Tag Archives: linn cemetery

January 4, 2014

Learning Curve and the First Shots with my New Camera

When I was little I would get really excited about an idea, or what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I’d put one-hundred percent of my energy toward that project or career move… before changing my mind the next day and moving onto something else. Remember those days? I had the greatest parents ever. They’d completely humor me and roll with it when I decided I was going to build a massive bridge that would start from the side of the house and travel all the way across the lake that was an acre away and down the hill. Or smile and give me encouragement when I had every intention of building a water slide park on the side of the house. In each of these examples that I just mentioned, I literally began digging. That’s how serious I was about those ideas… and most of the time no one judged me for my dream of the week.

The above photo really ended up being an accident. I was holding the camera up so high to capture the urn that I didn’t see my car in the background. But… I kind of like it.

You probably know that I take a lot of cemetery photos, which is something I started doing less than two years ago. After the really cool snowy shots that I captured recently on Christmas Eve, I got inspired to invest in a real camera (a Canon Rebel T3i) and an extra fancy lens for nerdy, artistic shots (due to arrive Monday). Before this week, my equipment consisted of my iPhone, and I’d occasionally edit them using the Camera+ app on my phone. Also before this week, I knew absolutely nothing about a real camera and jumped right into reading and watching videos before my camera arrived. Boy have I been going through a learning curve… and it’s ongoing, obviously. Not only am I figuring out the camera and photography, but using Photoshop Elements is blowing my mind and taking a lot of time to figure out. I haven’t done anything too fancy with these photos though. What do you think about my watermark?

So for the time being I’m really excited about my new toy and want to be a photographer when I grow up. All of these photos are from my first trip out of the house with the camera for practice shots. They’re from Linn Cemetery in Wentzville, Missouri, a location I’ve visited and photographed many times before. I took a lot more than you see here, so these were the best. I would have stayed longer, but it was so cold and my fingers at times couldn’t even feel the buttons on the camera.

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I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned her or not, but much of my recent inspiration for wanting to be a cemetery photographer when I grow up, is the amazing and talented Mary Homick of Historic Cemeteries on Facebook. It’s her fault. She has a book and some other projects coming out that are very exciting! Please take a look at her beautiful work.

If you follow my blog much, you probably already recognize this stone as belonging to my buddy Johnnie, from my recent grave adoption posts.

A close up of Johnnie’s headstone.

So hopefully in a week or two I’ll have all of this mastered and I’ll be a rich and successful cemetery photographer. (Did you laugh? You were supposed to.) At least that’s my plan this week. I know one thing. These crazy ideas get expensive really quick. I’m having a lot of fun though. I’d LOVE to get your feedback or suggestions, especially if you have photography or Photoshop expertise, or are named Mary Homick!

You might also like:

Christmas Eve at Machpelah Cemetery, Lexington, Missouri (Big Séance.com)

Oak Grove Cemetery, St. Charles, Missouri (Big Séance.com)

A Lonely Old Country Cemetery at Magic Hour – Bellflower, Missouri (Big Séance.com)

Walnut Grove Cemetery, Boonville Missouri (Big Séance.com)

Machpelah Cemetery, Lexington, Missouri (Big Séance.com)

Adopting Graves 2013: My Thoughts and a Look Back on a New Tradition (Big Séance.com)

Images of America: Lexington, Missouri (Big Séance.com)

15 Comments | tags: big seance, blogging, camera+, canon rebel, canon rebel t3i, cemeteries, cemetery photography, first shots with my new camera, grave yards, graves, graveyards, head stones, headstones, historic cemeteries, iphone, learning curve, learning curve and the first shots with my new camera, linn cemetery, linn cemetery wentzville, new camera, paranormal, photography, photoshop elements, seance, spiritual | posted in Cemeteries, General, Photography

November 25, 2013

Cemeteries at Night and My Pumpkin Mission

By Patrick Keller

A photo of Johnnie’s grave during one of my recent visits.

Tonight I simply wanted to log on and tell you about my return trip to Johnnie’s grave to retrieve the pumpkin I left for him.

I left a pumpkin at Clara’s grave, too. I knew they would be fine for a month or so, but also knew I had the responsibility of going back to pick them up before they rotted. I mean, I didn’t want to see Linus and Lucy waiting for the Great Pumpkin next fall if I return for a visit. That would be embarrassing, and I’d feel really bad. So yes, I was stressing out just a bit about getting back to dispose of the pumpkins. The only problem? After Halloween, when we get busy with our lives again and “fall back”, I’ve discovered it is nearly impossible to get to a cemetery (unless you live right next to it) before dark! Even on days where I get to leave work at a decent time after school, it’s getting dark on the way there! I had every intention for over a week to get back to both of these cemeteries, but lack of sunlight was really making it difficult.

When it comes to cemeteries (and most situations in life, actually), I’ve always followed the accepted rules. For most cemeteries, unless otherwise posted, you are prohibited from entering between dusk and dawn. Well a few nights ago, I rushed out of school as early as I could, but darkness beat me once again. I was already en route to Johnny’s cemetery when I decided that this mission to dispose of a pumpkin was important enough of a reason to go to that cemetery in the dark. I was frustrated and tired of the daily race and wanted to check this off my to do list.

I’ve spent hours and hours in cemeteries, both as a child and as an adult. They’re like peaceful parks to me. Though I don’t recall a cemetery visit after sundown, I was pretty confident that I wouldn’t have any fear issues. I thought back to the day I returned to do some follow-up investigation at an abandoned farmhouse… in the dark… without my team… and how good it felt to prove to myself that I could do it. I had no worries. My confidence wavered a bit, however, as I tried to locate Johnny’s grave. In the daylight, I knew that path like the back of my hand. At this point I’d been there probably ten times. But I assure you, it’s a whole different story in the dark.

By the time I made it to Johnnie’s grave, I was more worried about cops or someone in one of the few houses nearby thinking I was a trouble maker. This is also why I didn’t use a flashlight. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. But surely anyone would be understanding of my pumpkin mission, right? I felt a bit rude dropping by for such a brief visit, but I quickly greeted Johnnie and explained that I was taking his pumpkin back. I hoped he understood. I sent a quick prayer for him to be at peace and then crouched down to search for the pumpkin. In the shadows, my eyes finally settled on it. It was still there. It was either upside down or no longer had its stem, but it was hard to tell. I grabbed with both hands, but my fingers went right through the pumpkin. I had to hold back from blowing chunks right there. I waited too long. Fortunately, I was prepared with a trash bag and managed to scoop it all (or what I hoped was all) in the bag. I think I said something goofy to Johnnie about this awkward moment before heading back to the car that was parked nearby on one of the paths in the middle of the cemetery.

In the car, the next priority was finding my hand sanitizer. Once my hands were taken care of, I had a fascinating moment just sitting there in a silent car. I was enjoying the surroundings and realizing this wasn’t something you see every day. I wasn’t too frightened. In fact, I could have stayed there a while longer, admiring all of the silhouettes off in the distance. Once again, the fear of police lights driving up the hill to the cemetery got me moving quickly. I made my way to the main road and headed for home, while planning the next day’s rushed visit to retrieve Clara’s pumpkin. Would it be in the same condition? In my head, I made a few quick notes on the lessons learned during this trip to grab a squishy pumpkin in the shadows.

You may be interested in my other posts in a series titled “Adopting Graves”, where I’ve enjoyed sharing my journey of adopting and researching two graves during the autumn season. For previous posts, visit:

Adopting Graves 2013: My Thoughts and a Look Back on a New Tradition
Adopting Graves: Second Visit with Clara and Johnnie
Adopting Graves: Some genealogy on our little Johnnie and his family
Adopting Graves: More on little Clara and her family
Adopting Graves: A New Autumn Tradition (2013)

4 Comments | tags: adopting a forgotten grave, adopting a gravestone, adopting graves, adopting graves 2013, adopting gravesites, afterlife, alone in a cemetery, alone in a graveyard, autumn, autumn season, autumn tradition, autumn traditions, big seance, blogging, cemeteries, cemeteries after dark, cemeteries at dusk, cemeteries at night, cemeteries at night and my pumpkin mission, cemetery, clara gegenbauer, clara i gegenbauer, fall, fall traditions, forgotten graves, grave, grave adoption, grave markers, grave site adopting, grave stones, grave yard, grave yards after dark, grave yards at night, graves of children, gravesites, graveyard, graveyards after dark, graveyards at night, head stones, headstones, heaven, historic cemeteries, history, johnnie michel, johnnie michel grave, johnnie michel gravesite, linn cemetery, linn cemetery wentzville missouri, linn cemetery wentzville mo, meramec, missouri cemeteries, my pumpkin mission, new tradition, other side, paranormal, photography, pumpkin, remembrance, rest in peace, resting place, RIP, seance, souls, spirit, spirit communication, spirit world, spirits, spiritual, wentzville missouri, wentzville mo | posted in Cemeteries

November 3, 2013

Adopting Graves 2013: My Thoughts and a Look Back on a New Tradition

By Patrick Keller

This is the fifth post in a series titled “Adopting Graves”, where I’ve enjoyed sharing my journey of adopting and researching two graves during the autumn season. For previous posts, visit:
Adopting Graves: Second Visit with Clara and Johnnie
Adopting Graves: A New Autumn Tradition (2013)
Adopting Graves: Some genealogy on our little Johnnie and his family
Adopting Graves: More on little Clara and her family

On a Saturday in the middle of August, I decided to begin a new autumn tradition of adopting graves. I chose the graves of two souls, each in a different cemetery. At this point I feel strangely close to Johnnie Michel and Clara I. Gegenbauer. From that day on, I visited these graves every two weeks up to October 30th. I need to go back at least one more time to pick up the pumpkins and things, that way if I decide to visit in the distant future, there won’t be a pumpkin patch to walk through. For more on the inspiration and how I chose these two graves, visit my very first post in this series.

Johnnie Michel, son of Henry and Matilda Michel, July 5, 1879 – January 21, 1884

Johnnie, who died at four and half years old (reason unknown), lived with his family on the upper floor of a general store on Main Street in Wentzville, Missouri. His father was a prominent Wentzville citizen and built and owned the general store. His mother raised the family (Johnnie had an older and a younger sister), and presumably helped tend to several of the clerks and extended family members that lived with them above the store.

Below are some of the shots from different visits to Johnnie’s grave (I tried to bring different flowers/gifts each time.)

Since posting my genealogy for Johnnie’s family, I discovered that the family’s general store was located where the “Wentzville Millwork” building is in the picture below. I’m not sure how old the remaining buildings to the left are, but I wanted to make sure and include them in the picture to help your imagination. The structure that housed the general store was demolished in the 1970s. To my knowledge there are no existing photos of the general store, which was operated by the family until at least 1910. The second picture below is a view of the surrounding downtown area across the street from that lot.

Clara I. Gegenbauer, March 29, 1884 – March 17, 1889

As you may have noticed, Clara died just short of her fifth birthday as well. She was the fourth out of eight children by parents Eugene Gegenbauer (1847 – 1916) and Isabelle Coulter Gegenbauer (1853 – 1930). Like Johnnie, there is no record of how or why Clara died at such a young age. Her father Eugene (whose parents immigrated from Germany) and mother Isabelle (whose parents immigrated from Ireland) were married in 1876. After immigrating, Clara’s paternal grandfather was a physician and teacher in the Ballwin, Missouri area. He died in 1880.

Out of the family’s eight children, Eugene and Isabelle had 7 grandchildren, including my new friend Gayla’s father. Clara’s last remaining sibling, Jane Sophia “Jennie” Gegenbauer, was Gayla’s grandmother. She died in 1976.

For more on Clara, or for photos of her parents and the family’s farmhouse, click HERE.

On my second visit with Johnny and Clara, I was not prepared for the feelings I would have when seeing the blunt symbolism of the dead flowers in the exact same arrangement that I had placed them in only two weeks earlier. Though this is a completely normal thing to see in a cemetery, it was a beautiful and sad at the same time.

Other favorite photos from my visits to see Johnny and Clara

Clara’s grave can be seen on the left (with the bright flowers) near the top of the hill. The graves surrounding her are her parents and siblings.

Once again, Clara’s grave can be seen off in the distance at the top of the hill.

As I mentioned before, I have to make at least one more visit to pick up pumpkins, but I highly doubt that it will be my last. I’ve become so familiar with the path to find them, and I’m sure I’ll never forget. I’m already excited to start the journey over next year with two “new” graves.

4 Comments | tags: 1879, 1884, 1889, a look back, a new autumn tradition, a new fall tradition, adopting a forgotten grave, adopting a gravestone, adopting graves, adopting graves 2013, adopting gravesites, afterlife, ancestry, ancestry.com, autumn, autumn season, autumn tradition, autumn traditions, benefits of genealogy research, big seance, blogging, burial, cemeteries, cemetery, chesterfield, chesterfield missouri, chesterfield mo, clara gegenbauer, clara i gegenbauer, climbing the hill, early autumn, eugene gegenbauer, fall, fall traditions, forgotten graves, gegenbauer family, gegenbauer family plot, genealogy, genealogy research, grandparents, grave, grave adoption, grave markers, grave site adopting, grave stones, grave yard, graves of children, gravesites, graveyard, gumbo cemeter chesterfield missouri, gumbo cemetery, gumbo cemetery chesterfield mo, gumbo missouri, halloween traditions, head stones, headstones, heaven, historic cemeteries, history, isabelle coulter, isabelle coulter gegenbauer, isabelle gegenbauer, johnnie michel, johnnie michel grave, johnnie michel gravesite, linn cemetery, linn cemetery wentzville missouri, linn cemetery wentzville mo, meramec, missouri cemeteries, new tradition, other side, paranormal, photography, positive genealogy experiences, remembrance, research genealogy, rest in peace, resting place, RIP, saint louis, saint louis missouri, saint louis mo, seance, souls, spirit, spirit communication, spirit world, spirits, spiritual, st louis mo, st. louis, st. louis missouri, wentzville missouri, wentzville mo | posted in Cemeteries

August 30, 2013

Adopting Graves: Second visit with Clara and Johnnie…

By Patrick Keller

This is the fourth post in a series titled “Adopting Graves”, where I’ve enjoyed sharing my journey of adopting and researching two graves during the autumn season. For previous posts, visit:
Adopting Graves: A New Autumn Tradition (2013)
Adopting Graves: Some genealogy on our little Johnnie and his family
Adopting Graves: More on little Clara and her family

Clara’s grave from today’s visit.

Johnny’s grave from today’s visit. (The grave of his grandparents in the background.)

Today was my second visit to the gravesites of Clara and Johnnie. Except for the fact that it was like eleventy-hundred degrees today, I was very excited about each of these visits. I know so much more about these souls and their families now, and that made this trip a little more meaningful. After another stop for flowers (different colors this time), I made my way toward Gumbo Cemetery for Clara. In both cemeteries, the remains of my flowers from the last visit were present… aged and frozen in time. I secretly hoped they’d still be there, mainly for the selfish opportunity to snap photos of them. For both Johnnie and Clara, I talked aloud of how I knew they probably weren’t present with me, eternally hanging out next to their head stone, but I wanted to make sure they knew I had been thinking of them and learning about their families over the last few weeks. I even read my previous blog posts and mentioned the fact that many others were learning about their families as well. I sat in silence for a while (a little longer for Clara since I was winded from climbing the hill) and forced myself to be okay with my legs being itchy from the grass.

The resting place of Eugene, Clara’s father.

A young and handsome Eugene Gegenbauer, Clara’s father.

The resting place of Isabelle, Clara’s mother.

A young Isabelle Coulter Gegenbauer, Clara’s mother.

On my way out of Linn Cemetery after visiting Johnnie, I took a few photos of the entrance to the older section. I found an older marker for this section with the date of 1867, although I’ve seen some head stones there with a burial date of 1865.

Near the entrance to the older section of Linn Cemetery, Wentzville, Missouri.

Near the entrance of the older section of Linn Cemetery, Wentzville, Missouri.

I suppose I’ll plan the next visit for two weekends from now. Hopefully by then I’ll be able to wear a hoodie. That might be a stretch.

Till next time…

4 Comments | tags: 1879, 1884, 1889, a new autumn tradition, a new fall tradition, adopting a forgotten grave, adopting a gravestone, adopting graves, adopting gravesites, afterlife, ancestry, ancestry.com, autumn, autumn season, autumn tradition, autumn traditions, benefits of genealogy research, big seance, blogging, burial, cemeteries, cemetery, chesterfield, chesterfield missouri, chesterfield mo, clara gegenbauer, clara i gegenbauer, climbing the hill, early autumn, eugene gegenbauer, fall, fall traditions, forgotten graves, gegenbauer family, gegenbauer family plot, genealogy, genealogy research, grandparents, grave, grave adoption, grave markers, grave site adopting, grave stones, grave yard, graves of children, gravesites, graveyard, gumbo cemeter chesterfield missouri, gumbo cemetery, gumbo cemetery chesterfield mo, gumbo missouri, halloween traditions, head stones, headstones, heaven, historic cemeteries, history, isabelle coulter, isabelle coulter gegenbauer, isabelle gegenbauer, johnnie michel, johnnie michel grave, johnnie michel gravesite, linn cemetery, linn cemetery wentzville missouri, linn cemetery wentzville mo, meramec, missouri cemeteries, new tradition, other side, paranormal, photography, positive genealogy experiences, remembrance, research genealogy, rest in peace, resting place, RIP, saint louis, saint louis missouri, saint louis mo, seance, souls, spirit, spirit communication, spirit world, spirits, spiritual, st louis mo, st. louis, st. louis missouri, wentzville missouri, wentzville mo | posted in Cemeteries, Spiritual

August 23, 2013

Adopting Graves: Some genealogy on our little Johnnie and his family…

By Patrick Keller

In my last post I shared with you my new autumn tradition of adopting older graves. I was so very excited to share the two that I chose… the resting places of Johnnie and Clara. The two graves are in different cemeteries, and even though I did my best to be drawn to the graves naturally, both happen to be the resting places of children who died at around the same age of five.

Johnnie Michel (1879 – 1884)

Though I was not able to find family photos in my research on our little Johnnie and his family, I was able to find a significant amount of information and documents.

Johnnie’s father, Franz Heinrich (Henry) Michel (1842 – 1920), was a prominent member of the Wentzville, Missouri community by 1876. He married Johnnie’s mother, Mathilda Michel (Brockman) (1844 – 1928), daughter of “well-to-do farmers” in the county, in 1873 in St. Louis. They were members of the Lutheran Church. It is said that they had “many sincere and true friends.”

Henry Michel grew up poor, but eventually found success in Wentzville. In 1876 he built and opened a general store on Main Street in Wentzville, where Mathilda “kept house” and the family on the 2^nd floor. To my knowledge, it appears the general store stayed in business until at least 1910. Johnnie had an older sister who died in 1953 and a younger sister who lived to be 92 years old. Depending on the census, apparently several clerks and salesmen for the store shared the upstairs living quarters with the family throughout the years, as well as a few cousins, Johnnie’s grandfather, and the husband of one of Johnnie’s sisters. It must have been an exciting household! By 1920, according to the census from that year, Johnnie’s older sister was the only other person sharing the house with her parents. By that time she was 33, while her parents were 75 and 77. (I’ve contacted the Wentzville Historical Society and hope to hear back from them with information regarding the general store, the location, if the building still exists, or if anyone has photos.)

A tobacco pouch from Johnnie’s father’s general store in Wentzville, Missouri.

According to an 1895 book with biographies of prominent and representative citizens from the surrounding counties, “In the business circles of the place Mr. Michel is highly and justly esteemed as an honorable and upright man, whose word is as good as his note, and who endeavors to fill to the letter every contract and obligation. Politically he is, like his father, an enthusiastic Republican.”

Unfortunately, other than one mention of a 6 month old Johnnie on a census form and the date of death from the head stone I found, no other information is known.

Johnnie’s grandparents rest only a few feet away.

A touching side note: The large head stone behind Johnnie’s in the photo on the right is the grave of his grandparents, Johann and Maria Michel, immigrants from Hannover in Germany. It warms my heart to know that they are buried close. I’ll have to check when I return, but I don’t believe there were any other Michels buried nearby. Johnnie’s father Henry is buried in the St. Peters Cemetery in nearby Washington, Missouri. Mother Mathilda and older sister Ella (most likely younger sister Katherine as well) are buried in St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Santa Ana, California.

Adopting Graves: A New Autumn Tradition (2013)…

By Patrick Keller

Inspired by the amazing Renae Rude – The Paranormalist, who is a fellow lover of all things autumn and spooky, I decided to begin a new autumn tradition of adopting one or two gravesites.

In my mind, the idea is to choose an older grave, perhaps forgotten (of course how does one really know this?) that may also need to be tended to. The two local cemeteries that I chose happen to be fairly well cared for. I would think you’d want to choose a grave that really speaks to you, either metaphorically or literally. As someone who finds cemeteries fascinating and enjoys spending time and taking photos in them, I found it hard to not just gravitate toward the interesting and most beautiful graves. But at the same time, I didn’t want to ignore those feelings. Lastly, a requirement for me was to be able to identify a name on the marker. This is often hard to do in cemeteries. You might argue that a grave that has lost the identity of the body resting there would be more in need of adoption, but for my first experience at this, I really wanted to be able to connect with a name as well. It is also my hope that after this initial post I’ll be able to research genealogy and share that with you as well. After selecting my graves, I’d commit to returning every so often throughout the season, keeping their soul in my thoughts and praying that they are at peace.

So this last Saturday I was very excited to set out to adopt two graves for an early autumn kickoff. I wanted to choose one grave at two different cemeteries. It was an absolutely beautiful day and I was honored that Joe was willing to accompany me. (Normally this would be a little weird for him.) We went and picked up two beautiful bunches of flowers for a total of $10 and headed for Linn Cemetery in Wentzville, Missouri. Linn Cemetery is a place I’ve visited a few times in the last few years. Click HERE for photos from my first visit to Linn Cemetery.

Johnnie Michel, son of Henry and Matilda Michel, July 5, 1879 – January 21, 1884

Johnnie was four and a half years old at the time of his death. He was buried near two or three other Michels, but we found no Henry or Matilda Michel (his parents, according to the marker) near Johnnie. We wondered why the parents weren’t buried here, or at least nearby. Did life take them somewhere else after this loss? Did they have other children that lived hopefully longer lives? And what happened to Johnnie? Was it sickness? An accident?

Here’s a close up of the writing below the dates.

To the best of my ability, it appears to read “Here ____ our Little Johnnie ____ his still and silent… ?? …till we meet again. God has called him home, he thought it best.”

I visited a bit with Johnnie, wondering out loud about his story and asked who the other Michels buried near him were. I promised to return a few times and keep him in my thoughts, hoping and praying he is at peace.

Our next stop was the Gumbo Cemetery in Chesterfield, Missouri. I had come across this cemetery on accident only the day before. I was excited to stop by and check it out.

Clara I. Gegenbauer, March 29, 1884 – March 17, 1889

Clara’s grave is up on a scenic hill along a tree line. Inscribed on her marker is the message “A voice we loved has fled.” That really touched me. Like Johnnie Michel, Clara died just short of her fifth birthday. In the photo it almost appears to be taken at dusk, due to the canopy of tree limbs overhead. Clara rests among seven other graves that are clearly grouped as a family. Clara’s grave stands proudly on the front left corner in the group. From my first step into the cemetery, this group of markers off in the distance and on top of the hill caught my attention.

I visited with Clara, pondering the same questions that go through one’s mind when you see the resting place of any young child. I also left her with the same promise I gave Johnnie.

________________________________________

So was I meant to be drawn to the graves of two children, approximately the same age? Or did I subconsciously choose a little girl out of fairness after already choosing Johnnie? I also think it’s interesting that Clara was born just months after Johnnie died. At the risk of creating a dramatic plot that doesn’t exist, I wonder if there is some kind of connection between the two, whether it’s between the two families, or a great plan designed from the other side. What an interesting thought. Ha! Maybe I should write a book.

I’d love to know what you think about this new tradition of mine. If you find it interesting, be sure to check out Renae Rude’s fascinating post in the related articles below. Stay tuned in the coming months as I hope to piece together just a bit of the history of these two families. This will be my first attempt at genealogy, so wish me luck.