Quick Search

Took a quick ride over to Lakeland Sunday afternoon to visit the grave sites of some of my ancestors. My father's sister, Nellie, is buried next to her husband in a plot with enough room for five burials. Both of Nellie's sons are in the same section and the one son that was married has his wife buried next to him to round out the total of five. Nellie, her husband, and their oldest son all lived long lives and passed away in their 80's. The other son died at the age of 67.  In the same cemetery with Nellie but in different sections are grave sites for her husband's mother and a number of his siblings and half siblings.  And finally in this cemetery there is a lone grave marker for one of Nellie's grandchildren.

Up the road about 3 miles from the cemetery where Nellie and the others are interred is the cemetery where Nellie's daughter is buried. She just passed away last year at the age of 95.  A beautiful and gracious lady (just like her mother), Bernice Chiselbrook was kind enough to share some stories of my ancestors in the last couple years of her life. I plan to use some of her comments in the other blog I'm working on about the sort of secret past of my grandfather.

In addition to Bernice's husband in the other cemetery is one of their daughters, Carol Jean, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 42.  I like to visit cemeteries to pay my respects to those who have gone on before us. Not in a ghoulish way but simply to visit and remember (as well as generate genealogical info on those relatives I may have never met). Seems to me that if someone goes to the trouble of having their remains marked in stone with critical information about their lives, then those of us left behind should visit from time to time just to honor their memories and say a few words. Don't know if anybody can hear me but it makes me feel better. And makes me feel a little bit like I'm being responsible in some way when I pray they'll all rest in peace.