Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

Profusion of Symbols

JULIET. Wife of ELISHA RODGERS Died June 8, 1849: AGED 29 ys 7m & 8 ds. I recently went looking for the Upper Mound Cemetery just to the West of Covington, Indiana.  Even though I located it on the map, … Continue reading →

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INRI

In Covington, Indiana, there are two small cemeteries at the North edge of town—Prescott Grove Cemetery and St. Joseph’s Cemetery.  The two are on the same plot of land but separated by a common road that leads into the cemeteries … Continue reading →

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The Gift of a Pineapple

North Bend, Ohio, is where the tomb of William Henry Harrison is located across from the Congressional Green Cemetery which draws the odd history buff to its grounds in search of the ninth president’s grave.  As a president, Harrison is … Continue reading →

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Memorializing Victorian Children

The gravestones of children are the ones that are uniquely poignant.  It is not natural for  parents to have a child die before they do—children are the future.  The loss is devastating and leaves the parents bereft.  A hole is … Continue reading →

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A Small Stairway to Heaven

There is a weathered marble gravestone with the words, “Children of H. A. and S. A. Smith” carved into the plinth.  The small white marble gravestone is in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Washington, Indiana.  Unfortunately, the marble is so … Continue reading →

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Tragedy at Winter Quarters

The Pioneer Mormon Cemetery in Florence, now a northern suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, was not far from where I grew up.  And depending on how I went to or came home from elementary school, the tiny cemetery was on my … Continue reading →

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Tribute to a Fisherman

EMIL AMBOS Born April 22, 1844 Died March 26, 1898 Along one of the winding avenues in the serene and park-like Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio, is the statue of Emil Ambos, a well-regarded and celebrated bon vivant in … Continue reading →

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Grave Marker Erector Set

DR. WILLIAM HANNA DIED JANUARY 8, 1878 AGED 33 YRS. 9 MOS. 22 DAYS HUSBAND & FATHER, WE MISS THEE. WE SHALL NOT MEET AGAIN, GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHICH DIE IN THE LORD. The tallest … Continue reading →

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A Bow and an Arrow

JAKOB ZONDLER Geb. J. 28, Dec. 1829 Gest. J. 25. Marz 1873 Aged 43 Jahre 3 mo. & 27 Tag. The small rounded-top tablet of Jakob Zondler, a German American buried in the Congressional Green Cemetery in North Bend, Ohio, … Continue reading →

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Idealized Beauty

DOMENICO CAFFERATA FATHER 1870 – 1968 MARIA T. CAFFERATA MOTHER 1878 – 1952 The white marble gravestone for the Cafferata Family in the New St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio, depicts a mourning figure draped across the top of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Saving Graces | 2 Comments