Family Tree Maker - Cemetarian

Tax List 2: 1839, Marshal Co., TN Dist 6, Land 196, Value 1300, tax 1.62.4Tax List 3: 1841, Marshal Co., TN Dist 6, Land 196, Value 1300, tax 1.87.4More About Edward Ownby and Mary Cheek:Marriage: 1815, Robertson or Sumner Co., TNChildren of Mary Cheek and Edward Ownby are:78 i. Tabitha R 16 Ownby, born January 13, 1816 in NC; died August 01, 1888 in Carroll Co., TN.More About Tabitha R Ownby:Burial: Unknown, Chapel Hill Cem, Carroll Co. TNNote: She was born Blind79 ii. Eli Craig Ownby, born December 13, 1817 in Kentucky; died March 12, 1892 in Grayson Co Tx. Hemarried Nancy Carol Winstead August 10, 1839; born January 04, 1821 in Near Fulton, Tennessee;died March 29, 1862 in Tennessee.Notes for Eli Craig Ownby:Eli was captured and taken prison by Yankee patrol in 1862. He was held for about 2 weeks and thenreleased. At the time he was widower with 6 children under 12 to take care of.Family history and several census show Eli born in Kentucky............perhaps on the way to TN.The 1880 Cannon Co, TN census show him born in Tennessee.In the summer of 2000, during a heat wave of 110+ and one of the worst draughts in Texas history, (andfor you non Texans, THAT'S BAD). I decided to find my great-great-grandfather's grave. Eli CraigOwnby was buried in 1892 at Pilot Grove Cemetery, which is only about 15 miles from my home. Myhusband, Darrell, grew up even closer to the cemetery and "knew" all about it. One hot Augustafternoon we took a ride over there and started walking the stones. We found Eli’s daughter ElizabethNancy Taylor's, grave but couldn't find his. I had a picture of the grave stone which was about 5 foottall taken around 1980 when another researcher was visiting from Tennessee We walked the cemeterytwice and couldn't find it. Finally Darrell said, "Maybe it's really at Cannon" (about 3 miles down theroad). So we drove to Cannon Cemetery. Walked it twice and couldn't find it. I was determined.......Iknew it existed, just where. We went back to Pilot Grove, Darrell laughed and pointed to a little usedside road (one he had used for "Parking" back in the olden days) and said "Maybe he's buried in theBlack Cemetery". I said "no, he's buried here".....sooooooooooo....we walked that sucker again. Bynow we were both sun burned and almost dehydrated and very smelly. Finally on the verge of tearswith frustration, I told him "Let's try the Black section". (Remember....this is 1892 ReconstructionTexas timing we are referring to). We went down the hill and there is this beautiful cemetery with tallmassive headstones. We start walking the rows and I found 3 Ownby's immediately but no Eli. I evenfound (lying on the ground) Eli's wife Nancy Carol Winstead Ownby. I kept saying over and over "he'sgot to be here". Remember it is 110 in the shade but I'm determined. I was saddened by the fact thatNancy Carol was lying in the dirt and also confused, because she had died in 1861 during the Civil Warin TN. The family moved to TX in 1881. Why was she buried in TX. Did they dig her up and moveher bones or something? We kept walking and looking and finally, out of desperation, (because he washot and tired and thirsty) Darrell reached down and flipped (that's an understatement) Nancy's stoneover and guess what? There was Eli Craig lying face down in the dirt. It bothered me for nearly ayear and Darrell and our son, Stuart, planned to go over there and fix the stone but weather wouldn'tcooperate, so, in May of 2001, we went and dug a hole and poured concrete for a pad. We let theconcrete set up and went back 3 days later and set the stone upright and glued the pieces with epoxy sothat finally Eli and Nancy can get up out of the dirt and stand proudly as they deserve to. I later foundout that when Nancy died during the war (another story another time) she was buried in an unmarkedgrave on the family farm so, when Eli died here in Texas, his children had a stone erected with hermemorial written on the opposing face of her husband, who never remarried. We never solved themystery of why Darrell had been told that this was the "Black Cemetery", when actually it was just the"Old Pilot Grove Cemetery". Now that we have the stone erect again you can read the inscriptions.Nancy's inscription reads, "Dearest loved one we have laid thee in the peaceful graves embrace, Butthy memory will be cherished til we see thy Heavenly face".Eli's inscription reads, "Tis hard to break the tender cord when Love has bound the heart, Tis hard, sohard, to speak the words, Must we forever part".More About Eli Craig Ownby:Burial: Unknown, Pilot Grove Cem, Grayson Co, TX19