Welcome to the October 18, 2006 edition of Carnival of Genealogy!
The topic for this edition of the Carnival is tombstones. That's right, tombstones/gravestones/headstones, whatever you want to call them. They mark the graves of our loved ones and tell us something about their lives. This topic was a very popular one so let's get started!
Starting us off, Tim Abbott presents Hallowed Ground posted at Walking the Berkshires. This post touches on New England history, the history of cemeteries and gravestones, poetry, the environment, and more. I'm not doing it justice in my description but check it out and you'll see what I mean. It's beautifully written! Thanks Tim!
Next, Sasha Mitchell presents Red Bluff AME Church Cemetary (and the headstones that aren?t there) posted at Memory Lane. Here is a very touching article about a trip Sasha made to the cemetery of her ancestors, a slave cemetery, with sunken graves and no stones to mark them. The lack of tombstones here is very poignant. Thank you for sharing this special visit Sasha.
Moving on, Julie Murphree presents Roots: Stop, Don't Just Drive By posted at Julie's Fresh Air. Our previous stops took us to historic cemeteries in New England and a slave cemetery in the south, now we move on to a very interesting post about a rugged frontier woman buried out west and a tombstone that hints at a mystery. Thanks for sharing this charming post Julie!
In keeping with the mystery theme, Joe Beine presents Boulder's Jane Doe - A Colorado Mystery posted at Genealogy Roots Blog. You can see a photo of Jane Doe's tombstone and read about the woman whose identity remains a mystery to this day. Joe likes to hang out in cemeteries and he's been known to carry a camera. In fact, he's started a blog that's entirely about tombstones, full of photos and inscriptions. Check it out: Cemeteries and Cemetery Symbols.
On that same topic of cemetery symbols, Kimberly Powell presents Cemetery Symbolism - Tombstone Symbols & Their Meanings - Photos & Descriptions posted at About Genealogy. Kimberly has put together a wonderful presentation of tombstone photos and interpretations. Beautiful photos and simple, straight forward explanations make a good lesson for us all. A very nice slide show! Thanks Kimberly!
Next the king of genealogical comedy checks in... Chris Dunham presents His Rovin' Days Are Over posted at The Genealogue. Chris is always good for a hoot, even on the topic of tombstones. He manages to find the wackiest and wierdest stories to share and this one is right up there with the best of them. Check it out and have a good chuckle! Thanks for sharing Chris!
Thank you all for submitting your articles to the Carnival. We appreciate you!
An now here are a few other articles on the topic of tombstones that you might find of interest.
Professional writer Dayna Winters tackles the topic of Gravestone Art: Stories Fixed in Stone on her blog Dayna Winters~Freelance Writer~. The article is very well written and very well researched. Includes a glossary of common cemetery icons.
In the category of "a little unusual" we have the following:
From Frank Passic on the Find A Grave web site we find the honorary and unusual gravestone of Felix Oscar Schlag.
Mark Macleod shares with us the unique design of his grandfather's tombstone in The Dancing Headstone from his blog The Geek of Everything.
From a blogger in Nashville, TN we have an interesting story inspired by a tombstone with a rabbit and a mug of beer on it. Story of a Headstone appears on the blog For Peter's Sake.
From Mary Ward we have Gravestone Rubbings Unique and Free for Halloween Decorating. Step by step instructions given for gravestone rubbings.
In the category of "highly unusual" we have the following:
From the Snopes web site (famous for debunking urban legends) we find Letter R.I.P. Caution: foul language warning. Certainly an unusual tombstone.
And lastly, in the category of "cultural differences" regarding tombs/tombstones we have:
From Jasia at the Creative Gene blog we find Grave Tending: A National Holiday. Honoring the dead in Poland.
From the MoneyWeb web site we have In Madagascar, digging up the dead divides families. Probably the most bizarre ritual for the deceased I've ever heard of.
That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. I hope you enjoyed it! The next edition will be hosted by special guest Kimberly Powell of the About Genealogy web site!
Call for submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: making the most of family get-togethers. This can be anything related to family history - family projects, searching for heirlooms, eliciting family stories, trips to the family cemetery, etc. Unique ways to take advantage of family time to learn more about your family's history and heritage. Since the holidays in November and December often bring families together it's a great time to do these sorts of things. So what will you and your family do (or what have you done)? Blog about it and share your stories on the Carnival!
Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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