Remember, Jesus Leads: A Family Buries a Son, 1894

This compelling image of mourning, love, and hope depicts a family gathered at the grave of a loved one who was recently buried. A sign at the head of the grave underneath a floral arrangement says “Remember Jesus Leads”. Each person cast their face down, gazing at the mound that covers their beloved.

This standard-sized cabinet card photograph was done by H. B. Cady of Waitsfield, Washington County, Vermont. Written in pencil on the back, in period handwriting, is “Ernie W. Colby / Died Sep 4=1894 / Aged 20”. Based on a review of the 1880 census of Addison County, Vermont and the 1900 census of Washington County, Vermont, I believe the parents are George and Francis C. Colby, the oldest daughter standing next to them is Lydia Colby (born c1868), the younger man next to her is Albert Colby (born c1876) and the girl is Lou Colby (born c1884). The 1880 census identifies the deceased as "Westly E. Colby" born c1874.

Farewell Till We Meet Again

Here’s a few images of burials and cemeteries that were professionally taken and mounted on photo boards – the same mounting as for cabinet cards, but these images are different sizes. All of these images most likely date to the 1900-1910 era.

The first is one of my favorites, both for one special feature in it, as well as the story of how I got it. In 1996, I stopped at a dilapidated old motel along Interstate 20 east of Abilene, Texas because there was a hand-lettered sign out front advertising “Junk and Antiques”. The building was awful, and so was the merchandise – clearly more junk than antiques. As I was leaving, I noticed this old photograph under a pile of debris, which included a can of paint. I pulled it out and liked it, due to its subject matter, but then I saw cockroach excrement over much of the mounting board and some of the image. I was putting it down when the little banner (which appears to be supported by sticks) near the head of the grave caught my eye: “Farewell Till We Meet Again”. How could I leave that gem behind? The price was two dollars, so I took it. When I got home, I cut off most of the mounting board and worked at cleaning the image with a damp cloth. The worst of the matter was in the center, above the grave, and you can see where I removed some of the emulsion in my efforts. Other stains remain on the upper edge, but I cropped them out. This image was taken by Harrik’s Studio of Schulenberg, Texas and I assume it was made in or near Schulenberg. Notice how the photographer altered the negative to outline the grave and floral offerings, and obliterated the upper portion of the image.


Below are four images, three of interments and one of a cemetery. None of these are identified as to location or photographer, but the one that shows the burial with the head and foot marker already in place (which must have been ordered and erected prior to death) is marked on the back “Eugene South’s grave”.





© 2010, copyright Stephen Mills

Real Photo Postcards of Interments and Cemeteries

First, let me share a pet peeve. I frequently see obituaries that refer to the “internment” of the deceased. That is not the correct term. According to Merriam-Webster, “interment” means the act or ceremony of putting a dead body in its final resting place, and a synonym for interment is burial. “To inter” means to bury or entomb. “Internment” means the act of confining or the state of being confined, especially during time of war, and synonyms for internment are captivity, confinement, and imprisonment. (A correct usage of “internment” would be “The internment of Americans of Japanese descent during World War II is one of the more shameful chapters in United States history.”) Yes, the terms are somewhat similar in meaning, but they are definitely not interchangeable.

Anyway, today I thought I’d share some real photo postcards of interments. A real photo postcard is exactly what you’d think it is – a postcard bearing an actual photograph. These were common from about 1910 to 1950 – the photo could be professional or amateur, and anyone could have negatives printed with the inexpensive postcard backs. They were suitable for mailing, and many were mailed, although the images shown below are postally unused. Postcard collectors refer to them as RPPCs or RPs. For more information about the world of postcard collecting, you can visit the Capital of Texas Postcard Club, of which I’m a member. For detailed information on RPPCs, this link to Playle’s is outstanding.

None of these images are identified as to cemetery location or name of deceased. These cards all date to the 1904-1920 era, based on the design of the stamp boxes on the backs (see the Playle's link for more information on dating RPPCs using stamp box design). The first image shows a wonderful old graveyard with some seriously large floral tributes, including one from the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), of which the deceased would have been a member. The other arrangement looks to be symbols of Masonry; I don't know how common it was to be in both societies.

This image shows a cemetery with graves uniformly outlined with bricks. This is an interesting old tradition, which is frequently not seen today, since it’s much easier to maintain a cemetery that does not have grave outlines. You also see old graves that are outlined with rocks, shells, iron or wood fencing, or that are mounded to form the outline. The modern version of outlining is the use of concrete grave covers and/or curbing.

The last image shows a close-up of a burial with floral offerings and grave markers in the background.

© 2010, copyright Stephen Mills

Empty Chairs

This lonesome image affects one emotionally, reminding us that death is essentially a solitary experience, both for the deceased and for those most impacted by the loss. This snapshot depicts a fresh burial from the 1920s; it came from an Austin, Texas estate and was developed by Fox Photo of San Antonio. After the last rites, one or two close family members probably stayed to witness the closing of the grave, and they memorialized the final, solemn moment through this photograph. This calls to mind the famous poem Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox:

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

© 2009, copyright Stephen Mills, poem excepted

Burial in a Country Cemetery near Whitewright, Texas, about 1895

This wonderful old image is identified on the back, in period handwriting, only as “Whitewright Tex.” Regrettably, there is no further information as to the identity of the deceased or the cemetery. Whitewright is in Grayson County, Texas (due north of Dallas), but very close to the Grayson-Fannin county line, and this cemetery could be in either county. Below is the uncropped image including the mounting board.


There is a sizable crowd, organized in an interesting fashion, gathered to witness the interment of the deceased. Generally speaking, the women and girls are on the left, most wearing white bonnets with streamers, and the men and boys are on the right. In the center, near the casket, are a mix of people, presumably the nearest relatives. There are two black men in the back center of the photo. This is a strikingly artistic image, with lots of vertical correlation between the trees in the background and the brush in the foreground. Below is the cropped image without the mounting board.


A closer crop of the casket area reveals the large mound of dirt from the grave and the casket propped up unevenly over the grave using planks and pieces of wood. Two women dressed in black mourning from head to toe are seated at the head of the casket, which is propped higher than the foot, and a small girl is seated near the other end. Other implements of burial, such as poles, more planks, and what appears to be a white tarp, are scattered around.

This image, taken well before the rise of the modern funeral industry in this part of Texas, effectively conveys the physical labor that was required in those days to bury a person. Death and burial was very much a community event at this time, and the hands-on work of burial was shared by the men of the family and their neighbors. In addition to digging and refilling the grave, the casket had to be lowered by hand using poles, planks, or rope and pulley devices. Old cemeteries are not just places of burial - they are places where our ancestors socialized, shared their grief, and engaged in hard physical labor.


© 2009, copyright Stephen Mills

A Double Funeral in Texas About 1930

These old snapshots turned up at my local antique mall for 35 cents each. I’ve identified these as Texas photos, because they were developed at the Fox Studio in San Antonio and are so stamped on the back. Fox used the familiar, trademark border that can be seen in the photos, and they were very reliable and inexpensive. Folks all over Texas, including my ancestors, mailed their films to Fox for developing and printing.

This young married couple died at the same time, and I assume it was a car crash or some other accident. These pictures document both caskets, opened and closed, at the cemetery; the mourners; and the side-by-side burial. The crowd in the background can be seen on close inspection, and many of the people are crying and holding handkerchiefs to their faces. What a tremendous sorrow this must have been.





© 2009, copyright Stephen Mills