It's the end of October and Sunday's weather was perfect to take my camera for a walk through my favorite local cemetery, Oakwood in Syracuse.
Most of the trees have shed their leaves by now, creating a multi-colored carpet on the ground. I love the rustling sound they make as I walk up and down the hills and valleys.
I went to a part of the cemetery I haven't been to in quite some time to check on a specific memorial. I often revisit gravestones to see how they are faring. Sometimes they look the same, except for a little bit of aging. Other times there is damage, caused either by nature or unfortunately vandalism.
Looking across to the next hill, I found what I was looking for: the memorial for Lester C. Tucker.
Carved to look like a Victorian tufted chair, it is draped on one side with a cape. A baby shoe representing the loss of a child rests on the seat. Right now there is an assortment of coins inside the shoe.
Why coins? The tradition of leaving money began with the military where leaving coins on gravestones let the family of the soldier know that somebody stopped to pay their respects.
But this idea also goes beyond the military. Visitors of all kinds leave coins regardless of the deceased's background to show that someone has visited that particular grave. It's a way of telling all who pass by that the person buried there was remembered.
Lester was almost four years old when he died from scarlet fever. As I wrote in my last blog post, medical science left something to be desired in the 1800s. Scarlet fever was highly contagious and could cause long-term complications including kidney disease, rheumatic heart disease, and arthritis. Before antibiotics were available, it was a leading cause of death in children.
There isn't much more information about Lester and his family. All I could find is he died of an illness and his memorial is a charming child-sized chair. I could find nothing for his parents Clarence and Martha Tucker, or if he had brothers or sisters. Around Lester's grave there are other monuments marked Tucker, but none with the names of Clarence and Martha.
The following is his obituary that was published in the Syracuse Standard on May 11, 1869:
"On Monday morning, after an illness of about thirty-six hours, Lester Clarence, son of Clarence and Martha J. Tucker, aged 3 years, 11 months, and 22 days.
A blossom whose unfolding bloom
Grew lovelier day by day,
We saw the sudden fire consume
The blight no band could stay.
No human skill can now avail
Our darling to restore;
But oh: there's comfort in the thought;
Not lost, but gone before.
Funeral services at the Church of Christ tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11 o'clock a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend."
And with that, I'll end my Sunday afternoon story about a small chair for a young boy, perched on a cemetery hillside. A tribute from loving parents to a child that had gone before.
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Beautifully remembered.