Fragments

Today was not a great day for Find-A-Grave-ing. It was cloudy, making it difficult to read the gravestones. The last two times I went to the cemetery I was able to find between 60-70 gravestones that weren't on Find A Grave. This time, I only found about five. It's getting harder to identify stones that I haven't documented before. There are at least 30 stones in the Eaderley/Miller transcription of 1909 that I haven't been able to find. Where are they?

Well, here's one. I think I've finally been able to identify it. First, I identified all of the Isaacs in the 1909 transcription. By the process of elimination, I was able to determine that this Isaac must be Isaac W. Stokem, the son of Alexander and Mary A. Stokem, who died December 7, 1861 at the age of six years. It's possible that this stone also commemorated Isaac's sister Matilda Ann, who died on December 15, 1861 at the age of 2.

I have also been able to identify this gravestone as that of Derinda Yerks, daughter of Anthony and Louisa Yerks, who died February 25, 1856 at the age of 5.


I have not had the same luck with this stone. I am guessing it is Lucy or Lucinda or Lucretia, wife of Samuel. But there is no inscription of that kind in the Eaderley/Miller transcription. Then I thought maybe the "LUC" was part of the last name - but that didn't get me anywhere either.


I would really like to know whether the 30-or-so gravestones that are "missing" are present but illegible, present but smashed into smithereens, or buried - or whether they were moved from the site altogether, like that of Charles Thorn. I am searching nearby cemeteries on Find A Grave to see if I can locate anyone that way.

A couple of gravestones have toppled over onto their faces and might be legible if they were upright. Ultimately, however, I'll have to accept that I won't be able to locate every stone. Some are, no doubt, irretrievably lost. But some may be buried right below our feet!