All From a Photo ~

 ALL FROM A PHOTO!

In the summer of 2014 my brother and I were canvassing the Rocky Comfort, Missouri, cemetery (he was photographing the headstones and noting the necessary details, while I was recording the stones information). Running across the small headstone, we immediately wondered who “Ike” was. Was his last name “Colored” or was that describing him as a colored person?

 I set out to learn more.

 With the bit of information about him, I researched and found him through the 1880 and 1900 US Federal Censuses online at Ancestry.com. His name was Isaac Haden, born in Arkansas, in 1854 and died July 11, 1908. He was a servant in the Nancy (Farmer) Christian family, who lived there in Rocky Comfort, he was single, and he could not read nor write. Mrs. Christian must have cared for him a great deal, due to the inscription upon the little gray headstone, “Sacred to the Memory of Ike, Colored.”

 A side note: Nancy Christian’s husband, Capt. Robert “Bob” Christian was killed during the 2^nd Battle of Newtonia on October 28, 1864, in Newtonia, MO. He is buried in the Newtonia Civil War cemetery.

  Christian is labeled as a “notorious member of the local militia” and a bloodthirsty guerilla who had a gang of followers who plundered the countryside. Christian served under Capt. James Ritchey, son of Matthew Ritchey, built the Ritchey Mansion in Newtonia.

 To learn the rest of the story about Christian, follow the links below. Genealogy is an interesting hobby/occupation in which to partake! And all from a photo!

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~cappscreek/civilwar/bio/biochristian.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5677195/robert-h-christian