Mark K. Felver died August 5, 1883. He was brother to my direct ancestor, Hiram Felver. Their father, Joseph C. Felver is my brick wall (more on that some other time). In researching Hiram I developed an interest in Mark, piqued by his death at 35 years old.
I knew Mark was married and had children, but couldn’t track down much information about him or his family. Turns out he was living in Jersey City, NJ. His father and sister were in Dover, NJ and brother Hiram was in Brooklyn, NY.
I was excited to come across this mention of a Mark Felver in an old Railroad and Canal Reports book for New Jersey:
Still, I wasn’t sure if this was the right Mark Felver. I believed it was—largely due to the small number of Felvers in New Jersey—but I couldn’t be 100% sure. That is, until I found this obituary with the gruesome details of Mark’s death:
These stories are the priceless parts of genealogy. I want to dig up facts, sure, but it’s the stories and photos that really bring it all together for me. That, and sharing the research with other people. A few years after finding this piece I was able to share it with one of Mark K. Felver’s direct descendants who knew he had died young but didn’t know the circumstances.
Out Here Studying Stones 