Dirge for a Young Girl

Arlington Cemetery
Reno County, KS

I photographed this little marker on a previous visit because I love finding the zinc monuments on my cemetery walks. You can find other posts on White Bronze and zink by using the labels on this post.

I recently had an opportunity to visit the cemetery again and decided to use my glove as a reference of size.

When I find any stone with an epitaph I tried to find the source: Scripture, poem, song, etc.

This epitaph is from the poem "Dirge for a Young Girl" by James Thomas Fields. {source}

Underneath the sod, low lying,
 Dark and drear,

Sleepeth one who left, in dying,
 Sorrow here.

Yes, they 're ever bending o'er her,
 Eyes that weep;
Forms, that to the cold grave bore her,
 Vigils keep.

When the summer moon is shining
 Soft and fair,
Friends she loved in tears are twining
 Chaplets there.

Rest in peace, thou gentle spirit,
 Throned above;
Souls like thine with God inherit
 Life and love!

Frank Bick

 

Beneath the silent tomb

In remembrance of
Little
Oscar R. Carden
Son of
Mr. & Mrs. S. C. Carden
Born
Oct 30, 1901
Died
Dec 2, 1909

Godwin Cemetery

Those little lips so sweet to kiss
Are closed forever now
Those sparkling eyes that shone so bright
Beneath that pearly brow
That little heart that beat so high
Free from all care and gloom
Are hidden now from those he loved
Beneath the silent tomb

Although he sleeps

William H. Lassiter
Feb 6, 1873 - Jan 25, 1918
Ladonia Baptist Church Cemetery

Although he sleeps
his memory doth live.
And cheering comfort
to his mourners give.
He followed virtue as
his truest guide.
Lived as a christian -
as a christian died.

Life has flavor

Life has flavor the protected will never know

Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West

As an Army Mom with a son that recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, I was moved by this epitaph. Our soldiers that serve in war carry many burdens.

This is a fairly new cemetery. The first interment was in 2004. I was surprised however, to find a small and very old cemetery in a clump of trees. I hope I can find out a little more about it.

Goodbye

I want to know more about the young James Bailey buried at Eastside Cemetery.

Goodbye
James Bailey
Died
Mar 12, 1879:
Aged
19 Yrs 1 Mo 14 Ds

His death pre-dates the creation of the cemetery so I am left to wonder if he was buried in the original cemetery in the neighborhood of 17th and Monroe or if he was an "ancient" burial and removed from a homestead or "railroad" lands. I've seen the term "ancient burial" on interments where bodies were removed from farms and re-buried at Eastside and a few newspaper articles telling folks to remove their dead from the railroad lands and bury in a cemetery.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the first few years of records for the cemetery are lost.

At the bottom of his stone is a christian doxology:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost

At Wikipedia we can learn more about this doxology:
 
"Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow"Another doxology in widespread use in English, in some Protestant traditions commonly referred to simply as "The Doxology" and in others as “The Common Doxology”, is "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow". The words are thus:

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

This hymn was written in 1674 by Thomas Ken, an Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Church of England. This hymn was originally the final verse of two longer hymns entitled "Awake, My Soul, and With the Sun", and "Glory to thee, my God, this night", written by Ken for morning and evening worship, respectively.

The Joy and Pride

Abilene Cemetery

Thomas H.
son of
Thomas & Esther
Raines

born
April 17, 1849
died
Dec 18, 1880

Through life unselfish
affectionate and helpful
The joy and pride of his
family. The comfort and stay
of his parents and beloved
by his friends who place
this stone to his memory.

More information online here:

http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=151710131

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: I'm REALLY getting tired of my scheduled posts changing to drafts. Argggh!

Men only are great...

...as they are kind.

Quote of Elbert Hubbard: american writer, publisher, artist and publisher.

 

Abilene Cemetery


John Edwin Hilton
1849 - 1909
Men only are great,
as they are kind.

The day I met you

How sweet!

Green Valley Cemetery

Early Plucked...

...is Early Bliss

Ebenezer Cemetery


John Burr
Son of
J.F. & S. A. Smith
Died Jan 20, 1901
Aged - 2 Yr, 4 Mo 1Da



Libel in an Epitaph

This is one where I would love to know the outcome.

Libel in an Epitaph

Novel Cause of a Damage Suit at Dresden, Tenn.

Memphis lawyers have brought suit in Dresden, Weakly county, Tenn., for damages for defamation of character alleged to be contained in an epitaph cut in a tombstone. Such a cause of action is probably unparalleled; nevertheless the wording on this tombstone is such as is seldom seen in a graveyard.

The parties reside near Martin, Weakly county. In December, 1896, L. B. Cate was shot and killed by Bill Penick. Penick was tried on the charge of murder and was defended by the same lawyers now acting for him in this civil suit. He was acquitted on the plea of self-defense.

The parents of the deceased thought to honor his memory by erecting a suitable tombstone over his grave and by having cut in the marble a legend setting forth the circumstances of his taking off. The following is the epitaph:

L. B., son of J. C. and L. J. Cate, born April 10, 1870. Married Millie Freeman December 21, 1887; was shot and killed by Bill Penick December 11, 1896; caused by Penick swearing a lie on Cate’s wife. Aged 26 years, 8 months and 1 day.

It is alleged by Penick that this was exposed to public gaze in the yard of the tombstone-maker for quite awhile before it was erected over the grave of deceased Cate. The complainant sues both the sculptor and the father of the deceased for $10,000 damages.

The Hutchinson News 10/20/1896

Religion filled her soul

Bean Cemetery

Eunice J. McNutt
d. May 21, 1890
68y 6m 7d

Religion filled her soul with peace,
Upon a dying bed;
Let faith look up,
Let sorrow cease.
She lives with Christ o'er head.

The soul has now taken its flight
To mansions of glory above
To mingle with angels of light
And dwell in the kingdom of love

Dearest Brother

Kemper Cemetery

Dearest brother thou hast left us
Here thy loss we deeply feel
But 'tis God that has bereft us
He can all our sorrows heal

Watch this sleeping dust

In Memory of

Mary E.
wife of
John J. Ryan
Died June 29, 1878
Ages 31 years & 13 days

May she rest in peace

May Angels kind be inclined

to watch this sleeping dust

till God above wraped in pure love

will come to raise the just

then may she rise in sweet surprise

in glory radiant rise may she

be blest with peace and rest

for everlasting days

Erected by her husband John J. Ryan

Located in St. Patrick's 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.

Safely anchored

Time changes all

I've been looking through my cemetery photos to select one to research. One of my projects has been to photograph the cemeteries in the county where I live. There are 54 of them and 34 have been completely photographed. Several are very large and so I imagine it will be many moons before I finish, given the time here on earth.

The rest of them have been partially photographed during my visits. Often I will return home and find I have duplicate headstone photos, taken on multiple visits. The two photos I am sharing reinforce the importance of this project to me.

The first one was taken in January 2006 and the second one in August 2009. Look at the difference 3 1/2 years have made.

This person died a long time ago, less than a decade after this county was established. Many did not receive a headstone in those early years. She was lucky. Her resting place is at the edge of the cemetery and her stone faces into the trees.





Lone Star Cemetery
Susanah Hodson
9/25/1789 - 1/30/1879

Safely anchored in the harbor of eternal rest

What a beautiful epitaph.

It's possible that many of the photos we take today may be the only record tomorrow. I am working to make all of my photos available online in my Picasa albums. As I think about the options available for sharing online I ask myself how can I be sure they will still be there in 10 years or more. I'm not sure I have answered that question.

Do you have online albums? If so, where?
If not, what do you plan to do with all of your cemetery photos?
Have you done something different?

Please share in the comments section.

His face is hid under the coffin lid

Charlie Troy rests at Bean Cemetery. Three sides of his headstone were inscribed.

.

(1) Charlie, son of B. F. & Anna Troy. Died Dec. 10, 1885, Aged 17 Yrs. 8 Mos. 10 Ds

.

(2) In blooming youth he was snatched away. In him we took pride.

Gone before us, oh our brother to the spirit land.

.

(3) I know his face is hid

under the coffin lid

closed are his eyes

cold is his forehead fair

my hand that marble felt

o're it in prayer I knelt

yet my heart whispers

that he is not there

.

If you Google "his face is hid under the coffin lid" you will find reference to a poem entitled "My Child". I also found it recorded in the book "The Home Book of Verse, American and English, 1580 - 1918."

.

A quick check on Ancestry.com revealed a family tree with Charlie listed. It gave his birth date as 3/30/1868 and his parents as Benjamin Franklin and Anne Ramsey Troy.