Cong John C. Kyle Gravesite

Congressman John C. Kyle of Sardis served three terms in the US House from 1891-1897 serving the 2nd Congressional District. He was chairman of the state Democratic Committee and in spite of those creds, he was eventually nominated by the 2nd Congressional District Democratic Convention held in Holly Springs in August of 1890. He was elected on the 328th ballot - that’s not a typo - 328 ballots cast before he got the nomination.

One of the big issues in that campaign was something called the “sub-treasury bill” that was an agrarian, populist program to support agricultural interests (way more on that later). He beat out the incumbent Congressman James B. Morgan of Hernando.

The picture above is his gravesite at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Sardis. Note this “race track”-looking thing in front of his monument that is called a cradle and was very “in” during the early 20th century for graveyards. It was meant to be a place to plant flowers and helped to make cemeteries as much of a memorial garden as a final resting place.

This is the video of me finding his grave on the way to Collierville for Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws in November 2024. And, of course, the star of the show is my fur baby Jack Jack.