One confusion factor. In west Center Hill, we expected to turn left on North Ave., per instructions we had found on the internet. It was not there but thru the wonders of our GPS, we discovered the name had been changed to Hodge.
As we drove north on "North Ave" we could see the Love Cemetery out in the field to the left of the road. We went down (as instructed on the internet) about 2/10 mile and took a left just before a "pink house". We took a dirt and grass lane next to a fence down to the cemetery itself.
The cemetery had been mowed and well kept. However, the environment has evidently been rough on the monuments. They all had deteriorated to some extent, worse than I would have expected for stones no older than 1880's. Lichen was present on stones and irritatingly seemed to fix itself over inscriptions we wanted to read. Also, interestly, there was an old pitcher pump on an inoperative well in the middle of the cemetery.
We found the Love stone, one monument with inscriptions for two people. One side said--
"Maggie Gaston
Love
May 2nd 1885"
PIC
No birth date was given.
The other side said
"E. Gaston
May 9, 1885"
and way down below was
"Love"
PIC
No birth date was given.
I have among my files a letter from Albert Lee Love to Lucile McDonnell that states that the E. Gaston above was Ebenezer Gaston, father of Maggie Gaston Love. Albert also states that buried with Maggie is a 1 day old son for whom I have not found a name. I saw nothing on the monument about that son. I wonder if Maggie died in childbirth. [Make view of letter larger and look about 6 lines down from top.]
Joe Gaston of Texas has sent me a copy of a eulogy written for Ebenezer Gaston by my gr-grandfather Nathan Jackson Fox. In that eulogy NJF states that Ebenezer Gaston went to Florida for his health but never recoved.
I took a reading of the monument location using my GPS. It is--
N 28 degrees 39.194'
W 82 degrees 00.207'
Elev 114 ft
Nearest Address: 401 EaST Ln, Center Hill, FL 33514
The above location corresponds to
28.653233 N 82.00345 W
Using Google Earth, the above coordinates went right to the cemetery. Give it a try.
Now a little background:
Maggie Gaston Love's husband was James Drennan Love, born in 1841. His father was Drennan Love who was my gr-grandmother's (Eliza Love) first cousin. Thus my interest in the cemetery. James Drennan Love fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, receiving a wound at Gettysburg severe enough that it cost him a leg (or it was injured). He continued to be quite active the rest of his life, riding horses and swimming. He lived to be 97 yrs old. I have seen a J. D. Love listed as a member of the Prarie Guards, which was from the Columbus/Starkville, MS, area. I have a picture of him, with my grandmother Fox, sitting with two crutches across his legs. Boy it must have been rough on him to bury his wife, a 1 day old son, and a father-in-law all in one week's time!!
Maggie Gaston Love's mother was Margaret Caroline Fox, sister of my gr-grandfather, Rev. Nathan Jackson Fox. It is interesting that the cemetery is still known as the Love Cemetery, even though there are only three Love's there.
James D. Love later married another Fox, Clara Neely Fox, daughter of Rev. Nathan Jackson Fox. From this marriage was born Albert Lee Love, and Burnie Love. I remember Albert Love; his complete avocation was genealogy. Burnie Love, named for my grandfather, David Burney Fox, settled in Washington, DC, and I remember her as the contact in Washington for my Mother's generation.
I just noticed that Albert Love was born 1886 in Leesburg, FL, not far from Center Hill. it would be interesting to go back up to that area and do some deed searches, etc. I think Wildwood is the county seat of Sumter Co., where Center Hill is located.
Enough genealogy for one sitting.
Albert H. Spinks
aspinks3@triad.rr.com
Jan. 1, 2011
Modified Jan. 3-4, 2011
