Southern Graves

(From January 2009) The great United States of America is a melting pot of people born in this country, as well as individuals from different countries and cultures. Many of those individuals speak different languages in addition to English. Those different languages can sometimes carry over into the cemeteries which hold their gravestones. I am fluent in one language - English. I took Spanish in high school, so I can pick out words here and there. Also, I lived in Germany for a few years when I was a child, so I can pick out a few words of that language. That's it. So when I come across gravestones inscribed in a language other than English, I'm pretty much lost. You might not think that would be a problem when visiting local cemeteries, but you'd be surprised. A huge cemetery in Macon, GA named Rose Hill has several hundred tombstones on which the Hebrew language is dominant. A cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina named Bethany is the final resting place of ...

The scenario: You know where an ancestor died, yet are unable to find their burial place even after searching every cemetery in that locale. If indeed their body was shipped to another city, there should be a record -- Transportation of Corpse -- as in the case of Mr. Claus H. Meyer. He died 5 February 1912 in Summerville, Dorchester County, South Carolina. His body was transported about twenty miles (maybe a little more) to Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina for burial in Bethany Cemetery. These records may be found at the local county level or at the funeral home that handled the burial. (Click to enlarge.) Ancestry.com. South Carolina, Death Records, 1821- 1955  [database online]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.  Citing South Carolina Death Records  from South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Claus H. Meyer Born Jan 21, 1837 In Wehdel, Ger. Died Feb 5, 1912 In Summerville, S.C. He Giveth His Beloved Slee...

In Memory Of Eighteen German Sailors Who Died In The United States Army Hospital At Asheville 1918-1919 Nicht grossern Vorteil wusst'ich zu nennen Als des'Feindes Verdienst erkennen. No greater gain for the human spirit Than a sense of our foeman's merit. Karl Von Aspern Karl Bening Adam Biffar Wilhelm Denecke Karl Flum Fritz Hoffman Hans Jakobi Karl Kilper Emil Kobe Karl Koschmieder Heinrich Lochow Hermann Menzel Johann Wilhelm Meyer Johann Meyerhoff Viktor Wilhelm Rieke Richard Paul Schlause Wilhelm Stockhausen Fritz Hermann Wahnschaffe Erected By Kiffin Rockwell Post American Legion The memorial transcribed above is located at Riverside Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina. Text from the Riverside Cemetery Walking Tour : "Riverside Cemetery is the final resting place for World War I German Prisoners of War. Several thousand sailors were first transferred from Ellis Island to a detention center in Hot Springs, North Carolina. A typho...

The great United States of America is a melting pot of people born in this country, as well as individuals from different countries and cultures. Many of those individuals speak different languages in addition to English. Those different languages can sometimes carry over into the cemeteries which hold their gravestones. I am fluent in one language - English. I took Spanish in high school, so I can pick out words here and there. Also, I lived in Germany for a few years when I was a child, so I can pick out a few words of that language. That's it. So when I come across gravestones inscribed in a language other than English, I'm pretty much lost. You might not think that would be a problem when visiting local cemeteries, but you'd be surprised. A huge cemetery in Macon, GA named Rose Hill has several hundred tombstones on which the Hebrew language is dominant. A cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina named Bethany is the final resting place of many German immigrants. ...

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...