Tag: graves

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 514

By Erik Loomis

In General

On July 21, 2019

This is the grave of Mary Ann Lee. Born in 1823 in Philadelphia, Lee became one of the first American ballet dancers, if the claim is more debatable than her gravestone suggests. After all, her dances were not solo shows. It’s not clear to me how she got into ballet dancing, but Paul Hazard of […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 513

By Erik Loomis

On July 20, 2019

This is the grave of Sylvia Beach. Born a preacher’s daughter in Maryland in 1887, Nancy Beach changed her name to Sylvia as a young woman. She came from a long family of missionaries and minist

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 512

By Erik Loomis

On July 18, 2019

This is the grave of Douglas Southall Freeman. Born in 1886 in Lynchburg, Virginia, Freeman grew up to be one of a handful of people who popularized the romantic vision of the Confederacy as doomed bu

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 511

By Erik Loomis

In General

On July 17, 2019

This is the grave of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery sometime around February 1818 on a plantation in Talbot County, Maryland, Douglass, like most slaves, could only guess at his actual age. His father was a white man who had raped his mother, as was an everyday occurrence under slavery. His mother died when he […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 510

By Erik Loomis

On July 16, 2019

This is the grave of Horatio Alger. Born in 1832 in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Alger grew up in relative comfort. His father was a fairly prominent Unitarian minister and the family had roots deep into t

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 509

By Erik Loomis

On July 15, 2019

This is the grave of Fred Rose. Born in Evansville, Indiana in 1897 or 1898 (there is evidently some dispute about this), Knols Fred Rose started playing piano as a child and was very good. He grew up

Erik Visits an (Non) American Grave, Part 508

By Erik Loomis

In General

On July 14, 2019

This is the grave of Sarah Bernhardt. Born Henriette Bernard in Paris in 1844, Bernhardt was the daughter of a Jewish courtesan. The courtesan was a significant part of 19th century France, effectively high-end prostitutes engaging in long-term affairs with very wealthy men, often minor royalty from the many royal houses of Europe that still […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 507

By Erik Loomis

On July 12, 2019

This is the grave of Frederick Douglas Patterson. Born in 1901 in Washington, D.C., Patterson was named for the great black leader Frederick Douglass. But he had a tough early childhood. Both his pare

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 506

By Erik Loomis

On July 11, 2019

This is the grave of Alonzo Herndon. Herndon was born into slavery in 1858, in Walton County, Georgia. His mother’s master had raped her and Alonzo was the result. Like basically every other sla

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 505

By Erik Loomis

In General

On July 10, 2019

This is the grave of Lee Marvin. Born in 1924 in New York City, Marvin grew up in a well-off family. His father was an advertising executive and his mother a fashion writer. His parents however were all-in on the romanticizing of the Confederates who committed treason in defense of slavery; his name of “Lee” […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 504

By Erik Loomis

On July 9, 2019

This is the grave of Don Reno. Born in 1926 in Buffalo, South Carolina, Reno grew up with a banjo in his hand. He started playing at the age of 5 and by the time he was 13 he was in a band performing

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 503

By Erik Loomis

On July 8, 2019

This is the grave of Howard Zinn. Born in 1922 in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents, Zinn grew up as part of the immigrant working classes. His father was a ditch digger and window washer for awhil

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