From My Email Box - "Unusual Grave Markers - Just for Fun!"

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Don Counts has sent me these photos from "Funpic" twice in the last 10 days... so for Don and all of us who find tombstones a work of art, interesting, humorous at times, beautiful & unusual - here are some good ones with added remarks by me...

[If you find anything like these in the tri-state area, consider submitting it for "Tombstone Thursday" for this blog - we will give you the photo credit. - JGW]

We have all seen this type before.
There are lots of variations of this sort of humor (or maybe not so funny!)

There are many markers reflecting hobbies: golf, fishing, etc. This one is somewhat unusual!

This one is taking the love of one's life and making it into a work of art in stone.

This may be my favorite of all time... really cool!

This is the most elaborate and unique I have ever seen.

-Submitted by Don Counts

From the Captain's Treasure Chest - Newspaper Clippings

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Proving you never know what will be found in the newspapers, the following article contains valuable clues to the genealogist. It appeared in the Evansville Press on 21 February 1918, page 3. - BJJ

Civil War Vet Has 100 Descendants

Mr. and Mrs. Martin Zehner, 812 Garvin St., have so many grandchildren and great-grandchildren that they can’t remember all their names. They have an even 100 descendants, some of whom they haven’t seen. The couple have 10 children, 23 grandchildren and 67 great-grandchildren – all living in Indiana.

The Zehners were married in 1866 on a farm four miles from Evansville, where all their children were born. A chance acquaintance led to Zehner’s marriage. Zehner met the father of his wife, Conrad Colrazer, in an Evansville barroom a few months before he married Mary Ann. He spent the day with the Colrazer on their farm near Evansville and there fell in love with the girl who is now his wife. Tho he can’t name all his descendants, Zehner can tell you all about what happened at Shiloh, Chicamauga, Ft. Donaldson, or Murpheesboro. He served with the Union army in both artillery and infantry.

“I was stationed at the White House two weeks before my discharge, and use to salute Lincoln every day when he came out,” he said. “I served four months in Libby prison and lost 48 pounds.”

Zehner claims to be the only living man who helped lay the cornerstone of the First Catholic church in Warrick Co., St. John’s at St. John’s, Ind., built in 1863.

- Submitted by Brenda Joyce Jerome

Tombstone Thursday - Sawyer/Thomas

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Katie Sawyer Thomas & her baby...

Oak Hill Cemetery

Section 18, Lot 47, Graves 1 & 2

Evansville, Indiana

[Back view]
Katie
My Beloved Wife

Katie's Baby

[Front view]
Katie Sawyer
Devoted Wife of
R.A. Thomas
Born Aug. 5, 1862
Died May 8, 1884

Katie
Daughter of
R.A. & Katie Sawyer Thomas
Born April 28, 1884
Died Aug. 13, 1884


-Photos taken & submitted by Brenda Joyce Jerome

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

From the FIRST MATE's PHOTO ALBUM...

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Remember the Tooth Fairy when we were kids?

My granddaughter just recently lost her first tooth and is quite proud of her advancement in the growing-up progress! My Grandson, Evan West (4 years old), asked me this past weekend, if I was his daddy's dad... and then asked if he was going to be a daddy someday! Let's mark this time as the beginning of his genealogical hobby.

Halle West & Tooth!

Both grandkids are growing-up very quickly and before we know it, they will start the next generation and the genealogist's story continues!

-Photo provided by Christie West

"Life Magazine Online - FREE!"

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This was submitted to the MyFamily.com sites for Hart & Grayson Counties Kentucky Genealogy Interest Groups by Sandra Kay O'Banion - Sep 28, 2009:

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A cousin from Illinois sent me a link to view Life Magazine online.

It covers issues from 1935 thru 1970. Best part is that it is FREE. http://books.google.com/books?id=N0EEAAAAMBAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s#all_issues_anchor

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This may not be genealogy, but it is a media form of some great history. I just read thru an interesting article about Johnny Carson. You might ask, who is Johnny Carson? Well, he took Jack Paar's place on TV's The Tonight Show. You remember... Johnny Carson with his "side-kick" & announcer Ed McMahon ~ you know... "Heeeeeeeeeer's Johnny!" OK, Carson was the guy who had the show before Jay Leno. What, you ask who is Jay Leno??? Alright, all of these people were the predecessors for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien!

[Late edit for this blog - JGW]

Don Counts added (see his comment to this blog) that Steve Allen had the show before Jack Paar. After Don's reminder about Allen, I decided to do a little research online. The Tonight Show began in 1954 with Steve Allen. He featured an ongoing segment known as "The Man on the Street Interviews" (see my comments). Later, Allen had another show called The Steve Allen Show... from this later show, I had become old enough to watch it some and Allen would show the interviews again with many of the comedians in this feature went on to be stars on Televison and in movies: Don Knotts, Louie Nye, Tom Poston and others!

As you can see, even the 23 Jan 1970 issue of Life Magazine has some interesting history.

- Compiled by JGWest

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

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Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo...
Amazonia Dedication Plaque!

Took our grandkids to see the new Amazonia exhibits on Saturday and saw this plaque as you go into the Amazonia doorways. It commemorates two mayoral administrations as "Planning" & "Dedication."

- Photo taken & submitted by JGWest