Cousins, SLIG, Rehearsals

The title of the post tells you why my posts have been off for two plus weeks!

Over Labor Day Weekend, I was visited by a 3rd cousin, Nora and her husband Justin. John T. Simmons and Edith Crousore were our great-great-grandparents. Nora's great-grandfather, John W. Simmons, served with US forces in the Philippines in 1900. After returning to the States, he reenlisted in the Medical Corps and went back to the Philippines, married and lived there until his death in 1909 - about two months after his father died in Sharpsville, IN. My great-grandmother, Ama Jemima "Mima" Simmons Crail was nearly 20 years John W.'s senior.

We hit a few Indy highlights: The Soldiers & Sailors Monument & Lilly Civil War Museum [we nearly drowned as the drought ended], James Whitcomb Riley Museum on Lockerbie St. & Eiteljorg and State Museums. The big trip for Nora was to visit Crown Point Cemetery in Kokomo, where James Morris and Hester Jane [Moore] Simmons [John T.'s parents] are buried, and Sharpsville Cemetery, where John T. & Edith are buried. Edith's grave is marked. John's isn't. He was recorded as Simons and the death date was off a few days. I'm pretty sure we located the right spot.

Trying to wrap up my project submission for the Utah Genealogical Association's Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, January 14-18. I'm digging into my Isaac Clark family this time. I highly recommend the SLIG. It is a good week of concentrated research with the Problem Solving class. There are several other tracks. Check it out at www.info@uga.org.

The Hendricks Civic Theatre is in rehearsals for "Haunting at Jitter Junction." The show is set c. 1935 in Southern Indiana. One of the local town drunks [Jeeter] is found dead drunk [literally] in a tree. One of the locals calls in a psychic to try to get Jeeter's spirit to stop haunting the rural community. The action takes place at the Shimmy Shammy Lounge. Show dates: September 28-30, October 5-7 & 12-14. [Fri./Sat. @ 7:30 PM, Sun. @ 2:30 PM] Yup, I'm in it!