Hugh M. Funkhouser

Walking in Howard Cemetery you will come across a dark grey tombstone a very unremarkable and unadorned marker.  The Inscription reads Son of L.G. and M. E. Funkhouser born 14 Aug 1907 died 4 Aug 1909.  Nothing else identifies this little guy.  He did not live long enough to be counted on a census record, and to most genealogist or even cemetery preservationist he would have been lost to time.  But, we at the Howard Project are not most, and we are like a dog with a bone; we don't give up and care deeply for those in Howard's.   These are not stones, they are the LAST monument, or in some cases the only monument to a persons life;  especially those little ones.  We take it for granted now that there are picture of our kids throughout every stage of their precious lives.  That was not the case, prior to the invention of the portable affordable camera.  So pictures usually did not exist until a child became school aged.  So the only marker left to prove that they lived on this earth is their cemetery marker, and unfortunately many have identified the child as son or daughter of whomever.  Their stone does not give them their proper name, and with time who they were has been lost.  I honestly don't believe that this was done maliciously, people thought their would be family around to always pass down the knowledge.  But, in researching Lucian Funkhouser's line nothing is mentioned, about the two children that passed.  In a History of Hendricks county it is mentioned that there were two children that passed, but does not name them.  So after coming home from the cemetery, Ray and I were both tired, but I was proud about the amount of walking I have been doing and being able to withstand the pain longer.  We put in five hours and Luke Everett, Ray's cousin and fellow 4-Her came to help for an hour and a half.  He wanted to make sure that we would not get mad at him when he left,  mad we were just thrilled for the help. So Ray and I quit at three, he packed all our junk up and we were off. I had planned to attend the Boone County Genealogical Society in a few hours, but my husband is working a different shift and it was nice to have the entire family all together for some quality time.  But my plans were made as I wanted to met Kim Hancock another preservationist who would be giving the program on graveyard restoration.  After spending sometime together, the guys started to do outside stuff, and I started to check the blog and do some genealogy work.  Wanted to get the day's tombstone pictures up loaded. 
It bothers me to know end not to have a person identified with a family.  Every one in Howard, I believe is connected in someway, and having a small little boy nameless in Howard Cemetery bothered me.  I knew by the L.G. and M.E. Funkhouser, who's son he is supposed to be, but I of coarse had done the Funkhouser tree and contacted other genealogist who researched the Funkhouser, but no one mentioned the son's name.  From the 1910 Census I knew that two children were passed, but I needed a name.  So as my guys tended horses and did yard work, I started hunting for a name.  I kept hunting and hunting, and I was able to find, that a son was born to Lucian Funkhouser and his wife on 14 Aug 1907, and I even remember finding that record earlier  and saving it.  I should have looked in my saved material before I started hunting again, but oh well.  The only information was that he was male.  So the birth record did not help.  So then I hunted up death records and their he was Hugh M. Funkhouser, passing away on 4 Apr 1909.  So now I know who he was, and have named him.   But just after my joy of finding him, my husband comes in dragging a saddle and asked "Didn't you have a genealogy meeting you really wanted to go to".  Despite my laptop having a clock in the corner I had totally lost track of time.  The few times I did look, it was too early to give up the hunt.  So the moral of the story is first never schedule a cemetery workday on the same day you have a workshop you want to attend; check you fancy gadget calendars; and don't start researching if you have somewhere you want to be.   Because my one hour, turned into three, and I missed out on meeting Kim. 
On a side line, I hate daylight saving time.  I used to be able to tell the time by the amount of light outside.  Maybe someday I will get used to daylight savings time but I doubt it.  I have lived predominatley in two states in the Union, Arizona and Indiana, and NO DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME, until Mr. Daniels.  I could have sworn I voted to not go with Daylight Savings, but of coarse what we the people want does not go over with big business.  Okay done with my rant, and the sun really did not play a role; as I would have had to look up from the screen as I was hunting.   I hate I missed Kim as she is related to the Carter's in Howard Cemetery.