Sunland Tribune

Volume 28 Article 6

2002

Gone From Our Home, But Not From Our Hearts: Nineteenth Century Epitaphs in Selected Florida Rural Cemeteries

Maureen J. Patrick

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Recommended Citation Patrick, Maureen J. (2002) "Gone From Our Home, But Not From Our Hearts: Nineteenth Century Epitaphs in Selected Florida Rural Cemeteries," Sunland Tribune: Vol. 28 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune/vol28/iss1/6

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Maureen J. Patrick antiquarian foci of some researchers, little serious scholarly attention has been given ravestone studies in Florida are the subject. Of the work that has been done accompanied by a sense of in these graveyards, even less attention has urgency. Much of the state's pio­ been directed to what Dianna Hume George ~~~ • neer history and heritage rests in and Malcolm Nelson have called "literary its nineteenth century rural cemeteries, approaches to gravestones,"1 that is, the and these, overgrown and under-tended, critical study of epitaphs and memorial are sinking beneath inscriptions, along with relentless vegetation their material culture Here lies the remains of and unstable sand. implications. The work Climate allies with Christopher R. Perry Butler 1st is necessary and press­ neglect in the assault. Regiment [C.]S. Army. With the ing for, as George and Torrential rains, period­ tender affection of a son and Nelson posit: "Epitaphs ic hurricanes, lightning­ must be studied seri­ the spirit of a strikes (with their con­ brother he united ously as the last and in comitant fires and felled Gallant Soldier tempered with most cases the only trees), blistering heat, the gentle influence of Christian lasting verbal represen­ and a year-round growth piety. Born in Greenville tation of the people season seem united who sleep under the Carolina against these embattled District of South stones: 'I have been sites and their valuable Au.gust 26th, 1829. Died at and that is all."'2 contents. Vandals and Tampa Bay November 1st, Of the people who robbers swell the offen­ 1853. In the courageous sleep under Florida sive ranks; gravestone stones, few sleep in a his duty. This researchers must often discharge of cemetery more inter- pick their way through stone is erected by his mother. esting or more shattered monuments neglected than Oaklawn Cemetery, Tampa, Florida and plundered statuary. Oaklawn Cemetery in (Figure 1) downtown Tampa, Considering the rapid deterioration of Florida. It is hard today to visualize all of Florida's rural cemeteries and taking Oaklawn as a rural cemetery. Situated just note of their immense historical value, it is a few blocks from the bustling center of vitally important that documentation and Florida's second largest city, the burying­ interpretation of every aspect of these sites place, with its drooping oaks and twisted proceed apace. Despite the pressing and cedars, its chipped masonry wall and iron important nature of such work, however, gates, seems incongruent but hardly rural. and apart from the purely genealogical or Cars rattle past on the narrow brick streets 35 Figure 1. Damage by vandals to the Butzloff memorial, Oaklawn Cemetery. (All photographs cour­ tesy of the author.) surrounding the site, skyscrapers seem to bristling atop its high stockade. leer over the cemetery wall, and the county To view the cemetery in the context of jail, directly adjacent, is a hostile neighbor, its day, one must remember that when the with searchlights and coiled barbed wire cemetery was founded in 1850 the city cen- 36 ter, if it could be generously described that way, was not where it is now but some blocks southwest, and was comprised of the military installation Fort Brooke and its various outbuildings, all built more or less on the banks of the Hillsborough River. That meant that the cemetery, located in the northeast corner of the original plat of the county seat, was nearly a mile from the heart of the settlement, in an area devoted to farming and groves. Blocked from expansion west and south­ ward by the broad and meandering Hillsborough River, the city grew in a north by northeast pattern. By the turn of the nineteenth century, Oaklawn Cemetery was surrounded by residential and com­ mercial construction, a sylvan refuge of the dead encircled by city sprawl. Its initial tracts, gifted in 1850 by Hillsborough County, in 1874 by B.C . Leonardi, and in 1880 by James T. Magbee, were by 1900 fairly well filled with graves; no adjacent unoccupied land remained.3 Other nine­ teenth century burying grounds, like Woodlawn Cemetery (Figs. 2,3,4) in a gen­ uinely rural area north of the city center, and Myrtle Hill to the east, were commodi­ ous enough to serve for many years (and continue today to accept both below - ground and mausoleum interments.) But Oaklawn Cemetery, Tampa's first public burying ground, was awkwardly situated and too small to be of much long-range use to the ballooning Tampa community. In consequence of these demographic Figure 2. Clark memorial, Woodlawn cemetery. shifts, the little cemetery at Morgan and the age, had iron railings and fences. Over Harrison Streets was all but forgotten. The the years, these disappeared or fell to oversight was disastrous, for Central pieces. While civic groups attempted, at Florida's climate combined with the work of intervals, to care for and maintain vandals to wreak havoc on the old grave­ Oaklawn, neither funds nor public atten­ yard. Since stone markers were costly and tion was sufficient to insure the graveyard's difficult to obtain, most of the original well-being. In 1974, a reporter from The markers at Oaklawn were carved cypress Tampa Tribune recorded, with a mixture of slabs or posts; those that survived a fierce amusement and indignation, an interview fire in the cemetery's early years were lost with a homeless man living in one of the few to wind, rain, rot and flooding. (Some above-ground tombs in Oaklawn. 4 Every gravesites have vanished utterly, due to Halloween the cemetery became the locus these losses and the disappearance of the for ghoulish pranks, of which spray-paint­ cemetery's original plat sometime just after ing tombs and statuary was the mildest the War Between the States.) Above-ground expression. In 1993, forty grave markers stone tombs and monuments were cracked were destroyed in one such Halloween or shattered by falling tree limbs, tomb­ spree of vandalism. 5 As recently as January, stones toppled or were defaced, and memo­ 2001, vandals toppled headstones, breaking rial statuary was robbed on a regular basis. several, and wrenched iron plot gates from Most of the original gravesites were family their hinges.6 groupings and, conforming to the custom of More than common repugnance at the 37 was to become known as the rural ceme­ tery. Replacing the crowded, haphazard and unhygienic city center graveyards of the past, the rural cemetery of the mid- to late nineteenth century was lauded by an 1877 writer:

Can 'couch more magnificent' be sought for than the beautiful open cemetery, festooned with richest foliage, and glori­ fied with the sunshine, the incense of flowers and the chants of winds? .. . we do avouch, for many weighty causes, that there are no places more fit to buy our dead in than our gardens and groves or airy fields, sub dis, where our beds may be decked and carpeted with ver­ dant and fragrant flowers, trees and perennial plants, the most natural and instructive hieroglyphics of our expect­ ed resurrection and immortality. 7

When compared to the aerial prose of this text, the worn-out little Tampa burying­ ground provokes a mild sense of disappoint­ ment, for at its best it was never a Greenwood or a Mount Auburn. However, viewed through a kind and reconstructing eye, the cemetery is undoubtedly a pocket edition of those grand and celebrated prop­ erties. Brick pathways, while they do not wind or meander, are nevertheless laid out in a pleasing rectilinear pattern throughout the grounds. A neat white Victorian cottage Figure 3. Memorial statuary for Mrs. Hampton, in the northeast section provides storage for wife of Dr. Hiram Hampton, Woodlawn the mundane tools of the gravedigger and Cemetery. caretaker, as well as a pleasant porch desecration of graves has motivated latter­ where, it is said, Confederate veterans used day attempts to salvage what is left of to sit and chat, and where the eulogy was Oaklawn and restore, where possible, its sometimes delivered in poor weather. uniquely nineteenth century character. In Memorial plantings are scattered through­ the cemetery rest framers of all five Florida out the cemetery: the evergreen Florida red constitutions, two Florida Supreme Court cedar (for life everlasting), the renewing judges, thirteen mayors of the city, mem­ oak (emblem of faith's strength) and the bers of many of Tampa's founding families, palm (suggestive of Jesus' entry into Florida's fifteenth governor, eighty-eight Jerusalem.) In some respects, in fact, now graves from the city's five yellow fever epi­ that the oaks have grown and spread their demics, mass burials of Ft. Brooke person­ mossy limbs over the brick paths while the nel, and soldiers of seven wars (the Second aged cedars' trunks have twisted, sculpture­ Seminole War, Mexican War, Billy Bowlegs like, among the graves, Oaklawn is more Indian War, War Between the States, the the rural cemetery than it was at its found­ Spanish-American War, and World Wars I ing, for its peaceful grounds, graceful foliage and II.) and broken but eloquent statuary exempli­ fy the aesthetic that brought the rural Of additional importance is the ceme­ cemetery into being. (Figure 5) tery's role as an early example of the for­ Recognizing if not the aesthetic then at mally designed memorial landscape that least the unique historical nature of the 38 graveyard, the Tampa Historical Society has in recent years paid close attention to the site, hosting an annual "Oaklawn Ramble" that attracts the interest of local history organizations and antiquarians. Less salu­ tary are the well-intentioned efforts of some "history buffs" to repair, clean, or replace broken or soiled grave markers, efforts which have resulted in, arguably, more harm than good. Tombstones and memorial sculp­ tures have been scrubbed with bleach and other corrosive substances (increasing the deterioration of inscriptions and monument art), broken stones have been badly patched with cement, and some missing or shattered markers have been replaced with anachro­ nistic modern stones. There is likewise no prohibition against gravestone rubbings by tourists and amateurs, and nearly every visit to Oaklawn uncovers evidence of destructive rubbing techniques in the form of wax cray­ on smears and newly cracked headstones. In these respects, both the City of Tampa and local preservation and historical bodies lag behind the national movement to restore and maintain historic cemeteries in a careful and technologically up-to-date fashion. What site and artifact restoration/ preservation work has been done at Oaklawn has been augmented by the col­ lection of data (largely genealogical and his­ torical) by amateur and a few scholarly individuals. Julius 'Jeff Gordon, a retired Florida native and independent scholar, has, to date, done the most exhaustive sur­ vey and documentation of Oaklawn's 1,208 Figure 4. Memorial statuary for Dr. Hiram Hampton, Woodlawn Cemetery. graves.8 But Gordon's work does not address the literary or iconographic aspects a fairly "populous" one. In order to produce of Oaklawn grave memorials, nor make any a sample of a size productive of close and attempt to locate the cemetery and its con­ thorough examination, and to effectively tents in the larger body of cultural archeol­ interpret the sample in the context of exist­ ogy. Bearing in mind the validity of a future ing time-limited studies, this study restricts holistic study of these gravestones that itself to the southwest section of the ceme­ would unify disparate sources of data - tery and to grave markers with dates from iconographic (carving and memorial art), 1850 to the end of the second decade of the literary (epitaphs and inscriptions) and his­ twentieth century. In this section and time torical - this study limits itself to the liter­ span are located the oldest Protestant buri­ ary aspect of Oaklawn and provides some als in Oaklawn and those of many members supportive data from similarly dated Florida of Tampa's "founding families." cemeteries with the goal of encouraging In addition to Oaklawn Cemetery, sam­ these graveyards' placement in their right plings were taken from several other ceme­ and proper material culture context. teries in Florida. The criteria determining the appropriateness of these sources were: Study Sample 1) the rural nature of the cemetery; 2) the prevalence of dated gravesites in the 1850 - While Oaklawn is not, comparatively 1920 target time span; 3) the public, rather speaking, a vast graveyard, it is nevertheless than family or private, use of the site. The 39 Figure 5. Oak.lawn Cemetery looking toward the southwest.

sites are scattered throughout Florida with not reflect the work of only one carver or the aim of eliminating the "carver specifici­ stone supplier. While no attempt was made ty" of the sites, that is, to ensure that the in this study to tie the stones to any partic­ literary data gleaned from the samples does ular maker or carver, several distinctly 40 different styles of carving were noted. This observation, combined with the geographic separation of the sites, suggests that a num­ ber of memorial makers supplied the stones or at least carved the inscriptions. Some of the inscriptions are undoubtedly from stock sources, but, as many reliable material cul­ ture studies have pointed out, that fact alone need not diminish their utility since the popularity and prevalence of certain memorial sayings, like certain grave art motifs, suggest widespread social concor­ dance in their meaningfulness. The supplemental graveyards surveyed in this study are: Woodlawn Cemetery9 (at Indiana and North Boulevard Streets in Tampa), Homeland Cemetery10 (near Bartow, Florida), Micanopy Cemetery (in Micanopy, Florida, the state's oldest inland town), and Columbus Cemetery11 (in the now-defunct north Florida town of Columbus.) The Homeland and Columbus Cemetery samples include every readable marker in these small burying grounds; the Woodlawn and Micanopy samples are from the oldest sec­ tions of each cemetery.

Restrictive Terminology

Many definitions of "epitaph" exist. Likewise the phrase "memorial inscrip­ tion"' may be open to disparate meanings. For the purposes of this study, the word "epitaph" will be considered to be equiva­ lent but not identical to "memorial inscrip­ Figure 6. Lesley memorial, Oak.lawn Cemetery. tion,"' that is, an "epitaph" will denote any inscription of a clearly memorial sort which is placed on a gravestone or grave marker, Data Collection while "memorial inscription" will refer to literary data either from gravestones and Field observation and transcription were grave markers or from memorial statuary, used to obtain literary data from the graves such as cenotaphs. (Ergo, all epitaphs are in these cemeteries. Due to the age and memorial inscriptions but not all memorial advanced deterioration of grave markers inscriptions are epitaphs.) Epitaphs and and memorial statuary, some data has been memorial inscriptions are denoted by quo­ irretrievably lost. Marginally readable epi­ tation marks. Literary data excluded from taphs and inscriptions were reconstructed, the definitions of either epitaph or memor­ when possible, by comparison with similar­ ial inscription includes names, birth and ly worded inscriptions from studies of simi­ death dates, conventional indications of larly dated stones and with the assistance of relationship ("son of," "wife of," etc.) and a Biblical Concordance and a historical dic­ conventional 'dedicatory' phrases such as tionary. When an inscription has been "Sacred to the memory of." As much as pos­ reconstructed to any degree, the recon­ sible, this sort of non-memorial literary structed words or phrases are shown in data from the surveyed graves has been brackets, for example: "[Rest] in the Lord." included after the memorial inscription, in Missing and unreconstructed letters, words parentheses. or phrases are shown by empty brackets, 41 for example: "Our [ ] sleeps in heav­ en." Whenever possible, partially obliter­ ated inscriptions have been restored to readability by consultation with local IN MEMORY Of THE scholarly or amateur graveyard studies or VICTIMS OF THE YELLOW . individuals. Prior studies, however, FEVER EPIDEMICS OF recorded a wealth of genealogical or his­ 1853. 1858. 1867. 1871 torical data while consistently omitting AND 1887 -88 WHO AR E purely memorial inscriptions, and so very ­ JN N little re-constructive assistance was avail BURIED OAKLAW able from those quarters. Spelling, punctuation and grammar errors were recorded as they are on the grave marker, without revision. No data was recorded from grave mark­ ers lacking memorial inscriptions (such as the many military graves in Oaklawn), nor from markers where all but the barest infor­ mation was obliterated beyond any hope of Top figure 7. Modern memorial stone for mass reconstruction. grave of yellow fever victims, Oaklawn Cemetery. Bottom figure 8. Draped cenotaph on Dagenhardt grave. Decorative motifs for Sample Organization nineteenth century grave markers often mimic­ ked those used for domestic interiors. Readable or reconstructed inscriptions from Oaklawn and the other cemeteries surveyed are grouped by type. Five cate­ gories have been assigned to the literary data and are based on similarity of content. The categories are: Spiritual or "other-worldly:" This cate­ gory embraces inscriptions which focus largely or exclusively on the after-death condition as visualized and expressed in spiritual, though not necessarily or exclu­ sively religious, terms. Examples are inscriptions like "He sleeps in Jesus," "Gone to glory," or "She waits in heaven. " Tributes: Tributary inscriptions are fre­ quently unique to the individual memorial­ ized and their primary focus is on the indi­ vidual in life, his or her inherent virtue( s), professional, familial, or vocational achieve­ ments and excellence. "A loving husband and father," is one such inscription. Those left behind: In this category are inscriptions that focus on the grief of sur­ vivors, their sense of loss or separation, or establish an implied dialogue with the dead. The not uncommon "Gone from our home, but not from our hearts" is one example, as is the imperative "Remember me." Combination epitaphs: While some epitaphs are purely of one type, many more combine the foci and symbolic language from two or more groups. One frequently encountered combination epi­ taph which originates in Biblical verse is "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." In this inscription, the deceased is given tribute as "pure in heart," while the expectation of spiritual union with God is recorded as the consequence of such purity. Unique epitaphs: This label is used by Dianna Hume George and Malcolm A. Nelson to describe "the intricately detailed poetic epitaph which obviously applies to the unique situation of the particular per­ son memorialized."12 J. Joseph Edgette calls the form "original" and says of its examples: "Highly personalized and pecu­ liar to one specific person, they are, so to speak, customized to fit one individual and one individual only."13 I have modified the descriptions of Edgette, George and Nelson to include inscriptions, "poetic" or other­ wise, which, whether or not they can be identified as falling into any of the preced­ ing four categories, are demonstratively atypical among the sampled grave markers. The most striking example from this study is undoubtedly the Ashley gravestone in Oaklawn Cemetery.(Figure 3)

Interpreting the data

Any critical interpretation of these Florida epitaphs must at the outset take into account the paucity and expense of stone for durable markers during the period of the study. Florida has little native stone of the sort that would suit for grave mark­ ers, and stone for this and other purposes Figure 9. White bronze memorial for Brown had, at the time, to be shipped from stone­ graves, Oaklawn Cemetery. bearing states to Florida ports, then trans­ ported by an awkward and expensive com­ the services of a stone carver. Such a deduc­ bination of sailing or steam vessels, river tion is borne out by the markers from the barge, rail, and wagon to points within earlier half of the period of this study, that Florida. (Until the very late 1800s, Florida's is, from the years 1850 - 1885. In Oaklawn railroads were a patchwork of non-standard Cemetery, for example, the majority of lines, many of which started and ended graves in the southwest section are those of "nowhere.") Wood (usually cypress) mark­ Tampa's prominent families whose relative ers, not stone, were the norm for many wealth entitled them to enduring markers graves; these could not and did not survive of stone or white bronze, as well as protec­ the long years, corrosive natural elements, tive plot fences of iron, masonry or stone. and prevalence of fire in these cemeteries. (Figure 6) Thus, the democratic 1850 ded­ The expense of stone markers and their ication of the cemetery as a burying place concomitant rarity leads to a conclusion for "white and slave, rich and poor" is that any grave marker study will, by neces­ belied by the physical evidence of the sity, omit data from the hundreds of poor graves. people, slaves, and marginal persons (such However, one should not be too hasty in as seasonal fishermen, cattlemen and farm supposing that the cemetery is or was laborers, Native-Americans, domestics and entirely non-representative, overall, of the others) whose loved ones or estate could population of nineteenth century Tampa. not support the cost of a stone marker and For instance, a mass grave of Fort Brooke 43 souls may have been buried with a mm1- mum of outlay by whatever segment of the community took on the job. There are then the problems of defacement, breakage, theft, and the deterioration or replacement of stones, which have resulted in the loss of data from countless graves, a problem com­ pounded by the disappearance of the ceme­ tery's original plat. The uncomfortable truth of cemeteries like Oaklawn, along with its cousins Woodlawn, Homeland, Columbus and Micanopy, is that a significantly greater number of persons are doubtless interred in these grounds than those whose graves are marked.13 Hence, while the visible data seems to suggest that only well-to-do white families make up the population of dead in these Florida rural cemeteries, enough data is irretrievable that any such postulation is, at best, risky. In assessing the collective epitaphs from these four rural burying grounds, one can readily see that of the five types of inscrip­ tions into which they have been divided combination epitaphs are the most numer­ ous (totaling 37 of 126; the next largest cat­ egory is spiritual, numbering 35 of 126.) Recalling again the scarcity and cost of stone memorials and stone carving, it is notable that so many survivors would spend so much to memorialize their departed in Figure 10. Detail of bronze memorial for Brown complex sentiments. This fact speaks elo­ graves, displaying pastoral motifs. quently of the compelling needs of mourn­ ers in the late nineteenth and early twenti­ soldiers and settlers (originally interred at eth centuries to present relatively lengthy the military site but removed to Oaklawn and often poetic characterizations of the in 1982) bears no individual markers. dead, their presumed after-death condition, Likewise, a mass grave of nineteenth centu­ and/or the feelings of those left behind. Of ry yellow fever victims is denoted by a sin­ course, in "combination,'' as in other types gle (recent) commemorative stone. (Figure of epitaphs, some carvers and mourners 7) Slaves and domestics may well be were more "economical" than others. An interred with the families of their masters, example of elegiac economy is the Wiggins and their graves - while rarely unmarked - epitaph from Columbus Cemetery: "She were more likely to have merited perishable sleeps in Jesus for she was ready." In just wood rather than enduring stone markers. eight words the deceased is given tribute for (The earliest burials at Oaklawn were those her Christian piety and consigned to a rest­ of a Cuban pirate and a slave belonging to ful sleep in heaven. Such verbal thrift is the the family of Rev. L. G. Lesley; both graves exception rather than the norm, however, now bear modern replacement marker in "combination" epitaphs. More often they stones.) Native-Americans were also buried hold forth on their several topics at such at Oaklawn; a sizeable number of Seminole length that they barely fit on the grave­ Indians were recently disinterred from stone, as is the case with the Mollie and Oaklawn and moved to a tribal burying Jackson Cannon stone, also in Columbus place. Additionally, Florida has always been Cemetery, which reads: "These died in faith an attractive locale for speculators, adven­ not having received the promise but having turers, and transients; lacking family or seen them afar off and were persuaded of friends in the area, these disconnected them and embraced and confessed that 44 they were strangers and pilgrims on earth." forms, aesthetics and iconographic content, This slightly confusing epitaph is touching all of which yield a portrait of childhood as in the necessity which it reveals in the the era saw it: pure, fragile, and close to mourners (obviously children of the ·God. Epitaphs and memorial inscriptions deceased, since "Mother and Father" is also verbalized this view of idyllic and vulnera­ inscribed on the stone) to incorporate into ble youth. Martha Pike and Janice K. the stone faith, doubt, reassurance, spiritu­ Armstrong have written: "Children were al reunion, and a sense of the alienation and understood to be innocent and beloved by hardship of Florida pioneer life. One gains God. There existed a pervasive fear (often an even deeper sense of the compelling realized) that an adored child would be emotions behind this carving when reading taken to Heaven too soon by a God who the epitaphs of Baby Cannon, died chose him as His own. The good died young, December 16, 1906, and Jearl Cannon, died and many families knew the anguish of June 4, 1907. Both were children of Jack bereavement."15 Pike and Armstrong illus­ Cannon, Jr. and Rosa Cannon, the son and trate their argument with the 1842 epitaph daughter-in-law of the parents memorial­ of Elizabeth F. Mills, but the authors might ized in the "strangers and pilgrims" epi­ just as well have chosen these lines carved taph. In one and a-half years (and quite pos­ on the 1865 Columbus Cemetery marker sibly less, since the 1906 parental marker is for William Tison: not dated as to month and day) Jack and Rosa Cannon underwent mourning for the "Farewell our little angel second of deceased parents and two small We miss thy smiling face children of their own. All three epitaphs are We miss thy little prattling voice of the "combination" sort, and all three But with Jesus thou art safe." reflect the impulse of these hard-stressed mourners to memorialize the dead in The many similar epitaphs for children complex sentiments and at considerable buried in these Florida rural cemeteries are expense. proof in stone that the conventional aes­ The Jearl and Baby Cannon epitaphs thetics of childhood, mourning, and spiritu­ turn our attention to children's epitaphs, of ality were as compelling and widespread in which there are in this study what seems, to nineteenth and early twentieth century modern eyes, like a disproportionate num­ Florida as in more developed and populated ber. Thirty-five of the one hundred and parts of the country. The difficulties of life twenty-six interments in this sample are in what was at the time a frontier state can­ those of children under eighteen years of not be overestimated, but far from relin­ age; thirty-one of those graves bear the bod­ quishing the mourning conventions which, ies of children under ten years old. Keeping collectively, one scholar has described as "a in mind the high infant mortality and limit­ predominantly bourgeois phenomenon,"16 ed medical technology of the era, as well as the epitaphs of the dead in these cemeteries the risks associated with a primitive Florida support the deduction that, whatever sacri­ environment (beset with tropical diseases, fices these pioneer Floridians made and poor sanitation, Indian attack and the hard­ whatever socio-cultural appurtenances they ships of a blockaded coastal region during were forced to discard in their frontier envi­ the War Between the States), the fact that ronment, their idealization of childhood, so many graves of young children are found their attitudes toward juvenile death, and in these rural cemeteries is not surprising. their modes of memorializing their dead What is notable is that, overall, the chil­ children were no different than those of dren's grave markers bear inscriptions no their contemporaries in more settled parts less fulsome or complex than those of of the Eastern Seaboard. adults. Clearly, if the epitaph evidence is The linking of childhood with the heav­ taken as an indicator of the relative social enly condition, so often found in children's worth of the departed, then children were epitaphs, leads one to an examination of valued as highly as adults, and mourning religion generally as it appears - or does not sentiments for them were as fervent, - in these rural burying grounds. Here the lengthy and complex. To be sure, the child­ data from this study produces an interest­ related gravestone and mourning art from ing observation: of the surveyed epitaphs this period has been much studied for its from these four cemeteries, nearly two- 45 thirds contain overt references to Christian ized and sanctified the home, the family religious doctrine (in the form of words and the women who formed them"19 stimu­ such as "Jesus," "Christian," "'angels,'' and lated a vision of the after-life as a well­ the like, or by including exact or para­ ordered domestic environment and death phrased Biblical quotations, such as "He as a temporary separation until a final giveth His beloved sleep.") A small addi­ happy reunion in the better world of the tional number of epitaphs contain oblique hereafter. (Figure 8) The rural cemetery, or ambiguous Christian references, such as with its pleasant vistas, artistic statuary and "thy heavenly face,'' or "We will meet graceful landscape, was the vehicle for a again." (While a strictly denotative reading rich subtextual discourse of ideas on the of the obliquely worded epitaphs might family and household, death, mourning, leave them open to non-religious, or at least and the after-life, while the epitaphs and non-Christian interpretation, they would memorial inscriptions were shorthand ver­ have contained no such ambiguity for nine­ sions of that subtext. All five cemeteries teenth and early twentieth century readers. surveyed in this study contain examples of As Barbara Rotundo points out in "She the genre. The Brown family's white bronze Hath Done What She Could,'' "Men and cenotaph in Oaklawn bears this fine speci­ women in the nineteenth century knew men: "He was a mother's idol but death, like scripture and recognized which gravestone the dew from heaven, fell quickly, yet gen­ epitaphs were biblical quotations.")17 tly on this drooping flower." (Figures 9, 10) That very close to two-thirds of these Such domestic imagery, springing from a surveyed epitaphs bear religious content memorial vocabulary verdant with drooping may seem to modern assessors an indica­ flowers, sunbeams, buds, and blooms chal­ tion of high religiosity in the culture which lenges, in these Florida graveyards, the reli­ produced them, but it is the non-religious giosity that formerly monopolized the death one-third that should truly capture our and mourning experiences. In all five sam­ attention, for compared to the gravestone ples, as a matter of fact, only two stones inscriptions of, say, eighteenth century New bear the dour and once commonplace epi­ England, the sizeable number of epitaphs in taph which, by the mid-nineteenth century, this survey which contain no markers at all is conspicuous by its rarity: of Christian doctrine, symbolism and/or lit­ erature suggests a growing secularization of Remember man as you pass by death and bereavement. This secularizing As you are now so once was I process was by no means peculiar to the As I am now so you must be cemeteries in this survey, but was part of Prepare for Death and follow me. the generalized movement over time from the doctrinal narrowness of America's Sixty Uust under half) of the interments in Colonial and post-Colonial periods to the these Florida rural cemetery samples are Romantic era broadening and reorientation those of women or girls. (One infant's grave of both the religious and the aesthetic marker is gender-unspecified.) When the spheres. Even overtly religious memorials grave markers are examined for gender dis­ reflected, over time, a lightening and "soft­ tribution by category, there is near parity in ening" of literary content. James Deetz has most categories, however, two - "tributes" described how epitaphs evolved from eigh­ and "combination epitaphs" - show a lop­ teenth century examples which "stress sided distribution. There are half again as decay and life's brevity" to early nineteenth many female as male graves marked by century stones, focused on "resurrection, "tributes" (12 to 8), and a reverse prepon­ and later, heavenly reward."18 derance of male to female "combination Along with the progression of death and epitaphs" (23 to 15.) Since, of all five epi­ bereavement away from purely religious taph categories, "tributes" and "combina­ dogma and symbolism, the domestication of tion epitaphs" deal most directly with life death and mourning in the nineteenth cen­ achievements and activities as interpreted tury play a part in understanding the by survivors, the gendered qualities of increase in non-religious imagery in memo­ those achievements and activities might be rial inscriptions. Critics Pike and expected to reveal themselves with some­ Armstrong have suggested that the what more frequency than in epitaphs American cult of domesticity that "ideal- focusing on other aspects of the death and 46 after-life conditions. While the sample s ize stones in Florida rural cemeteries may mir­ in this study is not large enough to legiti­ ror results from studies in other locales, as mately postulate on this point, the dispari­ well as prefigure results from more ambi­ ty by gender in these two categories should tious Florida epitaph studies, studies which stimulate more study on gender as it affects might themselves incorporate the data epitaph type in Florida graves from the era. gleaned from this preliminary work. Some interesting points arise when examining the epitaph categories and their t is surprising, considering the interpre­ distribution temporally. If the study sample tive fruitfulness of the literary data from is divided in half, with the earlier half these Florida rural cemeteries, that including grave markers from 1850 - 1885, there are so few intensive studies devoted and the later half those from 1886 - 1920, to similar sources. The paucity of critical then 42 interments are dated in the first studies - both local and national - of the half while 77 occur in the second. (Seven literary data from gravestones is doubly stones are not dated or bear unreliable surprising when one considers that such dates.) Only one category - that of "trib­ studies are by no means new or novel. As utes" - seems to occur with near-parity in early as the Renaissance, when tomb carv­ both halves of the study; "tribute" epitaphs ings and memorial inscriptions were looked constitute 19% of the earlier grave markers upon as historical documents and/or curi­ and 14% of the later ones. There is a ous antiquities, burial sites were examined marked decrease in the prevalence of "com­ and epitaphs recorded by the hundreds. bination" epitaphs, which decline from 43% The historiographic and archeological pre­ in the earlier half of the sample to 24. 7% in occupations of the eighteenth century led the later half. "Unique" epitaphs also to renewed interest in tomb art, epitaphs decrease in the newer graves, from 14.3% and memorial inscriptions, while the before 1886 to 5.2% between that date and nascent sciences of psychology and sociolo­ 1920. Two epitaph categories show an gy sought to assign motivations and increase in frequency from earlier to later "national characteristics" to the literary halves of the study: "spiritual" (increasing data from these sources. By the nineteenth from 19% to 3 7. 7%) and "those left behind" century, John Kippax was moved to publish (increasing from 9 .5% to 18.2%.) in Chicago the book called Churchyard Interpreting the seeming increase, over Literature: A Choice Collection of time, in these two categories, however, ben­ American Epitaphs. In addition to the cus­ efits from extending the terminus ante tomary taxonomy of epitaphs as quern of the first half of the study to 1900. "Admonitory," "Professional," "Devotional," For "spiritual" epitaphs this adjustment "Ludicrous," and so on, Kippax formulates produces a frequency of 52.4% in the earli­ a quite objective definition of "epitaph" and er period versus 3 7.7% in the 1900 - 1920 suggests that deductions of a socio-cultural period. These percentages reflect Deetz' nature may be gleaned from a careful study observations on the decline, overall, in of the genre. For the purposes of this study, overtly "spiritual" or religious memorial however, Kippax's real contribution arises sentiment as grave markers move into the not from his analysis of historical epitaphs modern era. Moreover, advancing the cut­ but from his comments on contemporary off date of the "older" half of the survey to ones, the virtues and standards of which 1900 adds only two graves to the "those left he defines with a clarity that enlightens behind" group of older memorials, yielding critical readers more than a hundred adjusted frequencies of 14.3% in the earlier years later: time span and 18.2% in the later one. This, too, conforms to material culture studies They may recount the virtues and glori­ demonstrating the increased secularization ous actions of the deceased, and hold of death in modern memorials, with its them up for our imitation; and they may resultant shift of focus from mortality and also narrate the descent of the individ­ the Hereafter to the needs and feelings of ual, and may mourn his loss. A moral or survivors. Keeping in mind that the limited admonitory precept, too, may be added, size of this survey cannot offer conclusive and in this manner important instruc­ findings in any category, the data from tion may be conveyed. An epitaph these five burying grounds suggest that the should unquestionably be brief, and 47 MA: Association for Gravestone Studies, should combine beauty of expression 1980), 85. 2. Ibid., 88,89. with tenderness of feeling. All that is 3. A northerly extension of Morgan Street in the early expressive of love, sorrow, faith, hope, 20th Century 'trimmed' a portion of the old grave­ resignation and piety, should character­ yard and forced the relocation of a number of graves ize an epitaph. It ought to be made to other parts of Oaklawn or to other cemeteries. almost exclusively applicable to the 4. The Tampa Tribune, April 25, 1974. individual interred, and certainly not 5. Ibid., November 5, 1993. too long for remembrance. Its object is 6. Ibid., January 25, 2001. to record what is worthy of remem­ 7. John Kippax, Churchyard Literature: A Choice Collection of American Epitaphs, With Remarks On brance, and to excite sympathy in the Monumental Inscriptions and the Obsequies of beholder. True and genuine sorrow is Various Nations (Chicago: S.C. Griggs & Co., 1877), never loquacious. In conveying consola­ 21. tion and admonition it should have ref­ 8. Julius J. Gordon, John Hood Baxley and Diane Morre Rodriguez, Oaklawn Cemetery and St. Louis erence to the common lot of all, and Catholic Cemetery: Biographical and Historical teach us to look up from the grave to a Gleanings. Author published, 1991. higher sphere of existence. 20 9. Woodlawn Cemetery, located in an early suburban neighborhood north of downtown Tampa, contains gravesites dating from the late 1800s to the present. It is doubtful that any one epitaph could The cemetery is laid out in true rural style, with embody all the virtues recommended by meandering paths and memorial plantings and stat­ Kippax's formula, but the practical applica­ uary. It is adjacent to several highly interesting cemeteries, one Jewish, one Latin, and the tions of his words are transcended in impor­ Showmen's Rest, where are buried circus and show tance by what those words tell us about the people. needs, beliefs, tastes and lifestyles of the 10. Homeland, a community in eastern Hillsborough nineteenth century readers for whom they County near the present town of Bartow, was estab­ lished in the 1850s. It flourished briefly and then fell were intended. When read along with the into decline at the turn of the century, leaving literary data from rural Florida cemeteries, behind scattered homesteads and the Homeland a well-articulated image begins to form, an Cemetery. image of a time and place and of people who 11. Columbus Cemetery is now enclosed within the grounds of the Suwanee River State Park, near Live lived and died then and there. The mouths Oak in northern Florida. In the mid-1800s, of those people have been stopped by the Columbus was a thriving settlement of 500 souls; its passage of years, but they are by no means location on the Suwanee River made it an ideal ship­ ping and passenger depot for steam-powered paddle­ mute, for their epitaphs and memorial wheelers, and the River also powered mills and inscriptions encourage dialogue with mod­ grinding operations at the site. During the War erns who know that to read a sufficiently Between the States, Confederate troops mustered at Columbus to protect its vital bridge across the large sample of gravestone epitaphs from Suwanee and protect the river from blockades by a particular era and location is to have an Union troops. Columbus' importance waned toward eloquent, if one-sided, conversation with the end of the nineteenth century as rail transporta­ tion supplanted river transport, and the community the past. was defunct by the second decade of the twentieth century. Family connections, however, produced ENDNOTES burials in Columbus Cemetery until 1973. 12. George and Malcolm A. Nelson, op cit, 6. Maureen J. Patrick is an M.A. candidate in 13. J. Joseph Edgette, "The Epitaph and Personality Revelation," in Richard Meyer, ed., Cemeteries & Humanities at the University of South Florida. A Gravemarkers: Voices of American Culture (Ann native Tampan, she is the Curator of Education Arbor, Ml: UM! Research Press, 1989), 89. for the Ybor City Museum Society. Her study of 14. At the Homeland Cemetery can be seen a number epitaphs in Florida rural cemeteries, Gone from of depressions in the terrain. They are suggestively sized and shaped and it is quite conceivable that our home, but not.from our hearts, was present­ these are graves whose surface markers are com­ ed at the 2002 American Culture Association's pletely gone. Also at the site are stones and parts of Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada, and also stones embedded nearly flush with the ground cover and nearly concealed with vegetation; these may be at USF's 2002 Annual Graduate Student toppled gravestones or those which have sunken so Research Symposium. Ms. Patrick continues her deeply into the grave beneath that only their tops work on cemeteries and grave markers in her are visible. Considering the exposed location of the cemetery, the absence of a supporting community, current project: epitaphs and memorial art at the soft soil of the site and the advanced deteriora­ IlCimitero dell'unione Italiana, Ybor City's circa tion of the markers, this charming little cemetery 1896 Italian cemetery. may someday soon be entirely lost to view. 15. Martha V. Pike and Janice Gray Armstrong, 1. Dianna Hume George and Malcolm A. Nelson, "Custom and Change," A Time to Mourn: 48 "Resurrecting the Epitaph," Markers I (Greenfield, Expressions of Grief in Nineteenth Century America (New York: The Museums at Stony Brook, Feb. 18th 1852. Died March 10th 1857.) 1980), 17. 16. Buckley, op cit, 123. "He gathers the lambs to His bosom." 17. Barbara Rotundo, "She Hath Done What She (Ruby Nunez Lamb. Aged 5 yrs.) Could," ACS Quarterly, Spring 1999, 11. The title of Rotundo's essay is a case in point, and one which "Christ took her to be with Him. Saved appears among the epitaphs surveyed for this s tudy. through the blood of Christ." (Annie, Wife "She hath done what she could' is derived from of Robert F. Nunez. Oct. 9, 1870. Jan. 4, Mark 14:iii-ix; it is the inscription on the 1893 Mary .) Weissbrod gravestone a t Oaklawn Cemetery. 1900 An 18. James Deetz, In Small Things Forgotten: "Asleep in Jesus. Thy will not ours be Archeology of Early American Life (New York: Doubleday, 1996), 98. done." (Sacred to the memory of Sophie P. of Solon B. Turman. Born Oct. 19. Pike and Janice Gray Armstrong, op cit, 16. Wilson. Wife 1, 1867 in Geneva, New York. Died Sep. 18, 20. Kippax, op cit, 32. 1891. Tampa, Fla.)

APPENDIX ______"Peaceful be thy silent slumber." (J. Henry C. Dagenhardt. 1801 - 1862.)

Oaklawn Cemetery, SW portion "At rest." (H. Weissbrod. Born Dec. 15, 1818. Died June 8, 1900.)

Spiritual or 'other worldly' "The [ ) God him shelters Our darling harm. And the tender shepherd "Homeward to the realms of the pure." safe from circles Our boy with His loving arm." (Fletcher Spencer, son of Wm. B. & C.E. (Claude Lipscomb. Son of Horace H. a nd Henderson. Born Oct. 27, 1874. Died Jan. hale. Born Oct 8, 1884. Died Jan. 19, 2, 1888.) Ida M. 1886.) "Jesus called a little child unto Him." (Leslie William, son of Dr. & Mrs. L.W. Tributes Died Dec. 6, Weedon. Born Aug. 29, 1891. "An upright man, and exemplary 1892.) Christian." (In Memory of Wm. W. Wall. . 29th 1834. Died April 22nd "He has gone to the mansions of rest." Born Nov 1878.) (Wm. Milton Cathcart, son of Wm. M. & . Born Apr. 29, 1858. Died N.J. Cathcart "Her children arise up and call her 1893.) Nov. 10, blessed." (Minnie E. Wife of W.W. Wall. 14, 1838. Died Feb. 16, 1891.) "He giveth His beloved sleep." (May Wall Born Aug. 1876. Died April 15, Smith. Born July 30, "Beloved, thou wert admired wherever 1909.) known." Viva Mitchell. Wife of A. J. Angle. 1882. Feb. 9 1913.) "At rest with Jesus." (Mary Ann Collins. Nov. 26, 16, 1913.) Apr. 23, 1827. Aug. "His [ )ible integrity and ardent patrio­ social qualities and his works of "Hush! Angels hover near." (E. Maud tism, his charity won for him the admiration of Mobley, Aged 5 Years. Richard N. Mobley, every honest heart." (Darwin Austin Aged eighteen months.) Branch, M.D. Son of Dr. F. & M. V. Branch. "Suffer little children to come unto me and M.W. Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of [forbid] them not for theirs is the kingdom the [Masonic Order) For the State of of Heaven." (Sacred to the memory of Florida. Died at Tampa August 16, A. D. Malcolm Donald McNabb, son of Malcolm & 1878. Aged 26 years.) Catherine C. McNabb. Born [ )1836. Died "She lived and died a Christian." (Matilda I I 4.) V. Branch. Wife of Dr. Franklin Branch. "Our bud has ) [it)s early bower And Died August 23rd A. D. 1857. Aged 18 burst to bloom in Paradise." (In memory of Years.) Mary E. Daughter of R. B. & Ma[ry] E. done what she could." (Mary M. Thomas. Died Mar. [ )0th, 1857. Aged 2 "She hath Feb. 10, 1828. Jan. 17, 1893.) mon[ths], 15 days.) Weissbrod. "Pioneer. Teacher." (Daniel Plumby. 1804- "Our darling has gone home to God. For of granite marker,]) such is His Kingdom." (In memory of Delia. 1860. [Replacement Daughter of Wm. C. & Eliza Ferris. Born "Here lies the remains of Christopher R. 49 Perry Butler 1st Regiment [C.]S. Army. (In memory of Martin Cunningham. Born With the tender affection of a son and , December 9th A.D. 18 [ ]9. Died Apr. 5th A. brother he united the spirit of a Gallant D. 18 [S]S.) Soldier tempered with the gentle influence of Christian piety. Born in Greenville "He was a mother's idol but death, like the District of South Carolina August 26th, dew from heaven, fell quickly, yet gently on 1829. Died at Tampa Bay November 1st, this dropping flower." (In Memory of John 1853. In the courageous discharge of his F. Brown. born Feb 7, 1846. Died August 2, duty. This stone is erected by his mother." 1867.) Brother thou art gone to rest Those left behind We will not weep for thee For thou art now where oft "We part to meet again." (In memory of on earth Mary T. Henderson. Wife of John A. Thy spirit longed to be." Henderson and daughter of Simon & Abijah Turman. Died Nov. 13, 1864. Aged "To know him was to love him. Though 21 Years 11 Months & 13 Days.) taken from us, let us not forget that he has crossed over the rolling, restless tide of "To live in hearts we leave behind Is not to death, and awaits us on the other side." (In die." (Caroline Elizabeth. Wife of W. B. Memory of William H. Brown. Born Sep. 1 7, Henderson. Born July 3, 1843. Died Dec. 1842. Died May 31, 1870.) 14, 1906.) "An honest man, at rest. His soul has "Thou didst give and Thou has taken. returned to its original home, to go no Blessed Lord Thy will be done." (Gay. more out forever." (In Memory of William Infant. Son of Chas. F. & Ida Gay. Oct. 6, T. Brown. Born in 1810. Died August 11, 1903.) 1868.) "Remember Me." (Sacred to the memory of [The above three memorial inscriptions James M. Harris. A native of N. York. Born are taken from a white bronze cenotaph September, 1819. Died October 19th, inscribed "Brown." The Brown gravestones 1855. Aged 56 years.) are adjacent and contain only names and "We shall go to him but he shall not return birth-death dates.] to us." (Darwin Orson. Son of Rev. J. 0. & "I know that my Redeemer liveth. His life G. H. Branch. Born Dec. 24th 1858. Died work of pure unselfish and noble deeds is Aug. 8th 1859.) done and he has joined the throng of loved Combination epitaphs ones in the Fathers house where are many mansions." (Clairborne R. Mobley. Aged 46 "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall years.) see God. Mat. 5:11'; (Gay. Ida Kennedy. Wife of Charles Francis Gay. Born May 8, "Too pure and angelic for [earth] 1880. Died Apr. 7, 1919. She has gone to her home above "Blessed are the dead which die in the Relieved from the trials of life Lord, from henceforth [ ] saith the spirit To live with the God of Love." [In Cunningham family plot. Stone effaced that they may rest from their labors and except for four lines above.] their souls do follow them. Them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." ] (Our "This stone was placed here by his discon­ Father and Mother. Rev. J. J. Wells. Born solate widow who with their children Aug. 18, 1796. Died Jun. 6, 1866. R. A. mourn the loss of a good husband, a good Wells. born Apr. 10, 1803. Died July 6, father and a good Christian citizen. 1872.) Remember man as you pass by "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall As you are now so once was I see God. [ ] Confederate veteran wound­ As I am now, so you must be ed at [ ] [Member of] Light Guards Prepare for Death and follow me." Columbus, Ga." (Clement C. Shepperson. (Sacred to the memory of Malcolm Born June 3, 1840. Died Mar. 20, 1904.) McNabb. Born June 22, 1818. Died Dec. 1, 1858.) "He was [ ] amiable disposition [ ] and religious life [ ] loved him for his [ "Rest sweetly our little [ ] We will meet ] he died in the [ ] faith in the [Lord.]" thee in Heaven." (Clara Vashti, Daughter of 50 E.A. and H.M. Clarke. Died October 21st Born Mar.2, 1830. Died Oct. 16, 1862. 1857 aged 6 months and 26 days.) Farewell.) Unique epitaphs "The friend of youth, the friend of age, the [ ) of [ ]" (Sebron A. Smith. Born "Here lies Wm. Ashley and Nancy Ashley. Apr. 24, 1848. Died Dec. 10, 1882.) Master and Servant. Faithful to each other in that relation in life, in death they are not Combination epitaphs seperated. Stranger consider and be wiser. In the Grave all human distinction of race " [ ) in soft repose dearest pride." or caste mingle together in one common (Desser C. Daughter of John W. & Annie V. dust." (To commemorate their fidelity in Durrance. Died Sept. 10, 1885 aged 6 each other this stone was erected by their months.) executor John Jackson 1873.) " [ ) and is blessed [ ) slumbers are [ "Thy meek spirit retired unpolluted and ) and [h]om[e)" (Sacred to the memory of bright ere by woe or remorse was riven. [ )me Tison. [ )th, 1852. [ ) 1881.) May the scene of thy death be a pharos of light to guide thy survivor to Heaven." (In memory of Mary E. Wife of R. B. Thomas. Woodlawn Cemetery, sample Born 28 July 1839. Died March 25, 1857. [Above ground tomb with replacement Spiritual or 'other worldly' marble slab; graphic style of inscription suggests replacement in 1930s.]) "The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. "They together in this life walked for 31 Zech. 8:5" (McElvaine, Maud Victor. Dau. years. May they ever walk together in of W.B. & G.M. McElvaine. Born Dec. 8, Eternity. Blessed are the dead who die in 1896. died Oct. 26, 1907.) the LORD." (Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Abija Turman. Relict of Simon Turman. "Sheaves after sowing born Apl. 22d 1799. Died Jan. 3d 1864.) Sun after rain Sight after mystery "Killed Steamer Alabama." (Willie Ferris. Peace after pain." 1863-1882. [Replacement granite mark­ (G. A. Hannon. 1834 - 1909.) er.]) "Asleep in the arms of Jesus." (Mildred Thornton. April 4, 1916. June 9, 1916.) "Died At Sea." (Elpenice Moore. 1802- 1856. [Replacement granite marker.]) 'Sweet babe thy spirit now hath rest. Thy sufferings now are o'er." (Maxine, daughter of L. H. & M. B. White. Born June 1, 1910. Homeland Cemetery Died Mar. 18, 1912.)

Spiritual or 'other worldly' "Gone to a bright home, Where grief can not come." (Elizabeth. wife of U. C. "Sweetly Sleeping." (Clyde E. Langford. Graham. July 25, 1882. Mar. 15, 1907.) Born Feb. 9, 1888. Died Dec. 4, 1890.) "God in His wisdom has recalled "At Rest." (Marion J. Son of J. & M.B. The boon His love had given Watson. Born March 11, 1876. Died Nov. 7, And though the bodies slumbers here 1900.) The souls are safe in Heaven." (Hugh H. Terry. Born Sept. 20, 1882. Died Those left behind July 20, 1912. Stephen Terry. Born Mar. 10, 1859. died Mar. 13, 1889.) "As I am [so you must be) Prepare to [die) and follow me." "It was not an enemy that took our loved Mar. 3, ([ ) Born Apr. 9, 1872. Died one from us, but our Father in Heaven 1893. Aged 20 Y. 10 M. 24 D.) called him home." (E. A. Clark. Born in Cornwall on the Hudson, New York, Dec. born Aug. "Our father." (Wm. H. Durrance. 16, A.D. 1831. Died in Tampa, Fla. Nov. 7, 30, 1815. Died Feb. 27, 1879.) 1886.)

Tributes "Not lost, blest thought But gone before "As a wife devoted, as a mother affection­ Where we shall meet ate [ )"(Winifred M. Wife of J.L. Durance. 51 To part no more." "A true husband, a loving father. " (G.H. (Allen Waters. Born April 1, 1882. Died Symmes, Jr. Born in S.C. Jan. 15, 1867. March 1, 1909.) Died at Tampa. Nov. 2, 1902.)

"Sleep oh sweet babies & take thy rest." "A loving wife and mother." (Patience D. ([Tandem stone.) Inf. Dau. of L.E. & Leona Myers. Born Feb. 2, 1838. Died Feb. 5, Robinson. Sep. 27, 1905. Marie Lee 1912.) Robinson. Dec. 9, 1902. Mar. 30, 1903.) "Jesus loves the pure and holy." (Annie S. Those left behind Schooley. Born Apr. 15, 1850 at Marebak Falsteb ID. Died Apr. 18, 1898 at Tampa, "Precious ones from us have gone, Fl.) The voices we loved are stilled. Places are vacant in our home. Combination epitaphs Which never can be filled." (Mollie B. Terry. Born Jan. 15, 1858. Died "In love she lived, Sept. 11, 1908.) In peace she died, Her life was craved, "To [live) in hearts we leave behind is not But God denied." to die." (J.T. Barlow. Oct. 22, 1830. Dec. (Carrie Bell Malphus. Apr. 2, 1906. Oct. 28, 31, 1915.) 1909.)

"Our darling. Gone but not forgotten." "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall (Hillard J. Pierce. Oct. 5, 1906. Dec. 9, see God. Mat. V.VII" (Rev. J.T. Duncan. 1911.) 1850 - 1914. His Wife Agnes A. 1854 - 1932.) "She was the sunshine of our home." (Annie Lou. Daughter of L.J. and Annie T. "Weep not father and mother for me. For I Driver. Aug. 28, 1914. Sep. 12, 1919.) am waiting in glory for thee." (Ruth E. Daughter of [ ) and Mrs. E. [ ) Brannen. "Dearest loved one, We have layed thee in Apr. 16, 1907. June 18, 1907.) the silent grave's embrace. But thy memo­ ry will be cherished Till we see thy heaven­ "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall ly face." (M.J. Haley. 1876 - 1916.) see God." (In memory of Henry W. Elliott. Born Aug. 1, 1867. Died Dec. 9, 1889.) "A sunbeam from the world has gone." (Theo. Dau. of W.C . & Sue Green. Born "He that believeth though he were dead yet Apr. 25, 1894. Died Dec . 8, 1904.) shall he live." (Jane 0 . Blessing Dawdy. Wife of Charles B. Nolan. born near "We had a little treasure once Memphis, Tenn. Oct. 24, 1844.Died Tampa, He was our joy and pride Fla. Apr. 29, 1899.) We loved him oh perhaps too well For soon he slept and died." "Saved. Departed to be with the Lord." (Our darling baby. Lewie Barber. July 5, (Mary Ellen Agney. May 1, 1905.) 1905. Apr. 19, 1912.) "A precious one from us is gone Unique epitaphs A voice we loved in stilled "I love my companions and appreciate my A place is vacant in our home friends on earth, and crave that we may Which never can be filled." have a reunion after death." (Dr. Hiram J. (Emma M. Wife of Dr. Hiram J. Hampton. Hampton. Born Jan. 5, 1852. Died June 7, Born May 17, 1854. Died July 3, 1908.) 1920.) "Gone but not forgotten." (Rev. Wm. H. Jacokes. Born at Geneva, NY. Died July 19, "He gave his life for his country and for the 1892.) sacred cause of liberty and for all mankind. His body lies in Suresnes Cemetery, Paris, "Weep not father and mother for me. For I France. His soul has returned to its giver. " am waiting in glory for thee." (Ruth E. (In memory of First Lieut. Louis A. Torres Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. E.H. Brannen. Apr. A.E.S. Born in Tampa Feb. 13, 1893. Died 16, 1907. June 18, 1907.) in France Sept. 1, 1918.) Tributes

"To know her was to love her." (Lola G. Schooley. Born Aug. 16, 1876. Died July 52 31, 1895.) Columbus Cemetery "She sleeps in Jesus for she was ready." (In memory of Mrs. M. H. Wiggins Who died Spiritual or 'other worldly' May 24 A.O. 1870.)

"We shall sleep but not forever. "Sleep husband sleep thy toils are o'er. There will be a glorious dawn. Sweet be thy rest so oft needed before. Well We shall meet to part no never have we loved you but God loved you more. On the resurrection morn." He has called thee away to that bright (George Clark. Son of George A. & Eugene happy shore." (Thomas E. Swift. Beloved Mcivor. Born Dec. 18, 1881. Died Mar. 3, husband of Amanda Swift. Born May 9, 1883.) 1851. Died July 11, 1893.)

Those left behind "These all died in faith not having received the promise But having seen them afar off "Gone from our Home But not from our and were persuaded of them and embraced hearts." ([iron marker] Eugene. Wife of and confessed that they were strangers and G.A. Mcivor. [dates oblit.)) pilgrims on earth." (Mother and Father. Mollie Cannon. Born 1843. Died 1890. Combination epitaphs Jackson Cannon. Born 1823. Died 1906.) "We will meet again." (My husband. Geo. A. Unique epitaphs Mcivor. Died Mar. 14, 1896. Aged 39 Years.) "Leaving an infant son 7 weeks old She told "Mary, thou art remembered yet with dot­ her relations and friends a few hours before ing love and keen regret. And faith can her death that she was happy and for them yield no joy for me, Brighter than that of all to meet her in Heaven. What a glorious meeting thee." (Mary R. Wife of J.M. Death. 'Blessed are the dead, who die in the Barclay. Born Nov. 10, 1849. Died Oct 20, Lord."' (Sacred to the memory of Sarah C. 1885) 2nd wife of J.B. Spencer. Who died at Sunny Side, Fla. May 31st 1867. Aged 33 "Murray Darling, only son. I'll meet thee years & 11 days.) when life is done. Meet where parting is no more, On the happy peaceful shore." (George Murray. Son of J.M. & Mary R. Barclay. Born Aug. 16, 1883.Died Nov. 2, Micanopy Cemetery, sample 1885.) Spiritual or 'other-worldly' "Farewell our little angel. We miss thy smil­ ing face. We miss thy little prattling voice. "Asleep in Jesus." (Kate Urvine Goff. Wife But with Jesus thou art safe." (Sacred to of Wm. Avant. born Jun. 22, 1852. Died the memory of Wm. Tison. 3rd Son of J.B. Feb. 8, 1891.) & Sarah C. Spencer. Who died at Sunny side, Fla. Aug. 11th 1865.) "Budded on earth to bloom in Heaven." (Martha E. Daughter of L.& S. E. Ley. Born "We give you up our little darling for He Dec. 13, 1893. Died Jan. 28, 1894.) took you Who Knoweth best." (Baby "Our darling one Cannon of Rosa & Jack Cannon, Jr. Born hath gone before, to greet July 11, 1906. Died Dec . 16, 1906.) us on the celestial shore." (S. Marvin. Son of E.L. & S. E. Ley. Born Aug. 14, 1886. Died "Oh, how hard but we give thee up, our Feb. 8, 1893.) precious little one. For such is the Kingdom of God." (Jearl Cannon. Daughter of Rosa & "Her end was peace. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord Jack Cannon, Jr. Born Feb. 12, 1902. Died ." (Mary Eleanor nJe June 4, 1907.) Bellah. Consort of Dr. John Wesley Price. Born Dec. 10, 1828. Died Mar. 20, 1904.) "\Vords cannot paint neither can stone per­ petuate the graces of our mother's life. Her "Gone in her young years afar from Life's virtues are enshrined in the hearts of her tears." (Gertrude Chitty. Wife of Chas. R. children by whom this simple monument is Carter. Mch. 28, 1882. April 4, 1909.) erected. 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for "Be thou faithful unto death and [ ] thee they shall see God."' (Sacred to the across [ ] Rev. 11:10." (Martha A. Memory of Mary A. Hardee. Wife of the late Thrasher. Sept. 26, 1828. Apr. 24, 1894.) Thomas E. Hardee. Who departed this life May 26th, 1862 near Columbus, Fla. Aged "Sleep in the arms of Jesus, safe on his 60 Years.) 53 gentle Breast." (In Memory of Louie S. Combination epitaphs Means. Sept. 11, 1868. Feb. 21, 1897.) "He believed in the Lord Jesus For whoso­ Tributes ever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans [ ] (Wm. H. "Her words were kindness, Her deeds of McGuire. Born in Montreal Canada. Died love." (Cora Hill, wife of J.T. Blount. July Freb. 9, 1889. AG. 29 yrs. 6 mos.) 27, 1851.Jan. 28, 1922.) "Gone to be with "Thy trials my precious darling ended, thy rest and Jesus my sav­ is won." (In iour." (J. T. Blount. loving memory Apr. 6, 1838. Nov. of Our Father 24, 1922.) W i 1 Ii am Marion Avant. "Precious in the Born Au. 12, sight of the Lord is 1850. Died the death of his May 20, 1895.) saints.") John 1-1. Simonton. born "She hath Nov. 9th 1832. Died done what she Dec. 17th 1873. c o u 1 d . " Also his son. Willie (Mother . du Bose. Died Sept. Martha S. Ley. 18, 1874. Aged 3 1928 - 1914.) yrs. & 17 days.)

"No one knew "Farewell my wife thee but to and children all love thee." Tis true a father, (Roy. Infant Christ doth call; Son of E. L. & Weep not, weep not S. E. Ley. Born my children, Apr. 29, 1892. It is sweet to die a Died Nov. 16, Christian." 1892.) (Dr. E. D. Barnett. born Jan. 15, 1851. "As a wife Died Apr. 16, 1885.) devoted, as a mother affec­ "Cheerful he gave tionate, As a his being up and friend ever went, to share the kind and true." holy rest that waits (Lina F. wife of a life well spent." J. L. Crisman. (John W. Price. Died Apr. 22, 1885. Aged 27 yrs. 5 mos. 6 Born Oct. 30, 1823. Died Apr. 24, 1891.) ds.) Unique epitaphs "She organized the first [ ] missionary [ ] in Fla." (Ann [R. ] Wife of Rev. N. A. Bailey. "A Methodist minister for 62 yrs. Servant of Jan. 31, 1848. Sept. 21, 1883. Erected by God well done." (Father. Rev. John C. Ley. W. B. M. A.) 1821 - 1907.)

Those left behind "Died of billious fever." (Abner H. Emerson. Nov. 5, 1861 - Jul. 30, 1908.) "Mother thou hast from us flown To the regions far above. "Away from home and kindred dear this stone We to thee erect Among some strangers he lies here.' Consecrated by our love." (Columbus M. Putnam. Bor[n] Jan. 1, 1858. Nov. 21, 1820. Died (Mary A. Keaton. Born Died Dec. 19, 1880.) Mar. 17, 1889.)

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