Three tombstone inscriptions

Below are three tombstone inscriptions by which I was impressed.

“Beneath this stone two sisters sleep who’ve left us here a while to weep; in bloom of youth were call’d away, transient as theirs may be our stay.”

“Death is the close of life’s alarms, the watch-light on it’s shores, the clasping in immortal arms of loved one’s gone before.”

“Beneath this dolesome veil she rests, her weary head serene, from busy life, she’s peaceful laid, no sorrows intervene.”

Decoration days

For us June is a month full of homecomings – cemetery decoration days, and gathering funds for upkeep. In acknowledgement of that, a poem from 2010.

In a graveyard. (February 12, 2010).

1. Gone but not forgotten
Engraved upon the stone,
But the stone was broken
And lying all alone.

2. Who here beneath the ground
Sleeps in this silent tomb?
And shall we, too, be found
In such a lonesome gloom?

3. Gone and soon forgotten
As mem’ries fade away
Time goes on a-marching
And night replaces day.

4. Lying, unremembered—
Yes, O, how sad to see!
Nay, how glad unnumbered,
If God remember thee!

Pine Grove Church Building Restoration

Pine Grove Church Restoration -- “The old Pine Grove church house, not used by an active congregation in nearly 120 years, is the oldest church building in Rusk County. While inactive as a church for over a century the impact of this old church building can still be felt throughout the community. It is used annually for the Pine Grove Cemetery homecoming and Rusk County Singing Convention, both held on the fourth weekend in April. The Pine Grove Church has a long-standing connection to Sacred Harp singing. The Sacred Harp book was even used in church services, and has provided the singing in conjunction with the cemetery day homecoming.”

If you wish to send a check or money order rather than contribute through GoFundMe, you may send it to:

Pine Grove Cemetery Association
C/o Melinda Rice
11334 CR 3112D
Mt. Enterprise, TX 75681

Endorse to the “Pine Grove Cemetery Association” and note that it is for “Building Repair.”

BillionGraves and Find-A-Grave

Billion Graves and Find-A-Grave are two important burial and genealogical resources online. As far as most people are concerned, they are basically the same. Billion Graves states, “Our Goal...is to preserve precious records found in cemeteries throughout the world.” “Find a Grave’s mission is to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present final disposition information as a virtual cemetery experience.” The goals of both resources have a great degree of overlap, but a quite different approach in several ways.

The blog post What is the Difference Between BillionGraves and Find A Grave? Part I: For Researchers is helpful in delineating some of the differences. Billion Graves puts it this way: “Find A Grave’s stated objective is to create memorials. It was not started as a genealogical site, so it makes sense that how they acquire data does not put emphasis on following the Genealogical Proof Standard.” This article is very helpful, though on one hand the writer goes after it like one of two vendors vying for the same commercial sale. Perhaps they are!

From the user standpoint, however, the genealogist will benefit from BOTH sites. First, there is a big difference in quantity. According to the blog post, Find-A-Grave has 180 million+ memorials while Billion Graves has 30 million+ memorials. What they lack in quantity, Billion Graves intends to make up in quality. The piece cites that all their records have gravestone images and GPS coordinates. That is a clear advantage, as far as it goes, making Billion Graves the generally more reliable resource. A downside is that not even every known burial has a gravestone, and that sometimes a gravestone does not mark an actual burial.

The blog relates a tragic story in which an individual traveled 2000 miles to see a headstone, based on a memorial on the Find-A-Grave site. The headstone did not exist in the cemetery, and “later…the record had been removed altogether from Find A Grave without mention.” That is certainly regrettable, and tells the tale that every entry on Find-A-Grave is not reliable. It should also caution one against making such a trip without checking with cemetery personal or some other source, if possible. It should not frighten people away from using Find-A-Grave altogether.

Read the above linked blog article and get all the good you can. Spend time to figure out how both Billion Graves and Find-A-Grave work. Use the strengths of each to your advantage in your research. Be cautious of the disadvantages. Verify with multiple sources.

Happy Graving!

Homecomings

Old Prospect Cemetery and Community Homecoming, Saturday, June 16, 2018 -- come about 11 a.m., dinner on the grounds at noon.

Zion Hill Father's Day Sacred Harp Singing and Cemetery Homecoming, Saturday, June 17, 2018, 10 a.m. till about 2:30 p.m. Dinner on the grounds at noon.

Cemetery humor

A few days ago John went by to visit a cemetery where several of his relatives were buried. It was a beautiful day. So he decided to take a leisurely stroll and read epitaphs on graves of folks he didn't know. There were many of the standards -- “Rest in Peace,” “Gone but not forgotten,” and so on. A massive display caught his eye and he turned aside to read it. “A lawyer and a good man,” it was inscribed.

“Hmm,” thought John, “They must have buried two people there!”

Traveling Texas - The Dead End Road

Written in Stone

Links about cemetery stuff

* A Serene Fall Scene at Calvary Cemetery -- "A cemetery in Queens, New York with about 3 million burials."
* Cradle Graves: Not Just for Children -- "Although I’ve seen these rectangular shaped graves for years, I only recently learned that it is known as a cradle grave."
* John Hayden Crozier: Music Master of the 85th Regiment -- "Erected by Mary to the memory of her beloved Husband John Hayden Crozier late Music Master to the 85th Reg. King's light infantry"
* Prisoners of Light, by Jack Roberts -- "I am a member of that odd group of people who enjoys visiting old cemeteries."
* The Anchor Cross -- "Is this an anchor or is it a cross? The answer, it is both."
* Victorian Couple's Tragic Loss -- "In Loving Memory of the Children of John and Ann Crompton of Calder Bridge."
* Why Being Unique is Not Always Your Best Bet -- "A young woman tragically died and her family erected SpongeBob SquarePants headstones."

Two events toward a busy day

Today was a busy day, two local events we attended and a third we didn't make -- the annual Carmine Sacred Harp Singing. Hope they had a good one. 

This morning was the annual Hunt Cemetery Association meeting. We fellowshipped, ate, remembered, donated and took care of business.

This afternoon we celebrated my Mother's 98th birthday. On this day in 1915 she was born to Robert Lee and Mariah Loutisha Chapman in Rusk County, Texas. She has lived here all her life, except for about a year she spent in Nacogdoches with her brother and sister-in-law while finishing high school (most country schools had only 10 grades at the time). Happy Birthday, Mom! God has blessed you and us, and may He continue.