Notable Architects
Saturday, October 1, 10:00 am
Admission: $10.00; Cedar Hill & Hartford Preservation Alliance Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Mary Falvey, Director of Hartford Preservation Alliance, shares the life and times of prominent Hartford architects on this walking tour of Cedar Hill. She will highlight the buildings and homes designed by notable architects including Walter P. Crabtree, Edward Hapgood, William Scoville and more. Admission to the program is $10.00 and free for Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation and Hartford Preservation Alliance members.Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
Autumn Tree Walk
Saturday, October 15, 10:00 am
Free – Reservations Encouraged
More than 2,000 trees representing 100 species and varieties grace the grounds of Cedar Hill Cemetery. John Kehoe leads this autumn walk highlighting a colorful sampling of the remarkable collection including maples, cherries, beeches, pines, cedars and more. Free. Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
The Plot Thickens
Wednesday, October 19, 10:00 am
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Hear stories that sound like film scripts – leaving you to wonder who should star in the movie – a Communist spy, a runaway Prince, an infamous gambler, and more. Foundation Director Beverly Lucas leads this tour of historic Cedar Hill Cemetery.Admission to the program is $10.00 and free for Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation members.Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
Hallowed History Lantern Tour
Friday, October 28,6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Admission: $20.00; Reservations Required
History comes alive on this lantern-led tour ofCedar Hill Cemetery. Character actors will share tantalizing true stories from some of our notable and not-so-notable residents. Admission: $20.00. Reservations are required for specific time slots. Tickets go on sale on September 1 at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
Mystery Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, September 10, 10:00 am
Admission: $10.00/person – Reservations Required
Explore Cedar Hill while deciphering creative clues that direct you around the historic sections of the cemetery.Once you have collected all the clues, it’s time to solve the mystery. It’s a race to the finish, as prizes (and bragging rights) will be awarded to those who solve the mystery the fastest.Recommended for teams of up to four people each. Admission is $10.00 per person. Advance reservations are required and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
Cedar Hill & the Battle of Antietam
Saturday, September 17, 10:00 am
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
On the bloodiest day in U. S. history, 36 of Cedar Hill’s Civil War veterans fought at the Battle of Antietam. Join Mary Falvey on a tour that commemorates the 160th anniversary of this pivotal battle. Learn about the bravery and valor that occurred on that day, the anguish and suffering survivors would later endure, and the contributions the returning veterans made to Hartford history.Admission to the program is $10.00 and free for Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation members. Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
Discover Cedar Hill
Wednesday, September 21, 10:00 am
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Bob Chudy leads this introductory tour about Cedar Hill Cemetery’s most prominent residents. Hear about the discoverer of anesthesia, an Academy-award winning actress, and the man who saved the country from bankruptcy twice.Admission to the program is $10.00 and free for Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation members.Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
I had something else in mind initially for this post, but I’ve had a unique situation come up twice in the past week that I’ve decided to discuss instead.
Genealogy has become a hot interest world-wide. More people are researching their family histories than ever before. However, their findings most likely won’t involve probate courts, title clearings, and other legal matters. For them, it’s the personal journey. I have been asked a number of times by attorneys to verify the genealogical data given to them by clients. I have reviewed research ranging from highly organized and detailed…to poorly maintained documents, notes, and photos simply thrown into boxes. Family genealogists are enthusiastic, driven, and passionate in their discovery of their family roots. I admire their efforts and dedication. Many get it right! But others make mistakes that can cost them in court.
Case in point: Several years ago, I worked with an attorney whose client had passed away, with no family members coming forward to claim the estate. The attorney knew a few things about the deceased. He knew the man’s parents were also deceased, that the man had no siblings and had never been married. He also didn’t have a will. The attorney’s first step would be to find the closest living next of kin.
Shortly after, a man showed up at the attorney’s office claiming to be the deceased’s second cousin (of eleven, with no first cousins). He was also the family genealogist, leaving three boxes of documents behind with the attorney.
I was asked to verify what the man was claiming: that the second cousins were indeed the closest blood relatives. In going through the documents, I found that they had verified eleven people who were supposedly the deceased’s second cousins. However, it also showed that there was still one living first cousin, once removed. He had been missed during the family genealogist’s research. I double-checked my findings, then again a third time with the attorney.
There was no doubt.
The family genealogist had all the right motivation, but errors still happen. He hadn’t realized that he was the closest living next of kin: the first cousin, once removed.
That’s why it’s always best to consult a professional genealogist in situations such as this.
If you would like the follow-up to this story, which won’t fit here, send me an email at [email protected].
An attorney in New England had a land title contest he was working to resolve. He had to go back to the early 1900's in Connecticut to assemble the family tree he needed. He did a masterful job tracing the family and then ordered all the vital records from State of Connecticut Vitals. He presented everything to the opposing attorney, who examined everything and then said "This can't be the correct family. According to this one birth record the parents were from Australia!"
I was called in to figure it out. Instead of going to State Vitals I went to the town hall where the original birth records were issued. Upon further investigation of additional family records the parents were from Austria.
The devil can be in the details. It pays to take the extra step and look at the originals.
Here is the list of July events for Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation.
Planning to go to the concert myself with friends!!! Hope to see you there.
Please go to their website for more details: www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation – 2022 Tours & Events
Cedar Hill Cemetery
453 Fairfield Avenue
Hartford, CT 06114
July
Mark Twain's Companions & Cohorts
Saturday,July 9, 10:00 am
Admission: $10.00; Cedar Hill & Mark Twain Museum Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
While Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, is laid to rest in Elmira, New York, many of his Hartford companions and cohorts are interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Learn about Twain's life and his many Nook Farm friends, neighbors, and colleagues during this walking tour led by Steve Courtney.Admission to the program is $10.00 and free for Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation and Mark Twain Museum members. Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
Discover Cedar Hill
Wednesday,July 20, 10:00 am
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Bob Chudy leads this introductory tour about Cedar Hill Cemetery’s most prominent residents. Hear about the discoverer of anesthesia, an Academy-award winning actress, and the man who saved the country from bankruptcy twice.Admission to the program is $10.00 and free for Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation members.Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
Music Among the Memorials
Friday,July 22, 6:00 pm (Rain date: July 23)
Free for All
Enjoy an evening of music with the Streetlight Shakers, a piano-driven rock band dedicated to creating a vintage sound for the modern era. Their all-original music is a blend of rock, soul, and blues.In 2019, Streetlight Shakers was named Best New Band by Hartford Courant readers and won first prize in Infinity Hall’s Big Stage Open Mic Competition. They have performed throughout the Northeast receiving critical acclaim from audiences, indie music blogs, and radio. Bring blankets, chairs, and picnic dinners for a night to remember. The concert will be held on the sprawling lawn between the Garden and Cedar Mausoleums.(Rain date: July 23)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Saturday,July 23, 10:00 am
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Learn about transportation history, including planes, trains, and automobiles, through the stories of Cedar Hill residents. Meet a famed barnstormer, pioneering train engineer, early auto enthusiast, railroad tycoon and more. Bill MacDonnell leads this new walking tour of the historic cemetery. Admission to the program is $10.00 and free for Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation members. Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
"To my oldest surviving maternal female cousin, I give and bequeath our Grandmother's dishes"
As part of her will a woman had left her Grandmother's dinnerware (that were actually quite valuable) to the Oldest Living Female Maternal Cousin. When the attorney contacted the family he found that there were fourteen living female maternal first cousins scattered across the United States. The problem came about when none of them wanted to give up their birth dates and each claimed the other was older! I was brought in to determine and prove who was the oldest. After researching and obtaining each one's birth record I was able to determine (and prove) who was the oldest.
She was not happy.
But she took the dishes!
