As many of you know, Mark Franklin is buried on his old home place with two small grandchildren.

One of them (b 7 Dec 1873 d 7 Jul 1877) is an unnamed child of Fernetta (Phurnette) Franklin & Bartilla Burkett while the other is little A.J. (b 4 Dec 1873 d 9 Nov 1874) to Edmond Mark Franklin & Elviney (Vicey) Burkett. They were born within days of each other & at least we have initials for one of them, but there's no way of knowing the sex of either child and that just breaks my heart.

What bothers me is how in the world Fernetta's child could be almost 4 years old at the time of its death and not have a name on its tombstone??!! Makes me think there must have been some really bad sickness abt that time that had everyone down with it and there wasn't anyone well enough to get the tombstone right.

Is there any way to know about any epidemics in early Nov 1874 & July 1877 in Butler County???

Don't know that there are any answers out there, but I've always been unsatisfied with what little we know about these two little ones & what might have happened to them.

Thanks for any help! Stay cool everyone!


Lisa F. Franklin
From our home, Belle Grove, in Louisiana

"Believing people can soar beyond ordinary life"
Fools Crow, Lakota