T Stands for Cemetery Hop

My friend, Teague  and I took  another cemetery hop at Mt. Auburn Cemetery just outside of Boston. The cemetery was the first garden cemetery in the country. You can read about the first trip we took there and see some of the monuments of famous Bostonians: The Tower, Famous Bostonian Monuments, and Beautiful Scenery

This trip was to find the grave of my great-uncle Vincent, The Judge. During my genealogy research, I thought I found Uncle Vincent at St. Michael's Cemetery in Roslindale, a suburb of Boston. The cemetery office had records for a double burial plot for him and his first wife, but there was no headstone at the site. 

This turned out to be a mystery that was solved several weeks ago. I  was contacted by a women through Ancestry with information about Uncle Vincent and where he was buried. Seems Uncle Vincent had fathered a child out of wedlock. The woman who contacted me was the grand-daughter of Uncle Vincent's son.From my father, I knew about his 3 cousins, Uncle Vincent's children, but not about this child. Sadly, he was a very, big family secret. I don't think my father even knew. 

C sent me a photograph of the grave and said Uncle Vincent was buried in "Catholic" Mt. Auburn Cemetery, and the mother of his son was buried in "Protestant" Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

Our first stop was the administration building. To get a map and directions to Uncle Vincent's grave. The cemetery had no record of the mother of Uncle Vincent's son.

Walking to where Teague parked the car, some of the graves were covered with small, blue flowers. The first signs of Spring I had seen after the Winter that wouldn't end. Oh, and if you visit, don't park on the edge of the grass. Teague had parked close to the edge of the road so other cars could get by. The cemetery police left a rules and regulations flyer on her windshield.

After wandering around the path, Teague spotted Uncle Vincent's grave. He's buried with his daughter, Gloria, who clerked for him, and Gloria's husband. I was so excited about the trip to the cemetery, I forgot to stop and get some flowers. I left a stone on the headstone to mark I was there. 

After the visit, it was close to lunch so Teague used her phone to find restaurants close by. We decided to try the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown. The restaurant is in a classic train car. There was only street parking and Teague found a metered spot a little ways up the street. Fortunately, she had quarters to feed the meter.

Classic decor

Menu filled with all-day breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even Blue Plate specials.

Teague ordered a chocolate soda, and I had an Arnold Palmer, which is half iced tea and half lemonade.

Teague ordered a Reuben on rye, and I had a Monte Cristo, and I asked for a bit of strawberry jam as the restaurant didn't have any raspberry jam. Sandwiches came with seasoned french fries (chips), coleslaw, and a pickle.

After lunch, Teague wanted to find the grave of her great-aunt Gertrude. She was buried in Mount Feake Cemetery in Waltham.

There was no one in the cemetery office even though we were there during the posted office hours. Teague had a general idea of where the grave was located.

Across the Charles River from the cemetery is the old Waltham Watch Factory now apartments, offices, and a restaurant.

While driving through the cemetery, I spotted Aunt Gertrude's grave. 

While Teague visited with her relatives, I wandered around. I love visiting cemeteries and photographing the old monuments. Yeah, a weird, but cheap hobby. I was charmed by the lamb on this headstone for a boy named Warren.

We weren't the only visitors in the cemetery. 

After our trip, it was back to Teague's house where she brought her laptop out to the sun room so we could dig a little deeper into Uncle Vincent's secret. I had been told that the mother of Uncle Vincent's son was rumored to have a gypsy connection. Teague found references to this woman, Sophie, in census records. But names changed or were changed, her mother's name became her name. Very confusing. Her marital status was listed in the census records as widow. Most likely a convention for an unwed mother to avoid the stigma associated with having a child born on the wrong side of the blanket. 

And some things that Dad mentioned in his notebooks made sense. He said Uncle Vincent's wife, Amelia had become ill and the two, younger children were sent to live with his family for a time. Later records listed Amelia as divorced. Maybe her "illness" was another way to avoid a scandal of a child born out of wedlock, and a divorce.

We still don't know how Uncle Vincent and Sophie met though Teague found directory listings that put them living within the same neighborhood. Perhaps, Auntie Amelia did become ill and Sophie was hired to take care of her. Or she was a maid in their home or at Uncle Vincent's law office. This mystery might never be solved.

While searching Uncle Vincent's records, she found a hand-written record of Uncle Vincent staying with his Uncle Francesco. The uncle my dad claimed was a blind baker. Turns out, I had only a printed version that listed the man's last name as Glase, but in looking at the hand-written record, Teague noticed the letter was actually the letter B and the last name for Uncle Francesco is Blasi.

That's the fun thing about genealogy research. You begin looking for one thing and then fall down a rabbit hole chasing an entirely different thing and another mystery.

When I got home, I called Mount Auburn Cemetery to ask about the "Catholic" and "Protestant" sides. I was told Mount Auburn is a non-denominational cemetery. All faiths may be buried there. I was told that some people call the Sand Banks Cemetery, "Catholic Mount Auburn" as it is located across the street and maintained by the Archdiocese of Boston.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.