Marlar Cemetery, Sawyer, Kentucky

Recently I received a friend request on Facebook from a Marlar who lives in Kentucky just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. He had decided that he wanted to befriend as many Marlars on facebook as he could, and I am so glad that he did. He is my husband's fourth cousin and is descended from the one brother who stayed in Kentucky while the mother and other children moved to Mississippi in the middle 1800's. I had not been able to prove who the other was but he gave me access to his website which gave me lots of information and I am now in the process of adding it to my website on tribal pages. This was very exciting information but the strange part was that most of the deceased members of the family are buried at Marlar Cemetery near Sawyer, Ky, in the southern most part just north of Knoxville, Tennessee. This cemetery is located in the Cumberland Falls State Park and my husband has vacationed near there twice and did not know it was there. Several years ago we made a trip to Sterns with our friends, Bobby and Judy and last year we spent one night in Somerset, Ky, which is about ten miles from the cemetery!
When I found this out I immediately started planning a trip to go to this cemetery and another one near by. Two weeks ago Jim and I along with our daughter Michelle and her husband James made the trip, combining it with a trip to Gatlinburg.
While there we were able to make pictures at both cemeteries. I am sure we did not get pictures of all the Marlar graves as there were many unmarked graves. Some of the tombstones had deteriorated and some had been replaced with newer ones, leaving the old ones there also.
While we were there we also visited Cumberland Falls. This was the first trip there for Michelle and James. We had such a wonderful time. The leaves were beginning to turn, the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed being with family talking about older family members.
I make a lot of pictures for findagrave.com and I had noticed that there was a request for a picture of a grave that was not one of my husband's relatives. I made sure that I made a picture to post. I received the sweetest thank you. It was from a young man in the service and the grave was his father's. He was so happy to receive the picture and I was happy I could make it for him as he was protecting our freedom!
Hope you enjoy some of the pictures we made!!!

Knocking down a brick wall!!!

I love genealogy. I love knowing where I came from and also my husband. I have been doing research since 1995 and during that time I have found and knocked down several brick walls. It is so exciting when you are able to finally find that one (or several) people that you have been searching for, sometimes for years.
That was the case with my husband's Marlar family. We knew who the first Marlar was that came to Tishomingo County. She was Mary "Polly" Barnes Marlar and came here a widow with several children. We didn't know who her husband was or where he was buried, only that she came from Kentucky. I had searched but with no name or information to go on could not find any concrete information of any of the Kentucky Marlars that could be related.
Flash forward to two weeks ago. I received a friend request from William Marlar of Kentucky. He had looked and found about 500 Marlars on facebook and had decided to see how many he could befriend. I immediately confirmed him and sent him a message to ask if he and my husband could be related. When I received his reply I was so happy I could have danced around the room!!! Now not only do we know his great great great grandfather's name (Allen Rubin Marlar) but where is buried. William is my husband's fourth cousin and descended from the one child who remained in Kentucky.
The most ironic part of this story is that this cemetery is named Marlar Cemetery and located in the southern part of Kentucky, north of Knoxville and Oak Ridge, Tennessee and last year my husband and I took a weekend trip that area and were within ten miles of the cemetery! About 12 years ago we had also been on vacation there and spent the night about 20 miles from there. Now I am planning another trip there, hopefully this fall so I can make pictures and see all the graves for myself.
I am so happy to find William and although he lives further north maybe in the not too distance future we will be able to meet. If he had not decided to befriend me I might never have found the information that he has been able to give me.
You just never know where that one lost piece of info will be that will connect you to many family members. Always be on the outlook and never say no!!!!!
Thank you so much, William, for finding us and welcome to our side of the Marlar Family!!!!!