Sunday's Obituary - Annagusta West Drake

From The Marion Enterprise January 12, 1922

Over the past week I was off and I spent a great amount of my time working on my family research with a special focus on Annagusta West Drake.  She is my third great grandmother.  I have many of my ancestors death certificates and obituaries but I realized that I did not have Anna's so I set out on a mission to find it.  Luckily, she died in the town that I live in and my father happens to know the town historian quite well.  He contacted her and told her that I was looking for a way to access the old Marion, NY newspaper entitled The Marion Enterprise.  I was hoping she'd know where I could get access to the papers on or around January 9th 1922.  She mentioned that in Jennie's House, our local museum, there are boxes of the old papers from the 1880's through the 1930's.  Great, I might be in luck.  She gave my dad the key and off we went to explore.  After moving a bunch of dusty old boxes and bed frames I found the box with the right date and inside were all of the  papers from 1921-1924.  They were yellowed, brittle, full of information and all in order.  I located the right date and with great care scanned the 90 year old paper for her obituary and I found it!   I took a picture with my iPad and was ecstatic with my treasure.  

Here is a transcription of Annagusta's death notice:

Mrs. Annagusta Drake

Mrs. Annagusta Drake, widow of Charles W. Drake, passed away at 6 o'clock, Tuesday moring, January 9, 1922, at her home on Palmyra Street, after a long illness, being 79 years of age.

Mrs. Drake had survived her husband only two months.

Her maiden name was Annagusta West.  She was born in New York City.

She had been a resident of Marion the last twenty years, coming from Sodus with her husband.  She was a  member of the local W.C.T.U.  She leaves one sone and six daughters:  Joseph Drake, of Newark, N.Y.; Mrs. William Carroll, of Williamson; Mrs. Sarah Haskins, of Marion; Mrs. Charles Boyle, of Oswego, Illinois; Miss Janet Drake and Mrs. Clara White, of Buffalo; Mrs. Agnes Hasselwander, of Rochester; eight grandchildren and four great grandchildre; also one brother, Edward West, of Newark, N.Y.

The funeral was held Thursday afternoon, at half past one o'clock, from the house, Rev. L.W, Bumpus, pastor of the Baptist church, officiating.  Burial was in the family lot in Marion cemetery.

Sunday's Obituary - Charles W. Drake

Today I have decided to post the obituary for my 3rd Great Grandfather, Charles W. Drake.

I selected him because he passed away November 11, 1922, which is 89 years ago this week.

It is hard to read the newspaper clipping that is attached so I have transcribed it below:

Charles W. Drake, passed away at his home on Palmyra street, Saturday, November 11, 1922 at three o'clock in the afternoon, in his eighty-fifth year.

Mr. Drake had been ill a long time and confined to his house for a number of months, being a great sufferer.  A nurse has been in the home for months.  Mrs. Drake also being in very feeble condition.

Mr. Drake was born on March 25, 1838, in Amenia, Dutchess county, N.Y. when he passed the first thirty-five years of his life, moving thence to Wayne county.

He came to Marion from Sodus about twenty years ago, and with his wife had lived here since that time.  He leaves his wife, Mrs. Annagusta Drake; one son, Joseph Drake, of Newark, N.Y. and six daughters, Mrs William Carroll, of Williamson; Mrs. Sarah Haskins of Marion; Mrs Charles Boyle, Oswego, Illinois; Miss Janet Drake of Buffalo; Mrs. Clara White of Buffalo, Mrs. Agnes Hasselwander of Rochester.  There are eight grandchildren, of whom two are Darwin and Fred Haskins, of this town and four great grandchildren.

The funeral was held from the house Tuesday afternoon at two o'clock, Rev L. W. Bumpass, pastor of the Baptist Church, Officiating.  Burial was in the family lot in Marion Cemetery.

Sunday's Obituary - Sarah Haskins

As I mentioned in an earlier posting I am planning to write a book this year on my family history.  I am currently reading You Can Write Your Family History by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack.  She outlines 19 steps to help you to write a book about your family.  In step 3 she suggests a way for you to organize your research to determine if you have enough to begin the writing process or if need to dig a little more to tie up those loose ends to ensure you can succeed in writing a quality product.  This is what brings me to my post.

I was beginning to compile my Haskins family group sheets and realized I had very little documented factual information about my great-great grandmother; Sarah Drake Haskins.  I was surprised because I feel I know so much about her.  People have told me lots of information over the years but I don't have docments supportiing many of those details.  So...................back to my file box I go, where I have many pictures, obituaries and other papers on members of the family.  (At some point I want to scan them all in to my computer, but that is a different project for a different day.)  In my search I found Sarah's Obiturary.  I don't have her death certificate, which has been added to my things to do list but I was pleasantly surprised to find this treasure.


Sarah lived with her son Fred at the time of her death, which was on Union Street in Marion, NY.  My parents currently live in this house.  My mother swears she will occasionally hear her clanking around from time to time.  (If you say so mom...)