Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday - What's Her Name?


 


This lovely tombstone for John Bebout and his mother Katherine is located at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Crittenden County, Kentucky. There is just one thing wrong with the tombstone - the mother's name is likely incorrect. Most records list her name as Harriet or Harriet C. Bebout. It would be easy to assume the C. in Harriet's middle name stood for Catherine, making the name on the tombstone correct. However, in the will of her father, John E. Wilson, recorded in Crittenden County Will Book 1, page 46, she is listed as "Cassa Bebout wife of Peter Bebout." When her daughter, Harriet Ann Bebout, married James P. Sullenger in 1863, the wedding was at "Casander Bebout's."

Her full name might be Harriet Cassander or Harriet Cassa , but it surely was not Katherine. Harriet C. and her husband, Peter Bebout, were my 4th great grandparents. Harriet C. Wilson Bebout was born in 1824 and died in 1908. Peter Bebout was born in 1823 and died in 1862.

Published 29 Dec 2009, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog,  http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

3 comments:

PalmsRV said...

Enjoyed the post in general, but the name James Sullenger jumped out at me. My Mary Trousdale was married to a James Sullenger before her marriage to John Patillo. I'm don't think that the James Sullenger referenced in your post is the same man who married my Mary, but the name Sullenger got my attention.

Cathy

villette1 said...

Brenda, I am wondering if the tombstone is a remake of an older one. It looks far too modern to have been carved in 1863, plus the style of the stone is more modern. Maybe the old stone was unreadable and someone guessed at what was supposed to be there when the new one was made? I noticed a Crawford grave from the 1860s had scratches on it (it is in the Hopewell cemetery) where someone had tried to correct a date. Sometimes people mean well, but don't always hit the mark.

Brenda Joyce Jerome said...

I'm pretty sure the tombstone was erected long after both John and his mother had died. Very likely there was no earlier tombstone. I'm sure a well-meaning relative was honoring them by having the grave marked, but names fade through the years and Harriet's name was given incorrectly.