Gravestone rubbings topic of meeting

David Clark has 30 years’ experience in “Tombstone Rubbings,” which will be his topic at 10 a.m. during the summer meeting of the Maine Old Cemetery Association, set for Saturday, July 29, at the Readfield Historical Society, Route 17, Readfield Depot.

MOCA holds great meetings, and participants frequently can give you pointers on looking for graves and cemeteries. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with a fee of $3. The public is welcome, there will be displays and exhibits, and the host group will provide coffee and snacks.

MOCA President Emily Quint will welcome everyone at 9:15 a.m., and the Readfield Historical Society will present “Readfield History” at 9:30 a.m. The business meeting is set for 11:10 a.m.

Take a lunch, or reserve a bag lunch and beverage for $7 by calling Emily by July 21 at 635-2231. Cemetery tours will be offered at 1 p.m. If weather does not permit the tours, participants may choose to search the society’s file cards on Readfield residents, 1791-1900, scrapbooks and material on houses, schools and organizations.

When Willie Nelson sings “On the Road Again,” surely he has genealogists in mind.

On Sunday, July 23, do come home for Old Home Day, sponsored by the Abbot Historical Society 1-3 p.m. in Abbot, in the Knights of Pythias Building behind the Civil War monument.

I’ll be there to chat informally about Abbot families I’ve researched, and I’ll bring along my laptop so we can search Piscataquis County cemeteries that have been recorded by the Maine Old Cemetery Association Series I and II. Robert Davidson will be a special guest with information on genealogy and Abbot cemeteries. A couple of antique quilts with Abbot connections will be on display.

Also, I’ll bring along a copy of my dad’s pedigree charts – Moore-Holbrook, Moore-Packard, Bennett-Briggs and Bennett-Cummings lines, and a family group sheet showing his two Moore lines back to Jotham and Lovina (Leighton) Moore of Mt. Vernon and Parkman. My dad, the late Gayland A. Moore Jr., also had Guilford and Greenville ancestors.

Earlier in the week, I’ll speak to the Newport Historical Society at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, on the third floor of the building on Main Street, upstairs from the floral shop. Topics will include “Maine Families in 1790” volumes, which the society has purchased, and what the 1930 census has to tell us about Newport area families.

On Wednesday, July 19, I’ll be off to Sorrento for the Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society meeting at 7:30 p.m. From Route 1, take Route 185 to Sorrento. Continue on, take the left hand road, go past the golf course, start up a rise and the building is on the left. We’ll talk about Hancock County, and a little bit about DNA research.

Join members of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, for a meeting at the Family History Center of the LDS Church at the corner of Grandview Avenue and Essex Street in Bangor. You’ll definitely meet some knowledgeable researchers, and it will be a great opportunity to see a facility which can order countless resources from Salt Lake City that are not available in Maine.

The 64th reunion for descendants of Alexander and Margaret Bell will be held Sunday, July 30, at the home of Julie and Rod Swett in Clinton. Bring a dish to share. The early settlers from Jay moved to Dover, now East Dover. Ross Bell is president, and Stephen Cross is secretary-treasurer.

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