My Moynahan Genealogy Blog: Tombstone Tuesday

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Tombstone Tuesday - The St Alphonsus' Moynahans

I love this Moynahan headstone at the St Alphonsus cemetery in Windsor, Ontario. I have no idea of the scale of it because I have never seen it personally, but I like to think that it is large enough for someone to sit on, like a bench, and reflect.

What inspired this design? Who created it? Who was it created for?

I know that Timothy (1813-1902), Archange (1824-1903), Enos (59-1895) and James (1865-1899) Moynahan are buried in the St. Alphonsus cemetery. This headstone is likely theirs.

James Moynahan's headstone at St Alphonsus is below. Notice the similar wood log design.

As soon as I posted this on social media, Brenda Corby suggested that perhaps my ancestor was a "Woodsmen of the World" (WOW) which has nothing to do with chopping wood!

Woodmen of the World and the Tree Stone Grave Markers writes:

"If you visit cemeteries often, you’ve probably noticed the tree stone monuments, especially in the West, Midwest and South. As mentioned last Tuesday, two organizations are given credit for their proliferation, Modern Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World."

To explore the group that is responsible for the sheer number of them and why, visit this ling at A Grave Interest: http://agraveinterest.blogspot.ca/2011/06/woodmen-of-world-and-tree-stone-grave.html

Source: Canada GenWeb's Cemetry Project
http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/622359?PHPSESSID=bd469930d83769dcb649f0eefa44dc8c

I will have to make further inquiries through the St. Alphonsus cemetery records. But for now, I am delighted and intrigued by this unusual Moynahan headstone.

James Moynahan 1865-1899