As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.
Socrates
Researching family history has taught me that I can prove almost nothing. I'm thankful that the McIntyres have been proud of their heritage and kept written records. Without these, it would have been hopeless. Today, I'm pondering another puzzle, one that I may have unraveled, but short of exhuming bodies and checking dna, I can't verify the solution.
Through genweb (it may be a proper noun, but it usually starts with a small "g") for Scott County, TN, I found a death record for Great Grandma Sallie Sexton Watters stating that she died December 8, 1903. Since the website also had lists from most of the cemeteries in the county, I figured I would find her grave. Despite hours of searching, I found nothing. However, on findagrave.com, there was a comment about the fact that there were two graves at Marcum Cemetery for Sallie's mother, Nancy Phillips Sexton. So, at this point, Nancy had two graves and Sallie had none. While going through family papers, I came upon this little snippet:
Now, it makes sense. Findagrave.com has headstones for Nancy on plot #2 and #6. Someone assumed Nancy was buried next to her husband, Christopher Columbus, and put a stone there. I think that when C.C. died, the family bought a plot for Nancy, too. However, when Sallie died unexpectedly in 1903, she was buried there and another plot three spaces down was later bought for Nancy. It makes sense, thanks to some unknown McIntyre's record-keeping.
The writing that says "children of Joe & Lourani Buttram," looks somewhat like my mother's writing, but the "Sally Watters, 1875" is unfamiliar. Does anyone recognize the writing or know the source of this information? With the help of a couple online friends, we may be able to come one step closer to actually "proving" what happened.
-Cheri
Great sleuthing!
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