"Memorial Markers"

'

I was talking with some employees of a local cemetery a few days ago and the conversation turned to people saying that they know that a person is buried in the cemetery because there is a tombstone on their grave... yet there is no burial record available for this person! This may be a "memorial marker" to remember the person at this cemetery, even though, they may be buried elsewhere. Many times this occurs because a spouse dies and a marker is erected for both the deceased and the surviving spouse, but the surviving spouse ends up marrying another time and is buried with the 2nd. spouse somewhere else. Other times a grave and marker are bought early in life and the individual moves away and forgets about the grave & marker. Other times the family will have a marker made to be put in the cemetery with the rest of the family, but the person died elsewhere and is lost or buried far away. Many drownings or soldiers who die in wartime are often not found, but the family will place a marker in the local cemetery to remember them. One other possibility is cremations of the deceased that are not buried in the existing lot that happens to have a marker or one is erected to remember them and the cremains are not buried there.

Perhaps there are many other situations that a person will not be buried where there marker exists. Can anyone suggest other possibilities?

- Written by JGWest

Indiana Historical Collection Damaged as a Kentucky Civil War Memorial is Preserved

.
We begin the new year with bad news for genealogists & historians...

Fire destroys about 80% of the Bartholomew County Historical Society collection, 75,000 items were estimated lost in the Dec. 24, 2009 United Way building fire in Columbus, Indiana.


Read more at http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=11737018

However, there is good news for the new year for historians & genealogists, especially Civil War buffs...

New Kentucky home for the oldest national Civil War memorial commemorating the soldiers of the 32nd Indiana Infantry who died in the Battle of Rowlett's Station near Munfordville in Hart County, KY. Read the 31 Dec 2009 article in the Kentucky New Era: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KY_CIVIL_WAR_MEMORIAL_KYOL-?SITE=KYHOP&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

"Our Children: Loved, Missed and Remembered"

This is the message on the Childrens Memorial near the main entrance to the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center

(click on image to enlarge)

I saw this on FaceBook (on the Internet) and asked permission to use it here. From Linda L Young-Niemeier's Photos: "THIS IS WHERE WE HELD THE MEMORIAL FOR CALAB LAY WHEN HE WAS MURDERED BY HIS PARENT'S."

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

This is a follow-up of yesterday's blog with two plaques... one is a little mystery, that we can use some help! - JGW

In yesterday's blog, we had photos of the U of E beautiful grounds & gardens. On the Lincoln Avenue side of the campus, you can see the Administration Building and a nice stone sign "University of Evansville." The sign is actually the back side of a large bench like platform for visiting or small events like a musical performance or a political rally that occured there in the late 1960's with Eugene McCarthy.


The plaque below was installed on the bench during the University's 150 years of preparing leaders for tomorrow. The "Sesquicentennial Oval" was made possible through an estate gift from Dallas Bower-Suhrheinrich, long-time UE Trustee.

Below that plaque is a somewhat older plaque (in photo below). The qulaity of this photo is not very good and I apologize for it, but I did want to include it today. It is a little mystery as to who this man is and why this structure was dedicated to his memory, in addition to when was it dedicated. The small plaque simply states: "Dedicated to the Memory of Michael E. Thorp."

I checked the newspaper clippings and obituaries in the Browning Databases and I checked the online databases for both city cemeteries. I also went to the U of E's website hoping to find something there. I found nothing. Maybe one of you bloggers out there can find out who Mr. Thorp is and why this centerpiece in the gardens at UE was dedicated to his memory and when it was dedicated.

- Photos taken & submitted by JGWest

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

Evansville's Joe Cook ~ Entertainer

This is very nice memorial plaque to a guy that entertained others and promoted his city. I wished that I knew more about him... or even the corner where he lived in Evansville where this plaque once adorned. Maybe someone will have the time to check some of the city's early directories to find his home. If anyone knows more about Joe Cook, please share it with us.

- Photographer unknown, photo submitted by Chris Myers

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

Wesselman Park

Par 3 Golf Course

Evansville, Indiana

- Photo taken & submitted by Chris Myers

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

"In Memory of Our Veterans & Our Ancestors..."

Oak Hill Cemetery

Evansville, Indiana

Veterans Memorial Plaza

Veterans Memorial Plaza dedication plaque - 11 November 2001

The above plaques recognize the former Vanderburgh county residents who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom.

Veterans Memorial Plaza near entrance to Oak Hill Cemetery.

Plaque on pedestal at entry point to the plaza. In memory of all american Veterans.

Becky West standing next to plaque at entry point to the plaza.

- Photos taken & submitted by JGWest

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

Posey County, Indiana

DAR Memorial Marker

(Click on photo for larger image)

Honoring the 15 soldiers of the American Revolution buried in Posey County. This was erected by the General Thomas Posey NSDAR Chapter in 1977 as a gift of the Chapter Regent. It is on the West lawn of the County Courthouse in Mt. Vernon, Indiana.

- Photo taken and submitted by JGWest