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ODOM CEMETERY

ANTIOCH

COVINGTON COUNTY, ALABAMA

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It had to be the worst cemetery I have ever seen. The only good thing was that the junk cars parked around the perimeter prevented encroachment of the modern world on to the actual graves. Almost all the headstones had been broken and the bricks outlining the burial sites had been scattered. The vines, scrub oaks and various other plants, had covered the area. The seasons down through the years had laid a six-inch layer of leaves and pine straw on the gravesites and surrounding area. The headstones, though broken, were still legible

Thus was the condition of the family cemetery that I had recently found out about through a fellow genealogist who had sent me a copy of an article published in 1984 in the Opp News. This article about an old abandoned cemetery where most of the tombstones had the Odom name on them had been sent to the National Odoms Assembly's resident genealogist who is maintaining all the records of the assembly. I had sent her, Helen Odum Harrell, a query about Isaac W. Odom earlier in the year. She had confirmed several pieces of information I had sent her and included the article about the cemetery saying she was sure the people interned there were in my lineage.

After spending some time in the cemetery in August of 1996, and rereading the newspaper article again and again, I felt I should do something about the condition of the cemetery. Since the article raised a lot of questions about the identify of the persons buried there, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Opp News and answered as many questions as I could about who they were and the family relationships between them. I hoped I furnished enough information for a writer to publish another article. As luck would have it, my timing was perfect. The publishers were putting together their annual Old Home Folks edition. WELL, they published the letter exactly as I wrote it!!!! This I never expected. And also, as luck would have it they didn’t publish my name, phone number etc.

After one of the local residents of Antioch read the article, she persisted until the paper gave her my name and phone number. Well that started it! For a solid week I got a new cousin almost every evening! These people were coming out of the woodwork! They all lived in south Alabama and most lived in the Antioch area and didn’t know the cemetery was there and didn’t know the family relationships. The first one to call, Peggy Chesteen lived within 2 miles of the cemetery all her life. Well after talking and listening, she likes to talk, we all agreed something must be done about the condition of the cemetery.

Peggy had a small article ran in the same paper. She planned a Cleanup and mini reunion for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. You would not believe the turn out! Over 40 people of all ages showed up. Newborns to 80+ came out to help cleanup their ancestor's graves. Axes, rakes, wheelbarrows, and chainsaws rapidly removed the years of neglect! All parts of the broken headstones were located and put back into place. Everyone seemed to just start on their own with no guidance and no bosses. Each did what they were able to do. The young and able were working the axes and saws and the old manning the rakes. One relative purchased material for a fence and we had it almost all the way up before the rains came. They promised to finish it off the next weekend.

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A couple of the older relatives shared some family stories with us about Isaac and his wives. One told the story how Isaac met his second wife, Martha. Martha had recently been widowed by the Civil War and Lucy Ann, his first wife, had passed away in 1863. Martha and her two orphaned children were going somewhere as the story goes when she passed Isaac’s house. Such as was the custom back then, they were traveling by foot. The kids were thirsty so Martha asked Isaac for some water for herself and the children. No McDonald’s back then folks! Well they sat and talked for a while and then noticed it was getting near dark. Also as was the custom, Isaac invited the travelers to spend the night at his place instead of sleeping in the woods.

Well, the next morning they all loaded up in Isaac’s wagon and went to town and Isaac and Martha got married.!!!!

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