Searching for L.T.
By Judy Kauffman
It is early March and Darrel Bittle, a member of the Lake County Genealogical Society is in the process of updating veteran records countywide. As a member of the group, I decide to assist and represent the south county in this endeavor. A list of veterans, categorized by conflict, and noted as buried at the Middletown cemetery, becomes the starting point. Glancing through this list, I notice there are 17 civil war veterans. The mere fact that these civil war veterans had interment in our local cemetery is fascinating to me. Because of my prior interest in “Find a Grave”, (a free resource for locating the final resting place of folks), I decide I will enter each veteran from the list buried at the Middletown Cemetery into the Find a Grave web site. The first name on the list is L.J. Adams, with no birth or death date, and only an indication he had served in the “civil war”. L.J. Adams is my first entry into Find a Grave. I enter his name, with the description “veteran” in his bio section. I check with Meriel Medrano, the District Manager at the Middletown Cemetery, and she provides me with the district list of all veterans buried in Middletown. The district also has a “Civil War Veterans Buried in Middletown' listing. As I compare these lists, I notice that Middletown Cemetery’s first entry is also L.J. Adams, with a death date of 1898. Curiously, someone has crossed through the initials “L.J.” and written off to the side “G.T.”. Evergreen Section 147, Plot #3 is also noted. I decide this must be the more accurate information, so I enter a correction to the L.J. Adams memorial in Find a Grave. It now reads “G.T. Adams”, date of death 1898 and the burial plot information. Within days, I receive the first of many e-mails from a woman living in Montana - her name is Beverly Gibson: “I just noticed that you changed L.J. Adams to G.T. Adams. I have been searching for the grave of my Great Grandfather Lorenzo Theodore Adams for several years. When I looked up all the Adams family buried in the Middletown Cemetery and saw G.T. Adams, military veteran, who died in 1898, I thought it might be him. I am really hoping that is so. Do you know for sure it is G.T. Adams? L.T. died Jan 18, 1898 in the Mendocino State Hospital, where he had been for less than a month. His family lived in Middletown. There may be other Adams family buried there, as well. I believe his daughter; Drucilla Rosamond “Rose” Adams Francis is buried there. She died in 1897 or 1898. I will be ever so grateful if I can finally know his final resting place”. |
I ask Beverly if she has any reason to believe that her Great Grandfather is a civil war veteran. Beverly confirms Lorenzo Theodore Adams is indeed a Civil War veteran. He was with the 37th regiment of the Wisconsin Volunteers. She has in her possession documentation regarding this part of his life. Beverly also had an opportunity to research “Mauldin’s History of Lake County” which summarizes a list of veterans buried in the Middletown Cemetery. “L.J. Adams” is on the list. Mauldin’s History also lists a Mrs. John Francis, the daughter of L.T. Adams buried at the Middletown cemetery. I am now certain the gravesite of L.J., (G.T) Adams is in fact Beverly’s Great Grandfather L.T. Adams. The chance of two Adams who served in the Civil War buried in this small Evergreen section of our Middletown cemetery – well that is remote. Within a few days, Beverly has scheduled a trip to Lake County to see if she can find her great grandfather’s grave as well as research other family members. I step up the research in the Middletown cemetery office – which unfortunately has only the name G.T. Adams listed on a civil war listing with a resting place of Section 147, Plot 3, Evergreen section. All records prior to 1960 had been stored in a barn and destroyed by fire. I must admit, as well as fascination, I am now fixated on finding the site of L.T. Adams. I check the wall charts at the cemetery office where L.T.’s gravesite is noted, but his daughter Mrs. John Francis is not. She is listed on an “Inventory of Gravesites at the Middletown Cemetery District”, prepared by a college student in the spring of 1993. This listing has only graves with markers. L.T. is not on that inventory. During the next few weeks, I drag my husband Bob to the cemetery to continue the search for all civil war veterans with special emphasis on L.T. Adams. Beverly arrives, and meets with Anita Crabtree, the Vice President of the Lake County Genealogical Society, at the genealogy library in Lucerne. Her research uncovers numerous family members in the county including Beverly’s great grandmother, Sarah Emily "Emma" Rantz Adams Bradford who had moved to Upper Lake after remarrying. Later, Beverly, Sara Kozel, another Find a Grave Contributor from Healdsburg, and I walk the Evergreen area of the Middletown Cemetery trying to determine where L.T. and his daughter, Mrs. John Francis, have been laid to rest. With no luck in the grave search, Beverly contemplates once we determine the actual burial site, if it would be possible to secure a VA headstone for L.T. Adams. I place a call to the Lakeport VA office where Beverly later obtains the proper claim form, to begin this process. Beverly leaves Lake County, with gratitude to everyone involved and a promise to be back in the fall. The hope is to honor this civil war veteran with a headstone erected in the appropriate place. Within a few of days of Memorial Day, old cemetery maps are discovered at the cemetery district office. The maps dated May 3, 1962 are sketchy…. but there in the lower right corner is the name G.T. Adams – along with Mrs. John Francis in block section 147. More importantly, there are other names listed in relationship to the Adams plot. I immediately recognize a civil war veteran, Marcus Munz, Section 124 that I had located days before. As I stand at his grave this day – I know quickly and without a doubt, there is a whole row, sections - 137 through 150 that have been covered and overgrown with trees, vinca and yes, unbeknownst to me, poison oak. It takes a few minutes to convince husband Bob we should return to the house, bring tree branch cutters, a pitchfork, and rakes…. As we trim oak tree branches, and cut away as much debris as we can, we take the pitchfork and try to locate anything that would indicate a headstone or marker beneath the debris. Within an hour, Bob finds something solid, the first discovery – the base of a headstone. Eerily there are artificial flowers placed at this grave, still in color and recognizable. After a few more minutes, we uncover the actual head stone lying flat, broken off its base. It reads “Minerva, Wife of Coulthard, Gone but not forgotten”. Minerva Coulthard? There is no mention of this name on the map of 1962; however, it does appear on the 1993 inventory. We notify Meriel at the cemetery office, we have uncovered a headstone, which could indicate an additional row of gravesites. We are certain L.T. Adams as well as his daughter, Mrs. John Francis are close. A meeting with surveyor George Nystrom, who has been working with the cemetery board and preparing an overall grid of the entire cemetery, takes place a few days after the discovery of Mrs. Coulthard’s headstone. As the meeting is taking place at the cemetery office, Bob is raking and prodding the row adjacent to Mrs. Coulthard’s headstone. The meeting with George is concluding when Bob appears in the office with the news he has in fact FOUND the headstone of Mrs. John D. Francis, L.T. Adams' daughter. As we march down to the lower south section of the Evergreen area of the cemetery, approximately 30 feet from the headstone of Mrs. Coulthard, and snugged up to an old wire fence and oak tree, is the headstone of Mrs. John D. Francis, unearthed from 12 inches of compost. She died in 1898. In the following weeks, the Middletown Cemetery district works diligently and secures a contractor to remove the debris, downed trees and poison oak. Section 137 through 150 of the Evergreen Section is now clear; Mrs. John D. Francis and Minerva Coulthard’s headstones are now visible. In the weeks since, the Middletown Cemetery has received L.T.’s headstone, compliments of the Veterans Administration. This military marker will soon be set in the Evergreen section # 147, plot 3, next to the marker of his daughter, Mrs. John Francis. On Thursday, October 10 at 11:00 a.m., a short ceremony, which includes the Military Funeral Honor Team of Lake County, is scheduled. This service will take place graveside. Mr. Lorenzo Theodore Adams, a Private who served in the Union Army with the Wisconsin Volunteers, 37th Regiment, Company F, during the Civil War will be honored. Mr. Adams’ great granddaughter Beverly invites any interested community members to attend. A reception in the Cemetery District Office will follow the ceremony. One hundred and fifteen years have passed since the interment of Mr. Adams. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor this civil war veteran and perhaps survey the other eighteen civil war veterans and one Spanish American War veteran buried in this, our Middletown Cemetery. Your cemetery district board of directors honors all Veterans each Memorial Day with a memorable wreath ceremony while continuing to place great emphasis on the improvement and restoration of this beautiful local landmark and final resting place of our patriots and loved ones. |
Within days, I receive the first of many e-mails from a woman living in Montana - her name is Beverly Gibson: “I just noticed that you changed L.J. Adams to G.T. Adams. I have been searching for the grave of my Great Grandfather Lorenzo Theodore Adams for several years. When I looked up all the Adams family buried in the Middletown Cemetery and saw G.T. Adams, military veteran, who died in 1898, I thought it might be him. I am really hoping that is so. Do you know for sure it is G.T. Adams? L.T. died Jan 18, 1898 in the Mendocino State Hospital, where he had been for less than a month. His family lived in Middletown. There may be other Adams family buried there, as well. I believe his daughter; Drucilla Rosamond “Rose” Adams Francis is buried there. She died in 1897 or 1898. I will be ever so grateful if I can finally know his final resting place”.
I ask Beverly if she has any reason to believe that her Great Grandfather is a civil war veteran. Beverly confirms Lorenzo Theodore Adams is indeed a Civil War veteran. He was with the 37th regiment of the Wisconsin Volunteers. She has in her possession documentation regarding this part of his life. Beverly also had an opportunity to research “Mauldin’s History of Lake County” which summarizes a list of veterans buried in the Middletown Cemetery. “L.J. Adams” is on the list. Mauldin’s History also lists a Mrs. John Francis, the daughter of L.T. Adams buried at the Middletown cemetery. I am now certain the gravesite of L.J., (G.T) Adams is in fact Beverly’s Great Grandfather L.T. Adams. The chance of two Adams who served in the Civil War buried in this small Evergreen section of our Middletown cemetery – well that is remote. Within a few days, Beverly has scheduled a trip to Lake County to see if she can find her great grandfather’s grave as well as research other family members. I step up the research in the Middletown cemetery office – which unfortunately has only the name G.T. Adams listed on a civil war listing with a resting place of Section 147, Plot 3, Evergreen section. All records prior to 1960 had been stored in a barn and destroyed by fire. I must admit, as well as fascination, I am now fixated on finding the site of L.T. Adams. I check the wall charts at the cemetery office where L.T.’s gravesite is noted, but his daughter Mrs. John Francis is not. She is listed on an “Inventory of Gravesites at the Middletown Cemetery District”, prepared by a college student in the spring of 1993. This listing has only graves with markers. L.T. is not on that inventory. During the next few weeks, I drag my husband Bob to the cemetery to continue the search for all civil war veterans with special emphasis on L.T. Adams. Beverly arrives, and meets with Anita Crabtree, the Vice President of the Lake County Genealogical Society, at the genealogy library in Lucerne. Her research uncovers numerous family members in the county including Beverly’s great grandmother, Sarah Emily "Emma" Rantz Adams Bradford who had moved to Upper Lake after remarrying. Later, Beverly, Sara Kozel, another Find a Grave Contributor from Healdsburg, and I walk the Evergreen area of the Middletown Cemetery trying to determine where L.T. and his daughter, Mrs. John Francis, have been laid to rest. With no luck in the grave search, Beverly contemplates once we determine the actual burial site, if it would be possible to secure a VA headstone for L.T. Adams. I place a call to the Lakeport VA office where Beverly later obtains the proper claim form, to begin this process. Beverly leaves Lake County, with gratitude to everyone involved and a promise to be back in the fall. The hope is to honor this civil war veteran with a headstone erected in the appropriate place. Within a few of days of Memorial Day, old cemetery maps are discovered at the cemetery district office. The maps dated May 3, 1962 are sketchy…. but there in the lower right corner is the name G.T. Adams – along with Mrs. John Francis in block section 147. More importantly, there are other names listed in relationship to the Adams plot. I immediately recognize a civil war veteran, Marcus Munz, Section 124 that I had located days before. As I stand at his grave this day – I know quickly and without a doubt, there is a whole row, sections - 137 through 150 that have been covered and overgrown with trees, vinca and yes, unbeknownst to me, poison oak. It takes a few minutes to convince husband Bob we should return to the house, bring tree branch cutters, a pitchfork, and rakes…. As we trim oak tree branches, and cut away as much debris as we can, we take the pitchfork and try to locate anything that would indicate a headstone or marker beneath the debris. Within an hour, Bob finds something solid, the first discovery – the base of a headstone. Eerily there are artificial flowers placed at this grave, still in color and recognizable. After a few more minutes, we uncover the actual head stone lying flat, broken off its base. It reads “Minerva, Wife of Coulthard, Gone but not forgotten”. Minerva Coulthard? There is no mention of this name on the map of 1962; however, it does appear on the 1993 inventory. We notify Meriel at the cemetery office, we have uncovered a headstone, which could indicate an additional row of gravesites. We are certain L.T. Adams as well as his daughter, Mrs. John Francis are close. A meeting with surveyor George Nystrom, who has been working with the cemetery board and preparing an overall grid of the entire cemetery, takes place a few days after the discovery of Mrs. Coulthard’s headstone. As the meeting is taking place at the cemetery office, Bob is raking and prodding the row adjacent to Mrs. Coulthard’s headstone. The meeting with George is concluding when Bob appears in the office with the news he has in fact FOUND the headstone of Mrs. John D. Francis, L.T. Adams' daughter. As we march down to the lower south section of the Evergreen area of the cemetery, approximately 30 feet from the headstone of Mrs. Coulthard, and snugged up to an old wire fence and oak tree, is the headstone of Mrs. John D. Francis, unearthed from 12 inches of compost. She died in 1898. In the following weeks, the Middletown Cemetery district works diligently and secures a contractor to remove the debris, downed trees and poison oak. Section 137 through 150 of the Evergreen Section is now clear; Mrs. John D. Francis and Minerva Coulthard’s headstones are now visible. In the weeks since, the Middletown Cemetery has received L.T.’s headstone, compliments of the Veterans Administration. This military marker will soon be set in the Evergreen section # 147, plot 3, next to the marker of his daughter, Mrs. John Francis. On Thursday, October 10 at 11:00 a.m., a short ceremony, which includes the Military Funeral Honor Team of Lake County, is scheduled. This service will take place graveside. Mr. Lorenzo Theodore Adams, a Private who served in the Union Army with the Wisconsin Volunteers, 37th Regiment, Company F, during the Civil War will be honored. Mr. Adams’ great granddaughter Beverly invites any interested community members to attend. A reception in the Cemetery District Office will follow the ceremony. One hundred and fifteen years have passed since the interment of Mr. Adams. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor this civil war veteran and perhaps survey the other eighteen civil war veterans and one Spanish American War veteran buried in this, our Middletown Cemetery. Your cemetery district board of directors honors all Veterans each Memorial Day with a memorable wreath ceremony while continuing to place great emphasis on the improvement and restoration of this beautiful local landmark and final resting place of our patriots and loved ones. |