Re: Sussex Co DE Fleetwoods/Fleetwood graves-Blades DE
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In reply to:
Re: Sussex Co DE Fleetwoods/Fleetwood graves-Blades DE
Neva Thomas 3/27/02
Dear Neva,
Below are the tombstone inscriptions that I found in the Blades Cemetery, Blades, Sussex County, Delaware.I have a couple of notes I found in the Social Security Death Index inserted in a few of them.I will be taking a trip to Delaware in June to visit the state archives.I hope to find death certificates on those who died 40+ years ago and birth certificates on those born 72+ years ago.Of course, if they are pre-1913, there may not be records available in the archives.
Before I list them, however, I am very interested to hear everything you have available on your Jeremiah.My great-great-grandfather has not been found in any records of his own yet.On his daughter Ida May (Fleetwood) Still's death certificate his name is listed as Jehamara Fleetwood, b. MD.Strange name.Have never found any inkling of it in DE or MD.I've wondered on occasion if it should have been Jeremiah, but I have nothing to support that wondering.The name on the death certificate is NOT difficult to read.If there is an error, it was made by the informant or the recorder.Also, birthplace could be an error coming from parent living in MD for long time or when he died -- he might have been born in DE like virtually all Fleetwoods in that area at that time.
My mother's family Bible lists his name as Curtis Fleetwood.There are several Curtis Fleetwoods in Sussex Co., but none seem to match what I know about my family.
I have found two census records with initials that could possibly match my mystery J--- Fleetwood and his wife Susan C. (Scott) Fleetwood:
1880, Chapel (district), Talbot Co., MD, E.D. 82, p. 29 written on page and p. 566 stamped on page.(If you have ancestry.com, it is image 30 of 66.)Lines 1-3, family 243; dwelling 238.
W.J. Fleetwood, age 26, farm laborer, months employed (unemployed -- can't read the heading and have not looked it up in another source yet): 8, he and parents born in DE.
S.C. Fleetwood, age 23, wife, housekeeper, cannot read or write, she and parents born in DE.
L. Fleetwood, age 11, daughter, did NOT attend school, everyone born in DE.
(Note how young this couple would have had to have been if L. were their daughter -- adopted?Maybe W.J. did have child at age 15, but S.C. is not mother (since she would have had to have been 12 when her daughter was born)Maybe the daughter's age is wrong; maybe the parents' ages are wrong.)
I tend to think the next one is a better match (if it is really a match at all).
1880, Chapel (district), Talbot Co., MD, E.D. 82, page no. written in 5, stamped 554.(In ancestry.com as p. 5 of 66)Lines 17-21, family 43, dwelling 41.
Fleetwood, Jer., age 23, wife, occupation farmhand, months unemployed (employed?): 2, cannot read or write, he and parents born in DE.
Fleetwood, S.C., age 26, occupation housekeeper, she and parents born DE.
Wm. H., age 7, son, attended school, he and parents born DE
Geo. A., age 3, son, under disabled-can't work census taker wrote dysentery, he and parents born DE.
Baby, 11/12, born Aug., son, under disabled census taker wrote paralyzed, he was born MD, parents DE.(Since there is no name given for an 11 month old child, could it be that this baby died so shortly after birth he was given no name?Is he recorded because the census takers recorded all births in the census year even if the baby was not living when the census was taken?)
My second cousin, once removed, who is my age and grew up with me says she remembers her mother saying that her grandfather (my great-grandfather) had a half-sibling who lived in the Wilmington-New Castle area of New Castle Co., DE.She cannot recollect the name.
My g-g-grandmother was buried in the Milford Cemetery along with an Elizabeth Fleetwood whose age could have been right to be Susan's daughter.But my g-g-grandfather does not seem to be there (unless he had no headstone -- cemetery records burned in 196? -- no copies).
This is an outline of what I know about my Fleetwoods.For these people I have a mixture of primary and secondary resources, some more reliable than others, of course.If any of this seems familiar to you, please let me know.Also, would you send me your information on your Jeremiah so I can be looking for information on him while I search of Jehamara?
(If you know how to take information from Family Treemaker Geneaology report and send it via e-mail, I'll send you all that I have recorded in that program so far -- still have a few pieces of data I've not added in yet)
Jehamara (Curtis?) (Jeremiah?) Fleetwood, b. ?, d. prob. died by 1920 when wife is listed in 1920 census as widow, and certainly by 1927 when wife's death certificate lists her as widow.(But if he was married twice and this was his first family, would she be listed as a widow?If she was his second marriage, where are the kids and wife from first marriage and why would he not have been buried with his second wife?)
wife:
Susan C. Scott, b. 1852-1862, DE (many conflicts in records; tombstone says 1862, but census data matches or comes closer to 1852!), d. 1927, Milford, Sussex Co., DE.
8 children listed in my mother's family Bible.
I have data on three of them -- my great grandmother died a few years before I was born, but I remember her husband.He, my grandparents, parents, and we kids lived together when I was small.I remember vividly her siblings Minnie (Fleetwood) Hill and Harry Benjamin "Mike" Fleetwood.
The others I do not recall at all.(My parents and grandparents were all dead by the time I, the oldest of the children, was 35, so there is no one to ask questions of now.Deep sigh.)I have no records on them so far, only their given names.
Ida May Fleetwood, b. 9-5-1880, d. 5-29-1943.On Dec. 26, 1897, married in Milford, DE (don't know if in Sussex or Kent Co.) to:
George Joseph Still, b. 9-22-1873, d. 7-21-1952.
Minnie (prob. Minerva since niece was named after her) Fleetwood, b. 4-17-1884, d. 3-7-1955, married prob. in Milford to:
Harry Lee Hill, b. 8-14-1882, d. 3-7-1955
Harry Benjamin "Mike" Fleetwood, b. 5-23-1891, d. 1-17-1968.Married in Wilmington, New Castle Co., DE, Asbury M.E. Parsonage, on 3-13-1920 to:
Ora Page Elliott, b. 1900, d. 1858.(Uncle Mike and Aunt Ora are buried in Blades)
William
James
George
Mary E.
(could Elizabeth on tombstone be Mary E.?Was there another child that my mother did not remember or know about?)
Well, keep me in mind!
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Here is the Blades Cemetery Information:
There were a couple of tombstones that I could not read, but most I could.I
Same plot:
G.H. Fleetwood 1864-1940
Mary E. Fleetwood 1873-1959
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Same plot:
Calvin R. Fleetwood - April 25, 1928-Jan. 5, 1970
[Calvin is in SS Death index: 218-30-1399, residence: Laurel, Sussex Co., DE 19956; card issued in Maryland before 1951.]
Joyce A. Fleetwood - Mar. 30, 1945- none
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In a large plot with a pillar stone:
Next to the pillar stone is a large headstone for following couple:
Earl C. Fleetwood - 1896-1978
[Earl is in SS Death index: 222-24-2250, residence: Laurel, Sussex Co., DE 19956; born Aprl 23 1896, died May 1978; card issued in DE before 1951.Earl is probably the person listed in the Civilian Draft Registration as Earl E. Fleetwood, born April 23, 1896, born near Laurel, DE, registered for draft in Sussex Co., DE.]
Blanche E. Fleetwood - 1907-1976
[Blanche is in SS Death index: 222-28-9625, residence: Laurel, Sussex Co., DE 19956; born June 27, 1907, died Jan 1976; card issued in DE in 1961 and in 1962.]
At foot of these two graves are stones reading respectively Father and Mother.
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On one side of pillar is [illegible] Fleetwood - Nov. 22, 1898-Apr. 12, 1924
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On another side of pillar: Jeaneete D. Fleetwood - July 2, 1920-Aug. 13, 1923
Below pillar is small stone with J.D.F. no other information.It could be a footstone for Jeaneete D. Fleetwood or maybe it is a headstone for some other Fleetwood with the same initials.
If there were names on the other two sides of the pillar, I could not read them or even detect any residual images on them.
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One completely unreadable headstone, or perhaps another footstone?If so, there was no headstone.
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The following couple may have been in the same plot with the pillar stone, or they could have been in their own plot.(My notes were confusing when I got them home!)I think they had a plot all their own!
At the head of the graves was a joint stone with names, years of birth, and years of death; one person's data on one side of the heart and the other person's data on the other side if the heart.In the heart was the marriage date.
Eunice M. Fleetwood - July 31, 1899-May 16, 1989
Married Oct. 21, 1921
G. Lynk Fleetwood - Dec. 13, 1897-Oct. 28, 1970
Additional separate stones have names repeated and indicate father or mother at the top of the stones:
I found this additional information in other sources:Eunice M. Fleetwood, from SSDI: SS # 222-32-4019, born Jul 31, 1899; died May 2, 1989; card issued DE, 1964.Note death descrepancy.
Lynk George Fleetwood, from WWI Civilian Draft records: b. Dec. 1898; registered from Sussex Co., DE.Note birth descrepancy.
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Same plot:
Harry B. Fleetwood - May 23, 1891-Jan. 17, 1968, Cpl Co. E 59 Pioneer Infantry World War I
[In SSDI: Harry Fleetwood, SS # 179-07-0181, born May 23, 1891, d. Jan 1968; residence: Seaford, DE 19973; card issued PA before 1951.In WWI Civilian Draft Registration: Harry B. Fleetwood, born 23 May, 1891, Milford, DE; registered in Sussex Co., DE.]
Ora P. Fleetwood - 1900-1958
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Horace N. Fleetwood - 1868-1937
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Same stone:
Kathy S. Fleetwood - Nov. 14, 1956-Apr. 3, 1999
Martin G. Fleetwood - Oct. 17, 1958-none
(I presume Martin is still living.)
Well, I hope this helps you.And wouldn't it be neat to discover we are both descended from the same Fleetwood (Jeremiah? Jehamara?)
Hope to hear from you again with your information on Jeremiah.
Warmly,
Karen Carter
Sandy, UT