Monday, June 21, 2010

You Gotta Love Genealogy

I mentioned Genealogy in my last post so lets talk a little about some of the things that go along with the hours and hours of research.

I have a Love/Hate relationship with cemeteries, I hate visiting one when it is to say goodbye to a loved one but I love going when on a quest for information that I need to fill in the blanks on my family tree, Genealogy has taken me to more cemeteries than I can count and the excited feeling I get when I find the final resting place of an ancestor is one that I truly love, and going back to visit that loved one whose funeral you attended goes back to the hate side because you know that sad feeling in your chest where your heart is pounding and you just know you are not going to cry until that tear drips down.

On one vacation trip to South Carolina when Elisa (Tim’s Wife) rode along with us I dragged Cindy and the kids through more cemeteries than the law allowed, just picture this mid July in South Carolina going through cemeteries looking at tombstones, yes we were sweating a little because the humidity was really high, did the kids enjoy it and did I find what I was looking for? Well not at first but it turned into a rather enjoyable trip, Cindy and I actually got a lot of help from the kids, I had an argument going with my Dad and quite a few people in the family about my Great Grandfathers actual name and the maiden name of my Great Grandmother, no one actually could tell me where they were buried as he had died in 1926 and she in 1949, to make a long story short the four of us followed information I had found and walked all over Mountain Grove Baptist Church Cemetery and just about the time we had all come down with heat exhaustion and the kids were so bored with looking for dead ancestors, there they were the tombstones of my Great Grandparents and they confirmed the birth and death dates I had along with their proper names and her maiden name was also on her tombstone. “This Is Cool” Tim stated and this was all of a sudden no longer boring, just up the road we went to find another ancestor which we did not find at the time but will on our next trip because I now have a picture and know the location of this one thanks to a cousin who loves this as much as I do.

I mentioned Oolenoy Baptist Church in my last post also, this churches cemetery dates back to about 1790 and the majority of the people buried here are related to me in one way or another, everyone got a eerie feeling here because the age and look of many of these graves date way back before any of us were born, I actually got a peaceful feeling here and made several trips back before we went home. A lot of the graves are what they call a slot and tab tomb system which is basically stones placed around the grave with a slate of stone laid on top giving the look of the grave being above ground, Click Here to look at some pictures from this cemetery, now if I had to choose I would like to be laid to rest here among family members who I had searched for during my research, there are more here I know and I will be contacting the church for information real soon, I just may get the information I am looking for or either asked to never call again, but I doubt the latter.
Jimmy looking for ancestors
In the end when my research is all done and I have left this world wherever I end up laid to rest, I hope one day some other nut like me stumbles across my final stop and states “Hey This Is Cool, I found Jimmy” You Gotta Love Genealogy.

27 comments:

  1. It's a very tedious process of research. My sister could spend all her time walking the cemeteries. I have a problem with it. I'm afraid if there is any unquiet spirit lurking around, it might decide to hitch a ride with a weak minded person... like me. Plus, the thought of the remains of my loved ones, being in the ground really bothers me since my parents passed away. I can't bear the thought of them there, even though I know their soul has moved on. Now I'm going to go click on your link and see more pictures, before I cry.

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  2. Okay..I have a lot to say about cemeteries. I like to visit them too and always find something unique, eerie, touching and memorable. I am going to mention just a few that I have visited that have stayed with me forever. The saddest one was in France ...the American cemetery. It is so beautiful (the actual setting) but so sad when you think of all the soldiers who lost their lives in WWII. The coolest cemetery was also in France. It is called Pere L'Chaise and it is where Jim Morrison is buried as well as hundreds of famous poets, authors and actors. There was a full time guard at Jim's grave so no one would steal his body. Another one I always remember is in New Orleans. I love the way they bury an entire family in one crypt above ground. I think it is kind of neat that a whole family can rest together for eternity. I am not sure where I will end up but I only hope it is with Tim. I like the idea of those plots for two...united together for eternity!!!

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  3. I also love cemeteries. Lot's of nice photos to be taken there.
    I also love genealogy. I've got a a few thousand folks in my family tree. Most of them from my
    Dad's side. Still working on my mom's side. Seems to have been some name changes a couple of times. Probably to avoid being found...still working at it.

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  4. Interesting roots there Jimmy! I love how you dug them out (heh). Cemeteries are really beautiful places. I can't believe you found the graves you were looking for. I always like looking at the dates of the husbands and wives. Seems like they always pass within a few months of each other or years later but in the same month.

    I have a picture of a gravestone from the 1800's at this camp we visited in February.

    Really neat stuff that you are doing. :-)

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  5. Cemeteries are odd places...and yes, they do make interesting photos, but I can't explain why.
    Probably because of the weirdness of the unknown.
    I bet people with common surnames, like Smith, Jones...would have an impossible time doing any research like that...

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  6. There really is a beauty to cemeteries. Those pictures are fantastic. I hate visiting graves of those I know, but I sometimes walk through cemeteries just observing the different monuments and epitaphs.

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  7. I don't see how anyone finds anything... it's too overwhelming for me to even get started.

    I love cemeteries, but I like the older ones with the really ornate headstones, or the sepluchers. I don't like modern ones, partly because they're barren, but mostly because I usually know someone who's buried there.

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  8. Ms A,

    You are so right and walking the cemeteries is just a small part of it kind of a fun part for me maybe one of those spirits has hitched a ride in my weak mind Ha Ha seriously that fear is a legit one that a lot of people carry.

    I can see what you are saying about not wanting your loved ones in the ground even though their soul has moved on, I guess thats part of the mixed feelings a lot of people get when visiting.

    Aren’t those pictures fascinating?

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  9. Hey Susie,

    I have never been overseas myself but I think those cemeteries you mentioned would be worth a visit, New Orleans I would love to go see also I actually have an Uncle who lived there but can't find any information about him as of yet, I know he was living there when he passed but thats it.

    I too like the areas where the family is all together.

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  10. Pat,

    You would love the pictures that could be taken at Oolenoy that Church has so much history behind it.

    I have ran into quite a few name changes in my tree also and it does throw a stumbling block in front of us at times.

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  11. Still digging Angelia :^)

    I have found so many ancestors and the history behind them I could probably write a book, sometimes you think Oh Man Why and others you want to shout Wow

    There were a lot of couples that passed really close to one another, there are quite a few in my tree like this.

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  12. Good Morning Joe,

    "Probably because of the weirdness of the unknown" I think this sums it all up on why they feel so odd.

    The common names are really hard and misspelled names on old census records really make it rough, example Reid was the name of one of my ancestors and the spelling Reed, Reid, Ried, criss cross so many times that it's not even funny, I finally found him and the whole family spellen Rend on the census, the actual document if you looked real close it was an i but at a glance sure looked like an n.

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  13. Thank You Peg,

    I appreciate you :^)

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  14. Morning TS,

    Yes there is a beauty to most cemeteries, I would rather look for ancestors than visit the ones I know also, I suppose knowing a person makes it hard to let them go.

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  15. Hey Kristy,

    Yes there is a lot involved once you get started and once you do you will be hooked.

    I too like the older cemeteries with all the detail and information on the stones, even the old stones where the people actually scratched the information on to the stones kind of tugs at you.

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  16. Yipeeeee! I LOVE when you post about genealogy and your trips to cemeteries because both of these things really interest me.

    I think I've shared this with you in a previous comment, but I can spend hours walking through old cemeteries. And like you, they don't creep me out, but rather give me a sense of peace.

    There is a cemetary here in Philadelphia that has the type of slate tombstones you spoke about. Like a grave above the ground. I really enjoy reading the names and dates on them. Some of them date back to the 1700's.

    Great post, Jimmy!

    Enjoyed!

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  17. Great, I feel like the purple show here.. I want to be cremated and then they can just let the window down on the way home and let me fly.. Then have a kicking party with the money they saved from a funeral. But, I will say I find comfort in visiting my Grandmother's gravesite...

    The genealogy search, great, another project for me. Thanks alot Jimmy..LOL

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  18. Hey Ron,

    Those type of graves give the whole place a different feeling for a lot of people, I think it is a pretty neat setup myself, there are a lot of stones at this one that appear hand scratched I know the Church was started in 1795 so I am sure the first burial was near the same time.

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  19. Good Evening Lynne,

    A lot of people are opting for cremation now days, I say whatever works for you but from a genealogical standpoint it'll be hard to sit down and visit you once you have flown down the highway :^)

    "The genealogy search, great, another project for me. Thanks alot Jimmy..LOL"

    You are very welcome and I know you will Love it once you get started Ha Ha

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  20. I love cemeteries!! But then, I guess that figures, huh? The oldest ones are definitely the best and I was lucky enough to go to several while in England. Very very old graves.

    I haven't tried any of the geneology stuff yet, but I'd really like too. And I want to go to New Orleans to visit the cemeteries. Lol.

    ♥Spot

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  21. Hey Stacey,

    Who would have figured that you would like cemeteries :^) I am like you the older ones do fascinate me and New Orleans I think would be well worth a trip.

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  22. Funny that you posted about this. Just this last sunday I was begging hubby to stop at this little tiny cemetary. He asked why. I just like to try to find the oldest ones. He thinks that is nuts, especially since neither of us are going to buried! It's just something I like to do.

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  23. I am the same way when we go back to SC Heather, there are so many Family Cemeteries and most churches have one out back too, it's not unusual to run onto one that you have missed for years right under your nose.

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  24. I used to laugh at my dad's fascination with cemeteries...and then I was bit by the genealogy bug!

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  25. Yep Suzicate, That Genealogy bug kind of sticks with you too :)

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