Hey Cousin George!
I am Hunter Johnston (not Johnson). I was off line for a while and got a new name here when I logged back on. "tallhobbit" is a nickname because I am 6"3"tall but very much like one of Tolkien's Hobbits. Like old Bilbo Baggins I live in the old family home (5th generation here), I like gardening, genealogy, maps, FOOD, and I ussually stay at home and rarely go off on adventures. I did attend the recent reunion. Drove down and back all in the same day. Attendance was sparse this year, but we all enjoyed it. Food was great as usual. Some the cousins that descend from great aunt Mary Caroline Cox Dobbs were there; two all the way from Texas.

I stopped off in Pelehatchie and spent some time looking through cemeteries. Various sources I have found on the internet claim that Charles Henry Cox (b. c.1809-1812 NC) and his wife Jane E. Thurmond are both buried in a Rankin Co., Cemetery called "New Prospect." I found one back in 2004 with that name ,but it was just over the line in Smith Co. and not a single Cox name on any stone.

In Pelahatichie I found four cemteries. One now called Gulde Methodist (locally they pronounce it like Goo-lee) is said by one researcher to have been previously called New Prospect Cem. I found some Cox graves there and some of the names make me suspect they are related to my line, but none as old as the Charles I am looking for.

One source said that a John Cox was buried there who would be about the right age to be a brother to our Charles, and our Charles named a son John Gregory Cox; but no one by that name was found in the cemetery that I saw. The church is located down the road (Gulde-Shiloe Road off Hwy 80) a bit and is a new looking building; not sure if they have any old records for the graves or not. I plan to write the church and ask.

I found some Spann graves in the Pelahatchie Cem. I have not connected them to my bunch yet, but I suspect they may be related to the John William Spann that married Mary Alice Cox, a daughter of Charles Henry Cox. John apparently died in the Civil War and Mary married a Dobson and lived at Brandon. Her grave is anothe rone I that people have written about but I can not find to confirm. She is said to be in the Old Brandon cem but I could not find her in 2004 when I was there. Of course some stones from that time are hard to read.

I serve on the Board for Edmondson Cem. in Southaven,Desoto Co.,MS which was established in 1844. I am trying to put all the records we have in a form that will allow people doing family research to access them.I am also trying to make notations showing how the many families buried there are most all related by blood or marriage.

Good to hear from you. My new email address is
memphisguide@bellsouth.net ( I am not worried about posting it; I get SPAM anyway! )

PS: Through the Herndon line we are distant(my 5th,2 removed) cousins to the late Johnny Mercer, the songwriter that wrote "Moon River." His midlle name was Herndon!