Rural Cemetery, Oswego, New York, c. 1937

Bob Gray, October 2017

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This video was taken by my father, Robert B. Gray around 1937, using a Bell & Howell 8 mm camera. The video was dated by the edition of Life Magazine that appears in a still photograph taken at the same time. The video has gone through a couple of conversions since it was taken which has affected the quality of the video. My grandfather, E. T. Gray, was born in Oswego, New York but he lived in Johnstown, Pennsylvania when this video was taken. E. T. Gray’s parents died in the 1920s, but his sisters, Margaret, Thyrza, and Florence still lived in Oswego. Margaret worked in Manhattan as a school teacher, but it is believed she had returned to Oswego when this video was taken.

The following stills are provided as way to identify the people in the video. With the exception of my grandmother, Sarah Jean Lomison Gray, it is possible that I have misidentified the women in the video.

This is probably Margaret Gray (left) based on the still photograph (right) taken during the trip.

Ruth Stevenson (left), Sarah Jean Lomison Gray (middle), and Helen Stevenson (right).

Edward Townsend (E. T.) Gray (left) and Frank Stevenson (right).

Rosanna Stevenson Gray’s headstone, front and back are shown in the video.

E. T. Gray (left), Ruth Stevenson, Helen Stevenson (on railing), and Frank Stevenson (right).

Still photograph showing the same front porch. E. T. Gray (left), Sarah Jean Lomison Gray (standing), Ruth Stevenson, Frank Stevenson, and Helen Stevenson (on railing).

The scenes in the video are as follows:

· The video starts with E. T. Gray walking towards the camera with flowers in his hand;

· The next scene is Margaret Gray and Sarah Jean Lomison Gray watching Frank Stevenson picking flowers in his garden;

· Then we see Margaret Gray up close, followed by E. T. Gray and an unidentified woman (possibly one of E. T.’s other sisters) standing by E. T.’s automobile;

· Then we see E. T. Gray, Frank Stevenson, and Margaret Gray walking in the yard of Frank Stevenson’s house;

· Helen Stevenson, Sarah Jean Lomison, and Ruth Stevenson are walking together at Rural Cemetery;

· Frank, Helen, and Ruth Stevenson at Rural Cemetery;

· E. T. Gray and Frank Stevenson;

· Rosanna Stevenson Gray’s gravestone, front and back;

· Frank Stevenson;

· Ruth and Helen Stevenson, Margaret Gray, Sarah Jean Lomison (off screen), and E. T. Gray enters later. They are probably standing at the fence surrounding the plot of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker in Section Acre. The Grays are in this same section;

· My father, Robert B. Gray is working at the base of the Stevenson gravestone, probably making room for the flowers held by Ruth Stevenson;

· Ruth Stevenson, Margaret Gray, Frank Stevenson, and E. T. Gray by his car;

· E. T. Gray, Ruth Stevenson, Helen Stevenson (on railing), and Frank Stevenson.

Rural Cemetery Video

If the above video does not play, download the video, note different file formats and sizes:

Windows Media Audio/Video file (.wmv) format 80 MB |wmv format 22.5 MB|mp4 format 30 MB

Rural Cemetery, left to right: Ruth Stevenson, Frank Stevenson, Sarah Jean Lominson Gray, Helen Stevenson, Robert B. Gray and Margaret Gray. The Stevenson family monument is on the right.

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