Over the years of camping in my Westy I often found myself in small towns
or just intentionally took the road less traveled because I liked to
drive at 50 mph.
I often visited local small town grave yards just out of curiosity.
You can learn a lot in grave yards.
You'll discover who founded the town, his long string of heirs and
extended family.
You'll discover who held the power for many generations by the size and
placement of their memorial stones.
You'll be able to tell who still has family in the area by the tiny
hedges and neatly trimmed grass surrounding their final place of rest.
I found many stones stating "Buried In France", Lost in Action "Sipan".
Often all of the War Casualties are buried in a grouping ...............
it will have an impact on you when you find these.
It isn't uncommon to find civil war stones that were donated by the VFW,
American Legion, Womens Axillary, Eastern Star or Masonic groups to
replace wood or soft stones that eroded with the years.
Throughout cemeteries you'll find victims of the 1934 Flu Epidemic,
Smallpox epidemics and other natural and unnatural disasters.
I've never been one that takes rubbings from grave stones but many are
quite historic in preparing a family tree.
Some of the most poignant stones were produced in the mid 30s through
40s. They have small porcelain pictures of the persons buried there. It
is a chilling episode to see those pictures, still brilliant in color
after so many years.
I don't know if it is common practice in other areas of the country but I
sometimes see grave stones with the persons name, birth / death dates and
an epitaph followed by the words "a Negro".
You can learn a lot in small town graveyards, just depends what you're
open to learning.

Stan Wilder

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