The Seven Weld Brothers:1800 TO 2000 Book

This jewel of a book takes you on a detailed tour of about 120 old cemeteries still around from Connecticut to Vermont. Rogak is very thorough while also throwing in funny stories about creepy old headstones. "His monument in the southern corner of the cemetery accurately captures the flamboyance and sheer gall of the man when alive: On each of the four corners of the tall monument perch four elaborately carved women, naked from the waist up and holding a portion of Fisk's lost empire." I have seen a few of these cemeteries, with their toppling stones and 200-year-old trees. The atmosphere is thick with mystery. Swan Point and Mount Auburn are among my favorites. Rogak does a great job of highlighting hilarious epitaphs such as "He's done a-catching cod, and gone to meet his God" and she notes famous people and ghost stories where they appear. She explains the carving of skulls and angels and fish. But the most fun is just reading her descriptions of the people buried in the early days of our country and what was important to them. "She was in a state of health suddenly summoned to the skies and snatched from the eager embraces of her friends and the throbbing hearts of her disconsolate family when she swallowed a pea at her own table. Mary McHard March 18, 1780."