Tombstone Tuesday - Spalding Graves at Calvary, Kentucky

Old Grave yard at Calvary

These old graves are in the Old Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church cemetery in Calvary, 

Kentucky.  This photo was taken by my sister-in-law, I believe about 1974.  The first burial in this old cemetery dates back to 1794.  I have a listing with about 250 people buried there that someone created by reading the tombstones, but the date that listing was created is not stated.  So many of these stones are no longer standing.  The photo below is one I took in 2014, showing what they have done with old broken stone remnants.  

Entrance to Old graveyard at Calvary

 

In about the middle of the cemetery, the are a few stones that stand out behind this old wrought-iron fence.  The graves of Richard Augustine Spalding and two of his wives are there.  Richard's grave is in the background of this photo behind the one leaning on the fence.  This was also taken by my sister-in-law in the 70's.  

The stone leaning on the fence is for Mary (Charlton-Adams) Spalding, third wife of Richard.  She died at age 57, just 33 days before Richard.  The stone reads:  "Here lies the remains of Mary Spalding, consort of Richard Spalding, born Octo. 11, 1792, died Aug. 4, 1850, in the 58th year of her age after a long illness patiently endured.  A devoted wife, mother and Christian.  May she rest in peace."   

The stone lying down is inscribed:  "Thomas S. Spalding, born Sept. 23, 1834, died Oct. 5, 1855, aged 21 Yrs & 11 D's.  Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord R. I. P."  I believe he is Richard and Mary's son.

I took this photo of Richard's grave in 2008.  It's very hard to read most of the inscription, but my best attempt is:  "Here Lie, the mortal remains of, Richard Spalding, born April 16, 1777, died Sept. 7, 1850, a devoted father and husband, a true friend of the poor, he died strong in faith and in hope and surrounded by all the [?] and consolations of [?] ".  There is more that's impossible to read.*  Richard was 73.

This is from my most recent trip to the cemetery in May of 2014, the fence is nearly all down and somehow the tree has disappeared.  Mary's stone is in the center, the small one to the right is for "William Charlton, died July 22, 1852".  Mary's maiden name was Charlton, his birth year listed at Find A Grave would be about right for him to be her brother. 

Richard was married three times, first to Henrietta Hamilton in 1801.  She is also buried in this fenced in area, but I don't have a photo of her grave.  This Henrietta died in 1815 at age 35.  Then in 1817 Richard married Henrietta Thompson, who is my husband's Third Great Grandmother.  She died at age 40 in 1826 and was buried in the St. Augustine Church Cemetery in Lebanon.  In 1827, Richard married Mrs. Mary Adams, whose grave is pictured above.

It's amazing to find these 166 year old stones at all, and these are still standing in pretty good shape considering the years.  Maybe that wrought-iron fence kept them from becoming part of the entrance collage.  

* [Edited 10/18/16] After publishing this post, I remembered that I in the summer of 1992, along with family members and my new Canon Camcorder, I was at this cemetery.  From that video in which those who were with me read what they could of the inscription on Richard's marker, I now have what I believe is the complete inscription: 

"Here Lie, the mortal remains of, Richard Spalding, born April 16, 1777, died Sept. 7, 1850, a devoted father and husband, a true friend of the poor, he died strong in faith and in hope and surrounded by all the aid and consolations of the living.  Blessed are the dead who died in the Lord, for their deeds follow them.".