Monday, October 10, 2011

Home Sweet Home

I made it home this afternoon without much ado. The drive from Gallup was uneventful, other than the ever-present road work, and multiple lane closures! ARGH!!! I was glad to finally be off the road, and everyone here was glad to see me home. The kids had big hugs for Nana, and many "I missed you"s were said with feeling. That's always nice, and I really missed all of my family, but especially the little ones!

My next plans for my genealogy journey is to sort through all that I learned while I was gone, and then go check out the Family History Library in Mesa, which is about an hour away. I would love to plan a weekly trip over there for a while to research the lines that I have started working on. I also need to work on documentation for DAR membership, as I have two lines of ancestors that have Revolutionary War soldiers.  So those are my goals for now.

To begin with, I will continue to work on CB Keller, and find his and Ella Nora's marriage information from Nebraska. I also am anxiously awaiting the information I ordered on August Winter to see if he is my August Winter. So I definitely have some leads to follow up on.

Thanks for following along on this journey, and I hope you come back and check on my progress form time to time. As I said the other day, I will keep up with the blog, updating finds that I make, and trying to put in something at least weekly. So, it is on to the next chapter!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

This morning Tucumcari, this afternoon Gallup

The neon lights at the Blue Swallow Motel do indeed work!
The swallow flashes on and off at a slow pace - very cool! They also have lights along the roof line of all the rooms and a swallow above every garage. Truly a lovely spot. Kevin and Nancy are great people, and I sat with them over coffee this morning and chatted about Tucumcari, the Motel and life in general. They also have a golden retriever, Bessie, who claimed me as we sat outside. I stopped petting her at one point, and she turned to look at me with baleful eyes, and plopped her head on my lap saying "please don't stop!" Too cute.

I hit the road about 10:30 and had a relatively easy drive to Gallup. Of course the road work followed me, even though it is Sunday! (I forgot to say it was with me yesterday, as well) Stuff on the side of the road is OK, but when they shut down a lane, or both lanes and put you on the shoulder, then I object!
That was about it, though, and it was over in about 10 minutes, so I guess I can't complain. I'm sure those guys are getting overtime for working Sunday!

I arrived at the El Rancho Hotel about 3:00, got checked in and went to see the room. This is an old hangout of "the stars" apparently. I would say the 30's and 40's mostly. The lobby is very full of heavy wood furniture in the old western feel, with a lot of Native American accents thrown in. Reminds me of John Wayne, who is one of the people who stayed here a lot. Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball are others. My room is the Gregory Peck room. It has a very "lodgy" feel to it, with a great fireplace at one end, and deer heads on the beams. I can feel how elite it may have been once, but now all it feels is dingy and sad. Which is too bad. The rooms are OK, but small and cramped, and you can literally have one foot in the shower and the other out the door in the room, with one hand on the sink and the other on the toilet. Interesting gymnastics await the morning shower!


Oh yes - you can only use the wi-fi connection in the lobby, and the password is FF928F6DFFC959F4E4BF37B988 if that gives you any idea about the place! Plus, there is only one outlet in the room - uh-oh - all of my things need recharging! Plus it has a phone, but no cord to the jack! The guy at the desk tells me they're having problems with the phone lines. Duh! But, still, it is kind of cool, and they have awesome Indian jewelry, which I am going to go take a look at on the way to dinner. And it is only for one night, and then I am on the final leg home.

Tomorrow - Goodyear, AZ and my family!!!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Erick OK to Tucumcari NM

I really didn't have much to say about Erick - the town is basically non-existent. I think there are two gas stations and a Subway, two motels and a burger/steak joint. That's about it. But, the motel where I stayed, while your usual run of the mill place, was run by an extremely nice East Indian family. The husband is on duty in the evenings, and was genuinely nice when checking me in. He said he thought the storm that had been hovering all day was about to hit, and if I wanted to get dinner, the place across the street was very basic but good (the burger/steak joint), but that I should go soon and get back so that I didn't get caught in the thunder and lightning. Then he said breakfast was from 6 to 9 in the lobby area, and that bacon and eggs were cooked fresh for everyone. Yeah, right I say to myself. That means a big warming tray with stuff in it and you serve yourself. Then I went to the room, and was pleasantly surprised to find it very clean, new mattress, a very comfortable big, sink-in chair to sit and read (which is exactly what I did), clean bathroom, and good TV set. So all the boxes are checked! So I settled in for the night, and actually slept like a log for the first time in 2 or 3 nights.

When I woke up this morning, to a large clap of thunder, and looked out the window, the parking lot was flooded and the downspouts were gushing! The rain was so intense that I could hear it pounding on the roof, and I was on the first floor of two floors!
I took my shower, got dressed and headed down to the lobby for my breakfast. I was greeted by the wife, who manages check-outs and breakfast, and asked how I liked my eggs, and how many pieces of bacon did I want. I said "scrambled, and two, please", and she said "go get your plate, and serve yourself toast, or coffee cake or a waffle and I'll bring you your eggs and bacon." Wow! So I did, and she did. Great breakfast! There were four other people seated when I came in and by the time I left there were another 6, and she was still cooking and serving as I went back to my room. Very nicely done, Premier Inn of Erick, OK! I hung around for about another hour and a half, to let the worst of the storm go by (I hoped), and then loaded up quickly and headed on my way. It poured and lightninged and thundered for about an hour and a half, and then stopped. I could see the line way ahead in the distance where the clouds stopped and the sunshine began, so I knew the worst was over.
Oh yes - the road work followed me here, as well. I forgot to say that yesterday was pretty good - lots of shoulder work, but no lane closures. No so today!
I arrived safely in Tucumcari after about 4 hours of driving - not too bad, considering the storm. I also gained an hour with the time change - woohooo! Tucumcari is interesting. It is a major spot on the Route, according to many of the guidebooks, and the main strip - Tucumcari Ave, or Historical Route 66 - is pretty cool, with a great many of the original neon signs still up and supposedly functioning. I'll check it out tonight. The Blue Swallow Motel, where I am staying, is considered by many to be the "Jewel of the Route". The couple who own it now just bought it this summer, and moved from Michigan, and are restoring it quite nicely. As a matter of fact, as I arrived today, they were moving all of the furniture in the office/lobby so that it was in the place that it used to be when the original owner - Lillian Redman - had it. They moved the counter first, in the corner, with the shelves behind, just like they had seen in pictures! Then the chairs got moved to flank the fireplace, and the other stuff just kind of fell into place. It does look good, I must say, although I have no idea what the old pictures look like. It was too early to check in, so I ran around town for a bit, when to the local BBQ place they had recommended, had an awesome pulled pork sandwich for lunch (and, I think, dinner!), drove around to see some of the murals that are painted everywhere, went to the Dinosaur Museum, then back to check in. By then they had the lobby complete, and I checked into my charming room. This place is very cool! Check out the garage...
Pretty cool, eh?!

So now I am going to post this, them go sit outside, where it is a lovely 78 degrees, with a cold drink and read my book. Tomorrow is off to Gallup, and the grand El Rancho Hotel where apparently all the movie stars used to stay.

Friday, October 7, 2011

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A OKLAHOMA!

As I left Baxter Springs this morning, I gassed up and hit good old 66, determined to follow it for a while. Well - I did pretty well. I managed to follow the signs, and read the map, for about 2 hours, with only 3 or 4 wrong turns!

I followed a trailer of cows for a while...thank God they didn't drop anything!

I drove through lovely old, well-worn towns, with signal lights that hang in the middle of the intersections!
Then I had the option of taking the "original" Route 66, with some of the "first generation pavement", or the updated 1950's road. I opted for the original. So, for 9 miles, I drove this...
The original, 9 feet wide, one-lane pavement, with gravel now adorning it's surface. Top speed - 15 mph. It took a while to go those 9 miles, but it was really cool!

Then I remembered about Oklahoma's red earth, and fell in love with it all over again.

Tomorrow, the crazy lady in the blue Santa Fe with the California plates, one hand on the wheel and the other holding the camera, treks across Texas and into Tucumcari, NM!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Starting the day off with Frozen Custard!

I showed up at Ted Drewes right at 11 AM when they opened, and there were already 4 or 5 other people there! Amazing on a weekday morning, and it was only 75 degrees! I ordered a "Terramizzou", which is a sundae with vanilla custard, pistachio nuts and hot fudge sauce. YUM!!! The custard is really amazing. I was reading about it last night, about how much butterfat and egg yolk it must contain, and most importantly about the amount of air, or overrun. Ice cream has 100% overrun, which causes ice crystals to form, but custard can have no more that 20%, so it is very creamy and smooth, with no "hard edges". It really was delicious. Thanks, RJ!
So, after that yummy breakfast, I started out towards Baxter Springs, Kansas. I stuck to the Interstate today until Joplin, then switched to Route 66. I wound through the country outside of Joplin, then into Kansas, and into Galena. I found 4 Women on the Route, and went in. Melba was there, one of the 4, and she was incredible! She talks a mile a minute, and assumes you know all about both CARS movies. She took out a Route 66 Oklahoma booklet, circled things on the map, signed the back and handed it to me. Then she launches into a tale about the day "they" came to film her for the special that will be added to the CARS 2 DVD, and how they filmed for 2 hours, and were so impressed by her attitude, etc, etc, etc! All this in about 2 minutes! What a hoot. The place is small, with some souvenirs (she said there are a lot more at the beginning of the "season"), and an old fashioned diner with red Formica counter tops and black, twirling seat stools that are fixed to the floor. Black and white check floor completes that room - awesome! Outside is the truck that inspired Tow-Mater, and now they have added an old firetruck, supposedly Red's inspiration. Pretty cool, all in all. I'd love to see it at the beginning of the "season" and not at 4:45 in the afternoon, and see if it is busy. There was nobody else there when I stopped in.
4 Women on the Route used to be a Kan-O-Tex gas station
The original Tow-Mater
After that stop, I went on to Riverton, and found Eisler Bros. Grocery and store. What a let down. It was built up so highly in the books I read, but it is a dreary little store, with a room off to the side that has some t-shirts and coffee mugs, and a floor that feels like it will cave in at every step. The angle of the sun was wrong to take any pictures, so I will run back in the morning when I leave to take a few.

Then back on the Route, towards Baxter Springs. I went over the rainbow bridge again, and drove on into town. I have a suite this time at The Little Brick Inn - woohoo! My sitting room...
My bedroom...
It'll work! So that's it for tonight. Tomorrow it is off through Oklahoma, stopping at Erick tomorrow night. Nothing really exciting planned for tomorrow...we'll see what happens.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Leaving Lincoln

I headed out about 10 this morning, just in time to stop by the quilt shop in town that has been calling my name. If I were to move here, this is where I would want to spend a lot of time - and probably a lot of money, too!
...and some other favorite spots in Lincoln...
my daily 7 am date
the house my heart wants to buy
all dressed up for Halloween
the Library
Those are some of my favorite sights in Lincoln, and I will miss them all. I know it is time to go home, but I am very sad to leave. This place definitely has a magic to it, and all of the people are so very and truly nice, it amazes me. This is absolutely a place to which I will return.

Today is on to St. Charles, MO, a place my son-in-law says I could live. Well, the historic area anyway! He is absolutely correct!! This actually seems to have a New England feel to me, rather than a Mid-West feel. Nothing wrong with that! Just surprising - I wasn't expecting that.
I got there about 2:30 and walked the whole length of Main Street, then back down the other side.  I window shopped (and really shopped a little) until the shops closed at 5, then I stopped at Little Hills Winery and Restaurant for dinner. My mother used to have a collection of glass bird Christmas ornaments that clipped on to the ends of the tree branches, which I have now, only they are very old and mostly dilapidated. There is a Holiday Shoppe here that has some that are almost the same! I bought six of them for this Christmas, so I have a start to replacing the collection. Unfortunately, the Popcorn Shoppe that used to be here and sold various flavors to shake on your popcorn, has closed. No-one in the stores on either side of where it was located seemed to know what had happened to them. So sad how many small business are losing their grasp on life...

Tomorrow I venture on to Baxter Springs, KS, and back to Cafe on the Route and The Little Brick Inn. I am bound and determined to find the two places on Route 66 that I wanted to stop at last time, and couldn't find. I have maps spread out now that I will study hard, and figure out where I went wrong! But before I leave the St. Louis area, I have to go to Ted Drewes for frozen custard. Hmm...since this place doesn't serve breakfast in the morning, and I very virtuously skipped ice cream tonight, I guess I'll make up for both with frozen custard for breakfast. Yum!!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

One more time to Middletown!

I started this day figuring I would go to Peoria and do my last few things there, head back, grab some lunch and then pack. Then I started to think about CB Keller again, and decided to skip over to the library here in Lincoln first, and see if they had a microfilm of the Middletown Ledger for the date he died. They did! I found his obituary easily, and it was quite a bit more expansive than the one in the Lincoln Courier. It included the fact that he was buried in the Irish Grove Cemetery. So, of course, I had to go there. Unfortunately there was no-one there to help locate him, and although it is a small cemetery, it is still quite a project to walk through it all looking at every gravestone to see if it was him. I made it through most, leaving the obviously newer area alone, but did not find him. (I was very thankful for my "cemetery bag", which stays in the car and contains, among other things, bug spray, sunscreen, a hat and a whisk broom, all of which I used!) I have sent a couple of emails to people on one of the Menard County websites to see if there is a listing of where people were buried, and if so maybe I can find someone who would make a trip out there and photograph the grave for me. At least I know where he is.

So there went the morning! A little after noon, I pulled out of Middletown and headed to Peoria. I made it to the courthouse (for the third time!) and looked at the death registers to see if a name change from Gustav Winter to August Winter would make a difference in that search. It did - or at least there was an August Winter listed late in 1899, which is in the time range I have for his death. So I ordered it - should have it in 2-3 weeks. I'll let you know!

Then I drove around the city trying to locate the few addresses I had for the family. They were all such sad properties (and some I really don't think were correct) that I didn't have the heart to photograph them. So I drove by the river, and across a couple of bridges, said good-bye and headed back. By the time I got back, after a stop at Walgreen's for a case of water for the trip home, it was 3:30 and I was starving - no lunch! So I headed across the parking lot to Cracker Barrel, and had breakfast for dinner, or lunch, or whatever it was. It was yummy! If anyone is near a Cracker Barrel, try the Apple Streusel French Toast Breakfast. It rocks!!

So here I am, typing up the last entry for Illinois, doing laundry and packing up for the return trip. A couple of days ago I would have said I was ready to leave, but now as I am packing, I want to stay. Driving out in the country today I really felt a connection to this land, and I truly love the fields, barns, and farmhouses that make up most of the area. I will be sad to leave tomorrow. This has been a great experience, and I am glad I made the trip.

I have updated the cemetery page again with pictures of Irish Grove, if not CB's stone. It is a lovely cemetery, out in the middle of nowhere, tucked in next to a farm. I will continue to update the blog on the way home, and then will continue, probably weekly, after that, with much more focus just on genealogical finds, rather than travelogue. I hope that those of you who followed the blog to share the trip will continue to check it out once in a while to see what new finds have been made. If you have any friends/family interested in genealogy, please feel free to share the blog site.

Tomorrow - St. Charles, MO! Yes, I am going to try to find the Popcorn Shoppe!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Last Day in Jacksonville

I headed out to Jacksonville this morning planning to look for divorce documents for CB and Ella Nora Keller, then take some photos of places I haven't done yet, then head up to Peoria and do the same. I made it to Jacksonville about 10:15, and remembered that I wanted to get some deed information about Charles Howard as well, so went there first. I still had the book and page numbers written down from the day I was there last week, so that was easy. Then I went upstairs to check the divorce records. There was another woman there doing genealogy research and it turned out she had the register that I needed, so I sat and waited for it, and we chatted as she looked for her family. She said this particular family group - both the paternal and maternal lines - totally disappear after the 1850 census. She can't find any of them after that, so we talked about reasons why, etc. In other words, it took about 45 minutes before I had my chance to look at the register! When I got the book it only took about 3 minutes to look, and there they were - Nov 1905 - being granted a dissolution. So I asked for the record, which came back shortly, and I looked through it and asked for copies of everything. I decide I will read through it tonight, and just leave for the next thing. By the way, these divorce records, same as probate records, come with the original documents wrapped in a tri-fold cardstock envelope, tied with red string, or tape. (Now most of them have rubber bands holding them closed) This is where the phrase "cut through the red tape" came from! Who knew?!  Then the woman who was there with me asks about the person I am researching, so I tell her briefly about CB. She says I need to go to the State Archives office at the University of Illinois - UIS - in Springfield. (Now this was originally on my list, but I decided I really wanted the local color from the old courthouses.) She said she went there and they had records that she hadn't been able to find at the county level. So...I have to go home that way anyway, I might as well stop.

I take my copies, thank the staff, and head out to the car. As I get to the car, I remember that I also have to do some cemetery hopping, so mentally I cross off Peoria - I'll go tomorrow. I was not able to find the Hendersons at Jacksonville East when I went last, so off I go. Yay! There is a person there who has a computer with maps to show where everyone is. I ask about the Hendersons, then double check about the Howards and Kellers that I was not able to find the last visit. He finds the Hendersons easily and says he will take me out there, then finds all of the others, and says yes they are all together in that area. So, I really did find them and they really don't have headstones. He was not sure if they ever did have - they don't show that in the records. Bummer! But, he shows me to Smiley Hughes and Mary Elizabeth Henderson. Wow! What a monument. I knew they were fairly well-to-do, but gosh - this is something! On the back, sadly, is a list of five children - one 10-year-old, a one-year-old and three either stillborn, or infants who died soon after birth. So sad. There were a few other Hendersons around, but no names that I recognized.

Then I headed off to find the Henderson-McFadden Cemetery - somewhere out in the middle of the corn fields. Here we go again! I plugged the directions I had into Phoebe's computer (the navigation system in my car!), and off we went. It was a lovely drive past lots of farms, on county roads that are one lane wide, with big trucks coming FAST the other way, and of course the tractors and other farm equipment going two miles an hour - these guys, by the way,  are the tractors that I know on major steroids. These John Deere's are HUGE!

So I go a little further along, and Phoebe announces that I have reached my destination, but no, there is no cemetery here - just a cornfield. But as I look around, I see one up on a hill about 2 miles further, so I head to that. As I get closer I can see that it is too large to be the Henderson-McFadden place, but I look anyway. It turns out to be the Arcadia Cemetery, which I originally thought had some of our Henderson line, but turns out it didn't. So I sit there a minute, and try to think where it might be. The person who "discovered" it said it sat in a grove of trees, and I can see a small grove off in the distance, back the way I came, so off I go. As I approach, I see a little white sign that says Henderson Cemetery! No real road in, but hey, I'm an expert now, and just drive up the hill!
It is a very small cemetery and someone "found" it about 10 years ago. A lot of the stones where broken, or missing. They found some down in the creek below at the back. This person was a Henderson or McFadden descendent and had a list of who was buried here, so they pieced it together with what stones were still standing, and replaced the others. They cut out a lot of trees, put up a flag, and fenced it in around the back and sides. They still come by to keep it up. How wonderful! So - I found the Hendersons that I needed, but ended up taking pictures of everyone, because I think they are all related, and I have most of the information, so now I have photos to go with it.

Back into Jacksonville to take the pictures I need (it really is on the way to Springfield) and then on my way. I took a picture at the one address that I had for Ella Nora and Charles, but I'm not sure it is the house that stood there 100+ years ago - it looks too new. I also took pictures of the buildings at the NE corner of the Jacksonville Square, as our Smiley Hughes Henderson apparently built "the building on the NE corner of the square". My only problem is I don't know which building it is, and there is no identification on them. There really isn't just "a" corner - there are two roads that converge, and there are actually three buildings that could be "the one". Hopefully I can find out in the future, and then can label the correct building!

Now I come to Springfield, and the Archives Library. I am very hopeful that they will have CB's death certificate, that neither of the county courthouses had. I met Cheryl, another wonderfully helpful person, who spent an hour with me looking through microfilm rolls at death records, probate records, recorded wills (somehow different from probate - ?) and some other collection I can't remember, but no CB. She is really upset, but I tell her that this man really does not want to be located, or leave a paper trail behind. Again, no results.

On the way home, I remembered that I did not take a picture of the church at Middletown, which may be as close to a death certificate or cemetery picture that I can get, so I detoured slightly. Middletown is only about 20 minutes from Lincoln and another beautiful county road, so it is no hardship. The light is beautiful, and the fields are in the process now of being totally cut down, so I get to watch more buff John Deeres  running around the fields! So I drove around Middleton a little, took a couple of pictures, and said good-bye to CB Keller. I'm sorry I didn't find him this trip, but I haven't given up!
When I got back to the hotel, I looked at the divorce papers for CB and Ella Nora. Apparently he left December 31, 1899 and never came back. She said in the complaint that he had no permanent home, and because of that would be unable to care for the children (Homer was 12 and Ray was 6), so she was asking for sole custody. She also said that because he was a printer, and made good money, that he needed to pay child spousal support. The court agreed, but said it would set this up at a future date. At some point I may go look for those records, or I may just leave it at this. She didn't file until June 1905, and the divorce was granted November 1905, and it was soon after that when she and Roland Butcher were married. So that is the next search.

Tomorrow - Peoria's last visit!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Touring Woodford and Logan counties

I took yesterday off - from both the blog and the ancestor hunt. I drove to Springfield and played tourist for a while, which was fun. Then I came back "home" and read my book for the afternoon. Wonderful!

So today I got back on the CB Keller hunt, and cemetery search. I drove to Middletown and went to the Presbyterian church to see if they had any information. Services were over when I arrived, but there were a bunch of women in the kitchen preparing a pulled pork lunch to go along with their concert in the park across the street. At the end of my visit, I was invited to join them for both, but with the prospect of finding cemeteries, I politely turned down the invitation. Although it smelled delicious!

The woman I spoke with was very interested in my story, and called out to the whole room that I was visiting from Arizona, on the hunt for my great grandfather who once lived here. Everyone came over and started asking questions. It was great! They took me upstairs to the "office" and gave me a couple of ledger books to look through to see what I could find, although they doubted that I would find any record of a funeral. The ledgers dated back to 1905. The actual ledgers, without any protection. I was holding and reading what the clerk or Pastor, depending on the day, actually wrote with pencil or pen. I was shocked by the good condition of the papers, especially as apparently people just pick them up and read them.  Unfortunately, there was nothing recorded about any funerals, although the Pastor's name at the time was Reverend Rainey, who was the one named in the obituary, so that was good. I learned that the church was built in 1905, so it was definitely the one where CB's funeral was held. I went back down to the kitchen and told the women that I found nothing of any value. One said she had gone across the street and spoken with the pastor while I was upstairs, and he wanted my contact information. He is going to check his computer files when he goes in to the office tomorrow and will call or email me with whatever info he can find. They also suggested I look at the Menard county cemetery listings online, which, of course, I already have.  So hopefully the pastor will have something to offer. The other suggestion was to go to the library and ask for the microfilm of the Middletown Ledger for the date of the funeral. I had been told at the Lincoln library that the Ledger had not been microfilmed, but apparently it has. So I will follow that lead tomorrow.

I then headed out to Woodford County on the hunt for St. Mary of Lourdes Cemetery.  It was a beautiful drive through the country on a warm, sunny day.

 Buried there are Johann and Anna Mueller, parents of Mary Mueller, wife of Henry Schwinn. In other words, my great-great-great grandparents. Also there is George Schwinn, one of Henry and Mary Schwinn's children, brother to my great-grandmother Elizabeth. I knew they were listed in the index, but had no idea where in the cemetery they would be located. I found the cemetery very easily, and drove in and around one bend of the road and parked, Thankfully it is not a huge place, but still daunting not knowing where to look. I quickly eliminated one part as it looked far too new to bother with. So then I walked up and down rows, recognizing many family names that I have come across in various places during research. It was kind of fun to say "Oh, I recognize you - and there is your wife!" After about 30 minutes of wandering, I turned down the next row and there was Johann! WooHoooo! Not too bad. There was an empty space next to him that looked like a stone used to stand there, then next to that was George Schwinn! Down two more stones was Catherine Schwinn, another sibling of George and Elizabeth. Woot! What a find. I looked around quite a bit, but could not find Johann's wife, so I am assuming that she is the empty space next to his stone. I have uploaded pictures on the cemetery page.

Then I headed back to find Sand Ridge Cemetery again - the one I found last Sunday, but couldn't find a way in - and search for Henry Schwinn who is supposed to be buried there. I have studied the roads on the area, and know there is nothing that comes close to the cemetery, so i will, as my daughter said, hike in. So I find Spring Bay Rd. - actually only about 4 miles away, and I did it from memory without navigation aid! - and started driving down. Thankfully there are no cars behind me so I can putter along and see if there is an old turn in or something. Then I saw what once must have been a driveway up the hill, and just went for it. At the top was a fence with a gate that was not locked, so I stopped the car, got out and went in.  Obviously there used to be a road along the front, where the Name of the cemetery is raised above the fence, but now it is just overgrown bush and a straight drop off to the road below. It is a very small cemetery, and it didn't take long to see that there was not a stone for Henry, but I have a feeling that he is buried there. It is a beautiful setting, on top of a hill, with a view out to the Illinois River in the distance. So I said some words to Henry, and left it at that. I will pick up the hunt again at some future point, but for now this is good.

That is it for the day. This has now taken me almost 6 hours, and I did not bring a lunch with me, so I'm starving! Back to the hotel, food and blog. Hopefully there will be a few more tidbits tomorrow before I wind up my trip. I leave for home Wednesday morning.