Monday, October 9, 2006

Mission Hill Cemetery

Directly atop Mission Hill and across from the Spectacle Lake and Lake Superior lookout shown below, is a very peaceful and serene setting for a cemetery.






Many of the graves here are well over 100 years old, like this unattended site of a 20 year old woman named Hattie. I first spotted the finial lying on the ground and went over to snap a picture. I suspect it simply fell from age and was very surprised that vandals had not picked it up.

I snapped this engraving rather quickly (just to have the name)and did not realize what a poor job I had done until I had it on my computer screen. I then realized there was a touching engraving from the husband at the bottom:

Tis hard to break the tender cord,
When love has bound the heart
Tis hard, so hard to speak the word
.................

Unfortunately I did not get the last line.

Now I will have to go back to find out what it says!

I also noted that I did not see any other graves next to Hattie. I wonder what happened to the grief-stricken husband? I would guess he found another wife, raised a family and was buried in some other plot.

How interesting it would be to find out more about the person behind the name on the tombstone.

6 comments:

  1. She was so young, only 20 yrs old. Here is the rest of the engraving:
    'Tis hard, so hard, to speak the words we must forever part.'
    I found more info on Mission Hill Cemetery:
    http://www.jansdigs.com/Chippewa/missionhill2.html

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  2. Sandra, Thank you! How did you know that? Is it a common tombstone engraving?
    I think I saw that site last night. I am not sure, so I will check it out. Thanks again!

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  3. I wonder what she died of? Would it have been childbirth? Or maybe it was consumption, or one of those other diseases we never hear of anymore. Graveyards contain many mysteries.

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  4. That was a fairly fancy marker, so I'd say they had some money. Probably the husband remarried and is with his second wife and/or children.
    He did love Hattie a lot though-so sweet.

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  5. I Google anything/everything to find info. I just typed the words to the verse you had and came up with the words for a loved one. There is also an ending for a deceased child. Very interesting. Also, the Mission Hill site is a listing of all the ones buried there, which, of course includes Hattie. Kewl, huh?

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  6. I love walking through old cemetaries and looking at the headstones to see what is written. It's so amazing the info you can find on the internet:-)

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