Our Only Son

Examining the stone closely, I can’t see that this tombstone ever had a name carved on it. Nearly every gravestone represents a family’s grief, but the expression of grief chosen here caused me to stop. What are they saying by honoring the dead child with “our only son”? Was he the only child, or the only male child? (I am assuming it was a child, but I can’t read the age.) Was there no hope left for another pregnancy? Many tombstones have relational signifiers – mother, father, wife, etc. – in addition to names, but only a few use the description of relationship to replace the name.

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Twin sister

Of all the double stones I found in West Herrick Cemetery, this one was the one that tugged at my heartstrings the most.

It is for Susan Grace and her Twin Sister. No name, just twin sister. I have struggled to read more of the inscription and just can’t make enough out. Susan must have outlived her twin. Was the twin stillborn? Did she only live an hour? Did Susan manage to survive her by days or weeks that would explain why one of them was named and one was not? Is the difference in the names to signify that one was christened or baptized and one was not?

I was finally able to read the line “Our daughters.” If anyone can make out more of this stone, I would love to know what you think it says.

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Double stones

Double stones signify one of two things. What I mean by double stones is a grave marker that gives the impression of being two markers smashed very close together – if the marker was paper instead of stone, you could fold it right down the middle and have the outline of one tombstone. I’m not sure I’m explaining myself clearly, so let me post an example.

As I was saying, double stones signify one of two things – or really, relationships. The double stone we might think of immediately is a stone for a married couple. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a double stone was often used to signify siblings.

Now of course a married couple could die tragically young, but a double stone almost always signifies very early death. If a child had reached adulthood, he or she would likely be married and buried with a spouse. Not only that, but a double stone indicates that a family lost two children very young.

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West Herrick Cemetery

We were traveling to the Lorain County Fairgrounds recently when I spotted a lot with a cemetery on it. It had no sign, no fence, and no gate. It sits across from the corner of Union & Herrick Streets in Wellington, Ohio. Checking findagrave.com and a few other websites, it appears that the most common name for the cemetery is West Herrick Cemetery. Findagrave.com states that the earliest burial was in 1824, which is the earliest year we found on a tombstone. Dr. Josiah Manley, whose grave is pretty close to the center of the cemetery, died at age 32 in 1824.

There was another very early tombstone next to Manley’s, leaning against the tree, for Charles Sweet who died in 1826.

The latest burial we were able to find was from 1909.

Most of the gravestones dated to the mid 19th century and were fairly simple. There were only a few larger monuments, and no statues or elaborate sculptures.

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