By Bernie Delinski
Staff Writer

Amid the mourning of losing his mother four years ago, Tom McKnight made a discovery.

The Rev. Fred W. Watkins and Sophia Napier Watkins are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Tuscumbia.
A longtime history buff, McKnight decided he wanted to learn more about his family and ancestry.

"One of the greatest threats to our national security is not knowing who we are as an individual, as a family, and as a nation," the Russellville resident said.

So, he started tracing his roots in 2005.

McKnight found information about his great-grandfather, the Rev. Fred W. Watkins, who was a Baptist pastor in the Smithsonia area.

But it was the occupation of Watkins' wife, Sophia Napier Watkins, that really caught McKnight's attention.