Tombstone Tuesday

Last year, I finally found my Grand Uncle, Willie Felton Pierce,  whom I had been searching for for nearly two years. I was able to get picture of his tombstone via Find A Grave. At that time, I mentioned that I was hoping to visit my Grand Uncle's grave in person, when I attended the Pierce Descendants family reunion. I was especially thrilled that my mother was able to see her uncle's grave. As she mentioned a few times while we were there, she had been to Arlington National Cemetery in her younger days and had no clue that her uncle was interred there.

While at the family reunion, I also learned a bit more about Uncle Felton's life from one of his other nieces (my mother's first cousin), Daisy. Cousin Daisy informed me that Uncle Felton lived with their family (Grand Aunt Ossie) for awhile in Washington, DC. Cousin Daisy state that Uncle Felton returned to GA. After returning to GA,  he got sick and  decided to return to the DC area, where he remained until his death.

And with this new revelation about Uncle Felton, I learned a few more valuable research lessons this year. 

1) Be sure and talk to as many of the family elders as you can. I know this is a basic rule but I often still fail to do it thinking that they don't have anything to new contribute. Each one may be able to only provide a snippet but you know what, a bunch a snippets can sometimes make a whole.

2) Don't just fire questions at them. Cousin Daisy told me about Uncle Felton not be me interviewing her but in just general conversation. I had mentioned to her that mom and I would be visiting Uncle Felton's grave on the way home.

The picture of mom and I at Uncle Felton's grave was taken by my cousin D. Dawkins.