Both of my husband’s paternal great-grandparents, Fred Davey
and Matilda Wollenweber Davey are buried in unmarked graves.
Fred was buried in 1915 at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Los
Angeles, California. I have his grave location and in the summer of 1996 on my
way to a model railroad convention, I visited the cemetery. I walked up and
down the avenue where he was supposed to be, but did not find him. There was no
office open on Sunday, so I left disappointed. After I got home, I sent a
letter to the cemetery and they verified there was no tombstone. Along with the
reply were brochures to purchase a tombstone. His space is still free of a
marker and I took no photo.
Years later, while on vacation, we had a chance to stop by Park
Cemetery in Carthage, Missouri, where Matilda Davey was buried in 1885. This
time I was able to visit the cemetery office and once the woman helping me
found her in their files, she got all excited. She then took us out to the gravesite.
There we saw only grass. She said there are spaces for ten burials but only one
has been taken. The way the deed was set up, only family can be buried there.
The cemetery cannot resell the sites. So, I took some photos of the blank space
and collected the papers from the office. I excitedly relayed the information
to my in-laws, saying they could be buried there if they wanted. They smiled
and replied they planned to be cremated and their ashes scattered.
What is sad, Fred’s brother Thomas N. Davey was supposed to ensure grave markers were made for both the sites, as he had promised Fred and Matilda’s daughter, Matilda.
#52Ancestors-Week 35: Free Space
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