My article on discovering the place of final rest for Mary Eliza (Elizabeth) Cloud, wife of Daniel St. John precipitated a multitude of responses. Yes, I made another pun…Cloud…precipitated. Just couldn’t resist. I am amazed at how many people I have been in contact with, and how much information is out there! We need to share and preserved this for our community and to commemorate the achievements of those no longer with us.

I am involved with the Big Y DNA Project for the Crawford family with on-going research. I’ve been in contact with confirmed DNA matches as far away as Australia! When I published the article and photos of the grave markers for Mary and her son, William St. John, I sent messages out to the administrators of family trees on Ancestry who listed Mary on their family trees, sharing the discovery. Let me say there has been a fantastic response. I’ve made new friends, been introduced to cousins I had never met, and learned so much. And many had no idea of where Mary and William rested. Now photos of their cleaned grave markers grace the pages of many family trees.

I learned there is also a very serious and detailed Big Y DNA Project for the St. John family, The St. John Genealogy Project. For those of you associated with this family, you need to take a moment and check it out! I’m proud to say my little find of the two grave markers contributed to this project, but more proud of what is being done with this project to secure this information for our future generations. I’ve shared a couple of brief sections of the family tree diagrams from their site to help you understand the relationships.

Also, individuals contacted me and shared so much. I have a photo which was given to share of Mary Cloud’s, and Daniel St. John’s, granddaughter, Mary Antoinette St. John, who married Daniel Pine. Daniel Pine was a member of the NY 124 Volunteers, the Orange Blossoms. A photo of one of their reunions circa 1910 was sent over, too. I’ve cleaned these up a bit, and even colorized the reunion photo. Another photo was sent over of Charles St. John. What a dignified man!

I hope we continue to reach out and share memories, facts, photos, and our love for our Town and the people who founded it. Too much is being lost, being discarded due to us not taking the time to safeguard these treasures while we still have time. Photos need to be restored and shared. Too many times I come across a photo which has no name, or names, or details. This sentimental gem, this cherished memory of someone becomes lost when a person passes on if proper steps are not taken.

If you didn’t read the thread on Facebook, the other grave marker for John H. Brown, Co. C, 124 NY Volunteers, not all that far from Mary Cloud’s, which I uncovered, added the final resting place of another distinguished member of this military group to their history. Perhaps we’ll find more as we continue to reclaim and restore things at Rossville.

On September 25, as I previously announced, I’m hosting a grave marker cleaning workshop at Rossville. There are still a few slots available if you want to learn how to properly clean a marker. All will be provided except for your sweat equity. Please contact me if you have the time and inclination. Maybe you will be the one to clean a stone and bring to light another lost member of our community’s history. Hope to see you there!