Difficult Decisions

Names: James: 1834 - 1892; Eugenia: 1853 - 1939 Background: Based on the gravestone, James served with honor in the Civil War. In 1870, Eugenia would have been 17 and James 36. Recovery from the war was still in full swing. One rarely discussed side effect of the war was the limited availability of single …

Wedding Jitters

Name: Louis and Betty Dates: Louis: 1927-2000; Betty: 1925 - 2001; Married in 1953 Inspired Fictional Story:: Betty woke up with the distinct feeling that something important was happening today. She laid still a moment, staring at the wooden beams in the ceiling before a slow smile stretched across her face. Then a moment later, …

More Than a Car

Name: John and R. Lurene Dates: John: 1919-2003; R.: 1921 - 2010 Note: Served in U.S. Army in WWII and received a purple heart Inspired Fictional Story, placed in the late 1930s: John paused in his labor to look up at the passing car. A 1933 Pierce Silver Arrow. He grimaced, leaning down to scoop …

Fighting Fires

Name: Donald and Brenda Dates: Donald: 1934-2000; Brenda: 1951 - Present Married: 1976 Donald was a life member of a volunteer Fire Department and served as a fire chief from 1970 - 1976. He married in 1976 and moved to a new area with a new career, and I can't believe that is a coincidence. …

Letters From Home

Name: William and Jane Dates: William: 1925-2007; Jane: 1930 - Present Inscription: SGT - US Army Air Forces. World War II. Air Medal. William would have been 14 when WWII started, and Annie would have been 9. My guess is that William enlisted as soon as he turned 18, though he certainly could have been …

For Better or Worse

Name: Henry and Annie Dates: Henry: 1859-1936; Annie: 1873 -1936 Henry and Annie were 14 years apart. They survived World War I and most of the Great Depression, only to die in 1936. They were both well advanced in age, past the expected life expectancy at 77 and 63, respectively. One has to wonder if …

A Minor Miracle

Name: Minor Dates: March 6, 1869 – March 17, 1869 Epitaph: “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” This gravestone was set up like a monument. And, despite it being 150 years later, the dates and epitaph were clear. This stone must have been well-loved. Can you imagine how much those parents must have …

A Family Picnic

7.15.2020 Post: There’s a family plot in the graveyard with the last name Kirkpatrick. Setting aside my preconceived notions about that name thanks to Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters, I feel like it might have been a really fun family. C. Kirkpatrick was born in 1907 and died in 1978, while E. Kirkpatrick was born …

A Dance to the Future

July 15, 2020 Post: It was a large gravestone that caught my attention this time—more of a tomblike structure. Normally I go for less obtrusive ones, the small headstones I feel might be forgotten, but this one is so lovely because of the epitaph carved on the side. You were the treasure in my hand, …