Our destination the first day was Freedom Cemetery, which is situated a few miles from the hamlet of Chester, in Crawford County. The fall foliage along the old Freedom Road was exceptional:

 


The cemetery adjoins an old church that appears to be in good condition but may no longer be used for worship services:



The entrances to the cemetery evidence its rustic character:



But the burial ground is a lovely, serene place. Here is the view from near Freedom Road:



There are four Canada graves in a row that's close to the Freedom Road side of the cemtery:



Charlie Canada was a brother of Archie, who was Linda's maternal grandfather:



Tom Canada was another brother:



The grave of Sarah, infant daughter of John (another brother) and Esther Canada records the child's tragically short life:


 
The fourth tombstone recalls another blow suffered in 1945 by John and Esther: the death of son Jack in the battle for Okinawa. Although as the engraving states his remains rest "in the deep blue sea," his life is honored by this memorial next to his sister's grave, among the forested hills where he grew up.



The next day we drove south on scenic highway 71 to Mena. Our objective was Pinecrest Cemetery ...




Where we placed decorations on the Starr family graves:



The flowers in a row mark the resting places for Gladys and Paul, Alice, William, Harry, Pauline and Helen (whose stone is over on the far side of the Hubbell stone, next to the road):