http://blog.kathywaitmyers.com/

For some reason, Reason has been on my radar a lot this week so I thought it would be fitting to post these photos of his very unusual and cool headstone that a www.findagrave.com volunteer posted.  She said that someone before her chalked the monument, which can damage the headstone and make it deteriorate faster.  Not a good idea, in my book.

Actually, doing anything to a headstone is frowned upon in the genealogy and cemetery world.  There’s an ongoing debate over what’s acceptable and what’s not.  For more on that, check out this blog post from Dick Eastman.

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2005/05/tombstones_and_.html

And the follow up post:

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2005/05/how_not_to_read.html

But for now, let’s get back to today’s Tombstone!

Reason Waits

b: 19 Nov 1819 in Brown County, Ohio

m: 19 Nov 1844 to Susan SIPES (1825-1855) in Ray, Missouri

m: 31 Oct 1858 to Melissa Jane CLEMMONS (1839-1927) in Atchinson, Missouri

d: 23 Feb 1892 in Fairfax, Atchinson County, Missouri

He had 4 children with Susan, and 7 children with Melissa.

I really don’t know a lot about him at this point, but I get the feeling this will change sometime in the very near future.  I found a cousin on Ancestry.com that is one of his descendants, and she just emailed me this morning to say that she found a ton of WAITS photos and documents in a family scrapbook that she hasn’t looked at in a while.  So I scanned the copies of Reason’s letters and she is going to copy what she has and send it to me.  So this story will break wide open  in the next few weeks!

Inscription:
“The pains of death are past
Labor and sorrow cease
And life’s long warfare closed at last
His soul is found in peace”

For my first Treasure Chest Thursday, I thought it would be appropriate to post a photo or two of… well… my treasure chest! 

This is the metal suitcase that all of my old photos were kept in.  I’m not sure where it came from or who originally owned it or where it’s been.  Although it’s pretty dented up, you can see on the left side there that it has remained relatively glossy on the surfaces that weren’t used much.  What surprises me about this suitcase is that it’s remarkably sturdy, yet light at the same time!  I think it must be aluminum because I can lift it easily.

The lock is long gone, but the clasps that keep the lid shut are completely functional.  There are metal corners to reinforce the structure and I must say that they’ve done their job well!  The handle is also missing, but someone had the presence of mind to tie one dandy rope handle up.  My Dad was in the Navy, so I wonder if he may have been the one who tied this fancy one up.  Do they still teach sailors how to tie all of those knots or is that pretty much a useless skill now-a-days? 

Inside the chest, you’ll find a wooden box inside of a metal box.  The inner box is covered in this lovely brown and blue flowered wallpaper.  At least it looks like wallpaper to me.  There is one hinge on the right side that keeps the top open remarkably well.  And blue ribbons tied at the top to keep things somewhat organized for trips. I can only imagine that it must have been pretty, bright, and cheerful in its day.

Whenever I open my treasure chest, I always flash back to the first time I found it.  My Dad had just passed away and we were cleaning out his house so we could put it up for sale.  I’d lived on my own for a really long time, so I wasn’t interested in any of the day to day items.  Everything else was just “stuff” to me… except this.  I was immediately drawn to it and when I popped the top open, I knew why.  Hidden inside this beat up old suitcase were piles and piles of old photos.  Sadly, some of them are in pretty bad shape from sliding around in there rubbing against each other.  Thankfully, there was a smaller box inside that contained more photos, so they are in much better condition.  I had no idea who any of the people were, but something inside me was insisting that I find out! 

It’s been five years since Dad died and I inherited this beat up old suitcase.  I’ve moved a few times and keep purging unwanted belongings by the carloads, but still have my treasure chest.   I call it Grandma’s trunk because that’s just the vibe that I get from it.  I don’t know when it was made or how far its traveled.  But I get the feeling that sooner or later I’ll be going through photos with someone and there it’ll be… sitting in all it’s former glory… and the mystery of its owner will be unraveled.  Until then, it will stay perched on the top shelf of the closet in my office.  Safe and sound.