Week 29: Random

 

Headstone for John Oldfied Cretcher and Bethiah Jane Neil

Washington Union Township Cemetery

Pierceton, Kosciusko County, Indiana

By taking a close look today at this headstone I found three random pieces of information about a pair of my 3x great-grandparents that had eluded me before.  

Random piece of information #1: 

The birthdate I had been using  for 3xGG John doesn't add up if the information on this headstone is correct. 3xGG John's death date was carved as:

19 Feb 1898    AGED  77Y  2M 20D.

Working backwards from the death date:

19 Feb 1898 - 77 years = 19 Feb 1821

19 Feb 1821 - 2 months = 19 Dec 1820     

19 Dec 1820 - 20 days = 29 Nov 1820

The birthdate I had seen before for 3xGG John was 20 Nov 1820 so I'm off by a little over a week.  Close enough I guess since there is no official birth record.  But it brings up the question of how the number of months and days were calculated by the headstone carver.  I just counted back two calendar months.  Should I instead count back two sets of 30 days or one set of 30 and another of 31?  Is there a common practice for this?

Random piece of information #2:

I had never noticed the symbol on 3xGG John's side of the headstone:  

A Google image search told me that this was the Masonic Square and Compasses, a symbol of Freemasonry.  The square and compass are architect's tools used in Masonic rituals as emblems to teach lessons.  An example would be that Masons should "square thier actions by the square of virtue" and learn to "circumscribe their desires and keep their passions within due bounds toward all mankind."  Like many of our founding fathers, GG John was a Mason.

Random piece of information #3:

Bethiah Jane Neil was probably born in Ohio but I haven't been able to confirm that and haven't found who her parents were.  But today I noticed the carving on her side of the headstone that helped me calculate a possible birthdate for 3xGG Bethiah.

Died Aug 25, 1882    AGED 65Y 21D

Working backwards from the carved death date:

25 Aug 1882 - 65 years = 25 Aug 1817

25 Aug 1817 - 21 days = 4 Aug 1817

Finally, a good approximation of GG Bethiah's birthdate!

More than anything, this is a lesson for me to look carefully, look again, and then look later at the information I thought I knew.  Random clues could be hiding in obvious places.