Sunday Afternoon - Joy Riding Takes on a New Meaning

Our mission for the afternoon was to check out the area where our Pennington ancestors had originally settled upon their arrival in Itawamba County. James J. Pennington and his wife, Laura, brought their family here from Lamar County, Alabama. James bought land in Lost Corners along the Monroe-Itawamba county line in the 1890s. Unfortunately, he and Laura died prematurely from tuberculosis and along with them many of our family's stories and history. Pictured in the ATV is my mother, Betty Jean Pennington Robinson, great-granddaughter of James and Laura. With her is my Aunt Tootsie, formally known as Clara Nell Pennington Wardlaw, granddaughter of James and Laura.

Recent clear-cutting of timber on this property has made the roads impassable even for four-wheelers, but we had fun trying. We tried but couldn't get down to the tract believed to have been owned by James and Laura Pennington. The afternoon wasn't a total loss however as we made our way to Bean Cemetery for a look-see. Also along on the afternoon's adventure were Stephen Wardlaw, Dorothy Wardlaw, Pat Gilmore, my husband Mike, daughter Rebekah and her friend Steven.