“My Goodness How You’ve Grown Since You Died”
Collodion Images of Cemetery Life-
Exploring those whose mortal remains have been returned to the soil and fully embraced by the root system of a tree, becoming part of that tree, traveling up and out into the leaves to once again take in the sunshine.”
“INFANT SON”
First breath- May 17, 1888
Soul released- May 19, 1888
Duration of life- 2 days
Inscription- “Of such is the kingdom of heaven“
Tree- Pecan
The Circle of Creation and Destruction is Eternal-
We are all biological beings of this earth. It doesn’t matter if it's a plant, an animal, or us. When returned back to the earth we can nourish and enrich the soil, benefiting everything that grows in that soil afterwards.
“Dr. JONES”
First breath- February 7, 1855
Soul released- November 11, 1911
Duration of life- 20,730 days (56 years, 9 months)
Tree- Cedar
Cemetery- From a Greek word meaning “A Place to Sleep.”
When people hear the word cemetery they naturally associate it with death, when in reality, cemeteries have historically been full of life. They were the original natural open spaces within a town. In the early 19th century cemeteries were a place where one could go to relax and read while reclining against a tombstone. They were “a place to be seen.” It’s hard to imagine it now, but public recreation was in the cemeteries, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to be crowded with people on weekends. It was from cemeteries that the concept for city parks originated.
“CLARISA”
First breath- April 27, 1822
Soul released- January 5, 1899
Duration of life- 28,012 days (76 years, 9 months)
Inscription- “The Gates of Heaven for Her, Shall Open”
Tree- Live Oak
Just Passing On Through-
Historically, the “Church yard” was where people were buried, surrounding a Church in town. It was also a time when families were closer to one another, both geographically and through the strong bonds they shared. They went to church together, and it was their ancestors graves who they passed by regularly on their way into church. A weekly reminder of their own mortality. They all had a better grip on understanding our mortality than most people do today.
“DOLLIE”
First breath- March 21, 1887
Soul released. Aug 26, 1888
Duration of life- 524 days (1-1/2 years)
Inscription- “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord”
Tree- Cedar
O Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie-
As time progressed, cemeteries in America became disconnected from religious affiliations, moving out of the center of town and into the country. Originally, it was hoped that they would instill a sense of pride and patriotism by offering private eternal resting places for everyone, instead of those plots in town once reserved only for the upper-class. But in the end, money and profits became the dominant factor in the cemetery business. Design rule #1, ease of maintenance. Everything must be linear and flat. No sunken graves. This will allow the mowers to get through and over them quickly, and folks passing by won’t have to burden their minds with the thoughts of, “Hey…they’ve decomposed down there.”
“CHARLES”
First breath- Dec. 13, 1829
Soul released- Aug. 23, 1896
Duration of life- 24,360 days (66 yrs, 8 mo.)
Inscription- “Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of man is peace”
Tree- Cedar
What Happened Here?-
Ever since I can remember, I’ve appreciated cemeteries. They’re peaceful and interesting places to walk through and explore the dates on the headstones, working out a small fragment of what the family relationships might have been within a plot. Many appear to have been happily complete, with a Mother, Father, and all their children who lived long lives. Others can have both spouses, or maybe just one, next to a few children who simply didn’t make it very long.
“Hubbard and Hurschell- Father and Son, Sharing an Oak Tree”
Six year-old Hurschell died two years before his father. The large oak tree they shared recently split down the middle between them, collapsing onto his father’s headstone.
“HURSCHELL”
First breath- November 6, 1898-
Soul released- September 4, 1905
Duration of life- 2,493 days (6 years, 9 months, 30 days)
Inscription- “Budded on earth to bloom in heaven”
Tree- Oak
“HUBBARD”
First breath- July 20, 1872
Soul released- August 17, 1907
Duration of life- 12,813 days (35 years)
Inscription- “Farewell, my wife and children all, From you a father Christ doth call”
Tree- Oak
All the Little Children of the World-
Children who lived for some amount of time would have been formally named by their parents and recorded into their headstone. If they didn’t live very long, many were given a marker with simply, “Infant Son” or “Infant Daughter” carved into it, but it was still important to their parents to give them a marker. Many headstones of children are alone and by themselves with nobody else around them, and many more without any markers at all. My great-grandparents had to bury one of their children alongside the road they were traveling on, never being able to recall “just where it was.” In reality, we probably walk over more people throughout our daily lives without even knowing it than we would wandering through a cemetery. We’re planted everywhere!
“ALVA”
First breath- April 28,1880
Soul released- June 16, 1880
Duration of life- 49 days
Tree- Cedar
Into the Great Unknown-
Most headstones will include a simple poem or Bible scripture carved into them, but the primary information is a name and two dates for, “Born” and “Died.” Whether it was a very long and exciting life, or one that was much too short, it all happened within the space between those two carved dates in that stone.
But there are many out there who died without any carved stone to record the days between their first breath and the day their soul left them. Hopefully they had a lot of time laughing as a kid, and growing up with some brothers and sisters. Other’s had their life end either without anyone around, or without anyone knowing who they were. And then there were the lucky few who had a marker placed only because a passerby found them. And whether not knowing how they came to be there or how they met their demise, as a fellow human being they were compelled to memorialize them with a marker.
“UKNOWN”
First breath- Unknown
Soul released- One day in the late 1840’s
Duration of life- Unknown- Found hanged in this tree by some passing cowboys who buried him underneath it.
Tree- Live Oak
The End
...or is it?
From a pinhole camera, looking up towards heaven from the grave at the base of the tree.
Copyright 2025- All of the images are from wet plate collodion negatives, exposed and developed on-site. The prints are sepia toned silver gelatin contact prints made using these original glass plate negatives and processed in my darkroom.Some inspiration and ideas for the text came from the online article, “The Potential of Our Decay” A Smithsonian- Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage, by Devinne Melecki