I've passed this cemetery on my way to the grocery store ever since 1975. Yesterday I decided to turn up the narrow gravel road and have a look.
It's a beautiful, peaceful spot.
Some stones are hard to read. . .
Some have fallen over . . .
The road from Marshall to Hot Springs is just below . . .
As always, there are so many children . . .
A few brief months or years . . .
No name -- just Infant . . .
Bessie was three years old . . .
This below is just a piece of fieldstone -- but someone worked hard to carve a name and dates.
It's hard to decipher -
MARR
EDTOM ????
???
BORN ???
DIED OCTOBER 8 185?
So many stories . . .
21 comments:
Was Ramsey the predominant name? I'm curious if you could read the 16th one, that's laying down? Looks like this place is very well kept. Wonder if I have any family buried there?
I'm interested to know, Vicki, would you say that there's a discernable difference in atmosphere between this cemetery and any that you may have visited during your time on UK soil?
Such a nice tribute to the passage of time. The place seems to fit all the thoughts which could emerge while visiting this open cemetery.
I'm glad you went up that road and shared your findings with us. Some stones are so simple, yet some quite elaborate. Its really kind of amazing.
Absolutely fascinating. It is said there are seven family cemeteries in our subdivision, which was a Cassius Clay ( the cousin of Henry Clay) farm ( Bull's Hell) and then tenant farms until it became a subdivision. I've found two.
And at this time of year, the dedicated, gently moving parade begins as relatives visit to pay their respects. My neighbor told me two days ago that traffic to the cemetery had increased several-fold. Here in Appalachia, people don't forget. Honoring the past is a firm tradition. Lovely photos and sentiment.
Elora
Ms.A -- Lots of Ramseys, also Plemmons. I enlarged that 16th one and still can't read it -- I'll have to go back and have a closer look.
Martin -- Yes and no -- the cemeteries I visited in the UK were all in churchyards and all so very,very old. Here in my rural county, while some churches have graves around them, there are many small family cemeteries on private land. And very often, they're up on a hill, like this -- a lonelier feeling than those I saw in the UK.
I do love old cemeteries. My son and his boy scout troop planted flags on the graves of veterans - mostly WWI & II - last week for Memorial Day, and I always wonder about lives gone by, who they were, what they did.
i enjoy visiting the graveyards...i grew up with one int he back yard...we have one of those tree stump ones here....its th ones of children that still me the most you know...
Vicki, I think the reason so many cemeteries are on hill tops is because those spots were less valuable for row crops.
Beautiful. Thanks!
@wayfarin' Stranger -- and well away from water sources -- for hygienic reasons.
I visited a lot of cemeteries like this when we were in Maine. I used to call them "Tomb With a View."
Yes indeed, so sad that children die young sometimes. Life is so fragile and so precious. We really shouldn't take it for granted as we do oftentimes.
I like to visit churchyards near where I live. Each year when I go I seem to see more names that I recognise!
Like you, I always note the cemeteries. What a hard life those folks had in these mountains.
One of my greatest disappointments in life is that the grave of my 5th great-grandfather, who fought in the Revolutionary War for a regiment in South Carolina and was then buried in southern Indiana - has been lost to time. We know the graveyard it's in but not the location of the grave. I would give anything to be able to decorate it for Memorial Day.
Amy, don't give up. We recently spent a day looking for my husband's grandparents, great-grands and great greats with success, but weeks later found multiple others going back even further in the same cemetery. Keep asking and checking.
Lynne in GA
There are always so many children, so poignant. We take so much for granted now in western society.
I wonder if the hand-engraved stone says "Married to ..."?
The genealogy room at the central library has a collection of cemetery books compiled by Jan Plemmons. She did much of her work in the late 90's and early 00's.
Might get some help there - although it is fun to speculate....
Brilliant, Kathleen! -- I'm going to have to go back to the cemetery and to the library to see what I can find out.
It is interesting to me to see how we all bury our dead and how they are marked. The history of the living declares their fate on the stones of those they have lost. It is still the same today.
Post a Comment