Category Archives: Uncategorized

Glass Angel

Posted on December 11, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

In David Robinson’s book, Saving Graces, mourning figures from some of the most famous cemeteries in Europe depict sculptures of beautiful, young, and voluptuous women often wearing revealing clothing as they mourn the dead. These sepulchral figures are not only found … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Safety Razor Inventors—and its not who you think!

Posted on November 22, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

Two of the inventors of the safety razor are buried in a whimsical mausoleum in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York—and neither is King Gillette.  While King Gillette gained fame for his razor and is often mistakenly given credit … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Any Help? – Mystery Solved

Posted on November 11, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

One of this blogpost’s readers, Phyllis, solved the mystery. The metal marker connected to this grave represents the Switchmen’s Union of North America which was a labor union founded in 1894 and included members in the United States and Canada. … Continue reading →

Posted in Metal Markers, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers

Posted on November 4, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

The last five posts have been about accidents that occurred on trains.  The posts, in a way, also highlighted that trains in the 19th century and early 20th Century were not only an important mode of transportation, but carried cargo—human … Continue reading →

Posted in Metal Markers, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Train Wreck, 4 The Caboose and the Loose Wheel

Posted on October 17, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

Charles E. Witting Died May 4, 1900 Aged 27 YR 6 MO 4 DA This intricately carved gray marble caboose, track, and wheel displaying the letters: B of RRT can be found in the Union Cemetery at Uhrichsville, Ohio.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Train Wreck, 3–His Last Trip

Posted on October 11, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

Killed at New Albany North Y. while on duty for the Monon R. W. Co. EMORY L. SON OF J. N. & E. A. TITZEL BORN SEP. 15. 1880 DIED DEC. 20. 1902 HIS LAST TRIP C. R. Salyards of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Train Wreck

Posted on October 1, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

HUSBAND CHARLES A. HAGGERTY BORN AUG. 2, 1870 KILLED IN WOODS RUN WRECK APRIL 5, 1897 The small square-top tablet in the Union Dale Cemetery in Pittsburgh displays a bas-relief of a locomotive at the top of the gravestone—not just … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TWO GIRLS MEET DEATH IN FILM FIRE

Posted on September 12, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

LOTTIE HAM BORN Dec. 12, 1898. DIED Oct. 16, 1915 A precious one from us has gone A voice we love Is stilled, Her place is vacant In our home That Never can be filled. The gray granite monument to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Big Comfy Chair

Posted on September 5, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

Horace Francis Ebert 1853 – 1893 Mary Ellen Dennett Bachelder Ebert 1855 – 1905 Edith L. Ebert Mulno 1873 – 1899   The Ebert Family gravestone in the Lowell, Massachusetts City Cemetery, is a remarkable replica of a tufted chair … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Memorializing Victorian Children

Posted on August 9, 2020 by gravelyspeaking

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment