Why is this SO important? Well for several reasons, for some reason Oklahoma was THE place to be back in the mid to late 1800s. Just before that, sadly, the Trail of Tears ended here for the Mississippi band of the Choctaws and several other Native American tribes. Here, those with Native American heritage can be traced and found, we can photograph many of their resting places. We can glean into the past through these little pieces of stone!
Another reason is time and weather, weather here is harsh almost all year, it is either sweltering hot, like the 105 temps we have had this past week, it is bitter cold in the winters, we have tornadoes, we have it all, but hurricanes, I don't miss those in Florida! So, time is not the friend to these precious pieces of stone. I have posted some pictures here of weathered stones.
Something else that is not a kind friend to these are plant life and mosses, also pictured below. I do understand the kind thought of planting a tree near, or a beautiful shrub, unfortunately they grow, and those stones don't bend. A lot of times they end up damaged from the plant life. I don't condone or chastise those who choose either way, I just see on a daily basis what it can and does do to those precious resting places.
So much can be found out about our families, our histories, our ancestry lie in those pieces of stone and in the people who are laid to rest there. In Genealogy, using headstones as information is so vital to our research. At times, it is the ONLY clue we have as to a birth, a death, even relatives!
So, as our journey unfolds I will update our website, I will be posting information and updates here as well for those of you who are interested in this project either for personal or professional reasons!
Thank you for stopping by today!
Happy hunting,
~Alisha
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