This month, Man and I will be parked with our RV in the midst of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, somewhere about 6 miles northeast of Quartzsite Arizona with about 160 other friends from our online camping group. There will be between 500,000 and 1 million others camping in the acres and acres of BLM land that surround "Q" (as we affectionately call it) during January. There is a huge RV show as an additional draw and hopefully warmer and dry weather. Dry is good when you are sitting on the desert floor. Yes, I have experience in "wet" while sitting on the desert floor. That desert floor turns into a sloppy quicksand-like consistency. 4-Wheel drive trucks can and do get stuck. Dry IS good!
Anyway, I am preposting this month's post here at Worldwide Genealogy, because I fully intend to be having a lot of fun on the 16th.
This month, I would like to share with you another way to blend my love of the life of a nomad (RVing) and genealogy. Visiting cemeteries!
You know, as a family researcher, you snoop out cemeteries, you can almost smell them. You will find a cemetery no matter what! It is a challenge, it is necessary. You understand, I know you do.
Man and I and friends were visiting Big Bend National Park two years ago. I spied (at 45 MPH) what I just knew was a cemetery. It was. One grave, one Nina Hannold. (The links herein will lead you back to the full blog posts at Reflections From the Fence, my main blog.) And, yes, there are two stones here for Nina.
One year Man and I visited Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. General Custer died here. Custer has a connection to our area of SE Michigan where we live when we are not RVing.
We stopped several years ago in McIntosh County Georgia, where my my great-grandparents lived and are presumably buried (long story that), and stopped at Fort King George, where we found the burial spot of 140 British Soldiers who died there between 1721 and 1727.
Along the Natchez Trace, Man and I found this spot marking the loss and burial of 13 Confederate Soldiers.
Also along the Natchez Trace, we found slave burials, at Mount Locust.
Terlingua, Texas, The Ghost Town, has a great old cemetery, full of local color and customs.
A day spent in the Bok Gardens, and, yes, friend Charlie (also a family history researcher) found the burial spot of Edward William Bok.
Sometimes Man and I get a bit of a surprise. One research trip through Georgia we ended up, well, go read the post. Have to say, that cemetery hunting in rural Georgia is a challenge, and we thought we had come up with a great way to get some information from the local funeral homes - - really, go read this one! (The photo is not from THAT funeral home.)
One must do, what one must do, here I am gaining access to my family's cemetery in rural Virginia.
Yes, my love of family history/genealogy and RVing do blend together quite nicely. Kismet discoveries along the roads and highways and back country of the USA feed my need to touch the elders as well as a method of paying my respects and honor to those who have passed before us.
Next month, we will be, well, we don't know. Probably where ever the dust blows us. We'll let you know when we get there. I'll have my eyes open for cemeteries and research opportunities, that is a given!
We also partake of Geo-Caching now and then. My first cache find, while we were in Gulf Shores Alabama for the winter, and, yes, it IS in a cemetery!
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What an interesting post. We had planned to live in an RV and travel until life got in our way and we adopted our grandson. Now we travel to the baseball field. Still, I am always on the lookout for graveyards. Great photos and stories. Isn't Quartzsite, the greatest place to hang out in January?
ReplyDeleteQuartzsite is a blast in January Ann. Raising grandson's a wonderful think. Blessings to you.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. You are living my dream. :-) Love the climb over the fence picture.
ReplyDeleteThank you Fran.
DeleteI love geneatravel where we can combine two of our passions. Our travels in December took us througth Quartzsite - we were amazed by all the RV activities there.
ReplyDeleteIf you think it was something in December Jill, you would be stunned at Quartzsite in January and February. Quirky and fun and stunning. ;-)
DeleteWhen I was younger I went on a trip with my grandparents and they stopped at a lot of cemeteries. Some of the old cemeteries are so neat to see. It seems like you can find so many different types of headstones. It would be interesting to get to know some of the stories of the people buried at the different cemeteries. http://www.utahcemetery.com
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