Are You a Tombstone Tourist?

Cemetery in snow

When someone asks what I do for fun, I reply that I’m a tombstone tourist.  It’s nice that there is a word to describe those of us who love to go to cemeteries.  Otherwise, we would have to do a lot of explaining, (which I did until I found ‘the word.’)

A winter sunset in
the cemetery

Brian Neighbors -
A Tombstone Tourist

Tombstone tourist is a term that caught on after Scott Stanton published his book by the same name in 2003.  (The book is about popular musicians and where they are buried.)  Before that, those of us who frequented cemeteries were known, singularly, as a ‘taphophile’ – someone who has “a passion for and enjoyment of cemeteries”. Or in the plural form, by the term ‘taphophilia.’ 

Neglected Crypt

Military Cemetery

Of course, there are other terms that attempt to describe those of us who love visiting graveyards, searching for tombstones and admiring mausoleums.  Just a few of the more popular are ‘grave hunter,’ ‘cemetery enthusiast,’ and ‘graver.’  All sound a bit adventurous, a bit like a PBS documentary title. But I prefer being called a  ‘tombstone tourist.’  It has a more up-beat sound and it makes more sense to me, because we are tourists – on a journey, making discoveries, enjoying ourselves, and our pursuit.   I know I am not a graver - it just sounds a bit odd and morbid to me.

Sunlit Mausoleum

Frankfort, Kentucky Cemetery

When asked what a tombstone tourist is, I can talk (at length) about the cemeteries I have visited, and the ones I want to, expounding on the treasures found there – the exquisite architecture, the impressive history, the genealogical aspects, the magnificent statues, the puzzling symbols, and the fact that I get to enjoy all of this – outside – without crowds, deadlines or paying an outlandish amount for an entertaining afternoon.

Sunlight on a stone

Old Cathedral,
Vincennes, Indiana

And we have history!  Tombstone tourists have existed for thousands of years.  In China, ancestor worship – where family members visit the graves of ancestors, decorate them and ask for their guidance or favor - has been in practice since ancient times. In numerous countries, pilgrimages are still made to the burial sites of saints and other religious figures, to honor them and seek assistance.

Autumn in the cemetery

A Tombstone Tourist Day for me

The advent of the internet has changed what we do, in a way.  Now, you can ‘visit’ a cemetery on line.  While it’s not the same as strolling through a windy autumnal cemetery, searching for an ancestor’s grave, it does make sense if time or finances are holding you back from making the trip.  You can still locate an ancestor’s final resting place on the internet, complete with a photo, on sites such as findagrave.com and interment.com.  Or visit the websites of some of the most famous cemeteries in the world and see them vicariously - still an adventure.

An undisturbed path
through the snow

Summer in the cemetery

But a true tombstone tourist relishes that walk among the stones, surrounded by nature and the elements.  There’s something about following a cemetery road or graveyard path, wherever it may wander, and being surprised, and delighted, by the great discoveries you make just around the bend.  Nothing can take that thrill away.

Tombstone Tourist?  Yes, that’s me!

~ Joy

Devoted Pets and the Cemeteries They Inhabit - Part 1

This past Sunday, May 1^st marked the beginning of National Pet Week.  As a pet owner and dog-lover, I am always touched by the cemeteries with pets buried near their owners.  And the stories of their devotion, even after death.  Today I’ll share two of the cemetery legends I’ve come across.

John Heinl & Stiffy Green, Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Indiana

Highland Lawn Cemetery

Highland Lawn Cemetery, located in Terre Haute, Indiana, is known as the burial place for many famous people, including politicians Eugene Debs, Daniel Voorhees and inventor Theodore Hudnut.  But ask a local about Highland Lawn and they will tell you the story of Stiffy Green.

John Heinl

Terre Haute florist and businessman, John Gradl Heinl, and his bulldog, Stiffy Green, were well known in Terre Haute in the early part of the 20^th century.  The two would stroll around town each day, John Heinl, pipe in hand, talking to his small companion and stopping to visit with the folks they met.  Stiffy Green, so named because of his stiff walking gait and startling greenish colored eyes, was friendly but ferociously protective of Mr. Heinl and did not allow anyone to get too close to his beloved master.

When John Heinl passed away on December 31^st, 1920, Stiffy was inconsolable.  He sat by the coffin at the funeral and followed the family to the graveyard where he took up post at the mausoleum doors.  There he remained, guarding his master in death as he had guarded him in life.  Family and friends made many trips to the cemetery that winter to retrieve Stiffy and take him home, only for him to return to his master’s crypt doors. 

Heinl Mausoleum

After a few months, Stiffy refused to eat or drink.  But he continued his vigil on the mausoleum steps, regardless of the weather.  Mrs. Heinl was the one to find that Stiffy had died outside the mausoleum doors, having grieved himself to death.  In view of his unwavering love and devotion, she had him stuffed in the sitting position he had assumed for so many months on those cold mausoleum steps.   Stiffy was then placed inside the tomb, reunited at last with his master. 

Stiffy Green

But it wasn’t long before visitors began noticing that Stiffy had mysteriously moved from one side of the tomb to the other, and back.  Rumors spread that early in the morning or at twilight you could see an elderly man and his small dog walking near the Heinl crypt, the smell the rich pipe smoke in the air and a low voice talking to his devoted companion who would answer with a happy bark. 

Vigo County
Historical Society Museum

But all good things must come to an end – even in death.  Vandals would not leave the site alone, damaging doors and windows. In 1985, thugs shot out Stiffy’s right glass eye.  The family decided it was time for Stiffy to be moved and the Vigo County Historical Society Museum agreed to take him.  There, the Terre Haute Lions Club built a replica of the Heinl mausoleum. 

Today, Stiffy Green is still on guard – unless he and John are taking a pleasant evening stroll in Highland Lawn Cemetery.

Location:  Highland Lawn Cemetery, Heinl Mausoleum, Plot: Section 1, Lot 21

Vigo County Historical Society Museum – 1411 South 6^th Street, Terre Haute, IN

~

John Gray and Greyfriars Bobby – Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland

Greyfriars Bobby

Bobby, a Skye terrier, was the beloved and faithful companion of policeman, John “Auld Jock” Gray.  Gray lived in Edinburgh, Scotland in the mid-1800’s.  On February 15, 1858, Gray died of tuberculosis.  He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard (church yard) in Edinburgh.  Bobby was found the next morning, guarding his master’s grave.

Greyfriars Kirkyard

According to various reports of the time, Kirkyard keeper, James Brown had to run Bobby off because the churchyard was posted “No Dogs.”    But Bobby kept coming back, night after night, to sleep on his master’s grave.  Seeing such loyalty, Brown decided to make an exception for Bobby.

Bobby

Word spread throughout the community and soon town’s folk were bringing Bobby food and water, they even built a shelter for him near the grave.  But due to the high cost of a dog license, no one would claim him and take him home.  It was finally decreed that without a license, Bobby would have to be put to death as a stray.

Sir William Chambers

It was 1867 when the town council of Edinburgh met to discuss this case.  Bobby had been sleeping at the cemetery for almost ten years and had become a beloved fixture of the town.  The presiding Lord Provost of the city, Sir William Chambers, a dog-lover, arranged to pay all license fees for Bobby, indefinitely.  Bobby was then given a new collar with a brass plate, which read: 

 Greyfriars Bobby – from the Lord Provost, 1867, licensed.

Bobby died January 14, 1872 at the age of 16.  For 14 years he had loyally guarded his friend.  Now his grave lies 75 yards from his masters, just inside the gates of Greyfriars Kirkyard.

Bobby's 2-Tier Fountain

Baroness
Burdett Coutts

A year after his death, Baroness Burdett Coutts had a statue of the little dog sitting atop a water fountain, with a top level for human drinking and a bottom level for pets, erected to commemorate Bobby’s life and his deep devotion to Gray, a friendship that surpassed death.  

Sign over Pub Door 

Bobby's Bar

The statue and fountain are located in front of “Bobby’s Bar,” a pub named after Scotland's most famous dog.

In 1981, The Duke of Gloucester unveiled a red granite headstone that had been placed on Bobby’s grave by the Dog Aid Society of Scotland. The inscription reads:

Greyfriars Bobby
Headstone

Greyfriars Bobby

Died 14^th January 1872

Aged 16 years

Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all.

Bobby truly earned the designation of  “Scotland’s Most Faithful Dog.”

Location:  Greyfriars Kirkyard, Inside main gates, Edinburgh, Scotland

Friday, we'll take another look at 'Devoted Pets and the Cemeteries They Inhabit.'

~ Joy

A Sexton Speaks - An Interview with Dan Wilson, Vincennes City Cemeteries

(Again, apologies for the delay in this post. I have been trying to get an audio interview on this blog for over 36 hours and I still cannot get Blogger to upload it.  This was a fun interview to do and I wish you could hear it.  I will post it when this situation is remedied.  Meanwhile, I have transcribed the interview below. If you have suggestions or ideas concerning Blogger and audio/video, please let me know!)

You’ve probably heard the terms cemetery sexton and sexton’s records.  But just what is a sexton?  And what kind of records would he or she keep? 

A sexton is actually the caretaker of a cemetery. The person who is in charge of making sure that all of the upkeep and maintenance gets done on a regular basis, along with maintaining the safety, security, and appearance of the cemetery.  And that includes overseeing all of the work that goes into preparing a grave for a burial, maintaining equipment, and preserving headstones, memorials, and mausoleums. Quite a job!  And even more so, when it involves the upkeep of a large cemetery or a combination of several cemeteries.

Sexton’s records refer to the cemetery deeds and plat books that the sexton or caretaker maintains.  These books offer the genealogist information about who purchased the plot, who owned the deed, along with any sales, transfers or inheritances involving a plot.  The Sexton is also in charge of the burial register that contains general information about the deceased including age, address, date of death, date of burial, plot number and section.    The Sexton can answer the 5 W’s for you, just like a reporter.  Who is buried here, when were they buried, where is the grave located, why is it located where it is and what were the burial details?

But there is more to being a cemetery sexton than just recording names and date, or overseeing maintenance and upkeep.  There is an understanding and appreciation for the job and the realization of how it will affect people for generations to come. 

Vincennes (Knox County) Indiana

I spoke with Dan Wilson, the superintendent, or Sexton, of the oldest public cemeteries in Indiana. Composed of Green Lawn Cemetery started in the 1780’s, Fairview Cemetery, which began in 1899 and Memorial Park Cemetery started in 1930 – all are a part of the Vincennes City Cemeteries located in Vincennes, Indiana.  Dan has been superintendent here for over ten years, but he’s been involved with cemeteries for almost 30 years.

While Dan can inform you about the general who-what-when-where and why of these cemeteries, he has taken his job one step further.  He makes it a point to know something about those interred here.  He loves the histories, the stories, not just of the cemeteries, but also of those under his care.

[ Transcript of Interview with Dan Wilson]

Dan Wilson:

I started collecting information about the families and the people who are buried there.  A lot about how they died and how they lived, so it’s kind of fascinating.  Not only do we have burial information on thousand of people, we have what they did for a living, their relatives, we have all kinds of information, cool stories. That’s the history part of the stuff I like.

I love information and I hate to see information die with the people.  So when someone comes out here and visits a grave, I can say, you know, 50 years after someone’s passed away, it’s kind of cool to be able to tell them a story about the person, some little something they did not know.

The funeral home is real nice. They give me these books to go through all their records and I pull information out about the people who are buried here.  And about their relatives…nothing like the kind of casket or vault or how much money they made, that’s not my interest.  My interest is, like even their street addresses, relatives, jobs, veteran’s status.  Something that a family is just going to love to know.

You do this kind of record keeping and the numbers and the statistics and where it happened, that always sticks in your mind.  Numbers tell stories.

Joy Neighbors:

You are the people putting this information together….

Dan Wilson:

Uh-huh..yes.

Joy Neighbors:

And all because you really have an interest in history?

Dan Wilson:

In history. And also, my guys who take care of the cemetery.  We only have two full time guys, and part time, but the full time guys love it because there’s not……….they go over a grave, they know something about the person.  You know, it’s like that guy owned that, or he did this.  And I’ll give you an example, there’s a lady buried down there by Raben Tires, interesting I think, a part of history.  She was a stripper.  And she was a stripper at Jack Ruby’s club in New Orleans.  And she was found dead in New Orleans like in 1968.  And, I won’t go into who she was, but to me that’s interesting.  That’s cool history.  I mean, you know, you actually have someone here who was involved with Jack Ruby, the guy that shot Oswald.  To me, that’s fascinating.

I’ll tell you another one that I like.  There was a husband and wife, and the lady died in, like, Oklahoma. And the guy bought her a coffin with a glass lid and he put her in the back of a pick up truck and was taking her around to different areas and was showing her for, like a nickel a peek, back in the twenties, right?  Well, Gardner Mausoleum has like three mausoleum crypts in the basement that you can slide a casket in, you can seal the door.  And the guy went to Gardner and wanted to know if he could see that this was a good Christian woman and that she deserved better? The guy was out of money.  He said 'Can you keep her here a little bit until I come back?'  I’ll get the money and I’ll bury her.  Well the Gardners’ are nice people and they said sure.  Well she stayed up in the mausoleum for like, ten years. They tried to research the guy and finally found him.  He was in a prison for the criminally insane in Washington D.C.  And when I was going through the records from Gardner’s, there’s a letter that was there from J. Edgar Hoover saying that’s where this guy was. So Gardners tracked him down and he wrote them a letter back saying she was a wonderful woman.  She deserved a lot.  Please give her a nice Christian burial. So they buried her out here.

It’s fascinating to me, the people who get killed on the railroad tracks. Not crossings, but fall asleep on the railroad tracks. It’s like, that had to be uncomfortable.  Why would you ever think of falling asleep on those rocks?

Joy Neighbors:

Who do we have buried here that’s semi-famous to famous?

Dan Wilson:

Red Skelton’s father, buried right over here, which is an interesting story.  They never met.  I think Red’s mother was pregnant with him, but he died before he was born.  And see, he never knew him.  His name was actually…It’s not Skelton.  His tombstone will say Skelton, but that’s not what it is.  It’s Joseph Ehart.

Joy Neighbors:

What are some of the superstitions connected…?

Dan Wilson:

Superstitions?  Are we talking ghosts and stuff?

Joy Neighbors:

Any realm of it.

Dan Wilson:

Green Lawn Cemetery

Whenever I started here, we were over in the Green Lawn Cemetery, which was the old part. 

And I would go over with a recorder, like that one, just like that one and I would record what I would see on stones.  And I would sit and write this information down so I’d physically have something to bring back and put in the computer.  Not just scraps of paper but notes cause I’m not very smart, I gotta have notes.  And there were times I was in the cemetery and I would hear a voice say my name in my ear and it would happen so fast you would think did you really hear it? 

The other day one of the superintendents’ grandsons came here, and this superintendent just passed on last year, named Jack Anderson.  It was really weird; the grandson sat there and said that his grandpa used to have the same thing happen to him.  He would be over there and he would have people whisper in his ear just the same.  And that just gave me goose bumps because the same thing I’ve experienced another superintendent before me, twenty years before, had experienced the same thing. 

In the thirty years I’ve been doing this work, the cool things are the relatives who get visited in hospitals by dead relatives right before they die.  All the time.  I mean, all the time.  And you can contribute that to drugs or an altered state of mind, or what ever you want.  But when you hear the same stories over and over, that’s a little too coincidental.

I honestly think death is just as natural as the geese, when they used to fly south, or the birds.  It’s just…it’s scary to us because we don’t know.

I’ll tell you something that fascinates me, the unknown people.  The people that no one knew who they were. There’s like 40 or 50 people here who are unknown.  And you just wonder who they were.  There’s like seven or eight of them that we got stone for and most them are children, so we got stones for these kids.  One stone I think is cool, it says ‘unknown stranger” and has a big question mark.

But we’re proud of our records.  I’ve been working on them straight, almost every day, here and at home.  I just like to keep the stories, any thing people know about their relatives.   And every day, when someone dies now, we enter them in every time, like the obituary in the paper, it’s in there every time. The whole obit.   Believe it or not, that’s one of the reasons I do what I do.  I think we owe those people their history.

If you are trying to locate records for a cemetery that does not have a sexton, start by contacting the office of Country or Town Clerk.   Also check with local funeral homes.  They know where many small cemeteries are.

Next Tuesday, we’ll explore death and mortality records.  Enjoy your weekend!

~ Joy