Weird trail of remains-can't find the end

[marypryde]

In 1940 my great grandmother died in a New Jersey nursing home.  I have traced her body to a local crematorium and their records say the cremains were released to a NYC sculpting studio.  I have been in touch with their successor business where the response was "Look, lady.  Our records don't go back that far, but I assure you we do not have your great grandmother's ashes!"

Her husband was buried in NJ and there is a grave marker for him only.  The cemetery records were lost in a fire.  She is apparently not buried with any of her children.

I have exhausted the memories and ideas of all family members.  I do know that she was born in India to missionary parents and referred to it as her "beloved India."  My pet theory is that perhaps her ashes (in a sculpted urn, which would explain the sculpting studio) were sent to India.  However, in 1940 India and the rest of the world were a mess.  I would have no idea how to inquire or if it would be worthwhile to try.  I know, by the way that there is no marker for her at the churchyard in the Himalayas where her parents are buried.

Does anyone have any wild ideas to explain why the ashes would go to a sculpting studio? 

[AMBLY]

Hi  marypryde,

The ashes may have been used to form a memorial, sculptured work of art.... like:

http://voices.yahoo.com/beauty-ashes-cremation-art-dr-david-powell-12187284.html

They were released to the studio? No name of a person involved on the receiving end?

How long after her death  were her ashes released to the studio? Could you ask the crematorium what their policy is - or was, in the '40's -  regards ashes that were unclaimed after a certain period of time? If the crematorium is in the same ownership, they might be able to help - if not, the long shot task of tracking someone down (a previous owner or their descendants) from the Crematorium or the Studio, might get answers?

Cheers
AMBLY

[marypryde]

Thanks Ambly.  The following from a professional paid researcher in NJ who spoke with the crematory:
Your grandmother's ashes were at their facility for cremation in December 1940. On 18 January 1941, her ashes were transferred to Ettl Studios in New York City. Ettl Studios specialized in sculptures. He had no record of what happened to them from there and was not able to tell me if the studio was still in existence today.

I then (through Google) located the successor business to Ettle and received the response quoted previously (records not that old; they don't have great-grandma's ashes.)  This was after I offered to come to NYC and spend time in their basement if they had old records.

None of my cousins/second cousins admits to having seen or heard of an old sculpture.
                                                                           Mary
                                     

[andycand]

Hi

Did your greatgrandmother leave a will? That might have some clues.

Andy

[marypryde]

No will that I know of, even after having a professional researcher in NJ.  She probably didn't have one since she was the widow of a clergyman who had died in 1915 and was in a home established for the widows of clergy.  I had her 1910 Hindu-language Bible with a 1935 handwritten request that it be returned to her "dear friend" (the first Indian Bishop of the Methodist Church.)  I suppose that was an impossible task for her daughter and granddaughter (WWII, partitioning of India, etc.), but in 2010, thanks to the internet, I was successful in finding the Bishop's grandson and handing over the Bible.  That family has no idea about her burial.

I've also been in touch with the Archivist of the Methodist Church - no luck.

No will in 1940, but please return the bible to the Indian family.  Her heart was clearly in India, even after many years (she left there in the 1880s).

[AMBLY]

Considering Ettl's specialised in Monumental Sculptures among other things, the brush off you were given by the current owner is unfortunate!  Even if they don't hold records of the prior owner, they could have been a bit nicer about it

I'd still want to know if the crematorium knows WHY the ashes were transferred to Ettl's, and again, if they recorded the names of people involved, ie: the person or persons that caused the transfer.

Also, I would want to ask the Crematorium if they routinely or at least, often sent ashes to that Studio, and if so what was the accepted reason for doing so? For example, was it a 'trend' of the day to have ashes in their urn in a container  and/or  set / inlaid within a headstone?

You could try contacting descendants of Alex John Ettl - son of the Studio founder. Alex had 2 daughters (1 of whom was widowed in 2000) and definitely 2 grandaughters who are contactable.  The question would be,  do they know of Archives of the papers/records of the Ettle Studio?
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wq0/

Cheers
AMBLY

[marypryde]

Thanks once more, Ambly.  (Love the FI motto; love the FI).

I just made a second run at the successor sculpture house asking why the ashes might have been sent there.  (From their website, it appears my timeframe was exactly when the business takeover was going on (bad luck, probably).  Next attempt will be to approach the Ettl family as you suggested.

FYI, the family member apparently in charge of these arrangements (signed the papers) was one of her sons.  (He was born in India himself and traveled the world with the YMCA.)  Now I'm speculating that he intended to take his mother's ashes to India and either did so or was prevented by world events.  (I must take another look to possibly find him going to/from India in the 1940's.)  I am in touch with his grandson, who is clueless about all of this. 

[AMBLY]

Hi

Good luck with the 2nd run  And do et us know how it goes!

As an aside....
My FI family on my father's paternal side heads directly back to Fife, and to St Monance, Markinch, Kingsbarns,  Ceres, Cupar etc - looking at your list of research names, I'm thinking we'd be headed in the same areas 

I've only got a Doig and a Paton as a peripheral in my tree but am aware of many others. I do have a stronger JACK connect though, wondering if it's one of your lines?  John JACK 1796-1859 married Isabella LATTA (1810-1877) and had among their children, a daughter Isabella who married her cousin, sea captain David LATTO.  Have some SCOTTs too, though distant via a marriage to DOWIE who's parent was married to a LATTO.

Cheers
AMBLY

[marypryde]

Wow!  This whole "sculpture" thing has been about my mother's side.  I never thought to see my father's Scottish connection in the conversation.  I wonder if any of mine wound up in FI.  I know some close Doig's went to Canada (have found them via Ancestry DNA in North Dakota, USA).  A few Pryde's, since they were miners, went to Montana.  My closest Fifer's were in the vicinity of Woodside, Largo but they appear to have arrived from Kingsbarns, Cupar, Ceres.  Don't know if you have an Ancestry tree (or if that's possible in NZ), but I'd be willing to share if it would do any good.

I'll be sure to post any answers I get to my "sculpture" query.  (I don't think my Scots would have done any such nonsense as sculpture.)
                                                 Mary Ellen