In March, 2008, I took a three-day excursion to James Betelle’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. My plan was to visit a few research libraries, see significant locations, and, well, just get a sense of where Betelle came from. What follows is a recreation of the trip presented in the dramatic diary format.
Thursday, March 13.
6:30 pm: [...]
Down Wilmington Way
May 27th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Architecture, Biographical, Diary
Tags:cemetery·Delaware·grave·school
Hallowed Ground
September 3rd, 2007 · No Comments · Biographical, Diary
I finally visited Ernest Guilbert’s gravesite. I had made an attempt a while ago, but the office was closed. Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside, NJ, is over 150 acres, so I wasn’t about to look the hard way.
I went directly to the office, a charming little Mansard Victorian building near the main gate. The clerk [...]
Unfinished Stones
April 2nd, 2007 · 2 Comments · Biographical, Diary
After a 4-6 week wait, I finally received a copy of James Betelle’s will from the New Jersey State Archives (along with some court documents, which I will discuss at a later date).
I had already seen a few pages from a 1930 version, acquired from the American Institute of Architect’s archives. Written when Betelle was [...]
Tags:cemetery·Delaware·genealogy·grave
Lux Aeterna Luceat Eis
December 10th, 2006 · 2 Comments · Biographical, Diary
James Betelle died in Florence, Italy on June 3rd, 1954. This I have known since my earliest research into the man, and indeed many obituaries, biographies and articles point this out. What I have noticed is that one reference is merely copying an earlier one; often turns of phrase in one article can clearly be [...]