Impedimenta, Posted on April 28, 2026

• April 28, 2026
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• Posted By: Scott Family Collection

Two trunks. The top one contained medical supplies. It belonged to Dr. John Alexander Mebane ((1790-1861). The larger one, below, belonged to Mamie White Scott (1865-1953), a schoolteacher.

When I was studying Latin in high school, I learned the word, “impedimenta.”  Loosely translated, it refers to luggage.

Nowadays, we have all sorts of clever ways to make luggage less cumbersome. Whoever thought of adding wheels to a suitcase deserves a prize.

Back in the day, and I do mean back, luggage was a serious business. The photo that appears above includes two trunks. The top one is thought to be the medical trunk of Dr. John Alexander Mebane (1790-1861), a son of Alexander Mebane for whom the town of Mebane was named. In his day, doctors would visit their patients in their homes.

The larger one on the bottom was owned by Mamie White Scott (1865-1953), a schoolteacher who must have taken everything she owned from school to school during her career.

I was in Greensboro, North Carolina over the weekend and was able to arrange a visit to the graves of Dr. Mebane and his wife Celia Sutton Mebane.

Their graves are hidden away in a small cemetery located on the grounds of the Greensboro History Museum. The cemetery was associated with First Presbyterian Church and is still under their authority despite the fact that the church moved to another location many years ago. The museum, which is really spectacular, was built around the church and they connect. We found the Mebanes right away and went on to explore further.

Our tour guide, Grace, stopped us at a small marker on which was inscribed: Known only to God. What a sad story that was. A small child passed away while a group of travelers was passing through Greensboro many years ago. The church stepped in to provide a burial for the child, but no one knew her name. Grace has researched this child and even found a newspaper article about the burial, but so far has not discovered the child’s name. Grace is very smart and diligent. I expect that some day, she will solve this mystery.

So Much Loss, Posted on April 8, 2026

• April 8, 2026
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• Posted By: Scott Family Collection

This medal was awarded posthumously to James Edwin Scott, son of Robert W. and Lizzie H. Scott. It was one of more than 80,000 awarded by the State of North Carolina to honor those who served in the first World War.

James Edwin, or “Ed” as he was called, was born on February 15, 1889, and grew up in Alamance County, North Carolina, on his father’s farm.

Ed was 28 years old when he enlisted. He was older than the average volunteer, but his desire was to serve his country, nonetheless.

He enlisted in the Army in the fall of 1918 and had just started basic training at Camp A. A. Humphreys, Virginia ,when the Spanish Flu epidemic took his life on October 8, 1918.

Ed’s family, especially his father, Robert, was devastated by this loss. The body was returned to the family via train and taken directly to the cemetery at Hawfields Presbyterian Church. He was buried in his uniform.

Ed’s father petitioned for a service medal, the one we see pictured here, to honor his son. The Scott Family Collection is proud to display it.

What in the world is Maconochie? Posted on March 24, 2026

• March 24, 2026
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• Posted By: Scott Family Collection

Maconochie. What an odd word. What could it possibly mean? Well, if you were enlisted in the British Army during World War I, you probably knew all too well what this was.

Machonochie stew was a heat-and-serve meal provided to British (and Scottish) soldiers during World War I.

Ernest Melville, who served in World War I, wrote a poem attributing his bravery to Maconochie Stew. Or, perhaps in spite of it. The stew, which sounds pretty good, contained beef cubes, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and green beans. However, the entire meal, from what I have read, was boiled. So instead of browning the meat and vegetables in oil or butter and creating a rich gravy, the results were much less appetizing.

Ernest Melville was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1887. He traveled to North Carolina in 1907 and stayed with the family of Robert W. Scott for almost a year. He stayed on in America, becoming an accountant and settling in Boston. In 1915 he returned to Scotland and enlisted in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. His service took him first to France and then to India. He was glad to see the war end, but knew he would miss his comrades, the ones who left for home as well as the ones who stayed behind, buried under little white crosses. He lost his younger brother, Archie, in August of 1918. Years later, Ernest returned to France to visit his brother’s grave. 

Do You Know any Taphophiles? Posted on March 17, 2026

• March 17, 2026
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• Posted By: Scott Family Collection

As I get older, I find that a lot of my friends who are interested in genealogy have become taphophiles. What could that possibly mean?

Does this mean that they like to munch on taffy? No, it means that they like to visit graveyards and cemeteries. Graveyards or burying grounds are associated with a church. Cemeteries are set up by other authorities such as towns or counties.

Such places are often overlooked as sources of genealogical information, but they can be extremely helpful when trying to find ancestors. Tombstones or memorials give the names of the deceased, the year of their birth and death, and often, if you are lucky, the names of their spouse(s) and even children.

Here is the tombstone for the Reverend John DeBow who served Hawfields Presbyterian Church during the Revolutionary War. He died of smallpox nursing American soldiers.

The Rev. DeBow was one of the first people buried in the second burying ground for this church; the original burying ground was located about 4 miles east. Although the congregation moved in the late 1770s, a number of families continued to use the first burying ground for some time afterwards.

Photo: the tombstone of the Rev. John DeBow, pastor of Hawfields Presbyterian Church. The inscription reads: R’d JOHN DEBOW, PASTOR OF HAWFIELDS CHURCH DIED SEPT. 8TH 1783 AGED 38