Lucy Marine Maloney, her husband, Mal, and son, Mark from Palm Springs California, visited the Hillcrest Cemetery in Canton on June 14. This visit completed a long-awaited journey of Mrs. Maloney as she researched her family’s genealogy.

“I knew almost nothing of my great-grandmother, Jessie Matthews Russell, born in 1876 or my great-great-grandparents, Dr. James L. Matthews (a local doctor in Van Zandt County) born in 1831 and wife, Georgia, born in 1844,” stated Mrs. Maloney. According to Mrs. Maloney, she stumbled

According to Mrs. Maloney, she stumbled upon a website called “Find A Grave” which revealed that her great-grandmother was buried in Hillcrest Cemetery.

“I searched and Googled Hillcrest Cemetery and an article from the Tyler Telegraph newspaper explained that a book had been written called ‘Stories Beneath the Stones’ and it had a photo of my great-grandmother’s headstone. The article listed the phone number of the authors, Mr. Lawrence Greer and Mrs. Benja Mize.”

Mrs. Maloney then contacted Greer and Mize, well-known Van Zandt County Genealogists, to order a book and was met with additional knowledge.

“Mr. Greer was so helpful on the phone. As I ordered the book, he put me on a brief hold and quickly looked up more information on my great-grandmother and told me that my great-great-grandparents were also interred in Hillcrest Cemetery. Later, he found an obituary notice in an old newspaper and mailed it to me along with the book.”

After the discovery of finding where her ancestors were interred, Mrs. Maloney and her family made the trip to Canton to visit Hillcrest Cemetery.

“My husband, son and I were able to meet Mr. Greer and Sandra Jones, a volunteer at the Van Zandt County Genealogy Library, and visit the cemetery and library as well. The book, ‘Stories Beneath the Stones’ is one of the most treasured items anyone could find. The work that the authors did was amazing, and it only took them five years to complete. Thank you for what you have done,” stated Mrs. Maloney.