I have really been enjoying the photography project I have going with the genealogy site, taking photos of certain headstones around the area. As of today, I uploaded my 80th photo! It's perfect for us, heading off with only a name and some dates to search hundreds of stones for THE one. We have always liked hunting down things-letterboxes, geocaches, campsites, lunch. LOL
I like that it is a community service project that really helps people, yet-I don't have to interact with them beyond the occasional e-mail. Everyone has been so appreciative, one lady wrote just today and said it meant so much to see her family names again. Another man wrote to tell me he was searching for all the airmen who served with his father in WW2, could I look for a certain stone for him. Finding that little bronze plaque at the foot of the grave that confirmed he was the correct Smith was such a thrill.
Yesterday, we ran into a couple who had written a book about the older families in their area. Loads of interesting things came out. The mother with the eight dead babies had accidentally killed them all in infancy via her addiction to laudium. This lady over here whacked her grown son with a broom during their interview with her. That man never owned the land he farmed, he just took it from his ailing father in law and went on to make a tidy profit on it. Another man was well hated, but bought himself a stone that proclaimed his wondrous presence on earth would be missed.
So many women, buried next to their husbands. The husband's stone:
"First Middle Last born day month year died day month year
Died as he lived, a Christian"
His wife's stone:
"F.M. Last, wife of First Middle Last
Year-Year"
Not even her first name spelled out. So many women are lost to history, first by the loss of their maiden name, once married, it was often impossible to keep track of them. Then the husband may have called her Bess or Amy instead of Elizabeth or Amelia or even by her middle name if he did not like her first one. Then she is buried with no decent identification on her stone...it's sad, really. Women get folded into other lives, take on other identities. Men are who they are from birth to death.
I like that it is a community service project that really helps people, yet-I don't have to interact with them beyond the occasional e-mail. Everyone has been so appreciative, one lady wrote just today and said it meant so much to see her family names again. Another man wrote to tell me he was searching for all the airmen who served with his father in WW2, could I look for a certain stone for him. Finding that little bronze plaque at the foot of the grave that confirmed he was the correct Smith was such a thrill.
Yesterday, we ran into a couple who had written a book about the older families in their area. Loads of interesting things came out. The mother with the eight dead babies had accidentally killed them all in infancy via her addiction to laudium. This lady over here whacked her grown son with a broom during their interview with her. That man never owned the land he farmed, he just took it from his ailing father in law and went on to make a tidy profit on it. Another man was well hated, but bought himself a stone that proclaimed his wondrous presence on earth would be missed.
So many women, buried next to their husbands. The husband's stone:
"First Middle Last born day month year died day month year
Died as he lived, a Christian"
His wife's stone:
"F.M. Last, wife of First Middle Last
Year-Year"
Not even her first name spelled out. So many women are lost to history, first by the loss of their maiden name, once married, it was often impossible to keep track of them. Then the husband may have called her Bess or Amy instead of Elizabeth or Amelia or even by her middle name if he did not like her first one. Then she is buried with no decent identification on her stone...it's sad, really. Women get folded into other lives, take on other identities. Men are who they are from birth to death.
Of course, then, there's this:
