1971

Hello,
I am Bob Thomas, a resident of the village of Morris and a Fire Commissioner for the Joint Town and Village of Morris Fire District.
I ask your indulgence for a moment before I get into the work of the Advocates for Morris.

I have a story about the skunks and the deer and about whales and apes.

Last spring as I was raking up the piles of sticks, stones, and leaves that accumulate where you pile the snow when you plow I turned up the lower foreleg of a deer. There was still some hair and hoof on it.

These days I live in Morris, NY. I was trying to trace the land that my house is on back to the time that it was in the hands of the Oneida tribe of the Iroquois and come up with a list of owners from them to me.

Found some more information.

He was named Samuel G. Thomas. Through another person on ancestry.com I learned that I could request copies of vital records for people in New Jersey. By doing that I got a copy of the "Return Of Marriages" for Camden County for May, 1852. On May 10, 1852, Samuel G. Thomas's marriage on February 18, 1852 was recorded. You can see a scan of the photocopy that was sent to me by clicking on the link below.

It was over a year ago that I learned about a web site named Find A Grave.

Now, at first blush, you might not think that Find A Grave is some place that you want to visit.

I mean, who wants to go looking for a grave? What plans do we have? Do we need to be searching for a grave today?

Find A Grave doesn't help you find a grave for yourself or your relatives.

Instead it helps you find the graves of your relatives or anyone else that you think you are interested in knowing more about it/

Hi Shannon,

I saw you listed on the Woodbury Heights Elem School site.

Your name jumped out at me because in winters past I have cross country skied along the unused railroad tracks in the photo below from Beaver River to Brandeth and back.

It is the only place named Brandreth that I know of --- and having your name you should know of it too.

All the best,

Bob Thomas

Finding some of the places that my ancestors lived.

***** Update *****
Found a photo of William Finley, the father of Chester Alexander Finley - husband of Beulah M. Van Leer. I don't know much about the photo, as far as when it was taken or who the little girl was. I think that the photo was taken late in the life of William Finley, 1849 - 1935.

Chester "Pop" Finley was my great-grandfather. I realize now that I didn't really lay out the whole genealogy -- as I understand it -

Here's an image the lays it all out.