Solo

(Or, "How a Strategically-placed Red Solo Cup Led Me to My Revolutionary War Ancestor")

This week's blogging prompt brought to mind one of my favorite genealogy road trip tales.

Back in 2012, when the National Genealogical Society held their annual conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, we stayed just across the state line in the casino resort town of Lawrenceburg, Indiana.  This not only provided some non-genealogy recreational time, but also happened to be a stone's throw from the known resting place of my Revolutionary War patriot ancestor Job Judd (1755-1846).  So, before heading over to the convention center, I was able to get a picture of myself posing with his grave marker.  (Note, it includes a more modern plaque added by the DAR during the bicentennial era.)

Anyway, while we were lurking around the sleepy town square, the local barber approached me to find out what all the hubbub was about.

As it turned out, he was the head of the local historical society and had a bunch of material in his shop that he graciously offered me to review.

I was most interested to know why Job's widow Mary (Andrews) Judd was not buried by his side.  Or, was she buried there without a marker?

The barber knew the answer off the top of his head.  "Oh, she's not buried here," he explained.  "She moved in with one of her children after Job's death and is buried at a church near their old family farm."

I asked him if he could supply me with directions, and he gladly obliged:

1. Take the paved road out of town until it dead-ends, then turn left.
2. Follow the signs to the town of Napoleon, but don't blink when you get there or you'll miss it.
3. The road forks on the other side of Napoleon, stay on the south fork.
4. That'll put you across the county line into Ripley.
5. Keep your eyes peeled for County Road 900.  There is no stop sign, so be careful.  Turn left.
6. The road will be paved for a fair piece, but then it turns to gravel.
7. Then it turns to dirt.
8. Then it cuts down to one lane and you'll think you're lost.
9. Just before you're ready to give up and turn around, you'll see a RED SOLO CUP tacked to a tree.
10. That's where you'll turn left down a rutted path.  It'll look like the ruts end at a creek, but keep on driving.  The water's shallow.
11. When you get to the other side, keep driving a short distance until you see a pretty little church at the foot of a hill.
12. The cemetery sits atop that hill, where the original church once stood.

Challenge accepted,

Turns out, the church was so hard to find because it was once part of the Underground Railroad.  After hiking up the imposing steps to the site of the original church (founded in 1843), the reward was this magnificent view:

And, after wandering around a bit, we did find Mary's final resting place:

Mission Accomplished (courtesy of a genie angel and one red solo cup)!

#52Ancestors