Cherished Companion

Mercy Ann Hampton and Russel Cardy
          my 3rd great grandparents

Mercy, although a Quaker, married Russell Cardy of Irish descent and a Methodist in Hamburg, Erie, NY on August 25, 1842. It was in 1863 that Russel and his wife moved to Potosi, Wisconsin. Here Mercy taught school.  Russell was a kind, respected man of great faith who wrote poems of devotion.   Mercy united with the Methodist Church but always clung to the belief of her early years.           

                                                           Obituary April 5, 1988

                                                        Cherished Companion Died

On the 21st of March death entered the home of Russel Cardy in the town of Potosi, and claimed his cherished companion as its victim.  Mercy Ann Hampton was born of Christian parents in the state of New Jersey in 1813.  Her parents moved from New Jersey to Erie county, N.Y. while she was young, where they lived at the time of her marriage.  Her early life was spent among the friends-"Quakers"-and from them she learned the true lesson of virtue.  In 1842 she was married to Russel Cardy on the 25th of August.  They came to Potosi the same year.  She taught school in their own home their first winter in Wisconsin, besides attending to her household duties.  She lived a quiet life, never yielding to wrong.  They will see her no more here, for she has joined a brighter band.  Though the weather was cold she was born to her resting place followed by her numerous friends.  The procession walked to the grave.  They have the sympathy of all who know them.


A Ghoulish Matter

Okay, let's put it out there.  If you do genealogy, you visit cemeteries. And, believe me, I have traipsed through many from Florida to Maine and into Canada. That's what we do. We go searching for that long lost ancestor. So let's lay it all out in lavender.

Do you know where the saying, "Rest In Peace" came from? It's a common epitaph on gravestones.  We say it, written with love in a meaningful way in a sympathy card, May they rest in Peace.

You only need to look back to the Victorian era, the mid 1800's. It was a time when grave robbers existed and lurked around in the dark of night. They worked during the cold months because a "stiff" as they called it, was only good for a few days before it decayed. There was no refrigeration in the summer. So now you know why people came to believe cemeteries are haunted, especially at night and especially during Halloween. Perhaps those ghosts are protecting the deceased.

These grave robbers were after more than just jewelry. Good money was paid by doctors, scientists, and teachers in universities for cadavers.  How else could they teach and learn about the anatomy of the human body. Even more money could be made by demanding ransom for the return of  loved ones.

 The resurrectionists preferred the newly deceased, because the earth had not yet settled and therefore easier to dig down to the casket.  They would open casket with a crowbar to expose the head, then grab the body under the chin with a hook and pull the body out. (OMG)

When you have strolled through cemeteries, most likely you have seen evidence of past attempts to protect the graves of yesterday. Some means are obvious, other are not. Surely you have seen wrought iron fences around a family plot; but it's meaning was to make it more difficult for the grave robbers out after dark to steal their loved ones.  

We see the above ground gravesites made of cement, that have cracked or were outright broken, perhaps covered with a little moss. Certainly these were easier to invade. Then you see on occasion the ones with a steel lid that sits low to the ground, now not so easy to break into. Families went so far as to claim a bomb was planted in the coffin; hoping this would deter the thieves for fear of being blown up. Some cemeteries hired night watchmen. 

This was not just a United States problem, grave robbers existed in other countries around the world. 

So "Rest In Peace" literally meant, I hope the grave robbers will leave you alone so that you may surely  'Rest In Peace'. 

Oscar Goes To Cuba

Oscar Sidney Maxell was born in Orient, Maine on June 1, 1879. He was one of six children born to Deacon Sidney P Maxell and Alice Brown.

He married Susie May Whitmore on November 7, 1903. Oscar had one daughter, Beatrice Wyman, that he and his wife adopted.. He and Susie had no children together.

He was schooled to become a confectioner and eventually owned a candy store at 251 Congress Street, in Portland, Maine; that he operated from 1907-1915. He was listed in the city directory as selling ice cream and confections. Then in 1915 he returned to Orient, his beloved Maxell Hill and built his forever home. Sleeping in a tent until completed. 

Oscar was elected to the House of Representative  for the years 1937-1938 and 1949-1950. During the 94th legislature he served on the Indian Affairs and Temperance Committees.  Of personal importance to him was the Temperance Committee, for he alone managed to keep the state of Maine dry for many years. He was proud of the fact he held the position of Deacon in his church longer than his father.

On March 3, 1931, Oscar sailed aboard the SS Governor Cobb out of Tampa, FL for a five-day trip to Cuba. In his diary, "Impressions of a visit to Gay Havana, The Paris of the Western Hemisphere" he summed up his visit to the island this way: "the Cubans ae a friendly people and hold U.S. of America and its' people in high esteem".

The Cubans its (sic) all America, both North and South, but they always emphasize the United States of America to which they belong. On every hand, the names of General Wood and Teddy Roosevelt, and others, are to the sacred and they avoid being connected with Spain., even say 'we speak the Cuban and English language, not Spanish, where as a matter of fact, it is Spanish'.

Oscar toured the country via taxi or walking. Havana, he reported had 58 cigar factories, 2500 policemen, a population of 500,000 and 7000 bars. Oscar was impressed by the beauty of Havana and its magnificent buildings.

He visited cemeteries and learned how they buried their own. Went to many churches and spoke of Lady Lourdes her statue and a small metal box that held her ashes. He spoke of Columbus Temple, here Christopher Columbus held the first mass under a "Free Sabor" tree, meaning cotton and Silk. He spoke of beautiful paintings of the first mass, the first Congress and the first inauguration.

He tells of the square that was used to sell slaves and where slaves were put to death, often times, for trifling matters. In the old city the slaves built a wall to defend and protect against pirates. The slaves carried the stones on bare shoulders and worked under the lash at all times.

Oscar, a strong prohibitionist, firmly believed that "with the Cubans taking the U.S. as their example someday will adopt prohibition". He truly believed in the words of Gifford Gordon, "Hold on, America! The son follows in the footsteps of the father and one day, Cuba will follow their father in prohibition".

Oscar died December 31, 1961.

(Cuba was founded on October 10, 1868. The island was inhabited by various cultures prior to the arrival of the Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492. After Columbus' arrival, Cuba became a Spanish colony, ruled by a Spanish governor in Havana. In 1762, Havana was briefly occupied by Great Britain, before being returned to Spain in exchange for Florida. A series of rebellions during the 19th century failed to end Spanish rule. However, the Spanish-American War resulted in a Spanish withdrawal from the island in 1898, and following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba gained formal independence in 1902.)