…without me running off to find the nearest old cemetery. i’ve done it at harper’s ferry, on macau, in barcelona, and now, of course, on block island.

one of my fascinations with cemeteries are as a source for vital stats. in the block island cemetery, for example, there is a single tripartite headstone for three sisters - triplets - born in may 1845 and all died during august of the same year. triplets. in 1845. wow.

another interesting thing in the cemetery here are the number of men with two wives. generally, the first died in her 20s (my guess is maternal mortality; g’s thinks ‘accident’ might account for some of them) and the second lived to a ripe old age. however, i don’t recall a single woman with two husbands. indeed, the men seem all rather long-lived… provided they reached their tenth birthday.

i also like looking at the names. the block island cemetery features two bathshebas as well as two variants on the name; a number of mercys and charitys, and a whole slew of elizabeths. among the men there’s an author, a deacon (hard to tell if it’s a proper name or a title), and the occasional uriah.

there’s neat stuff to be found in cemeteries. and you don’t even have to be buffy.