Where to begin? Today was such an intense but fruitless day. I left my spot in the Boston area early on the chance I could stop by the Wyoming Historical Society. Wyoming is the valley where my Marvin ancestors lived (Grandmother Hallie Marvin’s folks). It was iffy whether or not I could arrive there by 2:00 when they closed, but GPS said 1:15, so I decided to take a chance.
Called when they opened, and was informed that what I REALLY needed was the Luzerne Historical Society, and that they had no information on the Marvins. Sigh. So, I called, and learned it was possible to get to Wilkes-Barre before the 3:00 closing time. Cities always kind of freak me out because I have to navigate with the trailer to find a place to park. Long story short, I was lucky to find a spot on the street right in front of a church and stuck in a few quarters in two meters – one to account for my truck and one for the trailer.
The historical society, however, was kind of a bust. The room was filled with books and the file cabinets filled with folders filled with papers. I knew David Marvin was an early settler of the Wyoming Valley and that the early settlers were pretty much slaughtered by the native Americans, and that my ancestor was apparently not there during this confrontation. I learned nothing from the folks at the historical society, and I saw that I could spend months searching through all the materials there and find what, a tiny kernel of information on the Marvins? Decided to move on.
Off I went to visit the Marvin Cemetery where ancestors are buried. I would have been sorry had I not gone, but I must say, I was kind of sorry I had gone. The cemetery was quite overgrown, and my Marvin ancestor’s graves were around the edges of the cemetery, facing the wall, not the inside of the cemetery, and the markers were so badly worn, it was hard to see anything.
And, of course, that diversion got me into my KOA campsite after dark, and again, it was a back-up-your-beast-camping spot. After much in and out of the truck checking the angle and position of my trailer, I nestled in and am now in my cozy space.
Reflecting on the day, I must say, I’m not very impressed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton towns in PA. They are seedy, run down and just kind of creepy. Down here in Lancaster where I’m camping appears to be better but I’m missing Maine already.
10/16/2024