Answers to my questions

Ask, and you shall receive.

On Friday, I wrote about a small, obscure civilian cemetery up at McClellan that I enjoy snooping around in. It's a beautiful place. It's adjacent to the larger military cemetery. In the course of my column, I identified a few graves by name and wondered if they were related, and asked the question, why were they buried here?

You can read my Friday column here.

An answer to my questions has arrived from a member of one of the families represented at the cemetery. Below is the response I received.

To answer your questions about the Reaves buried adjacent to the military cemetery at McClellan:

The older portion is New Hope Primitive Baptist Church cemetery. The church was removed shortly after 1912 when the federal government bought the land.

David Reaves, Emory Reaves and William McGuire Reaves were all brothers and were the sons of William Reaves and Narcissa Chandler Reaves. William and Narcissa had 7 sons who served in the Confederate army. The previous three mentioned are buried on McClellan; another, John Harrison Reaves, is buried at Four Mile cemetery; James W. Reaves relocated to Texas; Carter Hill Reaves, who donated land and lumber for the construction of "Reaves School" in NW Jacksonville and which was eventually replaced by Roy Webb School.

Carter Hill is buried in the Green Cemetery on Merrellton Road in J'Ville but the marker is missing and the last son, Rev. Ira Jackson Reaves, is buried in Macedonia Baptist Church, in Cleburne County.

The Reaves family came from Georgia and settled on farm land that is now known as McClellan. Each had separate acreage. William's farm was located only 1/2 mile from the New Hope Primitive Church and cemetery. There are two rows of Reaves in the cemetery, a Chandler family row, the Reidenger family row and the Bonds family row. The Reaves, Chandlers, Reidengers and Bonds are all related by marriage.

This is probably more than you wanted to know but there has been extensive Reaves family research done by W. Patrick Reaves of Munford. His published book is entitled THE RYVES-RIVES-REAVES FAMILIES OF EUROPE AND AMERICA.

Cool, huh? Now we know.

This weekend in The Star

Coming this weekend in The Anniston Star:

For Saturday:

Andy Johns has a story about beekeeping. What's going on in beekeeping today?

Andy also rounds up the rainfall totals from Thursday.

Dan Whisenhunt has a follow up to the lawsuit filed by Citizens for Better Schools, who are they, where are they based and why are they getting involved in Calhoun County issues?

Dan will also have a story about a celebration of arts by the county's gifted enrichment program.

On Sunday:

Capitol Correspondent Markeshia Ricks recently talked with former Governor Don Siegelman. What did he have to say?

Nick Cenegy takes a look at Calhoun County 911 - now in operation for 20 years, the office recently took its 1 millionith call.

Andy Johns will cover the fun day at Glen Addie and a remote control aircraft festival in Lineville.

George Smith will have an appreciation of country music legend Eddie Arnold, who recently passed away.

And on Monday:

Nick and Dan write about truancy. Those involved with the Stop the Violence group have identified one concern they think could help keep kids on the right side of the law: addressing truancy. But the law can be tricky for schools and cops to enforce. Part of our ongoing series on the roots of crime.

We'll also have a story about the Big Alabama Scenic Trail event at the stateline this weekend.

Green Insight

A quick preview of Sunday's Insight section -- we're going green in Calhoun County, thanks to the reporting of Cassandra Mickens, a Knight Community Journalism Fellow at The Star.

Friday in The Star

Coming Friday in The Star:

The region got a bunch of rain Thursday, but we're still in an extreme drought. Andy Johns will have this story.

Dan Whisenhunt reports on Wellborn Elementary's outdoor classroom which was dedicated Thusday.

A ceremony in Washington, D.C., honored fallen police officers, including Oxford Police Lt. Dexter Holcomb who was killed last year when he was struck by a school bus. Andy will have this story and advance a ceremony happening in Oxford Friday.

This Thursday in The Star

Check out Thursday's Star for these stories:

Todd South has a story on the reaction at Jacksonville State University of the news that former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has signed a letter to transfer to JSU.

Residents and city leaders will meet to discuss the recent string of rapes and robberies that have police looking for a single perpetrator. Nick Cenegy will be at the meeting and will let you know what was discussed.

Knight Fellow Christina Smith has a follow-up on those cleaning up after the tornado in Heflin. She talked with the owners of a family-run daycare center that was demolished, leaving six families scrambling for childcare. Andy Johns will also have an update on what weather we can expect in the next few days - there might be more storms on the way.

Thursday in The Star

Check out Thursday's Star for these stories:

Markeshia Ricks has a story about a public hearing at the state Department of Agriculture on opening up tourism relations with Cuba. What was discussed?

Rising gas prices and overtime costs are hurting the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department's budget, which has already busted projections. The possibility of having to pick up patrols in Saks, Wellborn and other areas outside the Anniston city limits, has the County Commission them starting to wonder where the money is going to come from. Megan Nichols looks at this issue.

Calhoun County is home to the country's champion Southern magnolia. Andy Johns will tell you all about the big tree.

Tuesday in The Star

Check out Tuesday's Anniston Star for these stories:

Picking up litter in Calhoun County is a seven-day-a-week task, one that officials say could be made much easier with residents’ help. Megan Nichols has this story.

Dan Whisenhunt has a story about a possible JSU transit system. If planning stays on track, students at Jacksonville State University could be served by a campus bus system by fall 2009, JSU officials say.

Landlords could have a little more flexibility in dealing with tenants and appealing eviction judgments if a bill clears the House.The legislation clarifies some of the requirements for landlords in the state’s Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act that was passed in 2006. Markeshia Ricks takes a look at what the law would do.

This weekend in The Star

Check out this weekend's Anniston Star for these stories:

We'll have full coverage of the Noble Street Festival, Sunny King Criterium and Cheah Challenge bike races.

On Saturday:

Megan Nichols has a story about the three candidates for the CEO position at the JPA.

The Jacksonville trees are heading back to court. Andy Johns has this story.

Andy will also check in with the weather experts to see what is in store for Saturday's weather.

On Sunday:

For the second year, the State Senate has been plagued by fighting that has effectively rendered it incapicitated. Markeshia Ricks looks at the possible ramifications of the slatemate.

Andy Johns checks in with George Howard Racing, who want to build a complex in Lincoln.

Tuesday in The Star

Check out Tuesday's Anniston Star for these stories:

The Stop the Violence group holds another public meeting. They will hear back from committees looking into various aspects of the problem. Nick Cenegy will have a story on the meeting. What was discussed?

The Oxford City Council and planning board are meeting with the Cider Ridge developer to talk about changes to the property.

JSU President Bill Meehan begins his visit/interview with Valdosta State University. Dan Whisenhunt will report from Georgia on what is planned during the visit. Meehan is one of the finalists for the president's position at Valdosta.

Thursday in The Star

Check out these stories in The Anniston Star:

The Anniston City Council brought up the idea of ceasing patrols in the police jurisdiction, the three-mile zone beyond the city limits. Nick Cenegy takes a look at this idea - how much work would this relieve the Anniston Police Department of and how would this affect the sheriff's office?

Anniston has "naming of a superintendent" as an action item on its agenda for tomorrow night. Dan Whisenhunt will have this story.

Gas prices are at an all-time high. How will this affect crowds at the race in Talladega, which normally draws legions of RV-driving long distance fans? Megan Nichols will look at this.

Matt Kasper looks at the impact of thistle. One Ohatchee resident is complaining about thistles growing along rights-of-way that is spreading into his pasture land. Is this a widespread problem of an invasive species threatening local farms. Is it an annoyance that the county road department needs to deal with?

Wednesday in The Star

Coming Wednesday in The Anniston Star:

Some local school systems will increase prices in its school lunch program, joining many other systems statewide. Dan Whisenhunt looks at the increases and why they are going up.

Oxford Elementary school students celebrated Earth Day with the National Guard at Mclellan. Todd South has this story.

Matt Kasper looks at Jacksonville's drive to be branded an "Alabama Community of Excellence." Folks working on the effort have finished their strategic plan for the city and will unveil it Wednesday. What do they propose for Jacksonville's future?

Education appropriations were the order of the day in the state Legislature. Markeshia Ricks looks at what was discussed and what this could mean for our local schools.

Tuesday in The Star

Check out these stories in The Anniston Star on Tuesday:

JSU held a teacher of the year/teacher hall of fame ceremony. Who was honored? Dan Whisenhunt will have this story.

The Anniston City Council held an open forum on violence issues Monday night. Megan Nichols will cover the meeting and let you know who was there and what was said.

Markeshia Ricks has a story about the gridlock in the state Senate. Any chance of any bills being passed before the end of the legislative session?

Matt Kasper will have an update on a planned assisted living center in Jacksonville.

Writer looking for sources

Emily Amick, a journalism fellow at The Star, is looking to talk to people about issues related to pregnancy. She is looking to talk to you if you are, or have been: a teen mom struggling to find resources, a woman considering her options regarding an unwanted pregnancy or unable to access adequate prenatal care. If you are interested in talking to her about these or any related issue please contact her at Ejamick@ua.edu

Friday in The Anniston Star

Check out Friday's Star for these stories:

JSU President Bill Meehan is a semi-finalist for the top job at Valdosta State University. Dan Whisenhunt will have this story.

Andy Johns writes about Former Gov. John Patterson's talk at the library in Ashland.

Dan will also have a story about students from a Samford University sociology and the environment class who toured Anniston on Thursday to learn about how PCBs contamination has affected people's lives.

A Cleburne County sherriff's deputy who was shot in a traffic stop in 2002 was honored by the Legistlature today. Markeshia Ricks has this story.

Nick Cenegy will have a follow-up on Wednesday's shooting which left one woman dead.

Thursday in The Star

Check out Thursday's Star for these stories:

Nick Cenegy has a profile of some of those involved in the group leading the stand against violent crime in Anniston.

Andy Johns visited the Wildland Fire Academy being held at McClellan. What was the scene there?

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the use of lethal injection for executions. This clears the way for executions to resume in Alabama. Markeshia Ricks will look at how the ruling will affect death row in the state.

Markeshia also takes a look at a bill that would place limits on ownership of non-lethal weapons such as tasers.

The Northeast Alabama Entrepreneurial Center celebrated its 10 year anniversary and announced the winners of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Awards Luncheon. Megan Nichols has this story.

Wednesday in The Star

Check out The Anniston Star for these stories on Wednesday:

Former governor John Patterson will speak at the Clay County Courthouse Thursday. Patterson, 86, who was governor from 1958 to 1963, will also sign copies of his biography “Nobody But the People” alongside the author, Warren Trest. Andy Johns will tell you about Patterson and advance his appearance in Ashland.

Rep. Randy Wood (R-Anniston) has filed a bill, which has cleared committee, that allows sheriffs and district attorneys to be present at executions. Current law excludes them. Markeshia Ricks has this story.

The JPA meets tonight. What did they discuss?

Matt Kasper will have an advance on the Mountain Longleaf Festival this weekend.