My great, great, great grandfather, Ebenezer Fletcher Stark, was the subject of my historical novel, Great Lakes Skipper. Eben died a hero when saving sailors following a shipwreck. He had three sons, Henry, Lewis, and James. The middle son, Lewis remained in Cleveland his entire life, managing the extensive property left to him by his father and caring for his widowed mother who never remarried.

The oldest son, Henry, like his father, invested in large tracts of Cleveland property. One of his properties was 100 acres of what is now known as Wade Park in the University Circle neighborhood. The city named the park after Jeptha Wade, former president of Western Union who purchased the land from Henry and then later donated it to the city and Western Reserve University. Wade Park today serves as the campus for the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Botanical Garden, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

One of my several visits to Cleveland while doing research for the book occurred during the Thanksgiving holidays. To our surprise, my wife and I found Cleveland almost abandoned. We drove the streets unimpeded by other vehicles. One of our visits included Wade Park. It is beautiful and I was dying to tell someone about my ancestor’s original ownership.

Finally, I spotted another couple wandering the grounds. “Do you know my great, great, uncle once owned 100 acres of the property?” I boasted.

“That’s nice,” was the less than impressed reply. “Our grandfather designed this park,” they said.

It’s just hard to gain one-upmanship sometimes.

Eben’s youngest son, James, enlisted in the Ohio 124^th Regiment, Ohio Volunteers in 1862 during the Civil War. James lost his life during the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19, 1863. I have his military records and his window’s claim for benefits. She received $8 per month and $2 for each of their three children until they reached the age of sixteen.

In 2005, I visited the Chickamauga National Military Park . I discovered the Park Service had placed a plaque at each location where the 124^th fought three skirmishes on September 19^th, 1863. I was certain when I stood at each of those locations, I would feel vibes telling me where James fell.

Would that I could tell you that at one point the earth trembled, trees shook and skies darkened, but, well … rest in peace James Stark.