Day 2: Visiting the Ancestors (Part 2)
“Not all those who wander are lost”
J.R.R. Tolkien
Day 2: Visiting the Ancestors
There are nearly a hundred cemeteries in Noble County, Ohio, according to a genealogical trails website, and the cemetery I was looking for wasn't listed among them, which made me question my source.
“Did you find the cemetery last night?” Jack had fallen asleep before I finished my search. “Do you know where we are going today?” “Well, I think so… I mean… I kept looking online last evening and one site gave coordinates, but they seem to be in the middle of nowhere.”
I was using Findagrave.com, which is pretty amazing for searching for ancestral burial places. According to them, Hamilton Stranathan (1806-1880) was buried in Nicholson Cemetery, which is sometimes called Graham Cemetery. And there is a Nicholson Cemetery in Old Sarahsville Cemetery where Civil War dead are buried, but that's not my family’s Nicholson Cemetery, which is in Buffalo Township. It's so confusing!
“So, what's the plan?”
(Multiple routes to get to a cemetery in the middle of seemingly nowhere) “Well, I got some coordinates! (39.85760,
-81.47638) How about we head out there and if there is a sign by the road, (there is supposed to be a sign that looks like it's near the road) that says ‘Nicholson Cemetery.'. Now it looks like it's on or surrounded by private property, and if there aren't any NO TRESPASSING signs, then we’ll drive as far as we can and then walk the rest of the way to the coordinates.”
(Nicholson Cemetery courtesy Findagrave.com) "And if it's not there?"
“If it's not right, then we’ll head on up to Akron and check out my grandparent’s grave, Ronald and Faye Stranathan. And it's a two-fer because my great-grandparents Carlos and Edna (Secrest) Stranathan are buried on the other side of their marker.”
We left promptly at 9 am and made the perfunctory stop at the all-too-convenient Starbucks across from the hotel. We headed back through the town of Buffalo, Senecaville, and then Route 44 to our unnamed street. But wait, it wasn't totally unnamed because parallel to the road sign were the words Nicholson Cemetery. We pulled into the lane and looked around. No unwelcoming signs, which we took as okay.
(Cemetery Sign &:Overgrown gravel road up hill)We drove down the lane that ended at a cattle gate and saw gravel tracks heading up the hill into a copse at the top. “Guess we walk from here.” It was a bit of a hike uphill; I probably could have driven in all-wheel drive, and other than it being uphill, it wasn't all that bad.
When we got up toward the top, cemetery markers became visible, and I thought, how cool is that? Yesterday, we were wandering all around the area searching out locations, but today, it was as if the ancestors were smiling down on us. The cemetery was immaculate and surprised us. Someone mows and weed whacks, and there were flowers decorating some of the graves. Only half of the cemetery was in use, so it was pretty easy to find Hamilton and his wife, Margaret Laughlin Stranathan (born in 1818 in Derry, Cavan, Ireland) … my third great-grandparents.
Persistence paid off. We even found Margaret's father, Joseph Laughlin, who brought himself, his wife (Esther Norris), Margaret, and her siblings to America from Belfast on April 11, 1830 (Thomas Sunday, which is one week following Easter). Hamilton married Margaret on May 19, 1836, when she was just seventeen and he was thirty.
After taking a load of photos and reacquainting ourselves with the family, we headed back down and met an elderly gentleman on his all-wheel terrain vehicle. Uh oh. We are caught. I waved as we returned to the cattle gate, and he greeted us back. He was a nice guy who went by the name Mr. Voorhees. We mentioned we were visiting the graves of my great-great-great-grandparents. We chatted about the cemetery, and he filled us in. The cemetery wasn't receiving new residents, and when we asked who cared for it because it was … well, immaculate. He shared that Buffalo Township came and maintained the road and regularly mowed the cemetery. Apparently, they only do that to three cemeteries. I marveled at the respect that was offered to our ancestors.
Mr. Voorhees said that there used to be quite a lot of Stranathans back in the day. It's kind of exciting to think our family has a home place … beats me where that is exactly, but they were known to inhabit these lands for two hundred years!
Now our family is spread to the four corners of the planet. Each of us wandering … which brings me back to the original quote. Did you ever consider that "Not all those who wander are lost" by J.R.R. Tolkien is often interpreted to mean that wandering doesn't necessarily imply being lost or without purpose. It actually suggests that someone can wander or explore with intent and purpose, even if it appears aimless to others. I'll be posting the coordinates of the graves we visited in the next couple of days. Perhaps it will make the way easier for those interested in visiting our ancestors.
I reckon our wandering all over southeastern Ohio, visiting the founding folk of our family, is providing a great foundation. The first of many a so(ul)journ!
(Oh and yeah, made it to Akron. Mt. Peace Cemetery and visited my grandparents. That's me cleaning up the marker!)
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