Sunday's Poem - God's Acre by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

GOD'S-ACRE

I like that ancient Saxon phrase, which calls
  The burial-ground God's-Acre! It is just;
It consecrates each grave within its walls,
  And breathes a benison o'er the sleeping dust.

God's-Acre! Yes, that blessed name imparts
  Comfort to those, who in the grave have sown
The seed that they had garnered in their hearts,
  Their bread of life, alas! no more their own.

Into its furrows shall we all be cast,
In the sure faith, that we shall rise again
At the great harvest, when the archangel's blast
  Shall winnow, like a fan, the chaff and grain.

Then shall the good stand in immortal bloom,
In the fair gardens of that second birth;
And each bright blossom mingle its perfume
With that of flowers, which never bloomed on earth.

With thy rude ploughahare, Death, turn up the sod,
And spread the furrow for the seed we sow;
This is the field and Acre of our God,
This is the place where human harvests grow!

Sunday's Poem - "Dear Ancestor"

Dear Ancestor

Your tombstone stands among the rest, 

Neglected and alone.

The name and date are chiseled out

On polished, marbled stone.

It reaches out to all who care

It is too late to mourn. 

You did not know that I exist,

You died and I was born.

Yet each of us are cells of you

In flesh and blood and bone.

Our blood contracts and beats a pulse

Entirely not our own.

Dear Ancestor, the place you filled

One hundred years ago

Spreads out among the ones you left

Who would have loved you so.

I wonder if you lived and loved,

I wonder if you knew

That someday I would find this spot

And come to visit you.

- Author Unknown

This Says Everything

The photographer's description simply said "A very thorough tombstone," and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. It actually defies words and certainly speaks for itself. The headstone appears to be a recently erected one, located not in Attala county, but in another county in Mississippi.

My own reaction when I first saw the photo was one of near shock and disbelief. Not only was I intrigued by the unusual size and design of the stone, I was in total awe of the extensive genealogical story inscribed on the stone. The fact that it features thirteen family pictures is impressive in its own right - what a treasure trove of family information this headstone contains.

But I must ask the obvious question: Why would someone erect such an expensive and such a detailed marker? Were the families listed prominent ones in the history and the development of the community? Large and beautifully carved and detailed headstones historically have served as symbols of the social and economic importance of families throughout years past and continues in our present culture.

Could it be the headstone is the sole marker, a "combined" marker, if you will, for all family members buried in this particular portion of the cemetery?

Whatever the reason, this marker will provide a permanent road map of family history for many generations to come.

Find Your Relative's Grave

Recently, I stumbled upon some wonderful photos taken by Natalie Maynor of churches and cemeteries in Mississippi, some of which I have used on my blogs. Although Ms. Maynor has taken photographs of churches and cemeteries located throughout the United States and in some foreign countries, it seems to me that she had taken a majority of her photos in Mississippi. Somewhere along the way, I found a website that contained some of her pictures that I had already viewed elsewhere on the web.

That website was http://www.findagrave.com.

According to a writeup on the site, Jim Tipton, its founder, created the website in 1995 to foster his hobby of "visiting the graves of famous people." What he discovered was that many thousands of people living around the world shared his somewhat odd hobby. So what started out as a hobby turned into a livelihood and a passion for Mr. Tipton. Presently, thousands of contributors from around the world have assisted in compiling approximately 27 million records, and through the efforts of volunteers like Ms. Maynor, "thousands of contributors from around the world enter new records, thousands use the site as an education reference tool, and long-lost loved ones are located......"

Mr. Tipton's venture is now located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ms. Maynor is a volunteer for this project and is a self-named "graver." Being a "graver" means that she receives a request to find a grave and travels to the area where the cemetery is believed to be located. Once she finds the actual cemetery and the gravesite, Ms. Maynor photographs both the cemetery and the gravestone.

She says that she loves what she does.

Many of you who are reading this may have already found and used the website above. If you have not visited there, I strongly encourage you to do so. Although the cemetery listings are not always complete, the website includes an abundance of wonderful information that sometimes includes a photo of the deceased, a photo of the headstone, and maybe some genealogical or family history data that often connects family members buried in the same cemetery. Another feature of the website and the project is that photographs and genealogical information can be submitted directly by family members or loved ones.

I hope that we as genealogists and "Graveyard Rabbits" can assist in some way to help complete the information available on this helpful website.