Tombstone Tuesday: Fannie Knecht

After I left the Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery I visited Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church on Oconee Station Road. I found several grave sites in the cemetery adjacent to the church including this one for my great-great-great grandmother Frances C. Fricks Knecht, aka Fannie. She was the wife of Martin A. Knecht [aka A. Martin] who came to America in 1852 from Hessen, Darmstadt. He registered his intent to naturalize and renounced all ties to his home country. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Confederate Army for the duration of the war. He preceded her in death by 52 years. 

Mystery Stone

Unreadable tombstone in Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery, a photo by Carolina Victory Gardener on Flickr.

Here is another tombstone that has been a mystery to me. It is located just at the feet of Zachariah Hubbard's grave in the Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery. It is lying flat on the ground, and has sunk into the ground so that it is flush with the grass.

I wish I had some sort of software that could sharpen the letters and make them readable, but I don't. Perhaps someday I'll be able to figure out to whose name is on this stone.

Bethel Revisited

Last week I had the opportunity to spend a few hours in my hometown doing a little research. One of my goals was to go back to Bethel Presbyterian Church so that I could either show my cousin where our relatives' graves were located, or to at least be able to give better directions on how to find the graves. GPS was on my mind, though I am not sure I was successful on that front.

I found the church with no problem. The weather was overcast and hinting of rain which helped me to get a better shot of Zachariah's tombstone. You can read most of the words in this photo. Here is a copy of the new photo and another showing its orientation relative to the church building. To find the stone, walk inside the stone wall and to the end that is closest to the church building. With your back to the building, look straight out at a small holly tree. It's just a few feet away from you and Zachariah's stone is at the base of the tree. Here is a view of the church from Zachariah's grave so you can orient yourself.

 

The next set of graves that have been elusive are those of my grandfather's siblings. Clyde and his little sister both died in infancy. If you once again put the church behind you and look straight back from Zachariah's grave, just up on the rise are several grave sites that are surrounded by marble coping. Walk straight toward those graves to the Alexander family group. These will include Claudius and Mena Alexander. Walk around to the foot of those graves and you will find Clyde and his sister. Here is a view of the church from their gravestones so that you can orient yourself. You can see the holly tree where Zachariah is buried.

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