Greenmount Cemetry

While in Quincy, something else that was also important for me to do, was to visit Greenmount Cemetery. This cemetery which was established 1875 is the resting place for the majority of my ancestors. It was my goal to get pictures of all their headstones. It was Kennedy's job to read the cemetery map and successfully navigate us to all the grave locations. Not only did she get me from one section to the next she managed to figure out exactly where I should stop and park. Her accuracy was outstanding! We always found the plots in a matter of minutes.

Kennedy with the cemetery map in hand, meeting her 3x Great-Grandparents
Henry and Pauline Schralla. Notice how close the car is!

 I was also hoping to "uncover" where my Great-Great Grandparents are buried. Sadly the church records only shows their burial date not the location. Then to add to the frustration, according to the cemetery manager, Kay Ginther, back in the late 1800's the cemetery only needed to know who owned the plot not who was buried there! The cemetery records have many unknowns but alas they have no dates! Kay was so nice, she checked other cemeteries and even looked at coroner inquest files to see if there was any record. Again, we hit a dead end.

One headstone we did find though was that of my Great-Grand Aunt, Hanna. She was only 11 months old when she and her parents arrived in the U.S. When she was 21 yrs. old, she marries August Wolf. Their marriage lasted only four short years when he dies suddenly. Hanna, who often went by Anna, was left with two small children ages 3 yrs and 6 months. Thankfully, though she found love again and marries Frank Schell in 1900.

Hanna Schralla Wolf Schell
On the top of her headstone her name is Anna

Finding the headstones of my relatives was bitter-sweet. I have many questions. So many questions that shall remain unanswered. But sharing the experience with my granddaughter was priceless.

It's Never Too Late!

At the beginning of June, I did something I have wanted to do for a very long time. With my 10 year old granddaughter Kennedy in tow, we headed to Quincy, IL. Quincy is the town that my paternal Great-great Grandparents immigrated to in 1860 from Stockheim, Germany. Quincy was where my Dad grew up and was the first place I took an airplane to when I was five years old. To this day, many relatives still reside there and this is why we went. 

 

To keep Kennedy engaged, I planned stops at the Cahokia Indian Mounds, the Gateway Arch and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and last but not least Hannibal, MO and the Mark Twain Caves. It was a joy to expose her to history and to see her absorb and enjoy the various stops. She even kept a journal and rated each days with stars!

 

But the best part was meeting our cousins. On Friday June 5, we met with Carol Kroner, Helen 'Sweets' Langan, and Shirley Deringer. Carol is my 2nd cousin, Sweets is  my 1st cousin 1x removed and Shirley is the daughter of my Great-Grand Uncle...not sure what that makes her, but she's family!

  

Carol Kroner, Helen 'Sweets' Langan and Shirley Deringer



Kennedy and I with our cousins

Lunch lasted for over two hours and was filled with lots of laughter and stories. I'm sure to the other patrons of the restaurant we were just a gregarious group of old friends. Little did they know, that only Sweets and Shirley really knew each other. Before saying good-bye we exchanged pictures, addresses and lots of hugs. We all agreed that this should have been done years ago.  I sneaked a peek at Kennedy's journal that night and she gave the day FIVE stars! I couldn't agree more, it was a great day.