Tombstone Tuesday: Melinda Williams

Row #2, Grave #308-10-019, GPS 41.41698 N - 71.97194 W
(Transcript from Hale Survey)
 Gallup, Helinda, wife of Luke, died Dec. 16, 1835, age 42
 (Note: The Hale has her name as Helinda when it should be Melinda)

Melinda WILLIAMS, daughter of Lt. William Williams and his wife Mrs. Prudence Stanton Fanning (History of Stonington, William Williams family, p.683) was born 8 Sept 1793 in Ledyard, New London, CT. She was the first wife of Luke Gallup and the mother of all but one of his children. 

As you can see, Melinda died at age 42 on 16 Dec 1835 in Ledyard, New London, CT. She is buried next to her husband.

Her daughter, Olive Gallup is buried here.

Tombstone Tuesday: Luke Gallup

Row #2, Grave #308-10-018 GPS 41.41698 N - 71.97195 W
(Transcript from Hale Survey) Gallup, Luke, died Feb. 6, 1869, age 74 yrs. 9 mos. 19 da.
Photo by Brian Zoldak, 214, used with permission

"Dear husband, thou are gone to rest,..."

Words on this gravestone could have written by anyone of Luke's three wives, but probably the wife that survived him, named Mary chose them for his gravestone that matches hers in style and period and is next to hers. She outlived him but died in 1870.

Luke was the son of Nehemiah Mason Gallup and his wife Elizabeth Brown and was born 17 Apr 1794 in Groton, New London, CT (Gallup Genealogy (1987) gives his full birth date and place #7-533). His gravestone tells us he was 74 years, 9 months and 19 days old when he died.

All three wives are buried here, Mary (grave #17), Catherine (grave # 18), and Melinda/Helinda (grave #19) His second wife, Catherine bore him an infant son, but the rest of the children were from his first marriage. 

Luke served in the Connecticut Militia of the War of 1812. Luke was my 2nd cousin 6 times removed.

The 1850 census tells us that he was a farmer in Ledyard with a real estate value of $3,000 (more than $71,000 today) and the 1860 census confirms this and tells us, his personal estate was worth $2,000 ($51,000 today). He was a prosperous man that had eight children born to him.  His last child, named Bridget is still unmarried as of the 1860 census and living with he and his wife Mary. 

Mary Gallup

Row #2, Grave #308-10-017, GPS 41.41697 N - 71.97195 W
(Transcript from Hale Survey)
Gallup, Mary, wife of Luke, died Mar. 26, 1870, age 62 yrs. 1 mo. 9 da.

Mary, whose surname might be Wells or could have been married first to a man named Wells is not clearly identified in the Gallup (2009) Genealogy.

She is the last wife of Luke Gallup and is buried next to him as she outlived him. Her stone is typical of the 1860s and 1870s with the rounded top, basic information and clear epitaph.  (Brian's photo of stone at Flickr) 

Mary's birthdate (calculated from her gravestone and the transcription in the Hale cemetery Record) is 17 Feb 1808. She married Luke Gallup on 7 Apr 1850 by the Rev. Timothy Tuttle. Her admission to the church says she was admitted from the church in Greenville (RI?) on 1 Jan 1843 with the surname of Wells.

Mary and Luke had no children, but his daughter Bridget from his first marriage was living with them in the 1860 census. Bridget married in 1865.

Mary Gallup is buried in the Gallup Cemetery in Ledyard CT after passing away on 26 Mar 1870 at the age of 62 years, 1 month and 9 days. The Federal Mortality Schedule says she died of cancer.

Olive Gallup Ball

Row #2, Grave #308-10-016, GPS 41.41693 N - 71.97193 W
 (Transcript from Hale Survey)
Gallup, Olive, wife of Van R., died Sept. 29, 1849, age 26 yrs. 4 da.
Photo by Brian Zoldak, 2014, used with permission

Olive Gallup was the daughter of Luke Gallup and his first wife Melinda Williams. She is the second child named Olive as the first one was born in 1820 and died in 1821. (1966 Gallup genealogy p. 73)

In the Gallup (2009) Genealogy, Olive is #2638 on page 530. The genealogy says she was born 25 Sept 1823.

Olive married Van Renssaler Ball, of Stonington on New Year's Day 1846 in Ledyard. Despite his unusual name, I have not found out who his parents were. One lead, by my friend L. Woody, suggests that his father may be James Bradley Ball. (of the James Ball family of Watertown, MA) [Link to his Van Ball]

Olive's mother and her younger sister were named Melinda which makes the speculation of her baby's middle name Melinda. ( Her Find a Grave entry also indicates this but I can find no evidence in print.)

Olive died on 29 September 1849 in Mystic and was buried next to baby Augusta. She was 26 years and 5 days old.

Her husband, born in Vermont abt. 1820 married again to Amanda Cobb.  He is not buried here. The 1850 census lists his occupation as carpenter. He was married secondly after this census in October of 1850. He may have had two sons with his second wife. 

She was my third cousin 5 times removed.

As I stood in front of these two gravestones, I remember thinking that I would never be able to photograph them well. Brian did an exceptional job. Her age of 26 years is not clear in my own photograph.

Tombstone Tuesday: Little Augusta Ball

Row #2, Grave #308-10-015, GPS 41.41695 N - 71.97190 W
(Transcript from Hale Survey)
Gallup Augusta M., daughter of Van R. & Olive, died July 5, 1848, age 4 mos. 5 da.

A little longer, sweetest babe/ Couldn't I have kept thee here?
A little longer hadst thou staid/Thy parents heart to cheer

Born to Olive Gallup and her husband Van Rensslear Ball on 5 Mar 1858, she died 5 July of the same year living only 4 months and 5 days. She is buried next to her young mother.

It is speculated that her middle name might have been Melinda after her grandmother.

She is the first gravestone in Row 2 of the Gallup Cemetery in Ledyard, CT

Baby Augusta is listed on p. 530 as #4427 in the Gallup (2009) Genealogy

Nine Years of Blogging

Nine years of blogging! photo by Midge Frazel

Thank you, readers, for sticking with me for the past nine years of blogging. (6 June 2006) My adventures with the gravestones continue and because people are still reading what I write, I decided to put my high energy into writing another blog called "The Highly Caffeinated Genealogist", which debuted on 22 April, 2015. I hope you will enjoy it as much as this blog. 

Dunkin' Donuts gave away a free donut yesterday for "National Donut Day" so here's my half with the new Starbucks iced coffee cup I bought yesterday as my old one is showing signs of wear. If you are highly caffeinated, you must look good at the same time. I just made up that rule. I can do that. [#iamnextgen]

Since I have no appointments this upcoming week, I am going to take a few days off to do research, so for my blogiversary, I am giving my self the gift no one else can give me, time to relax and work in my cool air conditioned home office (or porch). There will be no Tombstone Tuesday post this next week. (9 Jun 2015)

Thanks again, readers.

Tombstone Tuesday: John N. GALLUP

Row #1, Grave #308-10-014, GPS 41.41692 N - 71.97184 W
(Transcript from Hale Survey)
 Gallup John N., born Mar. 29, 1836, died Dec. 5, 1901

John N. Gallup
 Row #1 Gravestone #14

This large but simple granite gravestone has only one name on it because John and his wife Sarah got a divorce and he never married again.

Buried next to his parents, Ebenezer and Angelina (Stanton) Gallup, John was their fourth child. He was born 29 March 1836 in Ledyard, CT. He is #2648 on page 329 and page 532 of the Gallup Genealogy published in 2009. His wife, Sarah DEWEY was born about 1846. Her maiden name was BROWN but she returned to her 1st husband's name.  I don't have any leads on her parents even though I do have one Dewey in my family tree. The genealogy states that they were married on 26 Mar 1862 by S.H. Peckham

John was a farmer. In 1850 he was 14 and in school but by 1860 he was 24 and a farm laborer on his father's farm. At the age of 25 he married Sarah. In 1870 he and his wife have taken in a female boarder with two small children. It is possible that she may have been his wife's sister. 

By 1880, John and Sarah are living alone again and apparently have no children. By 1900, John lists himself as divorced. The only thing we learn about Sarah is she and her parents are from Connecticut. There is a boy aged 14 as boarder who is a student. His parents are listed as being from an unknown location.

On 5 December 1901 at the age of 65, John dies and is buried in the Gallup Cemetery. What happened to the divorced wife is not known.  She is buried with her first husband in the Hillard Cemetery in Stonington (source: Find a Grave)

This gravestone ends row #1