Richard (Dick) Ramsey

Last weekend, on our way back from Birmingham, Chip and I stopped by Friendship Baptist Church on US411 between Springville and Odenville to find Richard H Ramsey's grave. We knew that it existed somewhere, because we found an old picture of Mommy from 1962 of her standing next to his grave. Also, a couple of months ago, I found here that an R M Ramsey was a preacher at Friendship twice (a year each) in the late 1800s. So I had a hunch that it was there.

So Chip and I went all around the cemetery looking for a stone about 4 feet tall with a curved top. I noted one that was pushed over as a possibility as I was walking through, but I promptly forgot about it. Later, when Chip saw it, he started looking at the picture and compared the stones behind the fallen one to the one in the picture. The one directly behind my mom was a double stone with two "humps" on top, sort of like the top of a heart. There was one just like it right behind the fallen stone! So this had to be it. The chances of it not being were pretty slim.

Then we set about to get the stone upright. You know, a four foot by four inch slab of marble is really not that light! Chip managed to flip it to the side, so we could see that indeed, this was the right stone, complete with shaking hands at the top! Then we both groaned and grunted to stand it upright. After a minute or two of catching our breath, we started "walking" it around to where it was supposed to be. We finally managed, and now the stone is back where it belongs!

We don't think it had been turned over all that long. It wasn't that dirty, and there was still grass underneath it that wasn't that decayed. But it's back in place now, and hopefully it will stay. It'll take a big something hitting it, because it's not light!

(Also, this log really should be before the last one, since it happened 3 days before.)

Coolidge/Ramsey

I went to the LDS Family Search Center near Ooltewah the other day, and using their login to Ancestry.com, I found:

• Fannie Coolidge was in the 1910 census in Cooks Springs, St Clair, AL. This was before she got married to "Old Man Patterson" apparently, because he wasn't mentioned and she had four boarders. So apparently she started a boarding house not long after Sylvester died! Fred is also mentioned on this census (he was 15), but Minnie is not. She would have been 17, so maybe she was already out of the house? Incidentally, I think the reason we haven't seen this before is because Coolidge is spelled Coolage, but I had the "similar spellings" checkbox on.
• I also found Sylvester Coolidge's military record. He was in the 2 NY Veteran Cavalry. (So he was a Union soldier!) Also, I found Fannie's military widow's pension record. It's very hard to read, but it looks like the date she received it was 30 Jun 1902. We have that Sylvester died 8 Jun 1904. But of course, his tombstone was very hard to read also, since it was lying on the ground, but now that I look at the picture, it very well might say 1902.
• I also found Maw on the 1930 census completely by accident. I saw a Mary F Coolidge in my search and figured it was her. It shows her with Fred B and Addie R in Precinct 9 of Jefferson County. I'm guessing that's probably Powderly?
  
• I also found our Richard H Ramsey in Ancestry.com's "One World Tree." It's definitely ours, although the date of death is one year (to the day) later: 1894. It also has a birthdate of 15 APR 1819, which would have made him 75, as his tombstone says. And his birthplace was Beford Co, Tennessee, which is where Shelbyville is (or Shebvul, if you're from there ;). So it appears to be our Richard H Ramsey, and it also has 2 generations past him on both sides. Since I don't really know where the "One World Tree" comes from, I need to verify if that info is correct.
  
• While on the topic of Richard H Ramsey, I also found him in "Civil Division 25" in the 1850 Dekalb County census with his wife Mourning and his kids, Sarah C (E?), 11; Paralee (?), 8; Rufus M (7); Charlotte (6); Monerva (?), 4; Maryline (?), 2; and Henderson (?), 11 months. This was 1850, so Fannie wouldn't have been born for another 8 years. I think we could say it was a big family! Also in this census, Richard's occupation is B. [something]. I have no idea what that could be because it's very oddly written. I suppose it could be B(aptist) something, but it doesn't look like it could possibly be preacher or pastor. It's definitely got a letter that goes below the line. Also, the "cannot read & write" box is checked on Richard. So could you be a preacher back then without being able to read and write? It seems like you would have to read the Bible, but maybe you just memorized it without ever reading it? Also, we've got at least three different names for his wife: Monie, Mornin, and Mourning. Mourning shows up on the census at least twice. It seems like if you don't know how to spell what they're saying, you wouldn't add the extra U. Is it possible that that was really her name? Seems a little weird. Would you really name a baby that?!
  
• Also I think there may be either another Richard H Ramsey or ours got remarried. In the 1880 census in Jeffereson County, there is a Richard H Ramsey who is 54 (that would make him a little too young to be ours) and he was born in Tennessee and is married to Sarah J. Fannie isn't listed in this household, but she would have been 22 and got married to Sylvester in 1881, so she might have already been out of the house. There are 4 children listed in this household, but again, this may not be our Richard H.