Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

FRANK E. Son of J. C. & H. F. SHY DIED Oct. 29, 1879 We Loved Our Boy Riverside Cemetery and Fairmont Cemetery in Denver vied for the title of premier burial ground for Denver’s elite.  Riverside, however, was the … Continue reading →

Lester H. Drake Born July 31, 1822, at Dansville, New York Died March 17, 1889, at Denver, Colorado Eliza A. Wheelock Drake Born January 8, 1826, New York Died August 4, 1916, Chicago, Illinois Nestled in the center of the … Continue reading →

My friend, neighbor, and serious reader of http://www.gravelyspeaking.com visited her daughter in Decatur, Georgia.  While there she and her family visited a small cemetery in the area that was established circa 1836.  While there, they played Graveyard Bingo! In my … Continue reading →

Vatter John N. Raithel 1821 – 1889 Mutter Barbara Kuhn Raithel 1827- 1887 Margaret Raithel 1858 – 1906 Marie Raithel 1863 – 1935 George Raithel 1848 – 1873 RAITHEL There is a small 19-acre cemetery, the Wunder’s Cemetery, in Chicago, … Continue reading →

Addison Elton Baker March 24,1818 – January 20, 1884 Charlotte Baker November 19, 1820 – July 10, 1892 Standing proud in the dusty Riverside Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, is a life-sized replica of an Arabian horse, named Ali. The horse … Continue reading →

I had a reader tell me to play bingo properly you need different cards. I have played bingo but it was a somewhat traumatic affair and a very very long time ago. We had a game going one winter in … Continue reading →

I created a fun way to introduce cemetery symbolism to the uninitiated with this game of Graveyard Bingo. The bingo card has 22 common symbols and a couple types of gravestones like the tree-stump gravestone or a marker made of … Continue reading →

The polished granite MAY – WASSELL – GIBB Mausoleum in the Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas, has a beautiful stained-glass window depicting a brightly-colored angel sitting next to an empty tomb.  The ribbon at the bottom of the scene … Continue reading →

BASEL TROMBLY October 25, 1825 October 27, 1896 In a shaded area of the Fort Meigs Cemetery in Perrysburg, Ohio, Basel Trombly’s limestone grave marker replicates an intricately carved log cabin.  Basel Trombly’s gravestone has several markings and symbols that … Continue reading →

FATHER JOHN BURTON HENWOOD FEB. 15, 1855, NOV. 4, 1925. The white marble segmented-top gravestone of John Burton Henwood in the Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas, displays a caliper. Perhaps this is a nod to his profession–but what profession … Continue reading →