[Granville-Hough] 27 Aug 2009 - Miller Cemetery 2
Trustees for Granville W. Hough
gwhough-trust at oakapple.net
Sun Aug 27 06:24:53 PDT 2017
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:45:14 -0700
From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: MillerCem2 - 27 Aug 2009
MILLER CEMETERY: A DREAM BECOMES REALITY (By Sarah Walker Gorrell)
"The old cemetery sat abandoned and forgotten for many years û just up
the hill past Cohay Creek on the south side of SCR 14 (Fellowship Road).
Brambles, briars, and fallen pine trees û much the result of the ravages
of Hurricane Katrina û had covered the few remaining stones. In the July
19, 2006 issue of The Post, an article entitled ôMiller Cemetery û
Forgotten Not Longö outlined plans to restore the old cemetery.
Today the cemetery is beginning to show results, thanks to the efforts
of Supervisor Benjie Ford, Don Jordan, John Tommy McDaniel, and a crew
at Southern Pine, Bo Eaton, as well as Buford and Joyce Lowery, and
Virginia Kelly, these plans are coming to fruition. The cemetery has
been cleared of years of fallen trees and debris and is now accessible
to the public.
The removal of undergrowth permitted the search for additional stones.
Only nine stones remain of the original 55 graves. Toward the back of
the old cemetery, two stones in the shape of obelisks were in remarkably
good condition. These stones belonged to John Steven Carter, a Civil War
Veteran, and his wife Rebecca Powers. A marker to signify his service in
the Battle between the States has been ordered.
Stakes have replaced the undergrowth with orange flags indicating a
gravesite. These gravesites were located by dowsing û an age old proven
method of locating graves. Ed McNease of Moselle, MS, a self-described
CCN (Certified Cemetery Nut) is a grave finder or dowser. Using two
dowsing rods (long, straight copper-brass alloy rod) held lightly, one
in each hand with his elbows at his waist and forearms parallel to the
ground, he paced back and forth over the cemetery searching for unmarked
graves. Being somewhat skeptical, I (Ms Gorrell) took the rods in hand
and began walking slowly across the old cemetery. I was amazed when the
rods automatically crossed, just as they had done with Mr. McNease.
Most U. S. cemeteries are laid out with the head pointing to the west
and the feet to the east, head to toe in straight lines with
approximately 2 to 3 feet between graves. A dowser can determine if the
unmarked grave is that of an adult, or a child, based on the length of
the grave, since the rods will remain crossed until the end of the grave
is reached. The length of the grave can determine the approximate age of
the person.
(GWH: this paragraph is included just to assure I copied the article as
written). According to research, the dowser can even determine gender.
One of the methods used is by standing over he center of the grave, hold
one rod over your head. The rod will swing around and point to the feet
(east) of a man and head (west) of a female. Method 2, which is
determined to be the most accurate, is to again stand in the center of
the grave and balance the handle of one of the rods on you index finder
with the rod pointing down. The rod will begin making a circular motion,
clockwise for a male and counterclockwise for a female. The motion of
the rod, to determine if two people are buried in the same grave, uses
this method.
Even though some have claimed this to be ôwitchcraftö, dowsing is an
age-old technique used by genealogical and historical societies. More
modern day GPS devices can also be used and may be more reliable.
Dowsing rods can be made by staightening two metal coat hanger, and
bending the neck into a holder. To test the theory, go to a cemetery
with marked graves to practice and you will be surprised at how
effectively it works.
During the cemetery cleansing process, many of the stakes were removed
to make way for the equipment and falling trees. In order to relocate
all the graves, the dowsing will have to be redone. Additional work also
has to be completed to remove the stumps. Plans are to place a fence
across the front of the cemetery as well as a sign bearing the name.
A ceremony to dedicate John Steven CarterÆs marker is tentatively
planned to be held on Saturday, April 28, 2007 by the Purvis Branch of
the United Daughters of the Confederacy."
This article from The Post, Wednesday, Mar 21, 2007, page 10.
(GWH: I do not know who publishes this journal. The article was sent to me by
Bonnie Cole, age 92, who, like me, is related to the people buried there
in the Miller Cemetery. )
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Speaking of the idiosyncrasies of the American version of the English
language, we've just invented a new word, or at least a new meaning for
an old word, clunker. Soon we'll be hearing some female crooner telling
her life story. "I met this handsome feller and in the fever of the
evening, we went to Jackson, we went to Jackson, and we got married.
Soon I learned he was just a big clunker, a big clunker, so I'm
divorcing him, divorcing him, and I'm taking on this younger feller,
who's got more bang for the buck, more bang for the buck."
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