Off To The Graveyard

Not preparing for Halloween, but as part of a historical tour arranged by the mission.  I was dragging by Monday afternoon, but I had promised Sister Twelmeyer that I would go with her (our husbands were not interested) so I made myself go.  I am so glad that I did.  Emily Ott , an historian at the Church History Library, did an amazing tour of some of the people buried there with stories about their lives.  It was great.  The Salt Lake City Cemetery is the largest city owned cemetery in the US.

Missionaries gathering for our tour---

The cemetery like the city is built on a grid and the plots each have an address rather than a plot number.

Emily Ott, our tour guide--

These were the first people buried up here.  Two children from the same family.  Although the fort where the family was living down in Salt Lake had a graveyard, the father decided to bury his children up on the hillside.  Then more people started burying family members up here until the city purchased the land and established the cemetery.

All but four of the modern day prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are buried in this cemetery.  This is a marker to honor Hyrum who is buried in Nauvoo by his brother, Joseph Smith, Jr.  Below this marker is the grave of Joseph F. Smith

Just an odd stone that Emily said was to honor the person buried here who was a wood worker of some type.

The setting sun to the west....

Porter Rockwell's grave----

An unusual gravemarker we passed--

James E. Talmage--it was interesting to hear a bit more about all of these people.  She had selected not the usual stories that you hear but some of the more unknown ones.

Jane Elizabeth Manning--a black member of the Church who came across the plains in 1947.  I want to meet her some day!

This was the view that grieving father sought for his two children.  He probably couldn't have imagined that it would become what it is today and that his children would be remembered as people learned about this holy place.  The cemetery also includes a Jewish section and a Catholic section. 

 

I was so glad that I went and learned more about this place and some of the people buried here.  And as you know, I think each person there (and all of us) have a story to tell about our lives.  Good thing we have eternity to share our stories with each other.