I have been taking pictures of cemeteries for 30+ years. I love the history and beauty of old cemeteries. Any stones I find that I can prop up and clean off, I will, by taking a soft cloth or a stick or my hands to brush off mud, grass, mold if possible, and yes, even cow poop occasionally, in order to make the stone legible in the picture.

I get a lot of photo requests that I can't fill - I wish I had more time - but I prefer to do the western Rockingham County, Virginia and Mathias, West Virginia areas. I can go as far north as Shenandoah County or south to Dayton/Bridgewater/Mossy Creek. I have gotten several requests for Pendleton County, West Virginia, which is about 40+ miles from me. I don't know if I can ever get out that way.

Please use the edit link on the upper right corner of a memorial if you would like me to make additions, corrections, or add links, and I will do so. ***PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR EDITS ON MY MESSAGE BOARD. THEY MUST BE DONE THROUGH THE EDIT TAB ON THE MEMORIAL SO A LINK TO THE CORRECT MEMORIAL IS INCLUDED WITH THE EMAIL.*** I am happy to make transfers within guidelines.

Any pictures I take of cemeteries and stones, you are welcome to use for personal use. This does not mean you can create a duplicate memorial and copy my pictures onto it, which is against Findagrave rules. ANY FAMILY PICTURES OF GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS, DO NOT USE. THESE ARE MY PERSONAL PICTURES AND I OWN THE ORIGINALS.

Helpful tip if anyone needs lots of pics from the same cemetery - I know there is a limit of 20 requests per week, so if you need more than that, please put the extra names in the Note section of your request for each cemetery - this will really help the photo volunteers and decrease the amount of repeat trips out to the same cemetery.

The following poem was written in 1906 by Walter Butler Palmer.

Dear Grandfather,
Your tombstone now stands among the rest;
Neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out on polished marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care,
It is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist,
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh and blood and bone.
Our heart contracts and beats a pulse,
Entirely not our own.
Dear Grandfather, the place you filled
One hundred years ago,
Spreads out among the ones you left,
Who would have loved you so.
I wonder how you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew,
That someday I would find this spot,
And come and visit you.

###############

"The clock on the wall is ticking away
Hours and minutes of my precious day
To sit here idle would be a great crime
There is so much to do and so little time
Few people can see in all their haste
That a day of your life
Is not something to waste"
Found on headstone in Park Lawn Cemetery, Danvers, Illinois
**********************
"Our family chain is broken
And nothing seems the same
But as God calls us one by one
The chain will link again"
Found on headstone in Scogin Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois
*****************************
"Not lost blest thought, but gone before,
Where we shall meet, to part no more."
Found on headstone in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois
*****************************
"Tell me not the Christian dieth
When the spirit takes its flight
Tis but going home to heaven
To the land of pure delight"
Found on headstone in First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Metuchen, Middlesex County, New Jersey

I have been taking pictures of cemeteries for 30+ years. I love the history and beauty of old cemeteries. Any stones I find that I can prop up and clean off, I will, by taking a soft cloth or a stick or my hands to brush off mud, grass, mold if possible, and yes, even cow poop occasionally, in order to make the stone legible in the picture.

I get a lot of photo requests that I can't fill - I wish I had more time - but I prefer to do the western Rockingham County, Virginia and Mathias, West Virginia areas. I can go as far north as Shenandoah County or south to Dayton/Bridgewater/Mossy Creek. I have gotten several requests for Pendleton County, West Virginia, which is about 40+ miles from me. I don't know if I can ever get out that way.

Please use the edit link on the upper right corner of a memorial if you would like me to make additions, corrections, or add links, and I will do so. ***PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR EDITS ON MY MESSAGE BOARD. THEY MUST BE DONE THROUGH THE EDIT TAB ON THE MEMORIAL SO A LINK TO THE CORRECT MEMORIAL IS INCLUDED WITH THE EMAIL.*** I am happy to make transfers within guidelines.

Any pictures I take of cemeteries and stones, you are welcome to use for personal use. This does not mean you can create a duplicate memorial and copy my pictures onto it, which is against Findagrave rules. ANY FAMILY PICTURES OF GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS, DO NOT USE. THESE ARE MY PERSONAL PICTURES AND I OWN THE ORIGINALS.

Helpful tip if anyone needs lots of pics from the same cemetery - I know there is a limit of 20 requests per week, so if you need more than that, please put the extra names in the Note section of your request for each cemetery - this will really help the photo volunteers and decrease the amount of repeat trips out to the same cemetery.

The following poem was written in 1906 by Walter Butler Palmer.

Dear Grandfather,
Your tombstone now stands among the rest;
Neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out on polished marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care,
It is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist,
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh and blood and bone.
Our heart contracts and beats a pulse,
Entirely not our own.
Dear Grandfather, the place you filled
One hundred years ago,
Spreads out among the ones you left,
Who would have loved you so.
I wonder how you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew,
That someday I would find this spot,
And come and visit you.

###############

"The clock on the wall is ticking away
Hours and minutes of my precious day
To sit here idle would be a great crime
There is so much to do and so little time
Few people can see in all their haste
That a day of your life
Is not something to waste"
Found on headstone in Park Lawn Cemetery, Danvers, Illinois
**********************
"Our family chain is broken
And nothing seems the same
But as God calls us one by one
The chain will link again"
Found on headstone in Scogin Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois
*****************************
"Not lost blest thought, but gone before,
Where we shall meet, to part no more."
Found on headstone in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois
*****************************
"Tell me not the Christian dieth
When the spirit takes its flight
Tis but going home to heaven
To the land of pure delight"
Found on headstone in First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Metuchen, Middlesex County, New Jersey