Big Zinkers

Now to continue our lessons in graveyard sociology. We saw at Monroe Street Cleveland, that, some zinkers were bought by the poor. Now in rural cemeteries of settled communities, the zinkers were not so. About fifty miles west in the village of Birmingham, there are graves from the 1830s to the present, and further untouched sections. The largest monument in the eponymous cemetery is a zinker. It is of one man in particular, and his family. It sits in a family plot bounded by a corral curb, and within are small tributary markers flush to the ground.

The Clary monument was made in 1885. It has several masonic and dual christian and masonic symbols. A fused plate is of a son †1879. Of the four plates that can be removed and replaced, three were used (1887, 1899, 1906). The main one (under the statue front) is for the big man in the township †1899. He had several years to see his monument.

Birmingham Cemetery, Erie County Ohio. the further from the road, the more recent the burial

Now, in the nearby Vermilion's Maple Grove Cemetery there are several large zinkers. This family monument also has the personified soul [as statue] holding the anchor of faith. On her right side, the previous statue held on the left.

In not a very large graveyard there are ten large zinkers, most as main markers for a family. Several of them are elaborate. A similar one of stone would have been quite expensive. To have carved all the extra doo-dads that were molded in sections, and screwed or fused together would have took many man hours. The carvers would not have gone out in the country for the commission. A train would have brought them to town, and a horse wagon to the graveyard, whether stone or zinc. Solid stone would have been quite heavy for some of these, but not hollow metal. These large zinkers would be impressive, but a great deal cheaper than stone. There are no stone markers in this cemetery that compare to the largest zinkers in size and decoration.

Th adjacent portion is of newer burials. There are a great number of short, wide uprights with over incised, or laser etched markings, and pictures. Besides that, people bring junk to festoon the stones. These dead were known by the living, and this is the tacky affection, their relatives show. The section from two generations ago, and more, is kept up and dignified but visited by very few.
Here on the base, besides the year 1888, one can clearly read Monumental Bronze Co Bridgeport Ct . Beneath which in molded zinc is the effect of rough cut stone, on some marked molded chisel cuts are seen. More than six score years and the seams are fine as when cast.

This tributary marker, with layers of molded pedestals is of larger mass than some whole makers for the poor. Besides the main monument with detachable panels, and a large variety of decorations, there were these secondary separate makers for each person buried. Some, but not all, had plates on the center monument. Some bear the name, or the relation of the corpse, some were complete with biographical information, some people chose initials.

The main corner of the Maple Grove Cemetery is for the Todd family.

The Todds have one big zinker from 1890, and this bigger one from 1885. The first zinkers were made in 1874. One of the family members memoralised died in the first year [1861] of The War for the Union. All markers are not made near the dime of death. Some are made years after, some years before. This sort of monument allowed for this. Again, there are four screw on panels. A panel could be replaced more than once. Here the first panel 1883, 1895; a second 1900, 1905; and a third 1920, 1888.