![]() Emblem, for example, was once a working farm. Conference attendees, however, made it their business to find out during area tours of what they call marble orchards. Nearby Hillside, built on the same moraine as Elmhurst, was chosen for the same reason.Įven fewer people know about the history of local cemeteries, Sclair said. Because successful cemeteries need the good drainage provided by the gentle slope of a moraine, Elmhurst was chosen to house cemeteries such as St. The glacier left a varied topography, including the moraine (a mass of rocks, gravel, clay, etc., carried and desposited by a glacier) on which Elmhurst was built. As this melted, it became Lake Chicago, shrinking over thousands of years into what is now Lake Michigan. “But the quality of that land is unsurpassed for cemetery land.”Įons ago, the remains of a vast glacier covered much of northern Illinois. “Obviously, the large amount of land was there, an amount you couldn’t set aside inside Chicago,” Sclair said. Although most area residents are at least marginally familiar with the numerous cemeteries in eastern DuPage, few know why they were placed there, said Sclair. They have always been an extremely important part of DuPage County’s life, said Helen “Cemetery Lady” Sclair of Chicago, a noted cemetery historian. “Really, cemeteries are as much a part of life as birth,” she said. Before I’d say, `Oh, that’s a nice statue.’ Now, I say, `Oh, look at all the folds in that robe,’ or `Doesn’t she have a lovely expression?’ “Īlthough a preoccupation with cemeteries and tombstones might make some shiver, there’s no need to be squeamish, said Mitchell. “Now, however, I also have more of an appreciation for the stones’ artistry. “I thought I’d have a better understanding of what the symbols meant, and that would help me figure out the stories of some of these people,” said Webster, another genealogy buff. Lois Webster, a Glen Ellyn retiree, said she came to the AGS conference specifically to learn more about the symbols on gravestones. The representations are likely based on classical Greco-Roman symbols and are found in many local cemeteries. Garlands, according to Friswell, mean the victory of a pure life a flame may be the essence of life, and a fig can mean prosperity or happiness. A squirrel with a nut indicates religious meditation, while a weeping willow represents nature’s lament for the departed soul. ![]() In his book “The Early American Gravestoneas Primitive Art,” author Richard Friswell notes that many symbols, such as a rising sun, torch or a peacock, allude to resurrection. Religious and philosophical beliefs are a large part of gravestone art. Although such interest is more prevalent with gravestones on the East Coast, where the stones are older, people are gradually becoming more familiar with Midwestern artisans such as Indiana carvers F.C. “And they are fantastic living art museums.” Many gravestone enthusiasts take the time to learn about various carvers and artisans who specialize in headstones and grave or mausoleum decoration, said Steve Shipp, co-organizer with his wife of the AGS conference. “I know people think this is unusual, but I find cemeteries to be places of such peace and beauty,” said Mitchell, who owns a family cemetery in Texas. (Rubbings are made by placing paper over a gravestone and rubbing a pencil or crayon over the paper to pick up the carved impression.) ![]() It is when people enter cemeteries for reasons other than mourning that they become hooked on the esthetic and social aspects of burial grounds, said Glendale Heights resident Wallie Mitchell, an avid gravestone hobbyist who often photographs unusual stones or makes rubbings of the more interesting carvings and etchings on the stones. Then you can search archives for an obituary or more records.” “Gravestones usually provide the date of death, and sometimes more. “If you don’t have at least a death date for a relative, you don’t know where to look in the records for information about them,” Shipp said. “You can get a good deal of genealogical information from county or city records, but at a certain point you have to visit a cemetery to learn more,” Hoornbeek said.Ĭarol Shipp of Princeton, Ill., co-organizer of the AGS conference, agrees. Many people rely on tombstones and their placement to establish relationships between ancestors when tracing family lineage, said Hoornbeek, the owner of a small family cemetery in southern Illinois. That history is what draws many to cemeteries in the first place, noted Glen Ellyn librarian Linda Hoornbeek, an amateur genealogist and first-time conference participant. You can learn just as much history about any place just by walking through a local cemetery,” Jenkins said.
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