Shanna Riley March 29th, 2007
One thing, sadly, that you often see in cemeteries are the graves of babies. Stillborn or only living a few days, these graves are always touching.
An unusual grave in that set, however, was the one I found for the Chenevert Babies.
There is only one date on the marker, March 6, 1930, but it is obvious it marks the resting place of a set of ill-fated triplets. It isn't hard to imagine the slim chance for survival triplets would have had being born in 1930, however, it is still a rare find as far as graves go. Twins, I have seen. Triplets, never.
The grave marks the final resting place of young Varonia, Alban, and Anthony Chenevert. Who their parents were or if they had any other siblings, still remain a mystery.
Shanna Riley March 28th, 2007
Even after showing them the photos, few people believe me when I tell them I found a grave for Berlin Wall. It's quite true, however. His wife, Marguerite Wall, is buried in the vault next to him in an indoor mausoleum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
It's an interesting name, to be sure. Mr. Wall was born in 1905 - when there was no Berlin Wall. Whether his parents had some sort of strange premonition is an entertaining thought, but I do believe it's mere coincidence that Mr. Wall was named for the infamous wall that went up in 1961.
I've seen some very unique and interesting names in my cemetery travels, but this is definitely one of the best. I'll bet Mr. Berlin was quite a character!
Shanna Riley March 25th, 2007
I would be remiss if I did not, on a blog about my graving excursions, talk about The Brandon Children.
They all lived, and died, in the mid-1800s and stumbling upon their beautiful resting place - a small, unmarked cemetery off the Natchez Trace - in May of 2006 was the start of an on-going project to find out just who "The Brandon Children" were...and what happened to them.
The cemetery itself is unmarked, and sits a ways off the Natchez Trace in Natchez, Mississippi. My mother, sister, and I saw what looked like a fenced-in graveyard from the Trace, and made the short walk up to it.
There was an ornate black, ironwork fence surrounding a small cemetery that was surrounded by a perfectly-planted circle of oak trees. The tomb and headstones inside were ornate and had beautiful verses inscribed into the stone; all by a mournful mother...who we soon realized had seven young children interred within. We couldn't begin to imagine the pain she must've gone through, losing so many of her precious children at such young ages.
Intrigued by this hallowed ground that held so many children of one ill-fated couple, I wrote down the names and dates of them all. When I returned home, I began my research into who these children, and their parents, had been and to try and learn what might have become of them.
The fruits of my research became The Brandon Children website; my labor of love. I plan to write more about each of them, and their family, as this blog grows.