Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

J. T. Weybrecht January 27 1829 – January 31, 1895 The elaborate Victorian unpolished granite monument for John Theobold Weybrecht in the Alliance City Cemetery, in Alliance, Ohio, is one of the tallest in the cemetery and speaks to the … Continue reading →

A.L. JONES RUTH A. JONES BORN OCT. 22, 1827, MARRIED OCTOBER 2, 1849, DEPARTED THIS LIFE OCT. 29, 1878, AGED 51 YRS. & 7 DAYS. No other war was like the American Civil War for Americans because every sailor and … Continue reading →

Stephen Neal June 11, 1817 – June 23, 1905 The large, polished granite column topped with a bronze bust in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Lebanon, Indiana, commemorates the life of Stephen Neal.  Neal was a prominent citizen of Lebanon, … Continue reading →

The Benevolent Protective Order of Elks (B. P. O. E.), one of the many fraternal organizations in the United States, was originally a drinking club called the Jolly Corks founded in 1866 by a group of actors, who evidently liked … Continue reading →

ORSON PHELPS BORN DEC. 17, 1805, DIED MARCH 15, 1870 — CALISTA MARIA TALBOT, DIED JANUARY 21, 1898 — ORSON J. BORN JULY 13, 1847, DIED MAR. 20, 1852 — MARIA LOUISE BORN JAN. 15, 1849, DIED JUNE 10, 1871. … Continue reading →

Isaiah Sellers 1802 – 1864 It seems that in many social gatherings, one of the first questions people ask one another is, “What do you do?”  It is as if a person’s occupation is who they are.  And, in fact, … Continue reading →

Mystery solved thanks to three readers who have great detective skills.  Chris, Mary, and a reader only known by the alpha—letter combination “gsbo3632” jumped in and found pins on eBay for sale that gave the clue to the society known … Continue reading →

GEO. F. VAN DEUSEN 1887 – 1910 The metal marker next to the George Van Deusen gravestone in the Woodland Cemetery in Jackson, Michigan, is a mystery.  The handshake appears to signify membership in a brotherhood, but I can’t unravel … Continue reading →

IDA L. BROWN WIFE OF J. D. BROWN BORN DEC. 10, 1858 DIED APR. 11, 1888 BLEST WITH A TEMPER WHOSE UNCLODED RAY, MADE TOMORROW AS PLEASANT AS TODAY The Riverside Cemetery, on a hillside just outside the city of … Continue reading →

For me, the most poignant and tender gravestones are those for children.  The loss of a child is devastating, a loss that even time cannot heal.  And, many cemeteries have special sections specifically for child or infant burials—sometimes labeled “Babyland” or … Continue reading →