First sail upon returning home from Korean War – Long Island Sound This photograph was in a box of slides that contained photographs he took while serving during the Korean War. I found it amazing that someone in the dinghy, being towed behind sailboat, took the photo with no one paying the least bit of attention. My father (on right) is hand-line fishing in his white t-shirt and khaki’s. (1954)
In researching my family history, I have encountered brick walls, bits and pieces, and on occasion a wealth of material. The richest vein of information that I uncovered has been material on Horace and Abram French.
Horace E. French, son of Abram and Elizabeth (Simonds), was born in 1843 in Lowell, Mass. and died in 1903 in Malden, Mass. Horace, my 2nd great (paternal) grandfather, owned a clothing/tailoring shop in Lowell. In 1871, he married Laura Foster. The photographs (of Horace and Maria) were found in his grandson George‘s (my grandfather) personal belongings.
Laura Maria Foster (French) was born in 1850 in Lawrence, MA and died in 1896. Laura was the daughter of Levi T. Foster and Mariah Richardson. Levi’s 3rd great grandfather, Reginald, of Little Badow in Essex England, landed at Ipswich MA in 1638. The Foster family is linked to the Hilton family.
Horace and Laura’s records included the following information:
Horace’s death and location of his grave
U.S. and Massachusetts census records (1850/60/65/80/1900)
Marriage record
City directory listings for Lowell, Medford and Malden, MA
“The inhabitants are largely agriculturalists, and remarkably free from the evils of litigation.” Thus is the description of the residents of Bloomfield, Connecticut, including my ancestors, in 1836. Below are my posts on the Spencer/Eggleston family:
The following post highlights the skill and longevity of the work done by carvers of gravestones in New England. Below are gravestones of direct ancestors (French, Simonds, Eggleston, Goodwin, Shed, Davis, and Thompson) from my paternal line and Butler from my maternal line.
Must See! The Farber Gravestone Collection includes over 13,500 images documenting the sculpture on more than 9,000 gravestones, most of which were made prior to 1800. This amazing resource for early New England gravestones, sponsored by the American Antiquarian Society, also has a FAQ on the history of gravestones during this period.
