Pages

Monday, November 11, 2019

Cemetery Seens in Color

A recent post appropriately on Halloween highlighted my recent walk through Edgewood Cemetery in Nashua, NH. That post featured only B&W scenes. However, but the day they were taken, there was a lot of fall color still evident. That's no longer true thanks to some recent rain and wind storms. 

Walking among the headstones was very peaceful and quiet. There was no one else around during my nearly 2-hour walks, which was fine with me. I like solitude at times like this.

Although the day was overcast, chilly and damp, I had an interesting stroll through the cemetery, which is about 2 miles from our mill apt residence and located in a residential area of Nashua, NH. It's quite large at slightly over 33 acres.

The cemetery gateway was a gift from long-time city resident Ira F. Harris in 1912Harris. was a cashier at the former Indian Head National Bank in downtown Nashua, a member of the local Rotary club, and served with various local groups. He also authored several publications on his travels in the Far East.

Walking among the headstones was tranquil and I read as many as I could. The cemetery dates to the 1800s by the inscriptions on some of the earliest ones. Again, an online search did not produce much any information on the cemetery's history.

Many headstones were simple and quite to the point with no other details included.

Years ago, many children died at a very young age. There was no shortage of headstones that attested to their early passing. A number of these headstones bore only a single name. I'm not sure whether or not these marked a child's grave.

I spotted a  few other markers, specifically for grandparents including a poignant message left on a pumpkin. 
While I didn't walk the entire grounds, I found quite an interesting cross-section of headstones. For example, this one showed twins Heather and Hanna born in July, but dying very soon afterwards with unusual wording under Jackie Pearl's name.
Sadly, it appeared that this family lost two sets of twins in the mid-1940s going by the dates listed. 
Some final photos from this fall cemetery walk. The next time I revisit this cemetery will most likely be when there's snow cover on the ground. Winter weather is forecast here this week, with a possible wintry rain/snow mix late Monday night into early Tuesday.

Today, November 11, is Veterans Day, a U.S. state and federal holiday, set aside to honor men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. (This holiday differs from Memorial Day, a holiday in May, which honors those who died while in military service.)
We appreciate and thank all veterans, including my husband, Patrick (Grenville), who served in the U.S. Navy.

16 comments:

Valerie said...

I have just finished watching our tributes to those men who died so that we might live in peace. i was a young girl when war broke out but I remember it all and frequently thank those who fought to keep our countries safe.

Edna B said...

My thanks to your hubby for his service. Many in my family are also veterans. I love all the colors on the trees. I especially love seeing all the old grave stones. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

MadSnapper said...

Thank you for your service to your hubby, and these trees are perfect as a memorial to the veterans and all those buried there.

NCmountainwoman said...

We love to wander throuh old cemeteries, reflecting on epidemics, maternal/chiild deaths and loving to read inscriptions. Great photographs of a lovely peaceful afternoon.

Valerie said...

Thank you for your kind comments on my blog stories. I have put the reason for non-publication on my comment reply.

Connie said...

Lovely peaceful photos. When I was in college, I frequently went for a walk at a nearby cemetery. Some of my friends thought that was an odd thing to do, but I found it to be a calming, quiet place to gather my thoughts.

Bill said...

Beautiful colours throughout the cemetery.

Emma Springfield said...

Grenville, I appreciate your efforts to keep my freedom secure.

Anvilcloud said...

I recently took a spin through our cemetery looking for a tamarack tree. I didn't find it but realized that I has seen it in a different cemetery. I probably won't get there in time for a photo since we are experiencing a blizzard sort of snow storm at the moment,.

Red said...

Lots of good color but a quiet walk through the cemetery causes us to stop and think about our life and others.

Rain said...

Lovely tour Dorothy. That pumpkin reminds me of myself. I used to paint rocks and leave them on my grandfather's grave. I don't live anywhere near his resting place now, but it brought back fond memories!

L. D. said...

You haven given us such a beautiful tour. I enjoyed all of the stones with names. You worked hard on this one.

Nil @ The Little House by the Lake said...

My thanks to your husband for his service!

Fall colors are beautiful. Though it is sad to see those headstones, especially of the little ones.

William Kendall said...

Very poignant.

Karen Lakis said...

I know a lot of people who enjoy walking through cemeteries - I get that. They are beautiful and peaceful. I can't say that I think of cemeteries as enjoyable, but whenever I do walk through one, I find it fascinating. There are so many stories. I always feel sad by the stones where a couple lost young children. There was a time where that was not so unusual, but I can't even imagine. This is a beautiful cemetery and you got some lovely images.

baili said...

Never saw such BEAUTIFUL resting place for deceased before Dorothy !!!!!!!!!!

autumn colors are ABSORBING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you for sharing incredibly gorgeous walk within cemetery ,headstone are fascinating ,words on pumpkin are touching !
blessings !