Vail Memorial Cemetery II
Continuing our journey through Vail—I’d taken note of this Buis headstone, as I had seen one like it in Whippany Burying Ground (which will be covered here soon). These heart-shaped headstones are dotted with stones that look like gems. And as it turns out, the purple-colored stone, which also surrounds my house, is unique to the Morris County area of New Jersey. Apparently it’s known as a “glacial erratic” because it’s found here, but didn’t originate here. Instead, it swam on the backs of melting glaciers tens of thousands of years ago and landed in towns like Parsippany. Since I find geology only slightly more interesting than, say, economics (which is why I’m not a tycoon who studies rocks) you can read more here.
Adam and I were distressed to find a second heart-shaped purple Buis in pieces on the ground.
But then happily noticed a third Buis standing tall. (The fallen one is in the distance on the right.) I don’t know who the Buises were—on FindAGrave a Dutch person commented that it was a fine Dutch name, and though I also read it’s French, a quick look on Ancestry uncovered the WWI Registration Card for one Joe Buis, born in Holland and as of 1917 living in Parsippany. This makes sense as there are far more Dutch immigrants in this neck of the woods than French. But because there are no dates or first names on any of these, I don’t know which Buis is which.
This headstone is made of metal. It’s hollow, but I rather like it. It certainly stands up well to lichen. And the good ol’ folks and FindAGrave have informed me that Samuel Righter Trelease’s mother’s maiden name was “Doremus” which is a popular name in Newark, NJ and the name of the street my step-father’s family lived on in Paterson, NJ. (New Yorkers—I’d say it might be the New Jersey equivalent of “Ditmars” or “Ditmas” but don’t quote me on that.) Doremus is also a Dutch name, possibly from the Latin Adoremus, meaning “we adore.” In the 18th and 19th centuries, many Dutch and German immigrant families (like my step-dad’s) worked near the Passaic River as ribbon weavers and dyers. Unfortunately, a lot of the dye ended up in the Passaic, which partly caused its notoriously polluted status now.
I posted this because it’s stood the test of time and also because it describes the wife as a “consort.” Back then (Mary died in 1758) this meant a wife who predeceased her husband, as opposed to “relic” which was another term for “widow.”
I’d thought the name was Thomas Osborn but upon closer inspection it says Thomas Orsborn. This may have been in error, as Thomas’ own headstone says “Osborn” and neither my spell check nor I have ever heard of “Orsborn.”
Lady Chatterley’s marker.
I walked past these markers while Adam took note of the bright white one.
It turns out this is Shirley Spargo Paulmier, an Army nurse who served as 1st Lieutenant in WWII and earned a Bronze Medal. She passed away in 2014, aged 93.
Another veteran’s grave. Vail Memorial Cemetery reportedly is the resting place of veterans from nearly every major war the United States has been a part of, and it seems to be true, as I have not come across many veterans of the Mexican-American War in NJ, which was fought between 1846-1848 over the annexation of the Republic of Texas to the United States.
Behold, the Two Rebeccas. This Rebecca was married to Ebenezer Farren and died January 30, 1777, aged 66.
Ebenezer Farren (or Farrand) passed away in December 1777, but in the time between Rebecca’s death and his, Ebenezer was able to marry a second Rebecca, who would live until 1783. Reminds me a bit of Maxim de Winter. Note the angels on top of both Rebecca headstones—per my previous post, these were hand-carved, and you could often tell the craftsman by the look of the angels’ heads. I believe these were carved by the same person. (Also note: Ebenezer’s headstone is missing its top part where the angel would normally be, so there’s no way for me to tell if the same person carved his. Though my guess is yes.)
Another Vail monument in Vail Memorial Cemetery and one in the Victorian style I’d previously mentioned. This is William Alonso Vail, his wife, Catharine Lindsley Vail, and their son, T.N. Vail, who passed away at only eight months. Catharine would die five years later, aged 33, and William would remarry, move to Minneapolis to work for a telephone company (similar to the cemetery’s namesake, Theodore N. Vail), and die of pneumonia in 1904, aged 54.
This branch looks like it has birds perched on it. They’re buds.
These headstones look quite content. They’re mother and daughter.
These reminded me of the above two. It turns out the taller belongs to Kate Bastedo Farrand, of the same family as Ebenezer and the Rebeccas. “Bastedo” is also often seen in this cemetery, and I thought it interesting that Italians would be found in a Protestant cemetery dating back to the 18th century, but it turns out these Bastedos are … Dutch.
Yet there are indeed Italians in Vail. I maintain cemeteries are a good source of demographic information, especially about different waves of immigrants. It’s clear there were many Dutch immigrants based on the older part of the cemetery, but in this newer neighborhood you’ll find the Mattalianos.
I liked the candle holders on either side of the Mattaliano headstone at right, and I wondered if this was a non-denominational cemetery after all.
And it must be, as George and Maria Zografos show us with the Orthodox-looking cross. They both passed away in the 1950s. Note the Greek keys surrounding the Greek surname—as also mentioned in my earlier post, that motif was popular in the Victorian Era, and was often seen on obelisks (which are not Greek but Egyptian) and on the monuments of people who were not Greek.
Another headstone in the newer neighborhood. Jones W. Fong lived to be about 57.
You’ll also see different fonts in newer spots. I couldn’t place this one, it’s not a font I usually see. I asked my friend and fellow cemetery wanderer Kevin J Walsh of Forgotten New York, and it turns out Kevin knows everything except what font this is. Anyone out there in TV land know?
There are so many other photos I’ll have to share in the future, but I wanted to end on this note. Until next time …