Finding a Memorial Day Story

Every Memorial Day weekend, my aunts return to their roots (translate: my grandparents'-now-my-parents'-home) and  spend the good part of a day placing flowers at graves of our family members who have passed.

Every year, I discover more stories - histories, really - from my mom and her sisters. Most are about our family and others who lived in this rural Nebraska community. Today, I found out my great grandfather's brother was a county judge, quite harsh, too, according to these family historians.

I look forward to this annual history field trip.

For years, as we've walked to our family plot, we've passed a towering pine tree and a worn, faded grave stone, the resting place of a Civil War soldier.

No flowers adorn his grave.

Not this year. Not ever, if my memory is still sharp.

This year, I lingered and took note: Jacob Stege, OO.A., 9 N.Y. Cav.

Who was Jacob and how did he end up in Northeast Nebraska? Did he have family in the region? When did he pass away?

I sense a story. In fact, I'm making this one of my summer projects. With my genealogy expert (a.k.a. my mother) helping, I'm hoping we can discover Jacob's past, and maybe even a link to the present.

It's always said you can find a story anywhere. While I didn't expect to find a story in the cemetery, the intrigue and mystery caught my attention.

And this year, a bouquet of pink daisies and tiger lilies honor Jacob.


by LuAnn Schindler