Cemetery Serendipity!

CEMETERY SERENDIPITY! 

by 

Karen Utter Jennings 

My brother, Bill signed up to canvass the Rocky Comfort, Missouri cemetery that is located in the extreme SE corner of McDonald County at the Prosperity Baptist Church. The cemetery itself is actually in Newton County. When Bill told me of his huge endeavor, I volunteered to help him...for several reasons. 1. Time with my wonderful brother 2. Safety as he won't be alone 3. I enjoy cemetery headstone art & funerary symbols, so this was a good chance to find those headstones and symbols and photograph them to add to my collection 4. Many family members are buried there, so it is a chance to find their graves & photograph them.

On my first day with Bill, he told me about a headstone he found down in the southwest corner of the cemetery and said the stone had "colored" on it, so it must be an African-American buried there. Sure enough, the headstone read "to the sacred memory of Ike ~ colored" and his death date.

Bill and I talked about Ike and who he might have been, a slave possibly? We were happy that he was buried in the cemetery among other folks and not put away somewhere in a corner of the cemetery where no one would ever find his grave... I told Bill that I would try and find out about Ike and his life. Bill told me I should post some of my photographs of the headstones and symbols on the headstones on my Facebook page. 

When I got home, I immediately began research to find out about Ike. First, I put Ike's name and death date into a family tree on Ancestry.com. Then I posted to my Facebook page about my joining Bill to canvass the RC cemetery and posted several pictures. One was of Ike's headstone. 

I had several friends on Facebook comment on the photographs and in particular, Ike. One of my cousins asked if the word "COLORED" on the headstone might be "Coldred", Ike's last name and not "colored."  I hadn't thought of that, so while I searched on Ancestry.com, I also searched for that surname. A couple of my Facebook friends commented that they thought there was a Christian family in Rocky who at one time owned slaves. 

And so my research continued; my friends comments proved to be the hints that I needed. Within a couple of hours, I had solved the mystery! Ike's name was Isaac Haden, born in Arkansas and he was a negro who lived with the Nancy Christian family in Rocky Comfort, Missouri. I found Ike's obituary on the McDonald County Missouri site which gave information that he was a servant to the Christian family.

I was astounded because a couple of weeks before this, I had researched the Yonce sisters of McDonald County, Missouri, for a newsletter article. Lucy Jane Yonce had married W.C. Christian and they lived in Rocky Comfort. William Christian's mother was Nancy Christian! 

And so, my first day out on a cemetery excursion with my beloved brother, I found serendipity in that cemetery. Here's to your memory, Ike Haden!

Genealogy Journey: SERENDIPITY AND SONYA

I love the movie, "Serendipity" about a man and woman who cross paths in a department store at Christmas time and find the last pair of black gloves, whom both want to buy. From that lone encounter comes a story of hope and love. I've watched it time and time again. Serendipity happened to me and my brother one day in a cemetery! This is the serendipity that happened to us:

Serendipity and Sonya
By Karen Utter Jennings

            I love finding something unexpectedly or something happens to surprise me.   Some might call it luck, some may say it comes from a Higher Power, or some call it serendipity.  The dictionary describes serendipity as a seeming gift of finding something good accidentally or having luck or good fortune in finding something good accidentally.    

            Serendipity happened to me on Memorial Day, 2009.  I took two of my grandkids, Kendal and Kynsey, to meet my brother Bill and his wife, Peggy, at Rocky Comfort Cemetery.   We decorated the Utter, Johnson, and Black family graves and we went to the graves of other lines of the Utter and Johnson families.   

            While Bill and Peggy continued to putter around that area, the kids and I crossed the road to search the newer part of the cemetery for a family grave.  After searching vainly, we went back and found Bill and Peggy where we had left them, but they had company.  Bill introduced me to our second cousin, Sonya Allison, her 2 daughters and their children.  We chatted about our Utter sides of the family and before we left, exchanged information.   A few days later, I wrote Sonya a letter and included a few family pictures.  Within a short time, she wrote back and included some of her family pictures.  A fantastic friendship was born.

            Over the summer, Sonya and I have enjoyed our time together. Our correspondence includes family information, tons of pictures, and stories.  Sonya set up a meeting with other cousins and one Tuesday we met in Joplin for lunch then journeyed to meet distant cousins Fred, Waple and Sue Ferguson for the afternoon.   

            Fred shared pictures of my great-grandfather, Dee Jay Utter and a beautiful old picture of my great, great-grandparents, David and Christina Utter.  In return, I gave Fred pictures of my grandfather and father and other assorted pictures.  Fred and Sonya chattered happily, catching up on family matters as it had been a while since they last visited together. 

            Our host for the afternoon was Waple Ferguson.   Waple is 93 years old and he remembers my great-grandfather, Dee Jay Utter.   While Waple talked and told stories, I wrote.   I came home with a wealth of family history, pictures and a warm and loving feeling.

            Genealogists dream of finding relatives with information and pictures!   And it happened to me.   I like the word serendipity, the way it sounds, the meaning of it, so I choose to call meeting Sonya just that.  But whatever it is, through the contact in the Rocky Comfort Cemetery, it led to Sonya: who is another treasure to cherish.

            You never know when you will cross paths with someone who is kin to you and what family information they may have. Be a bit bold and approach that person who you run on to, introduce yourself and see if serendipity happens to you.