Good Graveyard Reading

I just read the best books by Sarah Stewart Taylor. These stories are about a college professor whose speciality is gravestones, cemetery art and mourning jewelery.
Sweeney St. George, the red headed professor always ends up around a murder mystery that she solves, of course, and along the way teaches the reader about cemeteries.
What's not to love?

Maple Grove Cemetery, Valley Center, KS

It was freezing cold the day we saw this cemetery from the freeway and made a U turn to get to the gate. It is located Hwy I35, and 85th North. I was afraid the gate was locked, not that it would have stopped me, but Hubby yelled out the window "It is not locked, don't hop over it." Sure enough it was open so I went in and dashed around taking pictures of each grave.

When we got back to my sister's house we told her about the cemetery we "discovered." She told us that they no longer use it because everytime they would try to dig a new grave, somebody would already have it occupied. And there would not be a marker. The locals think what happened was during The Depression people would be buried there and there was no money for a marker. There is a cemetery map but many, many people are not on the map either. So they just gave up burying people there. I couldn't find independent confirmation of this story.

And genealogists wonder why they can't find their ancestors gravesite!!

You can find it transcribed at http://genealogytrails.com/kan/sedgwick/hostmapelcemetery.html

What a difference the years make!

Grave of Joe Dalcamo, 1909-1922

Sunnyslope Cemetery, Corona, CA

Photo on the left was taken 2010 by Diane S. Wright.

Photo on the right is courtesy of Corona Public Library, taken in 1922

The angel is not longer crowning the stone, but the rest of the family fills the family plot.

Hotel Cemetery, Fort Worth, Texas

Texas Historical Lanmark 1984

This cemetery is in a hotel parking lot. There are hedges around the cemetery and it is very pretty and well kept.

In 1861, Benjamin Patton Ayres (1801? - 1862) and his wife Emily (1811? - 1863) bought a 320-acre farm and set aside two acres on a hillside as a family cemetery. Ayres served as the second District Clerk of Tarrant County and helped organize the Fort Worth First Christian Church.
An unknown number of plots lie outside the fenced family plot. They include victims of spring fevers and frequent Trinity River floods. None of their fieldstones have survived.
NOTABLE BURIALS - William Alfred Sanderson - A native of England, Sanderson came to Texas in 1841. He obtained a Republic of Texas land grant and settled in Tarrant County with his wife, the former Isabella Frances Ayres. He soon established himself as a farmer and stock raiser. He was a charter member of the Fort Worth First Christian Church and Justice of the Peace and played a role in the relocation of the Tarrant County seat from Birdville to Fort Worth.

New Trinity Cemetery, Fort Worth, Texas

New Trinity Cemetery, Fort Worth Texas. This is a all black cemetery. It is not vandelized but neglected. When I got back to my computer I found Cemeteries of Tarrant County. This cemetery needs to be transcribed. Oh I wish I could stay here longer, I would love to do it. But I am on my way to Kansas tomorrow. There are so many neat cemeteries nearby to where I am staying.

Irish Gravestone for Tombstone Tuesday

Photo by Jerry from the Corona Genealogy Society.

I just love it when someone sends me a really interesting grave picture! Thank You, my friend.

And my new research assistant is...........

Just for fun, I tried some "wingding" research ideas. Before you say I don't have enough to do with my time look at this.

On ebay is a picture of Daniel W. Schmidt of Newton, Harvey County, Kansas. (2 pictures for sale for $30.00) On Find a Grave is the picture of his grave at Grace Hill Mennoite Church.

Just putting pieces together.

My new research assistant is....ebay!

Tombstone Tuesday, Archibald Brownlee

Archibald Brownlee was born 12 Jan 1795 and died 10 Sept 1853.

Archibald, son of Thomas and Martha (Shearer) Brownlee, was born on the farm in Buffalo township, Washington county. He was one of the first Abolitionists, and took an active part in smuggling slaves, being interested in the underground railway, which was made to assist the fugitive negro in escaping to Canada.

He is buried in the South Buffalo Cemetery in Washington, PA.

Tombstone Tuesday, Amos Walton

Amos Walton (1750-1827) is buried at the North Ten Mile Cemetery in Washington, PA. He is buried in an old section behind the Baptist Church.

He served in the Revoultionary War in Capt. Abner Howell's Mitilia. He also did frequent tours with the Frontier Rangers.