THORNS, TREES, & TRAINS

Last Thursday I did my usual routine which now includes a drive through
Mt Vernon Cemetery. While it's a big place it's not huge and there are
areas off the main ones that I'm looking forward to exploring in the
coming weeks. One of them is the hill just across from the Henry
Dunham plot.It overlooks the pond from the other side and the
railroad tracks run by the chainlink fence at the top.

All Winter long I've driven by a small plot at it's left lower corner that was
visible from the road but was unreachable because of the heavy snow. There
are four stones bordering a small extension of the pond and partially entangled
by a large thorn bush. I became curious about it and now that the snow had
melted I took the opportunity to walk in to take some pictures. But when
I did I found myself frustrated. The inscriptions on the gravestones were
facing out towards the road, and they were covered by that impenetrable
tangle of thorns. So for the moment I still don't know the names of those
buried there.

I walked about a bit more heading up the hill as the train went by in time
for me to take a picture. I'd just about reached the fence when I found
a toppled headstone which, when I looked closer, turned out to belong
to another of my Dunham cousins. I took a picture, then noticed there
were three empty stone bases next to it. Were the missing gravestones
victims of vandalism or had harsh New England winters knocked them
over? Charles A Dunham's headstone was nearly covered by dirt and
grass; were his family's markers covered completely? 

I'll check the area out more closely the next time I'm there. And there
be another way to know who was buried there, but I'll blog about that
when I find out for sure.