I had heard that (1) he’d run away from his family in 1900 to California, abandoning his wife and several children and (2) he’d died while living in a back room at his eldest son’s house in Colton, California. For the first half of my life he was just a name, and barely that. While nowhere near as dramatic or emotional, in my case I found the “rest of the story” about one of my great grandfathers - an immigrant from England who had brought my maternal grandfather over to America in the early 1880s. It is because of your efforts that families like the McKnight’s experience miracles. Thanks, Randy, and thanks to all of our members who contribute to Find a Grave. Our family is forever grateful to Ancestry and Find a Grave for giving the gift of “FAMILY.” It is truly the one gift that keeps on giving.” -Randy Hooker “You have the heartfelt appreciation of our entire family for being true “Miracle Makers.” Locating our lost relatives was truly a miracle I never thought I would live to see. The McKnight Family – Photo credit: Ronnie and Tammy McKnight Some call it coincidence, but the McKnight family calls it a miracle. Their efforts, combined with Tammy’s effort to upload a photograph of the headstone to Find a Grave, have allowed Ronnie to connect with his father’s family. But now this! The entire chain of events that brought these two families together began when Sharron and Ronnie purchased a grave marker for Jimmie Don. Ronnie had been searching for information about his father’s family for much of his adult life and had come up empty-handed.
Try to imagine how I felt when Ronnie answered my question and replied, “Yes I play guitar and taught myself.” We had found our Ronnie. It is truly the greatest gift I have ever received. Only a handful of us inherited this gift, including myself, having taught myself to play guitar. It was considered a gift, and a slowly fading heritage to our family since not many inherited those talents. The first question I had to ask was if he could play the guitar? It may seem a silly question, but our family has for generations played guitar, including his mother Wanda, and his grandfather, John Austin. Missing was the expected hesitation of talking to a stranger. Randy described his first phone call with Ronnie: “Even though we had never met, it was like talking to someone you had known your whole life. For Ronnie, “that picture and pictures of my father, were the first time I had seen their faces.” Imagine searching for one side of your family for 50 years – knowing they were out there somewhere, and then learning they had been searching for you as well! Randy recalled, “It was one of the happiest days in my life to ship the picture of Trellis to Ronnie, his grandson. The family kept a framed picture of Trellis in his uniform, his purple heart medal, and also a photo of Jimmie Don at age 19. He learned that Trellis served in WWII at was wounded at Iwo Jima. His aunt told him stories about growing up with his father and stories about his grandfather, Trellis. They exchanged phone numbers, and Ronnie was able to connect with family members for the first time. Jimmie Don McKnight – Photo credit: Randy Hooker.Trellis McKnight – Photo credit: Randy Hooker.
For those who don’t believe in miracles, this is proof they still exist.” Her reply was the biggest surprise this family had experienced in a long time. Not only did she know the McKnight family, but she was married to Ronnie Lee McKnight, son of Jimmie Don and Sharron. He asked if she knew anything about the family of Jimmie Don McKnight or his father Trellis Lee McKnight, also listed on Find a Grave. Randy sent a message to Tammy through Find a Grave. What are the chances of her being able to help, maybe 10 or 20 percent at best?” Having spent nearly ten years myself trying to find Jimmie Don’s wife and son, I couldn’t let that one slip by.
I noticed the name of the person who had taken a picture of the grave marker was “Tammy McKnight.” She had joined Find a Grave just 3 months prior. Who purchased the grave marker? It most certainly must have been purchased by someone who knew Jimmie. Randy clicked on the hint, and to his surprise, there was an actual headstone. Randy recalled, “Upon reviewing the memorial for Jimmie, there was the photographed headstone.
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