Being mildly curious about the "famous" people buried in the many cemeteries near my home, I signed up as a volunteer "grave stone picture taker". As a result, every now and then, I find a request in my e-mail box asking if I can take a picture of some one's gravestone.
While this may sound rather ghoulish, my thoughts are of the difficulty I had finding my ancestors - and of wanting to help others find their ancestors and to be, in a small way, helpful in their finding their roots.
What I did not realize was, that within just 5 miles of my home there are literally dozens and dozens of cemeteries - some dating way back into the late 1600's and that I would get a fair number of requests.
Many of the stones I've seen over the few months are weathered beyond readability, or nearly so, such as Matthias Rittenhouse's shown below.
It reads, "In Memory of Matthias Rittenhouse who departed this Life June the 3rd 1793 .. Aged 59 Years".
Matthias was a Mennonite ("nearly-Amish") minister in the town of Skippack, PA.
Willem (William) Rittinghausen (1644-1708) was born in the Rhineland, Germany, and lived in Amsterdam before he immigrated to America in 1688. He became the first Mennonite minister in America and builder of the first paper mill at Philadelphia in 1690. It is believed that all American Mennonite Rittenhouses have descended from him.
The most famous person bearing the family name was David Rittenhouse (1732-96), the Philadelphia astronomer and scientist and the first director of the United States Mint, who was a son of Matthias of the third generation in America. He lived in a farmhouse a few blocks down the road from me, very near the Methacthon Oak - which he may very well have sat under - it being on the church grounds that his father preached at.
In my strolls up and down the old gravestones looking for the one someone requested a photo of, I have encountered many of the same names - names that the nearby towns, streets, and businesses also carry. Bergey, Detweiller, Bean, Kreible, Kulp, Landis, Clemens, Heebner, Beyers, Cassel, (Christopher) Dock and many more.
Usually, it takes a bit of walking, up and down rows, to find the one I am seeking - sometimes I end up walking miles and miles and sometimes I don't find the grave - but when I do, I get a thrill and think, "Aha!" and take the picture and move on.
The grave stones however, do not tell the person's story. Recently I was asked to take a picture of the grave of Harry "Tom" Collins Jr. - the requester only knew what year he died - as he died tragically. So... I took this picture -
Harry J. Collins Jr. (1916 - 1946)
Buried nearby are his sister Bertha Collins Lake (1918-2003), his father Harry Jay Collins (1875 - 1956) and mother Rose Mae Collins (1889 - 1978) and unknown relatives Claude R. Collins (1907 - 1989) with Elizabeth M. Collins (1897 - 1988).
Harry Jr. died at the age of 29 - 10 years before his father - and more than 50 years before his sister. A short investigation led me to this newspaper story published August 3d, 1946.
Attempting to zoom by a driver in a 15-lap midget auto race at the Yellow Jacket Speedway, Harry (Tom) Collins of Norrlstown, Pa., was killed "instantly" after his midget racer locked wheels with another car and crashed into a fence. Collins, 29, was attempting to pass Carl Miller of Trenton, N. J.,on the eighth lap of the race, but he got too close. A wheel of Collins' car tangled with one of Miller's. Miller eventually won the race.
"It is hard to picture the city of Philadelphia as the center of racing. But, back in the late 1930s the city of Philadelphia was the hot spot in the world of midget racing. Race teams from across the country would tow to Philadelphia to race at the two race tracks located inside the city limits. The two tracks, Yellow Jacket Speedway on G Street in Frankford, or at the National Stadium, provided some of the best in midget racing action." The track closed in 1950.
Quoted from http://www.thevintageracer.com/articles/phila_midgets.htm
I asked my dad about this and he said, "Oh my yes!! I remember seeing a few races there with my father!" I then asked, "Why does 'G' street sound familiar?" and he replied, "'G' Street was on the way to the foundry - we commuted down that road for years. The race track was at Erie and G., where we drove over those nasty trolley tracks." Then I remembered. The huge Philadelphia Coca Cola Bottling plant is at that site today. I said, "The Coke plant?" and he replied, "That's the place."
So many connections - and so many more invisible ones.
20 comments:
Interesting hobby you have there. Very sweet too. I bet there are some very grateful people out there that have a small token they might not otherwise have.
I find it fascinating. I love the stories you can find out. Thank you so much for sharing. =)
You're finding a lot of connections. I'm sure you're making a lot of people very grateful along the way. *hugs*
You can add cemetery headstone photographer to your list of self-employment businesses. You're on a roll Iggy. Before you know it, the money will be rolling in from every angle.
You're a few blocks from the Methacton Oak? Well hot dang. You're closer to me than I thought,
Connections -- those changes which connect wait on noone. That's the name of the worldly game. Change change change.
I'm not an ancestor sleuth, nor am I a true ghoulish sort of chick, but I actually enjoy visiting old cemeteries now and then. I love the old headstones and imagining the lives of those gone before.
what a sweet thing for you to do..not surprising.
How nice of you to volunteer for this! They are such quiet, peaceful places and don't creep me out at all. But I don't think I'd go at night, lol!
kinda of like a treasure hunt you are doing, Iggy; I think it is fascinating and I bet it "thrills" you when you do find the stone you are looking for. I think it is a worthy thing to do too to take pictures for others looking for their ancestors. Whoever thought of this was a bit of a genius, does help people interesting in their family tree. I was reminded of your relatives displaced from their final resting place when we had Koda out on his weekend car ride and we drove by a cemetery in the middle of the city. Made me wonder if it was a curret one, but seeing various flowers and Christmas decorations on the gravesites I determined it had to be still a "working" one so to speak. And then I told hubby the story of your relatives, etc. Very interesting!!
betty
That would be an interesting thing to volunteer for. I actually love cemeteries. Find them peaceful and somehow ancient. It would be fun to finally find the gravestone for somebody. Each is a kind of adventure--a challenge. You can't do this in the winter, tho, can you? Won't be able to see, will you? For sure not the gravestones that lie flat on the ground--and then too much snow to trudge thru. Anyways, this is definitely an interesting way to spend your time. I'm afriad I'd get so lost reading gravestones that I'd never find the one I set out to locate--hehe! ;)
Interesting hobby. And that's really sweet of you to be willing to searchh for relatives of people for them. I'm sure they appreciate your help in locating relatives.
This is all so fascinating Iggy! Just popping over to day hello and see what you've been up to lately. I've missed you!
I'm going to check out the grave finder.
Good for you, to be such a volunteer.
Sometimes I wonder who walked here or there 100 years ago... and how the mountain still sits up there and rules the valley --
Oh my goodness, how about that Iggy. I loved this post and how nice of you to volunteer to take pictures of gravesites for people, you are such a wonderful person :o)
Everyone of those headstones has a story. You uncovered a good one this time...I enjoyed the results of your exploration! Isn't it amazing..yup part time headstone photographer..way to go Iggy:)
Those photos of your Dad and Zoe are awesome..what a beautiful dog! Tell your Dad I love his coat too! :)
You live in such a historic area, I am not surprised you get quite a number of requests. Do you take pictures of tombstones they don't ask for of relatives? I can only imagine the number of people you have brought happiness to.
You are the bestest!!!!
You always find the most interesting ways to spend your time! :) As everyone has commented it is very nice of you to take photos for those looking for their loved ones.
I agree with you that tombstones don't tell enough about the people. I would want a funny one, perhaps like the little poems on the ones at the Haunted Mansion at Disney World. :) If you have to go out you should at least make a lasting impression!
Wow, that is a very interesting hobby! I love old tombstones. because it doesn't say much about who is buried down there, it is shrouded in mystery.
You also answered a question I was debating with someone. Soimeone thinks it is horrible, terrible, unethical to take photos in a cemetery... and I completely disagreed. I see nothing wrong with it at all, not one iota. In fact, it is fascinating and cool. And another plus? Someday those tombstones may be gone. Like you said on another post, some of them ended up in the river, never to be seen again. Taking photos preserves that somewhat. IMO.
I was just reading about Rittenhouse! How weird!
Old tombstones are so full of mystery and romance. I love looking at them, and then writing poetry or a short story about what I see.
What a great story. I should do that too for folks here in the midwest. Our local cemtery has a person who died during the Titanic disaster. His wife was saved. They were on their way home from shopping in Europe (to decorate their new mansion with old and new furnishings.)Lots of history out there if people just looked.
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