Me: She was born in Troy.
Grandaddy Mac: Oh, your great, great, great Grandmother Polly was born in Troy.
Me: Really?
Grandaddy Mac: Yes, her family settled in Michigan in the 1820's.
Me: Really?
And so it was that I discovered that not only had they settled here, but they helped to establish cities, owned land, and were prominent members of the community. Our home is only a few short miles from the family burial ground in Greenwood Cemetery in Birmingham. Fun stuff huh?!
Polly wasn't born in Troy though. She was born in Southfield, but it's all good. Her husband Nicholas is my current geneological obsession. I'm trying to document who Granddaddy Mac suspects to be his parents. So far it's been rough. I went to the Birmingham Historical Society recently to see what they had on the subject. (After I left, they had significantly more having copied every document I already had.) In my conversation with the director, I mentioned that in my records it showed that Polly had a little brother who died in the Civil War. Polly's husband Nicholas also died in that war. The director asked if I had ever been to Shain Park to see the Civil War monument erected there. I replied that I hadn't because I was not aware there was one. She retrieved a document from her filing cabinet that included the names of all the men listed on the stone. Omer Fall, Polly's brother, was among them.
Omer enlisted in August of 1862 with his brother Henry. Omer was 20 and Henry was 18. They both fought at the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia. Henry was wounded in action and both he and Omer were taken prisoner. Henry lived to see the end of the war, eventually promoted to Corporal in 1864 and mustered out in June of 1865. Omer died in Andersonville, a Confederate prisoner of war camp in 1863. The thought is horrifying.
Tonight we took the kids to Shain Park to show them the monument and hopefully instill a measure of respect and reverence for those who have fought and died for our country and our freedoms. It was a powerful moment for me and Jon, however there was also a playscape, so it was considerable less powerful for the kids. Here are some of the pictures I took.
This is the monument erected in 1869. The names of all the Civil War dead from Oakland County, MI are listed on each of the 4 sides. This is the side Omer's name is on. The marble slabs at the base are from the mountains of Georgia, the state where he died.
The flag, at half mast, slowly waved in the breeze. It was an appropriate backdrop. A fresh wreath of flowers had been placed there earlier in the day.
I asked everyone to place their hands around Omer's name. Eli put his own spin on the directions, appropriately.
Omer Fall, you are not forgotten.
