Brown AGS 34th Annual Meeting and Confer - Association for

							Evening	
  Programs	
  
Coordinator	
  Ian	
  W.	
  Brown	
  
	
  
AGS	
  34th	
  Annual	
  Meeting	
  and	
  Conference	
  
June	
  14-­19,	
  2011	
  
Colby	
  College	
  
Waterville,	
  Maine	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  1:	
  Wednesday,	
  June	
  15,	
  8:00–8:20	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
The	
  Shamos	
  
	
  
Joshua	
  Segal	
  	
  
	
  
One	
  of	
  the	
  many	
  items	
  to	
  be	
  found	
  at	
  a	
  Jewish	
  cemetery	
  is	
  the	
  shamos	
  (rhymes	
  with	
  
"blame	
  us").	
  The	
  shamos	
  is	
  a	
  burial	
  site	
  for	
  used	
  books	
  of	
  religious	
  texts,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  
other	
  ritual	
  items	
  that	
  are	
  no	
  longer	
  used	
  and/or	
  by	
  virtue	
  of	
  condition	
  are	
  no	
  
longer	
  usable.	
  In	
  some	
  cases,	
  these	
  items	
  actually	
  rate	
  monuments	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  storage	
  
buildings	
  to	
  hold	
  the	
  items	
  until	
  they	
  are	
  buried.	
  This	
  presentation	
  will	
  include	
  the	
  
rationale	
  for	
  a	
  shamos	
  with	
  photographic	
  examples	
  of	
  some	
  of	
  the	
  various	
  
monuments	
  and	
  buildings	
  that	
  the	
  author	
  has	
  found.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  2:	
  Wednesday,	
  June	
  15,	
  8:25–8:45	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
The	
  Rise	
  of	
  the	
  18th-­Century	
  Portrait	
  Gravestone:	
  A	
  Study	
  of	
  the	
  Works	
  of	
  Noah	
  Pratt,	
  
Jr.	
  and	
  Joseph	
  Sikes	
  in	
  Cumberland	
  County,	
  Maine	
  
	
  	
  
Joy	
  Giguere	
  
	
  
With	
  the	
  increasing	
  movement	
  away	
  from	
  traditional	
  Puritan	
  memento	
  mori	
  
iconography	
  by	
  the	
  mid-­‐18th	
  century,	
  the	
  popularity	
  of	
  cherub	
  and	
  “soul	
  effigy”	
  
images	
  on	
  New	
  England	
  headstones	
  was	
  offset	
  by	
  the	
  emergence	
  of	
  a	
  new	
  style—
the	
  “portrait”	
  stone.	
  This	
  paper	
  serves	
  a	
  twofold	
  purpose.	
  First,	
  it	
  examines	
  the	
  
social	
  and	
  cultural	
  context	
  in	
  which	
  portrait-­‐style	
  gravestones	
  became	
  popular,	
  with	
  
particular	
  emphasis	
  on	
  the	
  expansion	
  of	
  Colonial	
  consumer	
  culture	
  and	
  the	
  overall	
  
rise	
  in	
  the	
  standard	
  of	
  living	
  for	
  Americans	
  in	
  the	
  years	
  immediately	
  prior	
  to	
  and	
  
following	
  the	
  American	
  Revolution.	
  Second,	
  it	
  examines	
  the	
  work	
  of	
  two	
  carvers,	
  
Noah	
  Pratt,	
  Jr.	
  and	
  Joseph	
  Sikes	
  who	
  lived	
  and	
  worked	
  in	
  Cumberland	
  County,	
  
Maine,	
  during	
  this	
  period.	
  Pratt	
  and	
  Sikes	
  are	
  in	
  some	
  ways	
  extraordinary	
  in	
  that	
  not	
  


                                                                   1
only	
  were	
  they	
  the	
  only	
  resident	
  carvers	
  in	
  Cumberland	
  County	
  during	
  this	
  period	
  
(all	
  other	
  gravestones	
  were	
  imported	
  from	
  elsewhere	
  in	
  New	
  England),	
  but	
  they	
  
both	
  specialized	
  in	
  portrait-­‐style	
  gravestones.	
  This	
  paper,	
  therefore,	
  explores	
  these	
  
carvers’	
  styles	
  and	
  the	
  distribution	
  of	
  their	
  work	
  across	
  the	
  county.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  3:	
  Thursday,	
  June	
  16,	
  7:00–7:20	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
The	
  Specimen	
  Book,	
  the	
  Fashion	
  Plate	
  and	
  the	
  19th-­Century	
  Headstone	
  
	
  
Anne	
  Tait	
  
	
  
In	
  printing	
  technology,	
  the	
  year	
  1820	
  serves	
  as	
  a	
  turning	
  point	
  in	
  the	
  mass	
  
production	
  of	
  printing	
  matter—from	
  novels	
  to	
  broadsides—as	
  the	
  print	
  foundry,	
  
paper	
  production,	
  and	
  automation	
  of	
  printed	
  materials	
  offered	
  opportunities	
  for	
  
more	
  information	
  to	
  be	
  supplied	
  to	
  the	
  growing	
  population	
  of	
  the	
  U.S.	
  With	
  the	
  
broad	
  dissemination	
  of	
  textual	
  and	
  visual	
  material	
  came	
  images	
  and	
  content	
  that	
  
could	
  be	
  used	
  by	
  all	
  trades.	
  In	
  monument	
  design,	
  the	
  period	
  post	
  1820	
  to	
  1870	
  lead	
  
to	
  the	
  production	
  of	
  headstones	
  that	
  reflect	
  the	
  mass	
  marketing	
  of	
  graphic	
  and	
  
fashion	
  materials	
  that	
  were	
  offered	
  by	
  these	
  printed	
  sources.	
  In	
  addition,	
  
augmented	
  not	
  just	
  by	
  the	
  typographical	
  and	
  printing	
  technological	
  advances,	
  
monuments	
  benefited	
  from	
  the	
  technologies	
  outside	
  of	
  design,	
  both	
  in	
  quarrying	
  
and	
  in	
  carving,	
  leading	
  to	
  a	
  product	
  further	
  removed	
  from	
  the	
  hand	
  not	
  just	
  in	
  its	
  
design	
  but	
  in	
  the	
  execution	
  of	
  its	
  carving.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  4:	
  Thursday,	
  June	
  16,	
  7:25–7:45	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
The	
  Sandstone	
  Gravestone	
  Markers	
  of	
  Greenwood	
  Cemetery	
  in	
  Tuscaloosa,	
  Alabama	
  
	
  
Daniel	
  A.	
  LaDu	
  
	
  
Greenwood	
  is	
  Tuscaloosa,	
  Alabama’s	
  oldest	
  surviving	
  city	
  cemetery.	
  Established	
  in	
  
1821,	
  Greenwood	
  boasts	
  an	
  impressive	
  array	
  of	
  marble	
  monuments	
  dedicated	
  to	
  
the	
  elite	
  citizens	
  of	
  eighteenth-­‐	
  and	
  nineteenth-­‐century	
  Alabama.	
  Interspersed	
  
amongst	
  this	
  sea	
  of	
  gleaming	
  white,	
  one	
  will	
  occasionally	
  glimpse	
  the	
  brown	
  and	
  
gray	
  tones	
  of	
  sandstone.	
  This	
  paper	
  presents	
  a	
  descriptive	
  analysis	
  of	
  the	
  sandstone	
  
markers	
  of	
  Greenwood.	
  These	
  unique	
  gravestones	
  are	
  considered	
  in	
  terms	
  of	
  their	
  
form,	
  location,	
  orientation,	
  decorative	
  modes,	
  and	
  lettering	
  modes.	
  A	
  method	
  for	
  
estimating	
  the	
  age	
  of	
  sandstone	
  gravemarkers	
  is	
  proposed,	
  and	
  evidence	
  of	
  three	
  
distinct	
  Greenwood	
  sandstone	
  carvers	
  or	
  shops	
  is	
  discussed.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  


                                                                2
Lecture	
  5:	
  Thursday,	
  June	
  16,	
  7:50–8:10	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
Samuel	
  Daugherty,	
  Painter	
  and	
  Stonecutter	
  
	
  
Bob	
  Drinkwater	
  
	
  
In	
  December	
  1806,	
  Samuel	
  Daugherty,	
  a	
  young	
  man	
  in	
  his	
  mid-­‐twenties,	
  placed	
  an	
  
advertisement	
  in	
  the	
  Hampshire	
  Gazette	
  announcing	
  that	
  he	
  had	
  begun	
  the	
  painting	
  
and	
  stonecutting	
  business	
  in	
  Whately,	
  a	
  small,	
  rural	
  town	
  in	
  the	
  Connecticut	
  Valley	
  
region	
  of	
  western	
  Massachusetts.	
  He	
  worked	
  in	
  Whately	
  for	
  a	
  few	
  years	
  and	
  then	
  
moved	
  to	
  Belchertown,	
  Massachusetts,	
  where	
  he	
  remained	
  until	
  the	
  mid-­‐1830s.	
  By	
  
1840,	
  he	
  and	
  his	
  family	
  had	
  left	
  Belchertown	
  and	
  resettled	
  in	
  Pewaukee,	
  Wisconsin.	
  
There,	
  now	
  in	
  his	
  early	
  sixties,	
  Daugherty	
  became	
  involved	
  in	
  the	
  anti-­‐slavery	
  
movement,	
  and	
  on	
  at	
  least	
  one	
  occasion	
  facilitated	
  the	
  escape	
  of	
  a	
  fugitive	
  slave.	
  
Early	
  in	
  his	
  career,	
  Samuel	
  Daugherty	
  signed	
  or	
  initialed	
  many	
  examples	
  of	
  his	
  
work.	
  He,	
  like	
  most	
  of	
  his	
  contemporaries,	
  offered	
  both	
  marble	
  and	
  slate	
  
gravestones,	
  most	
  of	
  them	
  embellished	
  with	
  urns	
  and/or	
  willows,	
  and	
  by	
  the	
  1820s	
  
he	
  offered	
  marble	
  stones	
  with	
  other	
  motifs.	
  While	
  researching	
  the	
  life	
  and	
  work	
  of	
  
Samuel	
  Daugherty,	
  I	
  have	
  come	
  upon	
  the	
  names	
  of	
  other	
  gravestone	
  cutters	
  with	
  
whom	
  he	
  was	
  associated,	
  including	
  the	
  Woods	
  brothers	
  (his	
  in-­‐laws	
  and	
  sometimes-­‐
partners),	
  Ansel	
  Kenfield	
  and	
  Moses	
  Goodale.	
  In	
  this	
  presentation	
  I	
  will	
  summarize	
  
what	
  I	
  have	
  discovered	
  about	
  Daugherty	
  and	
  his	
  work	
  and	
  introduce	
  the	
  work	
  of	
  his	
  
associates.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  6:	
  Thursday,	
  June	
  16,	
  8:15–8:35	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
FDR’s	
  Self-­Designed	
  Grave	
  Monument	
  
	
  
Dennis	
  Montagna	
  
	
  
It	
  is	
  well	
  known	
  that	
  Franklin	
  Roosevelt	
  died	
  of	
  a	
  stroke	
  at	
  his	
  home	
  in	
  Warm	
  
Springs,	
  Georgia	
  in	
  April	
  1945,	
  early	
  in	
  his	
  fourth	
  term	
  as	
  President,	
  and	
  that	
  he	
  was	
  
buried	
  in	
  the	
  rose	
  garden	
  of	
  his	
  family	
  home	
  at	
  Hyde	
  Park,	
  New	
  York.	
  Less	
  known	
  is	
  
the	
  fact	
  that	
  he	
  himself	
  had	
  designed	
  the	
  monument	
  that	
  would	
  mark	
  his	
  grave,	
  and	
  
eventually	
  that	
  of	
  his	
  wife.	
  As	
  they	
  sorted	
  through	
  FDR’s	
  papers	
  after	
  his	
  death,	
  
executors	
  of	
  his	
  estate	
  found	
  a	
  memo	
  he	
  had	
  written	
  in	
  late	
  1937	
  setting	
  forth	
  the	
  
appearance,	
  materials	
  and	
  inscription	
  for	
  the	
  memorial.	
  Created	
  using	
  Imperial	
  
Danby	
  at	
  the	
  Vermont	
  Marble	
  Company’s	
  facility	
  in	
  Proctor,	
  the	
  memorial’s	
  
commission	
  was	
  a	
  source	
  of	
  pride	
  for	
  the	
  company	
  and	
  was	
  featured	
  prominently	
  in	
  
its	
  advertising.	
  At	
  the	
  request	
  of	
  the	
  National	
  Park	
  Service,	
  the	
  managers	
  of	
  the	
  new	
  
Franklin	
  D.	
  Roosevelt	
  National	
  Historic	
  Site,	
  the	
  Company	
  produced	
  a	
  fine	
  series	
  of	
  
photos	
  documenting	
  the	
  extraction	
  and	
  finishing	
  of	
  the	
  stone	
  during	
  the	
  summer	
  
and	
  fall	
  of	
  1945.	
  This	
  paper	
  will	
  examine	
  the	
  memorial	
  and	
  its	
  design.	
  It	
  will	
  pay	
  
particular	
  attention	
  to	
  the	
  reasons	
  Roosevelt	
  was	
  considering	
  his	
  memorialization	
  


                                                                  3
in	
  1937.	
  Operative	
  elements	
  included	
  the	
  state	
  of	
  his	
  health,	
  his	
  relationship	
  with	
  
Eleanor,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  his	
  concern	
  with	
  his	
  legacy	
  at	
  this	
  time	
  in	
  his	
  life.	
  The	
  paper	
  will	
  
also	
  consider	
  the	
  grave	
  memorial	
  within	
  the	
  larger	
  context	
  of	
  Roosevelt’s	
  interest	
  in	
  
design,	
  an	
  interest	
  that	
  included	
  subjects	
  that	
  ranged	
  from	
  architecture	
  to	
  postage	
  
stamps.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  7:	
  Friday,	
  June	
  17,	
  7:00–7:20	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
Jonischkies	
  Cemetery	
  and	
  the	
  Earliest	
  Lithuanian	
  Immigrants	
  to	
  America	
  
	
  
Patsy	
  Hand,	
  Milda	
  Richardson	
  and	
  Reda	
  Veitas	
  Limantas	
  
	
  
The	
  Jonischkies	
  Cemetery	
  in	
  DeWitt	
  County,	
  Texas,	
  has	
  been	
  at	
  the	
  focus	
  of	
  research	
  
concerning	
  the	
  migration	
  of	
  Lutheran	
  Lithuanians	
  from	
  Lithuania	
  Minor	
  to	
  South	
  
Texas	
  during	
  1848-­‐1864,	
  in	
  the	
  years	
  preceding	
  the	
  Civil	
  War.	
  Prior	
  to	
  this	
  research	
  
project,	
  it	
  generally	
  was	
  accepted	
  that	
  the	
  earliest	
  Lithuanian	
  immigrants	
  to	
  the	
  
United	
  States	
  had	
  arrived	
  well	
  after	
  the	
  Civil	
  War	
  and	
  settled	
  primarily	
  in	
  
Pennsylvania	
  to	
  work	
  in	
  the	
  coalmines.	
  Study	
  of	
  the	
  Jonischkies	
  Cemetery	
  and	
  
several	
  others,	
  such	
  as	
  the	
  cemetery	
  at	
  St.	
  Paul’s	
  Lutheran	
  Church	
  in	
  Yorktown	
  and	
  
older	
  burial	
  grounds	
  of	
  Woodlawn	
  and	
  Meyersville,	
  reveals	
  that	
  the	
  earliest	
  
Lithuanian	
  immigrants	
  to	
  America	
  came	
  to	
  Texas	
  several	
  decades	
  before	
  the	
  Civil	
  
War	
  from	
  the	
  Lithuania	
  Minor	
  region	
  along	
  the	
  eastern	
  coast	
  of	
  Lithuania	
  
(historically	
  known	
  as	
  East	
  Prussia).	
  Among	
  the	
  approximately	
  forty	
  Texas	
  
interments	
  already	
  restored,	
  the	
  earliest	
  tombstone	
  dates	
  to	
  1869.	
  Restoration	
  
continues	
  by	
  volunteers,	
  with	
  support	
  from	
  local	
  businesses,	
  and	
  a	
  grave	
  “witcher”	
  
has	
  visited	
  in	
  an	
  attempt	
  to	
  locate	
  graves	
  that	
  have	
  no	
  markers.	
  Markings	
  on	
  the	
  
tombstones	
  are	
  written	
  in	
  German,	
  reflecting	
  the	
  Lithuanian-­‐Prussian	
  origin	
  of	
  the	
  
immigrants.	
  However,	
  the	
  evidence	
  in	
  19th-­‐century	
  correspondence	
  and	
  religious	
  
books	
  indicates	
  that	
  the	
  people	
  spoke,	
  read	
  and	
  wrote	
  in	
  the	
  Lithuanian	
  language	
  
(and	
  always	
  spelled	
  San	
  Antonio	
  correctly!).	
  A	
  historical	
  marker	
  was	
  erected	
  on	
  
route	
  to	
  the	
  Jonischkies	
  Cemetery	
  in	
  1994.	
  A	
  portion	
  of	
  the	
  text	
  reads:	
  “Leaving	
  their	
  
homeland	
  for	
  a	
  variety	
  of	
  religious	
  and	
  political	
  reasons,	
  the	
  Lithuanians	
  arrived	
  in	
  
Texas	
  primarily	
  through	
  the	
  ports	
  of	
  Galveston	
  and	
  Indianola.	
  Establishing	
  farms	
  in	
  
the	
  area,	
  the	
  Lithuanians	
  became	
  American	
  citizens	
  and	
  contributed	
  to	
  the	
  history	
  
and	
  culture	
  of	
  this	
  area.	
  Men	
  from	
  the	
  community	
  fought	
  on	
  both	
  sides	
  of	
  the	
  
American	
  Civil	
  War.	
  A	
  small	
  graveyard	
  south	
  of	
  Yorktown	
  known	
  as	
  Jonischkies	
  
Cemetery	
  contains	
  the	
  interments	
  of	
  many	
  of	
  these	
  early	
  settlers.”	
  This	
  presentation	
  
is	
  based	
  on	
  over	
  twenty	
  years	
  of	
  archival	
  and	
  ethnographic	
  research,	
  including	
  oral	
  
histories	
  of	
  descendants,	
  and	
  will	
  be	
  illustrated	
  with	
  historical	
  and	
  contemporary	
  
photographs	
  and	
  an	
  excerpt	
  from	
  a	
  documentary	
  film	
  being	
  prepared	
  by	
  award-­‐
winning	
  filmmaker	
  Romas	
  Šležas.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  


                                                                      4
Lecture	
  8:	
  Friday,	
  June	
  17,	
  7:25–7:45	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
Ligatures	
  to	
  Lichen:	
  a	
  Forum	
  on	
  Incised	
  letterforms	
  (circa	
  1640-­1750)	
  
	
  
Lynne	
  Baggett	
  
	
  
Among	
  publications	
  on	
  the	
  subject	
  of	
  gravestone	
  research,	
  importance	
  is	
  typically	
  
placed	
  on	
  the	
  epitaph,	
  decorative	
  motifs,	
  and	
  historical	
  context,	
  while	
  scant	
  
attention	
  has	
  been	
  directed	
  specifically	
  toward	
  characteristics	
  of	
  the	
  form	
  of	
  the	
  
incised	
  lettering	
  itself.	
  Careful	
  observation	
  and	
  study	
  by	
  contemporary	
  experts	
  in	
  
the	
  field	
  of	
  typography	
  and	
  letterform	
  design	
  has	
  the	
  potential	
  to	
  reveal	
  much	
  about	
  
the	
  stonemason’s	
  heritage,	
  influences	
  and	
  often-­‐independent	
  creative	
  voice.	
  Of	
  
particular	
  interest	
  are	
  the	
  stones	
  that	
  exist	
  in	
  rural	
  communities.	
  Such	
  naive	
  
letterforms	
  are	
  frequently	
  dismissed	
  as	
  “crude”	
  and	
  unfavorably	
  compared	
  with	
  
those	
  examples	
  attributed	
  to	
  “professional”	
  craftsman.	
  For	
  the	
  past	
  year,	
  I	
  have	
  been	
  
developing	
  a	
  method	
  to	
  disseminate	
  my	
  research	
  and	
  focus	
  attention	
  more	
  
specifically	
  on	
  the	
  idiosyncrasies	
  found	
  within	
  incised	
  lettering	
  extant	
  in	
  the	
  
American	
  colonies	
  and	
  to	
  direct	
  this	
  information	
  to	
  a	
  broader	
  public	
  audience	
  of	
  
scholars	
  in	
  this	
  field.	
  This	
  presentation	
  will	
  describe	
  the	
  collaborative	
  opportunities	
  
available	
  using	
  digital	
  technologies	
  through	
  an	
  interactive	
  weblog	
  “Ligatures	
  to	
  
Lichen”.	
  This	
  site	
  has	
  been	
  created	
  specifically	
  to	
  provide	
  a	
  database	
  of	
  information	
  
on	
  the	
  above	
  and	
  will	
  include	
  an	
  opportunity	
  for	
  dialog	
  among	
  experts	
  in	
  the	
  field	
  of	
  
letterform	
  design	
  and	
  gravestone	
  research.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  9:	
  Friday,	
  June	
  17,	
  7:50–8:10	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
Grave	
  Structures	
  in	
  Louisiana	
  and	
  Other	
  Parts	
  of	
  The	
  South	
  
	
  
Gerald	
  T.	
  McNeill	
  
	
  	
  
Louisiana	
  is	
  probably	
  best	
  known	
  for	
  above-­‐ground	
  burial	
  tombs	
  in	
  the	
  southern	
  
part	
  of	
  the	
  state,	
  especially	
  in	
  New	
  Orleans.	
  Certainly,	
  these	
  grave	
  structures	
  are	
  
unique	
  and	
  important	
  to	
  the	
  cemetery	
  landscape	
  of	
  Louisiana	
  and	
  will	
  be	
  the	
  first	
  
grave	
  structures	
  discussed.	
  Unfortunately,	
  when	
  the	
  above-­‐ground	
  burial	
  tombs	
  are	
  
discussed	
  on	
  Internet	
  sites	
  and	
  written	
  about	
  in	
  cemetery	
  tour	
  guides	
  of	
  New	
  
Orleans,	
  most	
  state	
  that	
  above-­‐ground	
  tombs	
  are	
  a	
  necessity	
  for	
  burials	
  in	
  New	
  
Orleans	
  and	
  South	
  Louisiana	
  due	
  to	
  the	
  high	
  water	
  table.	
  Most	
  fail	
  to	
  mention	
  the	
  
cultural	
  aspects	
  of	
  these	
  grave	
  structures.	
  The	
  second	
  grave	
  structure	
  to	
  be	
  
discussed,	
  which	
  is	
  identified	
  by	
  various	
  names—grave	
  sheds,	
  grave	
  covers,	
  grave	
  
houses,	
  and	
  grave	
  shelters—are	
  found	
  in	
  southern	
  folk	
  cemeteries	
  in	
  the	
  northern	
  
part	
  of	
  Louisiana	
  and	
  other	
  areas	
  of	
  the	
  South.	
  Grave	
  shelters	
  will	
  be	
  the	
  term	
  used	
  
in	
  this	
  paper	
  for	
  these	
  grave	
  structures	
  found	
  in	
  the	
  southern	
  folk	
  cemeteries.	
  The	
  
grave	
  shelters	
  were	
  first	
  identified	
  by	
  two	
  cultural	
  geographers,	
  Dr.	
  Gregory	
  Jeane	
  
and	
  the	
  late	
  Dr.	
  Terry	
  Jordan,	
  and	
  these	
  geographers	
  have	
  provided	
  the	
  primary	
  


                                                                 5
research	
  on	
  the	
  southern	
  folk	
  cemetery	
  complex.	
  Construction	
  materials	
  of	
  both	
  old	
  
and	
  newer	
  grave	
  shelters	
  and	
  their	
  southern	
  locations	
  will	
  be	
  noted.	
  Lastly,	
  the	
  lone	
  
remaining	
  cemetery	
  containing	
  the	
  French	
  Acadian	
  or	
  Cajun	
  grave	
  houses	
  of	
  
Louisiana	
  will	
  be	
  discussed	
  as	
  a	
  grave	
  structure	
  in	
  Louisiana.	
  This	
  cemetery,	
  Istre,	
  
has	
  been	
  documented	
  in	
  a	
  video	
  and	
  in	
  a	
  recently	
  published	
  book	
  by	
  descendants	
  of	
  
one	
  of	
  the	
  families	
  buried	
  in	
  this	
  cemetery.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  10:	
  Friday,	
  June	
  17,	
  8:15–8:35	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
Yellow	
  Fever	
  Monuments:	
  Evidence	
  of	
  the	
  1878	
  Yellow	
  Fever	
  Epidemic	
  in	
  Mississippi	
  
	
  
Deanne	
  Nuwer	
  
	
  
The	
  1878	
  yellow	
  fever	
  epidemic	
  claimed	
  approximately	
  4,000	
  lives	
  in	
  Mississippi	
  
from	
  August	
  to	
  December	
  that	
  year.	
  This	
  epidemic	
  reached	
  as	
  far	
  north	
  as	
  New	
  York	
  
as	
  it	
  spread	
  fear	
  and	
  death	
  across	
  the	
  nation,	
  especially	
  in	
  the	
  South.	
  Notorious	
  for	
  
its	
  unhealthy	
  climate	
  and	
  almost	
  annual	
  outbreaks	
  of	
  yellow	
  fever,	
  Mississippi	
  
epitomized	
  in	
  many	
  aspects	
  the	
  sickly	
  South	
  in	
  the	
  late	
  19th	
  century.	
  Citizens	
  in	
  the	
  
state	
  every	
  year	
  lived	
  in	
  dread	
  that	
  yellow	
  fever	
  would	
  strike.	
  Exacerbating	
  their	
  
anxiety	
  was	
  the	
  fact	
  that	
  no	
  one	
  in	
  1878	
  knew	
  the	
  etiology	
  of	
  the	
  disease.	
  The	
  mode	
  
of	
  transmission	
  was	
  a	
  mystery	
  for	
  all	
  who	
  lived	
  in	
  the	
  regions	
  of	
  probable	
  
outbreaks.	
  Regardless	
  of	
  people’s	
  fear	
  of	
  the	
  disease,	
  dotting	
  the	
  countryside	
  of	
  
Mississippi	
  and	
  standing	
  tall	
  in	
  its	
  cities’	
  cemeteries	
  are	
  monuments	
  to	
  those	
  who	
  
died	
  in	
  the	
  1878	
  epidemic.	
  These	
  monuments	
  were	
  created	
  even	
  in	
  a	
  time	
  when	
  the	
  
mere	
  mention	
  of	
  yellow	
  fever	
  was	
  taboo	
  because	
  of	
  the	
  panic	
  it	
  caused	
  as	
  people	
  
attempted	
  to	
  flee	
  from	
  the	
  disease.	
  Nevertheless,	
  its	
  victims	
  were	
  remembered.	
  	
  
Often	
  entire	
  families	
  were	
  buried	
  with	
  one	
  obelisk	
  to	
  memorialize	
  their	
  deaths.	
  	
  
These	
  monuments	
  reveal	
  a	
  society	
  bound	
  by	
  fear	
  yet	
  desirous	
  of	
  properly	
  
remembering	
  the	
  victims	
  of	
  yellow	
  fever.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  11:	
  Saturday,	
  June	
  18,	
  8:00–8:25	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
The	
  Waning	
  of	
  the	
  Dutch	
  Language	
  in	
  America:	
  A	
  Tale	
  of	
  Two	
  Communities	
  from	
  the	
  
Grave	
  
	
  
Kara	
  Vandam	
  
	
  
Researchers	
  in	
  both	
  linguistics	
  and	
  necroethnicity	
  have	
  analyzed	
  the	
  linguistic	
  value	
  
of	
  gravestone	
  markers	
  as	
  indicators	
  of	
  ethnic	
  identity,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  language	
  prestige,	
  
shift,	
  and	
  death.	
  This	
  study	
  analyzes	
  19th-­‐	
  and	
  20th-­‐century	
  Dutch	
  graves	
  found	
  in	
  
West	
  Michigan,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  18th-­‐century	
  Dutch	
  graves	
  in	
  the	
  Old	
  Dutch	
  Burying	
  
Ground	
  of	
  Sleepy	
  Hollow	
  (Tarrytown,	
  New	
  York)	
  in	
  terms	
  of	
  age	
  (of	
  grave	
  and	
  


                                                                  6
decedent),	
  quantity	
  and	
  type	
  of	
  inscription	
  (e.g.	
  bilingual),	
  and	
  familial	
  preferences.	
  
This	
  study	
  is	
  tied	
  to	
  a	
  larger	
  study	
  of	
  language	
  shift	
  in	
  these	
  communities	
  and,	
  so,	
  
relevant	
  evidence	
  from	
  other	
  areas	
  of	
  these	
  societies—the	
  press,	
  schools,	
  and	
  
churches—will	
  also	
  be	
  introduced.	
  The	
  New	
  York	
  community	
  saw	
  the	
  Dutch	
  
language	
  disappear	
  by	
  the	
  time	
  of	
  the	
  Revolutionary	
  War.	
  There	
  are	
  942	
  headstones	
  
in	
  the	
  Old	
  Dutch	
  Burying	
  Ground	
  of	
  Sleepy	
  Hollow	
  from	
  the	
  period	
  1755-­‐1860;	
  
eleven	
  of	
  these	
  are	
  completely	
  or	
  partially	
  in	
  Dutch.	
  While	
  a	
  small	
  sample,	
  
interesting	
  patterns	
  can	
  be	
  suggested	
  from	
  these	
  graves	
  generally	
  with	
  respect	
  to	
  
the	
  variables	
  of	
  age,	
  gender,	
  and	
  class.	
  In	
  the	
  West	
  Michigan	
  community,	
  the	
  Dutch	
  
language	
  survived	
  until	
  World	
  War	
  I.	
  This	
  study	
  analyzed	
  forty-­‐two	
  graves	
  of	
  Dutch	
  
settlers	
  in	
  three	
  cemeteries	
  who	
  died	
  between	
  1870-­‐1935	
  with	
  English,	
  Dutch,	
  or	
  
bilingual	
  inscriptions.	
  As	
  with	
  the	
  New	
  York	
  markers,	
  these	
  reveal	
  patterns	
  tied	
  to	
  
contemporary	
  events,	
  social	
  class,	
  and	
  ethnic	
  and	
  religious	
  identity.	
  This	
  paper	
  
argues	
  that	
  for	
  the	
  majority	
  of	
  the	
  decedents	
  in	
  the	
  study	
  the	
  grave	
  inscriptions	
  
represent	
  most	
  strongly	
  relic	
  ethnic	
  markers:	
  the	
  choice	
  of	
  language	
  was	
  socio-­‐
cultural,	
  no	
  longer	
  linguistic.	
  This	
  phenomenon	
  has	
  been	
  attested	
  among	
  many	
  
immigrant	
  communities:	
  the	
  use	
  and	
  misuse	
  of	
  diacritics	
  on	
  Czech	
  graves	
  in	
  Praha,	
  
Texas	
  and	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  the	
  Fraktur	
  script	
  on	
  Pennsylvania	
  German	
  graves.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Lecture	
  12:	
  Saturday,	
  June	
  18,	
  8:30–8:50	
  P.M.	
  
	
  
“The	
  Last	
  Voyage”	
  
	
  
Laurel	
  K.	
  Gabel	
  
	
  
One	
  of	
  the	
  many	
  romantic	
  themes	
  in	
  19th-­‐century	
  culture	
  was	
  that	
  of	
  “The	
  Last	
  
Voyage,”	
  an	
  allegorical	
  death	
  scene	
  in	
  which	
  an	
  angel	
  guides	
  a	
  graceful	
  boat	
  carrying	
  
the	
  newly	
  deceased	
  across	
  the	
  water	
  to	
  a	
  distant	
  shore.	
  The	
  concept	
  of	
  a	
  watery	
  
boundary	
  that	
  divides	
  the	
  world	
  of	
  the	
  living	
  from	
  the	
  netherworld	
  of	
  the	
  dead	
  is	
  
found	
  in	
  the	
  mythology	
  and	
  religion	
  of	
  most	
  early	
  civilizations.	
  It	
  is	
  also	
  reflected	
  in	
  
epic	
  poems,	
  hymns	
  and	
  visual	
  art	
  of	
  the	
  modern	
  era.	
  This	
  paper	
  explores	
  the	
  source	
  
of	
  one	
  such	
  design	
  and	
  its	
  popular	
  execution	
  as	
  a	
  gravemarker	
  motif.	
  




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