Inscription
Note that the inscription is not on Helen's headstone, which is simply marked "HELLEN" with two Ns, but on the large William and Catharine Jones family monument, which is engraved on all four sides. The side on which Helen and Jeannette are engraved is badly worn.
Helen M.
wife of Capt C Vader
daughter of Wm and Catherine Jones
died June 19, 1861
Aged 21y 2m 11d
Lines 3, 4, and 5 are especially worn. The 1980 reading ("Cemetery Inscriptions of Lorain County, Ohio") is the only extant source for these three lines, which are the only ones that can no longer be read on the large monument. The last line was read as "Aged 21y 2m 11d" but probably actually read "Aged 24y 2m 11d" instead. We know that in the 1850 census, the three oldest daughters of William and Catharine Jones are living with Dr. Elias Fish in Willoughby, Ohio, and attending school. Eunice Cutler is their nanny. In that census, Helen (14), Jeanette (16), and an older sister Fanny (18) are named, putting Helen's birth year at 1836. Reading of a "4" for a "1" in the worn inscription makes both agree, and I think it is the likeliest scenario that fits the facts. So from this calculation, we place Helen's birth on 8 Apr 1836.
Gravesite Details
Copied from Lorain County's out-of-print publication, Cemetery Inscriptions of Lorain County, Ohio 1980, pps. 3-24, by volunteer Jean Diedrick
Family Members
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