Southern Graves

Infrared is an effect many photo editing software programs offer that can be applied to digital images to simulate actual infrared film.  Here's a peek at how it can alter your cemetery photos. Before infrared: After "a little" infrared, fading back to original: Infrared effect in full: Which is different from black and white: Full disclosure:  I'm not a photographer.  You probably already knew that by the amateur photos.  Just thought I'd throw it out there so you would know to direct any technical questions to a real photographer. ;-) [If you're wondering what's up with all the "letter" posts:  I am attempting to follow the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (links to official page). This challenge lasts through the month of April, with Sundays off. Click here to see all my letter posts on one page (in reverse order). Oh, and wish me luck!]

(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 ...

I recently received an email requesting information about cemeteries to visit in Charleston, South Carolina. I have only been there once, but that was enough to make me fall in love with the city. It also did not take long to discover that Charleston is a treasure trove of graveyards and cemeteries. I thought I'd go back over some of the photos I took from that trip more than four years ago. It didn't take long for me to find more blogging fodder. Incidentally, I also wonder why I didn't post some of this stuff then. Maybe I'm growing -- a better researcher, a better creative thinker? I hope so! Looking at this image again reminded me of something everyone might not know... Hier Ruhen In Gott [Here Rest In God] Claus Diedrich Geb 12 Octob 1873 Gest 18 May 1886 Anna M. C. A. Geb 2 Nov 1885 Gest 19 May 1886 Kinder von [Children of] H. F. Bittesohn und Meta Geb [née] Meyers Bethany Cemetery Charleston, South Carolina Photo © 2008 - 2012 S. Lince...

If you've been following Southern Graves for any amount of time, you probably have figured out I like to video cemeteries. While names and dates are what most people are after when searching in a cemetery, I've always been one who wanted to see a photo. What kind of marker did a particular individual have? Big? Small? Is it well kept, or barely hanging together? Was the inscription easily read, or will it be unreadable this time next year? You know, that sort of thing. When my latest digital camera gave me the ability to take video clips, I was thrilled. Now I could show people what the cemetery as a whole looked like. Beautifully maintained, or in horrible shape. The stones are often visited, or no one has been there in years. Is the cemetery buried in the woods, is it beside a run-down church, or is it next to a shopping mall? This and more can be seen in a video. Not to mention, just getting the feel of an area is another way to add substance to an individual's o...

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. ...