“Libraries of Marble”
“The term cemetery comes from the Greek, and means, literally sleeping place.” (http://www.colorado-cemeteries.com/cemetery-traditions.html) For some, cemeteries are sacred places. For others, they may be a peaceful place to meditate and reflect, while for many they are a good source for information which is why they may be referred to as “libraries of marble” in the genealogy world. Growing up, my immediate family did not have any tradition for visiting cemeteries. However, when we moved to Bartlesville when I was 11, this was a very important practice for my grandmother, Alta May Watkins. She took us to the cemetery with her on holidays to remember her family members and ancestors. It was always a very solemn occasion.
When I was in high school, one of best friends lived near a very old cemetery. We would occasionally walk through the cemetery and examine the gravestones. I found it fascinating. Later, I took a writing class at Coffeyville Community College and one of our assignments was to go to a cemetery and select a gravestone. We were instructed to use whatever information we could find on that gravestone and create a story about that person. This is one of those assignments that I always remembered.
Next week, one of the people I will be focusing on is Thomas McElroy. It was quite a find to discover the gravestones of Thomas and his wife Elizabeth O’Rea McElroy.
