Camp Pine

Brigadier General Frederick Dent Grant

Camp Pine in the state New York. In 1908, Brigadier General Frederick Dent Grant, the oldest son of President Ulysses S. Grant, led thousands of Soldiers back to the area north of Black River, known locally as Pine Plains. Grant commanded 2,000 Regular Army Soldiers and 8,000 militia men from throughout the Northeast. He found Pine Plains to be an ideal place to train troops and money was allocated to purchase the land and summer training continued there through the years. The camp at Pine Plains formally opened on June 11, 1908, and training continued throughout the summer. Later in 1954, Camp Pine was renamed as Fort Drum.

Camp Pine was the training location for my Grandfather George Henry Reynolds and Great Uncle James William Reynolds in 1910.  I don't believe either seen any military active duty in the first World War.  

1917 Registration Card

The above registration card places my great uncle James Reynolds in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia prior to the 1917.  What kept him out for the war is unknown.

And in the Lowell Sun newspaper 1910, James and George are called up for training at Camp Pine.

Camp Pine Training 

Thank you both,  James W Reynolds and George H Reynolds for you time in server for our country!

*Thanks for to the Library of Congress, the Lowell Sun Archive and Family Search for providing these historical documents.

Elizabeth A Watters Reynolds

 Elizabeth was the first born of James Watters and Sarah Jane Dingle Watters in year of 1868.  James is of Cornwall England, and a miner.  Sarah is of St Mary's River Nova Scotia.  Sarah is the daughter of a fisherman, Thomas and Margaret Leigh Dingle. According to the 1900 US Census, Elizabeth migrated to the US from Nova Scotia  with a son, James W Reynolds and I assume then husband George Henry Reynolds in the year 1889.  I say assume because I can't find any data about George Henry Reynolds before  1889 and nothing after 1892.  I have no idea where George came from or got off too, but he was in the picture for two children after James.  In the following couple of years, George and Elizabeth gives birth to George Henry Reynolds (II) and Flossie Jane Reynolds.  Both George (II) and Flossie's birth are registered in the city of Woburn Massachusetts.

Marriage Certificate

In 1907 Elizabeth remarries to a James McArdle of Lowell Massachusetts. In the 1910 US Census Elizabeth, George (II) and Flossie are living the McArdle house of Lowell MA.   George (II) marries twice, first to a Margaret Hodge of Lowell MA and then Edith Ruby Heaney also of Lowell.  Flossie (Florence) married a William Kershaw of Lowell MA

Obituary

In 1919 Elizabeth passes away at her daughters home in Lowell MA.  Elizabeth rest in the Edson/Westlawn Cemetery, Lowell Massachusetts. The bearers were sons James W Reynolds and George H Reynolds (II) and brother James L. Watters.

Today, 17 Feb 2014, while seeking other records for other relatives, I bumped into a record that I had not see previously;  Massachusetts Standard Death Certificate; issued 1919.

Death Certificate

The name on the above record is Hannah E McArdle, which is really Elizabeth A Waters Reynolds McArdle.  My grandmother used her given name of Elizabeth and middle name Anna at different times. Well, apparently she used Hannah too.  The above record has her parents as James Waters and Sarah Lee, which is not totally accurate as Sarah was a Dingle.  Sarah's mother was a Lee or Leigh depending of the record you look at.  This is an understandable error as the informant for the Death Certificate is James McArdle.

To find other posts about Elizabeth enter Watters or Reynolds in the search box  top left corner of this blog post.

Please consider following this blog and posting any questions, comments or correction.  

Hodge!

Not long ago I posted about finding what happened to my grandfather; George H Reynolds.   The posted include the marriage certificate between George Reynolds and Edith R Heaney, on which I noticed that this was George's second marriage.  I am pretty sure that I noticed when first I received the document, but it didn't stick, but this time it did.  So, tonight I was browsing through documents for Lowell Massachusetts looking for James and hit on a record for a marriage between George and a Margaret L Hodge, 27 Jan 1915.  George is listed a railroad man and his mother is listed as Hannah E Watters.  Ugh, back to the two "T"!   Now, if you have been following along, George marries my grandmother in November of 1916.  So, what happened to Margaret?  You guessed it... more digging required!

The entry is about 7th from the bottom.

Well, I have found more information about Margaret L Hodge this year in the Lowell Sun Newspaper.

   Matrimonial

REYNOLDS - HODGE

A pretty marriage took place Wednesday afternoon at 6 o'clock when George H Reynolds 

and Miss Margaret L. Hodge were united in the bonds of matrimony, the ceremony being  performed by Rev. Henry A. Cornell at his home 21 Blossom street.  The bride wore a gown of imported ivory silk over ivory liberty satin and carried a bouguet of bride's roses.  She was attended by her sister, Miss Jessie E. Hodge, who wore a similar gown to that of the bride.  The best man was Rev. Reginald G. Tulleck, acting pastor of the Immanuel Baptist church of which the bride and bridegroom are members.  Miss Harriet  Gellrelt  acted as ring-bearer.  After the ceremony a reception was held at the home of the bride's mother, Mrs Jennie Hodge, 11 Main Street.  The users at the house were Thomas S Gellrelt and William Kershaw.  The happy couple left in the evening for Westville, Nova Scotia, where they spend their honeymoon.  They will at home to their friends at 77 Main Street after Feb 20.

Here is the cutting from the Lowell Sun Feb 1916.

Unfortunately, nine months later, Oct 28, 1916, Margaret passes away at home.  Though the obit, below, doesn't say it, I think Margaret passed in childbirth.

 

Recently discovered that Margaret passed due the Lobar Pneumonia which was quite a problem in 1915-1916

Grandfather found!

George H. Reynolds
circa 1940

I've been looking for my grandfather, George Henry Reynolds, since beginning this ancestral quest started ten plus years ago.  Recently, I was given a newspaper clipping of an obit that had some details about my grandfathers passing, from which I was able to extract a few hints. 

First, George was the second son to George H Reynolds and Elizabeth A Waters, of whom I have written about in earlier posts.  His date of birth is 27 April 1891.  It is said that he was born in Providence Rhode Island, but there is no records confirming this as of yet.  I did find his folks in Woburn Massachusetts where his sister Flossie was born in 1892.  At the turn of the century, George's father was no longer in the picture.  At this time, the family unit consisted of Elizabeth, James, George and Flossie and were now residing in Lowell Ma.   You can read more about Elizabeth Watters Reynolds; Waters or Watters. This seems to be starting point of the this Reynolds family in Lowell.  However, there are other Reynolds of similar first names living the area.  I wonder if there was a reason for the move to Lowell, either family or ethnicity. I was able to track the family forward to the year 1907, where Elizabeth is remarrying to a James McArdle of Lowell Ma.  And then again I found them in the 1910 census, where young George and Flossie are with their mother Elizabeth and step-father James in Lowell.  Then, in the winter of 1916, George gets married to Edith Ruby Heaney.  Edith is daughter of one William Heaney and Margaret Caldwell of Chelmsford Ma and Ireland.  This is George's second marriage according to the marriage certificate of 18 Nov 1916.  I have no record as of yet of George's first marriage, but I would think it would be in Lowell also, more research needed. Updated Aug 2012, read more about first marriage here; Hodge.  Well, shortly after my grandparent marriage, my uncle George came along.  Yes, another George!! Then in 1919 uncle E. Arthur and then my father William Caldwell in 1920.  I am sure you can figure out where my father got his name from... So, all the way up through to the 1930 the family is together, then George (my grandfather) is out of the picture.  Why,  I don't know, divorce I guess.  The three boys were were enumerated in the Ayer home for boys in Lowell on, 2 April 1930 as Wards of the state.  Then, but a few days later on the 8 of April 1930 they were enumerated again at home with their mother on Bleachery street in Lowell. 

So, what happen to George H Reynolds?  Up to this point, I found bits and pieces, some possible hits, but nothing to solidify his where abouts. Then a week ago or so, a cousin told be that he had moved to New York state and was working in a hospital.  Quite a change in careers, as George started or at least for awhile was a railroad man.  He worked for the Boston and Maine Railroad company at the time of his marriage to Edith.  Did he start there cause of his father?  Hmm, something to ponder!  Ok, back to the hospital job.  I had discovered a George years ago working in New York as an Orderly.  Is this him?  Then, the same cousin sent me an obit for George that she dug up in her files.  The obit didn't have a date or a newspaper name, but it did have a funeral home name, a city and state, and a cemetery name. I was had enough to start digging again for George.   All weekend I searched and searched the city records, but nothing except dead ends.  The cemetery didn't have a contact point like the Edson cemetery in Lowell, so I moved onto the funeral home.  This morning, after some simple digging for a Burnette Funeral Home of Middletown NY, I found a reference to a Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home.  They had change their name from Burnette in the early 1960's.  I found a contact email address to which I sent a request for record and confirmation that it was the same funeral home.  I was told that it was and that the records back int he 30's 40's and 50's were sparse.  So, at this point I am waiting for something more from the funeral home.  But, in the meantime, I chatted with a few genealogy researcher from the Middletown area and we came up with the same obit that was earlier mention, plus another clipping from a different newspaper that reported the death of George.

I have three clippings below.  

Middletown Times Herald

 Thursday 17 Oct 1946

Middletown Times Herald

Friday, 18 Oct 1946

Middletown Times Herald

Friday, 18 Oct 1946

Funeral Announcement

There are no markers for George in the Hillside Cememtay according to the management office. The grave is located at Section 5, Single Grave 310 in the Hillside Cemetary, Middleotown NY.

Get photo of plot

More information updating record for George.  According to the above mentioned death, George passed away in Middletown New York.  The death accouncement suggests that George worked in the Middletown State Hospital, as an ordealy I assume. During this period of time (1940s) George was documented in WWII draft records for older men.  His listed his mailing address as Camp LaGuardia Chester NY and living in a shelter in Middletown NY.  His place of death was in a restaurant on Centre Street in Middletown NY called Long's Restaurant.  I should mention that Long's Restaurant no longer exists.

Camp LaGuardia was a woman's prison 1914-1934 called Camp Greycourt prior to NY purchasing the prison an thus renaming it in honor of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.

Get photo of camp