Civil War Blog Challenge - Accepted!

Bill West of the blog "West in New England" has challenged all genealogy bloggers to post about their Civil War ancestors for the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter and the following four years of war.

Bill, I accept your challenge.  

My direct ancestors who fought during this time were:

• Daniel Hoover - Union - 8th Kentucky Infantry
• John Hoover - Union - 47th Kentucky Infantry (Daniel's son)
• Henry Plowman - Union - 8th Kentucky Infantry
• Richard Aldridge - Union - 8th Kentucky Infantry
• Isaac Hickam - Confederate - 48th Virginia Infantry

Relatives who also fought?  Look at the rolls of the 8th Kentucky and the 47th Kentucky.

Over the next four years, I will be blogging about these men, their units and the battles they took part in.  I will walk where they walked, I will stand where they stood.  

And I will share it with you.

Genealogy Adventures - continued

We'd already been to two cemeteries, up and down a ridge and down a holler.  Where would our genealogy adventures take us?  We were headed to a cemetery further into the mountains.

To set the scene for you, Jakie's husband was driving the truck with the cousin we'd "kidnapped."  In the back of the club cab, was Jakie, my birth mom and myself.  As we approached the main road, our cousin's wife (who's a cousin as well, but we won't talk about that) was coming home.  We told her where we were headed and she agreed to meet us there after she put groceries away.

As we discussed where this cemetery was located, I kept thinking, "I know where this is."  We reached the end of the road and made our way to the gravel, one lane road that led to our destination.  As we headed down yet another ridge, I said out loud, "I've been here.  I know where we're going."  Jakie looked at me in amazement.  "You have?"  "Yes.  This is the Sparks Cemetery.  Just further down the road is where I took the picture of the old Reece house. And just beyond that is the cave with the spring in it."

We made our way over the creek and up the hill to where the old barn was.  Our cousin told of working the level spots on the ridge just to our right when he was a boy using a horse and plow.  We stopped the truck and, indeed, this time "Just over there" proved to be...just over there.  Our cousin's wife arrived and off we went.

 We made our way to what appeared to be a small cemetery in a grove of trees.  There were only five markers, but what markers they were.  We were standing in the John Reece Cemetery!  I knew about this cemetery, but had never been to it.  Yes folks, there are a few cemeteries on Barnes Mountain that I've not been to.  We found Jakie's ancestor, Samuel Fox, who served with the 47th Kentucky Infantry during the Civil War.  We found David Reece, another Civil War veteran, along with his son, John Reece.  Making our way through vinca minor covered ground, we were careful not to step on (or in) any of the sunken graves.  We found a Sarah Plowman and in the back, we found the fifth marked grave.  It was dated 1858!  As the six of us stood in various areas, the calls of "Here's another one." rang back and forth.  As we counted and estimated, the numbers grew.  There were at least ten rows of between ten and fifteen graves across.  The length of the graves ranged in size of a baby to an adult.  It was a sobering time, there among the vines and flowers.  To realize that there were relatives and friends that were only known to each other around us made each of us walk with a softer step and reflect on these people who were neighbors, families and friends.

Jakie's husband was asking about the location of the former oil fields that were on the top of the mountain.  A friend of mine and I'd found them years before and I told him that I could direct him there.  Once again, we piled into the truck, minus our cousins/guides.  We drove to the oil field ruins and, as I write this, I'm reminded that I need to take pictures of them the next time I go up there.  You can see foundations as well as old pumps.  As we made our way back to Irvine, we discussed the Granny Richardson School that had been located there, before it was moved to the campus of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.

As we came off the mountain, Virgil realized that he had three hungry women in the truck that he needed to feed quickly!  We spent the the last hours of our day at a local restaurant with the best "home-cooked" food that could be found.

Too quickly did their truck return us to the motel I was staying in.  Where had the day gone?  Like so many things, the fun times, the times one anticipates, the day had passed too quickly.

I'm already planning my next trip.

Tombstone Tuesday - Henry Plowman - Hoover Cemetery

Ok, I'm going to give you a two-fer today.  The first one is easy.  The second one, not so much.  I'll explain under the photo.

Henry Plowman

Son of Thomas Plowman and (possibly) Sarah Roach

Husband of Mary Jane Pursley

Hoover Cemetery, Shade, Estill County, Kentucky

This unmarked grave is directly to the right of Henry's.  We do know that Jane died after Henry did in 1898.  Burial habits of that particular time/place tend to find the wife on the right of the husband.  Given this, is this Mary Jane (Pursley) Plowman's grave.  I *believe* so, but can't say with definite proof.

Tombstone Tuesday - John Will and Ida (Caylor) Hoover - Hoover Cemetery

Down a one lane road on a mountain in Estill County, Kentucky, you'll find my favorite spot in the world - Hoover Cemetery.  On this ridge, you'll find at least 200 (marked and unmarked) family and friends of Daniel and Dianah (McQueen) Hoover.  I've often wondered if Dianah's father, John McQueen, is there himself.  He was born in 1761, died in 1855 and fought in the Revolutionary War.  Just behind the cemetery was the cabin site that the Hoover family, who arrived in Estill County in 1840, called home.  The spring that Dianah drew water to cook and clean still runs.

Under some of the few trees that grow there, you'll find the above headstone.  This is my Great-grand uncle and aunt, John Will and Ida (Caylor) Hoover.

John William Hoover was born 13 Jan 1887 in Estill County, Kentucky, the son of Andrew Jackson "Andy" Hoover and Frances J. "Fannie Plowman.  He died 31 Oct 1967 there in Estill County as well.

Ida (Caylor) Hoover is a bit of a mystery to me.  I admit that I'm intrigued with her, but just haven't had a chance to seriously research her.  The birth date on the stone reads 13 Jan 1887, but there's evidence that she may have been born in May.  The circumstances of her birth are a bit suspect as well, but I'm going to leave that alone for now as well.

Every time I visit this cemetery (and I visit it every time I'm in Estill County...gotta tell the folks, "Hey!"), I visit Uncle John Will and Aunt Ida.  

The headstone, as you can see, was handmade.  A wooden frame was made and concrete poured in.  After it was smoothed out, crushed glass was sprinkled around.  Marbles were used to outline the hand etched name and dates for both of them.

In an area where so many graves went unmarked or marked with just a fieldstone, you can find several variations on the above design.  Rather than let their loved ones go without, they crafted one with their own hands.  And people say that mountain people are without imagination or ability....