In Search of Ron's Ancestors

Ron had quite a few ancestors in Eastern Tennessee and since we were not far, we took a drive to check it out.  The primary purpose of our exploration trip was to find the grave of his 2x great grandfather, James Anderson Byrd.  First stop, Russellville Cemetery in Russellville, Tennessee.

It was right in a residential neighborhood and wasn't huge but it had a section with a lot of "old" graves and since we didn't know the location (and there was no onsite office), we split up and started searching.  Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of luck and it was then that a nice woman driving by stopped and asked if she could help.  We explained who we were looking for and she seemed perplexed.  "Your relative?" she asked.  "This cemetery is filled with most, if not all, black people" so I guess she figured out we were in the wrong cemetery.  She called her husband to see if he could help and he said he thought there was another old cemetery in town but was unsure where it was.  We'd remembered passing a newer cemetery so we decided the best path forward was to stop there and see if they could help.

We pulled into the cemetery and looked for an office but none to be found.  And then we saw three men under a canopy so we stopped.  One man was digging a grave for cremains, the others were "supervising".  We explained what we were doing and they told us we were probably looking for Old Russellville Cemetery and gave us directions.  They explained that they thought a sign had recently been put up but they gave us precise directions just in case.

Thank goodness there was a sign because we might have missed it but here it was!

As we pulled in to this very small cemetery we noticed a car.  As we got closer we could see that there was a man with his dog inside and enough things around to tell us that this man was living in his car.

We stopped to talk and Ron asked if he knew anything about the people buried there.  He did not but he directed us up a small hill and said there were some old graves up there.  So once again, we split up and began to search.  And then I heard "here he is".

We'd seen the photos on Findagrave.com so we knew what we were looking for but we were shocked to see the difference in the condition of the stone.

This was it in 2010.

And what it looks like now.

And sad to see that it was broken and laying next to the original site.

Thankfully, someone had filed for a military stone (we've later learned that it was done in 1940 by a J. Odom - no idea who he is) so his service in the Civil War is recognized.

What's odd is that his mother, and all other ancestors before her, were Byrd rather than Bird.  But somewhere during his military service his name was spelled Bird and from that point forward, he was always known as Bird.  Something for me to try to figure out.

Of course I had to take a picture of Ron with his 2x great grandfather.

RIP, James Anderson Bird and thank you for your service

Ron placed a small flag on the site and as he walked back to the car, he also stopped to make a small donation in an effort to help the individual "guarding" the cemetery to, perhaps, have a decent meal that evening.  He seemed appreciative.

Family lore has always said that somewhere in Ron's ancestry is Davy Crockett.  I've found a great uncle with the middle name of Crockett but I haven't connected the dots yet.  But nevertheless, we always have an interest in Davy Crockett.  And since we'd worked up an appetite, we headed here for lunch.

It was definitely a southern restaurant and we were both pleased with what we ate.

As we left town, we saw a sign for the Davy Crockett Tavern Museum so since we had time, we made the stop.

There was no one around but the door was open so we stepped inside and met a very nice woman who gave us some information and showed us around.  She knew her Crockett history and claimed she was a direct descendant of Davy Crockett.  Maybe she and Ron are related.

She explained about the reconstruction of the tavern and told us where it stood before - it is now a Shell gas station down the road that is no longer in operation.

None of the items were originals but it was interesting to see what things might have looked like.

She took us next door to the gift shop and opened it up so we could go inside.  We talked a lot about Ron's Crockett connection and she gave us some material that might help.

Her kids like to decorate the model.  Notice the animal on the bed.

A nice rendering of the tavern.

And with that, we were on our way.  What a productive day.

I'm coming for you, Davy Crockett