I remember as a small child at my grandparents home, I would stare at them. Those two old black and white Pictures in an old frame that sat on my grandmother's shelf with her other nicknacks. They showed a man on one side and a woman on the other. It was assumed they were husband and wife from an earlier time.
Who are they? , I would ask my fathers parents. The reply was always the same. Oh, those are people from the Family in the early times. His name was Sylvester and we don't know what her name was, came the reply.
As I grew older, the Pictures still held their spell over me and the desire to know more about them was growing stronger with each passing year. My own father was of no help. He had no interest in such things and my grandfather really knew very little about the old Pictures.
Probably twenty years came and went without any Research being done on my part. I was busy developing my career and raising my Family. However, once in a whil e the desire to understand my roots was strong in me and I would think of the old Pictures and something told me, they held the truth about my Family and the secrets of the past.
When my grandparents died, the one thing that I received from them was the old Pictures. They knew I was interested in such things and certainly, the desire to know more at that stage of my life was strong. I was determined to find out the story of my Family and the truth of my roots.
The man in the picture stared at me and I could tell he was wearing a military uniform probably about the style worn by troops about 1860. The lady wore the dress of someone also from that time period.
Then the big break came when a cousin that had been previously unknown to me, contacted me about my own Family. We talked at length. She informed that she too was Researching the Family History and indeed, she even knew the names of the people in the Pictures! They were Lester and Lucinda and yes , they had been husband and wife. They came from Rockport, Illinois and he had served in the American Civil War. Further, I was informed of a distant Family member that actually was in possession of letters written home from Lester to Lucinda while he was serving in the military.
I lost no time in securing photocopies of those letters. The treasure trove of not only Family History that those letters provided but also of American History was absolutely stunning!
Lester Seward and his wife Lucinda were from the Catskill Mountain area of New York State. When they were married at about the age of 20 years, they moved to Rockport,Illinois. The reason for this became clear when I discovered that Lester's trade was that of a Wagonmaker and by 1840, America was moving west. Rockport, Illin ois was one of the jumping off places for settlers moving west and it made sense that his work would take him there.
By 1861, Lester was about 40 years old. He and Lucinda had produced three sons and named the oldest James, the middle one Charles and the youngest William who was an infant in 1861 and was destined to become my great-grandfather. Apparently, their business was thriving but change in the country was fast approaching.
Civil war broke out in America and Lester volunteered for service and joined the 93rd Illinois Regiment and was placed into company A. He was older than many and was enlisted as a private in Infantry. Why he joined is a bit of a mystery because he was probably old enough to remain at home, however, it is my speculation that he had a deep sense of responsibility to his country and answered the call.
His letters tell of camp life and of the western campaign that was fought along the Mississippi and down to Vicksburg. He was in some ground battles including the battle of Jackson, Mississippi and the so called Yazoo Pass Expedition. He rode the gunboats down the Mississippi with his comrades to Vicksburg and participated in the siege. However, at the time of the siege, his letters take a darker tone and tell of his time of illness. It was an illness he did not recover from and shortly after the fall of Vicksburg, he fell gravely ill and died in a military hospital near there. Today, he lies on hallowed ground in the Vicksburg military Cemetery that is groomed and cared for by our government. Since he was in a military hospital at the time of his death, he was properly identified and lies beneath a military tombstone bearing his name.
Today, when I look at those old Pictures of my great-great grandparents, I have a sense of not only Identity but of great pride. I know where I came from and the fact that my name carries with it an honorable past. As I stare at Lester and Lucinda in their clothing from another era, I silently thank them for what and who they were and for making me a stronger person. I take strength in this knowledge of my Family Identity and it sustains me.
God bless you grandpa and grandma.
Rick Seward is a game warden for the state of Nebraska. He loves the outdoors and also has deep sense of History and of Family. He maintains a website located at http://www.Rickseward.net and invites everyone to look at it. The site will showcase the art work that he does in his off duty time and it will give the viewer a deeper understanding of what Rick believes in.
Author:: Rick Seward
Keywords:: Family, Legacy,History,civil war,Pictures,Identity,Research,Regiment,Cemetery,Wagonmaker,moving west
Post by Histo ry of the Computer | Computer safety tips
No comments:
Post a Comment