Tombstone Tuesday--Clark's Pink Granite

Well, I warned you that I was going to be searching for a theme, since I had run out of Newaygo County cemeteries.  I will probably be having a jumble of assorted pictures from in and out of the county, some family, and some not.  But this week, the focus is some of the pink granite in Clark Cemetery.

Perhaps it is naive of  me, but I always think of granite, especially pink granite as being a more modern material for use in grave stones.  These stones all impressed me because, while being made of pink granite, for the most part, they also either are older stones, or replacements modeled after older stones.  The above picture is to far away to read the dates on the stone, or even names so I can look it up in our transcript of the cemetery.  However, it is rather tall, and massive, appearing to be a couple fee across and at least a foot thick.  I can make out there in addition to the decorative carving along the top, that there is also several lines of inscriptions.  Not a typical modern stone.  But as I mentioned, perhaps a replacement.

 This stone is for George O. Mena, son of Samuel and Jean Mena and died in 18 September 1889, at just over the age of 20 years.  I am unable to determine if his is the only name on the stone, but on the right side, you can just make out that it appears shiny and unblemished.   If this was erected my his parents, then it must be a older stone.  But the carving is so crisp and clean, it makes me wonder if this is just due to the durability of granite.

 Here is another heavy obelisk style.  Very thick, very massive.  Notice that the urn on top is still in good shape.  It also has the drapery over the back of the urn.  And again, the granite holds up well and the carving appears crisp, as near as you can tell from a distance.  Notice the other big stone, just a bit down the lane.  It is also pink granite, and you can barely make out from the edge that is is fashioned like a log on top, held up by a stump on this side, and presumably another on the far side.

 These three nearly identical sit under a large maple tree.  The grass is thin in these areas, and they are a bit stained.  But, pink granite all the same.  These do show their age a bit more, perhaps just from the discoloring though.  The middle stone, for Henry L Becker appears to show a death date of 1888, but our transcript says his reads 1870 to 1897.  The nearer stone for Isabelle M. Becker is dated 1867 to 1957 according to our transcript.  And the farthest stone for Isabelle (without an M.) is dated 1840 to 1936.  I wonder if these are all from the 1930's or 50's, since they are so much alike with the same scroll effect on the top. 

This last stone is the family monument for the Skeels family.  The road named for their family ends just across the nearby intersection, on the boundary between Muskegon and Oceana counties.  One of my family stones is shaped similarly to this one with its stacked logs, although, typical of my family, ours has nothing is engraved on the large flat area of the scroll.  This has very clear engraving, and even the palm fronds are crisp.  I am fairly sure that this is a later addition to the family plot.  This same area has individual stones for Flora daughter of R. W. and L. Skeels, who died 21 June 1968, as well as one for Myrtie M Skeels, whose stone is dated 6 October 1882 to 12 August 1883.  The military flag and only other stone visible in this picture is apparently for Rufus W Skeels (father of Flora?).  Our transcript has the dates of 9 August 1836 to 1 July 1907, with a handwritten addition of Co. H, 3rd Michigan Infantry. 
Pink granite was the stone of choice for my mother (who loved everything pink.) and was also used for my great- and great-great-grandparents.  Maybe I'll move on to those next week.