Tombstone Tuesday: Charles H. Fish and Ethel L. Hitchcock

Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic, New London, CT 2009. Photo by Midge Frazel

Bumping into my Tree

In August of 2009 while walking down to the water's edge after a long hot few hours in the cemetery, this gravestone caught my eye. I stopped and took this photo and fixed the plant so it rested against the stone. Obviously this is someone who has living family. I looked past this stone in the distance to see how far away the rest of the Fish gravestone are from here. It was a long way. There was nothing carved on the reverse side. I wondered how this gravestone fit into my extended Fish family

Recently, a fellow genealogist and Facebook friend, Pam,  told me that while researching an autograph book, she "bumped into my tree" at Ancestry.com. The names she gave me did not seem to connect until she mentioned the surnames Gilpin and Hitchcock. Then, I went into my tree and looked at this gravestone. The maiden name of the woman named on this gravestone was Hitchcock. Yes, this woman was in the same family as the one she was researching.

Milton R. Hallady's wife was Blanche Hitchcock who was sister to the woman, Ethel, on this gravestone. Thanks for bumping into me, Pam! 

Charles Herman Fish (1879-1962) [Fish genealogy, p. 303] and his wife Ethel Louise Hitchcock (1879-1965) had two daughters, Prudence Dean Fish (1907-2000) and Alden Brown Fish (1911-1985). These children carry the classic Fish family names of Dean, Alden and Brown. Prudence and Alden are my 4th cousins, 1 time removed. 

Tombstone Tuesday: Daniel Denison EDGECOMB

Photo by Brian Zoldac, used with permission

Understated Gravestone; Big Story

As you saw in my previous post, Capt. Gurdon Gates bought Daniel Denison Edgecomb's house, so these two men are bound together forever by the house which is on Sea Captain's Row in Mystic, CT. If you have not read what I blogged about in my adventures with Daniel here are the links to those posts.

Previous Blog Posts
They Wrote in Their Drawers
Wedding Gift
Table and Its Drawers
Making the Table
Coffins and Cabinets

It is with great pleasure, that I discovered that Brian Zoldak already photographed this gravestone. I printed the photo of this stone, bought a frame and placed it above the table. This way he can keep watch over his work.

Daniel had two wives and many children. It looks as if Brian has found them all, so I will blog about them at another time. I keep wondering if there are living descendants but I'm not giving up my table! 

Anchor and Spyglass

Cap't Sylvester KEENEY, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Capt. Sylvester Keeney
and wife Phebe Ann Coffin

Summer of the Sea Captains

Not to be missed is this lovely gravestone from Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic, CT.

Not any member of my family, this eye-catching gravestone features the anchor and an upraised hand holding a telescope, I think. I really wonder who he was....

His wife outlived him by so long, I guess the family did not opt for the "Civil War" era lettering and took advantage of the large space at the bottom for her name, dates and relationship.

N. Stanton Gates, Jr.

N. Stanton Gates, Jr., a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

If little Nathan Stanton Gates had lived to adulthood, I am sure his mother would have wanted him to inherit the Denison Homestead but since he was not of strong constitution and died of appendicitis at age seven, his mother, Ann Borodell Dension Gates gave the Homestead and land to preserve it for all of us descendants so it would not "leave the family".

New England families are like that. They feel the tradition and obligation of ancient family. This spread across the nation and so everyone feels it too.

Nathan Stanton Gates

Nathan Stanton Gates, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

"Stan" Gates

Stan, was the son of Capt. Gurdon Gates and his second wife Martha Phelps. his pedigree charts goes back a long way and includes such surnames as Miner, Packer and Dension.

Without knowing it, I took photos of Stan's parents and grandparents in the Fishtown Cemetery in Lower Mystic, Connecticut in a great cemetery full of sea captains and their families. I haven't blogged about them as yet so we will save them for another time.

As you can see Mr. Gates died some years before his wife. He bought the Denison Homestead from his wife's aunts Sarah and Phoebe and gave it to his wife as a gift.

Mrs. Gates was a nature lover and so part of the bequeathed land was set aside as a preserve and nature center. It was quite the inheritance. I often turn to the Denison genealogy for reliable information about families in the area. Many are listed as they married Denisons or descendants of Denisons. It was a compiled genealogy worth the price.

Wordless Wednesday: Aunt Annie's Parlour

Ann Gates Collage, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Wordless Wednesday Collage

The upper left is a photo of the Denison Homestead that I took. It shows the opposite side of the house shown in the scan of a slide found with my grandparent's slide collection. I think my grandfather and great-grandfather must have gone to Denison reunions in the 1930s after the Society was formed.

The upper right is a photo of a framed photo that hangs in the room where that bookcase is located today. 

Ann Borodell Denison Gates

Gravestone photo by Midge Frazel, 15 Aug 2009

Ann Borodell Denison Gates, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

"Aunt Annie"

Buried in Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic, Connecticut near the shore of the cemetery, "Aunt Annie" may have left no descendants but she did leave an amazing legacy to all of the hundreds of thousands of us Denison descendants. (That is not an exaggeration of descendants, either.)

Google Maps (2013), view of the cemetery.
 Notice the roads laid  out in an Elm Tree  Shape

She gave us the Denison Homestead and a lot of land. Think what that would mean today.

This week, I honor "Aunt Annie" and her husband and son. Their markers may be simple but their existence is very special.

Ann Borodell Denison (Edgar, Oliver, Oliver, George, George, William, Capt. George) #5199, p. 233 of the current Denison Genealogy, was the daughter of a seafaring father.
She was born on 31 Jan 1866 and lived a long life until 9 Feb 1941. Raised in the Homestead by her aunts, Ann was named for Capt. George Denison's second wife Ann BORODELL. It is a big honor to be named for Lady Ann and many other women through the years were also named for the lady that Capt. George Denison fell in love with while recovering from wounds sustained in wartime. He married her and brought her to America. 

I am a double-Denison as I am descended from both Capt. George's wives.  This is my cousin chart from "Aunt Annie". Notice all the local family names like Gallup, Prentice, Stanton, and Lord. Nothing is simple when it comes to Denison descendants!

Cousin Chart created with RootsMagic 6 software, April, 2013

Tomorrow we will see a photo of "Aunt Annie" and the Homestead she loved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Gates Monument

Gates Monument, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

 Gates Monument

On a hot and sunny day, I took photos in Mystic, CT at the lush and lovely Elm Grove Cemetery. This is a special monument because it is for the family of Ann Boradell Denison, wife of Nathan Stanton Gates. 

Her story is for all of us because it is the story of a woman who gave her legacy of a home and land to her descendants. 

I didn't know where this monument (and the headstones in front of it) was located so I asked my cousin and fellow gravestone photographer, Fred Burdick. As the town historian and a life long community member, Fred is now on the board of the Elm Grove Cemetery. He directed me to this location near the water.

This simple, heavy, granite monument is classic for its time. There are so many of this kind in this cemetery that you get the feeling of permanence that only granite gravestones can bring. 

Visual Look at Third Great Grandparents

Isacc_Levina Collage, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Third Great Grandparents:
What Can Be Known?

I created this collage to demonstrate what can be shown visually about third great grandparents. The photos in the lower part of the collage were found in a copy of the oldest Denison genealogy authored by Baldwin and Clift which can be found at Google Books. Apparently, Isaac and Levina were pleased to have their photos taken and were big supporters of genealogy research.

The house is their last home together on Willow St. in Mystic. The photo with the Denison crest is  their names and dates which is on the large monument in Elm Grove Cemetery because the headstones do not always provide the right vital information. Isaac's headstone simply says I.D. but his wife Levina has information about her on the reverse side (plus her initials on the top). It took me a while to get his headstone to read clearly I.D.

Genealogists that follow us may be inspired when they look at a collage like this one instead of the "boring" pedigree chart and family group sheet. I'd be interested in your opinion.

Tombstone Tuesday: 8th great grandmother (1712)

Ann Borodell Denison (1712), a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Classic Death Head Gravestone

My 8th great grandmother and one of the oldest gravestones in my collection. Ann Borodell, 2nd wife of Capt. George Denison. Her gravestone is an original. It was moved from another graveyard to Elm Grove Cemetery. The Denison Society has a brass casting of this gravestone so it will always be clearly read.

Tombstone Tuesday: Evans STEWART

Evans STEWART, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Tombstone Tuesday: Evans Stewart 

As part of my project based approach to genealogy, I will not be leaving Tombstone Tuesday behind. I will still post a gravestone on Tuesday whether it fits in my project or not.  

Tuesday will be a special day.

But since today is the beginning of a New Year, I will share (once again for those who have been reading my blog for a while), the gravestone of my maternal grandfather. He and his brother Dudley and my grandmother are buried together at Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic, CT.

He was the oldest son of Charlie, the founder of Victor Cleansing Co. He had a big impact on the business so this is his story too.

Capt. John Stanton and family

Elm Grove Stanton Graves plus text, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Tombstone Tuesday: Why Photography is Important

Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic, New London, CT. 
Photograph by Fred Burdick

Overlaid text on a digital image can significantly improve the understanding of a family plot. These gravestones, moved from another cemetery some time ago, are important to the family of descendants of Thomas Stanton. Most descendants of the Thomas Stanton Society can lay claim to this line.

Some of the sandstone graves are completely unreadable and without a transcription or a photograph of how the grave once looked, it can only be a guess at what was once carved on them.

This is the classic example of why gravestone photography is important. By taking digital images of gravestone, the information will never be lost. That's our job to preserve history.

City Directories

Ira C. NOYES, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Connecticut City Directories: Ira C. NOYES 

Kindly, Courteous, Helpful

This is one of my favorite gravestones. Ira greets me every time I go to the lovely Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic, CT. This simple monument, next to his parents, tells me quite a lot about Ira but it is the things that are left out that worries me each time I go to the cemetery. Ira was my first cousin, 3x removed.

As you can see, Ira's parents are listed. But, there is no wife next to him on the other side. It tells me that he was born in 1859 and died in 1922. So, what else is there to know?


The Barbour Index of Vital Records for Stonington ends with the year 1854 so it is a good thing that the Denison genealogy lists his date of birth [#4323 page 149] as 5 June 1859. There is no death date but he is listed as unmarried. 


Today, when I entered him into my tree at Ancestry.com, I immediately got a hint for the new beta City Directories for Mystic, Connecticut for 1923. Even before I looked at the page, I knew that I was going to see a date of death for Ira. I was not disappointed. Ira died on 10 May 1922 in Mystic as you see here by this clip of the page for surname NOYES.

This was the only city directory that was found by the automatic hint. But, as I have searched many city directories before, I knew that there would be more and between these and the census records, I will find out more about Ira. I would like to find out his occupation and where he was living when he died.


It is important to remember those who have no descendants.

Dudley Wheeler Stewart

Dudley Wheeler Stewart [II], a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

 Born on November 11, World War I veteran.

Great uncle Dudley (my great uncle, only brother to my maternal grandfather, Evans STEWART), was born on November 11, as you can see here by the lettering on the back of the Denison monument in Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic, CT.

He lies buried next to my grandfather, with a matching headstone to my grandparents. He has a flag marker for WWI vets and it says, Rhode Island.

Dudley was named for his grandfather of the same name. They are buried within sight of this gravestone. 


But, where is his wife? I have found a tree at Ancestry.com that contains her father and mother's name. 


Dudley is listed on the Family group sheet with his brother and parents created by Dorothy Kellogg STEWART who was keeping her husband's genealogy records which are now stored at the North Stonington Historical Society. My friend, Gladys Chase, of North Stonington has been a huge help with my research there.


Dudley is listed on that sheet as the "singing cop" and I can find no record of his occupation listed as such. His draft cards list him as a truck driver and later as working for his father at Victor Cleansing Co./Westerly Laundry. He lives on both sides of the border between CT and RI.


His draft card amazes me. He is listed as TALL. Nobody in my family is tall! He has black hair, brown eyes and is medium build. This means he looked nothing like my grandfather. My father said he was exposed to mustard gas during WWI and suffered with lung trouble for the rest of his life. I can see no evidence of children from this marriage. I have no photographs of him. His WWII draft card lists him as 5' 11'' and 350 lbs and is still living with his wife.


Dudley died on 10 Feb 1943, probably in RI or nearby CT. I think this is the first person I will have to find in the 1940 census.


Rest in peace, Dudley, I am still working on your life. Thank you for your service and for your birthday today. I woke up thinking about you even though you died before I was born.

Mystery of Cap't George Denison's Gravestone

George Dension, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Mystery of the Gravestone of Cap't George Denison 

Fellow Genea-blogger, Barbara Poole, [Life from the Roots] alerted me to this book about Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground shown here in this collage.This is her excellent photograph of the gravestone in her blog post.


I decided that this was a book I wanted to read and much to my delight, my library system has a copy for loan. I can't wait to read it.


Cap't George Dension was a colorful figure and his influence on his community is quite well recorded. I am descended from both his wives. Born in England about 1620, George came as a young teen to America settling in Roxbury, MA. He died 23 Oct 1694 in Hartford, CT.


When I visited the Denison Homestead , I took this photo of a well worn sandstone gravestone. I was told by my cousin, Fred Burdick, who is the historian for Stonington, CT. that when the cemetery wanted to replace this gravestone, they asked the Denison Society if they wanted it for display in the Homestead.


I love it because it is the perfect example of how TALL one of these gravestones really is. Most of it is below ground. You can see the dark area where it was above ground.


When I took this photo, another cousin told me that she owned a postcard from her mother's collection that showed the gravestone. To my surprise, it is NOT the gravestone postcard that the Society sells. That postcard is of the new stone. However, the "new stone" looks old.


I was wondering how I could ever explain this to people just learning about gravestones?


Robin, another cousin, and I have worked together on a mutual line and she admired the original gravestone of Cap't George's second wife, Ann Borodell. Her gravestone is presently located in the Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic near a memorial gravestone for Cap't George and Lady Ann. So, we made an agreement that she could have a copy of my photo and I could have her copy of Capt. George's.


I didn't know when the gravestone was reproduced and exchanged until Barbara Poole found a reference to this in this book shown here in the collage.


By the way, Lady Ann's gravestone has been copper casted and was moved to Elm Grove from the Denison cemetery on the Cove probably by my ancestor, Levina Fish Denison, wife of Isaac Denison, Jr.


I keep thinking about how Cap't George and Lady Ann are NOT buried together. She outlived him. He is buried in Hartford because that is where he died while on official Connecticut business.


His first wife is probably buried in the Roxbury, MA burying Ground [Eliot Burying Ground] but there is no stone there that I know of. The cemetery there is locked and only available by appointment.


Who says gravestones are easy to photograph because they don't move?

Tombstone Tuesday: Grandma Jo

Midge and Heather at Elm Grove, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Happy 118th birthday to my maternal grandmother! She used to joke that she was born the day before Columbus discovered America.

In 2007, we all went to Mystic to the Mystic Seaport as a fun family activity. I was surprised when my daughter asked if we could go to Elm Grove Cemetery so she could show her husband the gravestones!

He took this photo of us with the gravestones of her great grandparents. As my daughter was 17 when my grandmother passed away at the age of 98, I emphasized to her that it is unusual for someone her age to have vivid memories of a great-grandparent. The photo below the headstone is a crop of us at 4 generations.

Tombstone Tuesday: At The Age of Sixty-Three

Dudley Wheeler STEWART marker, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

This is the headstone of Dudley Wheeler Stewart, one of my maternal 2nd great grandfathers. He is buried in Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic CT.

I have blogged about him before but some new information has appeared in my research so I thought I'd spend the rest of this week going over it and you are welcome to go along for a visit of the records.

This headstone is blue granite and is commonly used in this area of Connecticut because of the quarries in nearby Westerly, RI. My paternal ancestors were quarry miners in the old country, in the state of Georgia and in Westerly, RI.

Dudley and his wife Eliza are a pivotal couple in my research. From them , it is a straight shot down to me but before them, their ancestors are intertwined in many places. They were distant cousins.

Dudley (probably known as DW), died at the age of 63. I will be that age on my next birthday.

Roxanna BROWN

Roxanna BROWN
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel.

Roxana BROWN

Roxanna6 BROWN (Shubael5, Jedediah4, Jedediah3, John2, Thomas1) was born 17 Jan 1797 daughter of Shuabel BROWN and his wife Lydia PALMER, she married John BURROWS on 23 August 1821. They had 7 children. She died 20 Feb 1878. She is buried in Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic, New London, CT in the Denison section.

Stonington VR (Barbour Index) p. 57
Roxene, d. Shubael b. Jan 17, 1797 Vol. 4 Page 40

Gravestone Reads:
Roxanna BROWN/wife of John BURROWS/born Jan. 17, 1798 died/Feb. 20, 1878

"Resting in Heaven"

Roxanna is the mother of Eunice Eldridge Burrows (wife of Isaac Wheeler DENISON) and Mary Elizabeth Burrows (1st wife of Rev. John Ledyard DENISON) also buried in this plot in Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic, CT

This is a repost from 2007

Tombstone Tuesday: Birth Date

Dudley W. Stewart
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

So what's a genealogist to do? This second great grandfather has no recorded birth record. Yes, I queried more than one town and spent money getting North Stonington, CT to open the old Town Hall and go through the ledger books. They didn't find it.

However, they found Dudley's father and Dudley's grandfather so that was a BIG find and worth the money I paid. I hope they didn't freeze to death in the unheated building looking. They were upset. Dudley was a selectman in this town and ran the general store during the Civil War.

I think his birth was not recorded because he was the last child born in his family and he already had two older sickly siblings. The rest were married. His mother, Rebecca, was forty when he was born. God bless her.

The family Bible gives the full date and the month and day matches the information in Wheeler's History of Stonington. Wheeler gives his birth year as 1820 but I think it is wrong. I am taking the one "cast in stone" as it fits with other record and the census years.

Analyzing all the evidence is important but still I would rather have a birth or baptismal record. You can't make up what doesn't exist.

Tombstone Tuesday: Little Robbie

Robert M. CLIFT
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Graves of little children are the most heartbreaking of all. This little granite gravestone is still clearly readable and is a good example of a carved gravestone of this era. It amazes me that there was room to get in the "Our Darling Robbie".

Children like Robbie are often not included in compiled genealogies. It is important to include them because it can explain why whole families died (from disease) or even if the mother die of a broken heart.