Sunday Cemeteries - May 29, 2011

Leaving Nephi on Sunday morning, we took old roads and highways through towns I'd never heard of, south and west of Utah Lake.  Of course Dad was navigating.  He can remember roads and find his way around even though it's probably been 50 years since he was there.  He was telling stories and pointing out site all along the way.  Utah Lake has been a mismanaged, undeveloped treasure for the state.  Now they are cleaning it up and developing some nice communities on the northwest end.  It was an interesting drive. 

We stopped at the Murray Cemetery to put flower on (my favorite) grandparents' grave.  Grandpa's dad was buried there too.  I had a picture of Fred and Fredee by Fred and Fredrick's graves.  We also found a half buried marker of a baby.  Dad had to dig with his pocket knife cut away the sod that had grown over it.  Her name was Alta and she must have died at birth.  She might be my grandpa's half-sister.  I've come away from this whole weekend with the realization of how important the information on a gravestone is.  I've decided I'm not to worried about funeral services or caskets, but I'm going to have good information on my headstone.

Our last stop was the Salt Lake Cemetery up in the Avenues.  It's a big cemetery and we all thought we could find it if we went in the general direction.  When we were just about to give up, we asked a man on the street if he knew where it was.  We noticed that he was shutting the trunk to a car with North Carolina plates.  He told us, in a southern drawl, that he wasn't from around these parts, and the only cemetery that he knew of was the one right over there (1/2 a block away).  We found it.

Fredee went into the office for help finding Great, Great Grandma Lucy Sear Cowley, who crossed the plains after crossing the Atlantic.  I think she is my grandma who pulled her husband across the plains in a handcart because he had injured his leg.  I need to find out for sure.  I also need to identify the other Cowley's who are her cemetery neighbors.

John Taylor's Grave - SLC

While Fredee was in the office getting directions, she also got a couple other maps of interesting people that are buried there, and church authorities and prophets.  We went on an amazing driving tour through church history.  We didn't make it to church today, but I felt the spirit.