Comments for Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery

Comment on Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions by administrator

administrator — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:15:15 +0000

The superstition about the owl is mentioned in the list above. Seems like birds are an ill omen all around, pecking at windows, getting caught in chimneys, etc. Owls, crows, ravens are all harbingers of an impending funeral. Poe’s Raven perched above his chamber door is immortalized in verse, although there, Lenore, his Beloved, is already dead. My grandmother always said a black animal of any kind coming up on a porch or hanging about near the house
was an omen of death to come.

Comment on Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions by tiffany

tiffany — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:59:08 +0000

this is lovely

Comment on Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:38:28 +0000

There is a tradition in our family that women should cover their faces and indeed their heads before a corpse.
I remember the night that my mother in-law died by accident near our home. We saw an owl out side our window , it stayed every night
about a month . we had never seen it before . It called all night and then about a year later it came back but did not stay as long. we’ve never seen an owl there again

Comment on Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions by KENN

KENN — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:27:33 +0000

I usually hear that 3 knock thing too, it scares the hell out of me..My father just passed 3 xmas’ ago and i was his #1,what does all this mean? Am i about to leave this world? I do think there is a God,they also say that some people just have a feeling before it’s time..What do you think?

Comment on Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions by Darkone

Darkone — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:35:26 +0000

I have also heard that a corpse should leave the house feet first and ALWAYS through the front door. Both sets of grandparents always came and went through the back door of their houses ( even though that meant walking past the front door) and the only time the front doors were used were for coming in carrying coal and silver after midnight on new years day ( having left via the back door just before the stroke of midnight), and when they died, and their coffins left the house.I am from Darlington , my grandparents all being from Durham.

Comment on Funerals of Oak Grove Notables by administrator

administrator — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:34:41 +0000

By car, Oak Grove is only about a 5 minute drive from the Borden House, straight up High Street, right at the fork, right onto Prospect Street, and straight into the cemetery.

Comment on Funerals of Oak Grove Notables by Kira Pettet

Kira Pettet — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:18:01 +0000

how far is this cemetery from the Lizzie Borden House?

Comment on Cemetery Maintenance by administrator

administrator — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:33:47 +0000

Your message has been passed along to the proper authority for repairs.

Comment on Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions by Jane

Jane — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:15:10 +0000

“A cat hissing when a body is laid is consider a bad omen”

Comment on About Oak Grove by administrator

administrator — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:19:08 +0000

Send your questions to Revdma@aol.com- we will get answers!

Comment on About Oak Grove by uglywomansguide

uglywomansguide — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:05:37 +0000

My great aunt was allegedly murdered by her wealthy powerful husband in 1901 in Lake Mills, WI. He then (allegedly) bribed a local doctor to cover it up and that was the end of it, until a few months ago when I stumbled upon this old legend. Last week, I had my great aunt’s body exhumed, so that we could find out what happened to her. During the exhumation, there were many more odd discoveries, and I’m writing to find out who could answer some basic 1901-funeral etiquette questions?

Rosemary Thornton
Great niece of Addie Hoyt Fargo

Comment on Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions by Anne Edge

Anne Edge — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:52:56 +0000

I was born in1951 from a scottish father and english mother we lived on one of the (new at the time) housing estates.
When any one died in the street on the day of the funeral all the curtains in all of the houses would be kept closed until the funeral party had left.
Also anybody on the street at the time of leaving the ladies would bow their heads and the men would doff their hats.
I still to this day keep all my curtains closed whenever there is a family funeral.
This is all part of the ritual of life, from churching after the birth till the time of leaving.