Finding Ada

  You might remember that two years ago I spent some time in the Lakeview Cemetery in my home town and tracked down some gravestones from biological family members. I also mentioned that my father's bio mother was supposed to be buried in her family's plot, but there was no marker. My dad had told me once that she was there, but I was too young to remember where he showed me.

This is Ada E. Hall Walker, age at time of picture unknown, but I'm guessing late teens. It's the only known picture of her that exists.

So, this month, the Interlaken Historical Society presented a program called "Name that Ghost" where they hoped to solve a few mysteries associated with the cemetery. I semi-jokingly said that if they found Ada's ghost walking around, they should ask her where she is buried.

Well! Diane Bassette Nelson, whom I do remember from childhood, is now the person in charge of all this info and research. She took on the challenge despite the fact that I knew almost nothing about Ada. Two years ago, I managed to determine that Ada's mother was Augusta Claudine Rappleye Hall. I speculated that she was born between 1882 and 1884 because dad was born in 1904. And I knew that she died rather young, but I had no other information.

Diane found Ada! We now know that she was born in January 1883, and died in a hospital in Scranton, PA, July 26, 1917. Perhaps she had tuberculosis, but the article does not say. Her father was Porter C. Hall. She died four days after Dad turned 13. I wonder if he was told of her death at the time.

And she is buried right beside her mother. The cemetery placed a laminated paper marker there temporarily.

There is no one left who really cares about any of this since I'm the end of this biological line. But someohow, I feel that this has provided some closure for my dad. He was four years old when he was given up for adoption, so he had to have remembered Ada. And he cared enough to try to show me where she was. Perhaps after I finish this hike, I can get a basic headstone placed for her.

In other news, I created a Books Leaving Footprints newsletter this morning and worked on trail food. In the afternoon, I worked on the trailer and then Cathy came by, and we did some errands, including buying me a new mattress! Perhaps no more morning backaches from a worn-out mattress. That would be awesome. I crossed off one BIG ITEM and 3 small ones, but I added more small ones. 31 BIG ITEMS to do (31 done)-- so am I at the tipping point and it's all downhill from here?-- and 24 small ones (14 done) to do. 34 days to go. I know there will be a ton more small items added as the date approaches.

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Taking it Back, Way Back

  You might recall that I spent some time in the Interlaken (Lakeview) Cemetery while I was in New York. I took pictures of all the grave markers of my known ancestors. Here's an important one. This is the Ansel Rappleye side of the family monument. He was my biological great-great-great grandfather. I had shown you his son's picture previously. That was W. Ford Rappleye. My Heritage has a photo enhancer to clean and colorize old pictures. W. Ford looks a little less formidable now. That "thing" that looks like a bandage over his eye is just an artifact of the enhancement. Something goofy- not really there. So, I wanted to take my dad's biological line back a little farther. That was easy to do at the same cemetery. Ford's father was Ansel Rappleye Jan 18,1811-May 6, 1895, and his father was William Rappleye May 27,1774- Oct 29,1869.

William and brother Nicholas, along with their father Jeremiah, were founding members of the Interlaken Baptist Church which celebrated its 200th anniversary last year. A woman named Lany Rappleye was also named on the intial membership, but I haven't identified her yet. It's not William's wife. Her name was Barbary. I have not yet found a wife for Nicholas. She might also be an unmarried cousin. No sibling whose name or nickname could be Lany. But there are a LOT of Rappleyes in the cemetery! Jeremiah's birth name was Jeramius Jacobus Gedoke Rappelle, 1742 or 43 to 1826 or 27. That got Americanized, and the spelling Rappleye (which is found exclusively in upstate NY) somehow came into use. Jeremiah was the one who moved to Seneca County, NY, and thus his branch of the family left New York City for the farm country.

His father was Joris Rapelje, Jan 24, 1706-1743. Joris is George in Dutch.

Joris' father was Jacob Rapelje, June 25, 1679-1730.

Jacob's father was Jeronymus Jorise Rapelje, born before June 28, 1643-1690

And Jeronymus' (Hieronymus) father was Joris Jansen Rapelje, 28 April 1604 – 21 February 1662/63, for whom there is a Wikipedia entry. He was a was a member of the Council of Twelve Men in the Dutch West India Company colony of New Netherland. He and his wife Catalina (Catalyntje) Trico (1605–1689) were among the earliest settlers in New Netherland. Their oldest daughter was the first child of European descent born in New York. They have been called the Adam and Eve of New Netherland with over a million descendents!

This painting by John Durand of four of Joris' descendants is famous. The painting is L-R of Garret (Jr), George, Anne, and Jacques. Their father is Garret, grandfather George, great-grandfather Jan who was the brother of Jacob in my line. So these children are 3rd cousins to William and Nicholas, mentioned above. The Rapelje's were Walloons (Belgain Calvinists who were more French than Belgian). They came to New Netherland in 1624. This is amazing! On my mother's side, I come from actual Mayflower (1620) stock. On Dad's side, we arrived here only 4 years later. When I joke that I am a Yankee through-and-through, I guess I'm really not kidding.

This was a pretty incredible journey for only a couple of hours of research!

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More Family- Tonight the Secrets

 
Here are two more pictures from the box I discovered yesterday. Again, one is known and one is a guess, an educated guess.

Here is the known person. This is William Ford Rappleye, always known as Ford. It is from him that my father gets his middle name, Ford. This is dad's biological grandfather, or maybe great-grandfather. My recollection of the stories is grandfather, but the dates don't jive, so it must be great-grandfather, which leaves me with a question as to the missing generation. This picture was taken in 1908, eight years before he died.

The Rappleyes were important people in the history of my small town. They were founders. One of the Rappleyes helped establish the First Baptist Church that I've occasionally posted about. They did not tolerate scandal.



Unfortunately, this young lady, Ada Rappleye, or maybe Hall, ran off with a man named Dana Walker. I was always told that my dad was their illegitimate child. However, I have found a wedding certificate for them, and I have dad's adoption papers which state that his parents were Dana and Ada Walker, and his name was Ray Ford Walker. The mysteries continue.

I am guessing that this is her picture. I remember being shown it in the past, and I can see that Dad and John both look like this woman, so I think this must be the correct one.



Well, the family cut her off completely. The Walkers were destitute and gave Ray up for adoption to the Learys. The adoption papers say they were unable to provide food or clothing for him.

She is buried in an unmarked grave in the Interlaken Cemetery. Dad knew where it was, but there is no headstone. I'm quite sure I couldn't find the exact location even if I went there. If there is an official record of it, it has not been recorded in Find-a-Grave. I hope somewhere there's a record.

Meanwhile, if Ada was Ford's granddaughter rather than his daughter, was her father Ansel Jay Rappleye, or her mother Augusta Claudine Rappleye Hall? My money is on Augusta, because I've always been told that my middle name, Hall, comes from both sides of the family, and that would be the connection on dad's biological side.

I have just found that Ansel Jay never married and had no children. Augusta is shown as having one daughter, Ada. So I've established that line, but there is no further information.

I guess if you are cut off, you are cut off. Period.

All this known history led to many of dad's emotional problems. He was adopted into a family who lived in the same town where all this scandal occurred and everyone knew who he was. They never let him forget. Small towns can be wonderful. Or not.

In other news: I wrote in the morning, got more groceries, did some formatting and editing.

	See Dad's Adoptive Parents
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