In searching out my ancestors over the years, one of my favorite things to do has been to visit cemeteries. I know that may sound morbid to some, but I find them fascinating, especially the older ones with their decorative monuments.
Today I returned to a cemetery that was the site of a wonderful discovery for me almost 10 years ago. It was at this cemetery that I first "met" my great-great-grandparents, James and Sarah Hickey.As I said in my last blog, I had started out searching for my ancestors "Male Hickey" and "Female Fox." How was I to find them, though, without knowing their first names?
I did some research and learned that a good genealogist always starts with what she knows and works backwards. I knew that my grandmother's parents were Jesse Dell and Bridget Hickey, so I started with them. I was able to find out a lot about the Dell family, but Bridget's parents were still eluding me until I sent away for a copy of Bridget's death certificate.
When the death certificate finally arrived after many weeks of waiting, I had the information I sought: Bridget's parents were James Hickey, born in Ireland, and Sarah Fox, born in Pennsylvania.
Bridget and her husband and many of the Dells were buried in the cemetery of Wards Chapel Methodist Church in Harrisonville. I made many trips to the cemetery to transcribe tombstone inscriptions. While searching old maps of the area around the church, I had noticed that there was once a Catholic church on the other side of Liberty Road, just a little south of Wards Chapel. Since the Hickeys were Catholic, I wondered if this may have been their parish.
The day after Bridget Dell's death certificate arrived, my husband and daughter and I made another trip out to Wards Chapel. On the way to the cemetery, I decided to look for evidence of an abandoned church.As we were driving up Liberty Road, I spotted the remains of an old church building and a sign which said "Holy Family Cemetery / Roman Catholic / Founded 1876." We decided to check it out, and pulled into the driveway beside the building.
As I walked around the cemetery, looking at the stones, I said a prayer that if any of my family members were buried there I would find them. As soon as I finished my prayer, I turned around to look at a row of stones beside the church. What I saw sent chills through me. There, right in front of me, was a stone marked with the name of Hickey. On the front was the inscription: "In loving remembrance of our father and mother."
One of the sides was inscribed with the name of James Hickey and this beautiful epitaph: "Farewell dear father / sweet thy rest. / Weary with years / and worn with pain. / Farewell till in some / happy place / We shall behold thy face again.
"The other side was inscribed with the name of Sarah Hickey and the following: "Oh mother thy gentle / voice is hushed / Thy warm true heart / is still / And on thy pale and / peaceful face / Is resting death's cold / chill."
I could hardly believe my eyes. At last I had come "face to face" with the couple that I had been seeking for so long. James and Sarah had spent over 40 years together as husband and wife. In death, they were not separated for long. James died on November 5, 1893. His beloved Sarah died just 3 weeks later, on November 28.
Today I returned to a cemetery that was the site of a wonderful discovery for me almost 10 years ago. It was at this cemetery that I first "met" my great-great-grandparents, James and Sarah Hickey.As I said in my last blog, I had started out searching for my ancestors "Male Hickey" and "Female Fox." How was I to find them, though, without knowing their first names?
I did some research and learned that a good genealogist always starts with what she knows and works backwards. I knew that my grandmother's parents were Jesse Dell and Bridget Hickey, so I started with them. I was able to find out a lot about the Dell family, but Bridget's parents were still eluding me until I sent away for a copy of Bridget's death certificate.
When the death certificate finally arrived after many weeks of waiting, I had the information I sought: Bridget's parents were James Hickey, born in Ireland, and Sarah Fox, born in Pennsylvania.
Bridget and her husband and many of the Dells were buried in the cemetery of Wards Chapel Methodist Church in Harrisonville. I made many trips to the cemetery to transcribe tombstone inscriptions. While searching old maps of the area around the church, I had noticed that there was once a Catholic church on the other side of Liberty Road, just a little south of Wards Chapel. Since the Hickeys were Catholic, I wondered if this may have been their parish.
The day after Bridget Dell's death certificate arrived, my husband and daughter and I made another trip out to Wards Chapel. On the way to the cemetery, I decided to look for evidence of an abandoned church.As we were driving up Liberty Road, I spotted the remains of an old church building and a sign which said "Holy Family Cemetery / Roman Catholic / Founded 1876." We decided to check it out, and pulled into the driveway beside the building.
As I walked around the cemetery, looking at the stones, I said a prayer that if any of my family members were buried there I would find them. As soon as I finished my prayer, I turned around to look at a row of stones beside the church. What I saw sent chills through me. There, right in front of me, was a stone marked with the name of Hickey. On the front was the inscription: "In loving remembrance of our father and mother."
One of the sides was inscribed with the name of James Hickey and this beautiful epitaph: "Farewell dear father / sweet thy rest. / Weary with years / and worn with pain. / Farewell till in some / happy place / We shall behold thy face again.
"The other side was inscribed with the name of Sarah Hickey and the following: "Oh mother thy gentle / voice is hushed / Thy warm true heart / is still / And on thy pale and / peaceful face / Is resting death's cold / chill."
I could hardly believe my eyes. At last I had come "face to face" with the couple that I had been seeking for so long. James and Sarah had spent over 40 years together as husband and wife. In death, they were not separated for long. James died on November 5, 1893. His beloved Sarah died just 3 weeks later, on November 28.
Jane,
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Minogue is my grandmother. she told me that Sarah and James married against the wishes of Sarah's father. she said they were marvelously happy together and Sarah never regretted running off with the indentured Irish farm hand. I'm not sure if this is true, but would be very interested in sharing information if you care to email me. Mbminogue@yahoo.com
Jane,
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Minogue is my grandmother. she told me that Sarah and James married against the wishes of Sarah's father. she said they were marvelously happy together and Sarah never regretted running off with the indentured Irish farm hand. I'm not sure if this is true, but would be very interested in sharing information if you care to email me. Mbminogue@yahoo.com