Category: Places

  • Coquille Tribal History

    As I began my genealogical research, it quickly became apparent that I needed learn about the local history of Randolph. Since I moved away from Coos County over forty years ago, it is fortunate that the digital age arrived in the intervening years: it yields a treasure-trove of online resources to help me learn from…

  • William Hirst: Headstone Mystery #2

    In the previous post, I described my research findings for one of the two headstones that Jim Proehl recently discovered near a Bandon cemetery. This post examines the other headstone with the engraving: William Hirst, Died Oct. 27, 1862, Aged 34 years. Why did the two headstones suddenly appear together? Are they from the same…

  • Here a Mary, There a Mary: Headstone Mystery #1

    A couple of weeks ago Jim Proehl at the Bandon Historical Society emailed a mystery to me. He wrote, “I walk through the Averill/GAR/Catholic cemetery in Bandon almost every day and was surprised yesterday to discover two new/old headstones that popped up along the road. One of the stones made me think of you.” The…

  • Preventing Cemetery Erasure

    I recently watched Sad Hill Unearthed, a documentary film about the restoration of an abandoned cemetery film set in northern Spain. No humans are buried at the site: it was created solely for the closing sequence of Sergio Leone’s 1966 film, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The documentary shows how fans of the…

  • Grave Stories, Part 6

    As I conclude this series, I’ve learned that between 1870 and 1938, at least eleven Thrush relatives are buried in the Hultin-Thrush Cemetery. Having already discussed seven interments, this final part focuses on four others: Two previously identified (in Part 3) and two discovered while writing the series. Previous posts in this series: Part 1,…

  • Grave Stories, Part 5

    Besides the burials of John Thrush, his wife Elizabeth, and two of their daughters, at least seven other individuals are reportedly buried in the Hultin-Thrush Cemetery. This fifth part of the series focuses on three of them; the last part of the series (Part 6) will focus on the remaining individuals interred at the family…

  • Grave Stories, Part 4

    In this fourth part of a multi-part series, I provide specific information about individuals buried in the Hultin-Thrush Cemetery (described in Grave Stories, Parts 1 and Part 3). Thrush Family in Randolph Please note that I am conducting systematic genealogical research, going back one generation at a time. I have learned enough at present to…

  • Grave Stories, Part 3

    In this third part of a multi-part series, I discuss the information posted online for the Hultin-Thrush Cemetery. (Aerial view of cemetery posted in Grave Stories, Part 1.) As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, John Thrush, Jr. is my great-great-great-grandfather who died in the 1890 landslide at Randolph. I didn’t know the exact…

  • Grave Stories, Part 2

    This is the second post of a multi-part series. For Memorial Day 2022, I thought examining the Randolph and Hultin-Thrush Cemeteries would be interesting and a quick, fun investigation into the past population of Randolph. I mean, there are only nine individuals to research: how much could be involved with such a narrowly defined project?…

  • Grave Stories, Part 1

    This is the first post of a multi-part series. I’ve recently registered Randolph, Coos County, Oregon, as a one-place study (OPS). Now I’m in the process of learning how to conduct a OPS so that I can start adding content to its dedicated WikiTree webpage. Many one-place studies (OPS) begin defining a place and its…