HAPPY DANCE TIME ~ What Have I Found?

Just a couple of days ago Cheri Hudson Passey published a blog post about her recent happy dance. Celebration Sunday-Genealogy Happy Dance: An Unexpected Find!

I hadn’t written a happy dance blog post in a while and I thought “wonder when I will find something worthy of a happy dance?”

Well, I didn’t have to wait long because I’m doing the Happy Dance right now.

I’ve recently been researching my maternal line, the Gillespie family.  In doing so, I’m trying to find out as much as I can about the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of my 3^rd great grandparents, Thomas Gillespie and Susannah Barrowcliff. To read more about them please click here 52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS–Week #2–Thomas Gillespie–My 3rd Great Grandfather-1794-1868

My most recent couple were Clifford George Gillespie, great grandson to the above mentioned Thomas Gillespie, and his wife Bessie Haydon Griffin.

I had located the burial for Clifford and his wife Bessie at Danygraig Cemetery, Risca, Caerphilly, Wales. I wrote a blog post about this discover Tombstone Tuesday Tombstone Tuesday - Clifford George & Bessie Griffin Gillespie - Danygraig Cemetery, Wales

I my quest to learn more about Bessie Haydon Griffin, I went to newspapers.com and hoped I could locate an obituary for her.  BINGO!  Mission accomplished.  But…..that wasn’t my happy dance moment.  Bessie died in 1965, but Clifford had died back in 1942.  Might there also be an obituary for him?

I entered his name on the newspapers.com website and up popped an article dated 2001. HUH? That’s 59 years after his death.Is this really my ancestor, Clifford Gillespie or someone with the same name?

(PLEASE CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

I clicked on that link/article (because that’s what we should do) and WOOHOO!!!!!

I CERTAINLY DID NOT EXPECT TO FIND THIS

An entire article, including a group photo, of a reunion of the Gillespie family!!!!

WOW! doesn’t even cover my excitement as I began to read.

In the article is described a chance meeting during a vacation in Italy, between 2 couples who both turned out to be descendants of Thomas Gillespie & Susannah Barrowcliff via Clifford George Gillespie and his wife Bessie Griffin!

https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-wales-argus/165972718/

South Wales Argus, 12 Nov 2001, page 30

Not only does the article describe the meeting, but it goes on to give a background of how Clifford came to Risca, Wales, married Bessie, where he worked and the names of all their children.  Happy to say I had all the children in my database. 

But, going further the article discusses the history of the Gillespie family coming to Tiverton, Devon, England in the early 1800’s.  Then goes on to name children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Clifford & Bessie. 

I saw the beautiful group photo and was thrilled to find that all the identities, row by row, are listed in the article as well. More dancing at this point.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

I will be continuing work on this family as I fill in names, gather evidence of relationships and learn more about them. 

I’d love to hear about your happy dance moment(s).  Please share them in comments.

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2025   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

Tombstone Tuesday - Clifford George & Bessie Griffin Gillespie - Danygraig Cemetery, Wales

Most of my tombstone posts are about cemeteries and graveyards in the U.S. It’s always fun when I’m able to find some in another country.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t found burial locations easy to find in other countries.  I’ve found a few in Scotland.  You can read about them here SCOTLAND - ABERDEEN & NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

This past week I’ve been researching my GILLESPIE family. There origins begin with Robert Gillespie & Elizabeth WESTON who were married in 1806 Markfield, Leicester, England.

Robert & Elizabeth’s great grandson, George William Beck Gillespie married Emma Jane BAKER.  As I was researching their children I came to Clifford George Gillespie born 22 Jan 1881 probably in Wellington, Somerset, England. Clifford is my maternal 2nd cousin twice removed.

Clifford married Bessie Haydon GRIFFIN about 1904 in Newport, Monmouthshire,Wales. 

My Ancestry tree started populating hints for these ancestors and low and behold there was a reference to burial records.  I was pretty happy to see that.

In the database UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current I was able to find Clifford and Bessie’s burial locations and view their memorials. 

FindAGrave #275545098 and #275545099.

These memorials were only added to the FindAGrave website in October 2024.  Aren’t we fortunate that people keep adding to this site?

And this also emphasizes the importance of us to keep checking various websites.

The headstone photos show an image of a headstone unlike any I have ever seen. The cemetery they are buried in has 5,881 memorials with 100% being photographed.  I scrolled through a few pages (not all of them) and didn’t see any other headstones like this one. 

I’ll be continuing my research on the Gillespie line.  I’d love to hear from you if you are connected to them.

I’d also like to hear from anyone who has seen a headstone similar to the one I’ve posted.  If so, where?

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2025   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

 

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ The marriages of Henrietta Barnes in 1869 and 1876

 

You know how it happens that you go back through a folder, or a record and you find something that you missed or just passed over?

That is just what happened to me as I was reviewing Civil War Pension files this weekend.

This particular file was for Henrietta Barnes Thorp Bovie in the name of her deceased husband, Stephen B. Thorp. 

Stephen B. Thorp served as a Private and later a Corporal in Co. F, 122^nd New York Infantry from 1862-1864.

Stephen Thorp is my paternal 2nd great granduncle.

In scrolling through my online PDF file for this pension I located 2 beautiful marriage certificates.  I had looked through the file before, but it’s been a few years.  What I hadn’t done is pull these marriage certificates and add them to my Legacy file. I have no explanation for that oversight. 

But, here they are.  I don’t have many marriage certificates that are this nice among the records I have.

Marriage of Stephen B. Thorp to Henrietta Barnes - 15 Sep 1869 in Yorkville, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Stephen and Henrietta were married after he discharged from military service.  Sadly, less than 2 years later, on 14 Jun 1871, at age 31, Stephen died from “lingering consumption.” There were no known children born to this couple.

Five years after Stephen’s death, on 19 Sep 1876 in Yorkville, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Henrietta married Dr. William Bovie.  This couple had 5 children.

Here is their marriage certificate.

Marriage of Henrietta Barnes Thorp to Dr. William Bovie, 19 Sep 1876 in Yorkville, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Dr. William Bovie died 25 Apr 1901 of pneumonia.  Henrietta lived 33  more years and died a widow, at age 84. 

She saw two of her 5 children predecease her.

When she applied for a pension in the name of her deceased first husband, she was 81 years old and needed the extra income.  It is not stated in this particular file whether she was ever granted the pension.

Have you discovered items you overlooked or missed entirely? If so, I’d love to hear about them.

Reviewing our research is generally a good practice.  I know I’ve found my own omissions and errors in doing so.

If you are interested in my posts for Civil War pension files please click here.

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2025   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION