Southern Graves

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'm a bit behind in "getting back into the swing of things" around here after all the holiday happenings, so this post is a couple of days late. I want to thank all of you for continuing to follow the Southern Graves blog, and I promise to do my best to hold your interest in 2011. If you are a new follower, WELCOME! Here are some posts that might be new to you: ICYMI -- December 2010 (most viewed posts over the last 30 days) - Undertakers, Coffins, & Furniture - In Hoc Signo Vinces: the Knights Templar - Sentimental Sunday's Baby Knox - Little Fingers, Little Toes - Eugene & Virginia are Watching and Waiting (Tombstone Tuesday) - Symbolism of the Oak Leaf - A Pair of Infant Shoes, Times Two! - Maud (Henry?) Hambrick & the Railroad - Darling Anna (Today's Epitaph) - The Howells of Duluth - Southern Cross of Honor And here are the most viewed posts of 2010 (according to Google Analytics): - Southern Cross ...

Here are the most viewed posts over the last 30 days: - Southern Cross of Honor - Here Lies All the Family (Tombstone Tuesday) - Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen - William Walker's Wordless Wednesday - Interesting & Lovely Little Girl (Tombstone Tuesday) - Memento Mori - He Sits & Waits (Wordless Wednesday) - Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks - Beech Springs Methodist Church Cemetery - Louis Behrens, Famous Fireman - White Oak Flats Cemetery; Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Louise Behrens (1860-1932), also buried in Bethany Cemetery; Charleston County, South Carolina, was an organizer and first president (1905-1932) of the South Carolina State Firemans Association. Here's an obituary for Mr. Behrens from the 13 October 1932 New York Times : " LOUIS BEHRENS DIES; A FAMOUS FIREMAN Charleston (S.C.) Man Had the Longest Service Record of Any Fire Chief in Nation. ONCE ON THE FORCE HERE Friend of Kenlon and "Smoky Joe" Martin a Hero During Earthquake in Southern City in 1886. Special to The New York Times. CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 12 -- Fire Chief Louis Behrens, with a service record of fifty-six years, longer than any other fire chief in the United States, was found dead this morning in his bed in fire headquarters. He had retired the night before in unusually fine spirits and his clothing was found as usual arranged in a position to be put on quickly in case of an alarm. Chief Behrens, a familiar figure at national fire conve...

Bethany Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina is a 50+ acre cemetery owned by St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. It was founded in 1856. A large amount of the individuals interred are German. The landscape is picturesque and there are many beautiful stones. I have made some contributions to FindAGrave from Bethany Cemetery, including photos and gravestone transcriptions. Surnames include the following: BARRENTINE, BEHLMER, BEHRENS, BISCHOFF, BITTESOHN, BLASE, BULCKEN, CHAMBERS, GOTJEN, GROOMS, HARMS, HASTEDT, HEINSOHN, KNEE, KORNAHRENS, LILIENTHAI, MEYER, ORNSTON, REENSTJERNA, SCHNELL, SPINCKEN, STEENKEN, STUMP, VINSON, WAGENER, WITCOFSKEY, and YERBY. Search for cemetery records in Bethany Cemetery, SC at by entering a surname and clicking search: Bethany Cemetery, SC (11,237 names) All of Find A Grave (156.1 million names) Restrict search to Surname Search all my contributions here: Search Stephanie Lincecum's cemetery records at by en...