52 Ancestors Week 4: Overlooked

 

This week’s theme is “Overlooked.”   An ancestor that was hiding in plain sight

Judge Charley aka Charles McClure Dodrill was not only overlooked in my research but his tombstone was hiding in plain sight.  It is unbelieveable the fight and battle I had to find him and get him straightened out on Find A Grave. 

The Cemetery where my grandmother is buried, Point Mountain Church Cemetery, is one that I know extremely well.  I'm related or closely connected to all of the 300+ souls buried there.  I survey it on a yearly basis and have for well over two decades now.

So, when I noticed a Find A Grave "hoarder" place Judge Charley in the Point Mountain Cemetery, I instantly went into research mode.   For decades, Judge Charley's grave location was unknown because it was on private property.  That property was owned by a legacy farmer/family.

After contacting the Find-A-Grave Hoarder to let her know that Judge Charley was not buried in the Point Mountain Cemetery, she promptly called me a liar.  🤯   I wrote back explaining how devoted I am to this particular cemetery and I know, for a fact, that he is not buried there.  I gave her my cemetery photos and videos.  Well, the back and forth emails only degraded.  The best I could do was to leave a "flower" comment on his profile saying that he was not buried there.  I left more details on his WikiTree profile.  🡳

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Fast forward a decade and I was added to a Webster County, West Virginia Facebook group.  I am rarely on Facebook but one day someone sent me a message asking about Judge Charley.  The person ended up being a lady that went to high school with my Mom and saw my note on his Find-A-Grave profile.  His grave was on her family farm!

This hidden cemetery is up Point Mountain (Rt 15), going away from Webster Springs, on the right behind an old two story house on the site of the family's old farm. Another cemetery has been established next to it but is separated by a fence.

What was overlooked?  The fact that I never asked a local or the families that owned the local farms.

Such a rookie mistake.  🙁

Judge Charley is buried 3.6 miles from my grandmother.

NOTE:  The original Find-A-Grave listing that the Hoarder created has been removed.  A newer and correct profile is now on Find-A-Grave.  

#52Ancestors was started by another WikiTreer, blogger, and professional genealogist, Amy Johnson Crow. Check out her Generations Cafe Facebook group