Lucinda Lackey Lost Her Battle with Breast Cancer (A Personal Tombstone Tuesday)

While working on the collateral Zumwalt line, I found information on the death of Lucinda Zumwalt Lackey. Lucinda Jane was the daughter of Tom and Elsie Billings Zumwalt, and my 4th cousin. She married Green Lackey, and they had eight children. When the federal census taker visited Lucinda and Green for the last time, he found the empty nesters in Kerr County, Texas. By the time of her death in 1926, Lucinda had resided there for 55 years.

According to her death certificate, Lucinda died September 1926 after battling breast cancer for at least 18 months. She was laid to rest at Nichols Cemetery in Ingram, Kerr County, Texas. A few years later, Green joined her.

Mrs. L. J. Lackey
Beloved Wife of Green Lackey
Jan 1, 1847
Sept 25, 1926

Thomas Charles Rauls (A Personal Tombstone Tuesday)

Thomas Charles Rauls
Apr 16, 1886 - Nov 30, 1937
Gone But Not Forgotten
--------------------------------
Whitener Cemetery
Marquand, Madison Co, MO

Isn't he dashing?

Thomas Charles Rauls (my 1st cousin, 4x removed) was a son of Powhatan Rauls (1849-1922) and Hannah Yount (d. 1891), as well as the husband of Myrtle Alexander (1894-1960).  The final resting place for Thomas and his wife is Whitener Cemetery in Marquand, Madison County, Missouri.

Photos from original images by David & Judi Cloninger via FindAGrave. Enhanced images shown here by S. Lincecum, © 2010.

Faithful is the Word (Today's Epitaph)

[Originally posted at the Rose Hill Cemetery blog.]

William G. White
Born Aug 12, 1841
Died Jan 22, 1885
One Word Tells The Story Of His Life
"Faithful."
Husband. Father.

Husband of Annie Amos White (1842-1929), who is at rest beside him in Rose Hill Cemetery at Macon, Bibb County, Georgia.

The Monument to Count Pulaski: a Tombstone or Not?

Yesterday, I shared with you a couple of photos and information regarding the monument to General Nathanael Greene in Savannah, Georgia. That monument, more than 70 years after it was originally raised, became a tombstone for General Greene and his son. Did the same thing happen with the monument to Count Pulaski?

Though originally planned for Chippewa Square, the cornerstone for the monument to Casimir Pulaski was relaid in Savannah's Monterey Square in 1853, with the finished product being dedicated a couple of years later.

From Lucian Lamar Knight's Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends:

"...It is fifty feet in height; a column of solid marble resting on a base of granite and surmounted by a statue of the goddess of liberty, holding a wreath in her outstretched hand..."

The Goddess of Liberty atop the Pulaski Monument
Photo © 2010-2013 S. Lincecum

"...On each of the four corners of the base is chiseled an inverted cannon, emblematic of loss and mourning. The coats of arms of both Poland and Georgia, entwined with branches of laurel, ornament the cornices, while the bird of freedom rests upon both..."

Upside down cannons,
 and Georgia shield below eagle.
Photo © 2010-2013 S. Lincecum

"...Pulaski, on an elegant tablet of bronze, is portrayed in the act of falling, mortally wounded, from his horse, at the time of the famous siege; and the whole is a work of consummate art..."

Photo © 2010-2013 S. Lincecum

"...It was executed in Italy at a cost of $18,000 and was considered at the time one of the most elegant memorials in America. The inscription on the monument reads:"

Pulaski, the Heroic Pole, who fell mortally wounded, fighting for American
Liberty, at the siege of Savannah, October 9, 1779.
Photo © 2010-2013 S. Lincecum

But is this monument also a tombstone? Well, there's conjecture.  The Casimir Pulaski historical marker situated near the monument reads:  "Doubt and uncertainty exists as to where Pulaski died and as to his burial - place.  A contemporary Charlestown, S.C. newspaper item and others sources indicate that he died aboard a ship bound for that port.  It was generally believed that he was buried at sea.  A tradition persisted, however, that General Pulaski died at Greenwich plantation near Savannah and that he was buried there.  When the monument here was under erection the grave at Greenwich was opened.  The remains found there conformed, in the opinion of physicians, to a man of Pulaski's age and stature and were re-interred beneath this memorial in a metallic case in 1854."

Wikipedia has a bit more to say: "...Remains at Monterey Square alleged to be Pulaski's were exhumed in 1996 and examined in a forensic study. The eight-year examination, including DNA analysis, ended inconclusively, although the skeleton is consistent with Pulaski's age and occupation. The remains were reinterred with military honors in 2005."

So is this a mere memorial or a tombstone, too? I guess no one knows for sure.

The Reinterment of the Remains of Major General Nathanael Greene (Tombstone Tuesday)

Photo © 2010-2013 S. Lincecum

A monument to Major General Nathanael Greene has been standing in Savannah's Johnson Square since before 1830. The "shaft of granite, fifty feet in height" has bore two tablets made of bronze since about 1885. One on the south side portrays the full figure of Greene, sword at his side. The other provides an inscription:

Major General Nathanael Greene
Born in Rhode Island 1742
Died in Georgia 1786
Soldier. Patriot. The Friend of Washington.
This Shaft has been reared by the people of
Savannah in honor of his great services to the
American Revolution.

Since 14 November 1902, this monument has also been General Greene's tombstone. After a long search and recovery, the remains of Nathanael Greene and his son George Washington Greene were placed here. Directly above where they were interred is a bronze wreath placed by the Savannah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It reads:

To Commemorate
The Reinterment of the
Remains of
Major General
Nathanael Greene
Beneath this Shaft on
November 14, 1902

From the Rending Gloom to the Blaze of Day (Today's Epitaph)

In Memoriam
W. B. Marshall
Son of Stephen & E. Marshall
Born May 16, 1796
Died June 24, 1874

O happy stroke! that burst the bonds of clay,
Darts through the rending gloom the blaze of day.
And wings the soul with boundless flight to soar,
Where dangers threat and fears alarm no more.

For fifty five years a member of the
church which in him ever found
a generous supporter.
A kind husband, father, and friend.
Useful, laborious and public spirited.
Ever he lived to do good to others.
His excellent sense, sound judgement
and inflexible integrity gained for
him many positions of honor and trust,
yet he never lost his native modesty.
His warm and generous heart gained
for him many friends who will ever remember
him with gratitude and admiration.

Waverly Hall Cemetery
Waverly Hall, Harris County, Georgia

All photos © 2008-2013 S. Lincecum

Another Ride on the Genealogy Roller Coaster (This Time It's Personal)

A couple of months ago, I posted about the death of my 4th cousin, L. B. Lincecum, who was killed by 33,000 volts of electricity. At the time I had newly requested a photo of his burial site via FindAGrave, and today, contributor Lewis Bean fulfilled my request. **Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!**

After viewing the image of Buster's tombstone, I sighed with a bit of sadness and disappointment. See that empty oval to the left of his name? I'm 99.9% sure it once contained a photo of dear cousin L. B...and the genealogy roller coaster took me for another ride.

L. B. (Buster)
Son of L. G. Lincecum
Jan 5, 1906
Jan 10, 1930

Columbia Cemetery
West Columbia, Brazoria County, Texas

Photo contributed by Lewis Bean via FindAGrave.