Family Treasure on E-Bay

A few years ago I discovered a copy of the limited edition book, JOHN ELTING, for sale on e-Bay. I purchased it for a few dollars, probably less than ten. Yesterday, I found another copy of the book listed on e-Bay for sale at $204.00!

Written in 1942 by Victor Elting to honor his 30 year old son who fell down an elevator shaft in Bombay,India during a black-out, the privately-published book was meant to keep alive the memory of a young man with so much promise. Here are Victor's introductory words:

"In the Village of New Paltz, New York, is a little burying ground. It is off the dirt highroad, and is reached by a lane through an apple orchard. The land slopes toward the West, with a beautiful view of the valley of the Wallkill. It is known as "The Elting Burying Ground," and there are buried the bodies and ashes of Eltings of several generations. In one part is a great boulder, on the side of which is a bronze tablet inscribed "Family of Victor Elting." A simple headstone, flush with the sod, records John's mother, "Marie Winston Elting. 1871-1932." Beside it is another, "John Elting, 1911-1941." The big rock was found by John and me on the mountainside one day soon after his mother's death and laboriously transported by modern equipment to be set up as the physical expression in the years to come of the unity of our family and of our love of the countryside.

"This little book is not made of granite, but is offered as a printed word which in the hands of and on the shelves of John's family and friends may serve to keep alive his memory, and by suggestion and reminder renew the joy which they have had in his company. It will be given only to a few, whom he would have wanted to possess it."

When I received the little book from e-Bay several years ago, I wrote an article for "The Historian," official newsletter of the Bevier-Elting Family Association of New Paltz, NY, to share John's involvement in preserving the "Elting Homestead" (now known as the Bevier-Elting House) on Historic Huguenot Street. His dedication to preserving the little stone house and our family's history is a story worth repeating for each generation.

In a future posting, I'll include the article I wrote about John.

That Pesky Final "E"

"...One never knows what will be found in military records. The affidavits filed on behalf of Civil War veterans' widows are especially interesting and usually filled with all sorts of information in their attempts to prove not only that they are the actual widow, but that they are destitute and have not remarried.

The following information appeared in an August 18, 1886 affidavit signed by Mary (Brodhead) Eltinge as explanation for why her last name differed from that of her late husband, Daniel D. Elting. Who would suspect that a comment on the age old 'to E or not to E' dilemma of our family would be found there?

              '...that for a number of years prior to the year 1860 nearly every branch of the Elting family wrote and spelled the family name with the final 'E' and which was the original way of writing and spelling the name in English. That Daniel D. Elting the husband of the claimant always wrote and spelled the name without the final 'E' and the only reason why claimant wrote and spelled the name with the final 'E' on Eltinge was that she considered it the correct way and liked it better and the name when written looked more finished and appeared better.'

One would think that the actual descendant of the Elting(e) family would have the final say, but he died first, so I guess she won. To further complicate the issue for the government, Dr. Edgar Eltinge sent an affidavit re Daniel's death, but listed the name as Capt. Daniel D. Eltinge! That caused the paper to be returned with the the question 'Is Dr. Eltinge clmts brother?' scrawled across the bottom of the page. Poor Mary. Adding that final 'E' to her name just increased her problems. "

                 Originally published in "The Historian" official newsletter of the Bevier-Elting Family Association of New Paltz, NY.  June 2003. Page 2.  By Grace Elting Castle

Those Office Cleaning Surprises: Carlisle Notes

Though I don't do it nearly often enough, I love cleaning and sorting the stacks, piles and files in my office. Yes, it's the typical writer's room with just enough (most of the time) room to get to the computer, but this "stuff" is all really important, you know? 

So, recently I've been diligently going through everything trying to get this room to match the rest of the house.  Some months ago I donated a large amount of my books...but alas they've been replaced by new ones.

I've started to ship off files of information collected over the past decades hoping that the new owners will actually get around to writing about the topic that I once thought was "the one!"  I've stopped clipping items from the daily newspaper, except for items that might be used in upcoming articles for PI Magazine.  Good starts, I think. 

A couple of days ago, somewhere in one of the heaps, I found an envelope postmarked "1979" and received from my great-aunt Frances (Carlisle) Lanigan, who has since walked on. Inside was a treasure trove of family genealogy information.  Obviously, it was sent in response to my request when I thought genealogy was my calling.  I've since realized that the family STORIES are what I love to research and to write about, but I am so happy to rediscover Auntie's notes.

My Grandmother Pearl (Carlisle) Smith, Frances' older sister, had often mentioned that "We're related to President Grant."  I had forgotten about this note from Auntie:

            "Dency Ann King's mother was a Grant before marriage---
a relative of Ulisses (sic) S. Grant---the president."

Dency Ann (King) Carlisle was my great-great grandmother, grandmother of Pearl and Frances.

I'll have to check with the family genealogists' records to see what proof there might be, but this is the kind of interesting tidbit that can lead to an interesting family story.

These interesting names and dates were included in the envelope of notes. The persons mentioned are my great-great Carlisle grandparents and their children, including my great-grandfather John Edward Carlisle.  I do not have "official genealogical verification" for these dates, though I have no reason to doubt them.

George Carlisle                                b. Nov. 20, 1831

Dency Ann (King)                            b.  Feb. 28, 1837

                                                          d. Dec. 25, 1912

Children:

Ebenezer Ashley                             b. Oct. 15, 1852

                                                         d. March 1933

Frances Antoinette                         b. Nov. 3, 1855

John Edward                                   b. Oct. 24 or 26, 1857

George Washington

      Dennis                                       b.  Nov. 19, 1860

Ellroy Ellsworth                              b.  Dec. 14, 1862

Archibald                                         b. July 2, 1865

Jeffie & Sister  (died as babies)    b.  June 23, 1867

Minnie Dency                                 b. Aug. 26, 1870

                                                         d. Jan. 11, 1940

Hector Gregor                                b. Dec. 12, 1872

                                                        d. Jan. 12, 1940

It was John Edward Carlisle (above) who married Lillias Ann Horner. Their only child, Pearl Eleanor Carlisle was my grandmother. An earlier entry on this blog sought contact from anyone having information on the late Lillias (sometimes written as Lillian)  Horner Carlisle.

Beere Family

Those Elting family members descended from James Everett and Ethel Grace (Smith) Elting may be interested in the FaceBook group entitled "Are You A Beere?SurnameBeere". I've joined and will be adding some of Dad's (James Everett) mother's family history soon. She was Cora Mae (Beere) Elting. I've never known of any people surnamed Beere other than Grandma's family so it will be interesting to see what connections can be made on this FaceBook site. You can get to it by searching for Beere and then clicking on "groups".

Writing Family History

Have you ever had the urge to put all those little snippets of family history into a book? Perhaps others are urging you to do so as they want to have access to your collection? Or perhaps you have grandchildren who are (or will be someday) interested in the stories that are in your files.

Now is the time to begin! The following tips are derived from preparing for the publication of my book, "Answering the Call! An Elting Military Tribute." The stories and photos from this ten year research project were compiled into a book over the summer of 2008 (stretching a little bit into the fall as I struggled with a computer program formatting the pages).

1. Decide on the topic of your book and stick to it. For "Answering.." of course it was the military history of our family. If this step is neglected, you'll be bogged down in research (though happily) for centuries. It's OK to make copies of everything else family-related as you collect material for your book, but keep it separate and don't allow it to get you sidetracked on yet another topic.

2. Decide on your filing system and stick to it. Writing the book will be so much easier if the research material is carefully organized. File your topic material separately from the other family history treasures you've discovered.

3. Carefully document the source of all materials (Stories, photos, obituaries, newspaper and magazine articles, websites, etc.)

4. Set a deadline for completion of the research. I didn't---and after ten years had to tell myself "Enough, already!"

5. Begin compiling names and addresses (snail and e-mail) of interested persons (relatives, friends, librarians) when you begin the research and build on it throughout.

6. When you find someone with great information or stories, get it immediately. Use a recorder as much as possible. Hire someone to get it for you if you're too distant and can't get it any other way. People have a habit of passing away before we get the stories!

7. Stay abreast of technology. There is a multitude of information available on the Internet, for instance, that I could never have dreamed of when I decided to write this book.

8. Give your book a title from the very beginning of the project. It may not be the one you actually use, but having a title helps focus on the project. With a title you realize that you're working on a BOOK.

9. Be on the lookout for the best printing company. Most family histories will be self-published and you want your book comparable to ones released through the best publishers. Pay attention to who printed the books you purchase in local history venues (libraries, museums, gift shops). Contact the printer and ask all the questions you have. The best printers will happily assist you with each step. (My printer is Maverick Books in Bend, OR. Wonderful company!)

My book? It's 224 pages of Elting military history with photos and information not only on a representative number of the descendants of Jan and Jacomyntje (Slecht) Elting who have served in the US military from the mid-1600s through mid-2008, but also a smidgen of the history of the village of New Paltz, NY. Order at http://www.cluesonline.com/ or e-mail me at gecastle@cluesonline.com