LINCOLN MEMORIAL TO RECEIVE $18.5 MILLION FACELIFT

 

America’s great contralto, Marian Anderson, stands before Lincoln’s statue on the day of her triumphant concert at the Lincoln Memorial, April 9, 1939. (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain.)

 

“I am humbled to be a part of honoring this great man and preserving this iconic memorial for future generations.” – David Rubenstein

 
On Presidents’ Day 2016, Americans were greeted by the news that one of their most cherished national symbols will be preserved for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren via a multi-million dollar renovation of the Lincoln Memorial. The tender loving care will be funded by an $18.5 million donation from philanthropist and Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein, and will include the memorial’s cleaning, repairs to marble masonry and brick, and conservation of the spectacular Jules Guérin murals which help bring Abraham Lincoln’s ideals to life for the millions of women, men and children who visit America’s National Mall annually.

In addition, an elevator will be installed to improve access for visitors with disabilities, and more space will be made available for exhibits, education and research.

“These improvements will hopefully enable more people to better understand and appreciate Abraham Lincoln’s remarkable leadership during one of the most trying periods in American history,” David Rubenstein said. “I am humbled to be a part of honoring this great man and preserving this iconic memorial for future generations.”

The much-needed support comes as the U.S. National Park Service celebrates its Centennial Anniversary, and is the fourth such gift to the NPS by Rubenstein and one of many others he has made to history museums across America. In January, he loaned two rare copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment to the Smithsonian Institution’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture, and also gifted $10 million to the NMAAHC. In 2015 and 2014, he donated $5.4 million and roughly $12.4 million, respectively, for renovations to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and Arlington House on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.

“In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” 

Those words inscribed above Lincoln’s statue eloquently describe the experience of visitors to the Lincoln Memorial, and were penned by Royal Cortissoz, an art critic and columnist for the New York Herald Tribune. The statue, designed by sculptor Daniel Chester French and carved by the Piccirilli Brothers from 1918-1920, is a towering 19 feet high and depicts Lincoln seated and musing in the midst of America’s great Civil War, his left hand clenched forcefully in recognition of the fight being waged by his beloved nation, his right resting on the arm of his chair as if signaling his hope that peace was still possible. Those hands are so mesmerizing because French not only studied photographs of Lincoln’s face prior to beginning his design work, he studied castings of Lincoln’s actual hands which had been created in 1860.

French’s protégé, Evelyn Beatrice Longman, fashioned the decorative carvings adorning Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address while Ernest C. Bairstow carved the lettering in the Lincoln Memorial’s interior and the eagles, festoons and wreaths on the building’s exterior.

Henry Bacon designed not just the architecture of the Greek Doric-style building where Lincoln’s statue is housed, but the memorial’s overall “effect.” It was Bacon, a New York architect, who chose Jules Guérin to create the interior murals, Emancipation and Unity, which bring Abraham Lincoln’s ideals to life.

Bacon also ensured that it would be uniquely “American,” by using Alabama marble for the ceiling, granite from Massachusetts for the terrace, Colorado marble for the upper steps and façade, pink marble from Tennessee for the interior chamber floors, Indiana limestone for the columns and interior walls. The Great Emancipator’s likeness was hewn from Georgia marble.

Construction began in 1914; the memorial was officially dedicated in 1922.

Dedication of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., 30 May 1922. (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain.)

 

Truly Iconic in a World of Faux Icons

Although the word iconic has been misapplied in today’s media to everything and everyone from fad fashions to one-hit wonders, it is a word which does truly befit the Lincoln Memorial, which has served as the gathering point Americans during critical periods in the nation’s history.

It was here, on Easter Sunday in 1939 at the urging of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, that Marian Anderson sang for the nation when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow America’s great contralto to sing before an integrated audience at the DAR’s Constitution Hall.

And it was here, on August 28, 1863, that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired generations to fight for a world in which children would “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Rubenstein, in giving this particular gift to the National Park Foundation, has reinvigorated the words of Abraham Lincoln, who said during his 1863 Gettysburg Address:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell of Rubenstein’s generosity, “His act of ‘patriotic philanthropy’ will not only safeguard one of our most visited and recognizable memorials for future generations, but will also help preserve Lincoln’s legacy to this country.”

 
Image (top): America’s great contralto, Marian Anderson, stands before Abraham Lincoln’s statue on the day of her most triumphant performance, April 9, 1939. Refused permission by the Daughters of the American Revolution to sing for an integrated audience at the DAR’s Constitution Hall, she was invited by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to perform at the National Mall. An estimated crowd of 75,000 witnessed Anderson make history at the Lincoln Memorial while millions tuned in via radio that Easter Sunday, 1939. (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain.)

 

Bringing Comfort by Documenting Burial Locations

By The Contemplative Genealogist©™

On a day of burial there is no perspective – for space itself is annihilated. Your dead friend is still a fragmentary being. The day you bury him is a day of chores and crowds, of hands false or true to be shaken, of the immediate cares of mourning. The dead friend will not really die until tomorrow, when silence is round you again. Then he will show himself complete, as he was – to tear himself away, as he was, from the substantial you. Only then will you cry out because of him who is leaving and whom you cannot detain. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

 

Wise words from the sage of many a childhood – and from someone who had clearly lost someone close to him. But while death is often a shattering experience for the loved ones left behind, it can also become a catalyst for the living – offering opportunities for estranged relatives or friends to reconnect and reflect on their respective personal journeys, as well as on the life of the departed. The passing of a loved one also provides an important opening – to share the narrative of that loved one’s life with the world through an obituary published in a newspaper or preserved online in perpetuity via a cemetery record website, such as Find A Grave.

Online cemetery record websites such as Find A Grave and Billion Graves have become, over the past decade, increasingly popular tools for professional genealogists and hobbyists, as well as for grieving families and their trusted funeral directors. Millions of men, women, children (and even pets) have been memorialized with thousands more honored each day.

Labeling themselves “gravers,” regular users of such online memorial sites are genuine cemetery enthusiasts. Often unrelated to the departed, they take great pride in their volunteer efforts to preserve the history of towns across America by posting memorials online for each of the decedents interred at individual burial sites or documenting, through their photography and legwork, the exquisite stained glass art of crypts in distinctive cities of the dead or unusual headstone carvings in the lesser known resting places of average Americans.

Their work is deeply appreciated by beginning and experienced family historians who, for reasons of time and money, are unable to visit the many far flung cemeteries where distant ancestors are interred. The memorials they create also often bring comfort to surviving family members when they realize that someone has taken the time to remember special loved ones. The photographs posted often present stirring examples of graves lovingly tended and of departed whose lives have been obscured by the sands of time.

Unfortunately, the work of a few gravers has come into question over the past several years. A handful, who are oddly competitive and termed by their fellow gravers as “hard core,” seem to have been more concerned with racking up the largest possible number of posted memorials on their favorite websites rather than accurately conveying the details of the graves they have been “documenting.”

In their haste to create a cemetery’s worth of memorials or “get there first” with respect to posting memorials following the publication of obituaries, these overzealous gravers have posted online profiles for individuals before funerals and interments have even been completed, as well as memorials for others who haven’t even yet died. A number of these gravers have also failed to document the relationships between individuals buried in the same cemetery by taking the simple step of linking the online profiles of husbands to wives and of parents to their children before moving on to create another memorial. Others have posted incorrect birth or death dates for decedents, causing confusion for genealogists, historians and members of the media engaged in research.

But most upsetting to many has been the work of those who have posted content about deceased individuals which has shocked and saddened surviving family and friends. Several gravers have posted morbid death scene photos while others have taken the liberty of photographing their dogs sitting or standing on graves – graves of individuals to whom they are not even related. Others, not understanding the spiritual traditions of the dead they are documenting, place flowers or other materials on graves before photographing – in violation of a cemetery’s rules or a religion’s tenets.

In one instance several years ago, a graver posted details on a man’s memorial about the woman who had killed him. Had this graver done a quick Internet search before posting the “facts” of the departed’s death, the poster would have learned that the woman (also now deceased) had not murdered her husband, but had shot him in self-defense after he had first shot her in an attempt to take her life. She had suffered severe abuse at his hands for years before that fateful night, and had told police that the gun went off accidentally as she was trying to get the gun away from him to prevent him from killing her. Upon her passing, friends and family noted that she had rebuilt her life after the tragedy, and had contributed greatly to her community through her public service efforts.

In another case, sadly, a different graver “memorialized” a woman who had been shot and killed by her ex-husband in church. Rather than honoring the victim by describing her 30-year career as a beloved educator in a small town, this graver chose to fill the deceased woman’s memorial space with details about the man who had taken this gifted teacher’s life.

Adding Insult to Injury

As shocking as these and other examples of unkind behavior toward the departed are, they have been compounded by the puzzling reactions of callous gravers who seem not to understand the pain such “memorials” inflict on the families and friends of those who stumble across postings about their loved ones. When asked by family or friends to remove or revise these memorials, many of these seemingly hardhearted gravers have refused, citing a variety of confusing rules from online cemetery registries which allegedly vest them with the authority to post whatever they believe to be appropriate.

Photos of graves posted online are perfectly fine, they say, because cemeteries are public places and they are simply trying to be thorough and accurate. Several have also claimed that it is acceptable for them to place whatever items they want on graves they photograph because they do not personally adhere to the same religious beliefs of the individuals they are documenting. Most frustrating is that, when asked to transfer memorials to family members who wish to add additional information about their loved ones, several of these gravers have also refused to cooperate.

What is readily apparent to many who have witnessed this controversy play out in online forums over the years is that much of this discomfort and disagreement could have easily been avoided by simply asking, “If someone posted this about my mom or my child, would that upset me or someone else in our family?”

Whether we are professional genealogists or hobbyists, it is important to understand that, just because we can post something about someone who has passed on, doesn’t mean we should. It is vital that gravers hold themselves to a higher standard – and for the owners of sites like Find A Grave to ensure that they do. With that in mind, The Contemplative Genealogist©™ offers these tips for appropriately memorializing someone who has passed away.

Tips:

1. Be respectful. Know and adhere to the specific rules of each cemetery you are visiting. Jogging, for example, is not permitted at Arlington National Cemetery, and bicycles and motorcycles are not allowed elsewhere. Many cemeteries also prohibit the placement of balloons, candles, toys, and other tokens at grave sites, and restrict the planting of shrubs or trees. Still others regulate the placement of real and artificial flowers and the times when holiday remembrances may be left.

2. Honor the spiritual traditions of those whose graves you are visiting. According to The Jewish Funeral Guide:

“It is forbidden to treat the cemetery lightly and derive any kind of benefit from the graves … levity and undignified behavior, is unacceptable in the presence of the dead in general and in the Jewish cemetery in particular. The solemn atmosphere of the cemetery requires appropriate conduct from all visitors…. Eating and drinking is not allowed…. Sitting on a gravestone, which directly covers a grave is prohibited. One may, however, sit near the graves. One should avoid stepping on a grave, unless there is no alternative way to access other graves or to perform burials. It is customary to request forgiveness of the deceased if one must step on his or her grave…. Upon entering and leaving the cemetery, it is customary to wash one’s hands using a cup of water poured alternately on each hand.” And if “the scheduled visit falls on the Sabbath or on a Jewish Holiday,” adds the funeral guide “it should be rescheduled…. The Jewish custom is not to bring flowers or floral wreaths to the graves. Instead, when taking leave of the deceased, one should place a small stone upon the grave.”

3. Leave Fido at home or in the car. Most cemeteries do not allow pets. Perhaps more importantly, while many family and friends of deceased individuals are dog friendly, a fair number would be distressed to learn that dogs have been sitting on or roaming over their loved ones’ graves. If you feel that it is not safe for you to visit a cemetery alone, bring a human rather than a furry friend. If this is not possible – or if you will be bringing a trained guide dog or other service animal to assist you, use a leash and keep your animal from wandering onto any graves. And above all, if you’re photographing a grave for a memorial site such as Find A Grave, do not take or post pictures of graves showing your animal on the grave you have been asked to photograph.

4. Do not post data on websites such as Find A Grave for pre-need gravesites set up by individuals in advance of their death. Memorials for individuals who have not yet passed on are not permitted by many online cemetery registries for very good reason. “Gravers” jumping the gun can cause confusion for genealogists, news reporters and other researchers who may accidentally spread inaccurate information about someone’s passing, and may also cause undue worry for family members, such as nieces and nephews, who reside far away from a memorialized individual and may be shocked to learn of a favored aunt or uncle’s passing – when that individual is actually still alive and well.

5. Wait a few days until after the funeral to post a decedent’s memorial on Find A Grave or similar website. It can be difficult for grieving family to stumble across an online memorial created by someone who did not know the loved one, particularly if the content of the memorial is poorly written or contains data about the decedent which family members did not want published. Most importantly, the family and friends of the deceased may be fellow gravers, professional genealogists, or individuals who simply want to personally honor a loved one by posting the memorial themselves. They should be given adequate time to do so.

6. Be truthful but kind to the memory of the individual you are memorializing – and also sensitive to the feelings of surviving family and friends who might come across your online memorial. When a child dies suddenly, it can take decades for parents to come to terms with their child’s passing. Photos taken of their child’s grave by strangers may feel intrusive or even disrespectful. If you are asked to remove the memorial, do so without argument or debate. It is simply the kind and decent thing to do for parents who are experiencing a pain like no other.

7. Focus on the positive when creating online memorials. Whether an adult dies tragically as the result of a terrible car accident or at home in bed is not the issue. What matters is how the decedent lived. It is never acceptable to post gory details of a car accident or homicide – or to focus more on the batterer or murderer than you do on the decedent. Retell the positive to help surviving family, friends and others who may come across your memorial to understand who the decedent truly was.

8. Go above and beyond the Golden Rule. Put yourself in the place of the family or friends of the deceased. Ask yourself if they might perceive your actions as honoring the memory of their loved ones – or as being disrespectful.

 

Image: Ancient Cemetery, Hartford, Connecticut, 2011. Source: The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division (public domain).

Genealogy – Turning Heartbreak into an Opportunity to Inspire Others

By The Contemplative Genealogist©™

“Genealogy will break your heart.” That cautionary advice was given to me as a beginning family history researcher by one of the longer serving members of a state genealogy society where I was volunteering.

Telling me that there would be many fun discoveries ahead, she also cautioned that there would be breathtaking moments of sadness and disappointment – periods when I would wish that I could reach through the folds of time to grab an ancestor and shake him awake to make him change his bad boy ways – or bear hug a great-grandmother or grand aunt forced to bury yet another child.

The adventure has been an extraordinary one. Working on my own family’s paternal and maternal trees – as well as those of other family members, friends and clients – and those of an entire Civil War regiment, I have often been struck by the ways in which one simple piece of paper can make present day women and men feel as if they’re meeting centuries-dead relatives face-to-face. In several cases, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to help others finally understand why their own lives may have unfolded the way they have.

Distant relatives who were institutionalized. Civil War-era boys who suffered through incarceration at the infamous Andersonville Prison only to die within a few short months of arriving home. Acts of unspeakable domestic violence. A young boy sent to an orphanage when his single mom could no longer care for him. Children who died in infancy from diseases that, only a few years later, would be eradicated or easily treated. A mother, eight months pregnant, suddenly widowed when her husband was felled by a heart attack.

The heartrending snapshots of ancestors’ lives about which that older, wiser genealogist had warned me. But, with a willingness to dig for the details behind a single sentence found on an Internet cemetery memorial or a U.S. Census sheet, many of these hints at tragedy have turned out to be so much more.

Stories of courage, kindness, redemption, and triumph in the face of overwhelming odds that have the capacity to make us realize that we, like our ancestors before us, are made of sterner stuff. That we are capable of surviving almost anything – and that all of us have it within us, as individuals, to change the world for the better in our own unique and important ways.

So, if you’re reading this as someone who is researching your own or another’s family history? Be a Mensch. Try to uncover – and then share – the full story of the person you’re profiling (if it’s appropriate and okay with living family members). Present not only the fact that someone did time, but the why of the crime. Determine what might have been at the root of one parent’s decision to leave a family behind or place a child up for adoption.

Consider doing so even if you’re working on the profile of someone who was only a distant relative. You might be the one, single person who takes the time to uncover a gem of a story that hundreds of other amateur genealogists skipped, thinking it wasn’t relevant to their respective research efforts.

At a minimum, you’ll be demonstrating genuine compassion for the individual you’re profiling by portraying the person as fully and accurately as possible. In so doing, you might just end up with the opportunity to write a great human interest story which captures the attention of a larger reading audience.

 

Image: Rescue of Jules Duruof and his wife off the Skagerrak. Source: U.S. Library of Congress (public domain).