I’m going to post a little more detail about NGS, but I have to get this picture up. We had a little sidetrip/cemetery adventure (more details about that too, I promise) but during this outing I saw a headstone of a type I’ve never seen before. This headstone actually had the cause of death engraved:
The person’s name was Travis, but it goes on to say:..”Killed April 24, 1893 by Falling off Fishing Creek Bridge Enfield, NC”. I found it curious that they would put that on a headstone. I wonder if it was sort of a warning to be careful when you’re crossing that darn Fishing Creek Bridge? 
Have you all ever seen anything like that?
I’ve not seen anything like that but I’ve got an unusual tombstone in my family. My uncle drowned while he was in grad school (1944). My grandparents brought him back home to NC for burial and on his tombstone they listed all his college degrees. Even now, when one of my relatives die, in their obit you will see all of their college degrees listed.
Isn’t that interesting! I have never seen anything like that. Pretty good idea–and great for us genealogists. Thank you so much for stopping by here–visit me anytime;)
I just ran across your blog when researching the Hemings book. And I just wanted to mention…I too have found some of these headstones. I live in Minnesota, and some of the old markers will say stuff like, “Died in childbirth” “Killed in the Civil War” etc. But I saw many of them in cemetaries down south that were more descriptive. I saw one that said something like, ‘After toiling many long hours in the rain, took ill and died of a fever 1863.’ I wonder if they were marked this way to let others know who might have passed through and maybe knew the deceased? Or maybe just a way to remember themselves. A bit of family history written in stone.
Interesting stuff.
Weird that you posted this. I was searching for maps of fishing creek and found this.. That headstone is actually in the cemetary in my home town. I always thought it was the coolest thing!