For the past six days I have been tramping around cemeteries or making copies either by machine, camera and hand-written of records, deeds, wills, and ancestry matters. From Kat's apartment, I once again successfully left New York City and headed north to Dover Plains, NY. There I knew that my grandmother Hawley's family had lived and where some of the Waller's were buried. Also members of the famous Fry family, which seems to have taken over my life. More about that later.

I arrived in Dover Plains in the afternoon, and was able to find a motel to stay at for the night. I went down to the DP Free Library and looked over some reference books regarding the residents of Dover Plains. I found references to the Wallers and the Frys. The librarian there told me I would find a lot more information about Dover Plains and its history at the County Seat, which was Poughkeepsie, NY. I then went to a cute coffee/bakery/restaurant shop kitty corner from the library and got a salad. Then I went back to the motel and crashed. Slept nearly 10 hours. Kat and I had kept very late hours!

The next day after getting coffee and breakfast, I drove to one of the cemeteries in Dover Plains,

where Waller's and some Fry's are buried, and took pictures of gravestones.

Grave of William Fry

Grave of Homer Waller, Jr. and his wife Elizabeth Fry

From the cemetery, I drove to Poughkeepsie, and found the County Courthouse, which is really a series of building next to each other. The first one I walked into was the COURT house, and for those on probation. Not for me. The next one was where I wanted to be, and told to go to the 2nd floor, I was shown how to use the records to find deeds. I was able to find deeds belonging to Wallers and to Frys, and had copies made of them. Then to another building, next to that one, where after passing through a small version of airport security, made an immediate left, and another immediate left, and was in a very pleasant office of all women, who helped me find wills that might have been made by the above relatives. And I did! And copies were made. Leaving the buildings, I went back to the parking lot, only to find that I probably was in the most expensive parking lot in Poughkeepsie - $9.00 for four hours. Geez! It was now 4PM, so I called Best Western in Poughkeepsie, and found that they no longer were there, but Clarion Hotels was, so I made a reservation for the night. I still hadn't gotten to the library.

Poughkeepsie is an interesting town. It has some really beautiful old Victorian homes, most in wonderful condition. Its streets wind around and the population is diverse. The part of the downtown area I saw seems to be making a comeback. I however, was going out to the burbs and the Clarion, and endless strip malls. After wandering around, I asked a pleasant young woman, who gave me wonderful instructions, and I drove right to it.

The next day I went to the library and spent a few hours going through some reference books about Dutchess County and Dover Plains. Made a few copies, and then headed back to Dover Plains and to Rte. 55, and Kent Hollow, Connecticut. I stopped at the DP library and met a woman coming out. I had found out that most of the Frys were in another cemetery somewhere in the area. She told me the only other one she knew of was off Rte. 55 East, just out of town. It was on my way to Nancy's!!! I found it!

I drove in, and in the front lot, where a lot of old gravestones, so I started rambling through them. I found no Frys. I was hot, and tired, and the gnats were swarming around my face. I gave up, and returned to Matilda. I vowed that I would be back, after I talked with Ed Acken, whose name was on the sign. Off to Connecticut and Kent Hollow.

For those of you never having been in Western Connecticut, it is beautiful wooded land, with rivers and streams running through it. Rolling hills abound, and one is driving up and down, and curving around the roads. The ever present rock walls of by gone days, which farmers had dug up in their fields, are everywhere. When the glaciers had retreated, New England was the depository of a lot of stone! Wonderful old homes dot the landscape along with newly built ones. The little towns all have their history dating back to the 1600's-1700's. Every so often, I saw white church spires through the woods, and knew I was coming to a village.

After driving around, and pretending that I wasn't lost, I finally stopped, and asked where Lake Waramaug was, as I knew that I could find Nancy from there. I had passed through Kent, but didn't know my way to her farm from the town. Coming in from the southeast side of the lake, I drove around it to the state park, and then continued following the road, and lo and behold, there was Kent Hollow Road. Making a left, I saw Nancy's house...

And next to it, the little cottage which I am staying in...

Nancy owns Kent Hollow Farm, now about 200 acres of buildings and farm land. She rents out the original Waller farmhouse to two families, and converted the sheep barn to a small house, which she also rents. The house she lives in, she built. Nancy has farmed for most of her life, not only here but in other places in Connecticut. She can bale hay with the best of them, but now doesn't do it because of back problems. Her son Bill and grandson Billy do it. The barns and buildings and the farmhouse, are all the original buildings, of course getting small improvements as needed. This is one of the original barns right across from her present driveway...

Nancy Hawley Lang Wilsea is 95 years old. She is the first cousin of my mother, Susan Hawley Atwell Freeman. Their fathers were brothers. Nancy is the last person in our family who really knows the Waller/Hawley family history - the Guru - the Matriarch. I just love her. She has worked hard all of her life. Before she married her first husband, she became an aviator. Her brother, Murray (Bob) was a well known pilot and test pilot. Nancy was also an accomplished singer. Her first husband was Boris Lang, a Russian immigrant, and a concert pianist. Somewhere among my souvenirs, I have a picture of the two of them, one playing the other singing. They had a son, William (Bill), who in turn had a son, Billy. After a very unhappy marriage, Nancy got a divorce, and at some point moved out to Kent Hollow Farm, where she has stayed. During WWII, she made cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, and sold her milk and cream, with two Guernsey cows!

Nancy Hawley Lang Wilsea...

Much later, she met Fred Wilsea, and married him. He was an expert furniture maker, and Nancy has a couple of incredible pieces that Fred made for her, old style - no nails. Fred died not long ago, so Nancy now lives by herself. Her son Bill and his long time partner, Marilyn, don't live far away, nor does her grandson Billy, and his wife and twin girls...

Marilyn, Nancy, and Bill

Marilyn keeps a garden a short distance from Nancy's home, and we have been the lucky recipients of fresh lettuce, cukes, zucchini, and green beans. Yum!

Also up here in Kent Hollow, are Bronson and Marsha Hawley, who live in one of the houses which Nancy built. It is essentially a cabin, but Bronson and Marsha have made it a home away from home, and come up here every weekend. When I came over to see them Saturday, Bronson gave me a key and told me I could use their wifi, so that is where I am now..nice to have such great cousins, isn't it?

Marsha and Bronson Hawley

Yesterday, I went to the Kent Hollow Cemetery, where many many of my relatives are buried. Mostly Wallers and other families that married Wallers or Hawleys. It is a cute little cemetery...

As I sit here typing this, I am looking out at a beautiful landscape. The hill behind Bronson's cottage leads up to the woods, and has lots of huge rocks all around. He and Marsha have made the entire area into a beautiful rock garden, filled with old objects, bushes, flowers, and plants of all kinds. Earlier today, I heard a noise and looked out and there climbing over the fireplace, and going up through the plants and rocks, was a huge ground hog - I call them Johnny Chucks. Before I could get my camera focused, he had disappeared.

The backyard at Bronson and Marsha's...

Isn't that a beautiful blue?

Well, now I have to get to work, and get some genealogy taken care of, so I wish you all a great day!

I love you all!

A hui hou,
Sally