TOMBSTONE TOURIST OR TAPHOPHILE?
My fascination for a cemetery and the beauty of it's monuments.
Years later I began photographing local churchyards and cemeteries, transcribed and sent the images to www.gravestonephotos.com. much like www.findagrave.com. This was in the very early days of the project, but I caught the bug and over time I had photographed thousands of gravestones and transcribed tens of thousands of names. Sadly health problems have became worse and I am no longer able to contribute to this project by taking photographs. I do miss it.
Some people would shiver at the thought of spending time in such places, but for me they are so peaceful and calm. Over time I became able to identify some individual stonemasons work, sometimes if you look at the back of the stone there is an identifying mark or name but in others it is the carving itself that can identify them. I think the oldest readable outdoor stone I have found was around 1680. In this coastal area the stones that have endured the best are generally made from slate, the most badly eroded appear to be those made of sandstone.
Churchyards and cemeteries are a fascinating snapshots of social history and. Gravestones or Memorial stones can be so helpful in genealogy. Whole families can be buried together in a particular area. The information carved into them can list infant deaths that may have been unavailable elsewhere and confirm other family relationships. Sometimes a 'servant' or 'worker' will be remembered by a grateful master or benefactor. Living in a coastal area, there are stones paid for by a local community for some poor unknown soul who has been washed up on a beach having drowned. They were someone's, father, mother, daughter or son, or for the genealogist, one of those ancestors who just disappears off the face of the earth. On a personal level, finding an addition to my 3x Great Grandfathers gravestone, identified that my 2 x Great Grandfather had died in Buenos Aires in 1835. If that had not been etched in stone, I would not have known what had happened to him.
I began this blog talking about the first time I realised how interesting a cemetery can be and I thought I would discuss a few more that I have been fortunate enough to visit over the years in more far flung places.
Perhaps one of the most poignant I have visited is the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand. The museum is heartbreaking.
When thinking of the Far East, it reminds me of the brightly decorated pagoda memorials where the ashes of the dead can be interred in Wat Pho, Bangkok. I have seen similar examples in other countries in the Far East.
Finally, I wanted to mention a memorial stone I came across whilst out walking the dog. In a field just off the coastal path, I noticed a stone in a field. It marked a drowning of a woman and child. Sadly, at present I am unable to revisit that marker to photograph it for myself but I have been able to follow the story online.
The cemeteries you describe sound very interesting, and a bit exotic. AND, I learned a new word, taphophile. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I count myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit such places, but I am equally happy to wander around a local churchyard/cemetery.
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