Visiting my roots
Yesterday and today I have been immersed in the region my great grandfather homesteaded, Shell Knob in Stone County, MO. It challenges my logic to know that Shell Knob was in 2 counties, Barry and Stone. Frank lived on the side of Stone County near the Fields clan.
Yesterday I found my great grandmother's headstone in the Fields Cemetery. It has deteriorated since I saw photos of it in the 90s. I felt sad and protective. None of Frank's descendants are likely to visit this cemetery. I wanted to pull Louisa's (Frank's wife) headstone out of the ground and toss it in the car to drive it to WA/OR where all the descendants live. I was sorry to leave both Louisa and the stone. The maintenance is almost non-existent. A hand-written local's sign attached to the fence asked for donations to maintain and protect the cemetery. The development will encroach on it soon. Everyone needs vacation cabins and homes in the hills.
Today I toured the nearest town (Berryville) where Frank and August, my grandfather, would have gone for supplies or to meet socially. Although it is in Arkansas, the route to get there is shorter and less hilly than the nearby Eureka Springs where I am staying.
I toured the museum and snapped photos of some of the oldest buildings. The city was established around 1830. My great grandfather didn't immigrate until 1874. It's fun to imagine them coming to town by horse with a wagon. I noticed my asthma has worsened in the spring wind. Frank had bad asthma too. I got the asthma gene and the big ears gene. He suffered greatly according to his daughter who told my cousin, Patty.
Now I am in bed with aches, headache, 100 degree temp and trouble breathing. At times like this I miss Jan. She had so much compassion and helped me look after myself. I began antibiotic and prednisone so I can continue my journey, albeit more slowly. It's hard to be sick alone - but I have done it before and lived to tell about it!
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