Daniel Clement's final resting place

After more than a year of research today I finally have the location of Daniel Clement's final resting place. Not only the location but a photograph of the stone. 

The photograph was made possible with the kind assistance of a volunteer, who not only went out to the cemetery today, but spent time with background research to confirm for me where Daniel was.




Previous Posts about Daniel Clement

No longer a mystery left behind in a box

Who Was JClement

Daniel Clement's Find A Grave Memorial

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Post 588 Wilna, NY

GAR Post 588 Natural Bridge, New York.   

Post meeting circa 1891

The bust of General Sherman
is on exhibit at the Augustus Saint Gauden
National Historical Park in
Cornish, New Hampshire

GAR Post 588 was chartered on April 13, 1891, remaining active until 1937 when the charter was surrendered.  It was named after General William Tecumseh (Uncle Billy) Sherman who died two months prior to the post's formation.   The photograph above was probably taken in 1891 when the post met for the first time.  It couldn't have been taken any later than 1905 as  Mr. Luther Wright, a member who is pictured, died that year. 

While researching the post and its history I was able to identify most everyone in the picture to include their Civil War Unit and dates of birth and death see the chart below for more details.      

On the back of the original photograph are handwritten notes identifying all the members present. 

Two family members are pictured in this photograph. 

The first Franklin Sanders born 1841 the son of Philander and Nancy Sanders.  

Frank Sanders 

Franklin is the 1st cousin of Jennie M. Sanders, Harvey Jesse Lake's wife.   Frank Sanders served in the 10th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment from 1862 to 1865 when he was discharged at the end of the Civil War.

Frank Ashcraft

The second is Frank Ashcraft he was born in 1836 and died in 1913 he was related to Lorenzo Ashcraft, the husband on Anna Clement, Daniel L. Clement's youngest daughter.  Not much is known currently about Frank Ashcraft and his connection, but there are other photographs of him with the old family pictures that indicate a close connection.   He also served in the 10th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment from 1862 to 1865. 

Members of GAR Post 558 pictured above

Name	Born	Died	Civil War Unit	Dates of Service
Bill Williamson	1843	1911	10th NY Heavy Artillery	1862-1865
Mr McCory	**
N. Williamson	**
Ed Weatherhead	**
Daniel Puffer	1837		10th NY Heavy Artillery	1862-1865
Henry Weatherhed	1844		10th New York Heavy Artillery	1862-1865
Luther Wright	1846	1905	186th NY  Vol Infantry Regiment	1864-1865
Charles Schultz	1839	1916	10th New York Heavy Artillery	1862-1863
John Davis	1842		94 NY Vol Infantry Regiment	1862-1865
John Shoemaker	**
William Nichols	1820		186th NY  Vol Infantry Regiment	1864-1865
Frank Datuch	1835		94th NY Vol Infantry Reg	1862- ?
Henry Crimmins	*
Frank Ashcraft	1836	1913	10th NY Heavy Artillery	1862-1865
Cal Graves	**
Frank Sanders	1841	1917	10th NY Heavy Artillery	1862-1865
Mr. Holland	**
Warren Harlow	1829		10th NY Heavy Artillery	1862-1865
Len Ward	*
Mr. Priest	*

* There are people of the proper names and approximate age and the Wilna, NY area that could be these three men however more research must be done to prove this conclusively

** No information available 

The mystery of Orlo Sanders solved

Another of those family mysteries;  I have been searching for Orlo Sander, he is my great grandmother's (Jennie Sanders Lake's) brother. He was born in 1861 in Jefferson County, New York to Jared and Sarah (VanAntwerp) Sanders.   

He lived most of his adult life in Watertown, New York, many newspaper articles of the day can attest to this.  On August 21, 1887, in Antwerp NY, he married Jennette Ervin of Philadelphia, New York.   Old newspaper gossip columns reported that they were visiting or were visited by,  friends and relatives on a regular basis.   The last mention of Orlo Sanders or his wife Jennette was November 19, 1889 when he purchased property on Hunt Street in Watertown, New York for $585.00.

When I received these photographs I noted a curious piece of information; Orlo's portrait was taken at the Rainier Studio at 707 Second Street in Seattle, Washington. Jennette's photograph was taken at Lewis and McCollester studio in Carthage, New York.  So it was clear that Orlo at some point traveled to Washington State.  There is no indication on the photographs themselves when either of them where taken.   The possibility that he relocated to Washington State could certainly explain the reasons for the lack of information in New York.   However, family lore says that Orlo was killed by a falling tree sometime after 1880 in New York State, and was buried in or around Wilna, New York.

Then to add to the mystery, meet Mrs. Orlo Sanders,  Grace Chapin. Note that her photograph was taken at LaRoche Photographers at the Rengstorff Building in Seattle, Washington.  On the back of the card the street address is given and it is the same building where Orlo's photograph was taken.

I have not located any information as to what happened to Jennette, if she went to Washington, and died there or passed away in New York, nor have I found a divorce record.   Above is the obituary of  Mrs. Jared Sanders dated May 6, 1893. She died in New York and her obituary identifies her survivors;  note that Orlo is not listed; it would appear that he died prior to his mother.


A search of  Genealogy Bank located this record, from the  Watertown Daily Times, dated February 24, 1891, an announcment from the Odd Fellows Fraternal Organization,  Watertown Chapter  that Orlo Sander,s one of their members, had died in Seattle,Washington of Typhiod Pneumonia and that he had been interred there.

I have tried to locate a death and burial record in Washington State but so far I have not had much success; however, it does seem clear that the mystery of what happened to him has been solved.

Calder Family Research Blog

Today I decided to revive an old project my Calder Family Research Blog.  Redesigned it and made my first post you can access it at this link  Calder Family Research blog   Or the blog list  on the top right of this page.

No longer a mystery, left behind in a box

For a number of months I have been working on a project to identify family members in very old photographs which have been condemned to the proverbial shoe box. Since many of these picture are unlabeled it takes a fair amount of work to identify them. 

This photograph came from material that belonged to Samuel and Emma Clement of Rowe, MA.  The photograph is of a male, approximately 20-25 years old, an extremely old tin type  image  1 inch tall by ¾ of an inch wide. It is taped to a card which measures 3 7/8 inches tall by 2 1/2 inches wide.  The photograph is extremely fragile and in all likelihood it has been physically handled for the last time.  I made several high resolution digital scans of it to preserve this important family photograph, while doing so I notice the back was severely corroded, and may need professional restoration to preserve it.  

Tintype photography, a style popular in the 1860’s,  was considered “instant photography,”because you could go into a studio and in 10 minutes or so walk out with your picture, like the first Polaroids.  They were called “Tin Types” not because they were made of tin, but because you cut them apart from a sheet with tin shears or snips.  The plates were made of a light sensitized steel a little thicker than modern aluminum foil.

Using research materials that have  known dated examples and references as a starting place, I now believe that this photograph was taken between 1865 and 1867, which makes it just about 150 years old. The image to the right has been digitally enhanced so that it can be seen better.

Who this is:  Daniel L. Clement was born May 8, 1847 in Philadelphia, Jefferson Co., New York. His father and mother were Charles & Sarah (Bromley) Clement.  In 1863 at the age of 16, he enlisted in the 47th New York Infantry Regiment as a private and participated in the Civil War. He served until his honorable discharge on 30 June 1865 at Munson Hill Virginia.   I have written a blog article about Daniel his wife and parents; you can access those articles at the following links: Who was Daniel L. Clement : Who was JClement : Charles B. Clement. He returned home from the service,  and the following year, on May 10, 1866, 2 days after his 19th birthday he married Mary Jane Palmer.  They had 6 children, four of whom survived and farmed land in the Croghan, NY area, until Daniel's death in 1894.  He was buried in the Evangelical Baptist Cemetery in Croghan, New York.  

Below are photographs that I have been collecting of Daniel and Mary Jane "Jennie" (Palmer) Clement's surviving children, from left to right is Mary "Mattie" Clement Herzig,  Anna P. Clement Ashcraft, Samuel E. Clement and Edwin Ira Clement. Look how closely Daniel's youngest 

son Edwin resembles him, and how the others have traits that closely match his, with the possible  exception of Mary, who looks most like her mother.  These comparison photographs have really been the key to sorting out this mystery, along with some very good research tools and knowing the source of the material has really helped in successfully identify this photograph.  

After Daniel's death Jennie travelled with her two son's Sam and Edwin to Colrain, MA where her daughter Mattie had relocated with her husband Albert and their family.  

About 1905 she returned to New York with Edwin, Sam decided to stay behind to start his family. Jennie returned to Massachusetts around 1910, living with her daughter, for a time. Whether it was home sickness or illness, she wanted to return home to New York.  While arraignments were being made with Edwin to get her back home, she died suddenly she was laid to rest in Christian Hill Cemetery, on top of the hill, in Colrain,  Massachusetts.    I enjoyed researching the photographs and the feeling of symmetry that comes from bringing them together again, as if the family itself were reunited.

“The people who have left us are never truly gone until there is no one left to remember them.”

Who was JClement

“The people who have left us are never truly gone until there is no one left to remember them.”      Unknown Author

In Colrain, Massachusetts off of Ed Clark Road is a small cemetery known as Christian Hill. Just inside the gate on the right side is a small field stone, roughly cut. Hand carved letters on the face of the stone spell out JClement; there are no other Clements in this small cemetery. There is nothing on the stone that identify this person other than a name.

Let me tell you a little about her; she was born Mary Jane Palmer on April 14, 1845 in Leray, Jefferson Co., New York. Her parents were Lorenzo Palmer and Pamelia Merritt and the family farmed land in what is now Fort Drum New York. 

On March 10,1866 she married Daniel L. Clement, a recently returned Civil War solder who served with the 42nd NY Infantry Regiment.  Daniel joined the Army at 16 years old to fight for his country, and was discharged on June 30, 1865. 

Daniel and Jennie, as she was known all her life, had 6 children; Mattie, Charles, George, Anna, Samuel and Edwin.  They farmed land in North Wilna, New York during their lives together.   Charles and George died very young, Anna died at age 20 of complications of child birth, and her remaining 3 children lived long and productive lives. 

In 1894 Daniel, at the age of 47, died of Brights Disease, Mattie was married and by 1896 was living with her family in Colrain, MA. That left Sam and Edwin who were living with her and farming the land in New York. 

Jennie moved to Colrain just before the turn of the century and began a farm with her two sons and her brother James. 

Around 1905 she returned to New York with her son Edwin; Sam decided to stay behind as he had met Emma Farnum, a weaver who worked at a Colrain Textile mill.  They would be married in later 1905. 

She returned to Massachusetts around 1910, living with her daughter, for a time. Whether it was home sickness or knowing that the end was near, she wanted to return home to New York.  While arraignments were being made with Edwin to get her back home, she died suddenly and was buried in the small  Christian Hill Cemetery, on top of the hill. 

Certainly more could and should be said of a life that lasted 67 years but at least our Great Gandmother is not forgotten

**The image of Jennie Palmer Clement is a pencil and charcoal drawing that her grand son John Edwin Clement Sr.  identified as her several years ago.


Access Jennie Clement's  Find A Grave Memorial  at this link

Charles B. Clement

What does the Erie Canal and the Clement Family have in common?

Well first let’s start with a bit of US History.  The Erie Canal was proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825; it connects Lake Erie in western New York state to the Hudson River.   In those days the most efficient trade routes were managed in waterways.  There was no direct route from West to East, and any goods that needed to travel either way were tied to pack animals and transported by foot.  A pack animal could handle about 250 pounds of goods, which was no where near what was necessary to build up New York State for settlement. The important part of connecting Erie to the Hudson River was that products could be shipped up river from New York City or down from the St Lawrence Sea Way, and then distributed across the state via this system of Canals and Locks.    More information about the Canal and it’s importance to New York and the Country can be found at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal. 

Now on to Charles B. Clement who was born February 15, 1818 in Salina, Onondaga Co., New York.  Much of what I know about Charles comes from his family bible and records that I’ve been able to locate through research.   Charles is the last positive link in our family chain that I have primary sources evidence for, meaning there are original records that document his life.  Some of the information I am going to give you will be theory and I will identify that from facts.    Research has not identified Charles’ father, mother, or siblings at the present time, but it can be inferred that they were residents of Salina NY and Onondaga County.  Around 1844 he met Sarah A. Bromley, who was born May 6, 1821 in New Haven, Oswego Co., New York, and they married August 12, 1844 and began their family.  

Their first child, Annie M. was born June 1,1845 in Scruple, Oswego Co., New York.  In 1869 she married John V. Harris.  Not many records have been found to this point that identify what happened to the Harris family,  that is still a work in progress.  As is the youngest son Ira Franklin, born November 28, 1848 in Lysander, Onondaga Co., NY;  almost nothing is available on him other than I know he was alive and six years old in 1855.  At present that is the last mention of him in the official record that I’ve found.   

Charles and Sarah’s second child Daniel was born May 8, 1847 in Philadelphia, Jefferson Co., New York, and more about him can be found in the previous post. 

By 1850, Charles, Sarah and all of the children had settled in Lysander, Onondaga Co., NY and he was identified in the census of that year as a boatman.  Because earlier census reports only identify the head of house by name, there is no way to tell based on those documents, what Charles may have been doing before that.  However, it would not be too much of a stretch or surprise to find that he may have followed in his father’s foot steps. 

The records indicate that in 1870 Charles, without his family, was in Jefferson Co., New York and was in the household of Ira Clement, whom I believe to be his brother.  The census of that year indicated that he was 57 years old and a farmer.  So it appears that he went to Jefferson County to obtain work, as it wasn’t uncommon in the day to have the husband travel great distances to find work while the wife stayed home; then if steady work was found, he would send for the rest of the family to join him.   In Charles’ case, he did not stay in Jefferson County but returned home and began farming himself.  By 1875 he had established himself as a farmer, his wife, daughter and her husband John Harris (who was by this time a sailor) lived with him.   Daniel was in Jefferson County himself establishing his family and there is no indication where Ira Franklin was or if he survived into adulthood. 

In 1880 Charles and Sarah left Onondaga County and settled in Brownville, Jefferson Co., New York; their neighbor was William B. Clement, son of Ira.  They stayed in this area until Sarah died on April 3, 1890, at the age of 69.  

On July 3, 1897 Charles entered into the Jefferson County Poorhouse at the age of 79 years old.  These places treated the residents as inmates, they lived in dorms with sometimes 15 or more people to a room. If your wife came with you, they separated you at night.  The Keeper of the Poorhouse decided everything for the "inmates"  from meals to when people could receive medical treatment, there were no bathing facilities and while it was heated in the winter, there was nothing to cool or circulate the air in the summer.  Not a great situation to end up in after a full life of working and with no social safety net; if you had no money, the choice was the poorhouse or freezing to death.  He probably did not survive long in this place, and he is not listed in the census of 1900.

I believe that Charles B. Clement died between 1897 and 1900, but he had no known grave marker, nor do I know where he is buried.  I have to assume somewhere on the grounds.

Grandfather Charles may be lost to us, but he is not forgotten!

“The people who have left us are never truly gone until there is no one left to remember them.”