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.