52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks: Family Gathering

The gentle prairie breeze sifted through the air as it cooled all the picnickers. The cottonwoods shaded them and protected them from the harsh sun. Under her watchful gaze, the family gathered to tell tales, recount heroic deeds, and bring their loved ones back to life.

The Boultinghouse family was gathered in the Bloomington Cemetery on a Sunday in July 1916. Three of Amos and Mary’s children and their families were present: Helen, John, and Lafe. They had chosen to gather here to honor their parents, who laid in unmarked graves. “Grandma B is buried by the fence,” Helen stated. John shared with the children stories he had heard this father tell of fighting alongside General Sherman in the War of the Rebellion. Lafe bragged about his being the first white male born in Osborne County, a few days after his parents had made it by wagon train from Illinois. Stories were shared about Grandma being French and marrying her 25 year old groom at the age of 14…she had lied about her age. The adults talked among themselves while the children ran across the fields.

Under her watchful gaze, the family continued to picnic and talk.

The time came for the party to gather up quilts, food baskets, pillows, and other items. In a circle they stood and prayed, ever thankful for their parents and grandparents lying at rest there.

Under her watchful gaze, the family left the hallowed grounds. The silent sentry in the form of an angel stayed behind to bless and guard the souls buried there.

Note: Amos and Mary were my second great grandparents who died in 1893 and 1901. Amos’ grave lay unmarked until 1944, when the Veterans Administration provided markers for veterans. Mary’s grave would be marked after 1990 by family members who wanted a tombstone for the couple.

They were buried in Bloomington Cemetery in Osborne County, Kansas. In 1910, Wash and Almina Storer donated the land where the Boultinghouses were buried to officially designate it as a cemetery. The Boultinghouse and the Storers would then make a connection in 1922. Isabella Mary Boultinghouse, daughter of Lafe and Naomi, would marry Andrew Earl Storer, son of Wash and Almina.

In those years before recreation parks and spaces, families would picnic in cemeteries. It was not unusual for folks to meet for family gatherings…nor for silent angels to keep watch.