This week, let’s return for a bit to the journal of Elijah Perkins. If you’re new here, you might want to read this article about some of the things we’ve already learned from his diary. As a reminder, Elijah came to Belmont County in 1798 as a child. He wrote this journal in 1876.
Two short sentences caught my attention in this diary. “Old Jim Cree was an early settler. He was the discoverer of salt on Capteen - at Dillons.”
I wanted to learn more about Jim Cree, but I wasn’t able to find him in the old maps as a landowner or on Census records. I wondered if “Cree” in this diary or in the Census handwriting looked like “Crew” and was transcribed one place or the other incorrectly. That still didn’t lead me anywhere.
I finally did find some marriage records from 1805 of other people in the vicinity with the surname Cree. Since he was referred to as “Old Jim Cree,” maybe he was their father? I don’t know. I have found a John Cree, but that is the closest to Jim I’ve discovered yet.
In this search, I made a troubling discovery about a cemetery. According to the book, Belmont County History 1988, there were a few Crees buried in what is called the Old Dover Cemetery. George Cree and John Cree were among the buried. The cemetery had about 40 graves at that time, some unmarked.
In 1978, the cemetery “was excavated with large front end loaders by the Cravat Coal Company prior to strip mining the coal beneath it… Human remains and casket parts were found scattered around the area by the Belmont County Sheriff and by descendants of those buried there. These remains were later discovered missing from the Sheriff’s office. Other remains were purportedly moved elsewhere on the company’s property by the end loaders, but a later search by an archaeologist did not evidence remains.”
The township trustees sued the coal company. Relatives sued in a separate lawsuit. “In 1986, after eight years of dispute, the coal company was allowed to strip mine the rest of the cemetery without a professional search for human remains prior to the mining.”
The Library of Congress’s digital newspapers only go to 1963, so I haven’t found any other accounts. One day I want to find newspaper articles about these cases to learn more. What little this book tells us about the case is sad and, for the descendants, I would imagine a nightmare.
But, still no luck finding Old Jim Cree. Yet.
Let’s change gears completely, now.
Recently I was fortunate to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of a book by Denise Pyles. Burn Without Burning Out: 7 Micro-Mindfulness Habits for Clear Thinking, Decisive Action, and Recovery from Burnout is available today on Amazon. It’s one of those books that is an easy read but full of great tips and tricks to remaining grounded and mindful in stressful work situations. It’s a book that I think I want to re-read but this time I want to read one chapter a week and then spend the week focusing on the techniques she teaches in that chapter.
What I find unique about this book is that Denise is a former nun who brought what she learned in that life into her new career in the tech industry. Sometimes it feels that those teaching mindfulness practices don’t have experience in the business world navigating deadlines, employees, and stressful situations. Denise does. She gives examples of situations, tips on handling those kinds of situations, and even the responses of her colleagues.
I think you’ll find some valuable tips in this book if you are looking to start a mindfulness practice or even if you need reminders to refocus and be present in the moment.
Thanks for joining me at The Creighton Cabin. Hope to see you next week.