Our grandson is home this week from college for Easter break. It was wonderful to hear when he asked us to take him on a tour of all of our family cemeteries.

 

Wait a minute, did you say visiting cemeteries is wonderful, you might ask?

 

Yes, maybe visiting cemeteries is not fun for some people, but we McKee’s are a little different – okay, a lot different.

 

Well, first I gassed up the car and we all grabbed a bottle of water and we were off. The cemeteries were located in Lauderdale, Kemper and Newton counties.

 

We started on Highway 39 at Forest Lawn where my parents are buried as well as our son and daughter-in-law. This was a hard stop, but we moved soon into Kemper County where all of Hub’s family is buried.

 

First stop in Kemper was my mother and father-in-law’s graves at Pleasant Grove Church located on Stephens Road. Locals tell the lore surrounding the road called Stephens. That it continues into Alabama and was at one time considered a military road.

 

But the most popular and exciting military road in the area is called “The Old Jackson Military Road.” We drove it this afternoon. Actually we drove it in circles and I would like to thank “the voice” who led us in those circles. But actually we all agreed it was a fun ride. We saw the green lushness of our neighbors to the north of where we now live and the weather was perfect.

 

Military leader, Andrew Jackson (later President Jackson) built the road, along with his soldiers, so that they could arrive in New Orleans for the big battle that we know as The Battle of New Orleans, fought on Jan. 8, 1815, between the British and the United States during the War of 1812.

 

Oh, and we won.

 

I must say again, the weather was picture-perfect, and there was a pleasantness, a calm and comforting time. We felt a sense of ease, plus the fact we had all cleared our calendars for this day of visiting family cemeteries. Therefore the fact being “lost in Kemper County” wasn’t a big deal.

 

Of course, I once or twice thought of Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” while we circled Jackson Military Road not once but twice and finally the third time. But that’s just me.

 

If you are not familiar with the short story, google it and see what was circling in my mind while we were circling Old Jackson Military Road.

 

But finally we arrived to our destination which was Zion Church and the cemetery located just off of Jackson Military Road in Kemper County but the problem was it had a Collinsville address. Whew!

 

My great, great grandfather, Adam Calvert and his family are there in the graveyard. This was an important stop because Adam Calvert arrived directly from Ireland and eventually settled in the edge of Kemper County, just off of Jackson Military Road and had a big Calvert family with many descendants of which I am included.

 

The big, annual Calvert Reunion is May 3 at Zion Church but our grandson will be back at school and unable to attend.

 

So today we circled and circled Jackson Military Road but finally arrived to meet and greet the Calvert family at the graveyard.

 

As we arrived back home, I asked Jordan if he enjoyed the day. His answer was, “Beautiful.” And I agree. It was a beautiful day.

 

Anne McKee is executive director at Meridian Railroad Museum.