WauShaOcon-L Archives

From: Marsha Wilcox <>
Subject: [Fwd: [WauShaOcon-L] Research Trip]
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 12:57:11 -0500

Forwarding....

kathleen barlament wrote:
>
> Dear Marsha: You can post this if you want!
>
> Now that you back and trying to organize all that great info we have at
> least 1 success story. George Picavet of Belgium emailed me when he found
> out I got the copies of his ancestors naturalization papers and the index
> of his ancestors births and deaths. He has checked three counties for
> these records and had not found them until now. He was elated to say the
> least and I put in the indexes as a surprise! He thanks us over and over
> again for out help. He has looked for several years and has made three
> trips to Wisconsin over the years to find info with no results. He could
> not afford to come again and come up empty, now he knows where the
> records are, so he will get difinite results if he does decide to come
> back. The copies are on their way to Belgium now, put together just like
> they were in the record book so when he opens them he will see what they
> looked like. He can't wait to see his ancestors own handwritting as it
> appeared on the record. He also said that this is the great thing about
> using more than the net for research, let everyone know that at this time
> you can't get everything you need on the net, go and find the records you
> need and look at them, you will be surprised at what you find.
>
> I would have loved to have taken Marsha's picture when she found a
> Touchette
(Marsha: uh... it was Ashley, spelled ANSLIN. 1st time they used *that*
spelling!)
naturalization record. She actually had heads turning through
> the whole room. The record was found almost by accident, I had found a
> record for an ancestor of mine that was not where it was supposed to be.
> Well, the Archivist looked at the index and stated that it was from a
> collection of records that was found in a box by a student worker in the
> archives. It had sat around for several years with no one knowing what it
> was. They indexed the box. When she looked up my gggg uncle, she left the
> index opened on the table while she was gone, Marsha happened to look
> down and see Touchette (Anslin) on the page it was opened to. She asked me and the
> Archivist what this was a listing of and I told her. She asked to get the
> record for Touchette (Anslin), probably thinking it was something not real
> important! Surprise! Somehow, Wilhelm, and student and Jeanberr Touchette
(Celestin Anslin/Ashley)
> found us! Who says our ancestors can't talk to us, if they want to be
> found somehow they let us know where they are and what they did!
>
> I found the Archivist at UWGB (apologize for not remembering her name-to
> many names floating in my brain right now!)
(Marsha: Jean Wentz)
to be very helpful and ready
> to get anything you needed. They were well organized and you can get
> copies of just about anything you need on the spot, no sending away or
> waiting for records or microfiche to arrive. It was great to see others
> there looking and the joy that went around the room when someone found
> something! Even the Archivists were happy!
>
> We also made trips to area cemeteries in Oconto and Brown counties, There
> is nothing like seeing someones headstone, it proves that they really did
> exist and were important to their friends and family. Some stones we saw
> in the cemeteries were sadly in ill repair and in need of repair and
> cleaning. The caretakers do not do this, there are no funds to provide
> for it, they only mow and trim the weeds. Several plants were left
> unwatered and were wilting, no rain for a couple of weeks. Marsha
> suggested I look into some way to offer a service to genealogists and get
> paid for it to enable me to keep working on my ancestors and the history
> of Oconto. I did finally think of a way of reproducing the faces of
> stones in relief without damaging the stone, if it works in detail I
> don't know but if it does, I will be offering it. I also thought of
> offering a service to repair and maintain gravesites, but this didn't
> seem feasable since I don't know enough about repairing stones and
> resetting sunken ones on a cement pad to keep them at ground level. I did
> find out one great thing when talking with my mother, most caretakers
> will fix, clean and raise sunken stone at a nominal cost. All you have to
> do is contact them and they will do what is asked. My mother had my g
> grandparents footstones placed on a cement pad so they would not sink and
> it didn't cost her hardly anything. I think the ancestors appreciate it
> too, it shows that some one cares enough to take the time. Some stones
> have probably been left to disrepair due to the fact that there are no
> ancestors to care for them. Anyone interested in starting a non-profit to
> provide restoration of these would certainly be rewarded in their hearts
> and souls. Just a suggestion that I don't have time for now.
>
> My mother and I are going to do a tour of the cemeteries next week with
> my kids to show them where their ancestors are, we are also taking with
> us a weak bleach solution to remove moss from one of the older stones. I
> had cleaned it two years ago but found it to be covered with even more
> moss this time, seems that you need to spray on something to kill the
> moss so it won't come back. We are going to try the 1% bleach solution,
> enough to get rid of the moss and clean the stone but not damage it. I
> will warn anyone who is trying to clean an old white stone, these are
> marble and stain easily when chemicals are introduced, look up how to
> clean marble before you do it! While you are there check on how to
> protect it with a clear finish, there are products available to seal the
> marble to prevent further staining. Check with your local stone mason
> products or landscape outfit. I will clean stones in Door, Oconto and
> Brown counties for a fee, and with a before and after photo if a
> caretaker is not available to do it, price determined by distance and
> time. Let me know if you need this done. Also, I am offering wax rubbings
> and fine art pencil drawings (very detailed) for $40 and $150.00
> respectivly, in Door, Oconto and Brown County cemeteries. The drawings
> are somewhat restorative, filling in hardly detectable script that won't
> show up on a rubbing. A photo of the site and cleaning are included. You
> must supply me with the inscription, general description and the section
> and location of the stone you want done. If you don't have all of this,
> we can work something out to decide if it is the correct stone before
> commencing work. Email me to discuss the details.
>
> Time to go, Marsha, you are welcome to put all or some of this in the
> newsletter or whatever. Hopefully you will wait a couple of years before
> coming again, I think I have that much entering and organizing of
> information to do just on two days of research. Thanks for the pics, as a
> gift, I will see if I can find out how to fix the cross on your
> gggrandfathers (Gilbert) stella at St. Izzies.
>
> Kathy

That'd be great, Kathy!

So, think we can support Kathy so she can make our ancestors' headstones
pretty again?

Is Gerrie Foster on this list? I found an old e-mail about Gerrie &
another person recording a cemetery at County J and Memorial Drive. (Did
we go to that one, Kathy?) Which one is that and how's that coming?

Marsha

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• [Fwd: [WauShaOcon-L] Research Trip] by Marsha Wilcox <>