1/31/14

Hey everyone! Sorry this post is so late in the game I’m still trying to get into the swing of things. I think posting on Friday nights will work best. In this post, I will be covering what went on last Friday, this past Wednesday, and today!

         

          Last Friday it was so cold out that for fieldwork, so we drove through two cemeteries and it was really interesting for it was to note the differences between the black cemetery and the white cemetery, there were some differences with the upkeep or even the boundary line. With the black cemetery, it was clear that part of the fence was on top of a few people who were buried; leading us to question if there are unmarked graves lying outside of the cemetery boundary. There were two cemeteries we actually went into and the most fascinating was Lake Dias where the ornamentation on top of the gravestones was truly unique for they were covered in conch shells. 

         From my gleaning of the Internet, shells are often bleached beforehand and then the sun continues to bleach it. In addition, from talking to my coworker and more Internet research this practice is not specific to just one religion or culture, but it widespread amongst those of Jewish descent, Hispanic origin, or other personal beliefs. She told me she heard that it was "for those who came by sea to leave by sea", which I find fascinating. I found this succinct article on what that shells represent to different religions and thought you guys might be interested by that. x

Another example of conch shells outlining the graves

            Another thing I noticed was a tombstone that had a bumper sticker and a CAT machine replica on top of the person interred below. At first, it seems a little odd, but I like that I had a chance to sneak a peek at the type of man this was and what his passion was. I liked that it was personal and though I didn’t understand the full story I could still piece together his age, his possible career, family by those buried alongside etc.

            On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to work from home, which was perfect since it was a dark, rainy day that makes you want to drink tea all day long. I was able to complete transferring names and cross-checking for Cassadaga and Lake Helen Cemetery and this upcoming Wednesday I’ll be running to the DeLand library to cross reference my list with a list made previously by a Ms. Brownell.

          

          Today my coworker and I focused on the big picture and worked on creating an excel spreadsheet that listed all the cemeteries that are being worked on for the county. It was amazing to see how many there were-84 was my last count for total cemeteries! Additionally, I finished up writing a page history about Cassadaga and Lake Helen, highlighting the important or notable men and women that are buried there. It was really interesting and I was so excited that I was able to research through so many books and government documents to weave together a history of not just the place, but of those buried there as well. I know that may sound weird, but normally you either write about a person or a place for a paper, so this was a very enjoyable task for me. 

This week was pretty quiet, but next week I think I will be very interesting. I should be approved to drive the government vehicle by next week and if so I will have my coworker take a picture of me looking terrified. Furthermore, there will be a lot more fieldwork and a chance to mix up the pace a bit, so I think I will have more exciting stuff to talk about!