Austin Wordless Wednesday

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Rose Wordless Wednesday

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A Grave Concern: Blue Star Mother

The Blue Star Mothers of America is an organization for the mothers of current or past servicemembers. Founded in 1942, the organization provides support for those serving as well as veterans’ organizations. There is another organization, American Gold Star Mothers, to provide support to mothers who have lost a child in military service.

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An accident

To the memory of Rumsy Reeve, who was born July 31st 1790, and who was unfortunately, by the falling of a tree, deprived
of his life Feb. 4th 1832

Thus suddenly, the judge of all will come to judge the world and take his followers.

Rumsy Reeve’s death was caused by a falling tree. It must have a been a sudden and unexpected tragedy, and one wonders whether he was alone or with others. Was he crushed immediately, or did he suffer? Who did he leave behind to mourn him?

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The Maccabees

The Maccabees are a fraternal organization, named for the Maccabees of Jewish history that successfully revolted and restored the temple in Jerusalem. My knowledge is thin here, so I’m trying to give basic information so that I am less likely to make a mistake. The Knights of the Maccabees, founded in Canada in the late 1800s, primarily provided insurance at reasonable costs to its members, and for a while in the 20th century was fully transformed into an insurance company.

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A Grave Concern: Valentine’s Day

The culmination of my four-day heart scavenger hunt is here, and for Valentine’s Day itself, I decided to post the hearts that seem to specifically be in the cemetery as a reference to romantic love.

Joseph Kahsky and his wife Rose Kahsky have a heart-shaped tombstone in Chester Township Cemetery.

The pink granite tombstones for the Wrights in Willoughby Village Cemetery  have hearts, flowers, and love messages engraved on them.

The Birnbaums have a stone at Lake View Cemetery under a double-heart tombstone. (I’m not sure if Mrs. Birnbaum is there yet.)  Like my grandparents, their wedding anniversary was Valentine’s Day.  I particularly like the etched “Forever Valentines.”

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Today I am grateful for people’s generosity…

This is Willoughby Village Cemetery’s most famous grave. It was erected and maintained by donations from the local townspeople.

In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve in 1933, a young woman arrived in Willoughby and checked into a local boarding house. According to the landlady, Mary Judd, the woman came downstairs around noon, asked about local church services, wished her a merry Christmas, and departed. The young woman was dressed entirely in blue that complemented her blue eyes and was friendly to those she passed in the streets. Within minutes, she stepped into the path of an oncoming train.

The citizens of Willoughby were saddened and captivated by the circumstances that would lead a pretty, friendly young woman to commit suicide by train (according to eyewitnesses, her actions appeared deliberate). She carried no identification – the only clue in her purse was a train ticket to Corry, Pennsylvania. They hoped that family would come to claim her, and when no one did, they paid for her funeral and monument themselves and maintained it. It was not until 1993 that she was identified as Josephine “Sophie” Klimczak.

Here are articles about the girl in blue.  Even today, her grave is well maintained, shaded by a donated tree, and surrounded by flowers.

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Semper Fidelis

On this date in 1775, the Continental Congress created the Continental Marines as the landing and ship-to-ship fighting complement to the newly formed Continental Navy. The existing United States Marine Corps traces its lineage back to that date and celebrates today as its birthday. In light of that, today’s post will honor those who have served in the Marine Corps over its two hundred and thirty five year history.

Frank P. Walters, veteran of World War I, rests in Union Cemetery in Columbus.

Ernest Maas, a fellow veteran of World War I, sleeps in Willoughby Village Cemetery.

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So, what do you do for a living?

Occupational indicators on stones are pretty uncommon. The careers that get recorded on stones most often are ones that change your title, such as doctors and military officers. Hands down, the most common occupation you will see noted on a tombstone is that of physician. But there are other people who really want you to know what they did when they were alive.

On the Samuel marker from Willoughby Village Cemetery, we find that Edward Samuel was a printer and Sidney Lehman (relationship to family unclear) was a professor. I’ve seen a few other professors, but Samuel is the first printer I’ve found so proud of his occupation that he put it on his tombstone.

Leonard Voorhies, educator, is buried in Euclid Cemetery.

Finally, we have The Honorable George E. Hoffer in Old Carlisle Cemetery.

I find this stone so compellingly interesting that I had to photograph it. It is very straightforward, no flowery language, just his title and name, birth and death years, two of his positions as a judge, and his wife’s name. His wife being listed after everything else deviates from the pattern I am used to seeing, which makes me wonder who designed and paid for the monument. Or maybe he requested it be this way…

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Lambikins

Willoughby Village Cemetery has its share of lambs, too. The first stone I photographed when I visited there was a little lamb for Lowell H. Bigley.

Both of the lambs I found there were in fairly good repair.

Unfortunately, lambs, due to their somewhat slender necks, seem to lose their heads rather often. These two seem to be faring better than a large number I have seen.

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