Sad Sight

One of the things I can't help noticing while walking around Oak Hill is the sad sight of broken headstones and toppled monuments. I'm not even going to mention those stones and monuments that are so weathered or covered with moss and lichens that they have become unreadable.

People on my tours often assume that broken and toppled stones are the result of vandalism or damage by mowers, and while malicious or careless damage does occasionally happen, most of the causes are natural.  Here in Wisconsin, with annual freezing and thawing cycles, headstones shift a bit every year.  Blame part of the problem on winter.  Then there are those shady mature oak, hickory, maple trees whose roots interfere with headstones, sometimes whose trunks actually encase small stones.  Not so long ago I saw a monument toppled after a summer storm broke a large tree limb free, and it fell on one of those old vertical stones.  Some of the stones are not set on secure bases, so they gradually shift. In the oldest parts of the cemetery, where  burials did not involve a cement vault, the wooden coffins deteriorate, the ground sinks, and the stones move.  This is especially true at Oak Hill, where many burials are set into the side of the hill. Then there are burrowing critters, mostly woodchucks, but also skunks and foxes, who destabilize the ground.

The cemetery, which is now run by the City of Janesville Parks department, is not responsible for repairing or resetting old stones, which are the property of the grave site owners.  Unfortunately, often there are no living family members to assume responsibility for the fallen or broken headstones.  Technically plot owners are also responsible to keep old stones from being dangerous.  A quick Google search will illustrate accidents where both adults and children were killed by falling monuments.  One wonders about liability in such cases. Some of the old tall stones at Oak Hill lean perilously, and I wouldn't want to stand under them too long for fear of staying permanently.

 I think the caretaker occasionally works with local monument seller/installers to right historic stones, and I have spoken to people who have hired the work done, though it is not inexpensive. I don't know what the solution is to this problem.  Perhaps there could be a friends group who adopts a block and helps to do or finance expert repairs, or perhaps there are grants for such things. 

 But it is sad.

What's In a Name?

Joe Blow block 212

One of the little pleasures I get from recording burials at Oak Hill on the Find a Grave site, is occasionally finding interesting names.  Sometimes it's just that the name is old-fashioned, or foreign sounding, or alliterative, and sometimes it's something else.  Recently I found headstones for the Blow family, including Joe Blow.  I wonder if he was just an ordinary guy.

Preserved Albee block 73

Another name that always makes me scratch my head a little is Preserved Albee, who apparently was a well respected farmer, originally from New York state.  I suspect the name has religious connotations, "preserved" as in "saved."  But one cannot help considering other meanings for the name.

Electa Bangs block 16

One of the earliest names I recorded was that of Electa Bangs, which always sounds rather electric, or possibly explosive.  She also was born in New York state, as were many early Rock county settlers, and her son George was a US Postal Service official who developed a railroad mail car, and made the idea of quick mail delivery a reality. 

Frances Paris block 61

Orlando Florida block 101

These names are geographic,  Mrs. Paris may or may not have traveled to the City of Light, but I do know she passed away in 1955. It's surprising how many stones lack a date of death - I found her obituary in the archives of the local newspaper.  Mr. Florida was a farmer and cheese maker. One of the men who mows lawn for the city parks department confided to me that when his supervisor asked how far he got in mowing the cemetery, he said he got as far as Orlando Florida.  

Ithamar Conkey Sloan vault near the chapel

Finally there is Mr. Ithamar Conkey Sloan, who despite his unusual and multi-syllabic name, was a US congressman in the Lincoln administration, and also served to represent Wisconsin's second district in the House of Representatives.  Unusual names ran in that family. His grandson carried the same moniker. His wife was Celestia, and another son was named Horace Greeley Sloan.

There are other name I enjoy at Oak Hill, but this is a fair introduction to some of my favorites.

Kathy in the Office

Kathy Greenwell - Oak Hill cemetery office manager

I have been wandering around Oak Hill, looking for and photographing headstones, recording old burials on Find a Grave, for the past five or so years.  I use all sorts of aids to help me find my way around and figure out who is who.  There is the library copy of the Rock County Genealogy Society's Guide to Oak Hill Cemetery, which covers burials up to 1996, archives of the Janesville Gazette, books written by the former director of the Rock County Historical Society, Maurice Montgomery, and so on.  But when I get really stuck I go to see Kathy in the cemetery office.

Kathy answers the telephone, sells plots, and is mistress of the huge old card file that contains handwritten records of all the old burials going back to 1851.  She also has old books with charts detailing each block, family plot, and individual burial space.  Want a map or a list of all the cemetery rules and regulations? She is your woman. I hate to pester her, but when I need to find answers, she is endlessly patient and helpful.

If you have questions that she might be able to answer you can visit the cemetery office Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  You can also call 608-754-4030.