Cleveland Cemeteries: Stone, Symbols & Stories

Cleveland Cemeteries: Stone, Symbols & Stories by Vigil, Vicki Blum. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781886228252.

Take a quiet journey back through time and discover the fascinating stories of Clevelands most notable permanent residents. These 61 nearby cemeteries are home to a wide range of characters celebrities, villains, patriarchs, innovators, and just plain folks. Theyre a remarkable source of local lore, from woeful tales of untimely demise to celebrations of noble achievement and almost everything in between. Stroll among the markers and meet . . . -"Worlds Strongest Man" Stanley Radwan, who once bit in half a 5/8-inch-thick piece of steel (p. 26) -Royalty, including Lizzie Ely, True Queen of the Gypsies (p. 80) and Polka King Frankie Yankovic (p. 27) -Gertrude Anna Harrison, the countrys first womens golf pro and inventor of the golf-ball-return machine (p. 107) -Oil titan John D. Rockefeller, on whose 400,000-pound(!) monument visitors still place shiny new dimes (p. 108) -The giant Captain Martin Van Buren Bates, discharged from the army because they couldnÕt find a uniform large enough to fit him (p. 202) - and hundreds more! Each listing includes details about where and when to visit, historical facts, oldest graves, religious and ethnic affiliation, and where to find cemetery records. Also included are tidbits about gravemarker symbology, cemetery superstition, gravestone rubbing, and other useful information.