Addie's Word

By Bob Heafner © 1986

Issue: February, 1986

The Chaplin children were Sarah C. Chaplin, born 1849, died 1854 and Elizabeth C. Chaplin, born 1847, died 1854.Years ago when the Meadows of Dan Baptist Church cemetery was cleaned and landscaped a few old rock headstones were misplaced. The intention was to replace the markers someday but time edged forward and the memories of those plain old rock markers soon faded from the minds of all but the oldest of the church members. Finally it seemed that those buried where the old markers once stood were not only gone but were forgotten as well. Forgotten that is by everyone except Miss Addie Wood. Her memory recalled the names of the folks buried in the unmarked graves but more important she recalled a promise made to her mother many years ago that she would "see to it" that the graves would someday once again be marked. Miss Addie is 85 years old and lately her promise to her mother has been weighing heavy on her mind; somehow she had to get those graves marked.

Those of you that don't know Miss Addie personally are missing something as far as I'm concerned. She's a genuine one of a kind mountain lady. Her five foot frame has carried her through 85 years of hard work, the likes of which, most young people today just wouldn't believe. In days gone by she raised and tended to over 1400 chickens and milked a small dairy herd by hand everyday while managing over a hundred acres of Mayberry farm land. Without modern equipment or hired hands this feisty little old mountain lady took on the elements of mountain weather and hardship and won. Determination, honor and grit describe her as well as any words I know.

Levi and Nancy Fitzgerald, dates unknown. The stone should read Fitzgerald and will be corrected.When she approached the "youngsters" in charge of the Meadows of Dan Baptist Church cemetery committee about the church chipping in and helping to pay for the replacement headstones, she was turned down. Not out of disrespect for Addie or those within the unmarked graves but, as I said earlier, time had all but erased the memory of those unforgotten souls.

On visits to Mayberry these last few months, every time Miss Addie and I happened to be alone she brought up the subject of the unmarked graves and confided her concern and fear that "something might happen" to her before she got the graves marked. At one point she called me aside and asked if I would, "see to it that those graves get marked if something happens to me," I promised her that I would.

Her "word" to her mother had taken on new meaning when she heard that relatives of the Rutledge family had been to the cemetery looking for the graves of their people and had been told by some of the younger church members that no one by that name is buried here. Words on paper can't describe how much it worried Miss Addie that those folks had driven back home to Florida without finding the graves of their ancestors. Her "word" to her mother would simply not let her quit trying to somehow get those graves marked.

James and Mary Rutledge and eight of their children, all died of diphtheria in 1884. [Names of the children are unknown.] The small "R" marker to the right is one of the eight markers noting children's graves.Shortly after the new year of 1986 had dawned, we met Miss Addie for dinner at The Mountain House Restaurant in Meadows of Dan. She was accompanied by her niece, Dale Yeatts, and Dale's husband, Coy Lee. As we gathered around the large corner booth on that cold January night Miss Addie's "word" to her mother had been kept and a new row of granite markers stood in the cemetery next door. Her determination to keep her "word" and her faith that somehow there'd be a way had materialized and now only one thing remained. Across the restaurant table she handed me an envelope containing photographs of the new markers along with the names of those buried there. The envelope also contained the following description, hand written on notebook paper by her, of how she finally managed to get the markers placed.

Addie's Note,

"I promised Mother, she knew some of these children and families, if they [the cemetery committee] didn't put the markers back, I would see to it."

"I never felt like I was financially able to do it. That was why I called on the cemetery fund. When they turned me down I began praying to the Lord to send me a miracle that I might learn of some of the relatives that would help me put up markers while I was still able to find the graves. A few days after I began asking the Lord for miracles to happen, two ladies, Frances Jefferson Bowman and Nellie B. Bausell, came in the store and said we've been to Meadows of Dan cemetery looking for some of our relatives' graves and couldn't find them. I asked them whose graves they were looking for and they replied, 'the Chaplin's.' I almost shouted for joy for I knew my prayers was being answered. I told them, 'No, you did not find them for the old markers was removed and that I had asked for the cemetery committee to put the markers up and was now waiting for a second reply.' They asked, 'If you're turned down again, what's your next step?' I said I was hoping to locate some relatives of the folks for some help. They replied, 'Go ahead. If it's money needed then we'll help.' They sent the date for the Chaplin children's marker and said the children's father and mother, Reverend George Henry and Frances Jefferson Chaplin were buried at the Stone Mountain Church. The markers are up now and many thanks to Frances Jefferson Bowman and Nellie B. Bausell for their financial support."

Rose Williams, died in 1886. She was the daughter of Bogg Williams. This stone should read Bogg Williams and will be corrected."The new markers are for the graves of:

The Chaplin children were Sarah C. Chaplin, born 1849, died 1854 and Elizabeth C. Chaplin, born 1847, died 1854.

James and Mary Rutledge and eight of their children. All died of diphtheria in 1884. [Names of the children are unknown.]

Levi and Nancy Fitzgerald, dates unknown.

Rose Williams, died 1886. She was the daughter of Bogg Williams. Relatives may pass by now and see where their folks are buried."

When Miss Addie handed me the above note and the photographs, she also gave me a twenty dollar bill. She said, "now I don't expect you to print all that and them pictures for nothing, but I want to get the word out to those folks' relatives that their graves have got markers now." When I tried to give her the money back, it was nothing doing. She wouldn't take it and insisted that much harder that she be allowed to pay for notifying the relatives. It was a point of honor to the old lady that she do it. It was part of her "word," and quite frankly, I admire her backbone and grit much more than that of the fictional modern day heroes such as ROCKY or RAMBO. For that reason, I didn't insist that she not pay "for all that and them pictures." It wouldn't have done any good to anyway; she had her mind made up.

PS: Recently twenty-dollars was donated to the Meadows of Dan cemetery fund in memory of the folks Miss Addie remembered.