Having an interest in history and genealogy I have spent some time in the cemetery. I find it a nice place to visit but I don't want to live there. There, I got that out of my system. This year I will be participating in wreaths across america. In case you have not heard of this endeavor allow me to explain. On Dec 13 wreaths will be placed on the graves of our veterans all across America. This is supposed to happen at the same time on that day. The local Funeral homes are acting as coordinators for this event. There is a website, wreathsacrossamerica.org , where you can go and order your wreath or wreaths. You can find the local cemeteries for whomever you wish to sponsor. Suppose you live in Florida but your loved one is interred in New York. No problem, the wreath will be sent to the appropriate funeral home and placed on your deceased loved ones' grave. That is it,in a nutshell. I will be helping place the wreaths here in the Greensboro cemetery. I think it is a wonderful thing. For every two wreaths purchased a third will be given free. The wreaths not designated for a specific individual will be placed on the grave of a veteran. The hope is no on will be forgotten.
As I said I have spent some time in the local cemetery. I leave a flag on the graves of three vets in there on Memorial day and Veterans day. Two of these vets I knew personally, and the other is a civil war veteran. Colonel Comegy. I choose that grave at random and have placed a flag there every year for several years now. The census shows no Comegy family name around here any longer. I know the Colonel's son moved to Pa. in the late 1800's. I think the Colonel would be pleased.
There is a mausoleum in there as well. It is the final resting place of Mr. C.B.Jarman. I have not done a lot of research about him but I do not believe he is a veteran. He was a very prominent businessman around these parts. His father, T.H. Jarman had the very first hardware store in Greensboro. It was Mr. C.B. Jarman that brought the telephone to Greensboro, the very first one. It was located in his hardware store. But enough about that, the thing that I was thinking about in regard to that mausoleum is that the door is locked. I am friends with the caretaker of this cemetery. I asked him who had the key. I was expecting him to say that the local funeral director had that. His response was, I don't know. Mr. Jarman, being a man of some wealth, had a hired man that was his caretaker. This man was the last person known to have that key. He had passed many years back and the whereabouts of that key is a mystery. This gentleman was a man of color and it is reported that he took some ribbing from his contemporaries. Apparently they teased him about attending to the " white " guy and that he would be buried in there too. That turned out not to be the case, as he was interred in a separate cemetery It was a cemetery mostly used by those of color.Perhaps he took the key with him.
I was thinking about this as it applies to the wreath endeavor. Although Mr. Jarman is not a veteran it occurred to me that a wreath could not be properly laid for him. His door is locked ! There are no more Jarmans' in the area. As often happens his offspring moved elsewhere to pursue their lives and never returned to Greensboro. And now the key to his home is lost. I thought, the best you could do would be to leave a wreath at his doorstep. It just struck me as a rather lonely thing. The door has been closed,no one is sure for how many years, and will remain so. For all his wealth and success he can receive no visitors. I do know that there are two empty vaults in that mausoleum. Mr. Jarman had anticipated company, he is still waiting.
In thinking about all of this I began to wonder. How many veterans lie in cemeteries across America waiting ? Waiting for a visit. But is not so much that they are being forgotten, but as being misplaced. Families and friends moving on and they are left behind. The Colonel and Mr. Jarman, Clinton to his friends and family, being just two examples. That is why I will be getting my wreaths. Truly," let us not forget " are more than sentimental words, Merry Christmas to all the vets. Maybe I will leave a small token outside the door of Mr. Jarman,even though he is not a vet. Something to consider.
As I said I have spent some time in the local cemetery. I leave a flag on the graves of three vets in there on Memorial day and Veterans day. Two of these vets I knew personally, and the other is a civil war veteran. Colonel Comegy. I choose that grave at random and have placed a flag there every year for several years now. The census shows no Comegy family name around here any longer. I know the Colonel's son moved to Pa. in the late 1800's. I think the Colonel would be pleased.
There is a mausoleum in there as well. It is the final resting place of Mr. C.B.Jarman. I have not done a lot of research about him but I do not believe he is a veteran. He was a very prominent businessman around these parts. His father, T.H. Jarman had the very first hardware store in Greensboro. It was Mr. C.B. Jarman that brought the telephone to Greensboro, the very first one. It was located in his hardware store. But enough about that, the thing that I was thinking about in regard to that mausoleum is that the door is locked. I am friends with the caretaker of this cemetery. I asked him who had the key. I was expecting him to say that the local funeral director had that. His response was, I don't know. Mr. Jarman, being a man of some wealth, had a hired man that was his caretaker. This man was the last person known to have that key. He had passed many years back and the whereabouts of that key is a mystery. This gentleman was a man of color and it is reported that he took some ribbing from his contemporaries. Apparently they teased him about attending to the " white " guy and that he would be buried in there too. That turned out not to be the case, as he was interred in a separate cemetery It was a cemetery mostly used by those of color.Perhaps he took the key with him.
I was thinking about this as it applies to the wreath endeavor. Although Mr. Jarman is not a veteran it occurred to me that a wreath could not be properly laid for him. His door is locked ! There are no more Jarmans' in the area. As often happens his offspring moved elsewhere to pursue their lives and never returned to Greensboro. And now the key to his home is lost. I thought, the best you could do would be to leave a wreath at his doorstep. It just struck me as a rather lonely thing. The door has been closed,no one is sure for how many years, and will remain so. For all his wealth and success he can receive no visitors. I do know that there are two empty vaults in that mausoleum. Mr. Jarman had anticipated company, he is still waiting.
In thinking about all of this I began to wonder. How many veterans lie in cemeteries across America waiting ? Waiting for a visit. But is not so much that they are being forgotten, but as being misplaced. Families and friends moving on and they are left behind. The Colonel and Mr. Jarman, Clinton to his friends and family, being just two examples. That is why I will be getting my wreaths. Truly," let us not forget " are more than sentimental words, Merry Christmas to all the vets. Maybe I will leave a small token outside the door of Mr. Jarman,even though he is not a vet. Something to consider.
No comments:
Post a Comment