Came across this marker at Oakwood Cemetery in Red WIng, MN. The photo is not the best; it was very sunny and the stone could use some cleaning.
TA–TI–PA–TA
DAKOTA TERRITORY
PVT.
INDIAN SCOUTS
DECEMBER 19, 1893
Oakwood Cemetery
Red Wing, Goodhue County, Minnesota
As the saying goes, just because it’s carved in stone… I do a lot of genealogy research and I always thought this was a good example of how mistakes can be found in what we usually consider ‘reliable’ sources. If the word ‘of’ can be misspelled, what else on a stone may be in error? Just a reminder for those of us doing research that mistakes can happen anywhere and we need to be diligent in our research and take nothing for granted. Just because it’s carved in stone, doesn’t mean it’s right.
MATILDE
WIFE FO
BASILIO
RECLA
1871 — 1910
Norway Cemetery
Norway, Dickinson County, Michigan
I have not posted for a long while (life gets in the way, sometimes). However, I am excited to start posting again. This, while admittedly not the best photo, is a stone I like a lot
CELESTA A.
Wife of
JOHN E. SLOAN
BORN
May 22, 1845
DIED
Oct. 27, 1879
Marengo Cemetery
Marengo, Crawford County, Indiana
This is in the old section of Marengo Cemetery in Crawford County, Indiana. It is a beautiful cemetery with a lot of very nice stones. Some of my ancestors are buried in this cemetery, including James and Malinda Suddarth.
On a hilltop in Hudson, Wisconsin, overlooking the St. Croix River, is this stone for Silas Snell:
SILAS
SNELL
BURIED HERE
1847
I have not been able to find out much about Silas Snell. Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, so Silas died while Wisconsin was still a Territory. Wisconsin was the last state entirely East of the Mississippi River admitted to the Union.
The marker for Silas Snell is located in a park on the bluffs of the St. Croix River, in Hudson, Wisconsin.
Among the gravestones in the Old Granary Burying Ground in Boston is this one, near John Hancock’s grave.
This is a great example of an 18th century gravestone and is one of my favorites. Although settled some, it is still very readable and the carving is crisp and very clear. I would like to know more about Frank.
A while back, I did a post regarding the two grave markers for James Suddarth in the Marengo Cemetery in Marengo, Indiana. While it is easy to tell that one stone is much older than the other, I think it is highly unlikely that the old stone dates to the time of James’s death. Here is a photo of the old stone:
Recently, I was showing a colleague the photos of the old stone and the new stone and he questioned whether the stone looked like it was from 1865. The material the stone appears to be made of, the style of the stone and the fact that it is on a base all raised his suspicions. After thinking about it, I believe I agree; this stone is not from 1865. Nearby, in the same family plot is the stone of James and Malinda’s son, David B. Suddarth. I do not have a good picture of the whole stone, but here is a picture of the family plot:
The stone on the far right is that of James and Malinda. The one on the left, in the back, is that of David B. Suddarth and his wife Alsie. The small one in front on the left is Malinda A. Suddarth. David died in 1913. As you can see, the stone for him and his wife is exactly like the one for James and Malinda. I am certain that the stone for James and Malinda was erected at the same time as the one for David and Alsie, most likely around 1913. Whether or not there was ever an older stone for James and Malinda, I don’t know. It would be interesting trying to find out if there was and if there was any other information (or different information) on that marker.
What do you think? Is the marker for James and Malinda from 1865? Or was is erected much later, after David died?
One of the things I like to collect is memorial cabinet cards. Below are two cards for Charles W. Verder:
Having two different cards for the same person is something which I believe is very unusual. The one on the left is much more ornate and contains the full name, while the one on the right is more plain and uses only the first initial. If anyone else has ever seen an instance of different styles of card being produced for the same person, I would love to hear about it! Maybe it is not as unusual as I think it is.
I was out of town for a while and so have not had a chance to post. Now that I am home again, I will be able to keep up with more regular posting.
While I was gone, Gini Webb was kind enough to feature me in her ‘May I Introduce To You…’ series. Thank you, Gini, for the article!
For those who are interested, here is the link: http://www.geneabloggers.com/
One of the things I like about cemeteries is the art that can be found and the symbols which are used. The stone of Ruth Carter is one of my favorites.
HERE LYETH BURIED
THE BODY OF
RUTH CARTER
THE WIFE OF
THOMAS CARTER
AGED ABOUT 41 YEARS
DECEASED JANUARY
THE 26 1697/8
I like this stone for a few reasons. First is just the age of the stone. This is one of the oldest (but by no means the oldest) at the Old Granary Burying Ground in Boston, MA. There is a wonderful carving of flowers and an urn across the top of the stone. But the thing that really strikes me is the skeletons on the sides of the stone.
Skeletons were used on gravestones to symbolize life’s brevity. Here we see two different skeletons on the stone. The one on the left looks like he is smiling, while the one on the right appears sad.
Also notice the year of Ruth’s death. It is carved as 1697/8. This is not a mistake. The old Julian calendar was replaced by the more accurate Gregorian calendar in 1582. However, the British Empire did not recognize the change until 1752. When they did begin using the new Gregorian calendar, the first day of the year changed from March 1 to January 1. Therefore, any dates between January 1 and March 1 of any year between 1582 and 1752 would be represented by showing a “double year”, one for the old calendar and one for the new calendar. So Ruth died on January 26 1697 by the old Julian calendar, but January 26 1698 according to the new Gregorian calendar.
Deborah at The Sum Of All My Research gave me the “One Lovely Blog” award. To say I was surprised is an understatement. Thanks, Deborah, I really appreciate it.
There are rules which need to be followed, now that I have accepted the award. They are:
I am going to post this acceptance without the blogs right now, as this has been sitting in my drafts for a couple of days now and I need to get it out. I will follow-up with a special post on some of my favorite blogs.
Thank you again, Deborah! (and check out her blog – you’ll like it!)
A Grave Curiosity 