Cemeteries

July 2017

I love cemeteries. Our cemetery that is located a mile north of our town is so beautiful! It has winding paths and the grave plots are arranged in the shape of wagon wheels. My husband's grandfather designed that cemetery. He also was a town founder. He was one who mowed where the streets of our town would be in 1892.

When I was maybe ten years old, I often rode my blue bike with the fat tires out to the cemetery. I would take my lunch and a book. Later, when I became engaged, I wanted to be married there at the cemetery, but my mother said no. My parents and grandparents and great-grandparents and my husband's parents and grandparents and great-grandparents plus a whole host of uncles, aunts, and cousins are all buried out there.

I have always been the family historian since I was small. Old people were my best friends. I loved to hear them talk about the good old days. My grandmother told me a lot. And my great-aunt, who was the family historian for her generation, gave me all of her information that she had been gathering for many years. So for a long time, I wrote letters, interviewed people, made notes, and copied pictures and newspaper articles. Then, as happens, my children took center stage and the histories were set aside.

Recently I was able to infect my sister with my interest in genealogy and together we have been turning up all kinds of interesting things!

I recently discovered the grave of my great-great grandfather in an out-of-the way pioneer cemetery near Harris, Iowa. We had no idea where he was until I found an entry in the county's death records with his place of burial. I was so excited! I made plans to spend the day going there with my daughter.

When we arrived, it was to a tiny, windswept area with only a handful of tombstones. The kind lady who had helped me to find this cemetery told us that my ancestor had been visiting his son who lived in that area when he took ill and died. This was back in 1900 and he was over seventy miles away from his home in Ledyard, Iowa. In those days, that would have been a three-day trip by horse and buggy! So he was buried close by to where his son lived.

Many years ago, the man responsible for mowing the cemetery got tired of mowing around all the stones so he removed them and threw them in piles! Then, maybe twenty years ago, another man who felt strongly that this wrong had to be righted, found where most of the stones belonged, thanks to a map that was found that showed who owned all the plots. He was able to replace some of the stones.

Then, some very caring individuals went to work and got grants to have metal plaques made to mark the graves. They were able to mark 37 of the graves in this manner, most had no stones at all. In fact, we were told that there are likely at least 80-90 people buried there. That kind lady I was telling you about and her friend were able to get a pair of ladies from southern Iowa to come up to this little cemetery to witch the graves and they are the ones who estimated that many graves are located there. She gave us a little demonstration of how grave-witching works. It was fascinating! They can even tell the sex of the person buried there. It's similar to how water is found by water-witching.

So, we found our ancestor's tombstone in a pile of stones. It was leaning against a tree about thirty feet away from where he is buried. If I can, I want to have it repaired and replaced in the right spot.

So it's 2117 and I, along with everyone I know, will have long ago turned to dust. Will there be computers? Will pictures have survived? Will anyone know or care where I am buried? I hope so!