Life’s Curveballs

Infant daughter of

Mr. & Mrs. J. B. Pinson

Gone but not forgotten

If you read my last post, you know that I’ve been out searching cemeteries helping people find lost loved ones. I like doing it because I think it’s valuable for them to know where a long lost relative is buried. However, it is sad work and difficult sometimes. Take for example the infant daughter shown above. It’s obvious that the people didn’t have the money for a tombstone but wanted to remember their infant daughter. Then there are the graves where the stones are almost completely gone.

I saw a rather large plot in a cemetery not far from my home and you could tell it was an old family plot, and they were probably the first to be buried there and now surrounded by hundreds of graves. The only thing recognizable is a stone at the entrance to the plot that reads “Morgan.” You could tell where the graves were but the covers are completely gone now and only outlined with stone. There is a very large tree, at least 3 feet in diameter, right in the middle of the graves that probably was a twig when these people were buried. The people are gone and forgotten and even the people that run the cemetery have no idea who they were or what there names were.

Years ago now, I was searching for my long lost relatives while home in Pennsylvania for a visit. After some searching, I found the cemetery where they were buried. I was out among the tombstones writing down the information that I could just barely make out on the faded stone when the pastor of the near by church approached me. He asked me if these were my relatives, and I said yes they were. After talking with him for a while, he said, you know this isn’t the actual place where the people are buried. I am sure I looked puzzled, and he said, yea about 10 years ago when we were putting on the addition to the church we move most of the tombstones (the ones still intact) to this location. The actual graves are still under the new parish house. I couldn’t believe it and even wrote to the Pennsylvania Cemetery Commission when I got home. They wrote me back and informed me that it was legal and there was nothing wrong with what they did at the church. It was upsetting to me and it still is to this day.

Sacred to the memory of Harvey Coe youngest son of Abijah & Sybil Coe who was born in Torrington, Litchfield Co, Ct. Jan 3rh 1816 & died in Autauga Co Al Aug 16th aged 25 years 7 months and 10 days (unreadable)…. This stone was erected by his brother E. N. Coe.

What you don’t see in the photo is this grave in the middle of a forest with big trees and over grown briers. The stone is laying on the ground and broken in three places. It took me some time even to get to the spot because of the over growth, and this isn’t the only stone among the trees and brush, for there are others. This person was cared for at one time, at least his brother cared for it looks like he traveled some distance to place this stone, or maybe he was with him at the time of his death. Either way, they were both a very long way from home for the 1800’s. Connecticut to Alabama was hard going back in the early 1800’s. This person buried here was loved at one time but probably long forgotten now. Maybe now that he has been found someone will once again know him, and know that his brother cared. Will we be remembered, I hope and pray we are.