Bean Cemetery LooP
Little River, Kansas

Here is an improvised live loop (w/ the Little River Cicada Choir & the Kansas Literal Wind Ensemble) that I made in Bean Cemetery, surrounded by the graves of my Great-Grandfather, my Great-Great-Grandfather, and my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather.

After finding out a few years ago that my father's father had multiple families back in the 1920s, I went through somewhat of an existential struggle with accepting the fact that my real last name was Ramage. Why my grandfather, Harold Ramage, made up a name like John Von Doran, we shall never know.

Using a genealogy my father's half-sister had made for his 90th birthday, I traced the Ramage name to the Bean Cemetery in Little River, Kansas... where my dad's grandfather, great-grandfather, & great-great-grandfather were buried. Alas, Harold disappeared in 1930, final whereabouts unkown (somewheres in Los Angeles, California apparently). There were other Ramages buried there, as well... and there were even still some Ramages living in the small town. The original Ramages were homesteaders back in the mid 1800s.

I spent four days there at the end of last summer's Road Trip & learned a lot from the two very nice retired ladies who ran the Little River Historical society. I even got to have lunch with my dad's cousin, 80 year old Bruce Ramage, at the Little River Senior Center's Thursday luncheon. Everything was exactly as you are picturing it in your head right now.
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Matthew Von Doran

father = Conrad Von Doran

grandfather = Harold Marshall Ramage “John Von Doran”
(born 1901, Little River, Kansas)

great-grandfather = Calvin E Ramage

great-great-grandfather = James Patterson Ramage

great-great-great-grandfather = Jonathan Ramage & Eliza Wolfe

great-great-great-great-grandfather = Samuel D Ramage

great-great-great-great-great-grandfather = Abner Ramage

great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather = John James Ramage
(born January 1, 1727, Clinton, South Carolina)

great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather = James Ramage

great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather = John Ramage
(born 1679 Lynton, Pebbles County, Scotland)