Finding Truanna

On Saturday, we headed up to Mansfield to have some bagels for breakfast. We went to Kohl's as well and got some new Winter gloves, mittens, hats, etc. Got home a little after 2pm and thought we would run down to Chesterville and find the Baptist Church Cemetery. Mom has been transcribing headstone info onto findagrave, and someone had eleven photo requests for Chester. Since it isn't far away, we decided to run over. Boy, was it fun! We took over one hundred photos!

It is kind of divided into two sections. There is a big strip of wet, overgrown area almost dividing the cemetery in half. In the back part, which is surrounded by younger trees, there is this huge monument. Before the trees were allowed to come up, it would have been overlooking the road at the edge of the cemetery. It is a beautiful lady on a tall base. Absolutely gorgeous. We were there over an hour before I saw the other section.



The monument is for "Swetland" and there is a mother and two babies buried there. One of the babies was only nineteen days old and her name was "Truannie". I fell in love with the name. Came home and Mom and I started uploading photos to findagrave. Then I started researching Truannie's family. Actually, since then, I have been researching Truannie's family.

Truannie's father is Joseph Carper Swetland, her mother is Emily Howard. Joseph Carper was a very influential citizen in Morrow County. He had almost 900 acres, raised sheep, was one of the first breeders of merinos, elected County Commissioner for six years and helped build the county jailhouse in Mt. Gilead. The two babies on that monument are their first children. An infant son and Truannie. I looked Joseph Carper up in the "History of Morrow County and Ohio" and found him in three separate volumes. He lists his children and Truannie was "Truanna". Truanna . . . such a cute, pretty name. Very different.

So, that is what is happening around here. Joseph Carper is buried in a cemetery down the road from Truanna, so later this week we want to head down and find his grave.

"Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you." - 1 Samuel 12:24