At the Cemetery

             I’ve visited a lot of cemeteries during my genealogy research career.  A lot of walking and photo taking and on one of the trips, I recorded information as well as taking photos.

Mtn View Cemetery:
 William & Susan Kludt

So, what cemeteries have I visited?  Several in Washington State where my relatives are buried.  These include Rainy
Valley outside of Glenoma, Sticklin Greenwood Memorial in Centralia, and Mountain View Cemetery, also in Centralia.  Rainy Valley has my Mom’s family – the Keesees.  Greenwood also has mom’s family – both the Keesees and the Reynoldsons.  Mountain View has

Fern Hill Cemetery:
William & Julia Belles

my dad’s family – the Kludts, including my brother.  OH, also visited a cemetery in Spokane and in Lind where some of my dad’s relatives are buried.  We’ve also checked out Fern Hill Cemetery in Aberdeen where my husband’s family is buried.

1982 saw me in Pike County, Kentucky doing research and visiting several cemeteries for the Keesee family. Some had tall grass to walk through, and you had to

Chestnut Point:
Ruth E Bevins

have a stick to beat the area to scare away the snakes.  Most of them were up on hillsides.  The one that was the most interesting was Apple Orchard near the church that family attended.  Without having old-timers with me, I would not have known which plot belonged to my ancestors as the only marking was a cross.  Other cemeteries included Bent Branch, Chestnut Point, and Scott Family to name just a few.

1984 saw my aunt and I in Fayette County, Iowa doing research on the Kludt/Reisner family.  Family members took us to several cemeteries where our early relatives are buried – West Union, Hawkeye, and Eldorado were the main ones.  Besides cemeteries, we visited churches to find various records.

Mennonite Cemetery:
Aaron & Elizabeth Shontz

2016 saw my husband and I in Harmony, Butler County, Pennsylvania at the Mennonite Cemetery for the Belles/Shontz/Zeigler families.  We also visited another cemetery that was real interesting – no tombstones nor markings of any kind; just a fenced in patch of grass.

Harmony Society Cemetery

The cemetery I really want to go to is in the Barton/Grafton/Cedarburg area in Wisconsin.  I want to see what Kludts/Fromms are buried there.  I know that at least two children from my immigrant ancestor, John Kludt, are buried there.  Whether there’s a marker or not remains to be seen.

A Question the Records Can't Answer

             Thinking about this and I do have some questions for my paternal great grandparents.  I raised these questions on my blog entry about A Big Decision.  In fact, it was my opening statement.

I also want to ask Emanuel Swinehart why he moved around so much.  The Swinehart’s’ started out in Wyandot County, Ohio.  Then sometime prior to 1865, they moved to Noble County, Indiana.  Several of Emanuel’s children were born in Indiana.  However, a couple were born in Kansas.  He moved sometime prior to 1880. He ended up in Clatsop County, Oregon where he died in 1926.  There is a family lore that says he worked for the railroad.  But can’t find proof.  His son, Harry (also a paternal great grandparent), ended up in Idaho then Washington State.

I’m sure there are others, I just haven’t worked in depth on those lines.