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From: "Susan Carpenter" <>
Subject: My Roots Tour
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2004 23:32:19 -0400
References: <200406070100.i5710IR9018532@lists5.rootsweb.com>


Dear Johnson County researchers,

Nothing earthshaking but I thought you might like to hear of my experience
two days ago in Johnson County.

I had driven from Washington, DC to Metropolis, IL to visit with a cousin
who was doing great genealogical research on my paternal family line. When
I was ready to leave on Tuesday morning I thought I would drive up through
Johnson County once in my life and visit the area my mother had often talked
about but I had never seen...Buncombe, Vienna, Joppa...

All I had for my research was that my great grandmother Rebman was born in
Johnson County and my great grandfather Rebman was buried in a Buncome
cemetery. So off I went for a lovely morning drive. When I came to Buncome
I was behind the rural mail carrier who directed me to a couple of nearby
cemeteries--Mt Zion and another small, and older, one about a mile past Mt.
Zion. I decided to bypass the large Mt Zion site because I was facing a two
day drive back home and it would be fruitless anyhow, right? So on I went.
I had to drive very slowly behind a picturesque Amish family in a buggy
which probably slowed me down enough that I didn't miss the small cemetery
on a nearby hill.

Out I get and start walking up the hill, just for exercise, scanning right
and left. Near the top of the hill I was intrigued by all the stones that
had obviously just been dug out of the ground and placed as a grave marker,
one or two with a scratched-in name and date. Because I was looking off to
my right, it wasn't until I looked right in front of me that I saw the large
granite headstone with REBMAN cut into the top. What a feeling. It was my
great grandmother, Etta Elkins Rebman, died in 1920. There were no other
Rebman stones so I got my video camera out and took a video scanning to take
in the full view of this beautiful location. Through the camera lens I
noticed a corner of stone under a large flowering bush next to Etta's stone.
As I brushed the cut grass away from the flat marker John Daniel Rebman's
name and birth/death dates came into view. Now I have more than just the
cold facts of birth and death. I discovered my grandfather returned to be
buried beside his wife who had preceeded him by 20 years.

Like I said, it's not earthshaking, but it seems the fabric of life made a
slight shift for me on Tuesday.

Any chance there is anyone on this site doing research on Rebman or Elkins?
I know where some graves are.

Susan Carpenter

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