Comments for Gravely Speaking

Comment on Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling by Evangelina Burt

Evangelina Burt — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:14:15 +0000

Moseley Hall was also home to the inventor of the Gatling gun, Richard Jordan Gatling. He moved to Indianapolis in 1854 and patented his famous machine gun in 1862.

Comment on A lover’s embrace–tree-stump tombstone style by war of the green lanterns

war of the green lanterns — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:26:22 +0000

Pretty! This was a really wonderful post.
Many thanks for providing this information.

Comment on Corliss Gets a Bath by gravelyspeaking

gravelyspeaking — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:05:20 +0000

I do belong to the organization and the Indiana Chapter of the Association for Gravestone Studies. The meetings are held twice a year and the organizers always have a great program.

Many large cemeteries have a “friends of the cemetery” association that works with the cemetery to raise money for the restoration, repair, and preservation gravestones and cemetery grounds. Smaller cemeteries count on volunteers like Beth Santore in Somerset, Ohio, to lead other volunteers and activists for those kinds of good works. She and her legions of like-minded volunteers have cleaned up many cemeteries. She has also led workshops for other enthusiasts who are just getting started.

Comment on Corliss Gets a Bath by Mary Kim Schreck

Mary Kim Schreck — Sat, 04 May 2013 11:00:18 +0000

Do you belong to the Indiana Association for Gravestone Studies Chapter? What interesting meetings those must be…the difference in the two pictures of Corliss are remarkable…do most cemeteries take it upon themselves to clean monuments? Do they charge the owners’ families?

Comment on Darling Maggie by Bernadine Lott

Bernadine Lott — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:12:57 +0000

This case study will attribute the breadth of this grave statue’s appeal to its success in combining three elements—popular Victorian children’s culture, an artistic pedigree originating in classical sculpture, and overlapping Judeo-Christian iconographies. This combination of elements resulted in an ambiguous image that each viewer could interpret from his or her particular perspective. It established a broad underlying meaning in which the scallop shell served as a symbol of transformation and the sleeping baby as a pure and innocent soul, while the incongruous scale and juxtaposition of these images created a fantasy context far removed from the realities of pain and disease, the permanence of death, or the inevitability of decaying flesh. In an era of doting attention to children as the Victorian family’s treasure trove, and the ever-present threat of that treasure’s theft by death, the analogy of the dead child’s soul to a pearl ensconced in a protective shell, journeying into the hereafter, provided consolation to the bereaved of various faiths.

Comment on Tacie Hannah Fargo by krocksauce

krocksauce — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:25:07 +0000

Gorgeous art. The date of death is a little puzzling. December 34th?

Comment on Darling Maggie by Renet Bender

Renet Bender — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:43:34 +0000

This one is really moving.

Comment on The Best Woman Ever by Aliya

Aliya — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:52:01 +0000

Comment on About by David Hoadley

David Hoadley — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 11:50:26 +0000

I replied separately through email, but belatedly thought I should also answer via this medium. Yes, you may use any of those tombstone images that you wish. I will also try to attach my longer email response below. — You are welcome to use the cemetery monument photos on my Facebook page. Since last August, I have made several trips to Indiana from my Falls Church, VA home and visited 81 cemeteries from Richmond to Plainfield and Logansport to Bedford, looking for examples of Hoadley tree-trunk monuments. I have taken 180 digital photos of that style and examined at least 30 more on the Internet and on the Find A Grave website. This is pursuant to writing a 40-50 page study w/photos and locations of Hoadley carvings. When complete in a few weeks, it will be presented to the family and a couple of small museums in Indiana. My grandfather, Sylvester Hoadley, was the best carver of the five brothers, who ran a small monument shop in Gosport around the turn of the century. The information below adds to the brief Facebook comments, and you are welcome to use them. The carvings believed to be Hoadleys have one (H) or if definitely their work, two (HH), based on the current study. I have also identified 12 others of their monuments that are not shown here.

If you do use some of these photos in your handout, I would appreciate receiving a copy at

David Hoadley
3415 Slade Court
Falls Church, VA 22042-3918

1 of 23 (H) Perry Shelburn, 1857-1894; Mt. Carmel Cemetery (west of Stinesville), Monroe Co., IN.
2 of 23 (HH) Montgomery Taylor, 1823-1891, and Mary Taylor, 1833-1912; Gosport Cemerery, Owen Co., IN.
3 of 23 …….Baby monument in the Yellowwood Cemetery (East of Bloomington), Brown, Co., IN.
4 of 23 (HH) Marcus Smith, 1815-1897, and Melinda Smith, 1815-1895; Gosport Cemetery, Owen Co., IN.
..5 of 23 ……..Close-up of previous monument with a hand reaching for a biscuit, offered by Malinda, symbol of a generous wife.
..6 of 23 ……..Another close-up of a hand reaching for a Bible, on top of other books for the avid reader.
7 of 23 (HH) Levi Beem, 1803-1888, and Sarah Beem, 1807-1889; Riverside Cemetery, Spencer, Owen Co., IN. Monument may be their tallest, at roughly 9-11 feet. A similar Hoadley monument, at 9 feet, sold for $72 in 1887.
..8 of 23 ………Close-up of previous monument with spinning wheel, showing Sarah’s industriousness.
9 of 23 ……William Willard, 1845-1888; Mt. Carmel Cemetery (west of Stinesville), Monroe Co., IN.
..10 of 23 ……..Close-up of previous monument, showing a mallet.
11 of 23 ……Monument in Yellowwood Cemetery (east of Bloomington), Brown Co., IN.
12 of 23 ……Presbyterian Cemetery (?), Ellettsville, Monroe Co., IN.
13-16 of 23 …Monuments in Rose Hill or Valhalla Cemeteries in Bloomington, IN.
17 of 23 (HH) William L. Taylor, 1850-1917, and Charles L. Taylor, 1888-1913; Gosport Cemetery, Owen Co., IN.
18 of 23 ……Monument and close-up in Yellowwood Cemetery (east of Bloomington) Brown Co., IN.
..19 of 23 …….Close-up of previous monument.
20 of 23 ……John R. Mayse, 1838-1896, and Mary Mayse, 1836-….; Old Dutch Community Church (south of Stinesville), Monroe Co., IN.
21 of 23 (HH) James Starnes, 1827-1902, and Hannah Starnes, 1837-1890, and Alvin Howard, 185..-193.., and Sarah Howard, 1818-….; Methodist Cemetery, Monroe Co., IN.
..22 of 23 ……..Close-up of previous monument.
23 of 23 (HH) Orris Dickerson, 1806-1901 and Mary Dickerson, 1818-1892; Riverside Cemetery, Spencer, Owen Co., IN. This may be the best example of Hoadley twin-tree trunk carving. I believe that family was setting the pace for this design in Indiana, from 1885-1903, regarding creativity and quality.

- – - David Hoadley (74, retired EPA employee, amateur genealogist and storm chaser)

Comment on About by David

David — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:08:04 +0000

body{font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;color:black;}p{margin:0px;}You are welcome to use the cemetery monument photos on my Facebook page. Since last August, I have made several trips to Indiana from my Falls Church, VA home and visited 81 cemeteries from Richmond to Plainfield and Logansport to Bedford, looking for examples of Hoadley tree-trunk monuments. I have taken 180 digital photos of that style and examined at least 30 more on the Internet and on the Find A Grave website. This is pursuant to writing a 40-50 page study w/photos and locations of Hoadley carvings. When complete in a few weeks, it will be presented to the family and a couple of small museums in Indiana. My grandfather, Sylvester Hoadley, was the best carver of the five brothers, who ran a small monument shop in Gosport around the turn of the century. The information below adds to the brief Facebook comments, and you are welcome to use them. The carvings believed to be Hoadleys have one (H) or if definitely their work, two (HH), based on the current study. I have also identified 12 others of their monuments that are not shown here.If you do use some of these photos in your handout, I would appreciate receiving a copy at David Hoadley3415 Slade CourtFalls Church, VA 22042-39181 of 23 (H) Perry Shelburn, 1857-1894; Mt. Carmel Cemetery (west of Stinesville), Monroe Co., IN.2 of 23 (HH) Montgomery Taylor, 1823-1891, and Mary Taylor, 1833-1912; Gosport Cemerery, Owen Co., IN.3 of 23 …….Baby monument in the Yellowwood Cemetery (East of Bloomington), Brown, Co., IN.4 of 23 (HH) Marcus Smith, 1815-1897, and Melinda Smith, 1815-1895; Gosport Cemetery, Owen Co., IN…5 of 23 ……..Close-up of previous monument with a hand reaching for a biscuit, offered by Malinda, symbol of a generous wife. ..6 of 23 ……..Another close-up of a hand reaching for a Bible, on top of other books for the avid reader.7 of 23 (HH) Levi Beem, 1803-1888, and Sarah Beem, 1807-1889; Riverside Cemetery, Spencer, Owen Co., IN. Monument may be their tallest, at roughly 9-11 feet. A similar Hoadley monument, at 9 feet, sold for $72 in 1887…8 of 23 ………Close-up of previous monument with spinning wheel, showing Sarah’s industriousness.9 of 23 ……William Willard, 1845-1888; Mt. Carmel Cemetery (west of Stinesville), Monroe Co., IN…10 of 23 ……..Close-up of previous monument, showing a mallet.11 of 23 ……Monument in Yellowwood Cemetery (east of Bloomington), Brown Co., IN.12 of 23 ……Presbyterian Cemetery (?), Ellettsville, Monroe Co., IN.13-16 of 23 …Monuments in Rose Hill or Valhalla Cemeteries in Bloomington, IN. 17 of 23 (HH) William L. Taylor, 1850-1917, and Charles L. Taylor, 1888-1913; Gosport Cemetery, Owen Co., IN.18 of 23 ……Monument and close-up in Yellowwood Cemetery (east of Bloomington) Brown Co., IN…19 of 23 …….Close-up of previous monument.20 of 23 ……John R. Mayse, 1838-1896, and Mary Mayse, 1836-….; Old Dutch Community Church (south of Stinesville), Monroe Co., IN.21 of 23 (HH) James Starnes, 1827-1902, and Hannah Starnes, 1837-1890, and Alvin Howard, 185..-193.., and Sarah Howard, 1818-….; Methodist Cemetery, Monroe Co., IN…22 of 23 ……..Close-up of previous monument.23 of 23 (HH) Orris Dickerson, 1806-1901 and Mary Dickerson, 1818-1892; Riverside Cemetery, Spencer, Owen Co., IN. This may be the best example of Hoadley twin-tree trunk carving. I believe that family was setting the pace for this design in Indiana, from 1885-1903, regarding creativity and quality.- – - David Hoadley (74, retired EPA employee, amateur genealogist and storm chaser)