WALKING AMONG THE GRAVESTONES

Before you say anything, yes, there are those out there that like to traipse amongst the gravestones reading the names, dates, etc. about the deceased.  And I am one of those.  I am a genealogist!

My husband and I took a mini vacation this last week.  First off it was to get him away from the busy phones, getting up very early to beat the traffic to get to work, and all the hustle and bustle that goes along with a job.  The phones went with us but they stayed pretty quiet.

Anyone that lives in Texas, or has driven through Texas, knows how long it takes to get anywhere.  We live in south central Texas and decided to travel to north Texas.  A seven hour drive at the most to get to our destination, plus we like taking the scenic route.  The scenic route takes you to every poke and plum town along the way.  You pass buildings that have outlived their usefulness and are usually boarded up.  Usually there is one gas station along with a fast food restaurant where you can stretch your legs, use the facilities, and get a drink.  So you can stop at the next small town and relieve yourself and get another drink.

What I like about driving through the small towns is you see cemeteries.  Yes, cemeteries.  My family thinks I am weird.  If you were going to blame someone because you like cemeteries, then I guess you could blame my mother.  When I was about six years old we lived very close to a cemetery.  She would put my baby brother and sister in their buggy, and then my other brother and myself walked through the small winding trails through the cemetery.  I being the oldest, helped push the buggy and held my brother's hand to keep him from wandering.  I guess that was our outing for the day since we lived out in the country and there wasn't any parks to go to.

Now back to the cemeteries, which I've always liked walking through.  I often wondered about the person lying beneath the headstone.  Who was that person?  What was their life like.  Did they have plans for their lives and were they able to fulfill those plans"  What were their desires, thoughts, and what kind of a job did they have?  Oh so many questions.  But how different were they from me?

Scary movies would have you believe monsters lurk behind every headstone just waiting to jump out and grab you.  Yea, I've watched a few in my time.  Ghost hunters have sat in cemeteries on dark nights to see if there are spirits floating from one grave to another. 

But here is what I can tell you.................

Usually there is only a name with dates on the headstone.  It doesn't tell you much, just that they were born and they died.  Headstones in very old cemeteries sometimes will give you a glimpse of something about the person.  They might say "He was a very generous man",  "Good to others", or even "He never met a stranger". 

I can spot a cemetery a mile away which my husband finds amusing.  As we drive along I will point them out to him.  Like he is really interested! 

Now then I can honestly tell you after thirty years I have him walking cemeteries.  Well, almost.  I'm putting his family tree together so I have him taking notes and pictures of his relatives headstones.  What's interesting not every relative had the money to buy a nice stone.  They used large stones and carved the person's name on it and that was it.  We both have relatives that fit that description.

At the end of Sep we will be traveling to New England to do some research on my husband's family.  I've tried to lay it all out, what city, cemetery, etc. to go to.  AND to take better notes this time.  I forgot to write the name of the cemetery last time, but I have the picture.  Oh yes, I will be eating my share of lobster!

So until then.....................................