Sutton
- Member for
- 5 years 4 months 2 days
- Find a Grave ID
Bio
Born and raised in West Virginia, as were both my parents, my first and middle names were given to me in honor of paternal and maternal great-grandfathers, William Sutton Palmer, from Wetzel County, West Virginia, and, Aquila Timothy Kyle, from Harrison County, W. Va. My paternal grandfather, Ralph Ulman, Sr., was born in Paris, France, in 1885. Both his parents are thought originally to be from Germany and family lore has it that his father, a physician and junker, and his mother, of the House of Koenig, expatriated from Germany or Austria to France so he might avoid military service under Kaiser Wilhelm II. My maternal grandfather, Edward Ramsey Smith, was born in Harrison County, West Virginia, in 1900, and his line may be traced back to British Colonial Virginia. Near most of my contributions to Find A Grave I have some family connection to. A treasure trove of genealogical history came from the old Smith house at 110 East Philadelphia Avenue, Bridgeport, Harrison County, W. Va. The old house spanned several centuries, several fires, human tragedies, and much neglect before being plowed under for modern times. Yet, it remained till its end quite a remarkable, gothic time-capsule which somehow, against all odds, held on to its many old books, letters, photos, and newspaper clippings. Too bad only a few of the many old photographs had any information written down on them so that the identities of these distant kin are likely evermore lost to time. A sentiment in closing, perhaps apropos to these reflections, comes from Martin Scorsese's film, "The Age of Innocence," a film that my mother deeply appreciated and enjoyed. In the context of Ellen Olenska's contemplation of an intricate, mysterious metal object that catches her eye in a museum, she says, "It seems cruel that after awhile nothing matters any more than these little things, that used to be necessary and important to forgotten people, and now have to be guessed at under a magnifying glass and labeled, 'Use unknown.'" Yet, we are drawn to visit our past from time to time, to remember, to wonder about, and to honor those that came before.
Born and raised in West Virginia, as were both my parents, my first and middle names were given to me in honor of paternal and maternal great-grandfathers, William Sutton Palmer, from Wetzel County, West Virginia, and, Aquila Timothy Kyle, from Harrison County, W. Va. My paternal grandfather, Ralph Ulman, Sr., was born in Paris, France, in 1885. Both his parents are thought originally to be from Germany and family lore has it that his father, a physician and junker, and his mother, of the House of Koenig, expatriated from Germany or Austria to France so he might avoid military service under Kaiser Wilhelm II. My maternal grandfather, Edward Ramsey Smith, was born in Harrison County, West Virginia, in 1900, and his line may be traced back to British Colonial Virginia. Near most of my contributions to Find A Grave I have some family connection to. A treasure trove of genealogical history came from the old Smith house at 110 East Philadelphia Avenue, Bridgeport, Harrison County, W. Va. The old house spanned several centuries, several fires, human tragedies, and much neglect before being plowed under for modern times. Yet, it remained till its end quite a remarkable, gothic time-capsule which somehow, against all odds, held on to its many old books, letters, photos, and newspaper clippings. Too bad only a few of the many old photographs had any information written down on them so that the identities of these distant kin are likely evermore lost to time. A sentiment in closing, perhaps apropos to these reflections, comes from Martin Scorsese's film, "The Age of Innocence," a film that my mother deeply appreciated and enjoyed. In the context of Ellen Olenska's contemplation of an intricate, mysterious metal object that catches her eye in a museum, she says, "It seems cruel that after awhile nothing matters any more than these little things, that used to be necessary and important to forgotten people, and now have to be guessed at under a magnifying glass and labeled, 'Use unknown.'" Yet, we are drawn to visit our past from time to time, to remember, to wonder about, and to honor those that came before.
