6. John Stevenson; 2nd ggf

John Stevenson
b. 1834 Maryland
d. 1914 Cazenovia, New York

[A feature on the PBS program 'History Detectives' about John Stevenson aired in July 2007.]

John Stevenson is my 2nd Great Grandfather on my paternal side. I knew nothing about him when I was growing up.
My father, William Emmett Geder, never spoke of his great grandfather or any of his Ancestors.
For my part, I never asked. Ironic now, as I’m designated as the family historian. Some background.

I became interested in genealogy after my father passed in 1977. At that time I inherited a photo album that included tin-types,
turn of the century (1900) postcards, and other pictures of Ancestors I knew nothing about. This also was the first time I laid eyes on this treasure.
I understood why this album was hidden all those years. My mother, Pearle Hancock Geder, was a clean freak. She lived for spring cleaning. As a child, I
witnessed her throwing things out that, today, would make the appraisers on the ‘Antique Roadshow’ go gaga. There were my father’s 1903 music encyclopedia,
one of those floor model Philco radios (probably just needed a tube replaced), some silver/aluminum record albums (Dad was a musician), and countless other family
historical artifacts that she considered junk. It was said that roaches ’skipped’ Pearle’s house and went on to the next. When I was growing up, we lived in an apartment complex in Binghamton, New York. Every summer the management would offer paint to the tenants. Every summer I would paint my room and let the contractors paint the rest of the house. Our home was a clean home for sure. However, I’m getting away from the story.

One of the photos included my father as a boy. He was four years old, dating the picture as 1907. I know this because another picture of Dad, wearing the same outfit, had his age written on it.

That was one of the very few photographs that had any description. For the last 30 years I have been trying to identify my Ancestors in this photo album. In this particular photograph are my Grandmother, Beulah Stevenson Geder; my Grandfather, Emmett Moore Geder; and a seated man whose lap my father is resting on. I could say that he’s my Great Grandfather but I’m not sure. He looks to be a little too old. Yet, he looks to be too young to be my Great-Great Grandfather. I know, not a very scientific approach. Remember, I never asked, so I have no helpful passed-down information on these people.

Enter the ‘History Detectives’. In November 2006, my buddy and co-owner of In Digital Photographic Services, Curtis Corum, relays that I got a call from an April Marks. She is part of the production team at Lion Television that produces the hit PBS show, History Detectives. Wow, do they want us to photograph something for them in Oakland? Earlier in the year, my wife Cynthia and I had relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Do they want us to photograph something here? I recall that one of their hosts, Dr. Tukufu Zuberi was a keynote speaker at the AAGSNC seminar ‘Rooted in History’ held in San Francisco back in February 2005. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the time off of work to attend. So, I’m quite puzzled by this call.

In a phone conversation, Ms. Marks explains that they received a group photo of Civil War veterans from a collector (see top photo). In the photo were two African Americans amidst the all white soldiers. The collector was curious about this, giving the tenor of the times surrounding the picture. This group was known as the Knowlton GAR or Grand Army of the Republic and they were out of Cazenovia, New York. The collector, Angelo Scarlato, contacted the History Detective folks to see if they could identify the two Black men. They accepted the challenge.

Their investigation took them to upstate New York, Madison county. With the help of librarians and genealogists, they surmised that three African Americans from the area enlisted or volunteered in the Civil War. They first identify the flag bearer in the photograph. One down and one to go - with two names. Someone commented that a guy inquired about African Americans in Cazenovia on the Rootsweb Madison county message board a couple of years ago, and maybe he could help. That guy was yours truly. So, that’s how and why they contacted me.

In December, I sent April Marks a copy of the photograph that included my Cazenovia Ancestors. Then nothing. A week goes by, then another and another. Oh well, perhaps there’s no connection. However, my curiosity is peeked BIG TIME!

On January 3rd 2007, I ask my AfriGeneas.com family in Bennie J. McRae Jr.’s Military forum to decipher a document from the 1890 Veteran’s Schedule I found on Ancestry.com. It was about John Stevenson. With the help of Art Thomas, Richard Schaefer and Bennie I was not only able to confirm that this particular document was about my 2nd Great Grandfather, but I learned that he was in the 29th Connecticut Infantry that was one of four ‘Colored’ regiments that kept their state moniker rather than the USCT designation.

Mr. Scarlato and I are also communicating. He sends me some supporting information. I re-acquaint myself with the folks on the Rootsweb Madison county message board and they are happy to tell me what they know. I meet, through this board, Donna D. Burdick, Research Chair, Madison Co. Freedom Trail Commission &
Smithfield Town Historian (Madison County); Home of the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark. Listen, you don’t tell the Kid that you may have something on one of my Ancestors, and you’ll get back to me. Left to my own devices, I’ll shake the planet like a rug!

Donna Burdick was primarily interested in the flag bearer, Albert O. Robbins, however, in an exchange of e-mails she began helping me put some meat on the skeleton of a research I had on John Stevenson. We began to check out and analyze census records. New York state had censuses in 1855, 1865, 1875, and 1892.

Now I must be fair to April Marks. She did say, back in December, that they were further researching this angle and that she was playing it close to the vest by stating that she couldn’t tell me anything more than what I knew at the time. On January 21st, out of courtesy and out of patience, I sent her this e-mail:

Hello April,

Since our last conversation, I have learned more about my 2nd Great grandfather John Stephenson.
Please check out this thread on AfriGeneas.com:
http://afrigeneas.com/forum-military/index.cgi?noframes;read=3981
There’s now considerable evidence that the ‘John’ you’re researching is, indeed, my John.
I’ve since been in contact with Donna Burdick, and she has been helpful in fleshing out John Stephenson’s story.
I’m also awaiting a response from Sue Greenhagen in this matter.
I’m so thrilled to put a story to one of my Ancestors!
Can you tell me anything further about John?

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”
http://geder.wordpress.com

Sue Greenhagen is one of the librarians and researchers in Cazenovia. I never got a response from Sue.

On January 22nd, I got a telephone call from April Marks to ‘CEASE & DESIST’ all research on John Stevenson. Everybody connected to this project got a telephone call. “You are not to be in contact with George Geder, as it may compromise the ’surprise’ element of the series.” If ever there was a timely intervention, this was it!

I ceased. I didn’t know that they were that far along in the development of the show. Things now begin to move in earnest. They make arrangements to fly us out to Syracuse, New York (30 minutes away from Cazenovia) in mid-February. In the meantime, I send them whatever documents I have including obituary notices of all my Stevenson Ancestors. Itinerary is set; and we go to Albuquerque to board our plane.

Safe landing at a snow covered Syracuse airport. We meet the crew; Elyse Luray- Host/Presenter, Hugo Soskin- producer/director, Matt Howe- director of photography and of course, April Marks. It’s nighttime and we drive for a half hour along slippery roads to Cazenovia. We arrive at a picture postcard- Currier and Ives-Norman Rockwell town that time remembered place of breathless charm. When that below zero wind chill factor hit us as we got out the van, we forgot all about the cuteness of this joint. Hurry into the Lincklaen House Inn. We took off our gloves and scarves, looked around, and found ourselves in the middle of ornate 19th century elegance with beautiful antique furniture throughout. No elevators. Ouch to the crew. Built in 1835, I bet I’m looking at the same woodwork and details that my Ancestors gazed upon.

The following morning, Cynthia and I walked around town before we were to be called for the filming. It was more pretty and quaint than the night before. The buildings along the main street have a late 19th century look. We learn that Cazenovia is now an artsy-tourist kind of place. After our latte, we enter an artists co-op and purchase a quilted landscape piece by the artist who, coincidentally, we had been chatting with. “Wow, of all the artwork in here, you chose one of my pieces!”

The cell phone rings and we are instructed to go to the house where we will do the filming. A beautiful house, a mini-mansion by our standards.
We film our first segment in the kitchen (pretending that it’s our kitchen in Santa Fe). We discuss and compare the image of John Stevenson in my photo with the character in question in the post Civil war picture.
Then they send me upstairs to chill and wait until they need me again. At this point, in the dining room (are you following this?), they are filming Angelo Scarlato - the man who’s post Civil War picture and inquiry this History Detectives’ story is actually all about. Now mind you, Angelo and I are unaware of each other’s presence at this point.

They summon me to come downstairs and wait in one of the parlors (did I mention mini-mansion?). They tell Angelo not only did they identify the two African Americans in his picture, they found a living descendant of one of them. On cue they usher me in to meet Angelo Scarlato. I think I can honestly say for the two of us that the moment of our meeting transcended the show and the reasons we were in Cazenovia, New York. There was a spiritual arch from the taking of that original picture of the Civil War veterans in the Knowlton Grand Army of the Republic to the acknowledgment of its significance in February of 2007. What I’m trying to say is that the moment was more than the sum of its parts.

The next day we were scheduled to fly back home, but Elyse Luray and da ghang had one more thing up their sleeves. We got in the van at 7:30am; way too early for our 1:00pm flight. We drive to a grocery store. The crew debates who is going into the store. A subplot develops. They want to get Elyse out of the driver’s seat (she not the greatest driver in the world, in the winter, with snow banks all around). The designated come out of the store with flowers. The next thing I know we are driving up to a cemetery, the Cazenovia Evergreen cemetery where John Stevenson and his family are interred. The first major headstone you see as you enter is none other than… you guessed it. I was totally undone, blown away. The flowers.

John Stevenson, with the help of a Civil War memorabilia collector named Angelo Scarlato, a television show called ‘The History Detectives’ and a number of librarians and researchers from Cazenovia, New York to Washington, DC, we have brought your story to life. You were born in slavery, made your way from Maryland through Pennsylvania to New York, and then went to Connecticut to fight for the freedom of your people and a better future for your descendants. I, George Anthony Geder, am your 2nd great grandson and I will never let your story fade ever again. Your blood runs through me. I am proud.
~~~
The Trail of Coincidences.

Since the filming, we have made acquaintances with a number of people associated with this project.
Char McCargo Bah was the Professional Genealogist/Historian the History Detectives contacted at the National Archives. She is a contributor to the AfriGeneas.com forums and over the years we have exchanged notes there.

Charles (Ben) Hawley is a descendant of the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment of which John Stevenson was a member. He has founded a non-profit organization called, what else, the Descendants of the 29th Connecticut Colored Volunteer Regiment. We were introduced by AfriGeneas.com Military forum manager Bennie J. McRae Jr. Naturally, I’ve become a proud ‘certified’ member. But that’s not all. Mr Hawley is a Civil War re-enactor and his group was filmed by the History Detectives to be included in the show. How amazing a coincidence is that?

But that’s not all, folks. The flag bearer in the picture, Albert Robbins, was friends with my 2nd great grandfather. In fact, one of his sons married one of John’s daughters. Are you sitting down? I was informed by Donna Burdick that there are living descendants of Albert Robbins. Could I be on the cusp of finding new cousins? Stay tuned for that one!

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”