In this edition Ray recaps Jerrems history on four different continents and over 400 years.
Enjoy.
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On a different subject, I submitted my DNA (saliva in a kit) to the National Geographic’s Genographic Project, which analyzed my DNA samples from people today to map the migration of the human race out of Africa.
I chose National Geographic’s Ancestry DNA kit to learn the breakdown of my regional ancestry and to explore my deep ancestry with a customized migration map and more. My genetic makeup is fairly straight forward.
Most of the Jerrems family will have the same breakdown that I will share with you in a future edition
Donald Jerrems
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Introduction
At first glance you might conclude that the subject of gravestones is a rather macabre subject, however gravestones are a necessary part of life (if you will pardon the pun) and come in numerous shapes and forms. In addition to their human interest and pictorial value they also form a useful tool for genealogical research.
I have selected gravestones from England, United states, South Africa and Australia. The first cabs off the rank are Big Bill’s relatives Mary and Jane Jerrems.
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Mary and Jane Jerrems
These gravestones are the only “Jerrems” survivors in the graveyard of St Helen’s Church in Willingham, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. They were located by Sue Jerrems on a trip to England in 2006, involving pulling up a lot of weeds. The deterioration of the gravestones was probably caused by vegetation growing against the gravestones.
Mary was Big Bill’s mother and Jane was the wife of Big Bill’s brother John.
Another photo taken by Sue shows that there are only a handful of surviving gravestones in the graveyard, so we are fortunate to have these two. The Jerrems family lived in Willingham for almost 150 years, as shown in the Church’s records, so there were obviously many more gravestones relating to the Jerrems family originally.
Perhaps we should be grateful that at least some stones are surviving.
The gravestones appear to be made of sandstone, which erodes easily.
There is a reasonable amount of information surviving on the gravestones.
Now we move to the United States.
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American Civil War JJ Aug 2008
Here is a photo of an American Civil War gravestone for Jesse Jerrems taken by Sandra relating to her branch of the Jerrems family. It is in the vast Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica, New York.
Jesse was the son of James, who was in turn the brother of Sandra’s great great grandfather Joseph. Jesse was therefore Sandra’s first cousin, 3 times removed (don’t try to work this out, take my word for it).
Jesse served in the Utica Militia against the Confederate Army in the American Civil war but died several years later, probably from tuberculosis
It appears that the gravestone was provided by the United States Army, being standardised and using reasonable quality stone. It also had a minimum of information by genealogical standards. The gravestones were quite low, probably to reduce costs. However a supplementary benefit is that low gravestones are less likely to topple when the coffin rots away.
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Nicoll the Tailor
This photo shows one side of the magnificent monument for Nicoll the Tailor, his wife Elizabeth and son Alexander Jnr in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
The monument comprises four large panels made from high quality dark marble facing the four points of the compass. Descendants have been added over a period of forty years when they have fallen off their perch.
Alexander Nicoll was the founder of a tailoring empire in the United States which had at least 26 stores, pioneering a mail ordering system.
He died in London but left instructions for his body to be taken to New York and the monument to be erected there.
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General Herkeimer’s Monument
Need to get needle monument in top left May 2011]
And now for another grave and a monument of grand proportions, to Brigadier General Nicholas Herkeimer who died during the American War of Independence in 1777. The monument is a scaled down version of the monument in Washington DC. The gravestone contains a brief account of the battle.
“Cousin Nick” was the cousin of Sandra’s grandfather eight times removed. He was seriously wounded in the leg in the Battle of Oriskany and died eleven days later as the result of the amputation of the leg.
In Sept., 1775, he became Brigadier General of the Tryon County (current day Herkimer County) Militia, having already served as a Captain in the French and Indian War.
During the Revolutionary War, the Iroquois Indian nation mostly sided with the British, tthe exception being the Oneida branch, which helped the American Patriots.)
In July, 1777, General Herkimer led troops of approximately 800 men ranging in age from 16 to 60 as he prepared to ward off an ambush by 1500 British forces which were approaching Fort Stanwix (near Rome, NY, northwest of Utica).
The monument is part of a very popular historical site, which includes the General’s homestead.
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Sandra’s great grandparents
Here is a photo of the gravestone of Sandra’s great grandfather and great grandmother, William Kirkwood and Sarah Jerrems. Made from grey marble, it has raised lettering.
Readers may remember that Sarah was fostered by the famous Root family during her childhood.
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Fitzpatrick
Now it is time to move to South Africa.
Here is the striking gravestone of Herbert Daniel Gowran Fitz-Patrick, known affectionately as “Malamba”. It is made from black marble and the inscription is engraved. Dan was a great uncle of reader Alan Fitzpatrick.
The Fitz-Patrick family began its connection with the Jerrems family when Ada Sarah Jerrems (the daughter of Big Bill’s son John) married Reverend Bernard Gowran Fitzpatrick in England in 1873 and they had nine children.
In due course their descendants spread themselves across South Africa, Swaziland, Rhodesia, Malawi, Mozambique, England, Holland, Australia and New Zealand, making them by far the most travelled part of the Jerrems family.
Born in 1909, “Dan” was the son of Herbert Arthur Lionel Fitz-Patrick, a son of Ada. He became a popular and highly respected member of his community and served his country with distinction as a Government Minister and senator in the Swaziland Parliament. He was also awarded the OBE.
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Aubrey Leonard Fitz Patrick
Another son of Herbert and Ada, Aubrey served with the South African Army in France in the First World War, surviving such battlefields as the Somme.
Sadly, Aubrey’s luck ran out during the German Offensive in March 1918. He was severely wounded by gunshot wounds in the chest, face and right arm and succumbed to his wounds on 31st March 1918 at a hospital at Wimereux, near Boulogne on the west coast of France.
Aubrey was buried in the Wimereux Communal Cemetery (see photo of his grave). As usual, I find it so sad that his only substantial memorial is a lonely grave far from his country of birth and his loved ones, although he was remembered in the shorter term by several new babies of the Fitz-Patrick family being named after him.
Interestingly, the grey marble gravestones in the cemetery have not fallen over, they have been laid flat because the soil is sandy and will not support upright gravestones.
At last we have reached Australia!
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George Robert Sassall
Here is George’s gravestone in Lithgow Cemetery, on the western side of NSW’s Blue Mountains. The white marble is fairly typical of gravestones in Australia.
George was my grandmother’s brother. He married Elsie May Durie in May 1912. In December (aged 24) he was killed in a blast furnace accident. Industrial accidents were frequent in those days, but this accident was particularly tragic. George and Elsie had only been married for seven months and 21 year old Elsie was expecting their first baby.
The community would have rallied around young Elsie, with her husband’s parents and nine siblings, and her own parents and (coincidentally) her own nine siblings at the forefront. These people and their own families, George’s workmates, and all their friends would have attended George’s very sad funeral, and no doubt the hat would have been “passed around” for contributions to help young Elsie.
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Brian Harrison’s uncle William Blamey
Here is a sad photograph of the original grave of William Blamey ?? who was a machine gunner killed by a shell at the Battle of Le Hamel in the First World War. William was a great uncle of reader Brian Harrison.
The Battle of Le Hamel was unique because it was carefully orchestrated by General John Monash, with contributions from infantry, machine gunners, artillery, aircraft and tanks. Famously it took 92 minutes, which was two minutes longer than planned by Monash.
Unfortunately for William he was one of a comparatively small number of casualties.
The grave, at Villers Bretonneux, was replaced later with a dignified Australian War Graves Commission headstone.
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Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed this change of subject.
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