20 May 2014

Gravestone Girls Tonight!

As a last minute reminder to anyone who lives anywhere near Chicopee, Massachusetts, if you're a family researcher amateur or professional and your interests lie in the burial of our ancestors, this might be for you!

The Gravestone Girls are presenting a virtual tour of the cemeteries in Chicopee which will include some surprisingly

[caption id="attachment_3493" align="alignleft" width="86"]John Chapin, a descendant of the prominent Chapin family of Springfield, Mass, died in Pennsylvania as indicated on the stone. John Chapin, a descendant of the prominent Chapin family of Springfield, Mass, died in Pennsylvania as indicated on the stone.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="75"]English: MacArthur's Ball, Monument to Lt Gen ... English: MacArthur's Ball, Monument to Lt Gen Arthur MacArthur in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

interesting famous personalities who were born here or lived here and certainly who died here. Well, mostly who died here.  For example, John Chapin was 44 years old when he died in 1749.  His grave stone indicates that he died in Pennsylvania.  So the question may be whether he was buried in Chicopee or was this simply a "cenotaph" honoring his memory as he was buried in Pennsylvania.  A cenotaph is exactly that; a memorial marker with names, dates and often other information of an individual who died and was buried far from their home.

All in all feel a little bit a part of this one.  I toured all the Chicopee cemeteries with one of the Gravestone Girls, Brenda a/k/a Sophronia  while giving her a thumbnail sketch of the history of Chicopee including some of the "rich and famous" from Chicopee's past.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="350"]English: Image of Chicopee Public Library English: Image of Chicopee Public Library (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

The event, which is supported by a grant from the Chicopee Cultural Club, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, takes place at the Chicopee Public Library, 459 Front Street, Chicopee, Massachusetts from 6:30 to 8:00 PM.

See you there!

 

 

 

 


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2 comments:

  1. Well, I'm looking forward to it. Brenda presented to our Western Mass Genealogical Society and was well received. This one is tailored specifically to Chicopee where I live. We usually get a good turnout when we have genealogical events a the library. I hope this one is no exception!

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