Thank you from Todd Palmer: CSA MARKER MEMORIAL LANN CEMETERY

Posted by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Todd Palmer, Festus, Missouri, has requested the following "thank you" notice be placed at HILL COUNTRY. He was unable to personally thank everyone who assisted with the David Z. Palmer, CSA Marker Memorial Service, held recently at Lann Cemetery at Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi.

Says Todd

"Please post a thank you from me to the following individuals and groups. I didn't have a chance to thank everyone while there who helped to make the ceremony for David Z. Palmer a wonderful event. Special thanks are extended to

The Sons Of The Confederates Camp 873 of Monroe County

C & M Monument Company of Amory

William Arinder (Banjo player)

Jolly Faulkner (Lann Cemetery care taker)

Jean Orcutt (The Bag Piper )

Rev. Don Mcaine

Pickles Funeral Home (The Tent)

Splunge Fire Deptment

Jimmy and Janette Weed

Claude and Patricia Palmer (My parents)

Stephen Palmer

All the local residents who turned out to honor David Z.Palmer

Thanks to everyone who helped out."

~ ~ ~

According to an article and photograph in the June 16, 2010, MONROE JOURNAL, by Staff Writer Alice Ortiz, Todd Palmer was the one responsible for obtaining a replacement marker for his relative's grave and for organizing the event. Says Splunge native Ortiz, "Local descendants of David Z. Palmer, along with descendants from Missouri, Arizona, and Montana, attended the monument dedication."

~ ~ ~

And I think that all who attended this moving and colorful service will remember it with kindness and with thanks for the opportunity to learn more about the heritage of those who once lived and served in the hills around Splunge. And speaking for the non-descendants of the Palmer line in attendance, the thanks should go to the Palmer Family and to Todd Palmer in particular for organizing and conducting this service.

~ ~ ~

For additional information about the memorial service, click to see the previous posts (some with video):

David Z. Palmer: Monument Dedication Ceremony (includes photo and three video/audio tapes)

Amazing Grace by Piper Jean E. Orcutt (includes photo and a video/audio tape)

~ ~ ~

And I'm still enjoying listening to Piper Orcutt playing Sweet of Hour at my grave marker after the Palmer service had concluded.

Bagpipe Piping at the Grave Marker of Terry Thornton (includes video/audio tape)

AMAZING GRACE by Piper Jean E. Orcutt

Posted by Terry Thornton
Email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com


Recorded Sunday, June 6, 2010, at Lann Cemetery, Splunge, Mississippi, at the Monument Dedication Ceremony for David Z. Palmer, CSA, Amazing Grace performed by Bagpiper Jean E. Orcutt.

Click the start button at lower left to view the video, AMAZING GRACE.

I apologize in advance for the poor recording quality of both the audio and video --- maybe next time I can "get it right."

Thanks to Jean Orcutt of Lauderdale, Mississippi, for being a part of this ceremony and for permitting me to video her performance and for granting permission to post it online.

DAVID Z. PALMER: Monument Dedication Ceremony

DAVID Z. PALMER
January 3 1817 - June 21 1887Private
Company B
Third Battalion, Mississippi Infantry
Confederate States of America

Lann Cemetery, Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi, was the setting for the June 6, 2010, monument dedication ceremony and memorial service for David Z. Palmer. Numerous family members and guests attended this moving and colorful ceremony.

Some of the family and guests at the Palmer Memorial Service at Lann Cemetery.
Click image for larger view.

Palmer, an early resident of the Hill Country of Eastern Monroe County, was born in 1817 in Marion County, Alabama, son of David and Hannah Palmer. He was married to Sarah Lann on April 29, 1841. David and Sarah Palmer were the parents of Thomas Benton Palmer, Sarah Emerline Palmer, William Christopher Palmer, James Elyous Palmer, Mary Palmer, Henry Joseph Palmer, John Z. Palmer, and Rossana Palmer.

David Z. Palmer enlisted in Company B, 3rd Battalion, Mississippi Infantry on April 11, 1861. Discharged May 4, 1865, he returned to Hill Country to farm. He died June 21, 1887.

The memorial service featured a new military marker for Mr. Palmer, prelude music by Jean Orcutt, Piper, and a Welcome from the Commander of Camp 873, SCV. After prayer and a Salute to the Flags, Claude Palmer present a concise history of the CSA and of Private Palmer's service in the military.

William Arinder sang "Dixie" accompanying himself on the banjo. The Reverend Mr. Don Mcaine was the speaker.

Following a three-volley musket salute, Taps was played on the bagpipe.After the benediction, Piper Orcutt left the field playing "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes.

The services were made most more enjoyable by the care Jolly Faulkner, Third generation caretaker of Lann Cemetery, had taken. Thanks also to the Splunge Volunteer Fire Department for assistance. The tents for protection from the sun and the chairs meant that most of those attending the service could sit in the shade.

The Mississippi Sons of the Confederates, Camp 873, of Monroe County, did a splendid job in preparing and in implementing the activities of the service.

Following the memorial, family and guests were invited to a Southern Tea at the home of Jim and Janette Weed.

Following are three audio/video tapes of portions of the memorial service.

Click the start button at lower left to see the flags and color guard.

Click the start button at lower left view and hear Musket Salutes 1 and 2.


Click the start button at lower left to view/hear Musket Salute 3 and Taps on the Bagpipe.

NOTE: Although not in the same unit, another Hill Country resident wrote letters home from the war which survive. A.F. Burdine's letters to his wife have been transcribed and are available at a link in the article at http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/burdine-civil-war-letters.html. Burdine was a member of the influential Burdine Family of early Monroe and Itawamba Counties. For a better understanding of the war years and of the war's impact on Hill Country, read the Burdine Civil War letters.

As in many older Hill Country burying grounds, it is not unusual to find Southern Confederates and Southern Unionists interred within the same soil. Such is the case with Lann Cemetery. My great-grandfather, James Monroe Thornton, Private, First Alabama Cavalry USA, is buried just a few markers to the west of David Palmer.

Posted by Terry Thornton, Fulton, Mississippi.
Email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Photographs and video by Terry Thornton, June 6, 2010.

Bagpipe piping at the grave marker of Terry Thornton

Posted by Terry Thornton, Fulton , Mississippi
Music by Jean E. Orcutt, Piper, Lauderdale, Mississippi
Video made at Terry Thornton's Grave Marker, Lann Cemetery, Splunge, Mississippi



Click start button to view and to hear the video/bagpipes.

No, my pre-need marker wasn't needed yet. I was at Lann Cemetery Sunday afternoon, June 6, 2010, for the monument dedication/memorial ceremony for David Z. Palmer, CSA. A piper, Jean E. Orcutt, of Lauderdale, Mississippi, was present and provided special music for that ceremony.

After the Palmer memorial service was over I was talking to Piper Orcutt and talked her into playing a song of her choice at my marker. She laughingly agreed; I pulled up a folding chair in front of my marker and sat down to listen and to record her song. She elected to play "Sweet Hour of Prayer" one of my favorites from the Methodist Hymnal.

I sat and enjoyed her piping. Unfortunately the camera mike picked up a lot of car noise and some major wind noise --- it was breezy and relatively cool at Lann Cemetery today.

Piper Jean E. Orcutt of Lauderdale is available for weddings, funerals, celebrations and special occasions. She may be contacted by email at 4mspiper@bellsouth.net or at her website, www.4mspiper.com. Any event may be made special by a piper. And it was special today sitting in my folding chair in the cool breeze at Lann in front of my grave marker knowing I still didn't need it.

Piper Orcutt's music will be featured in later posts about the Palmer Memorial Ce.ebration

An Invitation to the Memorial Service for David Palmer, CSA Veteran

You are invited to a memorial service for C.S.A. Veteran David Z. Palmer to be conducted at Lann Cemetery, Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi, at 2:30 PM, Sunday June 6, 2010.

Palmer served in Company B of the 3rd Battalion of the Mississippi State Troops and the service is to mark his grave and to honor his memory. David Palmer was born January 3, 1817 and died June 21, 1887.

Several out-of-state family members are expected to attend this ceremony which will feature re-enactors from local historic military units providing color guard and rifle salute. A bagpiper is expected to be a part of the program.

Hill Country residents will find this sort of memorial service to be a moving and colorful tribute to one who served in the cause of his country. Please make plans to attend to both learn more about our local heritage as well as to welcome Mr. Palmer's relatives to Hill Country.

Historic Lann Cemetery is located near Splunge in the eastern part of the hills of Monroe County, Mississippi. It is the burial place of both Southern Confederates and Southern Unionists who survived the war and learned to live peacefully as neighbors in Hill Country.

If you need help with directions to Lann Cemetery, please email hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com It is recommended you bring your own folding chair. Please be advised there are no facilities nor buildings at Lann Cemetery so come prepared.

LANN CEMETERY, Monroe County, Mississippi: A Video

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

The video below was made Sunday afternoon, May 16, 2010, at Lann Cemetery near Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi. Click the start buttons to view.

As expected, it was cool at Lann Cemetery.

SOURCE:

Lann Cemetery. Video. Terry Thornton, Fulton, Mississippi. May 16, 2010.

Lann Cemetery Road Part 2 --- A Through-the-Windshield Video

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

The video below was made Sunday afternoon, May 16, 2010, on Lann Cemetery Road, Monroe County, Mississippi. Click the start buttons to view.

The video starts on Lann Cemetery Road about 3/4 mile north of the cemetery. After a short distance along the ridges of the Hill Country, the route takes us past "Splunge International Airport" and ends at Lann Cemetery located at the junction of Brown-Taylor and Lann Cemetery Roads near Splunge. On the map below, place names, roads and creek names are highlighted in red; the portion of Lann Cemetery Road shown on this video is highlighted in green.(Left click map for a larger image.)

Several of my Thornton relatives are buried at Lann Cemetery including my great-grandparents, James Monroe Thornton and Nancy Jane Lay Thornton. It was Granny Nancy Jane who selected Lann Cemetery as a burying ground --- she said it was cooler there than at the other local cemeteries.

And Lann Cemetery was such a good choice, there is where I plan to be buried --- and where I already have a grave marker waiting . . . in the cool . . . quiet, rural setting in the middle of Hill Country.

In the next video, Lann Cemetery will be shown.

SOURCES:

Lann Cemetery Road, Part 2. Through-the-Windshield Video. Terry Thornton, Fulton, Mississippi. May 16, 2010.

Lann Cemetery Road Map modified from the Mississippi Department of Transportation Highway Map of Monroe County. For a complete map visit www.goMDOT.com

Lann Cemetery Road Part 1 --- A Through-the-Windshield Video

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

The video below was made Sunday afternoon, May 16, 2010, on Thornton Road and Lann Cemetery Road, Monroe County, Mississippi. Click the start button to view.

The video starts on Thornton Road; at the junction of Thornton and Lann Cemetery Roads, a right turn takes us south on Lann Cemetery Road along the high ridge that runs west of the Splunge-Sipsey River Bottom. On the map below, place names, road and creek name are highlighted in red; the portion of Thornton Road and Lann Cemetery Roads shown on this video are highlighted in green.(Left click for a larger image)

Part 2 of this video follows and will show the area along Lann Cemetery Road past the "Splunge International Airport" and end at Lann Cemetery at the intersection with Brown-Taylor Road.

SOURCES:

Lann Cemetery Road, Part 1. Through-the-Windshield Video. Terry Thornton, Fulton, Mississippi. May 16, 2010.

Lann Cemetery Road Map modified from the Mississippi Department of Transportation Highway Map of Monroe County. For a complete map visit www.goMDOT.com

Hills, Horses, and High-flying Flags: Hill Country Ramblin's

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Sunday afternoon, May 16, after an evening of heavy rains and flash flood warnings, Sweetie and I decided to drive through the Hill Country of eastern Monroe County. And we were so glad we did --- the roads were passable and the trees were all washed clean of the pollen and so brilliant in their new greens for summer. Never have I seen foliage so full on trees --- even the oaks are hanging heavy from the weight of so many leaves.

Below is a photograph of the hills --- made from Lann Cemetery Road looking east. Since I'd last driven that road, timber cutters have opened up a vista not previously noticed by me. It looked like home. (Left-click photos for a larger image)

On the return, we drove through Parham. Thanks to some kind soul or some group of kind souled folk, the flagpole at the old section of New Hope Cemetery at Parham now has a new, large flag. THANKS, someone or some group, for placing a much-needed new flag on the pole at the cemetery. It really looks good as you can see in this photograph.

We also drove Parham Store Road. I had to stop and photograph Canterbury Farm's pasture-full of miniature horses. These tiny, beautiful creatures make me wish for one to pet. Here is one photograph of the pasture of miniature horses at Canterbury Farm. [I believe that most of the adult miniature horses stand about 28 - 30 inches tall. Think large dog for sizing them.]

For more information about the miniature horses at Canterbury Farm near Parham, click this link to their website:

http://www.canterburyminis.com/index.html

Hills, horses, high-flying flags --- what more could one ask for in Hill Country on a Spring afternoon? Oh, I visited my grave marker at Lann Cemetery. It is still a pre-need sort of marker. It is always a good day when I find my grave marker un-used.