As a child, I loved visiting the cemetery where many of my ancestors lie buried in Gasconade County. My great-aunt Grace, would tell me who was who as I held her hand strolling through the graveyard. Soon, grandpa would yell that it's time to go, as a Cardinal baseball game was coming on television soon. Aunt Grace was my best friend, and she told me so many stories and I came to know my great and great-great grandparents, aunts and uncles, through her vivid recollection. When I began to drive, I went to literally hundreds of cemeteries that I had documented in my mind as the family would drive around on Sunday evenings. Soon, I realized that on both sides of my family, hundreds of ancestors were buried within a half-day's drive of where I lived. As an adult, I worked in the funeral business for ten years, where my knowledge of cemeteries came in handy now and then. In 2001, I took a job working at the Washington Historical Society, where I remain in 2020. In 2006, I founded the Franklin County Cemetery Society, which since has restored and / or worked on more than one hundred local cemeteries. My passion for history and the remembrance of the dead remains strong and undiminished through the years. On my mother's side, my aunt has been invaluable in our family research and in helping me with postings and corrections on FindAGrave, my favorite website!

As a child, I loved visiting the cemetery where many of my ancestors lie buried in Gasconade County. My great-aunt Grace, would tell me who was who as I held her hand strolling through the graveyard. Soon, grandpa would yell that it's time to go, as a Cardinal baseball game was coming on television soon. Aunt Grace was my best friend, and she told me so many stories and I came to know my great and great-great grandparents, aunts and uncles, through her vivid recollection. When I began to drive, I went to literally hundreds of cemeteries that I had documented in my mind as the family would drive around on Sunday evenings. Soon, I realized that on both sides of my family, hundreds of ancestors were buried within a half-day's drive of where I lived. As an adult, I worked in the funeral business for ten years, where my knowledge of cemeteries came in handy now and then. In 2001, I took a job working at the Washington Historical Society, where I remain in 2020. In 2006, I founded the Franklin County Cemetery Society, which since has restored and / or worked on more than one hundred local cemeteries. My passion for history and the remembrance of the dead remains strong and undiminished through the years. On my mother's side, my aunt has been invaluable in our family research and in helping me with postings and corrections on FindAGrave, my favorite website!