Covid19 quarantine is still active here in Delaware so I have decided to walk through local cemeteries. It’s a great way to be outdoors, avoid passing people and worrying about keeping a 6 foot distance and the headstones can be beautiful, emotional and fascinating - full of history. As a walking artist, I decided to create a prompt to follow - as I walked I looked for headstones that containing one of the following:
* same name - first, middle or surname
* same birth year - 1961
* same birthday - March 13 (this date could be either a birth or death date)
This walk was through Hockessin Friends Meetinghouse Cemetery on Old Wilmington Road in Hockessin, DE.
I found several markers that contained the death date of 1961. See above photos. I did not see any markers that shared my birthdate.
Not a Carol or a Maurer found in the cemetery but I did find a Mary C. Full disclosure…Mary was the name given to me at birth!
Many stones had this 3 chain-link symbol containing the letters FLT. When I returned home I looked up the symbol to discover it is the symbol for The Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the initials stand for Friendship, Love and Truth.
This old and broken headstone is so worn it looks like it’s written in an ancient language!
The earliest birthdate that I found in the cemetery. Albina was born in 1787, John in 1782 and Albina in 1824 (wife, husband, daughter?).
The Meetinghouse (currently closed due to the pandemic but you can attend Zoom Meeting for Worship) is across the street.