I distinctly remember driving over tall bridges which traversed steep ravines and rivers. I couldn't tell you now exactly where along the route they were, just that they were there.
We only spent twenty minutes in West Virginia, but it was more than enough to put a scare into us. I was driving the car that day. I was in the passing lane to pass a slower vehicle when an old, dirty pickup truck came up behind me blaring its horn. The middle aged male driver was wearing a plaid jacket, a baseball cap, and his face looked like it had never met a razor.
As soon as I could, I moved to the right to allow him to pass, but that wasn't good enough for him. He moved right behind our car, tailgating at high speed while still laying on his horn, then swerved back to the left and drove past. As he drove past, I made a rude gesture with a particular finger. He swerved in front of our car and slammed on his brakes, forcing me to brake and pull to the side of the road to avoid hitting his truck.
It was then that I saw a shotgun in his rear window gun rack. His hand reached for the gun. A sudden burst of traffic came from behind us, so he decided to drive away. We waited a few minutes before we also drove away. That was the most jeopardous moment of the entire trip.
We were soon back in Ohio, still on Interstate 70. One of the cities we passed was Zanesville, where my maternal 3rd-great-grandmother Eliza Jane Vaughn (née West) was born in 1827. Of course, I didn't learn that until later, so we didn't have a reason to stop at the time. We stopped near Columbus for lunch, then continued on our way.
After we crossed into Indiana, we began noticing crosses off the highway in rural areas in a specific formation. Two smaller crosses flanking a larger one. Nothing sinister on first glance, although I was told later that the formation can signify the Ku Klux Klan. I don't know if that's true or not, though.
We continued through and past Indianapolis, Indiana 40 miles (64 km) west to the small town of Stilesville via Interstate 465 and U.S. Route 40.
The road to Stilesville, Indiana
In Stilesville, we visited the local cemetery to locate the graves of my maternal 3rd-great-grandparents Hugh and Catharine (née Mynatt) Crawford, who died near Stilesville during the Yellow fever epidemic of 1841.
Stilesville Cemetery, Stilesville, Indiana
Crawford Family Plot (front row only)
Graves of my 3rd-great-grandparents Hugh Caldwell and Catharine (née Mynatt) Crawford
(1805-1841 and 1810-1841)
We also located the graves of Hugh's parents, my 4th-great-grandparents English and Mary (née Caldwell) Crawford, and three of Hugh and Catharine's children (Harriet, Lydia, and Alfred).
Grave of my 4th-great-grandfather English Crawford
(1767-1842)
Grave of my 4th-great-grandmother Mary Crawford (née Caldwell)
(1774-1845)
Grave of my 2nd-great-grandaunt Harriet Londa Crawford
(1833-1841)
Grave of my 2nd-great-grandaunt Lydia Ann Crawford
(1828-1853)
Grave of my 2nd-great-granduncle Alfred Newton Crawford
(1831-1916)
Grave of Alfred's first wife, Louisa J. Crawford (née Brown)
(1834-1884)
The Crawfords came to the area in 1836 from near Knoxville, Tennessee, where five of Hugh and Catharine's seven children were born, including my 2nd-great-grandfather Elihu Millikan Crawford M.D.
After Hugh and Catharine died, followed by Hugh's parents, their six surviving children (Harriet also died in the yellow fever epidemic) were taken in by local families. Elihu was taken in by a blacksmith and became his apprentice. When they were young men, Elihu and his brothers Alfred and William walked to Iowa, where Elihu used his blacksmithing skills to earn money for his tuition at Keokuk Medical College, eventually receiving his medical degree.
After leaving the cemetery, we returned to Indianapolis, passing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home of the Indy 500 race) and the Hoosier Dome (then the home stadium of the Indianapolis Colts football team) along the way. We checked into our rooms at the Courtyard Indianapolis Carmel and ate dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Total Travel Distance: 462 miles (744 km)
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