Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

MARY CRAWFORD I recently took my daughter to Loyola for the start of the fall semester. Close to the campus, is the Catholic Calvary Cemetery in Evanston. I stopped by to take pictures in the cemetery and was reminded of … Continue reading →

According to the Hamilton Daily News, Hamilton, Ohio, September 28, 1929 edition, under the headline, “Illinois Erects Shaft to Teacher Heroine”, the article recounted the story about the horrific and powerful tornado that swept through central Illinois on April 19, … Continue reading →

Nellie Verne Walker was an Iowa sculptor who gained fame for her monumental works such as the statue she created of Chief Keokuk, the Lanning Fountain, and The Lincoln Trail State Memorial.  The Lincoln Trail State Memorial was designed in 1937 … Continue reading →

Roger Williams Butterfield April 23, 1844 – July 17, 1920 Lenora Drake Butterfield October 25, 1849 – October 30, 1920 In the north end of the Oakhill Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the Butterfield Celtic cross marking the graves … Continue reading →

Johannes Decker 1839 – 1910 Ruth Decker 1840 – 1925 Lila Decker 1869 – 1872 Baby Decker 1875 Often legends that spring up about gravestones and monuments in cemeteries are born of fantasy and imagination.  One such example is the … Continue reading →

1866 MYRON LESLIE LEARNED 1928 1873 MARY POPPLETON LEARNED 1960 A MAN SHALL BE AS AN HIDING PLACE FROM THE WIND AND A COVERT FROM THE TEMPEST AS RIVERS OF WATER IN A DRY PLACE AS THE SHADOW OF A … Continue reading →

DELOS F. DIGGINS May 16, 1852 Sept. 7, 1907 ESTHER C. DIGGINS May 31, 1858 Oct. 19, 1915 “THAT BEST PORTION OF A GOOD MAN’S LIFE—HIS LITTLE, UNREMBERED ACTIONS OF KINDNESS AND LOVE.” In an article from the “The Lumber … Continue reading →

MITCHELL WILLIAM WHITTIER MITCHELL JUNE 3, 1854 – NOVEMBER 8, 1915 ELLA YOST MITCHELL JULY 2, 1855 – JUNE 11, 1945 A MAN SHALL BE AS THE SHADOW OF A GREAT ROCK IN A WEARY LAND William Whittier Mitchell was … Continue reading →

THAT BEST PORTION OF A GOOD MAN’S LIFE: HIS NAMELSS UNREMEMBERED ACTS OF KINDNESS AND LOVE  Charles Webster Shippey was a real estate dealer who was struck down by a locomotive killing him just a few feet away from the … Continue reading →

The Protestant Reformation spawned many different religious sects, including splinter groups from sects that had already broken away from mainstream Protestant churches.  One such group was known as The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing.  This group became … Continue reading →