Rita:

It's message confirmed my fear for the fate of those buried on Monkey Island:

I originally went to Cameron, Louisiana with a head full of questions in search of Sgt. Jones. I left Cameron, Louisiana with a heart full of emotions.

My great-great-great grandfather and the 21 other soldiers killed on May 8, 1864 are no longer on Monkey Island. They now envelop the wetlands of the Creole Nature Trail.

Nature creates our history, but it also takes it away.

[Update: I went back to Cameron Parish in July 2010. They have rebuilt several buildings and houses. The area is looking much better, but I still don't think I'll ever get to walk on Monkey Island. --Amy]

Looking for Sergeant Jones, part 1

This past weekend, I drove to Cameron Parish, Louisiana in search of the final resting place of my great-great-great grandfather. Sergeant Richard Monson Jones was killed during the Civil War's Battle of Calcasieu Pass on May 6, 1864. He along with the 21 other Union and Confederate soldiers who died that day were buried on Monkey Island, a wedge of land in the waterway alongside what is now Cameron, Louisiana in the bottom left corner of the state.

Before heading out in search of Sgt. Jones, I mentally prepared for what I may or may not find. Cameron, Louisiana was virtually wiped off the map during 2005's Hurricane Rita. Estimates state that up to 90% of the city's buildings vanished with the storm surge. What had been rebuilt after 2005 was subject to the wrath of Hurricane Ike in 2008. I knew the parish was down and out. It was entirely possible that after a 2.5 hour drive, I would not find Sgt. Jones. In fact, I might not find anything at all at the end of the road. Yet, I still wanted to go and see for myself and make that ancestral connection to my great-great-great grandfather.


The directions to Cameron are simple: make your way to Interstate 10 and head in to Louisiana. Once you reach Lake Charles, turn south and follow the signs to Cameron. You will soon see that you are on the Creole Nature Trail. For over 30 miles, there's nothing but a quiet 2-lane road surrounded with wetlands.

Scars of Hurricanes Rita and Ike were everywhere. A few scattered new houses now on stilts and ready again to challenge nature were evident. Slabs of concrete with stairs to nowhere marked where others used to live. Mobile homes replaced after Rita were obliterated by Ike. Many residents are now living in campers next to their destroyed homes. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

I knew I was getting closer to Cameron and the coast as the evidence of destruction increased. I was looking for the parish courthouse, because it was supposed to have a war memorial with Sgt. Jones' name on it. Would it be there, or did it get swept miles inland like everything else?

The Cameron Parish courthouse was easy to find. It was the only permanent, functioning building still standing along the highway. I turned into the driveway, and this was my view:

I got out of the car. I was completely alone. The only sounds I heard were from the docked boats bouncing with the current and twisted metal scraps from a destroyed building banging in the wind.

The courthouse survived Rita and Ike. The monument survived Rita and Ike. Would I find Sgt. Jones on the list? I walked forward to get a closer look... continue to part 2

Note to Family and a Homework Assignment

If you're connected to my dad's side of the family, via his mother, then you have an ancestor that was killed in the "Battle of Calcasieu Pass" in the Civil War.

The person in question is Doris' great-grandfather. If you're in the advanced class, it's the father of Frank Wiley Jones.

The area of the battle and burial site are an easy drive for me just over the Louisiana state line and a right down to the Gulf. Unfortunately, Cameron Parish is pretty messed up from hurricane damage (again). There's supposedly a battle memorial at the courthouse, but the ferry to Monkey Island doesn't exist anymore. It may be a while before I'll be able to do an ancestral drive-by in Cameron.

I don't have time to research the Battle of Calcasieu Pass right now because I'm knee deep in Lenertz-related Minnesota public records. So family, if you're bored and want to dig around for information on this battle, send it to me. I will eventually share Richard Jones' military file here once I have the time to give it the attention it deserves.

Until then, if you want the 8-page military file of Richard Monson Jones (b. ? - d. 6 May 1864), email me and I'll send it along. My address is in the right column of this blog.