17 February 2012

Dear Friends of Spring Hill Cemetery,

Nine of us gathered at the cemetery this morning for our first workday of 2012. Although the winter has been mild, debris littered the paths and monuments. We had our work cut out for us. Additionally, it was a thrill to see the newly returned headstone for Wm. Kelley (first attached picture, and it is also in the foreground of the group shot), which was discovered by Brad DaVall last month. The skies were clear, and we had a successful workday.

Spring is beginning to arrive at Spring Hill. The naked lady bulbs are sprouting leaves, as are the lilies of the valley; and the Luther Burbank daffodils are already starting to bloom. The second attachment shows the daffs alongside the Zilhart enclosure, looking towards "McReynolds row." Butterflies joined us - and we even had a large wild turkey run across the cemetery while we worked. It was absolutely delightful.

As mentioned, the cemetery was filled with debris - downed tree limbs, eucalyptus bark, and leaves - obscuring paths and monuments. We had so much debris, that our dump truck was overflowing by 11:30, forcing us to stop a bit early. The third and the fifth attachment show us filling the truck, and hauling off the debris. The cemetery was left looking serene, paths raked, and monuments uncovered.

I have included William D Kelley's newspaper obit, O'leary funeral home information, and information on the log-style headstone at the end of this email. William's wife, Mabel, is also interred at Spring Hill, and, although we think we have found her base alongside her husband, her stone is missing.

Thanks to all of you who were able to join in our efforts this month. Our next workday is scheduled for Friday, March 16th. Please come join us if you can.

Best Regards,

Sue

WILLIAM D. KELLY DEAD
William D. Kelly passed away recently at his home in Spring Hill at the age of seventy years. He was a well known resident of that vicinity and his loss is greatly felt. A widow and an adopted son survive. The funeral was conducted by Rev. F. R. Winsor pastor of the Sebastopol Methodist Episcopal Church and the remains were laid to rest in Spring Hill Cemetery.
Santa Rosa Republican, Santa Rosa, Calif., 10 Nov. 1904, page 7, col.4.

O'Leary Funeral Home entry on Wm Kelley, found by Brad and relayed through Evelyn:

William D. Kelley
70 years 3 months 19 days
born in Pennsylvania
died at Spring Hill Nov. 5, 1904
Married
Farmer
Race: white
cause of death: angina Pectosis
attending physician: Wm. J. Kerr

burial expenses
case and box $35.00
gent¹s robe $5.00
preserving body and services $10.00
Interred at Spring Hill Cemetery
monument is Woodman of the World log shape

Cemetery Research: A Look at Tombstone Symbols Prepared by: Gena Philibert-Ortega

Trees
If you see a stone tree trunk for a marker it could mean a few things. The most obvious would be that the person was a member of the fraternal order, Woodmen of the World, sometimes abbreviated as WOW. This group was started in 1890 and is an insurance fraternity that paid out death benefits. Members of this fraternity may have a monument that looks like a tree trunk or a stack of wood. Originally, because of the society's motto that no Woodmen would lay in an unmarked grave, member's death benefits included a monument. When cemeteries started prohibiting above ground markers and the price of markers became too expensive, the society discontinued markers as part of the benefit. Today, although members do not have the sculptured markers of earlier members they can be provided with a medal that is attached to the gravestone. For more information on the Woodmen, check out their website at www.woodmen.com.

As mentioned, a tree trunk stump or a tree with broken limbs can represent a life cut too short. Now in the graves I've seen with this symbol, not of all them were graves of young people. An older person may have this symbol on their grave because the family felt the person's life was cut short, not necessarily that they died in the prime of life. The number of broken branches on a tombstone tree can also indicate the death of other close family members.

Attachment #1

Attachment #2

Attachment #3

Attachment #4