This genealogy tip of the day from Michael
John Neill resonated with me when I read it because of my own experience.
Are there "empty" spaces in your family's lot of
graves in the cemetery? Is it possible that there are unmarked burials. The cemetery
may (or may not) have records of burials even if no stone was erected after the
funeral.
Used with
permission: © Michael John Neill, “Genealogy
Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com,
Posted: 07
Jan 2013 06:15 AM PST
A
few years ago I was trying to locate the graves of my Primas Great-Uncles. I knew that two of them were at “the windmill
cemetery”, officially known as Mount
Emblem Cemetery in Elmhurst, Illinois.
I went to the main office and asked for the location of all persons with
Primas as their surname located in the cemetery. I received the list I expected, with one
surprise: Emma Primas, my
great-grandmother.
 |
| Emma Stroschein Primas |
I knew my great-grandfather Paul Primas (Emma’s husband) died at the age of 46 years in 1906 and was buried in Concordia Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois. When I visited the grave site there was space but no stone for Emma. I assumed that she was there with no marker.
There
was a child of Paul and Emma’s named Franz that died at the age of 2 years, 6
months of croup and diphtheria. He was also buried in Concordia Cemetery. When I inquired about
the location I was told that he had been buried in a special section for
children. That area had no permanent
plots, it was in effect leased. There
was no marker to be seen.
Emma
died at the age of 63 years in 1928, having lived 22 years longer than
Paul. She was left a widow with five
children to raise, so it seemed that perhaps a lack of money might have been
the reason for no marker. Maybe the
family planned to get a marker when they had more funds.
So what was Emma doing in Mount
Emblem? I went to find her grave site. There was only a cement disk with the number
of the plot. No headstone. Next to her space were headstones for Ernest and Evelyn Stroschein. Ernest, called Ernie by the family, was Emma’s
nephew, her brother’s son. Across the
road were Emma’s sons Frederick and Otto, her daughter Amelia (called Millie)
and Otto’s wife Marie. Fred and Millie
have no markers. In a different section
of the cemetery are plots for her other sons: Oscar (my grandfather) is on one
side of the road, and on the other side of the road are plots for Frank Primas
and his wife, both unmarked.
When I asked why there were no markers
on the plots for Frank and his wife, his son told me “they aren’t there”. They are buried in Missouri where they had
retired years ago.
I
am still left with more questions: why
is Emma in a different cemetery than her husband? Did the children not know or forget about the
Concordia plot? Why is she buried next
to her nephew and not her sons? Why is Paul's grave marker so large? Why does Emma has no
grave marker?
Some
lessons learned from this adventure:
1. Always
ask at the cemetery office for the people you are looking for
2. Don’t
assume everyone has a marker
3. Don’t
assume that because someone bought the plot that they are in it
Your Cousin Caron
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