Tombstone Photo of the Week

Baxter Springs Cemetery

Have they always been there?

Why am I just noticing all the "rabbits" in the cemetery? Not the real ones but those left behind by family. Did my joining the GYR make me more aware of rabbits? Why did each person choose a rabbit?

Never doubt the will of one wanting to take a cemetery walk. If you have ever visited my neck of the woods you know how much the wind blows here. The gusts were over 30 mph today. All day! That is how I wound up one county over!

Will it survive?

On my journey today to find cemeteries marked on a Kansas DOT county map I discovered 2 were probably homestead burials that are now disappearing into the changing landscape around them.

This burial location is located in the middle of a section of land. The only access is on a private drive. Upon arriving I was shocked to see how close the new highway will be to these 2 graves. It will most likely find itself in the "ditch" area. Right now this little grove of trees and the only 2 headstones I could find are surrounded by a chain. I will certainly check on it as the highway progresses.

Buried here are Jacob and Maria Peters and Anna and Gerhard Peters.

The location is north of Arrowhead road between 6th and 7th streets. It is the private drive just west of the new highway 61 under construction. Arrowhead, 6th and 7th streets are unpaved roads.

Some things don't apply...

...when you are searching for a rural cemetery.

Do they?

All I could find were 2 visible headstones. Both were broken. One had the name Nettie Irons and the other looks like it might be for a Heinrich. It's in German.

These headstones are located on 7th Street about a 1/4 mile south of Arrowhead Road, on the east side of the road. They are right off the road.

Father's Grave

Today I took a few cemetery walks. I found it interesting that someone would carve "father's grave" onto a headstone. This was found in the McPherson Cemetery.

Headstone for Thomas Marquis

I also visited the N. Inman Cemetery and came across this headstone that has "Father and Mother's Grave" on the headstone.

Has anyone ever seen this on a headstone?

Headstone for John & Ruhamah Bridgens

Resting

What a beautiful stone.
Walnut Hill Cemetery

Anna & T. C. "Mack" Settle

Lot with a view

This picture doesn't reveal the view very well but it looks out over the open Kansas plains. It is a very peaceful resting place.

Murdock Cemetery

A Look Inside

I don't see many individual mausoleums where I live. So when I do find them I like to peek inside those that have windows in the door.

This one has a nice stained glass window. This cemetery has several.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery

Buried here is Winfield W. Watson. He was born in Indiana in 1848. He was a businessman, a wholesale grocer and known for two primary contributions to history involving non-business achievements. He was among the first to support the Good Roads cause in Kansas, a nation-wide movement seeking to improve country roads and establish a highway system. In 1911 he joined the Meridian Road Association, serving as President of the Kansas Division helping to finance the first markers for the gravel road that stretched from Winnipeg, Canada to Mexico City. The Meridian Highway is today largely the route of Highway 81 and the first road completed across Kansas. Watson also was the primary supporter and financial contributor to the building of Salina's Fox Watson Theatre. He was unable to attend the opening in 1931 due to the amputation of one of his legs. He died 10 months later.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery Historical Walk.

Unknown...

 ...at least to me.

It is headstones like this that leave me with many questions. It's possible the cemetery has names for this grave. It's one I visited an hour away.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery

Wanna Be GYR's

Cemetery Walks

Take a walk - see more photos online.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery
Lebanon Cemetery
Murdock Cemetery
Mt. Calvary Cemetery
Mt. Vernon Cemetery
St. Rose Cemetery
Walnut Hill Cemetery

GYR Carnival - Cause of Death

Alexander & Valentine Goodall, along with Joshua Crowther, lost their lives in a fishing expedition. The men had taken a day off from work with others and chose a fishing spot northeast of town [Salina, KS] at the junctions of the Smoky Hill and Saline Rivers. Joshua Goodall volunteered to swim a net across the river and fasten to the bank on the other side. It was thought he developed a cramp and began flailing for help. Royal Calkin, George Garvin and Alexander Goodall tried to help. Alexander became entangled in the net and Valentine Goodall tried to save him. All three drowned on May 27, 1871.

- Valentine left a wife and five children.
- Alexander left a wife and newborn baby.
- Elizabeth Crowther was left with her seven children. James Muir, a member of the fishing party and one of the five town founders for Salina, sold the widow an acre of his land for one dollar to offer aid.

Located in the same cemetery is the grave of Henry H. Morrison. His headstone states he died from bullet wounds he received August 27, 1899 at the battle of the Rio Grand.

I think the cause of death most often listed on a tombstone is when a person died in military service. Those I have found that listed other causes left me thinking about the grief of the family. How they felt it necessary to tell those of us to visit in the future how this person died.

Click on my label "Cause of Death" to see the other posts I have on this topic.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery

Tombstone Photo of the Week

Linwood Cemetery

The Boy in the Iron Coffin

William Taylor White - his body and iron coffin were lost for 150 years...

I read about this last year when it was published and would like to thank Tammi of Escape to the Silent Cities, for bringing it to my attention again. I told her that when I read it the first time I wanted to cry. I felt the same way in reading it again today. Here are a few links to read this incredible story.

Link 1

Link 2 with photo

Link 3

Link 4 with photo

Link 5 with photo

Link 6 with photos

This LINK has some amazing photos, including some from when William was found and his cenotaph.

There are countless other links out there on this amazing story.

THIS is why we do what we do. THIS is why we remember the dead. THIS is why we hunt for the lost. THIS is why we give the dead back their name. THIS is why we call them by name during our cemetery walks.

Tombstone Photo of the Week

W. L. Cooper
Fairview Cemetery

GYR or Bunny?

You decide.

Murdock Cemetery

Wireless in the cemetery

When in doubt...look it up!

Just before I met my news friends at the Walnut Hill Cemetery -
.

.

I needed to verify the location of a grave we were looking for. The cemetery we were visiting has the interment records online so I looked up what I needed to know.

Wireless in the cemetery. I could never have imagined this a few years back. Yeah technology!

Meet my new friends

I made some new friends at the cemetery today.

As I made my way down the row I noticed I had an audience.

 

I thought perhaps I'd spook them if I approached them and soon found out they were actually following me.

Hey lady, take my picture too!

Take mine first!

And as they left one turned to me and said "keep up the good work"

It's nice to be appreciated.

Walnut Hill Cemetery

Keep me...

...in loving remembrance.

Wildmead Cemetery

Last week I was working on verifying and photographing each section at Wildmead Cemetery in order to update an interment list that will be posted in the new kiosk. When I came to the grave of John Hinkle and read the simple epitaph it saddened me in several ways. One: the stone was broken. Two: it was stacked, almost uncaringly. Three: I wondered when was the last time someone visited him - remembered him. So, today I can do that for him.

Headstone ages

I often see headstones with ages listed in years, months & days. Why? A lot of times it will follow a death date. Why not provide both birth and death dates instead?
.

I Googled "age in years months and days" and one of the links took me to agecalc.net where I could put in my birthday to find out how old I am. I guess I picked a good day to try it as I came up with all 4's.

You are 44 years, 4 months and 4 days old.
You can round it off to 44 years.
You were born on Wednesday.
Your age in months is 532 months
Your age in weeks is 2313 weeks
Your age in days is 16196 days

How old are you?

Opening Graves in Potter's Field

Hutchinson News
7/16/1897
Page 6

I've blogged about Eastside Cemetery before. There are two areas within the cemetery considered potter's fields. The original section, aka city ground and another called county ground. The original section has very few marked graves.