Tombstone, grave marker, headstone, memorial and monument are all names for the item placed at the grave of a person to let others know who is buried at a particular location. It also helps to keep alive the memory of that deceased person to those who knew them; and even for other people, including descendants, who come along later trying to understand their place in this world.
I love tombstones! Even tombstones of people I am not related to! When my wife and I went to New Hampshire in 1992 to visit her roommate from many years before, we got to go and visit some very old (at least in American history) tombstones. It was awesome! Here are the ones I photographed that day:
Our friends lived in Londonderry, New Hampshire and I believe the cemetery was in that area. We also visited Lexington and Concord and Boston, so perhaps they were there. Wherever they were, we had a great time seeing these old stones, reading them and marveling at the way many of them were still readable all these years later. The oldest of these, 4th from the top, reads like this: "Here Lyeth buried ye body of I(J)ohn I(J)ackson aged 33 years Dyed I(J)anuary ye 26 1690(1)." AMAZING!
I also want to share with you about four tombstones that my mother and I found in 1991 while in Tennessee.
My mother and I went to this cemetery knowing that these 4 people were buried there. We had been to the library and found a listing of the names in the cemetery, so we were determined to find them. We walked the entire cemetery and did not find them the first trip. But, we knew they were there. So, at the north end of the cemetery in the far east corner were these 5 markers. As we approached them, all we cound see was the back of them. So, that meant that I had to go into the forest, weeds and trees to see what names were on them. And, I was very glad that these were the sontes we were seeking! Taking the pictures from the shade of the forest is why they are dark and difficult to read! So, I took the photos, and back then, we had to take them to be printed - no digital cameras - so we didn't know for sure that we even had readable photos or not for a couple of weeks. I am grateful they came out as good as they did!
So, why did I want to find these gravestones? Because they are part of my family. Jno. (John) H. Reeder is my 3rd great grandfather and his wife, Rosa Jones Reeder, is my 3rd great grandmother. Daniel J. Reeder is their son, who was just 29. And the Infant son of J. A. and A. B. Reeder, is their grandson, son of James A. Reeder and his wife, Alice.
I believe this is a photo of John H. Reeder when he was a young man.
I love tombstones! Even tombstones of people I am not related to! When my wife and I went to New Hampshire in 1992 to visit her roommate from many years before, we got to go and visit some very old (at least in American history) tombstones. It was awesome! Here are the ones I photographed that day:
Our friends lived in Londonderry, New Hampshire and I believe the cemetery was in that area. We also visited Lexington and Concord and Boston, so perhaps they were there. Wherever they were, we had a great time seeing these old stones, reading them and marveling at the way many of them were still readable all these years later. The oldest of these, 4th from the top, reads like this: "Here Lyeth buried ye body of I(J)ohn I(J)ackson aged 33 years Dyed I(J)anuary ye 26 1690(1)." AMAZING!
I also want to share with you about four tombstones that my mother and I found in 1991 while in Tennessee.
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| Daniel J Reeder 11 Nov 1850 - Jan 19, 1879 |
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| Infant Son of J. A. and A. B. Reeder June 27, 1874 |
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| Jno. H. Reeder Mar 18, 1822 - May 10, 1888 |
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| Rosa Jones Reeder Feb 2, 1820 - Feb 6, 1910 |
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| The 4 or 5 Reeder Gravestones, Eastview Cemetery McNairy County, Tennessee Taken 1992 by Author |
My mother and I went to this cemetery knowing that these 4 people were buried there. We had been to the library and found a listing of the names in the cemetery, so we were determined to find them. We walked the entire cemetery and did not find them the first trip. But, we knew they were there. So, at the north end of the cemetery in the far east corner were these 5 markers. As we approached them, all we cound see was the back of them. So, that meant that I had to go into the forest, weeds and trees to see what names were on them. And, I was very glad that these were the sontes we were seeking! Taking the pictures from the shade of the forest is why they are dark and difficult to read! So, I took the photos, and back then, we had to take them to be printed - no digital cameras - so we didn't know for sure that we even had readable photos or not for a couple of weeks. I am grateful they came out as good as they did!
So, why did I want to find these gravestones? Because they are part of my family. Jno. (John) H. Reeder is my 3rd great grandfather and his wife, Rosa Jones Reeder, is my 3rd great grandmother. Daniel J. Reeder is their son, who was just 29. And the Infant son of J. A. and A. B. Reeder, is their grandson, son of James A. Reeder and his wife, Alice.
I believe this is a photo of John H. Reeder when he was a young man.
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| Believed to be John Henry Reeder, Sr. Shared with me by Mary Ethel Reeder Barr |
So, gravestones, or tombstones, or whatever you call them are always interesting to me!
'Til Next Time!
#52Ancestors
Thanks for showing; I have some pics of some of mine/our relatives .
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