The Mad Genealogist

Workers repairing an underground steam pipe at the University of South Carolina in Columbia found human bone fragments — believed to be the eery relics of a Civil War hospital that once treated injured soldiers fighting for both the North and the South.

“We don’t know what it is,” Richland County Coroner Gary Watts told South Carolina newspaper The State, adding that the fragments found range from a skull cap to half-inch pieces.

“It probably is Civil War remains, but we’re still going to do this as if it were a crime scene,” Watts told the paper.

The coroner’s office and the State Law Enforcement Division are excavating the steam pipe trench and examining the soil.

The coroner says he expects to know Tuesday if the remains are from the Civil War era. He has an anthropologist working on the case. Watts says the bones could be amputated body parts.

The fragments were found behind DeSaussure College, the second oldest building on campus. It was completed in 1809.

The building now serves as the offices of the college of social work on campus. It is named for the attorney from Sumter County who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Later, Henry William DeSaussure helped establish South Carolina College – now USC – during his 18 years in the Legislature, a university spokeswoman told The State.

During the Civil War, the school rented many buildings to the Confederacy as a hospital to treat the wounded from both sides of the battle.

Click here for more from The State.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson lambasted the four alleged “graveyard robbers” charged with digging up graves and dismembering bodies buried at a suburban Chicago cemetery in a moneymaking scheme.

The four cemetery workers are accused of taking cash payments from unsuspecting clients for plots of land, falsifying deeds, excavating existing graves and dumping the bones and remains in the back of the cemetery, authorities said at a news conference.

They would then allegedly bury the new corpses in the already-used graves at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Ill. Police called conditions at the historic cemetery “startling and revolting.”

“The human degradation is immeasurable,” Jackson told reporters. “There should be no bail for these graveyard thieves. They deserve a special place in hell.”

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said workers at Burr Oak allegedly tampered with about 300 graves, digging them up, dumping the bodies and reselling the plots to unsuspecting members of the public.

The three men and one woman were charged Thursday with one count each of dismembering a human body. Dart said the woman was the cemetery’s office manager and was at the center of the operation.

“This was not done in a delicate way,” he told reporters. “They would excavate the grave and the entire site and then dump the remains wherever they found a place to do it in the back of the cemetery.”

He says in other cases the graves were “pounded down” and another person was buried on top. Burr Oak is the final resting place of many famous African-Americans, including lynching victim Emmett Till, blues singers Willie Dixon, Dinah Washington and Otis Spann, as well as Harlem Globetrotter Inman Jackson.

Hundreds of confused and angry family members are looking for answers after the arrests. Authorities in the southern Chicago suburb of Alsip were directing crowds at Burr Oak Cemetery Thursday and taking reports from families. Among the family members is 54-year-old Ralph Gunn, whose father and nephew were buried at Burr Oak but whose bodies are missing. Gunn says their headstones are gone. And he says he can’t fathom why anyone would want to dig up bodies.  Authorities say most of the problems are from a secluded area of the cemetery that contains older plots.

Click here for more on this story from MyFOXChicago.com

A story from the Associated Press this morning….

MIAMI  —  Historians and archaeologists want to know who was buried in an apparently forgotten cemetery uncovered in a Miami construction site.

Construction crews uncovered bones, crumbled headstones and nails and metal handles from coffins in the site off Interstate 95. A search of the lot in April failed to uncover any names, records or documents detailing who had been buried there. Only two commercial maps from 1925 and 1936 label the site as a cemetery.

Some longtime residents say there was once an informal burial ground for blacks at the site. It’s at the edge of some of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods.

The African-American committee of Dade Heritage Trust planned a community meeting Monday to begin the search for descendants of the people buried at the site.

This letter was sent by one of my removed ancestors, Mrs, Ben Starling (Josephine Handley’s Mother) to Lillian Nichols McKeown, telling about her family’s experiences during the Civil War. This is more than likely a common story to most southern families during this time.

The treachery of war is horrible, and left scars untold. The years of 1861 to 1864 was not erased when I was born in 1870, and after I was old enopugh to remember, the privations told of to me, or where I could hear. I remember hearing father tell how it hurt him when he came home after the surrender of Civil War and his baby boy did not know him and was afraid of him, when he wanted to take him in his arms and embrace him.

Do not see how Yankee’s could destroy the valuable things they did when they could not use them. I heard one woman tell of how they had many negro’s on their fine old farm and had a large smoke house with lots of meat hanging up to smoke and dry to feed them. The men were all gone, also all the mules were taken except two that they left hid under a bluff near a large creek. Whenevers they heard “The Yankee’s were coming”, it was her task to hide the mules and one time the Yankee’s got there before she got back to the house. One of the Officers saw her and accused her of reporting or hiding something – spoke rudely to her and she talked back just as he did – another Officer made him hush and seeing how her bare feet and legs were scratched and bleeding, gave her a pair of his boots to wear. They had two rows of peices of meat hung, one above the other, in the smokehouse and they took it down and had the negro woman cook all they could eat and left the rest lieing around to be destroyed by anything that would do so.

This woman ( a girl then) was Miss Bashey Nichols, one of the best women I ever knew. She married Mr. Jim Brooks and is Buried in Rock Spring Cemetery.

This is 1942 another war is raging and we are asked top help. I want to help every way I can but 71 years of toil, pleasure’s and disappointment, also afflictions, makes me know I cannot do as much for defense as I would like to. I scarcely ever can leave the house because I am unable to walk most of the time and writing is my chief enjoyment.

You said you enjoy family histories in your letter received yesterday, and I thought Ide send this for you to read. We have two children, two daughters. We live with the youngest one and this is written on letters she has received. Had no thought of anyone, (or a stranger) seeing this but I will send it to you to read. Please send it back at an earlier date.

Yoiurs Truly, Mrs. Ben Stark, Star Route, Monticello, Ark.

I received an email today and am passing it along if anyone is interest:

Mountain Press is pleased to announce that we are offering a 15% discount on all Genealogy Books now through January 31, 2009.  In order to receive the discount, please just type in the coupon code JAN09 at checkout.  Be sure to type the code in the coupon code section and not the promotion code section in order for the discount to calculate correctly.  We have several new books which are listed below.  Our entire collection can be viewed at www.mountainpress.com.

Thank you, Mountain Press

You here the story sometimes how developers and County work crews plow over and cover up old cemeteries in the way. Stuff like that makes me mad but it doesnt really hit home. But today I received this email from a distant cousin (a decedent of Charles Wood):

I drove down Boone Road the other day, taking an alternate route home, and noticed that a few trees were being cut near the Wood Family cemetery.   The cemetery is back behind a house and not really visible from the road.

I drove by again this morning and the whole area looks like it has been cut.   I can’t tell if the cemetery has been disturbed or not.   It did not look good to me!

Does anyone know anything about this, or know how I could get in touch with someone regarding the family cemetery?   I have only visited the cemetery once, with a fellow researcher (cousin) from Florida.   He had said that eventually he would like to put a fence around the cemetery to protect it.   I hope it is not too late!!!!!!!!

Charles Wood, bca 1790, was my GGG grandfather.   He and several other family members are buried in the Wood Family Cemetery on Boone Rd. (near the Mt. Carmel community).

The information I have shows:
Charles Wood bought Land Lot #93 in the 4th dist., June 28, 1840 (near Chattahoochee River).   Cemetery on top of hill on this property – known as the “Old Wood Place” – shows two stones “James” and “Charlie” – indicating many graves of early Wood settlers – family of Harriet Wood Hutchins. (Negro slave graves on left of brick wall).

NOTE:   This information was provided to me by Jackie Lambert, CCGS, and I believe was originally compiled by Elsie Ragland Walden-Taylor.   The document is titled:   HUTCHENS Family History 1832-1961 – 129 Years (Formerly spelled “Hutchins”)   Data By:   Elsie Ragland Walden-Taylor.   The document outlines the Hutchens/Hutchins family history, and then contains ‘Notes on Wood History”.   Harriet Susan Wood, daughter of Charles and Mary Wood, married Archy Solomon Hutchins.

Now the question I am asking to the general public is this…. What can be done to protect my ancestors cemetery? What are the current Cemetery laws for the state of Georgia?

HELP ME!

I am passing this email along. If you have ancestors from Tennessee then see if there is anything you ight want.

Mountain Press is having a sale on all their Tennessee Genealogy Books.   All Tennessee books are being offered at a 10% discount until September 30, 2008.  Our Tennessee collection is our largest collection and includes deed books, census, birth records, will books, marriage records, tax lists, etc for many counties.    We have highlighted several books below from Tennessee. Once you add your books to the shopping cart, the 10% discount will be noted.    You can access the entire Tennessee collection by clicking the following link: Tennessee Genealogy Books.

Our entire collection of genealogy books can always be found at www.MountainPress.com.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Mountain Press

• 1814 Court Martial of Tennessee Militiamen
• 1837 Tennessee Volunteers
• Cherokee Reservoir Grave Removals by T.V.A.
• First Tennessee & Alabama Independent Vidette Cavalry
• Grainger County, Tennessee Various Records
• Greene County, Tennessee Biographies
• McNairy County Tennessee Biographies
• Sequatchie Families

This burns me up that some idiot would do something like this. I hope this guy resist arrest so the police can subdue him… WELL!

Here is a link to the Lancaster County Courthouse (Built 1828), Lancaster, South Carolina (http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Population/Photos/ShowCH.asp?FIPS=45057). I have ancestors from this county so this breaks my heart for such a beautiful building to be destroyed for nothing.

Thanks God most if not all records were saved that was stored there. Hats off the the Fire Department for saving these valuable records. Below is the story of the fire then a response to from the people there on the recovery of the records:

Authorities say arson caused fire at SC courthouse -The Associated Press

LANCASTER, S.C. – A fire gutted Lancaster County’s historic courthouse Monday, and officials said arson caused the blaze that ripped through the building designed by the creator of the Washington Monument.

No one was injured in the early morning fire, officials said.

Rudy Carter, chairman of the Lancaster County Council, said a broken window was discovered on the first floor of the 180-year-old, two-story courthouse when firefighters were called shortly before 5:30 a.m., leading to the suspicion of arson.

“The whole roof is gone. The interior area where the judges sit is gutted. It’s a total loss,” Carter said.

Police chief Hugh White told reporters the blaze was clearly arson.

“It’s a historic place,” he said. “I just hate it. I really do.”

The State Law Enforcement Division sent an arson team and arson investigation dog, said Jennifer Timmons, an agency spokeswoman. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also were summoned, said Steve Willis, the county administrator.

Carter said the roof of the courthouse had collapsed and there was heavy fire damage to the second floor. He said a team would have to be brought in to assess the damage to the building, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

The courthouse’s architect, Robert Mills, also designed the Lancaster County Jail and is perhaps best known for the Washington Monument. According to the city Web site, the courthouse dated to 1828.

One witness, Patty Reynolds, the owner of the Red Rose Barber Shop, located on a block next to the courthouse, said the flames were knocked down and the fire was smoldering more than two hours after the initial alarm.

Carter said he wouldn’t even guess the dollar amount of the loss.

“We don’t even know where to begin right now,” he said. “We’re going to have to bring in structural engineers to make sure the walls are still sound. We’ll just have to go from there.”

The ground floor, where the clerk of court offices were located, did not have fire damage but did suffer heavy water damage, Carter said.

The building was only used for court – other county offices are located in the nearby county administration building, Carter said. A session of court had been scheduled for Monday. Carter said jurors were asked to report Tuesday to the county administration building.

Someone made contact with someone today about the courthouse fire and here is the response.

We are just now getting to move out records as ATF has released the fire
scene but it appears that court records, other than indictments actually in
the courtroom are OK.  We will be working with SC Archives & History to make
sure dampness, etc. in the records are taken care of.  There were no vaults
in the building so most records were in filing cabinets.  The FD did a great
job deploying salvage covers over the cabinets.  Records from Probate Court,
Voter Registration, Register of Deeds (land records) etc. were not kept in
that building – just Clerk of Court records.

Steve Willis

Well I finally broke down my Nichols Brick wall a few months back and it seems like ever since then I have been suddenly swamped with work. I can seem to make any time now where as before a had time abundant. Figures!

I have added a new researcher to my researcher list at http://www.familyhistory101.com/~sgr/. She is Jill Groce and she lives near D.C. and can access The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library, The Library of Congress (LoC), The National Archives (NARA) and The Maryland State Archives. This is a nice addition for me where Francis Gill has done all of my record search and retreivals from the FHL there are time when some document could only be found at the above mentioned repositories.

I have just finish my Research in Vital Records section on the FH101 site and am now working on the other sections.

I have a Bedwell reunion this month in Rainbow City, Alabama. This is mainly the decendents of my grandparents but any other Bedwell’s in the area is more than welcome to come. Contact me for more information.

I have just joined yet another genealogy site at Genealogy Bank. I have just began looking around but they have a wonder collection of old Newspapers which is important to those researching in burn counties.

Thanks to all who helped!!

Dear Mr.Nichols,

We have found John Frankovitz brother George …..!
This week I have received the Individual Deceased Personnel File from  US Army Human Resources Command,and in this file was the adress of John’s mother in 1945.
A friend,she is helping me in a fantastic way,send a email to the library in that town and received the answer the next day.
They had found the obituary of John’s mother, she passed away in 1962,and there was the name of the city were John’s brother lives.
Again, my friend searched in the phone books and found what could be the brothers name.
A friend in the US. was so kind to make a phone call to this brother ?, and YES he is John’s brother George.
The friend asked him if it is okay that I will send him a letter and he told her that it is okay.
So finally I(We) have found John Frankovitz family with the help of a lot of very nice people helping me !!!

Thank You again for Your help..

Sincerely,
Frits Kruishaar.