Located in Natchez City Cemetery, there is an interesting family plot. Rufus Case (1819-1858) was buried in his rocking chair next to his daughter, Laura Narcissa, while facing towards Louisiana. This “crypt” was built around him and the child.
This striking marker is located in Magnolia Cemetery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. William and Mary Crenshaw lost four children. Three of their children died within a couple of months of each other. Their fourth child, listed on the marker as “The Nameless One,” did not make it past its first day.
An early death was quite common during the Victorian period. Diseases like diphtheria could ravage a household. It’s common to see family plots where a family has lost more than one child.
Chapman Henry Hyams was a millionaire stockbroker and art collector in New Orleans. Hyams built a mausoleum for his family that was designed by noted New Orleans architects, Favrot and Livaudais. The marble monument was dedicated to his sisters and is a copy of William Wetmore Story’s Angel of Grief. Blue stained glass windows bathe the angel in blue light.
I became curious about the sisters since they were not in the mausoleum. Jacabeth Caroline Hyams (1848-1859) is buried in the Dispersed of Judah Cemetery in New Orleans. Her father and other siblings are buried. I was unable to locate where the mother is buried.
Gertie Sarah Hyams moved to New York. She married Wayland Trask, a New York stockbroker, In the Louisiana census in 1872, she is listed as Sarah or S. G. By the time she moves to New York, she is identified as Gertie. She passed away in 1877 and, her final resting place is in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Lafayette Cemeteries No. 1 and No. 2 are located in the Garden District part of New Orleans. Number 1 was the first municipal cemetery, and it was laid out in 1832. There are over 7,000 burials in 1,100 different tombs in a one-city block. Lafayette No. 1 is currently closed to the public as the city continues to stabilize the tombs and roadways. (These photos were taken in 2017.)
Lafayette Cemetery No. 2 was opened in 1850. Like Lafayette No. 1, it is home to many family tombs and society tombs.
Josie Arlington was a well-known madam in New Orleans. Before her death, she purchased this plot in Metairie Cemetery and commissioned to have this tomb built. Upon her death, she was briefly interred and then removed to an unknown burial plot when her family fought over her estate.
Jose Morales, a local lawyer, bought the tomb for his wife and children. This stirred controversy among community members, and her tomb attracted attention. At one point, a red light was installed close to her tomb and it looked like the tomb was on fire. The light was later removed.
To date, the Metairie staff have not revealed where Josie is buried.
This tomb and sculpture are listed as part of the Smithsonian’s Save our Sculpture! project and is listed on the Inventory of American Sculpture.
Both monuments stand next to each other, saying, “Erected by their mother.” Their mother, Susan, passed away in 1876. The poignant angel weeks and the clocks, with their hands inching towards midnight, illustrate Victorian iconography.
These monuments are in the Church Street Graveyard in Mobile, Alabama. While a small cemetery, many interesting monuments are contained within its walls.
