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 We spent our Labor day vaca doing our favorite hobby searching roots. This trip took us to Missouri. The last item in the itinerary was trying to locate the grave of Marilyn's great aunt Ida Kate Price (1857-1861). Ida Kate is the only known family descendant to be buried in Missouri - the rest of the family migrated to Texas sometime between 1871 and 1880.
From family records obtained from cousin Nanci Presley-Holley:
Ida Kate was buried in a Cemetery Located on Rider farm, 18 miles from Butler and one mile from Rich Hill.
Ever get the feeling something or some unknown source is communicating with you? We were certainly in the right place and the exact moment. After running around back roads in Missouri looking at other Price sties and back tracking to retrieve a lost camera in Independence, we drove into Rich Hill MO (population 1,400) late in the afternoon. Using our navigation system we searched the 3 farm roads and several unnamed roads in the Rich Hill vicinity - searching for the Rider farm and cemetery. About to |
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give up - we drove to the only convenience store in town. Friendly folks in Missouri.. Marilyn asked the clerk about the cemetery - she replied she didn't, then in a loud voice asked the other customers - and a very nice Missouri "good-ol-boy" named Brian buying a six pack replied he knew exactly where it was, and it was 'sorta' on his way home and he'd take us there!
We picked up his beer tab and followed him approx. 9 miles on a paved road, that turned into a dirt road, that ran through a small Amish community then degraded into an obvious seldom used road, overgrown with vegetation. We almost didn't drive into it - our TL is pretty low slung… but Brian's Buick went ahead and I thought what the hell..
At the end of the road was the cemetery with a sign posted "FAIRVIEW RIDER CEMETERY - FOUNDED 1857 BY REV. Wm RIDER". The cemetery was in reasonably good shape, someone has obviously been caring for it. The first headstone, a large elaborate design we read was dated 1902, and the text on the headstone was un-readable.
With the help from our new found friends Brian and Donna Barnett, we searched the site for about an hour. Finally Marilyn stated the search was probably useless - "we don't even know if she had a headstone!" .Then.. she simply turned around - and there it was!
We picked up his beer tab and followed him approx. 9 miles on a paved road, that turned into a dirt road, that ran through a small Amish community then degraded into an obvious seldom used road, overgrown with vegetation. We almost didn't drive into it - our TL is pretty low slung… but Brian's Buick went ahead and I thought what the hell..
At the end of the road was the cemetery with a sign posted "FAIRVIEW RIDER CEMETERY - FOUNDED 1857 BY REV. Wm RIDER". The cemetery was in reasonably good shape, someone has obviously been caring for it. The first headstone, a large elaborate design we read was dated 1902, and the text on the headstone was un-readable.
With the help from our new found friends Brian and Donna Barnett, we searched the site for about an hour. Finally Marilyn stated the search was probably useless - "we don't even know if she had a headstone!" .Then.. she simply turned around - and there it was!
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And Then!...
As we began to exit the cemetery, the gate suddenly opened, and in drove a family in a car with Colorado plates and Denver Broncos stickers similar to the decal on our car. They were
descendants of Reverend Wm Rider - the generous farmer that had donated the land for the cemetery in 1857. Descendants from the Price family meeting descendants from the Rider family in the same place 133 years later.
More Photos from Trip Ida's Brother: Dr. Jacob Price Ida's Parents: John Alexander and Mary Price Price~Heisig Home