Aroostook County gathering looks at genealogical sources

Paul Flick has some questions for you: Are you an active genealogist or just starting to trace your family tree? Would you like to learn more about your ancestors? Would you like to learn what it takes to get started? Do you have a brick wall in your genealogical research?

Then head for Aroostook County on the 9th of September, a truly beautiful time of year for a trip to northern Maine. The Aroostook County Genealogical Society will meet 6:30-8 p.m. that day at the Caribou Public Library.

The program by Dennis Prue will be “How to Use the Genealogical Resources at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Center.

How wonderful that this new genealogical society has formed in The County. Future meetings will be held 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month.

For information on the Sept. 9 meeting, call Paul Flick at 496-3309, or Dennis Prue at 492-4531.

I can’t remember where I picked up “Yale Men Who Died in the Second World War: A Memorial Volume of Biographical Sketches,” or when, but I paid a whole quarter for it. The book was written by Eugene H. Kone in 1951.

The volume is indexed by name, and most of the biographies don’t tell where the serviceman came from, but there is other information. It’s worth perusing, especially if you know you had a relative from

Yale who died in the war.

The biographies range from a few paragraphs in length to two full pages, and sometimes there are genealogical clues.

For instance, Frederick Bingham Howden Jr., a captain in the Army’s Chaplain Corps, was the “son of the Episcopal missionary bishop of New Mexico and southwest Texas.” He was taken prisoner at Bataan.

Lt. j.g. Thomas Sergeant LaFarge was a “descendant of a distinguished family of artists,” and the son of Bancel LaFarge.

Chaplain Clark Vandersall Poling, a first lieutenant, was the son of the Rev. and Mrs. Daniel A. Poling, and husband of Elizabeth (Jung) Poling.

Lt. j.g. Frederick Mears III was the son of Col. Frederick Mears, grandson of Maj. Robert Powell Page Wainwright, and nephew of Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, who witnessed the surrender of Japan in 1945.

First Lt. Jonathan Leete was the son of the Rev. Dr. William Rockwell Leete, and the brother of Henry Wright Leete.

First Lt. Pearson Sands Jones had been “an executive in his family’s century-old retail business and a community leader in Wheeling, W.V.”

The biographies often give information such as occupation, places of employment and other schools attended.

Cyril Crofton Cullen, civilian intern, was an artist and sculptor born in New Britain, Conn.

Lt. j.g. Charles David Pack was valedictorian of Altoona High School in Pennsylvania.

Second Lt. Cedric Freeman Joslin, who died in a plane crash in Corsica, was a test pilot, as was his wife, Sylvia (Miller) Joslin, a Women’s Airforce Service Pilot.

Sgt. David Edsall Tileston was one of four children of Dr. Wilder Tileston, who had been a professor of medicine at Yale. David’s siblings were Peter A., Thomas N. and Anne.

I didn’t find many local references during my quick read, but a careful study might reveal more. One Maine note: Lt. Col. Louis Stanley Gimbel Jr. died on May 24, 1942, when a twin-motored bomber carrying him and five other officers crashed near Houlton.

The book is now at Bangor Public Library. You can find it there in the stacks, with the call number of 940.546773.K8364y.

Descendants of Moses Worcester of the Pleasant River area are invited to celebrate 27 years of reunions Saturday, Sept. 13, at Faith United Methodist Church on Route 1 in Columbia.

Social hour begins at 9:30 a.m. A potluck luncheon will feature beans and chop suey – bring whatever else you like. Bring one item, old or new, for the silent auction. Alice Worcester will give a talk on how flax was grown and used when the first settlers arrived.

The McLaughlin-Lyons-Caswell family reunion will be held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 6 at the DAV Hall on Main Road in Medway. Bring a favorite salad or casserole and-or dessert. Place settings and condiments will be provided. Don’t forget the scotch auction and raffle. For information, call 746-9321.

The 71st Moody family reunion will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, at North Nobleboro Community Hall, Nobleboro. Bring a dish for the potluck luncheon; beverages. Bring photos, genealogy, books or articles of interest. For information, contact Gail Kennedy, 54 Greenwood Ave., Wakefield, MA 01880.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or send e-mail to familyti@bangordailynews.net.