Rough Riders
"Now that you're back from spring break, it's time for an adventure," I said to Caley. "I found something interesting this morning. We're going to go out to Beech Creek tomorrow, and look for the grave of a Rough Rider."
"You mean...The Teddy Roosevelt Rough Riders? Really?"
"Oh, yeah. There was one from this area, apparently---Edmund Liggett. The cemetery records show him as a mystery---He's in one of two cemeteries; the David Cemetery or Hays-Fearon. Tomorrow we're going to go and take a look."
"That is so cool," said Caley. It's one of the things I like best about her, her relentless enthusiasm for this sort of thing.
"For starters---See if you can find his obit. Or an article---he was killed in Cuba on June 24, 1898, so maybe there's something. Run through the newspapers and see if you can locate it."
"Come over here a minute," I said. "And bring your phone."
She followed me into the PA Room. I had a huge map unrolled on the table. Leaning over it, I said,"Check this out. I found a map of Hays-Fearon Cemetery, one of the cemeteries Liggett is thought to be in. Here---His dad is there. Can you get a photo of this?"
"Hold it still," said the millenial with her phone, and snapped a photo.
"That's probably where Liggett is, with his father," I said. "We'll check both places to be sure. Get this, too. And this. see, that's Annie Halenbake Ross's father."
"Oh, wow, really?"
"Yep. They got it spelled Halenbach, but it's him. There was no standardized spelling back in the past; they just wrote what they thought they'd heard. And this one---This is Cleary Campbell, the first settler in the area. We'll visit his grave, too. He was said to have been so lazy he once laid down on a live cat and refused to move. Get these."
Click. "Got them."
"How's the search coming?'
"No obit listed. His father, yes, but not Edmund. I'm looking for articles on the battle where he died."
"This isn't mandatory,if you get bored. I'm not going to force you to find these."
"Can't stop won't stop."
"Good girl.'
"Lou! I got it!" Caley called from the microfilm machine.
I walked over. She had a Clinton County Times article up from 1898. She said,"He's listed as Private Leget, but you told me there were spelling differences---"
"Yep. That's our guy."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. That's who we're going to look for tomorrow." I gave her a hug. "Get me a copy. Nice work, Caley."
"And that's all the time we have today on WBPZ. We'll have Lou back in two weeks for more historic information."
"Thanks, Jeff. I'll see you then."
I grabbed my stuff and left the radio station. Caley was outside n her vehicle, waiting for me. I climbed in.
"Ready? How you feeling?"
"I'm up to it," she said. "Let's go to Beech Creek."
It took us a little bit of riding around to find the small, abandoned David Cemetery in Beech Creek Township, but we managed. It was in a field, among a grove of trees. Caley and I got out and looked at the stones.
"Two children's deaths," she said. "That's so sad."
"Look at the stones," I said. "You know how I've said some of this is a sort of intuitive thing? These parents had children named Thomas Jefferson and Independence Virginia."
"She was born on July Fourth."
"Probably why the name. So, what does this tell you?"
"The parents were patriots?"
"Right. They loved America. Which, in the 1800s, meant they were probably immigrants. Came to America, and really did well. There's another one of their children, but he didn't have a symbolic name...."
"He was born first. Could he have been born in the old country?"
"Good thought. Yes, that's probably it. Come on, let's go find Hays-Fearon."
Hays-Fearon, a much bigger cemetery, was a lot easier to find. We got out and walked across the sprawling field, and I pointed out gravestones.
"There's Pat Tyson....She was a friend, I knew her. There's Annie Halenbake Ross's dad, G.W. Halenbake. Here, look....Here's Cleary Campbell, the first settler in this area."
"He's really here?"
"He's really here. And here....This is Benjamin Liggett, the father of Edmund Liggett. Our Rough Rider. The records say Edmund is buried here, too, but no marker."
"Why is that? Why would they do that?"
"Could be a number of reasons," I said. "Maybe there was a marker here once, and it was damaged. Or....Look, Benjamin was pretty old when his son died. Maybe he just couldn't handle the arrangements. Maybe he just wasn't up to it."
"I guess that makes sense," admitted Caley.
"Could be a lot of reasons."
"Edmund was one of the Rough Riders," said Caley. "He should be remembered."
"I think I'll write an article," I said.
"You mean...The Teddy Roosevelt Rough Riders? Really?"
"Oh, yeah. There was one from this area, apparently---Edmund Liggett. The cemetery records show him as a mystery---He's in one of two cemeteries; the David Cemetery or Hays-Fearon. Tomorrow we're going to go and take a look."
"That is so cool," said Caley. It's one of the things I like best about her, her relentless enthusiasm for this sort of thing.
"For starters---See if you can find his obit. Or an article---he was killed in Cuba on June 24, 1898, so maybe there's something. Run through the newspapers and see if you can locate it."
"Come over here a minute," I said. "And bring your phone."
She followed me into the PA Room. I had a huge map unrolled on the table. Leaning over it, I said,"Check this out. I found a map of Hays-Fearon Cemetery, one of the cemeteries Liggett is thought to be in. Here---His dad is there. Can you get a photo of this?"
"Hold it still," said the millenial with her phone, and snapped a photo.
"That's probably where Liggett is, with his father," I said. "We'll check both places to be sure. Get this, too. And this. see, that's Annie Halenbake Ross's father."
"Oh, wow, really?"
"Yep. They got it spelled Halenbach, but it's him. There was no standardized spelling back in the past; they just wrote what they thought they'd heard. And this one---This is Cleary Campbell, the first settler in the area. We'll visit his grave, too. He was said to have been so lazy he once laid down on a live cat and refused to move. Get these."
Click. "Got them."
"How's the search coming?'
"No obit listed. His father, yes, but not Edmund. I'm looking for articles on the battle where he died."
"This isn't mandatory,if you get bored. I'm not going to force you to find these."
"Can't stop won't stop."
"Good girl.'
"Lou! I got it!" Caley called from the microfilm machine.
I walked over. She had a Clinton County Times article up from 1898. She said,"He's listed as Private Leget, but you told me there were spelling differences---"
"Yep. That's our guy."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. That's who we're going to look for tomorrow." I gave her a hug. "Get me a copy. Nice work, Caley."
"And that's all the time we have today on WBPZ. We'll have Lou back in two weeks for more historic information."
"Thanks, Jeff. I'll see you then."
I grabbed my stuff and left the radio station. Caley was outside n her vehicle, waiting for me. I climbed in.
"Ready? How you feeling?"
"I'm up to it," she said. "Let's go to Beech Creek."
It took us a little bit of riding around to find the small, abandoned David Cemetery in Beech Creek Township, but we managed. It was in a field, among a grove of trees. Caley and I got out and looked at the stones.
"Two children's deaths," she said. "That's so sad."
"Look at the stones," I said. "You know how I've said some of this is a sort of intuitive thing? These parents had children named Thomas Jefferson and Independence Virginia."
"She was born on July Fourth."
"Probably why the name. So, what does this tell you?"
"The parents were patriots?"
"Right. They loved America. Which, in the 1800s, meant they were probably immigrants. Came to America, and really did well. There's another one of their children, but he didn't have a symbolic name...."
"He was born first. Could he have been born in the old country?"
"Good thought. Yes, that's probably it. Come on, let's go find Hays-Fearon."
Hays-Fearon, a much bigger cemetery, was a lot easier to find. We got out and walked across the sprawling field, and I pointed out gravestones.
"There's Pat Tyson....She was a friend, I knew her. There's Annie Halenbake Ross's dad, G.W. Halenbake. Here, look....Here's Cleary Campbell, the first settler in this area."
"He's really here?"
"He's really here. And here....This is Benjamin Liggett, the father of Edmund Liggett. Our Rough Rider. The records say Edmund is buried here, too, but no marker."
"Why is that? Why would they do that?"
"Could be a number of reasons," I said. "Maybe there was a marker here once, and it was damaged. Or....Look, Benjamin was pretty old when his son died. Maybe he just couldn't handle the arrangements. Maybe he just wasn't up to it."
"I guess that makes sense," admitted Caley.
"Could be a lot of reasons."
"Edmund was one of the Rough Riders," said Caley. "He should be remembered."
"I think I'll write an article," I said.