Trip, Day 12 and 13 [Updated]

Days 12 and 13, DC

We missed the Harshaw cousin Thursday night, but had a fine day for touring DC on Friday, including several war memorials. Met a cousin of Marjorie's late husband for lunch at the American Indian museum's cafeteria and heard fascinating talk on his genealogical researches (an incredible number of people in his database) and the issue of reunions, both of families and of military vets. After a short time touring the museum on to an Irish pub to meet with a McCauley cousin. He's more conscious of privacy concerns on the Internet than I am so I'll try to restrain my impulses to put everything on the net :-), when it comes to him and his branch of the family. We shared results--he's a very good photographer and has better pictures of the Number 9 new cemetery gravestones than I did. Talked of having summertimes in Canandaigua and the large number of cousins he had.

Then home to Reston for supper, taking Marjorie back to her hotel from whence she will leave Saturday for home.

[Updated--see post in Faceless.]

Trip, Day 8

Have about 2400 miles on the trip and both travelers are beat. But we end with a bang, traveling from Jamestown northeast (planning a surprise for one of Marjorie's sons but I'll let her tell him) and on to the grand finale of our genealogy--Seneca Presbyterian, or the Number 9 Church near Stanley, NY. Scads of John Rippeys (my father was John Rippey Harshaw) and other connections buried in the cemeteries, including the mother of us all, Mary Orson. Had a pleasant meeting with Bob Robson, a distant cousin descended from Isabella Rippey, and saw the church.

All in all, very good, though fatigue took the edge off for me.

Now we're in Geneva, NY for an early bedtime.

Seneca Township (3) East Southeast

No. 9 Church in the center of this. Rippeys to the east and west off the Lake to Lake road.

Seneca #9 Presbyterian Church

Found the church web site (it's linked with the Memorial Presbyterian Church of Bellonna), Rev. Ellen Johnson, pastor.

Seneca No. 9 Presbyterian Church

Received an email from the Rev. Ellen Johnson yesterday. She's the minister at the Seneca No. 9 Presbyterian Church where the Rippeys and others worshipped. Said she'd heard from a number of descendants of early church members because they'd just celebrated their bicentennial on Oct 21.

According to Rodney Lightfoote's history of the church, the raising of the original building was accompanied by the drinking of some gallons of whiskey. [shock, shock]. He notes the controversies through the years.

While I'm thinking of it, let me note my vague memories of a story that my sister heard from someone--someone in authority during the mid 1800's said there was no way that an organ would ever cross the church threshold. So the pro-organ party managed to get it in through a window!