RATTLESNAKE RIDGE Paul Muller [email protected]

Sometimes luck can accomplish more than years of research. I found this out on a recent trip to Montgomery, Alabama. I am in the process of putting together a book on my family, and I want to try to include a photograph of the gravestone of as many as possible of those ancestors of whom I have no picture. My mother's family had settled in Alabama in the early 1800s, many prior to it becoming a state. My 4th-great-grandfather, James JACKSON, had been a delegate from Autauga County to the Alabama Statehood Convention in 1817. He later served both as a state representative and a state senator. I had found that he was buried in his family cemetery, somewhere near the small community of Independence, Alabama. My wife Tammie and I obtained a map of Autauga County that included the township, range, and section of all the known cemeteries. Unfortunately, the Jackson Cemetery was listed under the heading, "Cemeteries of Uncertain Location." Also listed under that heading was the Pearce Cemetery, which was purported to be the final resting place of another one of my 4th-great-grandfathers, Stephen PEARCE. Fortunately, the other cemeteries that I was looking for were well marked. I decided to try to find the Jackson Cemetery first.

We drove the rural roads of Autauga County for several hours, stopping at stores, houses, and intersections, to ask questions of the locals in our effort to locate the cemetery. All of the people we met were quite gracious in their effort to help. One family even invited us into their home and made several phone calls to "old timers" in the area, trying to pinpoint the location of the cemetery. When all efforts failed, I decided that the cemetery was probably lost or, at best, further research would be necessary. We headed back to the campground where we staying.

My car was getting low on gas, so I decided to stop and fill up. I had previously noticed a BP service station on highway 82, so I thought I would stop there on the way back to the park. After filling the tank, I went inside to pay. I asked the owner, Steve Stewart, if he had ever heard of the Jackson Cemetery, or Autauga Hill, a name associated with the old plantation. He said no, but he pulled out an Autauga county map and we spent a few minutes comparing his map with the cemetery map that I had been using. In the end, we were unable to come up with anything. Just as I was about to leave, he made a casual remark about how he used to hunt with a friend many years ago, and how they had run across some old grave markers in the woods. He said that he had looked at the graves and wondered just what life was like for those early settlers. And then he mentioned a name he had seen on one of the graves -- Stephen PEARCE. What a shock! I hadn't even mentioned that name and he had remembered the name after so many years. He said that the overrun cemetery was on land belonging to a childhood friend, and offered to call so that I could obtain permission to try to locate the cemetery. Unfortunately, he couldn't make contact with the owner, but he provided me with his name and phone number.

The next morning I was able to make contact with Jimmy Thompson, one of the current owners of the land upon which was located the cemetery. He said he would be glad to show us the cemetery, but said that he had not been to the location in quite some time, and that it was thickly overgrown. When we arrived at his home, Thompson said that since he had been unsure of the exact location of the cemetery, he had already gone to the general area and had searched until he had found it. He explained that he intends eventually to clear out the underbrush and reestablish the cemetery.

He then drove us to the vicinity of the cemetery, where we parked, since it would be necessary to walk the rest of the way. We soon located three or four gravestones in thick underbrush, partially covered by a large tree that had fallen during a recent hurricane. Only one of the stones was inscribed, and it was that of Julia PEARCE, a younger sister of my 3rd-great- grandmother, Mary Ann PEARCE. The inscription read, "to the memory of Julia H. daughter of Stephen and Sarah PEARCE who was born October 21st 1821 and departed this life July 9th 1836. I photographed it, and then began again looking for the grave marker of Stephen PEARCE. I was beginning to feel like we might not be successful, when Tammie said, "I think I've found another stone." We cleared out the leaves and roots, and there in front of me was part of a grave marker inscribed with the following words: "Sacred to the Memory of Stephen Pearce." What an exciting moment for us. Never mind the fact that we were searching an area called "Rattlesnake Ridge," and both Tammie and I would end up with numerous chigger bites. We had succeeded in locating my 4th-great-grandfather's grave marker. We cleaned the stone as best we could, and then I photographed it. Even though it appeared that there may have more writing on a missing part of the stone, we felt as if we had been successful.

Thompson said that his brother had done some research on the PEARCE family and the location of their old home, and offered to give me whatever information he had. I said that I would most certainly be in touch, and thanked him for all that he had done.

In the days following my trip to Alabama, all I could do was shake my head in disbelief about how I had stumbled upon the location of the PEARCE Cemetery. I am quite convinced that I would never have found it had I not stopped for gas and mentioned the fact that I was looking for the Jackson Cemetery. And to add to the improbability of it all, Thompson said that Steve Stewart was about the only person outside his family who knew of the location of the cemetery. Some would call it luck, but my sister says it was Providence. Whatever it was, it shows that you never can tell when, where, or how your next genealogical discovery will be brought to light.