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| I have stalked a lot of cemeteries, not out of a morbid fascination, but mostly for genealogical research. Gravestones tell a story. I was reminded of this by reading a poem by Fantastic! about her grandmother's grave. Some cemeteries, although half a century old or older, have neat orderly rows.Others have overturned stones, worn out inscriptions, even sunken graves, giving an otherwise flat field, a hilly or wavy look. The thought of caved in caskets is sort of gross, yet seems natural. I have walked for hours in hot weather looking for family names. Finding a familiar name is exciting, and I take out my notebook and pen and record what is written. I have finally learned to take pictures to be sure of the dates and spelling. Sometimes, they belong to my tree, and sometimes they don't work out. I've discovered people I didn't know anything about. My great great grandmother had remarried, and no one living knew anything about it. Even the women in the family who were named after her had not been told anything about her. Apparently, after remarrying, she lived her own life, apart from the other relatives. I've also found the names of local leaders and their family members. I knew some of those people long ago, but lost contact when I moved. I've been surprised to see they passed. I even found the women for whom my grammar school was named. I felt like I was reviewing city history. I also found stories in the graves of people I did not know. A married couple who had miscarriage after miscarriage or still births and lost children at an early age. I thought of all the sorrow they had experienced. At one such family site, I found the wife and child both died the same day, so that told me she died giving birth. My heart ached for people I didn't know who lived long before my time. I do know of one graveyard I want to visit, but I cannot find the road, only the general vicinity. The cemetery is on private land, but the law says they have to allow me to visit upon request. I've seen a picture of the gate on the Internet. I want to locate it first and find out who owns it now. It might not reveal anything to me. But then again, the graves may tell a story. |
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