Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The Train Wreck at the Beloeil Bridge

The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad through Beloeil, Canada was completed in December 1848, finishing the link between Montreal and Saint-Hyacinthe.  Unfortunately, in 1864, a passenger train passing over the Richelieu River derailed and plunged downward to destruction.  Ninety-nine passengers, mostly German emigrants, and railroad employees lost their lives in the worst rail disaster in the history of Canada.

A tombstone of detritus covered the river and the barge under the wreckage.  The hopes, dreams and futures of so many were lost in less than a minute.  When considering their possible descendancy, how many lives were truly lost on that sad day?

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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Buried By The Bay

Sailors, wives and children of costal communities usually enjoy a view of the sea throughout the eternities.

PB195429

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Marching Off To War

War on the Western Front in France during WWI erupted in 1914.  Huge numbers of troops from the nations involved marched in to battle.

 

 

Fearsome battles ensued leaving numberless wounded and dead.

 

 

 

Soldiers, Citizens and Support Personnel, lie buried at Flanders, Vermelles and across all the fields of battle.

 

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Always and Forever

The death of a baby invokes extreme stress and loss in the lives of parents and family members.  The belief that families can be together forever helps assuage the pain.

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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Fall Day in Cemetery

The perfect way to spend a sunny fall day – Taking photos of headstones for posting on Find-a-grave.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Andrew Jackson Bennett–Civil War Veteran

Born on 9 Aug 1837 in Mason, Warren Co., Ohio, Andrew Jackson Bennett served in Company C, 2nd Kansas Calvary during the Civil War.  He died and is buried in Vernon, Jennings Co., Indiana.

Andrew Jackson Bennett Military Headstone

Andrew Jackson Bennett

“A Former Mason Man, Died at His Home in Vernon, Ind.
Andrew J. Bennett was born near Mason August 9, 1837, and departed this life September 12, 1908, age 71 years, 1 month and three days. He was married to Catherine J Michael in 1858, who after a half century spent under his loving protection and kindly care survives him.


In 1862 he enlisted in the 2nd Kansas Calvary and served as a Union soldier throughout the civil war. After the close of the war he became a railroad engineer on the Southern railroad and followed that calling until about ten years ago when he removed to Lebanon, Ind, and engaged in the contracting business. In 1903 he and his wife removed to Vernon where he made his home until his death, and the entire population of the town testify to his sterling qualities and mourn for "Uncle Jack," as he was affectionately known.
Andrew Jackson Bennett, second son of Nicholas and Rachel Bennett, was born in Warren county, Ohio, August 9, 1837, and died September 12, 1908. He was married to Catherine J. Michaels, September 1, 1858. Jackson Bennett served his country in the war of the Rebellion, being a private in Co. C. 2nd Kansas Calvary. After the war he lived in various places in Ohio and Indiana, departing this life at North Vernon, Jennings County, Indiana.


Taken from "History and Record of Nicholas Bennett Sr. and His Descendants".”

Andrew and Catherine Michaels Bennett Headstone

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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Burial at a Rural Church

With competing churches side by side, travel to graveyards was simplified.  Hopefully, the tombstones will survive the decline of old wooden buildings and subsequent reconstruction or moves to new locations.

 

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Monday, November 15, 2010

Buried by the Church

A typical setting in days gone by in the East.  A life lived in the town where you grew up.  The church attended throughout your life and then your death.  The church was never far from your daily pattern and in death you are buried in its yard.  The pattern Is repeated throughout the generations.  Life, church, death – intertwined.

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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Burying the Dead at Wounded Knee

Burying the dead at Wounded Knee – 1891

Woundedknee1891grave

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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Lost and Stranded Cemeteries

There are thousands of lost and stranded cemeteries in the world.  Many are hidden in the woods, others are being slowly eaten by construction and particularly by shopping center parking lots.

Crowley Mausoleum Decatur GA

When you see them, stop and take photos of all of the markers and of the site.  Transcribe the inscriptions and put the photos and text on Find-a-grave so at least the images of the stones and cemeteries  have a chance to survive modern man.

Old family cemeteries are particularly hard hit by developers in modern society, as witnessed in most of the satellite photos associated with the locations below.

If you know of other locations, add the map link to them in a comment to this post and they will be added to the list.

 

Alabama

Exploring Alabama’s Lost Cemeteries

 

California

Merchant Seaman’sPresidio – San Francisco

 

Colorado

Parker Road, Aurora, CO

 

Georgia

Cleveland Ave – I-75 – Atlanta, GA

Avondale Mall – Decatur, GA

Walton St / Hwy 78– Loganville, GA

South Davis Dr, Warner Robins, GA

Hunter Army Airfield – Savannah GA

4135 Lavista Road, Tucker, GA

 

Kentucky

Dutchmans Lane, Louisville, KY

Kentucky’s Lost Cemeteries

 

Illinois

Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL

 

Indiana

Mechanicsburg Cemetery – Boone Co, IN

Blackiston Mill Rd – Clarksville, IN

Lost Cemeteries of Henry Co, IN

5875 N Keystone Ave, Indianapolis, IN

 

Massachusetts

Riverside Ave and Highway 6, Swansea, MA

 

Michigan

Betholem Cemetery – GM Plant, Hamtramck, MI

 

Missouri

Metro North Mall, Kansas City, MO

 

New Jersey

AMC Entertainment, Highland Park, NJ

Little Road – Dist 6 Firehouse, Parsippany, NJ

 

New York

498 Red Apple CT, Central Valley, NY

5025 Jericho Turnpike, Commack NY

Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, NY

Palisades Mall, West Nyack, NY

 

North Carolina

Orange Water Sewer Authority – Carrboro, NC

Carolina Mall, Concord, NC

Chapel Hill Rd – Durham, NC

708 Greenville Blvd – Greenville, NC

Carter Finley Stadium – Raleigh, NC

Duke University – West Campus

 

Oklahoma

700 Charles Page Blvd, Sand Springs, OK

 

Ohio

Tony Nose Cemetery, Lima OH

Hepburn Rd, Middleburg Heights, OH

18348 Bagley Rd, Middleburg Heights, OH

 

Pennsylvania

GreenwoodRamona Ave, Philadelphia, PA

 

Rhode Island

Connecticut Ave and High St, Middletown, RI

Michaels Crafts, Smithfield, RI

 

South Carolina

North Main, Summerville SC

 

Tennessee

Buffalo Valley Rd – Cookeville, TN

Angelus St, Memphis, TN

1-179 Angelus St, Memphis, TN

 

Texas

183 Highway, Austin, TX

Wise Lane, Garland, TX

Long Point and Pech Rd, Houston, TX

Callendar Hill Rd, Mansfield, TX

Headache Springs – Tyler TX

Utah

Bennett Family – Alpine, UT

 

Virginia

Nutley St – Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA

7531 Linton Hall Rd – Gainesville, VA

7756 Quioccasin Rd, Henrico, VA

14332 Potomac Mills Cir, Woodbridge, VA

 

Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Lost Cemeteries

 

Canada

Bridlewood Mall, Toronto, Canada

 

Spain

Calle Paredes, Oviedo, Spain

 

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Emma Louisa Burger Drew Mead Tombstone

Emma Louisa Berger Drew Mead was born in Iowa in 1852.  She moved to the gold country of California with her family at age six.  After marrying Charles Drew of Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1867 at 14, the young mother knew heartache in her life with the loss of two of her two children to illness while they were still infants. 

Charles died of pneumonia when she was 38.  She later married Willard Clinton Mead and was well known for her love of and assistance to children without parents.  Numerous foster children were welcomed in to her home throughout her lifetime.

Emma is buried in the Copperopolis Cemetery, Calaveras County, California.

Mead Emma L headstone

 

Monday, October 25, 2010

Juliana Mulford 1781 - 1793

Tombstone of Juliana Mulford, daughter of Matthew and Mary Hutchinson Mulford.  East Hampton Cemetery. 1781 – 24 Jan 1793

Mulford Juliana headstone

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Louis Larsen – Spanish American War Vet

Louis Larsen served in the U.S. Volunteer Calvary during the Spanish – American War.  He is buried in the Lehi City Cemetery, Utah.

Larsen Louis headstone Sp Am War Vet

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

USS Arizona – Memorial and Tombstone

The USS Arizona (BB-39) was launched on 19 Jun 1915, the last of the Pennsylvania-class battleships.

USS Arizona underway

She served the Navy well until she was sunk at Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941 in a surprise Japanese attack which took the life of 1177 her sailors.

USS Arizona ships compliment

They died in the fire, explosions and water of that attack.

The Arizona became their tomb.

It is marked with a large memorial structure – tombstone if you will – for the generations who have since enjoyed freedom - to visit and honor these fallen hero’s.

USS Arizona magazines exploding

USS ARIZONA burning Pearl Harbor

USS Arizona superstructure

USS Arizona Fly-by

020523-N-9769P-057

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Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tombstone Photos in the Fall

Living in a mountain climate limits the season available to take tombstone photos.  There is something special about walking through the fall leaves, smelling their smells, enjoying the last warmth of the sun amid the quiet of the tombstones.

The memories made are unique: the angle of the sun, shortness of the day, scents, the solitude of created by the rapid approach of winter snow.

DSC08324

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Monday, October 4, 2010

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Loss of Father - WWI

A widow visiting the grave of her husband during WWI.

Madonna_of_Sorrow_NGM-v31-p549

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Buried at Chancellorsville

The Civil War Battle of Chancellorsvile stretched over a week, from 30 Apr to 6 May 1863.  Over 1600 men died.  Over 2018 were missing and over 9000 were wounded. 

The dead were buried amid the briars and tumbles.

Conf_dead_chancellorsville

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

East Hampton Cemetery Trek

Strolling through the cemeteries of East Hampton.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Elkanah Churchill – 1845 - Plymouth

Elkanah Churchill tombstone in the Burial Hill Cemetery, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Elkanah Churchill, died Oct 7, 1845 in his 37 year.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Mass Murder – Germany 1945

A difficult image to view.  A German woman is overcome with grief at the sight of the bodies of 800 slave workers – 17 May 1945.  They were buried in mass graves by German citizens under the direction of Allied Forces.

German girl overcome 800 slave workers 17 May 1945

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

The Children of Mountainville

Before its name was changed to Alpine, the community surrounded by Alp-like peaks in Utah County, Utah was called Mountainville.

Local sculptor and artist, Dennis Smith, remembers the children who populated that frontier settlement in a casting dedicated to them on the top of the Alpine Cemetery among the graves of many pioneer children and early settlers.

 


View Larger Map

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Sunday, August 1, 2010

Drill, Glue and Strap that Tombstone

Old soft stone tombstones suffer greatly from freeze / thaw cycles over the decades.  Add brain dead teenage boys to the mix and the markers are doomed.

The only hope to salvage the stones is through glue and in cases like the one below, metal straps to hold the pieces together. 

A week in jail resolves the teenage boy affliction in most towns.

 

Monday, July 26, 2010

Tombstone - Urn Carving Detail

A close photo of the urn carving detail on the top of the tombstone of my great granduncle Atwood Drew  in the Burial Hill Cemetery, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Margaret Murdock and her Daughters

Margaret Molen Murdock died in Lehi, Utah on 29 Jan 1864.  Her daughters, Margaret and Lurany died within a few years of her death.  All are buried together in the Lehi City Cemetery. 

Their marker was broken off over time and was repaired by setting the broken stone in a concrete form.

Information update from John Lisle:  Margaret was married to Orrice Clapp Murdock, a descendant of the Robert Murdock and Hannah Stedman family of Newton, Massachusetts. His father was John Murdock, b. 1792. John arrived from Nauvoo in SLC in 1847."

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Friday, July 9, 2010

Drew Tombstone – Oak Grove Cemetery

David and Anna Burgess Drew family tombstone in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Six of their eight children, a son-in-law and David’s 2nd wife, Caroline Tribble are buried in the family burial plot.

Drew monument Oak Grove Cemetery Plymouth Massachusetts

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Emily Blacknall Hoggard Tombstone

Emily Blacknall married James Hoggard on 26 Feb 1842 in Calverton, Nottinghamshire, England.

The couple had 14 children. They moved to Utah, arriving in Salt Lake City in April 1856. After a few weeks, they moved south to Lake City which is now known as American Fork, Utah.

Emily and James are buried in the American Fork City Cemetery.

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Sarah Durrant – Lamb of Christ Tombstone

The design of Sarah Durrant’s tombstone is frequently seen in cemeteries in Utah.  The design was popular for the markers children who died early in life.

The soft stone that was used because of the ease of carving the Lamb on top.  Unfortunately, the markers deteriorate due to weathering as evidenced in this marker.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Sanborn Cemetery – Bristol, New Hampshire

Beautiful photos by Sue Armstrong of the Sanborn Cemetery north east of Bristol, New Hampshire – final resting place of several ancestors and their families.

Sanborn Cemetery Bristol Grafton New Hampshire 2

Monday, May 24, 2010

Hockstadt Tombstone - Singapore

Tombstone of John and Rose Hockstadt in the Garden of Remembrance Cemetery, Singapore.

Garden_of_remembrance_arch_headstone

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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Tombstones – It’s The Symbol Not The Stone

Not all families have the resources to buy tombstones for their beloved family members who pass away.  They show their love by memorializing them using the resources available to them.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Nathaniel Grigsby – Lincoln’s Friend

Nathaniel Grigsby was a dear friend of Abraham Lincoln. 

In 1860, he was living in Norborne. He wrote to Lincoln and received an appointment as Republican Precinct Committee Man. He placed Lincoln's name on the 1860 ballot.

Read the rest of the story by Trish on Nathaniel’s Find-a-Grave memorial.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Wounded Knee

On December 29, 1890, troops of the U.S. 7th Cavalry massacred about 146 Lakota Sioux men, women and children at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.   They were buried in a mass grave at the site of the massacre.

Wounded_Knee_aftermath3

Wounded_Knee_dead_and_horses

Woundedknee1891grave

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