Stories of Grave Robbing and Zombies

I am about to tell you two stories having to do with what my family call a "Zombie" in the family, and the other is leaving a legacy of lost graves. I am about to embark on a story that will sizzle the brain with "ick", and there is some violence to this in the story of my family.

Long long ago, in the centuries past was a lady whose heart stopped, and she was pronounced dead..... forever gone. She was buried in those days in a wooden box for a casket. She was my gr gr gr gr gr grandmother who married a Jacob John. Her name was Mary. Now the grave was covered with dirt, and she was placed in the box without being embalmed. Maybe her story is one that led to embalming bodies, but who knows that is speculation here. Soon after she was buried, and I am not sure how long in hours or days, but it happened that way. Robbers came to her grave and unearthed her body. They took out their knife and cut off her ring finger in order to steal her wedding ring. Then...................up she pops.... out of the grave.... and came back alive. That is how the lady became in my children's generation to be called............the "Zombie, gr gr gr gr gr grandmother Harrell. She lived long enough to have another child as the story goes, and then her heart stopped for the final time. So out of the grave came love once more and a baby born. Shocking that story is in my family heritage. That has been past down the line, and now I can say that we officially have a "Zombie" in our family. I have to say that is definitely a chilling Halloween story to tell. The only thing I am sure is the robbers put a curse on themselves for life by victimizing a poor lady who was buried for dead. Can you imagine the shock they felt, when she rose up from the grave?

Now, the other incident involves another one of my gr gr gr grandmother, Martha ,who died back in the mid 1800's and from what I am told she was delivering an infant at the time she died, and Martha and her baby were buried on the land owned by her family at the time. They had grave stones placed on the graves and left in respect as buried in the family grave site. Now as time goes on, and land changes hands, then it is bought and sold either by the family that is left or is taken for whatever means and sold to the public. The county that this took place is in South Georgia in a community called Decatur County, Ga. The ladies mother was one of the first 5 settlers of that county. She came from the heritage of hard working farm people. They were the founders of the county. Oh the story now gets interesting, when one day a farmer lost his hogs that got out and ran loose in the woods. This guy was one of the relatives distant or close of that lady called Martha. While walking around the woods that day he ran across two grave stones. He knew they had been dumped in the woods by the person who bought that family land. Why do you ask would they dump the grave stones? The power of greed always makes people do things they should not do. Greed over powered the intelligence of a person who should have respected the dead and their right to not be desecrated in that manner. How would you like it, if you were dead and I took your marker off your grave and dumped it in the woods? It is the only way a family member can find the grave of a loved one. This person who did this not only did they remove the marker , but they plowed over the grave site and grew crops on top of the dead baby and the mother. They made money at the expense of a grave desecration. These are my relatives folks, and I am shocked over it. There is no deed so horrible as to do this to the memory of the dead. Why did he not place a small fence around the graves and go on about his farming. I had rather have a grave in the middle of my field and respect it, than to desecrate the person who died there or persons. If this person were alive today, then I would go and face him down about the deed he did to my great great great grandmother. Now the land was sold again and no one knows where she is buried. The farmer that found her grave stone took it and her babies grave stone and placed it in a cemetery where her husband was buried and his baby marker was placed near the grave of Daddy Parker. The only problem with that is the fact when she died , then he remarried another lady and had many many more children. It could be a fact like being buried with two wives. Why could not that farmer, who plowed over her grave had thought of respect of a grave site. Folks we have family buried on private land all across this country. They were placed there for respect of family. I thank that guy who had enough respect to take those dumped grave stones out of the woods that day. This guy is 93 years old and still going strong. He must have been a blessed person to care. The person who removed the stones took upon himself the knowledge of desecration of graves. I am sorry but what goes around comes around, and one day when he meets his maker to stand for the deeds that he has done, then it will be justice of the spiritual kind. I am not one that does not forgive, because that is what the God above wants us to do. I cannot say that it is something that one can forget. If I was a Native American and my family had been honorable buried to be respected on sacred ground, then why would anyone do this to any human being. We are all the same. Remember the song that goes like this: " red, yellow, black, or white...they are precious in his sight..........". That is a song I was taught as a small child. That song that was song in Sunday School had to do with respect and love of the great spirit above us all, and his love for us.

This is a story of two relatives whose graves were robbed and desecrated. This is the history of our country that no one tells in the classroom. We live in a society that only hears about great presidents and wars and history in the way of progress or set backs. We never hear these type of stories. I can say on my journey through researching my history as a family that it has opened doors. I cannot walk upon the land that is privately owned to pay my respect to the souls that were buried and desecrated for generations to come. As we embark on the Halloween season when graves are thought to be the spirit rising up " the eve of all spirits rising , then this story only adds to the creepy and shocking of Zombies rising and spirits unhappy about their plight. I definitely would say that I am not a happy camper to know this about my relatives.

Additional information that links us as a country:

We are now seeking to look at a bigger picture and elect someone to lead this country, and still we are looking at the issues of Democracy and Sacred Grounds. Our world is now a world of trouble, and worry over environment, basic rights of humans. Make your choices wisely, and respect our elders, our people, and our children. Leave them the greatest blessings for a future, and forget the corporate jungle. Take a time to unite your families in love and compassion. Honor the earth mother with respect, non- pollution, conservation, and above all treasure all people and all races as part of who we are. Never take hopelessness for an answer. We are much more than that. Bring forth the spirit to walk in pride and honor.