A week ago today (I'm writing this on Wednesday) my grandpa, our good friend that helps him on the farm, and myself set out on a Thanksgiving Eve quest to find some of our Carver ancestors and those connected to them. The Carver family originally settled across the Cumberland River in the Wartrace Community of Jackson County, Tennessee. Our set of Carvers decided to purchase a home and farm across the Cumberland in the small community of Liberty near Granville in 1890. Before this trip I had a rough understanding of where the "older" Carvers were buried, but I had no idea what to expect. We began our mission at 8:30 on Wednesday morning.
The first stop of the day was at a cemetery on the banks of Wartrace Creek. One grave we visited was of a man named McCarver. My grandpa told us that he knew this man when he was my age. I thought to myself, who doesn't he know? Oh if I only knew. The next stop was to an older lady's house. This lady has a cemetery in her yard and my grandparents have known her for years. we visited with her for probably an hour and it was amazing listening to her and my grandpa talk about the old days. After leaving there, we went to a much larger cemetery there in Wartrace. There we found some Carvers and some Huffines (my grandma's descendants). From here, the day got much more interesting. The goal of the day for all three of us was to find the graves of Cornelius Carver (my 5th great-grandfather) and Joseph Rubin Carver (my 4th great-grandfather).
We found Joseph fairly easily, however Cornelius would prove much more difficult. Cornelius and his wife Naomi are buried on the top of a wooded hill. The path to get up there was literally straight up. My grandpa stayed in the Jeep (he had been there before and knew the way to get up there was difficult), while our buddy and I walked up there. We were winded and our legs hurt by the time we reached the cemetery, but boy was it worth the climb to get there. I have heard about Cornelius Carver my entire life and it was surreal to finally visit and get to touch his grave. The rest of the day was spent driving around looking for more Carvers and those connected to them. We found the old house where my 3rd great-grandfather, Samuel Sampson Carver lived before he and his family came across the Cumberland.
Outside of finally getting to visit Cornelius Carver's final resting place, my favorite part of the day was the three of us just enjoying small talk and each other's company while driving around Jackson County. My grandpa told us about riding the ferry across the Cumberland to get to my grandma's house, adventures with one of his buddies, and the three of us also talked about current things that were going on in our lives. The day reminded me of what Thanksgiving and the entire holiday season is really about. I also got a sense of why it is so important to learn from those that are both older and younger than you. I valued everything that those two men discussed and in turn they valued everything that I discussed.
Respect those who are older and younger than you. Believe it or not, older people know more than us younger folks when it comes to just about everything. Teenagers go through the phase of thinking that their parents and grandparents are out of touch and treat them like children. They don't do this because they want to make us feel bad, they do it to make us better and prepare us for adulthood. Older people, you should value the opinions of younger people and offer critiques when needed. Don't treat them like they are ignorant. I remember a really good piece of advice that my grandma gave me a few years ago. My grandpa was giving me a hard time about dating and girls and my grandma spoke up and said "There is no girl in this world, worth losing your soul over, I don't care how pretty she is." Even though she was my age in the 1950s, her advice is still relevant and still sticks with me to this day. I also remember when I first started preaching, I used to run through my sermons really fast. My grandpa told me that afternoon, "Carver, you need to slow down a bit." I still use his advice to this day, and guess what? It makes me less nervous when I get up to preach. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, we are told how younger people and older people are to behave toward each other. "Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older men as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity." I wouldn't be where I am without so many influences from people both older and younger than me. They push me to keep preaching and teaching God's word and be the best man that I can be. Let's lift each other up, instead of tearing each other down.
As I close, I want to go back to that Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That day was one of the best days of my life. Getting to hang out with my grandpa and our buddy is something I'll remember for a long time and I can't wait for our next adventure together. The life lessons that I have learned and continue to learn from them is second to none. I encourage you to spend time with those who are both older and younger than you. I guarantee that you'll learn something!!
In Him,
Carver Moore
We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.
Our service times are as follows:
Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am
Sunday morning worship: 11 am
Sunday evening worship: 5 pm
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