Ancestors in western New York
On our way home from Quebec we stopped in western New York to find the final resting place of some ancestors on the Ross side. These folks are named Russell. As the Rosses migrated west from New England to Michigan, they tarried for a generation in western New York, and children were born there. Orlando Ross married Beulah Fidelia Russell. Orlando and Beulah would be Marian Ross Turner’s great-grandparents. Beulah’s grandfather was Riverus Russell, a Revolutionary War Veteran. He had also migrated west from New England to western NY, and is buried there in Livingston Co., near the little crossroads village of Linwood.
We found the little country cemetery and the Russell graves without a hitch. On the day we were there, it happened that the local historical society was having a cemetery tour, and Riverus Russell was one of their highlights of the day. We were surprised and pleased to be there on that day, and they were pleased to meet a descendant of Riverus. The photos are of the Job Wood Cemetery, and the graves of Riverus, his wife Charity, and their son George, who was Beulah’s father. Riverus lived from 1756 to 1834. Charity lived 1761 to 1851.
Orlando and Beulah were farmers, who were married in Allegan Co., Michigan, returned to western NY for several years, then spent their last 30+ years in Michigan. They are buried near Petoskey, Michigan. I have some original letters written by Beulah, and one written to her from western NY, in 1859.
Orlando’s grandfather, Kneeland Ross, was also a Revolutionary War Veteran, and is probably buried in western NY also. I don’t know where, yet. On the day we were there I learned that, during the war, an expeditionary force was sent to western NY by George Washington. These were New England farm boys used to the stony fields of home, and they thought this western wilderness looked like the Promised Land. Word spread fast when the war was over and many of them, including our two ancestors Riverus Russell and Kneeland Ross, went west to build a new life. To supply a little perspective, Riverus and Kneeland would the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfathers of those in the Lucy, Garrett, Abigail and Seamus generation.
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