Union war dead and relatives

Inscribed monuments tell us stuff, but not everything. The War for Union/ War for Southern Secession sent corpses to the majority of then extant graveyards in the country. Some monuments were for groups and listed the dead for that unit. They all did not come to that site.

Some bodies were misidentified. Some were moved and reburied. Some bodies were not found, and the marker is a cenotaph [from the Greek for empty tomb]. This does not just go for war dead, not everyone is buried under their real name. Some times the dates, or other information is wrong or puzzling. Just something to keep in mind.
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Frederick Scarr died at Shiloh, Tennessee. The battles were fought 6 and 7 April 1862. Shiloh was the deadliest American battle to that point in time. The war would go on for three more years. Grant would no longer think one big battle will decide the war. Frederick is listed as dying there in May. Did he die of wounds and or illness? He was twenty.
James Scarr was eighteen when he died at Kinston, North Carolina on March 18, 1865. The second largest battle fought in North Carolina was at Wyse Fork from 7 to 10 March. Both are in Lenoir County, Kinston is the county seat. Lee would surrender on the 9th of April. James had been dead for three weeks.

James' father died in 1854. The next day his 2 yr old brother died. His mother re-married, and died in 1862. His half-sister died at 5 days of age in 1860.

Frederick's father was twenty years older than James' father. Were they brothers, or father and son. Was Frederick's father uncle, or grandfather to James?

Remembered

So Rachel died, and was buried in the highway that leadeth to Ephrata, that is Bethlehem. And Jacob erected a pillar over her sepulchre: this is the pillar of Rachel's monument, to this day. — Genesis xxxv:19-20.

That was the first biblical account of a grave marker/monument. Now, it has long been Jewish custom to leave a rock/pebble on a visited grave. In a very small part, it harkens back to that first stone. It also shows the current visitor has not been the only visitor. The physical act of bringing, holding, and placing a stone on a grave causes a memory to be installed in the visitor of the visit. In a vein of Jewish thought this is a ritual; in Catholic thought such an act would be likened to a sacramental, such as dipping fingers in a font of holy water to make a sign of a cross. In another way, it is as if each successive visitor helps to create a cairn to keep the grave.

Some maintain this deposit of stone comforts the deceased. In most graveyards, after a time such stones are removed. I do not know at one point, perhaps someone may answer.

See that my grave is kept clean

Blind Lemon Jefferson was a blues guitarist born in East Texas of sharecroppers. He was taken north to Chicago when 1925 turned in 1926. He recorded, on a 78, in October 1927 the song, "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean". It sold enough, to be recorded for a second time in '28. At the time, such music by the lower class [whether it be 'colored', 'hillbilly', or any of many non-english foreigners] was a disposable product. In 1929 he had an heart attack in a snowstorm. The record company sent his body home by train, and he was buried in Wortham Negro Cemetery. The grave was unmarked.

Bob Dylan sang the song on his first album [1962]. Since then it has been covered by others.

Well, there's one kind of favor I'll ask of you
Well, there's one kind of favor I'll ask of you
There's just one kind of favor I'll ask of you
You can see that my grave is kept clean

And there's two white horses following me
And there's two white horses following me
I got two white horses following me
Waiting on my burying ground

Did you ever hear that coffin' sound
Have you ever heard that coffin' sound
Did you ever hear that coffin' sound
Means another poor boy is under ground

Did you ever hear them church bells tone
Have you ever hear'd them church bells tone
Did you ever hear them church bells tone
Means another poor boy is dead and gone

Well, my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And, my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
Well, my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
Now I believe what the bible told

There's just one last favor I'll ask of you
And there's one last favor I'll ask of you
There's just one last favor I'll ask of you
See that my grave is kept clean

In 1967, Texas put a marker in the graveyard. In 1997 a stone was set. In 2007 the graveyard's name became Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery. His grave has not been found. The stone reads:

Lemon Jefferson
September, 1893-December, 1929
"Lord it's one kind favor I'll ask of you
See that my grave is kept clean."

Tryphena and Delight

Those living in Northern Ohio in the 1830s came from out east. They were a waspish lot, many with an English, and or Calvinist [many books like the term 'Puritan'] background. Their naming practices had some distinctivity. Some were given names of virtues, emotions, and other good abstract [though often peculiar] concepts. Faith, Hope and Charity are such names that have survived, and some had existed before. Most did not (Temperance, Resolved, Elected). I wonder if 'Ridiculous' was one? Some early, extreme, Puritan names were several word phrases (Search-the-Scriptures). Others were obscure biblical names, now only used in crossword puzzles. Anything but the Catholic names of the saints (Catharine, Anne, Mary, Joseph, John, James, Veronica, Raphael ... [Vladimir, Anastasia, Zita--well, if they were really non-English]). Here in Erie County's Birmingham was six year old Tryphena Starr †1836. Tryphena was a friend of St. Paul who he sends greetings to in one of his letters (Romans xvi. 12.). Not knowing that, there could not be another one in the cemetery... But a few feet away, there is the mostly illegible stone for another Tryphena.

at Lake View Cleveland

Some years ago a mountebank, huckster preacher came out with a book about a prayer for wealth. It used a passage from the 1 Chronicles iv. 10 (Paralipomenon) mentioning Jabez (Jabes). A Jabez Stoneman *1832 was a Liverpudlian that came to Cleveland. Jabez Stone is a character in 'The Devil and Daniel Webster' that cuts a deal with the Devil. There are several Todds in Vermilion's Maple Grove Cemetery. The corner of Mason and Cemetery roads is where they were buried. This one was a 'Delight', she died in 1857. That would have been in her 89th year (if i read the stone correctly).

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.

All Souls

In the western Church, to-day is All Souls. If one thinks about it, it is a day of eternal democracy. There is an equality in death. In Catholic countries graves were visited yesterday, or to-day. The eastern Church has several Saturdays about Lent for this. Even in some lands where atheism has made inroads, a remembrance on to-day occurs. Even in those lands familiar with lutheranism, Martin Luther, a man professing against the day. To-day is the Day of the Dead, when Mexican children eat candy skulls.

In the slavonic languages, either officially or traditionally, November is Listopad. Listopad means the leaves are falling. The western Church assigns the entire month for the dead, and some parishes leave out a book of the dead to list those dead to be prayed for. In northern climes there is much a melancholic air.

Judas Machabeus prayed for the dead:

(For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.—II Maccabees xii. 43-46.

two bouquets of marigolds on a Calvary Cemetery, Cleveland, O. mowed slope of pavers

People love those that have gone. Often it falls only to close family. In this climate, marigolds are still in bloom. Their color is accidentally similar to pumpkins. That hue is regular to these days. The tree leaves usually turn gold, orange, red and brown [this year, mostly darkish russet]. If one does not have the money for florist flowers, these grow easy and plentiful. They decorate graves. They smell, to some people they stink. It has a certain pungency that seems to fit funereal morbidity.

People tend graves sparingly in the United States. Part of it is cultural avoidance. But a century ago, it was different. People were still laid out on their homes for final viewing.

Gravestones were, more than now, in family plots. Some had central monuments with the family surname(s), surrounded with smaller tributary stones with family role (Mother, father, baby, grand other ...), or given name (Mary, John, Laura). Some times other biographical information, but not always. Some times there was no great family stone, just the small stone noting the relation (Mother or Brother [you know who was paying the stone]). The people who had the stone knew where it was, and who it was for; it was not necessary for more.

the last of a family row at Monroe Street Cemetery, Cleveland, O.

Cemetery news on Hallowe'en

a family plot, Maple Grove Cemetery, Vermilion, Ohio

To-day, is the commercialised day of Hallowe'en. I was not going to post to-day, but a story appeared in the Cleveland daily. The city will spend some money, in the spring, on overdue cemetery projects at Erie Street, Monroe Street, and Woodlawn cemeteries.

This year we are having a late leaf drop, of less colorful leaves. Yesterday was sunny and in the mid 50s °F. If a recent grass cut was more than a few days previous, it was a pleasant, and mood appropriate (melancholic, but comfortable) day to graveyard walk.