Tombstone Tuesday: Joseph Oscar Epperson and Mary Katherine Bolen

Joseph Oscar and Mary Kate are my great-grandparents. Joseph (1879-1918) died during the 'flu pandemic. His wife, known as "Mrs. Oscar" (1881-1964), outlived her husband by many decades. She managed after his death by renting out a room to the minister and by maintaining her share in the general store Joseph had owned. The store was renamed the Bolen Brother's Store and apparently they made amazing sausage.

Joseph Oscar Epperson

Mary Kate Epperson

Tombstone Tuesday: Benjamin Franklin Bolen and Matilda Fuller

Another set of second great-grandparent buried in the Charleston Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery are Benjamin Bolen (1851-1902) and Mathilda Fuller (1853-1924). There is no known relationship between Matilda Fuller and Sarah Ann Fuller. I don't know much about this couple except that they lived for a time in Meigs County, TN where their daughter Mary Katherine Bolen was born in 1881.

Benjamin Franklin Bolen and Matilda Fuller

Charleston Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Charleston, TN

My Epperson ancestors moved to Bradley County in the 1850s. They attended the Charleston Cumberland Presbyterian Church and many were buried in the churchyard. This building was completed before the Civil War and if you look closely at the sills you can see the bite marks of Union horses who were tethered to the windows. The chuch was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.  Members now worship in a newer building, but this one was being restored when I last visited in 2008.

The church from Railroad Street

The facade from Railroad Street

Looking towards Railroad Street from the front porch

Church and cemtery

Interior

Historical Marker