Random acts of kindness

In September 2008, I contacted the Elks Home in Bedford, Virginia seeking information on Benjamin Gordon Smith, a past resident of the home. They provided me with a copy of his file which was full of genealogical information. I asked if they knew of any volunteers who could take a photo of Ben's grave but didn't receive a response to my question.

Ben was born in Apollo, Pennsylvania where he lived for many years. He never married and lived with his mother until she died in 1943. He eventually moved to Virgina and lived at the Elks Home until his death and was buried in their cemetery. Five years ago we traveled to Apollo and Warren, Ohio and visited his parents and siblings graves. It bothered me that he was alone in Bedford, far away from his family.

Fast forward to February 2011 and imagine my surprise when I received an email from the same woman yesterday with a photo of Ben's gravestone. It gave me great pleasure to connect his stone to other family members in www.findagrave.com, an online cemetery resource. He's not alone any more.

I'm thankful to this kind person for her random act of kindness. It made my day!