HICUZ: March 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

HICUZ 102

HI CUZ Blog 102

Reminder, your acceptance of this newsletter signifies that you will not use its contents to alter, and thus disrespect in any form or way, the historical religious beliefs, no matter what they were – or were not – of family members mentioned herein.

This reminder specifically refers to performing LDS ordinances using any of the data in this or other HICUZ newsletters or blog posts.

An Irish B&B near where my Mom was born referred to a “White Strand” beach.

http://www.castlecoveheights.com/images/directions.jpg

Source: Welcome to Castlecove Heights Bed & Breakfast Family run B&B with a very personal touch AND FREE WiFi! Skehanagh, Castlecove/Caherdaniel, County Kerry, Ireland +353 87 2867674 castlecoveheights@gmail.com This is not a commercial endorsement, but merely a reference to a link describing a beach which has O’Connor/Rowe family significance. My parents named the Log Cabin my father built in Cape Elizabeth, Maine as “White Strand” at my mother’s request to remember a beach by that name near her birthplace in County Kerry, Ireland. I believe the reference in the B&B ad above is that beach.

Excuse my mental sloppiness if I included some of the following before. It notes the costs of burials in England, and the fact that due to limited burial sites several people were buried in the same grave ... as in much of Europe.

MLFHS: Catholic Burials
For those who are not so familiar with the Burial Acts, it may be useful to explain the background.

City burial grounds were becoming overcrowded and unsanitary in the 19th century and eventually, after a 10 year struggle by reformers, a series of Acts was passed to regulate city burials. The first of these covered London and by 1854 the same rules were extended to other cities. The main features were:

Closure of the worst graveyards
Restrictions on the remaining ones
Authorisation of municipal authorities to establish public cemeteries.

The restrictions could include deferred closure, restriction on the number of bodies in a single grave, special conditions for interments in vaults and minimum depth for the final burial in a grave.

The Acts named no names and it was left to the Home Office to issue 'Orders in Council' which identified the individual burial grounds and specified the closures and restrictions. It is the first of these which was the subject of the newspaper article.

Looking at the individual cases:

St Mary, Mulberry Street
This had possibly been closed nearly 20 years by the time of the Acts. There are surviving registers and the last burial recorded was in 1837. If it had still been open this burial ground under the church would certainly have been immediately closed.

St Augustine
When this was cleared, it was found that the coffins were crammed into almost every available inch - with as many as 10 or more layers and infant coffins filling the gaps between adult ones.

St Wilfrid
The registers seem to have been lost, but it was clearly well used. Lawrence reminded me of a case where there was to be an exhumation and the records were so bad that the grave could not be found.

St Patrick
The burial registers survive and were indexed by CFHS. This is probably the best record of early Catholic burials in Manchester

St Chad
Almost nothing seems to be available concerning burials - if it were not mentioned in the Order in Council it could be missed as a burial place!

Immaculate Conception
These notes are very interesting. 20 a day would contribute significantly to the numbers looking for burial, though would be still barely a third of the total. I had not heard of irregularities, but these would not be surprising, particularly if they were under pressure to take a large number of burials. Almost every cemetery seems to have attracted suggestions of breaking the rules. St Patrick’s was one case where a one-per-grave restriction was bent to the point of breaking. All the private cemeteries found ways to cheat and even Philips Park municipal cemetery was subject to an inquiry into irregularities.

MLFHS: Catholic Burials
I discussed this issue with Fr Lannon last week and today he has provided me with some information that may shed light on the issue.

He showed me a print-out from Pro-Quest Historic Newspapers, The Manchester
Guardian (1828 - 1900) Mar 25 1854"Burial Grounds and Cemeteries in Manchester"

This gives details of the restrictions placed on burial grounds and cemeteries at that time and the closure dates in 1855. It lists all the graveyards affected, the RC ones being

The Burial Ground of St Chad's RC Chapel, York Street, Cheetham (York St

became Cheetham Hill Road).
The Burial Ground of St Patrick's RC Chapel, Livesey St
The Burial Ground of St Augustine's RC Chapel, Granby Row, and the vaults

under the chapel
The Burial Ground of St Wilfrid's RC Chapel, Bedford Street

this shows that St Augustine's, Granby Row, did not only have vaults under the church, but had a graveyard. Similarly, the reference to St Chad's shows that there was a graveyard there. The absense of St Mary, Mulberry Street, shows that burials there had already ceased.

There was another note from the Manchester Guardian about the same time stating that work on the foundations of a new school for St Augustine's. Granby Row, was disturbing the graveyard and that remains were to be seen lying on the surface -further confirmation of St Augustine's graveyard.

Fr Lannon also had some notes about the establishment of Our Lady, Failsworth. This mission was established by a religious order, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, hence the alternative name of the church. Initially, four of these priests came to east Manchester around 1846 to serve the area of Moston and Newton Heath. They established themselves in Fairfield. In 1849, they obtained land on Mill Lane where they transformed some cottages into a chapel and school. They obtained more land on which they proposed a magnificent church. The head of the order laid the foundation stone in 1850 bur progress was very slow. In the mid 1850s, the Catholic graveyards in the city were closed and Fr Daly was induced to offer his site as a Catholic burial ground for the city. The notes state that as many as 20 burials took place each day - there is also a suggestion that burials even took place on a Sunday. Eventually, this graveyard was closed by order of the Home Secretary because of 'alleged' abuses in the laying out of
graves. The notes do not indicate when this happened but Gandy ("Catholic Missions and Registers 1700 - 1880, Volume 5, North West England" compiled and published by M. Gandy, 2nd Edition, 1998 (ISBN 0 9528879 2 4) states that St Mary's was the main place for Catholic burials until St Joseph's Cemetery, Moston opened in 1875.

MLFHS: Catholic Burials

Thanks for these prices. This confirms the differential in prices between residents and non-residents as well as providing another marker in terms of overall prices.

Their prices are a little lower than Southern's (though the prices I have are for 1880 so not really comparable) but their premium for non-residents is somewhat smaller - 50% on an adult public burial as opposed to 60% and 50% on a stillborn as opposed to 100%.

These prices are particularly useful as they show the pricing at the opening of the cemetery.

Another MLFHS member response
I spotted the following in the M/c Courier of 12th Sept 1857:

Fees for private graves at Eccles New Rd cemetery: Salford Borough residents First Class- £3 3s 0 Second class- £2 2s 0 This class £1 1s 0 Others 1st- £4 4s 0 2nd- £3 3s 0 3rd- £1 11s 6d Single interments in public graves for Salford residents 16 yrs of
age & over- 8s 7 yrs of age -16yrs - 6s under 7- 5s still-born infants- 2s 6d Others 16+- 12s 7-16 yrs- 9s under 7- 7s 6d still- born- 3s 9d Headstone inscriptions - 5s

Another MLFHS member response
My information on burial charges is quite patchy and so even isolated figures such as this one provide some markers.

?3 in 1900 was not expensive to purchase a grave. Prices seem to vary between about £2 and £6 according to cemetery and class of grave. £1 for an interment seems also in line with Southern's prices.

Another MLFHS member response

Another MLFHS member response
Thanks for this. Weaste would probably have been closer for his funeral than Philips Park, even though the latter would have been open for 3 years before his death. It was only recently I came across the discrimination in fees for non-residents and so I am not sure how widespread it was. There was a lot of friction between Manchester and Chorlton (before the latter was incorporated into Manchester) as Southern Cemetery was on their turf but their residents were required to pay 21 shillings for burial of an adult in a public grave as opposed to 13 shillings for a Manchester resident. They negotiated the premium down over about 20 years and eventually it disappeared when the borough was incorporated.

If 26th can come up with a list of fees for Weaste or Philips Park I would certainly be interested.

Another MLFHS member response
With regard to your paragraph re Weaste, my husband's ancestor was buried there in 1869 in the RC section in a common grave. I doubt very much that they had money as he was living at a wharf in Castlefield at the time he died and there's no trace of money anywhere else in the family. So perhaps Weaste were not so strict re non residents of Salford. I've no idea why Weaste was chosen for this burial as no-one else in the family has been found there - yet.

Apologies for the trailing messages but as they are relevant for anyone coming into this topic late I have decided to leave them there.

Another MLFHS member response
Thanks for this additional information. The dates would be interesting. It is the period c1854 to 1866 which is of particular interest.

Before 1854, I think that the most likely reason why a Catholic would be buried in a CofE churchyard would be because they were paupers who the parish was required to bury. Geoff's point about St Wilfred caused me to look again at the London Gazette and this shows at http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/21875/pages/1540 a new Order in Council in 1 April 1856 which lifted the previous closures of St Patrick and St Wilfred and permitted further burials in existing walled graves subject to conditions and in new graves subject to a limit of one per grave (a condition applied to other burial grounds but which was eased in 1860 to allow up to four in a grave).

Elaine's mention of Weaste is also, I am sure, relevant. I know nothing of Weaste's terms of business, but am sure it would have been open to non-residents of Salford. However, Southern Cemetery charged a premium price for outsiders (about 80% on the purchase of graves and 50% on interment) and the same may have applied at Weaste, which would have been a disincentive for the less well off.

St Wilfred was finally closed in 1865 (London Gazette 10 Oct 1865 page 4786). The lack of registers makes it difficult to know how many burials were accommodated in these latter years.

I have not yet found the Order in Council closing St Patrick’s but the end of burials in 1858 shown by the registers makes it pretty clear that it would have been published around this time.

The restrictions on burials from 1856 are difficult to with the large numbers of burials recorded at St Patrick’s and the Manchester Courier 23 Jan 1858 has a report on infringements of the one-per- grave limitation and this refers to previous complaints by local residents.

Brother Dan passed along these memories verbally, while Den wrote them.

WWII notes - from my brother Dan - March 2013

He related about some childhood friends, Fiddy and Buddy Barrett, neighbors of my older bothers. The Barrett family had four boys and one girl and lived nearby on Mitchell Road in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Both parents worked at the shipyard during WWII, building Liberty ships of about 10,000 tons. There were two shipyards (East and west) with about four ways each, where Liberty ships were churned out at a rate of one per four weeks (after learning curve). Dan said it was a welder’s paradise because of all the jobs welding. The Barrett boys had a huge comic book collection, several hundred books, and Dan, Dave and Den went over to read them. Among those mentioned were “Green Hornet”, Blue Beetle.”

WWII Ration cards - from my brother Dan - March 2013

There were apparently several categories of ration cards. Dad as a Doctor had those allowing him greater access to tires and gasoline. Dan recalled that Cards A, B, C and D existed. An A card let you receive up to 6 gallons of gas a month, while B got more and so on. “Dad had all three.” Butter, eggs, bacon and everything else was rationed for the War effort – fats were collected to use in manufacturing explosive compounds. Our family had up to 150 chickens by the barn and a huge garden to grow vegetables. Dan said the Harriman’s, a neighborhood family, had up to 150 pigs. He recalled that local bakeries brought their rotting products to Mr. Harriman for his pigs, but that Dan, Dave and Den would steal some of the rotting pies, skim off the mold on top and eat them anyway. He also confessed to helping Dave and Den throw rotten eggs at the pigs.

From my brother Den on WWII gasoline rationing - March 2013

Den recalled that one neighbor came up with a way to get around the rationing of gasoline. He would get a little gasoline in the fuel line to the carburetor, but fill the tank with kerosene (not rationed). After he started the car with the gasoline it would run, but smoke horribly as it ran on kerosene.

Racing on Higgins Beach – 1949 from my brother Dan - March 2013

Dan, Dave and Den and first cousin Buddy LaPolice from Stamford, CT decided to take a spin. It was either late fall, or early spring and the scene was Higgins Beach, with the tide out and the hard sand exposed. Dan said they raced three or four others cars. Beaches along Maine’s coast had been used for years by adventurous aviators for takeoffs. Anyway, as the race ended the Ford they were in (1946 four door sedan) flipped on its side and Dave or Den’s head went through a side window. Evidently there were no injuries and my brothers and Buddy tipped the car right side up, and raced again … until the local police showed up and ran them off.

From my brother Dan - March 2013 Dad had many patients, many of whom couldn’t pay in cash for medical care. Dad as the shipyard Doctor had to examine and verify each worker was fit and up to the rigors of hard physical work.

After the war one of Dad’s patients gave him a four door 1946 Ford sedan as payment. At the time gasoline cost just $.18 a gallon.

From my brother Dan - March 2013 Dan worked at the shipyard one summer after the war. This would have been after a year at Villanova University. Dad was really upset about Dan’s flunking out and the next year sent him off to St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dan possibly got the job because the company’s owner, Mr. Walsh, was a friend. The shipyard had a contract to fabricate a new form of bomb, roughly 800 to 1,000 pounders, which were used in Korea and probably in Vietnam. The Walsh Construction company won the contract, which involved cutting long segments of 18 inch diameter steel pipe as the feeder stock. Dan explained the fabrication process as follows.

The pipe was cut into four to five foot lengths with huge cutting wheels, then the lengths were put on carriages with rollers and heated in a furnace. After heating the segments they were removed, moved to a stamping machine, and pounded on/beat with huge presses to reshape the end into a point or cone. The ends were machined to allow insertion of fuzes of various sorts. Dan made $1.50 an hour, which was a large amount in that day. This would have been about 1951 or 1952.

From my brother Dan - March 2013 Catholic Diocese of Portland’s Youth Summer Camp – Camp Gregory. Dan went, or was sent perhaps, there one summer. The youth stayed in tents with open sides, six or eight youth to a tent with an adult counselor in the center. As a member of the Cheverus High football team Dan had been to Camp Gregory before, with Coach Bill Curran and other football team members for pre-season conditioning.

From my brother Dan - March 2013 The Tryon sisters – They lived nearly across the street from the “Yellow House” on Shore Road. Dan said they were like 140 years old and owned about thirty acres, with a hill behind their home where the boys used to slide or ski in the winter.

The boys (Dan, Dave and Den) found a stray dog somewhere and brought it home, but one of the Tryon sisters said they shouldn’t have a dog. Dan said this “pissed them off” especially after Mom said “Tut … Tut … Tut!”

Dan said their barn was filled with “stuff” which included a 1927 sedan. Dan said the boys tried to buy it but they wouldn’t sell. (This was an era when licenses, car insurance, and highway safety were perhaps in their infancy.) Dan said they also wanted to mow her lawn, but that was turned down also.

Den separately said that the boys cut down (stole) Christmas trees from the Tryon’s farm and were selling them until one of the sisters came over to see Mom and demand the trees back.

From my brother Dan - March 2013 Dan said that the boys got their buggy, at least the one they used to collect WWII scrap metal, from the Lydon family. Mr. Lydon had a son John who was a friend of Dan, Dave and Den. The Lydons gave the boys one of the three buggies they owned.

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Dan said Dad bought the 32 acre Mitchell House Road home …“The Farm” for roughly $6,000.00. It included the home, a barn and about three to four acres of cleared land.

From my brother Dan - March 2013 Skating on Mrs. Beyer’s pond – The entrance was along shore Road, opposite a cove as I recall. The pond formed at a small dam and the boys and others used to skate there in the winter. On one occasion Dan, Dave and Den were out on the ice on bikes and Dan went through. It took the others a half hour to get him out of the water. The bike was later retrieved, cleaned up and was “eminently usable.”

Ice Bicycling … By brother Dennis Rowe … 3/19/2013 “Here’s another one you asked for – keep the requests coming.

No one ever called it that – back when we did it – or even thought of it in those terms. But ice bicycling it was and we immersed (no pun intended) ourselves in it.

Here’s how to ice bicycle – our version. In the middle of the winter when it’s really cold, cold like it got in Maine, and water in the local pond is frozen over, you set out.

After the streets (actually, Mitchell Road which ran by the farm) had been plowed and the small amount of traffic had hard packed whatever remained of the snow on the road, we’d venture forth.

Bundled up against the cold, we’d make our way half a mile up the road to Conelly’s pond across from the Plantation Stables.

Now Conelly’s pond came out almost to the road so it was just a matter of up & over the plowed snow to get to the frozen ice.

Then we’d cautiously proceed – the boldest and the biggest first – (Dan, the oldest, was the biggest while Dave and I were younger and smaller) on to the edge.

Conelly’s pond was maybe half a mile long and in places a third of that wide – but not everywhere. And you had to find spots where bushes parted enough for entry onto and exit from the ice’s surface. We always looked for choice spots where the openings faced one another.

The thing was, even though it was cold as hell out, you never knew just how thick and supportive the ice was. And three small kids on bicycles weren’t all that heavy.

So someone would always “go first.” And, invariably, as that first rider rode across, you’d hear the sharp snap of the ice’s thin surface cracking. It would crack through then progressibly radiate into larger cracks. Sometimes you could almost notice the surface rippling.

But, because whoever ** (** whomever) was ice bicycling across the ice didn’t stop or go too slowly, he managed to get across. We never tried it over the length of the pond – just across. And we rode fast enough it didn’t seem to matter. Talk about tempting fate.

Unconsciously we must have all known what was inevitable – crash through! And then, sure enough the unlucky rider would end up crashing through the ice into the frigid water – I know, it was me one time. And we thought the air was cold.

Luckily, the pond was only about waist deep at its deepest so there was no chance of drowning. But the bicycle would fall over and disappear. Being kids we didn’t know how to retrieve a bike but a dried up pond next summer would help.

The cruelest part of ice bicycling was the unlucky rider having to get peddled home on your brothers’ bike while soaked through, you just shivered uncontrollably.

Were we back at it the following year? You bet. And we dedicated ice bicyclists would’ve gone right out then if we thought the ice somehow might be thicker – and we had three bikes. (And if, Mom, the resident party-pooper didn’t intervene.)

Friday, March 15, 2013

HICUZ 101

HI CUZ Blog 101

This reminder specifically refers to performing LDS ordinances using any of the data in this or other HICUZ newsletters or blog posts.

Captain John Angus McDonald USMC letters 1927

Continuing from previous postings …. Captain Jack’s wife Marjorie May (MacKenzie) McDonald and daughter Barbara McDonald live in USMC housing at a base in Port Au Prince, Haiti. Captain Jack’s age while in Nicaragua was 49. Imagine yourself in the mountains of Nicaragua as you march along with Nancy’s grandfather. This letter was the final letter from Captain Jack to his family before he left Nicaragua.

Chinandega Nicaragua

August 3^rd 1927

My own darling:

I received a letter from you yesterday dated July 17^th, I don’t blame you in the least for being discouraged about our letters.

When I arrived here as I told you in my letters I received two letters from you. And one from your mother.

And you only received three from me at the time you wrote. I sent you several letters from Esteli, and if you haven’t received them God only knows where they are.

Mrs. Scheper says she only received the letters Scheper sent her on the Argonne, And one sent from Leon before we left for the hills. Sending mail from the hills was a problem, there was so many accidents that happened enroute to any place with the kind

PAGE TWO

Of transportation we had to contend with.

My darling for some news the Argonne arrives at Corinto August 26^th from the West Coast, and leaves at once for Haiti with yours truly on board. And all the other officers on board that came with us.

We are all counting the days where we will leave. And off all the d- miserable place on God’s green earth Nicaragua takes the cake.

We expect to arrive in Port-Au-Prince September 5. This was Captain Jack’s final letter from Nicaragua.

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The following are queries and responses from fellow MLFHS members. I included these as my Wroe/Rowe ancestors became Catholics when they landed in America, and the Meaghers of Ireland were undoubtedly Catholic before arrival, and some may have been buried in Catholic cemeteries or cemeteries around Manchester where Catholics were allowed to be buried.

MLFHS: Catholic Burials

Some of my Catholic ancestors were buried in Eccles parish churchyard in the mid 1800's, the registers have the word "papist" in the margin,

MLFHS: Catholic Burials - Another response from another MLFHS member
You raise an issue that has troubled me for some time. My problem is that there was a Catholic chapel in Bury ca 1800 and by the mid-1860s there were four churches, two in Bury, and one each in Radcliffe and Ramsbottom. Bury Cemetery was opened in 1869. There were no Catholic burial grounds around other than in Manchester and in the Ribble Valley.

The only places for burial were Anglican and Non-Conformist graveyards. In Bury town, the churchyards in the built-up area were closed ca 1855, as in Manchester. The Parish Church graveyard was closed and that of its chapel of ease, St John, about quarter of a mile to the east. BUT Brunswick Methodist Chapel graveyard, about 300 yards north of the Parish Church remained open, as did St Paul's CE (half a mile east) and All Saints CE, Elton, about the same distance to the west. There was also a Unitarian graveyard a little further out than St Paul's.

The town of Bury was much smaller ca 1860. I get the feeling that funerals were less 'organised' or formal than today and that it was acceptable for there not to be a church service, just prayers at the grave-side. I have NO evidence for this. I suspect that most Catholics in the town were buried in either St Paul's graveyard or in Brunswick Methodist graveyard. I have not checked the relevant registers for evidence, I think burials in an Anglican churchyard required the Anglican service until the 1870s, whilst the Methodists might have been more accommodating. In these circumstances, there may have been a service at the home of the deceased prior to the journey to the place of rest.

Turning to the Manchester problem, which as you point out, is not just about the odd few burials but would have been considerably greater than that in Bury. In 1855 there were two remaining Catholic graveyards close to Manchester, St John, Salford (now the Cathedral) and All Saints, Barton, (Peel Green road). In 1858 St Mary (The Immaculate Conception), Failsworth, graveyard was opened.

These seem to be too few and too small to have catered for the number of burials you suggest, prior to Philips Park Cemetery opening in 1866. One suggestion is that All Saints New Graveyard, Orford Road, Newton Heath, which opened in 1850, may have been used. Genuki groups this in the list of graveyards in Newton Heath as a cemetery alongside Philips Park, and separate from All Saints CE graveyard. Was this an Anglican churchyard, or a public cemetery??

My personal guess is that Catholics used any graveyard that was available close to the residence of the deceased. If this is correct, then Catholic burials should appear in any or all open graveyards just outside the 1855 built-up area of Manchester. However, these burials may not be recorded as such, particularly if the vicar rather than a Catholic priest was the officiating minister. Sometimes the burial register contains a note that a burial was conducted by a minister other than of that parish.

If Catholic burials were distributed among the Catholic graveyards and the various other graveyards around the periphery of the built-up area, the additional number in any one graveyard may not be significant.

Hope this helps, and apologies for it being mainly 'theory' (guesswork)

MLFHS: Catholic Burials - Another response from another MLFHS member
Thanks for this additional information. The dates would be interesting. It is the period c1854 to 1866 which is of particular interest.

Before 1854, I think that the most likely reason why a Catholic would be buried in a CofE churchyard would be because they were paupers who the parish was required to bury.

Geoff's point about St Wilfred caused me to look again at the London Gazette and this shows at http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/21875/pages/1540 a new order in council in 1 April 1856 which lifted the previous closures of St Patrick and St Wilfred and permitted further burials in existing walled graves subject to conditions and in new graves subject to a limit of one per grave (a condition applied to other burial grounds but which was eased in 1860 to allow up to four in a grave).

Elaine's mention of Weaste is also, I am sure, relevant. I know nothing of Weaste's terms of business, but am sure it would have been open to non-residents of Salford. However, Southern Cemetery charged a premium price for outsiders (about 80% on the purchase of graves and 50% on interment) and the same may have applied at Weaste, which would have been a disincentive for the less well off.

St Wilfred was finally closed in 1865 (London Gazette 10 Oct 1865 page 4786). The lack of registers makes it difficult to know how many burials were accommodated in these latter years.

I have not yet found the order in council closing St Patrick’s but the end of burials in 1858 shown by the registers makes it pretty clear that it would have been published around this time.

The restrictions on burials from 1856 are difficult to with the large numbers of burials recorded at St Patrick’s and the Manchester Courier 23 Jan 1858 has a report on infringements of the one-per-grave limitation and this refers to previous complaints by local residents.

Subject: MLFHS: Catholic Burials- Another response from another MLFHS member
With regard to your paragraph re Weaste, my husband's ancestor was buried there in 1869 in the RC section in a common grave. I doubt very much that they had money as he was living at a wharf in Castlefield at the time he died and there's no trace of money anywhere else in the family. So perhaps Weaste were not so strict re non residents of Salford. I've no idea why Weaste was chosen for this burial as no-one else in the family has been found there - yet.

Apologies for the trailing messages but as they are relevant for anyone coming into this topic late I have decided to leave them there.

Subject: MLFHS: Catholic Burials- Another response from another MLFHS member

Thanks for this. Weaste would probably have been closer for his funeral than Philips Park, even though the latter would have been open for 3 years before his death. It was only recently I came across the discrimination in fees for non-residents and so I am not sure how widespread it was. There was a lot of friction between Manchester and Chorlton (before the latter was incorporated into Manchester) as Southern Cemetery was on their turf but their residents were required to pay 21 shillings for burial of an adult in a public grave as opposed to 13 shillings for a Manchester resident. They negotiated the premium down over about 20 years and eventually it disappeared when the borough was incorporated.

If anyone can come up with a list of fees for Weaste or Philips Park I would certainly be interested.

Subject: MLFHS: Catholic Burials- Another response from another MLFHS member

I can't give you the fees for the 1889 burial in the RC section at Weaste that I mentioned. However I can give you the cost of two burials which took place within six weeks of each other in 1900. The first was my gt. grandmother (the other one!) on 16th April Undertakers bill (Fyans & Gordon of Mcr): ?12-2-6 of which ?3.3.0 was the cost of the new grave and ?1 for "opening".
The second was my grandmother on 26th May. Same undertaker ?9-1-6 which included an unspecified amount for reopening the grave.
Hope this may help.

Subject: MLFHS: Catholic Burials- Another response from another MLFHS member

Thanks for this. Weaste would probably have been closer for his
funeral than Philips Park, even though the latter would have been open for 3 years before his death. It was only recently I came across the discrimination in fees for non-residents and so I am not sure how widespread it was. There was a lot of friction between Manchester and Chorlton (before the latter was incorporated into Manchester) as Southern Cemetery was on their turf but their residents were required to pay 21 shillings for burial of an adult in a public grave as opposed to 13 shillings for a Manchester resident. They negotiated the premium down over about 20 years and eventually it disappeared when the borough was incorporated.

If 26th can come up with a list of fees for Weaste or Philips Park I would certainly be interested.

With regard to your paragraph re Weaste, my husband's ancestor was buried there in 1869 in the RC section in a common grave. I doubt very much that they had money as he was living at a wharf in Castlefield at the time he died and there's no trace of money anywhere else in the family. So perhaps Weaste were not so strict re non residents of Salford. I've no idea why Weaste was chosen for this burial as no-one else in the family has been found there - yet.

Apologies for the trailing messages but as they are relevant for
anyone coming into this topic late I have decided to leave them
there.
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The article below is another tale from when I was a wee one. It relates from the notes of my older brothers their experiences related to exploring a ship which grounded in Cape Elizabeth, Maine in March of 1947. Enjoy!

Oakey L. Alexander

By Dennis Joseph Rowe, Sunday March 10, 1013

(I tried but couldn’t include some sailorish terminology like athwartships, poopdeck, etc. Sorry!)

This is for publication.

Believe the year was 1945 (or thereabouts) and the (vessel/boat, ship or craft??) the OKIE ALEXANDER here is what transpired – as I recall.

It was wintertime and the typical winter weather prevailed: storms at sea and Nor’easters on shore. A ship – the Okie in this case – was forced ashore or ran aground on the rocky Maine coast just south of Portland.

We three Rowe boys (Daniel, David and Dennis) found out about it from the rescue effort. The grounding occurred about a mile from our Shore Road house – say a mile through the woods.

It must have been a cargo ship and there was no flotsam or jetsam or spilled oil. The ship didn’t capsize or break up (yet).

The rescue effort occurred before we could get there as the ship and shore were deserted. The rescuers had set up a breeches buoy (a canvas seat hung from a stout rope with a smaller rope for pulling the seat back and forth).

All the rescuers and rescued were gone but they left the breeches buoy set up. They didn’t even set up today’s yellow, plastic ribbon warning of danger & to not cross and stay away – like kids would care!

Anyway, the breeches buoy cable and seat were still there … tantalizingly inviting the three Rowe angels to “come on board mates!”

The storm had not let up so there were splash and spray and wind driven fury so we got wet if not soaked.

None of us had ever been that close to or aboard a ship that big and inviting. We – I don’t know who went first but it was probably Dan as he was the oldest & biggest – one at a time climbed into the canvas seat and propelled ourselves out to the Okie.

The trip out and back was the most exciting, tiring and perilous because of the continuing storm and the rocking, inhospitable ship.

That didn’t stop us from going back out till, tired, cold & soaked, we gave up.

You didn’t get to have fun and excitement like that and no one else got to do it. Course, Mom was aghast when we got home soaked and she found/figured out what had happened.

We never went back – even to find out if the Okie had broken up or if the breeches buoy was intact & useable. But we three Rowe angels had had one hell of a time.

Course our ten year younger brother, Donald, was an infant and only later learned about the Okie aground in a storm right in our backyard.

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Brother Dan’s version of the adventures on Oakey L. Alexander (below) is shorter and suggests the site was near a coastal lighthouse, Two Lights, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

The Oakey Alexander, a coal. Boat of about maybe 6000 tons or so, went ashore in a bad storm on the rocks near Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The news went out to all hands and many people gathered to see her being driven further up on the rocks, including Dave, Denny, and me. The Coast Guard set up a Breeches Buoy rescue apparatus soon after, and I think, rescued most of the crew. A couple of days later, Dan Litchfield and I went out on the setup to the boat to look around, and see what had happened. Later on most of the coal was recovered, and the boat was cut up for scrap. Mind you, my memory is not perfect, but this is as I recall it.
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Internet data on the ship Oakey L. Alexander, built 1915 and grounded 03 March 1947 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Source: http://www.mainememory.net/artifact/13473/

Early in the morning of March 3, 1947, the 5284 ton collier "Oakey L. Alexander" was battling her way toward Portland in a wild nor’easter. At 4:46am about one mile southeast of Dyer Point, in very heavy seas and winds up to a hurricane force of seventy knots (80 mph), 130 feet of her heavily loaded bow suddenly broke away and immediately sank.

With the rest of the ship still afloat, Captain Raymond W. Lewis headed for nearby high head (now Two Lights State Park) at slow speed so the forward bulkheads would not buckle.

The ship’s radio operator sent an SOS that was immediately answered by the Coast Guard. When the ship ran aground at High Head, men from the nearby Cape Elizabeth Coast Guard Station were ready for a breeches buoy rescue.

A Lyle gun successfully fired a light line to the ship, and a heavier line was pulled across and secured. One by one all aboard were pulled safely ashore riding in the breeches buoy. The remaining cargo of coal was saved, but the ship was a total loss. It was stripped and cut up for salvage.

Source: http://www.wreckhunter.net/DataPages/oakeylalexander-dat.htm

US Coast Guard photo

Associated Press photo – setting Breeches Buoy

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The article below is another tale from when I was a wee one. It relates my older brothers experiences related to collecting scrap for WWII support. Story by brother Daniel Michael Rowe.

In the summer of 1943, or maybe 1944, at the height of WWII, Dave Denny, and I collected about 3 tons of scrap metal, old car frames, axles, engine blocks, and assorted scrap from these farms. And junk piles around our farm to help the war effort. We stored the stuff next to the road where we played baseball across from Harriman's farm. We were playing ball one day there, and along comes (name withheld) &/Son, Scrap dealers. (name withheld) flashes a wad of bills that would choke a horse, and wants to buy our scrap metal, saying that we could make big money if we did. “Trust me!” he says. So we load all the stuff in his truck, and the bastard gives me a quarter, and a dime each to Dave and Denny and drives off. I was 11 at the time, Dave 10, and Denny 9. We were crestfallen, and wanted to shoot the bastard.

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

HICUZ 100

HI CUZ Blog 100

This reminder specifically refers to performing LDS ordinances using any of the data in this or other HICUZ newsletters or blog posts.

MLFHS: cursive writing query for our senior UK members

Hi senior listers,
Does anyone remember what age you were when you were taught "joined-up" writing at school? I have some signatures of some girls around 1930/40 and am trying to identify around what age they were likely to have been.

Subject: MLFHS: cursive writing query for our senior UK members

What would be 2nd year juniors? (excuse my ignorance)
Thanks for your answer.

It was second year juniors for me. I won a prize for my writing that year, but then it disintegrated and I was told off forever more about untidiness.

very best

Captain John Angus McDonald USMC letters 1927

Chinandaga, Nicaragua

July 18, 27

My own darling:-

While I am here I am going to try and have a letter for you in each mail that leaves Corinto.

This is the peace we were supposed to take over when we first landed. But I am just as glad that I didn’t for several reasons.

The friend the Liet here has my news since leaving the mountains.Hot all day until three PM. And then it rains.

Lasst February about two thousand natives were killed here, and the best part of the town destroyed. And taking in all it isn’t a most desirable peace. No trouble, of any kind, But just bad conditions.

By the time your receive this letter Marjorie, our time in Nicaragua will be getting short. And believe me I won’t be the least bit sorry.

PAGE TWO

Now this is the dope. Corgresses sails from California on the 25^th of July with a Battalion of Marines, Corinto, which will be about the 10^th of August. We sail for Haiti. All the Officers that came Haiti are returning.

You and I Marjorie had the right dope, And I am mightily glad that are kept our home.

From the day we left Leon May 21^st until ??? say this area when we finally got settled in home on the move. And the greater part of that time, out of commission with what was happening elsewhere.

And now that we finally have come down to earth, we are trying to put together all loose connections. I am all rested up now and feel fine.

I only lost 30 pounds in weight, But I am getting it all back slowly. I was very fortunate in having a good company. Ano they have

PAGE THREE

All come through fine, with the exception of the two who were Captured by the bandit Sandino, July 3. –

The natives in Esteli were very friendly, gave us a wonderful reception July 4^th. And we had nothing to complain about then & then.

They sent a letter of recommendation to the General in Managua about us. And I suppose that would do any harm. We are only 12 miles from Corinto, And near the Railroad and we won’t have any more kicking to do. George Morse had his arm broken full from a horse. And was sent home. Lt Hood had the same accident happen to him and he was sent home.

All the Officers that came from Haiti with us staid in Leon. Lt Keinling and Lt Scheper were with me all are the time. In Leon they had the life of Riley, and they look it. Saw Doctors Nicey in Managua.

PAGE FOUR

In the usual Conditions worse if anything, not much more attached to him. I spent my my few minutes with him. They are only going to keep one Battalion of Marines in Nicaragua, the 5^th Regiment forces Quantico. With our rich Government Marjorie, they have only one ship the Argonne to take the Marines away.

Something is always wrong with the system, ships of all di9scriptions laying idle everywhere. But only one here.

I do hope that you and Baby are well and not moving. And That you know for sure that I am returning to Haiti.

Time won’t be long passing now And the worst is over for us here. My letters to you darling have been few and far between. But you know the reason well.

And the ones that I have written have not here I believe so good. We will soon be together and to us that is the best part after all.

PAGE FIVE

Haiti will certainly look good to me. Nicaragua cannot compare with it. I am so happy to know that you folks have gotten one so were together. And that you didn’t have any troubles about anything.

We should have lots of money in the Bank now. Use all you want. And don’t want for anything, Marjorie. I am glad you got some pleasure from the car. It will feel good to have my hands on the wheel once more on our way to the beach.

In August darling will see me on my way back to Haiti on the Argonne. And I will wire you the day and time from the ship when we arrive in Port-Au-Prince.

Good bye darling

For this time And God Bless you

And darling Barbara

All my love

Your Jack

The following is a special treat, a first hand account of life in the early WWII years, and what some kids (my older brothers before I was born) did for entertainment. It describes what my three brothers, Dan, Dave, and Den did when they went …

“Buggying” By Dennis Joseph Rowe

You asked me to write you about – among other things – what we (three older brothers) did during the War Years – ’41 –’45.

Well, this has nothing to do with the war but one thing we did was “buggying.” We were all too young to drive and bicycles weren’t much fun so we got ourselves a buggy. It was an open, two-seat (front and back) horse-drawn carriage.

I’m not sure where we got it but along Shore Road there were some farms with barns. One was that of Doctor Tryon – an old biddy whom we thought of as a witch I guess because she didn’t want us in her barn lest we smoke and set the place on fire. She lived right across from us, was old, single and didn’t farm the property except to have it hayed.

Anyway we must have swiped – stolen or misappropriated were too strong a term for us Rowe boy angels on the buggy. We stripped it down to the extent of removing the shafts out front that hitched to a horse then found some cable which must have come from a downed utility pole and wrapped it around the free-turning front axle – we had a long loop that allowed us to sit or stand at the back seat to drive the thing.

We would get it out onto Shore Road and push along – especially where there was some downhill – jump aboard. We weren’t very good at steering and it was hard to control *(* - once it even veired from a straight path it became unstable and a handful) so we ended up “all over the place” and, when there was an upcoming car, was a little intimidating to traffic. We might have been passed by overtaking traffic – we probably only went to 5, maybe 10 MPH – but who would risk it?

We probably did this one school’s out summer – I remember it always being good weather when we terrorized the territory (Mom & Dad must not have known about this or heard reports or been visited by the local police).

I recall what brought an abrupt end to our youthful joyriding: a broken wheel. In one of our many excursions off the paved roadway, we must have done it at speed and a wooden spoke – it was an old buggy – either came loose or broke so the metal rim collapsed and “flatspotted.”

There were many places along the roadway which were lightly wooded and we were able to hide and retrieve it easily close by. That’s probably where we deserted it, as it was impossible to ride it anymore and we 10-to-13 year olds didn’t know where or how to get or install a spare rim. We sure(ly) couldn’t ask Dad to help.

It sure was fun while it lasted and I would strongly recommend the formative experience to any kids – except our own!

Shore Road is a two lane road in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

I hope to include additional memories of that period in future HICUZ blog postings.