Something odd showed up in the October 20, 2021 issue of the Kingsbury Journal. Right on the title page a headline screamed “Pa’s Grave Marker Gone”!
A Stone Is A Stone For All Of That
Don’t worry though it was a planned disappearance. Pa’s stone was put up about the time of his death. It was designed as a headstone and a family stone where family members would be engraved on the other sides as they passed. That never seems to have happened and the only other one of the immediate family who had a stone soon after they died was Carrie.
Pa’s stone had worn the carving to the point that it was very hard to read. That’s unfortunate because it’s encouraged people to make rubbings (holding a piece of paper against the stone and rubbing against it with a crayon or something similar to show the bumps underneath the paper) which are a danger to a stone for many reasons and is even illegal in some states. It is especially a tipping danger for a stone with a high center of gravity and only gravity holding it together like this one.
The Memorial Society
During a visit in the 1950s, one Laura researcher said she was told by locals that all the family was there, but only Carrie’s stone was visible. Presumably Pa’s stone was worn to the point that it was completely illegible. According to the Kingsbury Journal in 1959 Rose Wilder Lane paid to have Pa’s stone recut. One of the early projects of the Memorial Society was putting up matching stones for the rest of the family.
When they were originally put in place the new stones were set up as foot stones and Pa’s stone remained where it was as a headstone. Then sometime between the mid-1970s and the mid-1980s Pa’s stone was also moved up into the headstone position.
Memorial Society Facebook Report
The Memorial Society shared this on their Facebook page. I’m reposting it here with permission.
From the Memorial Society:
Kingsbury Journal
The Kingsbury Journal – child of the De Smet News – reports that the re-carving is being paid for by an anonymous donor. Read the story from the October 20, 2021 Journal.
The stone was originally scheduled to be returned after the first of the year, but if weather and workload allow they might return it sooner.
The Journal article also talks about the Baby Boy Wilder grave – which we’ll get back to in another post.
Don’t Leave Stones
Then they talk about leaving coins and stones on the tombstones. They give a new completely wrong story. I mean, I follow this tradition and they give a version I’ve never come across before. The tradition really came from the Jewish faith where they leave stones instead of flowers. Apparently, a couple of other groups, including hikers, have picked up on the tradition. It’s not a great idea though. It’s a big help to the cemetery maintenance people for them to not have to sweep them up and throw them out. (Read the rules by the cemetery gates. That’s what happens to them.)
Sarah S. Uthoff is a nationally known Laura Ingalls Wilder authority and has presented at five of the Wilder homesites, many times at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, many conferences and numerous libraries, museums, and events around the Midwest. She is the main force behind Trundlebed Tales fighting to bring the History, Mystery, Magic, and Imagination of Laura Ingalls Wilder and other greats of children’s literature and history to life for a new generation. How can you help? Attend one of her programs, schedule one yourself, watch her videos, listen to her podcast, look at her photos, and find her on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , SlideShare, and Academia.edu . Professionally she is a reference librarian at Kirkwood Community College and former director of the Oxford (Iowa) Public Library.
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