Great-Great-Grandpa's New Tombstone

A connection with the Knott County Historical Society made it possible to replace my Great-Great-Grandfather's old, worn, handmade tombstone with one provided by the U.S. Government. Yes, even though Great-Great-Grandpa fought on the losing side of the Civil War, a new tombstone could still be obtained for his grave site.

The beautiful white marble tombstone placed at GG-Grandpa's grave site.

A number of family members joined us in Fall 1996 to commemorate this occasion and I was honored to be asked to deliver GG-Grandpa's second eulogy. A number of civil war reenactors were called to join in the ceremony, along with my brother-in-law, David, the only "damn Yankee" in the group.

The reenactors at our ceremony, including brother-in-law,
David, holding the U.S. flag

The setting for the ceremony was perfect, with the fog-shrouded hills of Knott County surrounding us at the little cemetery in the tiny town of Mousie. The riderless white horse added a special touch, too.

I was honored to have Uncle Estil drive down not only to join us, but to present me with my Grandmother's family bible to hold in safekeeping as the family historian.

Uncle Estil and my sister, Peggy, holding the bible.

More about the ceremony will follow in a later post, including the beautiful program prepared by the Knott County Historical Society, along with GG-Grandpa's military service details.

Dad, Meet Your Grandpa

Towards the end of my first journey into our family history, in late 1996, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to take my Dad to visit—for the first time in his life—the grave of his paternal Grandfather in rural Knott County, Kentucky. Dad was born in 1918, while his Grandfather passed away in 1898, so obviously he never knew him. John Elliot Griffe (Griffith) died at the young age of 37 years and was buried on a rural hillside, as was the custom in those days.

During my genealogical search, I was extremely lucky to meet a local gentleman, Mack Holliday, who had been "mapping" local cemeteries as part of his own genealogical work. Mack diligently scoured the hills of Knott County and one day gave me the exciting news that he'd found my Great-Grandfather's grave-site. The tombstone was in a small family plot, halfway up a hill, above a coal mine tipple, just outside of the tiny town of Mousie, Kentucky.

John Elliot Griffe tombstone. 

These stones were obviously carved by hand and this one had withstood nearly 100 years of wear quite well. It was a matter of great pride and much joy for me to be able, with Mack's abundant assistance, to in effect introduce my Dad to his Grandfather, a man he had never met.