Below is a photograph of Benjamin and Maude Eisenberger Stewart, that was most likely taken on their wedding day in York City, York County, PA on 1 December 1916.  The obituary above, that was laminated and saved by the family, could have been given to Maude by the funeral home of A. S. Cole Son & Co., in Cranbury, NJ since they took care of all arrangements. Many other interests and activities that Ben Stewart followed were not included in the obituary. Ben was an avid fisherman and boater, and when he retired to Florida he supplemented his income with selling fish he caught, like pompano, to local markets.  Also, he was a member of Kingston’s Volunteer Fire Company # 1, and one of the founding group in 1924, and when the first fire truck was delivered that year, he agreed to provide a place for it at his Kingston Garage.

The In Memoriam book saved from his viewing has many signatures of friends and family, with separate pages for “Firemen” and “Masons”.  If you have custody of a book like this, it is a good idea to go over the written names with a family member. It can prove to be a great help in family research. I did this a few years back with Ben’s daughter, Evelyn, and then afterwards we looked at old family photographs together and it helped her remember many of the people in the old pictures. The graveside photo above shows Ben’s widow, Maude, being comforted by family and friends. Since Ben and Maude Stewart both had roots in York County, PA they chose to be buried at Mount Rose Cemetery, where Maude’s mother, Ida Lockard Eisenberger, and her grandparents, Washington and Elizabeth Remick Lockard, were also buried.