This is the headstone of our great-great-great grandfather and grandmother, William Hiatt and Mary Taylor Hiatt (by "our" I mean Moses Ray Hiatt's grandchildren). I'll write all about the adventures we had in finding this cemetery and gravestone later this week, but I wanted to at least post this picture so everyone could see it and hopefully motivate me to write the rest of the story. Click on the picture to see a larger image.
Who exactly are William Hiatt and Mary Taylor Hiatt? They lived and died in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and are buried there in the W.C. Hiatt Cemetery, a very small and obscure cemetery on the outskirts of Mount Airy. Other than where they lived and died, I don't know anything about what they did but it's a safe bet that they were farmers. They had five children, all boys -- James Madison, Isaac Samuel, Jesse Lafayette, John Henry, and Edmund Franklin.
Three of the sons moved to Utah sometime during their lives. I'm not sure when they went there but according to my parents these three brothers have some sort of pioneer imprint on their gravestones which indicates they made the trek before the connecting of the intercontinental railroad at Promontory Summit in 1869 (well before William and Mary died, in 1891 and 1899, respectively). The three who went to Utah were James Madison, Isaac Samuel, and Edmund Franklin. James Madison and Edmund Franklin are buried in Payson and Isaac Samuel is buried in Salem.
As far as I can tell from a cursory search of the Internet and familysearch.org, all five of the sons were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which leads me to believe that William and Mary Taylor Hiatt were also members of the church. I'm not sure about that but I would like to find out for sure when and if they joined the church.
Edmund Franklin Hiatt (one of the three sons who went to Utah) is the father of Alma Leon Hiatt who is grandpa's (Moses Ray Hiatt's) father.
So, to sum up:
William Hiatt -> Edmund Franklin Hiatt -> Alma Leon Hiatt -> Moses Ray Hiatt
If anybody knows any details that I left out or has any information or where to find it, please let me know by commenting on this post or emailing me. You can also talk to Aunt Sylvia or Uncle Paul.
James Madison married Martha Ellen Taylor on 8 July 1869 in Mount Airy.
Edmund Franklin married Elizabeth Martisha Hutchins on 24 June 1877 in Mount Airy.
Isaac Samuel married Martha Francis Bryant on 17 February 1879 in Mount Airy.
6 comments:
That is pretty cool. I can't wait to hear the story of how you found it.
Thanks for the info...
--Matt
David-
I am so happy that someone knows how to find all that info! Keep us updated!
Hi! We are also related to William and Mary Taylor Hiatt. It was fun to see their headstone that you posted. We'd also love to hear the story of how you found it. I don't have much information but I do have a history of our direct ancestor Isaac Samuel Hiatt which tells a little about his father and their life growing up and Isaac's conversion to the gospel. I would be glad to send it to you in case you haven't seen this. If you are interested you can send me your email I'd love any other info you might be able to share.
Hi Kathy. Thanks for the comment. I'd love to read the history of Isaac Samuel Hiatt and his father. When I have more time again I'll write up about our trip to Mount Airy and how we found the cemetery (I've promised this before but this time I really mean it).
Email me at david dot kennedy at richmond dot edu. That email will be shut down as of August 1, but I'll be checking it until then and I'll reply to your email.
Great to hear from you.
Well, you all must be related to me. My grandfather was named James Layfette Hiatt. He married Ruby Kerr. Both are burried in Payson, where I was born. My Aunt Gail has a lot of information on the Hiatt family. Please let me know if you would like her contact information.
Tammie
Hi Tammie, thanks for the comment. I would love to have more information. Please email me at david dot kennedy at richmond dot edu.
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