Ritchey and I went on another adventure the last couple of days.  No, it wasn’t a genealogy adventure per se, but even when it’s not, it always morphs into one in one aspect or another!

Our birthday gifts to each other were tickets to the Loreena McKinnett concert in Knoxville, Tennesse, this Wednesday, October 26th.  We love her Celtic inspired music.  Loreena’s voice is so magical, she takes you on a journey through the history of the Celts and Ireland as her concert progresses.

Naturally, on the way down (and back) we took time to visit cemeteries in four counties – bringing our total count to 61!  Just couldn’t resist.  Our first stop was Laurel County and the city of London, at A. R. Dyche Memorial Park, also known as London City Cemetery and Pine Grove Cemetery.

John H. Faris, born December 6, 1844, died February 3, 1884.

Bettie M. Faris, daughter of Abraham & Amanda Baugh, born January 10, 1843, married John H. Faris, May 21, 1868, died June 7, 1905.

Our next stop was the city of Williamsburg, in Whitley County, close to the Tennessee border – Briar Creek Baptist Church.

Sacred to the memory of T. J. H. Williams, died September 22, 1850, aged 99 years, 7 months and 8 days. 

On our way back from the concert we drove through the beautiful Powell Valley in Tennessee to Middlesboro, Bell County, Kentucky.  We stopped at the Middlesboro Cemetery.  It was cloudy, even drizzled a little, but not enough to deter us from our mission!

The cemetery is as rolling as the hills that surround it!

John C. Colson, Jr., born September 25, 1854, died June 1, 1897.

Our last stop was Barbourville Cemetery in Knox County.

Josie, wife of C. A. Doan, born March 1, 1858, died May 2, 1896.

Another beautiful view of this mountainous region of Kentucky.

So what makes one a ‘real’ genealogist?  I think it comes from the heart – wanting to know all we can about our forebears; wanting to put all the pieces together for a complete family tree; wanting to remember those who have perhaps been forgotten; to know that every person matters, whether they lived a few hours or one hundred years; to recognize that, however small or large, each person contributes to our life here on earth, and to glory in the time they spent here.