Forgotten Tennessee cemetery yields N.C. Confederate graves

Durham Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.] ^ | October 9, 2004 | Duncan Mansfield, Associated Press Writer

[Constitution Day]

Roster, 58th North Carolina Infantry, Confederate States Army

[Constitution Day]

Ping.

[martin_fierro]

Probably it's a middle age thing, but I've been getting into reading old tombstones to see what I can discern about the person's life from them.

Came across a poignant one in Boston from the 1700s -- a ship's captain had a stone made for his chinese bo'sun's mate.

[Samwise]

As someone who has tramped through woods and fields looking for lost ancestors, I think this is cool.

[Constitution Day]

Boston has some amazing old cemeteries.

I got interested in cemeteries when I was about 10.

After my grandfather survived throat cancer, he decided to retire from farming.
When a few years had passed, he got bored and took a part-time digging graves for the local funeral home.

I'd always tag along with him in the summer and go look at the tombstones while he was operating the backhoe.

I think my parents found it to be a morbid pastime.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

About the only thing growing in my old home town is the cemetery. The town once had 6500 and is down to less than 400 souls. A cousin recently donated 40 contiguous acres to the cemetery society and that should about do it.

[wizr]

Thanx. As a history buff, I love reading of these findings that tie us to our past.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the ping Samwise.

[Vigilantcitizen]

Love old cemetaries.

[Lockbar]

Thumbs up for history and honoring America's military dead.

[Constitution Day]

I know what you mean, I've done the same.

One Confederate ancestor I've never found was in the 56th NC.
I think he might be in our family cemetery under one of the many field stones, but I'll never know which one.

[martin_fierro]

A cousin recently donated 40 contiguous acres to the cemetery society and that should about do it.

Sorry, but I laughed. < |:)~

[martin_fierro]

I hear ya.

I was a "grandpap's boy," too. < |:)~

[exit82]

Another confessed gravestone reader here.

I find it most interesting to read the tombstones in cemeteries. So much of local history is found or can be surmised by reading the stones.

Just Friday I stopped at an old cemetery in my travels. Since I like the Civil War, it was a real find to discover graves of many Civil War veterans from NJ, some who, through their regimental descriptions, were present at Gettysburg.

But the stone most poignant was a more modern one, from 1945. It was placed by the family of a sailor that perished in the sinking of the USS Drexler.It simply said--"lost at sea".

When I got home, I googled up "USS Drexler" and found that this was a destroyer that was sunk by Japanese kamikaze
planes in 1945. Another reminder of the tremendous cost of freedom.

[KY Dittohead]

Speaking as someone who has done genealogy for many years, this is a wonderful find. I have spent many an hour tromping through over growth looking for old family graves.

[martin_fierro]

Tombstone reading --> leads to --> interest in genealogy --> online research --> travel to libraries --> family history chat rooms --> HELP! I'M HOOKED!!

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

We visited a couple of cemetaries in PA - an old Church near our home had graves from the 1700's......it was eerie but I liked knowing that here we were, 200-300 years later thinking about that person........

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Nobody's moving in and that's a fact.

[viaveritasvita]

later.....

[exit82]

How true!! LOL!!