Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Tombstone Tuesday - Robert Riddle - Old West Irvine Cemetery


Robert Riddle, Sr.
01 Jan 1773 ~ 12 Feb 1849
(aka Simp Richardson Cemetery)

This is the oldest readable headstone in the cemetery.


Tombstone Tuesday - Unknown - Old West Irvine Cemetery


One of the many broken headstones
(aka Simp Richardson Cemetery)



Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tombstone Tuesday - Interesting Family Plot - Campbell Cemetery



This interesting family plot is located at the back of Campbell Cemetery, Doe Creek, Estill County, Kentucky.  Surrounded by a low chain border are field stones that are common to cemeteries in the area.  What makes this family plot different is the large marker in the center.  It gives names and dates for all in the family area.  Listed on the marker are:

James Alfred Hale
9-2-1922 ~ 9-20-1922

Cash Farthing
10-29-1852 ~ 1-2-1931

Mary (Babb) Farthing
11-5-1852 ~ (12-8-1920 according to death certificate) 

Mary Eliza (Farthing) Land
11-1-1873 ~ 6-1-1905

Robert Land
4-2-1905 ~ 4-2-1905

Garrett H. Land
2-19-1897 10-5-1902

Mattie (Farthing) Land
3-3-1888 ~ 11-15-1916

Marjorie Land
6-1-1907 ~ 5-10-1909

Lucy Ann Farthing
9-21-1882 ~ 12-22-1913

Eva T. (Hale) Metcalf and Twins
2-11-1893 ~ 1910

Monday, February 14, 2011

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Just Where Did The Name of This Blog Come From??

So, you may ask yourself, "Just where did Jen come up with the name of this blog??"

When KYGenWeb was still in the works in 1996, one of the counties I hosted was Estill County, Kentucky.  This had been home to my ancestors before there even WAS an Estill County.  In those early days, everything was new and "shiny".  Web design, online genealogy, mailing lists - it was just so exciting.  Once information was online, message boards were started and everything else was in motion, we started discussing on the mailing list how fun it would be to all meet there and really get to know each other.  And so it was that the Estill County Homecoming was born.  Every year, on the last weekend of July, people gather and locals are on hand to help researchers from out of state find their ancestors.  After a couple of years, we got help Estill County Historical & Genealogical Society.  The county clerk's office stayed open longer on Saturdays for the researchers to make copies.  The Society hosted a breakfast and lunch.  After the day's research, we'd gather at a local restaurant to tell tales of cemeteries visited and connections made.

Behind the motel is an old cemetery.  Unmarked graves far outweigh marked ones there and for the longest time, this cemetery was not cared for.  Fortunately, someone or ones have stepped up and now care for this resting place of so many.  In fact, the morning this photograph was taken (18 Aug 2009), there were signs that the grass had been mowed possibly even the day before.

My friend, Sandi, and I were there for Homecoming in 2001.  We both had our computers and genealogy books on the county with us.  It had been a wonderful night - most of the motel's rooms were occupied by others attending Homecoming.  Everyone had their doors propped open and were visiting the others there to find their families.  Late in the evening, the others had gone to bed as the morning's meetings were going to start at 7:00 a.m.  Sandi and I were talking about how well the evening had gone.  I mentioned that the Old West Irvine Cemetery was on the small hill next to the parking lot and that my 3rd great grand aunt and uncle, Ari (Hoover) and Littleton Horn were buried there.

Here's a piece of advice, never act on a thought in the middle of a "genealogy high".  It was 12:30 in the morning.  Sandi looked at me....I looked at her.  At that time, that's generally all it took for us to have a genealogy adventure.  We grabbed lighters and headed across the parking lot.  Attempting to read what stones we could get to, we both burned our thumbs trying to hold down the triggers. The movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" had been out a few years and, if you've seen the movie, you'll remember the scene where Minerva, Jim Williams and John Kelso visited a cemetery at midnight.  The Minerva character called the cemetery a garden.  "Dancing" came from the stumbling and tripping over flat stones that Sandi and I did in the moonlight that night.  Don't worry though, we realized we weren't in the best of circumstances and returned the next day to properly look at this wonderful old cemetery.

By the way, when I gave my speech greeting everyone the next morning, we did assure everyone that the bobbing lights in the cemetery weren't local ghosts. 

Henderson Cemetery

You know how you wander around the internet and stumble upon things?  Well, I came across this, a videolog of the Henderson Cemetery in Estill County, Kentucky.

This cemetery is very common to small family cemeteries found in the mountains.   For whatever reason, some graves were marked with a field stone both at the head and foot.   I've not visited this cemetery personally as of yet.  I can't wait to get there and photograph it myself.

Enjoy!


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Wednesday's Child - James Arthur Hoover


James Arthur Hoover
Fourth child of James Daniel "Jim Dan" and Lucinda (Sparks) Hoover
10 Feb 1914 ~ 1 ??? 1915

Other than James' birth that was recorded in his mother's Bible, this hand-carved stone is the only other record that this child ever existed.  Unfortunately, there is no birth certificate or death certificate.  This photo was taken several years ago.  Presently, the stone still rests on the ground, but has gotten increasingly hard to read.  

James Arthur rests next to his sister, Dimer Ann, and brother Ezerath.  Dimer died young as well, while Ezerath died in his teens of pneumonia while working at a CCC Camp.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011