Today we looked a little deeper into my “roots”. We went out to Jefferson Township and drove around the area where my great-great grandparents came in a covered wagon and settled the land. That land was in the family up until my grandfather died. I wished my parents were here to show us the exact spot. My mother grew up on that original land and I had visited it as a child, but memory failed me. I photographed the nearby country side and it all looked familiar to me. It’s between Warsaw and Nellie, two tiny villages. We got out and looked around for a bit…the smell of clover blossoms…hummmm. Funny how a scent can take you back in time.
We went to another cemetery in Coshocton, where my great grandfather Fitch is buried. It is so old that, while it is well maintained, there are no records left. It’s a beautiful, peaceful…ancient place. I wrote a poem about it when we got back.
Great grandfather’s Grave
I searched for you today, James Henry, in a cool and leafy place
But though I walked, and bent, and looked I could not find a trace.
Beneath these ancient trees are markers…dark with age and grime
Your name once carved here in love……has worn away with time.
Your grave lies in purple silence, among these moss draped stones
But the secret of your resting place, belongs to you alone.
Know you’re not forgotten…the life you passed along
Yet within me dances and within my sons…beats strong.
Judy Giberson 1998
It rained for a bit this afternoon. We were driving in town and the grownups were hurrying to shelter and the kids were splashing in the puddles! Some things never change.
We found a whole street with the ORIGINAL BRICK…just as I remember. It’s funny how my body “remembers” how it feels to ride a bike over that brick! I took a picture. That completes the things that I had a ‘need’ to do in this place. I hate to leave, it’s been a magic time…but the road calls….
Rick has a fire going outside…looks inviting…I think I’ll join him.