Hal Heagy, sexton of Oakwood Cemetery, fixes a flower vase, which toppled over during a storm. The motorcycle on the Barton grave is laser etched into the stone. The advancement of technology has advanced the personalization of headstones.

Text and Photos
By Marissa Sweatland
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — In the early days of America, death was a frequent part of colonial life. The living conditions of the seventh century were such that around 40% of children did not survive to see adulthood. Traditionally, mourning broadsides containing eulogies were composed, mirroring modern-day obituaries.

As America evolved, so did its death traditions. The 19th century was considered to be the beginning of a modernized funeral industry. Coffin makers started to offer supplementary services, such as carriage rentals and hearse transportation to the grave sites.

A bird enthusiast in life, Alberta Wamsley opted for a personalized bird bath to be added atop of her gravestone.

A special report, conducted by the Census Bureau in 1890, showed there were 9,891 people who indicated having an occupation of “undertaker.” A short decade later, the occupation strengthened its numbers as on the census in 1900, the number rose to 16,189.

The Civil War further helped evolve American death traditions. Families of deceased soldiers wanted their dead returned to them, so they could receive a proper burial; however, the journey was long and summer weather conditions were not conducive to preserving the deceased. To combat the preservation problem, embalming, injecting the body with chemicals to slow decomposition, was pioneered by Dr. Thomas Holmes.

“Death traditions are forever evolving,” Hal Heagy, cemetery sexton at Oakwood Cemetery, Warsaw, explained. “Family plots is a tradition that seems to have been lost to time due to money and space.”

Traditionally, in the past, families would purchase a family plot where a family headstone bearing the family’s name would be placed. Then, subsequent footstones bearing each family members’ names would be placed to mark their final resting place.

Family plots are a death tradition that has decreased in popularity over time due to cost and space. One of the family plots that is housed within Oakwood Cemetery belongs to the Poulson family, which is marked by a large tree stump headstone and numerous smaller tree stump footstones.

One of the family plots, which rest within the confides of Oakwood, is the Poulson family. The family headstone is a large, stone tree stump. Each members’ footstones are also in the shape of tree stumps. The tree stump is symbolic of a brotherhood, which was prevalent at the time. Joshua G.W. Poulson’s grave is decorated with a star, which signifies he was a Civil War veteran.

“As technology as evolved, so has headstones,” Heagy continued. “Headstones can be personalized as much or as little as the family wants. There is a lot of personality and history within this cemetery.”

Oakwood Cemetery has been open since 1874 and sits on nearly 100 acres of graveyard. Heagy has been the cemetery sexton since 2007, when he left his previous job as a contractor. During his over decade and a half of experience, he has seen death traditions evolve right before his eyes.

Hal Heagy, sexton, fixes some stones at the grave of Gidieon Orion Cook after a storm disrupted them. Cook’s gravestone is adorned with a stone Lego figurine.

“A stone is closure, but so is an urn,” Heagy said. “Full-body burials were the tradition when I first started and cremations only made up about 10%. Now, I would say it has risen to be about 50-50.”

Heagy contributes the rise in popularity of cremation to cost. The average cost of a traditional, full-service burial is about $8,703, while the average cost of a direct cremation costs under $2,000.

Today, families are able to send their loved ones ashes to various different companies and have the ashes pressed into musical vinyl records, turned into memorial jewelry and art pieces, infused into tattoo ink or even mixed inside fireworks.

“Every family needs something different to find closure after losing a loved one, and we’re not here to judge, only help,” Heagy said.

To highlight the history that rests within the cemetery, numerous walking tours have been created for the public to walk and enjoy. To access the walking tours, visit warsaw.in.gov/789/Walking-Tour-1. Visitors will see a list of seven walking tours on the left hand side of the screen.

Heagy, in collaboration with the Kosciusko County Historical Society, is creating a walking tour to celebrate 150 years. Questions about the walking tours or nominations of future honorees for walking tours can be directed toward Hal Heagy by emailing [email protected] or by calling (574) 372-9553.