Susan and Sarah! Sisters! and both married Jacob.

The Obituary:

Lancaster Daily Intelligencer,
Tuesday, July 12, 1882:
DEATHS:
COLE – In this city, July 11, Susannah, relict of the late Abraham Cole, in the 82nd year of her age.
Her relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral, from the residence of her son-in-law, T.A. Albright, No. 337 West King street, on Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock.

The Story:

Susan Ward and her sister, Sarah, probably shared toys as children.  As adults, they shared a husband, although not at the same time.

Sarah was the oldest, she was born in May of 1784 and Susannnah (Susan) was born in  September of 1800.  When Susan was only 14, she watched her sister marry Jacob Axer and become the mother of three of his children.  Every two years, Sarah had a child, John in 1815, Catharine in 1817, and in 1819 another child.  This child didn’t even live a full day, and Sarah only lived until the next day.  It must have been a real tragedy to everybody around the young family.

Susan, it appears, may have been a caregiver, both to the children and their father, as Jacob and Susan were married two years after Sarah’s death.  Jacob and Susan married on September 27, 1819.  Less than a month later, their first child, Sarah, was born.  Their young daughter, was named in honor of Jacob’s first wife and Susan’s sister.  Alas, this young daughter, did not live to see October end.  She, too, had a short life.

Four more children were born to this marriage, Jacob Jr. in 1822, Sarah in 1828, George in 1832 and Frederick in 1836.  In 1843, Jacob died and was buried next to Sarah in Lancaster Cemetery.

Susan had three children at home and was on her own.  Less than a year later, she married widower, Abraham Cole who was a Tanner in Lancaster.  It appears the couple did not own property.  No deeds have been found for them and in 1857, they boarded at the Keystone Tavern.  Three years later they lived with the Susan’s daughter, Sarah, and her family.

Fact: Newspaper obituary published 30 November 1864:

Abraham Cole died on  November 28, 1864 and is buried next to his first wife in Lancaster Cemetery.  It took me awhile to find his obituary since I was looking for his correct name, not Ephraim!  Silly me!  Susan continued to live the remainder of her days with the Albrights and died in July of 1882.  Her will left her entire estate to the Albrights, after her debts were paid.  Her other children were excluded.  She was buried in Lancaster Cemetery next to her 2nd husband Abraham Cole.

Lancaster Cemetery, Susannah Ward Axer Cole

See anything funny about this picture?  You only see Susannah’s inscription, right?  Guess what?  Abraham Cole and his first wife’s stones face forward; Susannah’s faces backwards!  Wouldn’t you like to know the story behind this? Was it a mistake?  Was it a decision by Abraham’s family?  What’s the story??

Lancaster Cemetery, Abraham and Catharine Cole's headstone

. . . and this is why I love obituaries and cemeteries.  Oh the “stories” they can tell!

 

I went back to the Cemetery today

and used the techniques suggested by fellow Genea-bloggers. I also used water, a soft brush and a rag, removing some of the years of grime and yuck from the stone. I only removed enough to read the pertinent information. No harsh cleaning agents were used, and no stiff brushes. I felt this stone had survived for over 100 years and I didn’t want to be the one who hastened it’s demise!

As soon as I uncovered enough to rub the dates, I stopped cleaning (thankfully ~ that was hard work!) and started in on my main mission. The death date was the cincher, and my “Elizabeth A.” died in 1826; the headstone’s “Elizabeth A.” died in 1888! Not my Elizabeth, nutz!

Elizabeth Somebody Else, not Elizabeth Auxer Kleiss

. . . but all was not in vain! First of all, when I was leaving the aisle that Elizabeth Somebody Else is buried in, I saw this beautiful hawk sitting on a headstone. . . .in the middle of the City! He sat there oblivious to my presence, in my car, and waited for me to take his picture! As I started moving again, he noticed me and flew off!

Cemetery Pet?

But back to the subject, I found headstones! Headstones belonging to George Kleiss, Jr., next to his sister, Anna Maria Weigand! I also found Walter F. Albright and his wife, Barbara’s headstones, in a nice border lined cemetery plot. Anna Maria’s must have been beautiful. . . before it was vandalized! Sad.

Vandalized headstone of Anna Maria Kleiss Weigand

Now for the gross part. I wore flip flops since it was a bit warm, never thinking my feet would get dirty. Now why wouldn’t they? I walked one quarter of the largest cemetery in Lancaster, and I expected my feet to remain lily white? (with pink toenails, of course) When I got home at looked down at my feet, I was shocked! I immediately found the darkest wash cloth in the house (black) and washed my feet! Yuck!

Yucky, Dirty Feet!

Thank you all for the suggestions! You helped me eliminate a wrong headstone and helped me find headstones in the future.

Now to hop in the shower. . . . . .

 

How on Earth can I read this Headstone??

Elizabeth Auxer Kleiss was the wife of Johan Philip Kleiss and was buried along with him at the First Reformed Church in their cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  For eternity.  Really???

Well, only until they needed that ground for something else!  At that point they needed to find a final resting spot for the occupants of the cemetery and many of the stones were moved to the Stranger’s Burial Ground in Lancaster Cemetery. Some were put in the wall at the Church.

Records indicate that Elizabeth and Philip were moved to Lancaster Cemetery.  The stones in the Stranger’s ground are scattered, sunken, broken or missing.  I “think” I found Elizabeth’s stone; I have not found Philip’s.

I can read the “Elizabeth A” and I can read “September” but I can read nothing else.  So I went back to the cemetery and took some close ups thinking I could photo edit them and read them.

Elizabeth's stone?

Elizabeth's stone?

Elizabeth's stone?

Any suggestions on how to read this stone?  I don’t want to try to clean it and ruin the stone, but if there is a safe way to read it and/or clean it, I’m open to suggestions!  There is a strong possiblility that it is my ancestor Elizabeth’s stone, since the name matches and September is the month she was born in.

Help!