One of the greatest benefits of publishing a blog is the ability to reach many people. Recently I received an email from Richard Rieck, Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of Geography at Western Illinois University concerning a Western Kentucky Genealogy blog post written over a year ago. Prof. Rieck has been working on a book manuscript about deaths on the Oregon/California/Mormon Trails 1841-1865. In the course of his research, he came across a letter sent by an anonymous traveler to a St. Louis newspaper.[1] This letter was published in 1852 and contained a list of trail graves, including one with the following information: "J. Postlewait, aged 35, Chritenden County, Ky." Apparently, the grave had a head board in 1852, but it does not exist today. The letter writer stated that the Postlewait grave was on the south side of the North Platte River between Ash Hollow (near present-day Lewellen, Nebraska) and Ft. Laramie, Wyoming.
If you recall, Jonathan Postlewait of Crittenden County died 11 June 1852, leaving a widow, Mary (Ashley) Postlewait, and several young children. Mary Postlewait remarried and went to Ray County, Missouri.
Fortunately, Prof. Rieck read the blog post on Jonathan Postlewait, contacted me and shared the burial information. So, now we know where Postlewait was buried and Prof. Rieck knows Postlewait's death date. Isn't sharing information fun? And the world no longer seems so big.
[1] St. Louis Intelligencer, 13 July 1852, p. 1, col. 8, as supplied by Richard Rieck in an email 2 December 2017.
Published 7 December 2017, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment