Skip to main content

You Can't Always Trust the Dates on a Tombstone: The Case of Uriah Holden

By
In the world of genealogy, a primary source is one recorded at or very soon after an event by someone with intimate knowledge of the event. Even though you might think the death date on a tombstone would be a primary source, this is not always the case. An obvious example of the contrary would be an ancestor who died in 1796 has a shiny new granite grave marker -- definitely added many, many years after the death and likely not by someone with intimate knowledge of the death.

I came across a curious case of weird dates on a tombstone while visiting the Irwinville Cemetery in Irwin County, Georgia. The stone in question is here:

Uriah Holden (1838-1920) & wife Elizabeth (1852-1935).
Photo © 2010 S. Lincecum.

Focusing on the side for Uriah Holden, the tombstone looks like a "period piece" and figures to be trustworthy. Only after I got home and started poking around to find a bit more about Uriah did I find some inconsistencies.

In the 1910 Cassville, Bartow, Georgia US Federal census, "Urier" and "Lizziebath" are found on page 19B of ED #7. Uriah's age is listed as 66 years (b. abt. 1844). In the 1880 North Atlanta, Fulton, Georgia census, Uriah is found along with his wife and children. His age is listed as 36 (b. abt. 1844). Next I find Uriah in the 1870 Ellijay, Gilmer, Georgia census, aged 24 (b. abt. 1846). In 1860, he's 17 (b. abt. 1843), and in 1850 Uriah is 6 years of age (b. abt. 1844).

Census records are notorious for their inaccuracies, but these birth years are fairly consistent. Uriah was born between the years of 1843 and 1846. Right? Well, his tombstone gives the birth year of 1838.

I also found a Confederate pension application for Uriah Holden, submitted in 1912 from Bartow County, Georgia. In a section containing "Questions for Applicants to Answer," Uriah claims he was residing in Cassville, Georgia. A question posed was "How long and since when have you been a continuous resident citizen of this state?" The response, supposedly given by Uriah himself, was "I have lived in Ga since birth age 65." That would put his birth year at about 1847.

So there are problems with the birth date on the tombstone, but the death date should be accurate right? Hold up a second, I found issues there as well.

Uriah Holden and wife Elizabeth are found in the Irwin County, Georgia US Federal census taken 14 January 1920. Uriah's tombstone states he died a couple of weeks prior to the census taker's visit.

Furthermore, contained in Uriah Holden's Confederate pension file is an application by Elizabeth for the widow's pension. Information she provided and signed for states Uriah died 1 January 1921.

Why is Uriah's tombstone information off from what the truth seems to be? I cannot say for sure, but my theory is the tombstone was not placed until the death of Elizabeth. And a person with "intimate knowledge" regarding the birth and death of Uriah was not the one to provide information to the stone carver. Also, records suggest Elizabeth was Uriah's second wife. Maybe the stone was placed by Elizabeth with her knowledge of Uriah's birth being inaccurate, and the carver making a simple mistake on the death year.

I was hoping to find Uriah's death certificate among the ones available for Georgia online, but I have yet to find it. I think it, if filled out completely, might be an interesting read.

[Note: Census and marriage records viewed online via Ancestry. Confederate pension file viewed online via Georgia's Virtual Vault.]

Ancestry.com
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

By
Why do people put rocks on grave stones? Some time ago, I learned that the rocks signified a visitor. That is true enough, but I decided to learn a little more about the custom and share my findings with you. Putting rocks on tombstones is most often described as a Jewish custom. There are many "Ask a Rabbi" columns out there, but I did not find one that knew for sure where the custom originated. They all agreed, however, that a rock symbolized a visitor and when put on a tombstone said, "I remember you." I also read that some people pick up a rock wherever they are when they think of a person that has passed. Then, the next time they visit the grave, they place the rock to say, "I wish you were here." Rabbi Shraga Simmons offers a deeper meaning: "We are taught that it is an act of ultimate kindness and respect to bury someone and place a marker at the site. After a person is buried, of course, we can no longer participate in burying them. H
13 comments
Read more

Southern Cross of Honor

By
I'm late to this discussion, but it's one I'd like to join. :-) Terry Thornton at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Hill Country started with Grave Marker Symbols: The Southern Cross of Honor and UCV (link no longer available). Judith Shubert at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Covered Bridges continued with Hood County Texas: C.S.A. Veterans & Southern Cross of Honor Symbol . [UPDATE, 1 June 2009: Judith has moved this post to the blog, Cemeteries with Texas Ties . The link has been corrected to reflect this move. You may also link to her article via her nice comment on this post.] Wikipedia states: The Southern Cross of Honor was a military decoration meant to honor the officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates for their valor in the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It was formally approved by the Congress of the Confederate States on October 13, 1862, and was originally intended to be on par with the Union Arm
25 comments
Read more

Thursday Link Love: EyeWitness To History

By
Yesterday, a link was added to the Genealogy Research Resources Group at Diigo. The link was to the website titled EyeWitness to History.com: History through the eyes of those who lived it . It's a great site, and I encourage all to visit it. Here are several items I found while snooping around. - Inside a Nazi Death Camp, 1944 : "Hitler established the first concentration camp soon after he came to power in 1933. The system grew to include about 100 camps divided into two types: concentration camps for slave labor in nearby factories and death camps for the systematic extermination of "undesirables" including Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally retarded and others." - Crash of the Hindenburg, 1937 : "Radio reporter Herbert Morrison, sent to cover the airship's arrival, watched in horror. His eye witness description of the disaster was the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast and has become a classic piece of audio history." [You ca
1 comment
Read more




SouthernGraves.blogspot.com

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!' Thus says the Lord God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live...'" (Ezekiel 37:1-5, NKJV)