Lost Cemeteries and Discovered Unknown Graves

Yesterday's Evansville Courier & Press ran another interesting story on lost & discovered grave sites that seem to be found by accident by contractors doing some sort of construction/excavating work.  Read the online article at this link:

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/jan/26/there-are-unknown-grave-sites-among-us/

"According to state law, anyone who finds human remains or artifacts must notify the Department of Natural Resources within two days. So when a historic cemetery is unearthed, Jeannie Regan-Dinius hears about it. She is the cemetery registry coordinator at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' division of historic preservation and archaeology."

The article mentions the SHAARD cemetery database - this "database is part of the Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Database, also known as SHAARD. The database is available online at http://bit.ly/WrOp8D. From that page, click the 'Enter SHAARD as a guest' link to access the database."  You will be required to accept their terms and conditions and then on the next page you will select the survey type... select "cemetery registry"  I just entered Vanderburgh County & Perry Township in the search box and got all the cemeteries registered in that township.  One is listed as "Forgotten Cemetery" dubbed by Glenda Trapp when we (TSGS) copied the cemetery in 1983 (that was nearly 30 years ago) by Glenda, Bonnie Fehd and her son Andrew with John G. West.  This was published in the Vanderburgh two-volume set of cemetery inscription books that many TSGS members helped transcribe grave markers in the smaller cemeteries of the county.  These books are for sale and still available.  The page of who is buried there was photocopied from our publication.  There is a military marker possibly from the Civil War in this "forgotten cemetery."

This SHAARD cemetery database is a great registry for Indiana's cemeteries and hopefully will help prevent some from being lost, forgotten or destroyed.

- Compiled by JGWest

"The Burning of a Cemetery"

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Before I tell you about the burning cemetery, I want to tell you about Glenda Trapp working as a Judge of the 4-H Family Tree Projects at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Fair. I have served as the County Superintendent of this project since it began and the second year Carol Lantaff became my Assistant (later, it would be Mary Deutsch). That year Glenda was roped into being a Judge of the 4-H Fair Notebook Exhibits. She was assigned the Clover Division (the youngest age group), these kids were the beginners and Glenda soon set the way these projects would be done and how they would be judged by the judges of the other two divisions. No one ever questioned her leadership in this matter, simply because it made everyone's job a little easier and more consistent year after year. Glenda entertained all of us involved with the judging of these projects with her keen sense of humor and wit as she discovered again and again the funny side of what a kid did or said in the exhibit. She never belittled them, she just saw humor anywhere she looked for it. She was a Judge for at least eight years. No one will ever be able to judge these projects with the intense serious level that she maintained and still point out tons of humor to us all. There is a reason for telling this story before telling the story of the burning cemetery, so now I can go back to it.

Several of us that were working on the Cemetery Committee found ourselves in Union Township again and Glenda was passing out axes, tree trimmers and chain saws to clear out an overgrown cemetery, so we could read the monuments that were hidden in the underbrush and thicket of small trees, briars and ivy. We worked and worked trying to clear all this mess when the farmer who owned the land suggested that we just burn it out. There would be no safety hazard to be concerned with since the cemetery was surrounded by a large concrete wall to protect it from flooding from the Ohio River. So, I was assigned the job to spread the gasoline around and light it to start a blazing fire to burn away the underbrush. Glenda was good at delegating such duties. The fire took off very rapidly, and me and my jug of gasoline quickly retreated to the wall of which I had a little difficulty negotiating my freedom, but as the fire shot up the 20 foot trees and I began to feel the heat of the fire I easily climbed over the wall. There was no doubt about it we were going to always go the extra mile to transcribe the information on these stones. We would probe for buried markers, dig them up, turn them over, chop down brush to get to them and even burn the cemetery down to copy its hidden information. Glenda took hundreds of photos of us doing all these odd tasks of "unearthing" or "burning" out a cemetery's secrets.

One Christmas, the Tri-State Genealogical Society asked Glenda to make a presentation concerning the Cemetery Committee's work. Out came the slide projector and some very interesting slides on what it takes to really do a thorough job of getting this very useful genealogical resource available in book form. For years as the TSGS 4-H Coordinator for the 4-H Family Tree Project TSGS Awards Program, I would invite the Champion 4-H exhibitors and their notebooks to the Christmas meeting. Glenda was aware that these kids and most of their parents all knew me, so she pointed me out in the slides from time to time, showing how involved I was in doing genealogy work. As she concluded her presentation, she wanted to show just one more slide. It was of me with the most outlandish look on my face fleeing from that fire as I was struggling to climb over that wall. That was at least 25 years ago and 4-H'ers and TSGS members are still talking about that slide and they are still laughing about it!!!

- Reported by Indiana Bones

Tombstone Thursday - Brown

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Three Fork Bacon Creek Baptist Church Cemetery

(AKA: Hammondsville Cemetery)

Larue County, Kentucky

Roy Alvis Brown

1930-2005

- Photo taken by JGWest

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

"Why buy a grave, when you can buy the whole cemetery?

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Grandview Memorial Cemetery in Madison, Indiana is for sale. The Jefferson County Sheriff will auction off the cemetery on Febuary 23.

The cemetery has a history of problems. Bodies had to be exhumed a few years ago to fix water-logged graves. The owner is still dealing with lawsuits dating back to 2006 and the bank has now foreclosed on the property.

From Fox59WXIN News web site: http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-grandview-cemetery-indiana-cemetery-to-be-auctioned-off-next-month-20120119,0,6583710.column [19 Jan 2012].

NOTE: This was just edited into this blog. I decided to see if there were many other stories of cemeteries for sale listed on the Internet. I guess I just did not think about this "Industry!" Here is one site I found.

Welcome to plotbrokers.com We specialize in selling and buying cemetery property throughout Southern California. Low costs, hassle free transactions, safe and secure service, licensed and bonded. If you are looking to unload or get rid of unneeded cemetery property PLOT BROKERS will take care of it for you. We have multiple licensed agents working with an extended network of contacts in the community to sell your property. Looking for cemetery property and don't want to pay retail prices? Call PLOT BROKERS. We have a huge inventory list of inexpensive or even hard to find property. We also specialize in selling properties that the cemeteries don't have and high-end semi private locations. PLOT BROKERS is the leading Cemetery Property Resales Broker in Southern California! Licensed and Bonded.
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I suspect this is the sale for individual graves or family plots, but I did not know there were independent cemetery property sales groups.

- JGWest

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

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Locust Hill Cemetery
Mausoleum Marker
Evansville, Indiana
This is the exterior wall of this beautiful mausoleum near the entry double doors. (Click on image to get a larger photo.)

I knew Rick Dickinson from my days of working in the Vanderburgh County Surveyors Office. After Rick was my ol' buddy Wayne Pasco (deceased) as the cemetery's Superintendent. I got to know the next Superintendent Jack Jones when I talked the Levee Authority Board into letting me use the crane we had to lift some large tombstones that vandals toppled. It was one of those days working with my crew that Jack came by and let me know that he was resigning and he suggested I apply for the new City Manager post that would oversee both city cemeteries. I applied after he resigned and finally ended with the position. After I cleared up some very long-standing problems at the cemeteries, someone else suddenly became better qualified for the job. Well, that is politics and it was a political appointment. I enjoyed my short tenure, nevertheless. By the way, I was the only Evansville City Manager of Cemeteries... the city changed the title back to Superintendent of City Cemeteries. The current Superintendent is Chris Cooke (another friend).

- Photo taken by JGWest. Article compiled by JGWest

Review of Oak Hill Cemetery on the Internet

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Joy Neighbors posted in Indiana Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project (INPCRP) on Face Book:

This month's Cemetery Worth the Visit is Oak Hill located in Evansville, Indiana. Gorgeous landscaping, sculpture and lots of tree stones!

http://agraveinterest.blogspot.com/

This is a very nice historical look, as well as, nice photos of cemetery. Did notice that several times the name was Oak View instead of Oak Hill... our local cemetery is always worth a visit, but this blog about the cemetery is worth taking a look at! - JGWest

From the FIRST MATE's PHOTO ALBUM...

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Taken at the National Cemetery in Minneapolis on a June morning as it appeared in the Minneapolis Star/Tribune.

Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words!!! It says everything without a single word.This should become an official Memorial Day, 4th of July and/or Veterans Day remembrance photo; “Our National symbol standing guard”.

photo by Frank Glick-MSP

- Email with photo submitted by Don counts

Tombstone Thursday - Dunk

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Oak Hill Cemetery

Evansville, Indiana

Charles Dunk

Section 13, Lot 29, Grave 6

Emigrated to
Evansville in 1819

- Photo taken & submitted by JGWest

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

Tombstone Thursday - Flatt

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Riggsby Cemetery
Sumner County, Tennessee

Roe Tilden Flatt
1873-1957

The funeral home grave placement plaque is still present (see lower right). The Barber Funeral Home plaque is in excellent shape considering it is 54 years old! This plaque lists Roe's full name as "Roe Tilden Flatt" - I was telling a good long-time friend, Edna Kasper, last night that I had found this gravesite that has my 2nd. Great Grandmother in the next grave... she pointed out that "Roe" & "Tilden" are surnames! I suspected Tilden, but had not thought about Roe. I immediately remembered that I know a family named Roe! This use of surnames may be the result of many possibilities; however, it is not uncommon to name children using surnames of the family. As I research, I will look for these family names.

- Photo taken & submitted by JGWest

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

Tombstone Thursday - Flatt

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Riggsby Cemetery

7/10 Mile South of Apline Branch Road

On Rueben Jernigan's Farm

Sumner County, Tennessee

Annie Lee Flatt

Wife of David Flatt

09 Feb 1840

14 Jul 1924

This small cemetery in the middle of a hay field is grown up some from last year's cleaning. There are 14 markers (two are fallen over, but face up). A lot of the ivy or vines is poison ivy. We had to ford the Apline Branch of Red River to get to the hay field... only a few inches of water was flowing in this waterway, but far too muddy to cross by car. You can get a better image by clicking on the photos to enlarge them.
I accidently found this grave listed on Find-A-Grave (no photo) on Sunday 12 Jun 2011, found and photographed on 13 Jun 2011 after searching for my Great, Great Grandmother for over 50 years!!! She & her son Roe Tilden Flatt are buried in the smaller chain-link fenced area just right of the oak tree in center of photo. I lost track of her in the 1910 Federal Census of Christian County, KY where my family has lived from about 1810 or so. Roe married Johnnie Ettie Hall in Sumner County in 1907... there double headstone is next to Annie's. Annie is also known as LeeAnne. I suspect that Annie moved sometime after 1910 to live with her son & his family. She has a death certificate in Tennessee and I have the Volume & page number. I have the form to order it from Nashville. The cemetery is south of Bowling Green, KY near Interstate 65. As a genealogist, I can not express my excitement adequately!

- Photo taken by JGWest

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

Nationwide Veterans Gravesite Locator

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Search for burial locations of veterans...

and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker.

The Nationwide Veterans Gravesite Locator http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1

includes burial records from many sources. These sources provide varied data; some searches may contain less information than others. Information on veterans buried in private cemeteries was collected for the purpose of furnishing government grave markers, and we do not have information available for burials prior to 1997. Erroneous information can be corrected, but we are unable to add to the information contained in the existing record. If your search returns incorrect information about a veteran or family member buried in a national cemetery, please contact the cemetery directly to discuss your findings. To report incorrect information about a veteran buried in a private cemetery, click on "Contact Us" at the top of this page. Names cannot be added to the listing if a government grave marker was not furnished for the grave, or if the existing government grave marker was furnished prior to 1997. For more complete information concerning individual records, we suggest you contact the cemetery or local officials.

- Submitted by Don Counts

This is a very good service... you will not find all military gravesites (even some you know exists), but you can find a surprising number. I entered my ancestor Leonard Wheatley that I have visited his grave with his Revolutionary War marker... just to see if he would be listed. He was number 1 of several buried in Old Axel Cemetery in Breckinridge County, Kentucky. I entered cousins who were brothers and died in the last 10 years or so. I had decorated their graves for Memorial Day at Oak Hill Cemetery (Evansville, IN). Both Charles & Gilbert Witty were listed! However, I entered four other men that had military markers that were not listed - 2 for Civil War & 2 for Revolutionary War. I was impressed to know that this service was as good as it is! - JGWest

Tombstone Thursday - Mom, Dad & Sgt. Martin

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Each Memorial Day, Becky & I decorate the graves of family members who have gone before us. We always place a U.S. flag on the graves of those in the family that served in the military. Below is a photo of my parents grave in Alexander Memorial Cemetery in Evansville. Earlier I had a small flag for Dad that would touch soil if I pushed the flag pole in the ground, so I had to put it with the flowers in the vase... it did not show well and it distracted the pastel colors that Mom always liked in the flowers that I chose for her. So, I got a larger flag with a longer pole and brought ti to replace that short one as seen below.

We parked at the curb as we always do to get to Mom & Dad's graves. I noticed the grave of Zerah Martin with his marker right next to the curb. I have never seen any flowers on his grave or even an American flag that he served under during World War II... so, I decided this Memorial Day, I would remember Sgt. Martin. I placed the flag I had exchanged from Dad's grave on this soldier's grave & placed a few flowers by his marker to say thanks for serving our country when we needed him!
- Photos taken by JGWest

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

TSGS Hall of Shame

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Cemetery in Lawrence near Boston, MA

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/05/30/lawrence-cemetery-overrun-by-brush-grass-weeds/

There is no excuse for the community to let this problem continue [click on link above!]. Watch the video about the cemetery. The Superintendent may have his hands tied with lack of funds, but recruiting volunteers should not be that hard. A fund raiser would be a good way to generate enough money to hire someone to weed-eat around the markers. Where are the Boy Scouts or 4-H members who are great volunteers for this type of "Good Citizenship!" When I was Superintendent of the Evansville (Indiana) 2 city-owned cemeteries almost 20 years ago. We had "work release" prisoners help maintain the cemeteries, along with people with minor legal infractions that needed to complete a couple hundred hours of "Community Service" as ordered by a judge. A civilized community can be judged by how well they respect their dead. Lawrence is proving to have very little respect for their dead. Sad, indeed!

- Compiled by JGWest [Link & story was posted on FaceBook by Bill West]

Respect Cemetery Workers!

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[Day 8 Lion's Head Location Final Clue/Hint: To discover the location of the lion's head, go to the North, exit by the very large grinding stone & look West . Check the previous daily clues. See TSGS Cruiser Blog ~http://tsgsblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/guess-where-this-lions-head-is-located.html]

Courtesy For Cemetery Workers & Volunteers

This Memorial Day weekend, I have gone to several cemeteries to decorate graves of loved ones & many of my ancestors. In Owensboro, I was surprised that a person had called ahead for the cemetery staff to look for the location of the grave he wanted to visit. I thought that sure was a good idea for him and the staff. I mentioned that to Chris Cooke at Evansville's Oak Hill Cemetery. Chris stated that it really helps him & the staff to look things up when they are not busy and then have it all waiting for the person when they arrive. At Owensboro they told me that some people request 20 grave locations at once and expect them to stop whatever they are doing and take them to each grave - they can not take that much time with photographers for Find-A-Grave or even genealogists. Most cemetery employees are happy to help you find the graves of your loved ones and even an ancestor or two, but remember that they have other work to do, as well, and in most cases it is preparation for a funeral or cemetery grounds maintenance. They maintain the grounds, inter the remains of the deceased, and maintain the cemetery records. Unfortunately, cemetery superintendents/managers have to deal with vandalism far more than what most of us might imagine.

The main thing is be courteous to these employees/volunteers at the cemetery... during holidays like Memorial Day, these people have to work! I have found that even if the person you deal with is not being friendly or seems aggravated that you are bothering them, that if you try to be nice & friendly - they will help you more. In Owensboro on Friday, the manager actually took me out to the unmarked grave of my grandfather's after I had searched and was not sure where it was. I had been friendly and they knew I had tried on my own first.

Sometimes, Mother Nature or Father Time causes deterioration or damage to tombstones or grave sites (let alone vandals). But, in these cases, it is not the cemetery's staff to blame. If it has been raining everyday for 2 weeks, the grass will not be well groomed. If there was a hard rain the night before, there will be mud on markers and possibly partial sunken graves. A heavy wind storm will break-off limbs all through the cemetery. Workers appreciate you letting them know where the problems are, but generally, they will not be able to run and take care of it immediately.

These past 4-5 days I went through 7 cemeteries... and I saw limbs down, mud on top of the flat markers, standing water in flat & low areas and grass that was a lot higher than I like to wade through. However, we have had some very bad weather conditions for quite some time. Grounds crews were on mowers flying around leaving tire tracks in the rain-soaked ground in an attempt to mow down the grass! You could hear or see crews using chain saws cutting up large fallen trees & limbs. Tough time to show-off the cemetery grounds after all of the rain & high winds in the tri-state area. I saw some really bad spots that mud covered several markers completely. And, if that was my Mother's grave, I would be upset; however, it is not the cemetery's fault - Mother Nature gets the blame. I could go to the office and put in a polite work request to have the mud cleaned off at there convenience... I might ask them to email me when they get it done so I could return to pay my respects.

We generally go to cemeteries to show our respect for our lost loved ones, please show some respect to those who work to maintain their final resting place.

- Written by JGWest

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

[Day 2 Lion's Head Location Clue/Hint: The building that it is on display is not well known as a meeting place... maybe because it is "bugged." See TSGS Cruiser Blog ~ http://tsgsblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/guess-where-this-lions-head-is-located.html]
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Along the banks of the Ohio River is this monument & plaque in memory of Mt. Vernon's first Cemetery (1816-1973). This is in Posey County, Indiana.
Click on images to enlarge them. Below is a close-up photo of the plaque.

- Photos taken by JGWest

Tombstone Thursday - O'Grady

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Boonville Cemetery

Boonville, Indiana

John O'Grady

(Father)

1835-1892

Frances O'Grady

(Mother)

No Dates

I thought these were somewhat unusual grave markers.

- Photos taken by JGWest

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

Happy Halloween!

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Halloween at the West Home in 2009.

I just do not have the energy this year to set-up our large cemetery. Our Letter Carrier last year loved the tombstone on the upper right. It says: "BILL, the Letter Carrier... Too many Bills! 2004-2008"

[Click to enlarge image]

- Photo taken & submitted by JGWest

"Looking for One Thing, But Found Another!"

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My Haynes Story!

This is the story of my accidental find on my Haynes family! My youngest son, James, was working on his Division Two of the 4-H Genealogy Project that required photos of tombstones for his ancestors and other relatives. Since most were buried in Kentucky in about 6 counties, it seemed wise to plan a route to go from cemetery to cemetery and to know who we wanted to get a photo of their grave marker. Best way to do that was to go to Willard Library and check the "Cemetery Inscription" books. These generally had the name of the cemetery with location and listed everyone's information on their personal little monument. I sent James back to get the Christian County books while I got out our charts & records of who we were looking for.

Odd that someone had left a book on the table instead of placing it on the cart as requested by the library. Coincidentally, it was a cemetery inscription book for Ohio County, KY. I didn't know the library had this book... they only had one book for this county for years - a marriage record book. This marriage book listed the marriage of my ancestors William Allen Kimble to Hannah Haynes 25 Aug 1825. According to the census records, they lived in Grayson County, Ky adjoining Ohio Co. to the east. So, while I had this cemetery book in my hand, I checked for Kimble's in the index. To my amazement there were many listed! Quickly, I looked for Haynes... there were even more! I found the cemetery that William & Hannah were buried. This book is what some call "annotated" version which meant (to me) that it was a notable work (possibly blessed by a Priest or Rabbi) or that it contained notes appended thereof. I think the latter is correct! ;) The note for Hannah stated she was the daughter of John Barton Haynes & Rhoda Huff. RHODA?!!!? So, that is where the name "Rhoda" came from! The daughter of Hannah & William Kimble was Rhoda Kimble who married William Wood (my great-great grandparents).

Of course, I needed to prove all of this. I visited the graves of all those I just mentioned and the library in Fordsville. They suggested that I go to the Grayson Co. Library in Leitchfield where I found a booklet on the Haynes of Grayson, Ohio & Breckinridge Counties of Kentucky. Information from the census & the John Barton Haynes Bible listed all of his children including Hannah married to William Kimble. Now, this library suggested going to the one in Owensboro. There I came out with close to 300 pages of copied data documenting this Haynes/Huff family costing about $40! And it was worth every penny... I had discovered five new generations and eight new surnames of direct ancestors. Incredible find!

I remembered seeing in the TSGS 5-Generation Book that someone else had Haynes in Kentucky. It was Joan Parker (former Special Collections Librarian for Willard Library & currently at the Newburgh Public Library) and her ancestors were John Barton Haynes & Rhoda Huff, too!!! Later, I learned that the late Sam McDowell descended from this family of Haynes. Sam published a lot of genealogical books for Kentucky researchers and attended most of the TSGS Seminars as a vendor. We had become friends over the years through these seminars.

I want to add this little story to this. After I learned that Joan & I had the same ancestors, we exchanged information each had. And I was surprised at all that she had that was different than what I had found! I went by the old Newburgh Library by the river to give Joan copies of what I had. I was telling her that it just seemed like we could just pick up any file, folder or book and get more information. I reached out grabbing a book off of the shelf we happened to be near and stated: "I could pick up any book look in the index and find our Haynes family" (while turning to the index). To my surprise there was John Barton Haynes!!! Joan did not believe me when I said I just picked this book at random. Becky was there and said that I had not looked at any books, we were just standing there waiting for Joan to show up after she was called to meet us! And, that is the truth!

- Written by JGWest

A Story About A Cemetery At Night

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This is a true story about a very dark night in a cemetery!


Back in the 1980's I served a short tenure as the City Cemetery Manager... the job had been called City Cemetery Superintendent before I started and returned to Superintendent after my service! So, I guess I made a slight footnote in city history for being the only City Manager of the City Cemeteries (Locust Hill & Oak Hill). I think I may have served the shortest term of office, as well! At the time, the Cemetery Board would meet in the conference room of the Administrative Building at Oak Hill Cemetery after normal office hours. In the winter months it would get dark, very dark in the cemetery... lighting was almost non-existent, but there was adequate lights on the building for everyone to see to leave after the meeting. It was the policy to save on electricity by not leaving lights on. This meant that I would stay behind to let everyone leave, then I would turn the lights off.

Someone asked me if I was afraid to be in the cemetery, alone, after dark with no lights. I would just laugh and say that I was not afraid of the cemetery "residents" it was the "living" that generally made me nervous. This night was the first Board Meeting since being named Manager. Later, I watched the last of the Board Members drive out the front gate and off went the lights. Wow! The cemetery was very, very dark... pitch dark! I needed my cigaret lighter to see my way to the car. I turned on the engine and joked to myself that I hoped there were no ghosts in the cemetery with a grudge against the cemetery or the administrators! Then, I was in for the biggest shock of my life... I turned my head lights on and the cemetery seemed to light up! I was surrounded by polished tombstones reflecting my car head lights!!! I just about jumped out of my skin!!! I took off for the gate to get out of there. At the gate I had to get out and lock the padlock and I felt "spooked" fumbling with the gate & the lock. It felt like someone was there in the shadows. I jumped back into the car, locked all of the doors & sped off. Then I took a deep sigh of relief & started laughing at myself.

- Written by JGWest

From the FIRST MATE's PHOTO ALBUM...

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Here is a photo of my youngest son,
James William Warner West.

James got 3 given names since his two older brothers got my middle name (Phillip Gregory West) and my first name (John Jefferson West). I ran out of names to give a third son from me, so we just ended up naming him after all of my other ancestors: (Warner West... my grandfather); (William Wood, William Ellis West, William Huff, William Allen Kimble, William Allen, William Lewis, William Haynes, William Gardner, William H. Woodis, William Allen Long [this William was my Uncle Bill, Mom's brother, who died not long before James was born]) and (James Tobias Long & James Henry Wood).

Interestingly, the lady in the oval frame over James' right shoulder (left side in this photo) is Donna Isabelle Mayes who married James Henry Wood. James Henry Wood is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in Evansville and except for my mother & father is the only ancestor buried in Evansville and in Indiana!

- Photo taken on James' 32nd. Birthday - 2010 by JGWest