The Face of a Tombstone Our ancestors, no matter what their economic status, were quite determined to give their loved ones a place of eternal rest with dignity and care. As you drive by a cemetary, beautifully carved and decorated stones can be seen - some are expensive looking too. Stop your car and walk around, especially to the old part of the graveyard. There you will have your eyes opened to the ingenuity once used by those without means to purchase the latest in marble or casted forms. You will find a small round rock about one foot in diameter and the carving will have been made by a bereaved husband or son, hand chiseled letters uneven but poignant in the care taken to carve them out of that unyielding stone. There is the wooden cross, once painted or whitewashed so many decades ago. The letters were made with a knife. A later generation coloured in the words and dates to make them more visible. Several more generations go by, there is no one left to care for it and the elements have taken their toll. This long-forgotten cross holds the missing piece of a puzzle to a present-day family researcher who discovers his ancestor lived and died in this town or city. One good reason for you to record this marker is that by next year it could very likely be gone, its information lost, never to be seen again. In cemetaries near the seaboard where fishing was and is a way of life, the stones depict young lives snuffed out by the sea. Some stones are in the shape of fishing vessels complete with the ship's names and the stories of individual human tragedies. These give us a history of a community. Others who lost lives in the mining industry have similar stones which even record the details of where in the underground myriad of passageways accidents took place. Immigrants from the British Isles erected tall thin stones, about five feet in height, which contain entire life histories: when immigrants arrived, from where as well as of wives and children who followed from overseas. Some stones are made of marble and are well preserved . But others that were made of a softer stone that was easier to carve are worn so badly on the face that it takes time and perseverance to decipher the inscriptions. Time and weather take a serious toll on these stones. The deadly illnesses of certain periods are evident by the dates of so many young children and old folks who were unable to survive a scourge or plague. These give us a piece of the history of the people and their struggles. Modern day stones are interesting and so many have individual touches. You can find one with a carpenter's toolbox etched near the man's name, or a bingo card or sewing machine beside the woman's name. Motorcycles and sailboats are not uncommon. Today stone masons are also able to etch the likeness of the person right on the stone itself. Then there are the small, six-inch capsules with a hinged cover concealing a photograph, but only to protect it from rain and the sun. The ones with photographs of children are particularly touching. The most difficult ones to observe are those that you were too late to read. In such cases, broken stones are scattered and despite your attemps to piece them together, nothing is is legible. The ones made from rock and gravel with a plaster-type facing are not old but like rust on a car, once the surface has formed a crack, the rest gradually crumbles away. The tall thin ones, when broken in two invariably follow Murphy's Law and crack in the middle of the name or date. While you are there looking around, don't miss out on some great discoveries outside the perimeters or fence. Well-meaning groups have tried their best to 'clean up' their community's cemetery by throwing out those not easy to read or set back up. Find a way into the brush and trees nearby. You'll get more information that would otherwise be missed. As you walk around that old section your feet will tell you there is a stone which has fallen and is covered with years of grass and sod. Poke around and don't be afraid to get grit under your fingernails. Those who live in the land of four seasons will find a windshield ice scraper with a brush on one end works magic, both to cut the sod and brush the face clean. Be gentle to these marks of a time past. Pick up debris and dispose of it. Stand up flower vases that have fallen over. The people who put them there may not have many a chance to visit and take care of their relatives' graves. There is a beauty and stillness in this quiet spot that will touch your soul and refresh you in ways that cannot be described in mere words on paper. Archives: Part One: Introduction to the Wonderful World of Cemetery Research Part Two: Recording Gravestone Information Part Three: The Face of a Gravestone Part Four: Cleaning Gravestones Part Five: Restore or Beautify? Part Six: Are Your Ancestors Buried Here? Part Seven: Visit to an Ancestor Comments or Suggestions? Contact Patsy by E-Mail Back to Musings from the Cemetery Patsy's Mailbag

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