Some of you may know that I contribute to and use the Find-A-Grave website for useful information. I have contributed several hundred pictures, have given a number of talks on the subject. Oh, and I use it for research. Some times you can get relationships in some of the information associated with a memorial. I have been doing that for this project.
However, I have not been able to find David Ridgely Howard, a Civil War Veteran on Find-A-Grave. I found that quite interesting, considering all of the Civil War headstone pictures I have taken, especially around Memorial Day and Veterans Day. He just wasn’t there.
I decided I needed to take a short, day trip to Baltimore. The purpose of the trip was to actually see some of the places that the Census Records had shown me, and to visit one cemetery.
Now, I worked in Baltimore for 2 years, so I had some idea where some of these places were (are). They were only blocks from where I worked. How difficult can this trip be.
So I made the trip, spent an hour or so on the USCGC Eagle, (USCG Barque Eagle, America’s Tall Ship), then found a couple of the addresses that were in the Census Records. The relationships between the addresses, Church, and Cemetery all made sense to me. Street Names, a Monument were all in line with what I had mapped out in my mind. Thanks to GPS, (more of the time) the trip was easy.
The first cemetery was chained and locked, with no parking in the area to stop more then a minute to take a picture of the lock and chain. Went by the Church that was associated with the Cemetery and then a light bulb went off. I have been to this church before. A line from Capt. John Worthington was a member at that church. A Duh moment.
Re-programmed “Betty Lou” to take me to Green Mount Cemetery, to see if I could find David Ridgely Howard there. His Civil War records said he was, but not listed on Find-A-Grave. I have paperwork to send for information, but since I was there, why not look around.
The Cemetery was not far away, 10 minutes or so, and the gate was half open, but a caretaker was there who let me in. 45 minutes until closing. Nice gentlemen, but he didn’t have access to any information. So, a ride around the cemetery to get a overview of who I might find there. There were a number of family Surnames that I know from the Baltimore / Annapolis area were resting there. Will have to review my pictures to see if any of them were in my files. But, where is Pvt. Howard.
The rain was starting, the time was running out, but there was one road I hadn’t tried. At the top of the hill was a large, flat HOWARD stone. The Howard I knew there was Benjamin Chew Howard. Of course my Droid Find-A-Grave AP helped, and since is was ‘famous’ in the area, certainly I could find him. But, again, Find-A-Grave didn’t have a picture, only a Memorial. Could this large, flat, stone hold the remains of this family? It might be the reason why the others aren’t listed on Find-A-Grave. I’ll be on the phone on Monday to see if this theory doesn’t pan out. I can then order more detailed information that they have on their website.
Not done for the day yet, Since I am now pretty sure that I was dealing with Two Families, and have a pretty good idea who belongs to whom, though sharing some comment names, I needed to go to a third cemetery.
DearMYRTLE and I have some common ancestors that the next cemetery. my wife and I have visited this church and cemetery before, but hadn’t made this Howard Connection here. I had only made a Worthington connection. It’s the same connection with the Church in Baltimore.
There, was a pretty good sized plot of the 2nd Howard family, are at least some of them.
Lots of pictures to review, post on Find-A-Grave and take the information from them an put them into my database.
Learning from this: Some times a physical visit to a place my help with new clues in resolving a brick wall. Do I have David Ridgely Howard’s grandparents yet? No! Am I still missing a puzzle piece? Yes! But, I DO know, my next steps.
A Worthington Weblog 