Drawn to the Story Without Knowing We Were Cousins

Last year Anne Bradshaw published "True Miracles with Genealogy", a compilation of short stories that share happenings of "serendipity" as we research our family history. I submitted a story that was published on page 47 of Volume 1. A few weeks ago Anne's Volume 2 of "True Miracles with Genealogy" was published. I couldn't wait to read the stories in it. 
And what great timing! For my birthday earlier this month my husband gave me a Toshiba netbook, on which I installed the Kindle app. And "True Miracles" is available as an ebook! (You can find it here). It's the first book I added to the Kindle library in my netbook.
After entertaining our family on Thanksgiving Day, I finally had time to dive into my new digital book yesterday. I only got half-way through it before a nap was calling, but I found the 4th story in the book so compelling it brought me to tears. Rebecca Parker Cressman, on-air host at KSFI FM100, shares her story titled "My Mother--Lost and Found". Rebecca tells of the very difficult childhood of her mother Martha Helen Brown in El Paso, Texas. My husband and I just visited El Paso in October as we spent a few days with my twin brother. Rebecca relates events that led to her mother becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which I'm also a member. As her story develops, more family members are introduced to the reader, many of whom are quite engaging because of mysteries involved in their pasts. Her story takes such a surprising twist that I find myself STILL astounded--24 hours after reading it. I went to bed last night thinking about it and woke up this morning with the same story on my mind. 
I felt so drawn to this story that I read it to my husband, I found Rebecca Cressman on Facebook and have become her "friend", and have spent the past few hours researching more of her ancestry, as laid out in her story in this book. From this web site I learned enough about Rebecca's  great-grandfather's ancestry that I was able to draw this relationship chart. It shows that Rebecca Cressman and I are 10th cousins. We share  our 9th great-grandparents, William Chandler and his wife Annis Agnes Bayford. 

The descendancy of William Chandler to me, M. Rebecca Margheim Jamison and to my 10th cousin, Rebecca Parker Cressman.

I wasn't really surprised to discover this connection to Rebecca and her family members in this story. I think it's all part of the "true miracle of genealogy"....I was drawn to her story and to these characters because they are part of my very extended family too. So far I think it's the best story in the book, but as I said, I'm only half-way through the book. It's a hard one to beat, tho! I encourage you all to read Volume 2 of "True Miracles with Genealogy. The ebook version in only $2.99!!
I hope Anne publishes a Volume 3....I'm already thinking about a story that I can submit.

Collaboration Adds the Details

Today I received an email from Ancestry.com telling me of a comment made on my husband's Ancestry.com tree. The comment made by Don Lynch said: This may be the Charles H. Sloan who was struck and killed by a car in Hollywood, California on October 29, 1924. 
When I read this comment, I went right to my RootsMagic database to see who Charles H. Sloan was. I saw that he had a sister Rebecca Roberts Sloan, born 1838 in Pennsylvania, who was married to Martin Francis Jamison, Larry's 1st cousin 4 times removed. Rebecca and Martin had a daughter named Luna Jamison (Mrs. Joseph) Clements. Martin and Larry share ancestors John W. Jamison (1765-1851) and his wife Elizabeth Shryock (1774-1835).
I wanted to learn more about Charles H. Sloan and the accident referred to in Don Lynch's comment. A Google search showed a link to a FindaGrave memorial that included this information about Mr. Sloan. 

Los Angeles Times - October 30, 1924: HURTS IN CAR MISHAP FATAL TO C. H. SLOAN Funeral Services Will be Conducted Friday by Masonic Lodge Charles H. Sloan, 78 years of age, of 2797 West Pico street, died yesterday in Hollywood Hospital from injuries received the 6th inst., when he was run over by an automobile driven by Martin Sonora of 1321 Palmetto street, at Fifth and Spring streets. Funeral services will be conducted Friday under the direction of the Masonic order and interment will be in Rosedale Cemetery. The elderly man had been a resident of Los Angeles six years and was a native of Philadelphia. He had a record of fifty years of service as a railroad conductor and was a Thirty-second-Degree Mason. He spent a year in France during the World War with the Y.M.C.A. contingent. Surviving members of the family are two nieces, Mrs. Emma Perry, of 320 South Reno street, and Mrs. Luna Clements of Indiana, Pa.

Burial: Angelus Rosedale Cemetery Los Angeles Los Angeles County California, USA

How fortunate I am that Don Lynch saw the entry for Charles H. Sloan on my husband's tree after he had posted the memorial on FindAGrave, and then added the comment to Larry's tree so I was notified of this additional online information by Ancestry.com. Collaboration is wonderful and pays such great benefits!

Drawn to this Infant's Grave

Yesterday my husband and I drove 15 miles to the neighboring town of Florence, Colorado to photograph a grave at Union Highland Cemetery. While there, we drove slowly around the cemetery and this little headstone caught my eye. It marks the grave of Lester Yost, who died Feb. 22, 1898 at the age of 1 year, 6 days. We stopped to photograph the headstone because my husband has a great-grandmother whose name was Yost. I saw that Lester's  parents were Lewis and Mary Yost.

When I got home I looked up Lewis and Mary Yost in the 1900-1930 censuses at Ancestry.com. I also found memorials on FindaGrave for Lewis and his second wife Effie. I learned that Lester's mother Mary was Mary Ann Patrick and that she died suddenly on September 14, 1910 after the family had moved from Florence, Fremont, Colorado to Craig, Moffat, Colorado. 

In 1900 Lewis and Mary still lived in Florence with their daughters Viola, born August 1892 and Mabel, who was born April 1898. That tells me that Mabel was born to Lewis and Mary Ann two months after their little one-year-old son Lester had died. That just tugs at my heart strings. The census indicates that Lewis and Mary had been married 8 years, so must have married in 1891 or 1892. It says Mary had 2 children and 2 were still living. Someone forgot about little Lester!

By 1910 Lewis and Mary had moved to Craig, Colorado and their household consisted of daughter Emma, born 1905, son Lewis Jr. born 1907 and Lawrence, born 1909. The census says Mary was the mother of 8 children, only 6 of whom were still living. Viola is not listed...perhaps by age 18 she was married. Mabel would have been 12 and she isn't listed either. Perhaps another loss through death? 

So we see that Mary was the mother of Viola, Mabel, LESTER, Emma, Lewis and Lawrence. If she gave birth to 8 children, she and Lewis by 1910 had lost 2 other children too. 

A brief obituary for Mary Ann Patrick Yost says that upon her death, she left 6 children, the youngest being age 2. That would be son Lawrence. I just haven't done enough research to figure out specifically who all her children were. 

By 1920 Lewis had remarried a woman named Effie, who was 3 years his junior. He was still residing in Craig, Colorado at the time of his death in 1942.

The thoughts that goes through my mind are "Does anyone remember little Lester? Do any of Lewis and Mary's ancestors ever think about his abandoned little grave with the multi-cracked headstone at Union Highland Cemetery in Florence, Colorado?" My husband and I noticed and took a few minutes on my 64th birthday to pay attention to Little Lester.