January 31, 2012

The End of the Hunt

We had much better luck today in our search for Tim’s ancestors.  Two very helpful librarians in Marion and Nelson Counties helped us locate cemetery records, newspaper articles and other documentation that aided our quest.

Yesterday we had tried to locate the house built by Clement Hill, Thomas Hill’s youngest son.  Sadly, we discovered today that the house had been demolished between 1960 and 1970.  We viewed a microfilm copy of a newspaper article from 1960 that included a photograph and a description of the house.  So at least there is a record of it.  We also confirmed that Clement Hill and his wife were buried at St. Rose Cemetery, which we visited yesterday, but their headstones had disappeared underground over the years.  No wonder we couldn’t find the headstones.  It was reassuring to confirm that we had not overlooked them.

Our search for Charles Hill was much more interesting and productive.  During lunch in New Haven, a gentleman and his son at the next table complimented us on our RV.  It seems that the RV had attracted a bit of attention in town.  We had been in the area yesterday, and his son had noticed our RV.  Of course, he saw it again today when we parked at the diner.  I’m sure they were wondering what we were up to.  We described our search and found out that their family name was Pottinger, as in Pottinger’s Creek where Charles Hill had settled.  Talk about a small world.
 
We knew that Charles Hill was buried at St. Catherine Cemetery in New Haven, but did not know where to look.  We stopped in the branch library in town and learned that an inventory of all cemeteries in Nelson County was on file at the main library in Bardstown.  What luck!  After a quick detour to Bardstown, we were in possession of a map of the cemetery. 

On our return to New Haven, it didn’t take us long to find the headstone for Charles Hill. What is so odd, however, is that a new marker has been added in front of the original marker, which is illegible.  Who may have added this marker is unknown.

St. Catherine Cemetery in New Haven, KY
Charles Hill's Headstone and Memorial Marker
Tim is satisfied that we have accomplished what we set out to do.  We found what could be found and confirmed that some things simply no longer exist.  It really turned out to be a fun and satisfying search.

6 comments:

  1. Wow! Thank you so much. Who would of put a new marker there. Love A

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    1. A, You are so welcome. I guess we aren't the only ones who are interested in Charles Hill. Sarah

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  2. I think sometimes even if our quests don't turn out the way we thought they would they give us some unexpected joy! Glad you all had some fun as those ancestor hunts can be exhausting. ha ha LV

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    1. LV, I agree that quests can often be rewarding no matter what we find. And at least we didn't have to do too much "digging." Sarah

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  3. Wow, said the man of few words...
    Rex

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    1. Rex, I think that just about sums it up. Sarah

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