Springfield Tour

[LincolnMan]

Very nice Rob- thanks for doing that!

[RJNorton]

Great photos, Rob! Seeing the Booth name on that one obelisk was downright eerie!

[Anita]

Rob, thanks for taking me along on the trip through your photos. I especially enjoyed the tombstones. I agree with Roger that seeing the Booth obelisk was very spooky. Do you know anything about this "Booth" ?

[BettyO]

Fantastic photos, Rob. Thanks for sharing!

[Joe Di Cola]

Rob,

Thanks for the memories of three truly wonderful days!

Joe

[Rob Wick]

Joe (or Pop ),

You're welcome. It was a memory maker for both Cheryl and myself.

Anita,

Here is the information from Find-A-Grave:

Albert Booth

Born in Maine. Son of Isaac Booth. Husband of 1) Hannah Stephens Booth (d. 1860, Springfield) and 2) Clarissa Kent, widow of Josiah P. Kent who died July 26, 1856, in
Illiopolis township. Mrs. Clarissa Kent married March 17, 1861, to Albert Booth. He died March 1, 1873, in Springfield, Illinois, and his widow resides there. (Excerpts from 1881 History of Early Settlers of Sangamon County, IL)

The Booth monument has no names engraved. Small stones denote those family members in plot: Father and Mother are Albert and wife Hannah. Sons Albert, Charles and Timothy also have small stones, none with dates. Other known children are Amassa, Wesley, and Mary, who married Alexander McCosker and their name is inscribed on other side of monument. They are also buried in this plot.

It was a bittersweet time for Cheryl and myself. Several months ago we had to take Droopy to the vet because she had problems with her right eye. The doctor gave us some medicine and drops, but it never cleared up. I doubted she could see from it, but she still had her left eye. A few days ago, I noticed her left eye was starting to look like the right, but we put the drops in it and it seemed OK, so we took her to the kennel before we left for Springfield.

When we went to pick her up from the kennel, the owner asked us how long she had been blind. We were both dumbfounded, because when we dropped her off Thursday, she was fine. Evidently over those few days, the other eye went bad. The vet confirmed our worst fears today. Droopy is permanently and irrevocably blind in both eyes. The vet thinks it is something called Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration which comes on quickly and is predominant in female dogs. He said her overall health remains good, and she can live out a natural life with some help from us. She knows her way around the house, so she should be OK there, but we have to watch when she's introduced into a new environment, and we have to warn people not to startle or approach her quickly. It's disheartening to watch her and know there's nothing we can do to cure her. We can and will, however, continue to comfort and love her.

Best
Rob

[Eva Elisabeth]

Rob, thank you for not just posting but also explaining all the gorgeous photos! I've learned a lot that was new to me. It's fascinating to see the surveying tools still exist! And one can see how much you all enjoyed the trip. May I ask - is there a historic city center in Springfield? What does the area around the Lincoln House look like - are there other 19th century buildings/houses?

[L Verge]

Your photos, Rob, are the next best thing to my being in Springfield and New Salem. However, I almost fell off my chair when I saw the tombstone for Ann Rutledge and saw that her middle name was "Mayes." That was my maiden name, except that the U.S. Army had dropped the "e" from the name when all of my uncles - save one - and my father joined the service. I suspect that it might have been Miss Rutledge's mother's maiden name??? Anyone have any genealogy on her that could answer that question and where the family originated? So far as I can tell, my family started in southern Virginia or northern North Carolina.

[Rob Wick]

Eva,

Where the Old State Capitol, the Lincoln/Herndon Law Offices, the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Lincoln Home and other buildings are located is called the Central Springfield Historic District. Where the Dana-Thomas and Vachel Lindsay homes are located is in the neighborhood called Old Aristocracy Hill.

The neighborhood around Lincoln's home has been shut to traffic and an attempt has been made to restore it to the appearance it had when Lincoln lived there. Some of the homes surrounding the Lincoln home are open to the public and contain some Lincoln mementos. The only thing which makes it difficult for me to imagine what it must have been like, is the traffic noise which goes up and down the surrounding streets. Of course, there's no way the streets could be shut down, but one has to strain to use their imagination on how it must have felt in that day.

Best
Rob

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(10-14-2013 06:06 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Your photos, Rob, are the next best thing to my being in Springfield and New Salem. However, I almost fell off my chair when I saw the tombstone for Ann Rutledge and saw that her middle name was "Mayes." That was my maiden name, except that the U.S. Army had dropped the "e" from the name when all of my uncles - save one - and my father joined the service. I suspect that it might have been Miss Rutledge's mother's maiden name??? Anyone have any genealogy on her that could answer that question and where the family originated? So far as I can tell, my family started in southern Virginia or northern North Carolina.

Her mother's maiden name was actually Miller. Although it's not certain he was born there, the family did live in South Carolina before moving to Illinois.

Best
Rob

[Joe Di Cola]

(10-14-2013 03:47 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  Joe (or Pop ),

You're welcome. It was a memory maker for both Cheryl and myself.

Anita,

Here is the information from Find-A-Grave:

Albert Booth

Born in Maine. Son of Isaac Booth. Husband of 1) Hannah Stephens Booth (d. 1860, Springfield) and 2) Clarissa Kent, widow of Josiah P. Kent who died July 26, 1856, in
Illiopolis township. Mrs. Clarissa Kent married March 17, 1861, to Albert Booth. He died March 1, 1873, in Springfield, Illinois, and his widow resides there. (Excerpts from 1881 History of Early Settlers of Sangamon County, IL)

The Booth monument has no names engraved. Small stones denote those family members in plot: Father and Mother are Albert and wife Hannah. Sons Albert, Charles and Timothy also have small stones, none with dates. Other known children are Amassa, Wesley, and Mary, who married Alexander McCosker and their name is inscribed on other side of monument. They are also buried in this plot.

It was a bittersweet time for Cheryl and myself. Several months ago we had to take Droopy to the vet because she had problems with her right eye. The doctor gave us some medicine and drops, but it never cleared up. I doubted she could see from it, but she still had her left eye. A few days ago, I noticed her left eye was starting to look like the right, but we put the drops in it and it seemed OK, so we took her to the kennel before we left for Springfield.

When we went to pick her up from the kennel, the owner asked us how long she had been blind. We were both dumbfounded, because when we dropped her off Thursday, she was fine. Evidently over those few days, the other eye went bad. The vet confirmed our worst fears today. Droopy is permanently and irrevocably blind in both eyes. The vet thinks it is something called Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration which comes on quickly and is predominant in female dogs. He said her overall health remains good, and she can live out a natural life with some help from us. She knows her way around the house, so she should be OK there, but we have to watch when she's introduced into a new environment, and we have to warn people not to startle or approach her quickly. It's disheartening to watch her and know there's nothing we can do to cure her. We can and will, however, continue to comfort and love her.

Best
Rob

Rob and Cheryl,

I am saddened to learn of Droopy's condition, but heartened to know that she will have a good life living with good and caring people like you two. Thanks ever so much for sharing about her, including her picture.

Joe

[LincolnMan]

Very sad Rob. I know you and Cheryl will continue to love and comfort her.

[Rob Wick]

Thanks Joe and Bill. All three of us deeply appreciate it.

Best
Rob

[Liz Rosenthal]

Thanks so much for posting the photos, Rob! They're absolutely wonderful!

I'm sorry about your dog, Droopy. But at least she has people who love her and will care for her.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks Rob. How old is your dog? It's said, dogs can cope with blindness better than humans can. I don't mean it doesn't matter, but that she could still enjoy life.

[Hess1865]

Great pix Rob-my one and only trip to the Tomb and Lincoln's home was back in 1998

BTW, sorry to hear about Droopy