And then, some years later, Daddy's sister, my Aunt Lovely, sent me a copy of the above photo. She had gotten it from the descendants of James Willie, the oldest son of Rachel and English, who still lived near Chimney Top mountain, where the Penley family had made their home. They knew nothing more than this picture was of Rachel and English, with James Willie, Evaline, David Martin, and John Thomas, my grandfather, the baby on his mother's lap. Rachel was still a mystery, but at least now she had a face. 
And then a couple of weeks ago, Barbara and I made an afternoon visit to Greeneville, Tennessee, just to look around and have lunch. On our way into town, we passed by this genealogical library. I had heard of it, and planned to visit someday, after putting my notes together and figuring out just what I wanted to look for. But as we were lunching, Barbara suggested going back to the library, and so we did. 
And then a couple of weeks ago, Barbara and I made an afternoon visit to Greeneville, Tennessee, just to look around and have lunch. On our way into town, we passed by this genealogical library. I had heard of it, and planned to visit someday, after putting my notes together and figuring out just what I wanted to look for. But as we were lunching, Barbara suggested going back to the library, and so we did. I had nothing with me - no notebook, no dates, nothing to reference, or even a tablet to jot anything down. We went in, signed in, and I told the very helpful librarian the only thing I could - I'm looking for Vaughns, Hugh and Rachel, father and daughter.
The very first thing she handed me was a copy of the book "Historic Greene County and Its People," and it was opened to the page where this picture appeared. The accompanying article was about Hugh Berry Vaughn, his wife, Marilla, her mother, Rachel Green, and members of their family. It included mention of Hugh and Marilla's daughter, Rachel, married to English Penley. It also mentioned Rachel's siblings, Catherine, Martha, William, Silas, and George. The article was attributed to William's only surviving daughter, LenaVee Vaughn Moore. She was Rachel's niece, the granddaughter of Berry and Marilla. Another article in the same book referred to Betty Moore Blake, Lena's daughter, and her sons, Kevin and Travis. The only Blake in my phone book was Kevin, and so I made the call. Yes, indeed, he was Betty's son, and he gave me her phone number. And so last week, I visited Betty, and the mystery of Rachel was solved.
Betty has worked on her family history since she was a young woman. The documents she has collected on her Vaughn and other family lines are astonishing. The stories she has written down to preserve are amazing. I hoped at some point to find some little piece of information that would tell me something more about Rachel. What I've stumbled across is a priceless treasure trove - diligently collected and saved by a kind and generous woman, who was thrilled to meet a cousin as interested in this search as she. In all my dreams, I never imagined meeting someone like Betty. One of the wonderful things she told me was that Hugh, Marilla, and Rachel Green were all buried just up the road from her home. I had passed the church and the cemetery on the way. And so, of course, on the way home, I stopped to find them.
The gravestone of H.B. Vaughn is the first of these three pictures. Directly above is that of Marilla Green Vaughn, his second wife. Below is that of her mother, Rachel Green, who never married, and for whom our Rachel is undoubtedly named. Marilla was her only child.
The name of Marilla's father has not been discovered. I feel certain that if it could be found, Betty would have tracked it down. Still, this is something I can carry on, and use the internet - something Betty hasn't used in her work - to try to connect with someone who has an answer to this new mystery. I'd like to do this for Betty.
Here is a picture of the stone of Betty's grandparents, William Vaughn and his wife, Rebecca. With them lies their daughter, Lula, who died at the age of five.
William Vaughn, Rachel's brother, is pictured above, the tall stern man on the right. His only surviving daughter, LenaVee, is on the far left. The folks in between are Weems, mother and son, who often walked to church with the Vaughns.
This picture is also from Betty's collection. It shows Rachel's half-sister, Martha Vaughn Taylor, her husband, Allison, and their numerous children.
This gravestone is amongst the Vaughns. It marks the final resting place of the first wife of Silas Vaughn, Rachel's younger brother. Silas and his family later moved west.
The gravestone of H.B. Vaughn is the first of these three pictures. Directly above is that of Marilla Green Vaughn, his second wife. Below is that of her mother, Rachel Green, who never married, and for whom our Rachel is undoubtedly named. Marilla was her only child.
The name of Marilla's father has not been discovered. I feel certain that if it could be found, Betty would have tracked it down. Still, this is something I can carry on, and use the internet - something Betty hasn't used in her work - to try to connect with someone who has an answer to this new mystery. I'd like to do this for Betty.
Here is a picture of the stone of Betty's grandparents, William Vaughn and his wife, Rebecca. With them lies their daughter, Lula, who died at the age of five.
William Vaughn, Rachel's brother, is pictured above, the tall stern man on the right. His only surviving daughter, LenaVee, is on the far left. The folks in between are Weems, mother and son, who often walked to church with the Vaughns.
This picture is also from Betty's collection. It shows Rachel's half-sister, Martha Vaughn Taylor, her husband, Allison, and their numerous children.
This gravestone is amongst the Vaughns. It marks the final resting place of the first wife of Silas Vaughn, Rachel's younger brother. Silas and his family later moved west.There is much more to write about Hugh, Marilla, their children, their parents, and the life they lived in northeastern Tennessee. But at least I've made a start - and for now it's enough just to know that Rachel has been found.
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