2 Graves, 1 Person

[Robroy8186]

Folks, ran into something new. New at least for Civil War era soldiers I'm researching. I've came across 2 graves for the same person. One is in Maine, at the village cemetery and the other is at Arlington. I'm sure it is the same person. Name, state and date of death match. However, the Arlington grave has no regimental designation. In my grave yard expeditions, I've come across empty graves. Usually, someone who was lost at sea. I'm thinking the family couldn't afford transporting the body and erected a stone in the local cemetery. Any thoughts? Person in question is John H Smith, drafted into the 20'th Maine and died of sickness, 10 July 1865.

Regards
Down East Yankee

 

[John Winn]

I'd say the one in Maine is a cenotaph - a stone that honors someone not actually buried at that spot (Arlington would not have erected a cenotaph). They were once quite common, especially after the Civil War when so many were never even found. I've got one in my family tree that I only discovered was a cenotaph two years ago when someone posted all the known dead buried in mass graves at Petersburg. In the cemetery where I volunteer there are a number of them; four or five for soldiers who were killed in WWI. Don't know why the Arlington one wouldn't have the unit designation but maybe all they had was a name and no time to search paperwork. Interesting find.

Oh, and welcome from Southern Oregon (northern Jefferson).

 

[donna]

Welcome to the forum. I have seen these before. Person buried where they were killed and then later stone erected at family plot.

 

[huskerblitz]

Thank you, @John Winn I have heard of these but didn't know the correct term. Now I do for future reference.

 

[JOHN42768]

Welcome, enjoy

 

[clayfeeter]

Yup, Capt. John is spot on! Families had commemorative stones made when they lost a son... the hope was someday their boy may be reintered to the family plot -- which did happen, especially at more northern battlefields like Antietam, Gburg -- but one way or another the cenotaph was good to clear the mother and father's conscience.... there are many stories of dad's going to the battlefield during the war and being directed by a soldier from their lost son's regiment as to what tree the son was buried at.. I can only imagine the horror of bringing a child home after he's been buried for weeks or months....

...but more often than not -- especially for boys who died in the Deep South, places that may not even be reachable again for a parent during war time -- the cenotaph was a moral lifesaver.

Ps. On far, far away battlefields usually only the highest ranking dead came home to rest.. like Col. Nathaniel Lyons, killed at Wilson's Creek, Missouri.... his body made it all the way home to the tiny northeastern region of Conn. (That's 1,350 miles)