Monday, June 28, 2010

Day 8


It is hard to believe I have been on the road a week. Time is already passing quickly.


Travel out of Chicago was uneventful and I got to the Michigan border by noon even with the time change. I made my way to Jamestown Township - south of Grand Rapids. I managed to find the cemetery and after some wondering, lo and behold there was Eliza Jane Densmore Richardson. And a host of other Richardsons. Eliza is my GGG grandmother - on the Tukey-Davenport-Coats side. What a thrill to actually locate the right grave in the right cemetery. There are several other siblings and spouses buried at the sight and I was able to verify dates. However, Eliza's husband Charles Richardson was not buried there.
I then made my way to the Jamestown municipal building where the clerk gave me a box of information on the four local cemeteries. No luck finding Charles in any of them. However, Charles died in Boston township (Saranac, MI) so... since it was on the way to E. Lansing, Fiona and trekked down the road 30 miles and out into more picturesque towns and cornfields. This time I went right to the town clerk's office since I knew nothing about the local cemeteries. Wonder of wonders, the office is open from 1-5 on Mondays and I got there at 4:15. The lovely lady gave me diagrams of the local cemeteries. Each plot has the handwritten name of the plot purchaser. Only one Richardson but not one I recognized. However, there were bunches of Densmores!! We have never known who Eliza's parents were but I may have found some siblings or cousins. Need to do more research - a project for later in July.
Finally at 5pm I called Aunt Ann and let her know I was not lost but just leaving the latest home of dead relatives. I arrived at Ann and Michaels at 6. Wonderful to see them and to catch up on all the latest news. I am now ensconced with my electronics and paper spread around me. I really take up a lot of room when I move in. Tomorrow - more graveyards! Manna to a genealogist.

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