What's With All the Cemetery Visits?

On our August road trip to Eastern Washington and Western Montana, I gave MSH a heads-up that I wanted to stop by some cemeteries where one or the other of us has family buried. Can't recall, but I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes....  Thankfully he is very good at humoring me as I work on this genealogy obsession of mine.

Over the months of August and September, I have visited more cemeteries than I've been to in my entire life, including:

• Riverside Memorial, Spokane - to get pictures in the mausoleum  where Margaret and Floyd Sorensen are buried (adoptive parents of MSH)
• St. Ann's Cemetery, East Helena, Montana - where birth father of MSH is buried
• Lower Hill Cemetery, Anaconda, Montana - where grandfather of MSH (and his twin brother) were buried in 1935/36
• Hamilton, Victorville, and Stevensville,  Montana - several cemeteries where members of the Semmens and Steele families are buried
• Walla Walla, Washington, Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Center - to get a picture of the plaque honoring my father and his Vietnam War service
• Vermontville, Michigan - several cemeteries where Gorham ancestors and family members are buried

In 2016, we visited birth mom's burial spot in the Eagle Point Nation Cemetery, Eagle Point, Oregon. Her last husband was a WWII vet, so it was his choice of location, although she died in her home town of Anaconda, Montana.  (Picture of MSH at Eagle Point.)

Next on my list?  A visit to Fall Creek and other cemeteries in Tennessee where my paternal grandparents and other ancestors reside.  Off we go!

Attending a Family Reunion!

I had the great privilege of attending a family reunion in Michigan on Sunday, September 8, 2019:

98th Annual Wood/Gorham/VanBlarcom Reunion

What a wonderful group of people!  In the morning, cousin Bruce led a tour of several cemeteries where some ancestors are buried.  Afterwards, he allowed me to look thru his books of family pictures.  Then off we went to the party, which took place in the Old Bismark Schoolhouse in Vermontville, Michigan.  As I sat in my car looking toward the school building, I had chills thinking about my great-grandparents and their siblings walking to school down the very same dirt road over 100 years ago.

I am a Wood and Gorham descendant, so the attendees were all "cousins" I had never met.  If you look back at my post of July 26, you will see a 1973 picture of my great-grandmother, Mable Eoline Gorham Brown.  Here are pictures of Mable and my great-grandpa, Harvey Leroy Brown, taken in 1964 in Clovis, New Mexico.


As I continue working on my family history, I am mindful of the fact that not many people have the honor of knowing their great-grandparents.  I am especially thankful that I had this connection in my early years, especially as I get older and have grandchildren of my own.

Thank you to all of the cousins who gave me such a warm welcome!