Day 2 - Oak Grove, Lexington (again), St. Charles

Well, despite continued crummy weather, we had a much more fruitful day today!
Our first stop was  OAK GROVE, MO, which was a stop I was really looking forward to!
I have many childhood memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa Lankford at their little farm.  Gilbert and Halcy actually lived here twice; the first time they rented it for a short time when Marion was a baby.  (Hal and Bob would have been 3+ and 6+)  They returned to Oak Grove after Gilbert retired and bought the house where they would live for 22 years, until Halcy died and Gilbert moved to Marion's home in Virginia Beach.

Gilbert and Halcy around 1960 in Oak Grove

The back yard.  The walk through that gate to the barn and the pasture always meant fun!  Remember the gooseberries?

Winter on the farm was just fun in the cold.

Grandpa in his garden.  My favorite?   Strawberries!!!!!

The Chicken Coop - I remember gathering eggs with Grandpa and steering clear of the mean rooster.  (Bob and the rooster had a special relationship.)   ;o)

Lankford Oak Grove Home 1960

Oak Grove Home 2011

It is really nice to see that it is such a lovely home for someone new.


OAK GROVE CEMETERY
We visited the Oak Grove Cemetery, where we found Gilbert and Halcy's stone, as well as Uncle Bob's.  We also found Lesta George and the Johnsons, who lived next door, too.

We were unable to find Halcy's parents, Willam Marion Johnson and Susan Catherine Majors Johnson.  Dad says there was something funny about Susan Johnson's burial location.  She died at Gilbert and Halcy's home in Sweet Springs and when the got her to the cemetery to be buried, there was already someone in her plot?? so they couldn't bury her there.  Wish there was someone still around to shed some light on THAT one!


LEXINGTON CEMETERY - THE RIGHT ONE!
We were really rather disheartened yesterday - to think of our ancestors amid the rubble of the cemetery we visited.  I did some more research after dad went to bed last night and found that we were in the wrong cemetery, so we decided to return today to the Machpelah Cemetery in Lexington to search for the Lankford, Gordon, and Green burial sites.  Wouldn't you know, this weekend was the weekend for the celebrated reenactment of the Battle of Lexington, so we were lucky to escape the crossfire!!
Our search, however, yielded no results.  This cemetery is HUGE and we are going to try to find a plot map and revisit on the trip home.  We do have a MUCH better feeling about our ancestors' resting place!

We left Lexington and headed off towards our next destination, St Louis.  We made a lunch stop in Columbia.  (wouldn't you know we would pick Stadium Blvd as our exit on a Missou Game day!!)


ST CHARLES, MO
Next stop, St Charles and a visit to Lindenwood College (now Lindenwood University) where my parents met on a double date (and not with each other!)

ST LOUIS
Arrived in downtown St Louis, checked into the lovely Westin Hotel (across the street from Busch Stadium, home of the St Louis Cardinals (sorry Brewers fans at home!)
Had a lovely dinner with old friends, Wayne and Carol Black, Nancy Mitchell, and Skip, who was actually celebrating his 87th Birthday!! (just found out that Wayne's birthday was the same day!  Happy Birthday Friends!

Tomorrow I will visit my old homes in St. Louis!  Can't wait!
:o)
Kathi