Download
[Page]
[Document]mcc-dj1-007
Cemeteries of Madison County, Vol. I, page v
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
In the 1920's Pauline Jones Gandrud and the late Kathleen Paul Jones copied the inscriptions of many of the older tombstones in the county. Some of the cemeteries they copied have now been destroyed and Mrs. Gandrud has graciously consented to my use of their information on tombstones which are no longer in existence. Mrs. Gandrud is Alabama's most outstanding genealogist and I am indeed grateful for her cooperation in helping make this work more complete.
No historical or genealogical work can be completed by one person alone and such is the case with this book. My inspiration for this work came from Bessie King Russell, that grand lady of history whose kind word and encouragement has done so much to further local historical research.
A special note of thanks must go to Mrs. Richard II. Gilliam, Jr., for the many boosts she gave me along the way. Mrs. Gilliam was ever faithful in telling me of a cemetery she had heard of or in supplying me bits and pieces of information which, when put together, usually made a whole.
It is impossible to list, and individually thank, every land owner and farmer on whose land there is a cemetery but that doesn't make me any less appreciative for their help and cooperation. I am deeply grateful to people like Mrs. Alvie L. Sublett, Robert Taylor and Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Upton who went out of their way to help and whose help was invaluable.
My hat is off to the men of Redstone Arsenal who did so much to make that particular chapter possible. Mr. M. R. Stevens of the Public Relations office spent a great deal of time and effort obtaining as much information as possible on the cemeteries located there prior to my visit which made my work a lot easier. Mr. William Bass was another gentleman who was a tremendous help in locating out-of-the-way cemeteries for me. Without his help and expert guidance I would not have been able to find some of the old graveyards.
My deepest appreciation is extended to Mr. James N. Weldon of the Post Engineers office for his assistance in locating some of the cemeteries I had little hope of ever finding. Family descendants can rest assured that if they have ancestors buried on Redstone Arsenal and Mr. Weldon knows where they are buried the cemetery will be well cared for.
Dorothy Scott Johnson - (208)