Monday, January 2, 2012

Taphophile Tragics # 2

With five cousins, I travelled to Jamieson, Victoria, to locate the resting place of my great-great-grandparents, Stephen Cole (1890) and Hannah Wilkins Cole (1878). Being a family of meagre means, I did not expect grave markers. Stephen's Death Certificate stated that he was laid to rest in Plot 6 of the Jamieson Cemetery. Hannah's certificate was silent on the subject.

Whilst chatting at the Historical Society, I unearthed that the original town cemetery was involved in a surveying mix-up with the State School and, whilst all markers were moved to the new cemetery, all deceased were left in the ground. That portion of the original cemetery that was not resurveyed to the school, is now an arboretum. So I give you a photograph of a glorious aroretum in the 'high country' wherein rests my great-great-grand-mother, Hannah Wilkins Cole (1820-1878).

Lux eterna, pax eterna.

Welcome to the second week of Taphophile Tragics. You will be familiar with the posting methodology, which I have detailed in a drop-down beneath the blog title. Mr Linky opens at 10pm Monday, Sydney time (GMT+11), and will close at 10pm Friday, if I can work out how to turn it off!

Please visit as many contribututing bloggers as you can make time for.



No need to leave a comment here. I would much prefer you to visit a contributing blogger and show your appreciation of their endeavours!

23 comments:

Peter said...

I like the idea of an arboretum as a cemetery. A Eucalypt as a marker.

Julie said...

I liked walking the grounds, but it did feel a bit 'wrong'.

Jim said...

Since I won't post another relevant photo this week, I've linked to my Rookwood chapel from Friday.

Julie said...

Yes, I saw those posts, and hoped you might do that. You must have a million Rookwood ones on your drive.

VioletSky said...

An arboretum is a lovely compromise in such a delicate situation.
I saw references to you new meme last week and excitedly (!) sorted through my collection. I don't have much information about most of them, though.

Julie said...

Ooo VioletSky, do not worry about how much information you have. I am just a bit of a history-junkie. You post away with what you have and say it in your own voice. I shall be overjoyed to see what you have collected.

freefalling said...

So is there any sign indicating what it once was?
And the school is on top of old graves?
I haven't been to Jamieson before but I'd love to go up around that area and to Walhalla. It looks pretty wild. Imagine living there all those years ago.
Where did your gggps come from?
I often think about my Irish forebearers (is that a word?) coming from industrialized Manchester to the bush in Qld.
I can't imagine how incredibly different it must have been. The other thing that surprises me is how well they took to their new life turning into real bushmen and horsemen. All that space and fresh air and fresh food.

Oh yeah!
You've inspired me to fire up my Australian War Memorials blog again.
Looking through my files I realized just how many photos I had!
http://australianwarmemorials.blogspot.com/

Gemma Wiseman said...

Amazing that with so much land in the high country that there was a need to move the original cemetery! And after all that effort, I wonder if the school still operates or even still stands.

That is such a beautiful view of the mountains!

Julie said...

The town, which is incredibly pretty, has a series of historical markers scattered about in a walking trail. I thought I photographed every sign! You know me. But I cannot find it. I can find a sign but too small to read. I will keep looking.

I am not sure if the school is on top of the old graves. I think just the playground equipment, which is kinda noice.

The arboretum was planted only in 1989. Prior to that it was a pine plantation that was harvested regularly over the 110 years (1878-1989). The slope is called 'School Hill'. They thought long and hard about names in the good ole days.

I will send you a copy of our descendants December newsletter to fill you in on the background.

I love that your War Memorial blog is getting dusted off. Just make a day 25 hours long, eh?

Julie said...

Gemma, I think it was a bureaucratic schemozzle! And the school was bricks'n'mortar whereas the cemetery was a bunch a bones!

Seriously though, the school still stands and appears to thrive. I had a long talk with one of the two teachers. Just remembered, I promised to send her a copy of a French doco called "To Be and to Have". Shall get her a copy pronto.

It is a beautiful view of the mountains. And I have others where the fog has descended ... and the rain ... purdy.

freefalling said...

oh I meant to say - Vince was out playing poker last night and met a new bloke. He is a stonemason and makes most of the gravestones around this joint. His family have been the local stonemasons for generations.

Annie Jeffries said...

I'm delighted to find this meme. I always look for old cemeteries when I'm out and about. I will enjoy posting here from time to time.

Joan Elizabeth said...

Julie, as I want to take part but don't want to interrupt the flow of my current series I hope you don't mind if I edit an older post and link to it.

Julie said...

Not in the least, Joan. I think Jim has linked to a post from last week, too. I understand about the flow in a series of posts - only too well.

Jo said...

Hi Julie, the aboretum is a much prettier sight than a rown of headstones, although I like to visit cemetaries and have many photos. I'm linking to an older post of mine (like Joan above)of one bereavement that I took many weeks to overcome.

CaT said...

ooh, i found this through biebkriebels! this is very interesting as i like to wander around cemeteries too.. i have to figure out how it all works and then i hope to contribute too.. :)

Neil J Murphy said...

Well, I'm glad old posts are welcome, since at the moment I have about twenty of them that I'll be linking to in the coming weeks.

I'll have some new ones eventually, but since it's winter here on the east coast of the US, I don't get out that much.

Julie said...

Friends, to get started, and to get up momentum, I do not mind in the least if you link to older posts. However, try to keep some sort of balance between the text and the image, tell us the details of the cemetery, and link back to the Taphophile Tragics meme. Eventually, we will have a lovely mix of old and new, text and image, history and landscape.

tapirgal said...

Hi Julie, I linked to one of my older posts today. It's a beauty! Can't wait to check out the links here.

tapirgal said...

That is definitely a story! I thought cemeteries had to be well marked and not used for anything else. This is a good compromise . . . the arboretum. I don't know about going to school on top of bones :)

Julie said...

That could put the wind up folks, if they knew, Sheryl. However, I suspect the pupils have little understanding of the arboretum, except as a field with various trees.

Cemeteries can be moved here in Australia, and are, for all sorts of reasons. There are some classic moves of headstones - and sometimes bodies - here in the centre of Sydney. I will try to work up a post to explain it.

Owen said...

Hi Julie, a few people suggested to stop by here, so here I be, the cemetery linked to here is in Senlis, France, just north of Paris, quite a variety of subject matter there, all sorts of art, which is what I love about French cemeteries, vast array of creativity in creating monuments to the departed.

Julie said...

Hello Owen, thanks for stopping by. I shall go over to your blog in a tick. I do not know Senils, but I do have heaps of shots of the major Parisian cemeteries. However, for this exercise, I am hoping to restrain myself, and just do posts about Australia, using a shot from France for comparison where required.