Wordless Wednesday, Besoco, West Virgina

June 2004

Besoco, West Virginia

Mary Jane, Zedith and Susie Lachney

in front of the house they grew up in.

Picture taken on a Trip to WV for the Hilton Family Reunion, 

by Terri O'Connell.

Tombstone Tuesday - Susie Hilton

This photo was taken by Terri O'Connell,

at Sunset Memorial Park

1915 Harper Road

Beckley, WV 25801

Resting place for (inscription reads)

Mother

 Susie Hilton

1876-1943

Susie (Kerr) Hilton was born 12 Feb 1876 in Arlington, Ohio to John and Margaret (Garlinger) Kerr. She married John James Hilton around 1893 and had 11 children. She passed 11 Sept 1943, in either Beckley or Oswall, WV. Here she lies to the right of her husband. She is also resting with many family members nearby.

Wordless Wednesday, West Virginia Coal Mines

Coal Mine in West Virginia

June 2004

This photo was taken by my daughter Brittany from a moving car, 

while on our way to Beckley, WV. 

We were just outside of Charleston, WV when she took this. 

We come from a long line of miners. 

Tombstone Tuesday - Joan Lachney

This photo was taken June 28, 2004 by Terri O'Connell

Sunset Memorial Park

1915 Harper Road

Beckley, WV 25801

Inscription:

Joan Lachney

1928-1931

A Little Bud of love

Gone to Bloom With

God Above

This stone was decaying badly at our visit in 2004. It has since been replaced by her sister Mary Jane.

Joan was a sister to our Grandmother who passed so early in her life. We feel those who are here for such a short time are on the other side watching over our daily lives. We are truly blessed to have someone watching over us.

Saturday Night Fun - Surname Wordle

Reply from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

Today in the mail I finally received a few papers. One is a listing of 1883 Baptisms. Dennis O'Connell was baptized on the 16th. His sponsor's were Edward and Mary Leonard. I wonder if they are related in some way. Leonard is not a name I have come across before.

The other paper was a listing of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery, Granville, Washington County, New York

Bridget (Curran) O'Connell (wife of John) 1862 - 1895.

Need to really plan a trip to NY, I would really like to visit Washington, Warren and Jefferson Counties.

Not So Wordless Wednesday - Stoco School

June 28, 2004

Stoco School in Lego, WV.

Stoco school where my Grandparents and my mother attended (until she was 8). 

Stoco was built around 1925 and housed students from grades K-12 originally. The building has been abandoned for roughly 30 years. The building was not secure, we  were able to walk right in. The first room we went into was the gym, it was in terrible shape. My Grandmother cried as she looked around. You could tell by looking at the building that it was a beautiful building in its day. My youngest daughter and one of the other cousin's that were with us told my Grandmother not to worry, that when they grew up they were going to buy the building and fix the school. It is wonderful how the mind of a child works. They see the ache in a loved one and just want to fix it. My daughter, now 12, still talks of how sad this building was and how they are going to fix it to make her Granny happy. 

In the writing of this I have found that in 2008 the school was in a  fire that left the building a complete loss. I hesitate to even tell this to my Grandmother because I am not sure how she will take the information. She left West Virginia as a young mother and moved to the big city of Chicago. When she speaks of WV, you can hear the love for the home of her childhood and where she gave birth to her children. Often when we speak, there is the conversation of "if the Lord is willing, I want to visit one more time". I truly hope that I can make that trip with her. There is so much more I would like to see and learn about.

Tombstone Tuesday - John Hilton

Sunset Memorial Park

1915 Harper Road

Beckley, WV 25801

Inscription reads:

Father

John Hilton

1869 - 1947

This photo was take June 28, 2004. John Hilton is my Great Great Grandfather. His resting place, as well as other family members,  is on the side of a steep hill in Sunset Memorial Park. This trip was taken with my Grandmother and  two of her sisters; one who had just gone through a few major surgeries the previous year. The steepness of the hill made it extremely difficult for me to visit. I can only imagine that Grandma and my Great Aunts found it challenging to maneuver. 

Saturday Night Fun - True Confessions of a Genealogy Junkie

Ok its my first time playing this from Randy at "Genea Musing

1. When did you start genealogy research? 1999

2. Why did you start doing research? My Grandfather was in the hospital dying and I did not know much about his family. I wanted to know everything and he was unable to speak and we never talked after that, he died within the next few days.

3. What was your first big success in genealogy? Finding my O'Connell relatives in a folio at the Newberry library in Chicago, IL

4. What is your biggest genealogy regret? Not starting before 1999

5. What are you best know for in the genealogy world? Nothing yet!

6. What is your professional status in genealogy? Not certified, but I truly want to be!

7. What is your biggest genealogy achievement? adding over 30 members to my family tree through old obituaries and then finding family I had no idea was there.

8. What is the most fun you have had doing genealogy? Right now, between facebook and twitter meeting others interested in the same thing.

9. What is your favorite genealogy how to book? Not sure at this point. 

10. What notable genealogist would you like to meet someday? Maureen Taylor 

Update on John and Bridget (Curran) O'Connell

I called Our Lady of Mount Carmel today for my update on their search for my ancestors. So the good news is they found Dennis O'Connell listed in their baptismal book and they will photo copy it and mail it to me. However, they found nothing for marriage records on John and Bridget. The only information she could give me on Bridget Curran is that she was born in 1862 and died in 1895. 

They also found the name Catherine Curran listed which is probably a sister to Bridget. This makes sense because many of the children seemed to have been named after family members. John and Bridget had a daughter named Catherine as well.  I have notated this and will see if I can find Bridget and Catherine in a census as children.

Tombstone Tuesday - Rose O'Connell - McAvoy

Rose and Frank Mc Avoy

Rose O'Connell is my mysterious Great Grandmother. It seems there was a falling out with her son Larry and the family never reconnected. I ordered a copy of her death certificate and found out that she was buried only 3 blocks from my house. I was so excited to have found this information, that I was at the cemetery the next morning. 

Rose was born 30 Mar 1888 in either Maine or NH (not 100% sure yet). She married Dennis J O'Connell before 1905 and had 4 children with him, Ambrose Lawrence b. 1905, NH. Linus Joseph b. 1908, NY. Theresa May b. 1909, NY. The fourth child was a male that did not survive. 

Dennis and Rose divorced and he moved to Canada before 1920. 

The boys took to the rails and settled in Illinois. Theresa and Rose followed. By 1930, Rose was remarried to Frank McAvoy. 

We have reconnected with a family member, who has added some of the McAvoys to our family tree. I hope to connect with them at some point to learn more about this branch of my family.