Tombstone

This image of a tombstone in the middle of Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee, was taken in 2005, and appears on the park's Wikipedia page.

It was erected in 1891 in memory of my great aunt Martha S. (Twyford) Mann and her husband Robert, who died within a few weeks of one another that winter.

A google search led me to this 2008 article about the stone, with clues on how to locate it.  And, last year, I attempted just that.

The thing is, Shelby Farms is the largest urban park in the country.  With 4,500 acres, it is five times the size of New York City's Central Park.

The bottom line, we spent the better part of a warm May day hiking through the park's woodiest, most remote section on our mission to find the stone.  But, despite the clues provided, our search was fruitless.

I think part of the problem was in the time of year.  We were searching in late spring, when the foliage in the woods was at its fullest.  The photo was evidently taken during the winter, when all that foliage had gone dormant and left the stone more visible from the hiking path.

Nonetheless, the hike is one I will never forget.  It was hot, and it took longer than we anticipated.   But, we saw some unparalleled natural beauty and enjoyed encounters with several deer.  And, because of that, I will always think fondly of this long gone great aunt and great uncle.

#52Ancestors