VINGSER HENDRICKS COUNTY SINCE 1847
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The Republican
Voices
Exploring Hendricks County
Our Readers Write
By Jackie Horn
Halloween is almost here. The kids working on costumes. Pumpkins carved into Jack-O-Lanterns. Front yards transformed into scenes of Frankenstein’s laboratory and creepy cemeteries. I don’t find cemeteries especially creepy or scary. In fact, I like strolling in graveyards among the tombstones. It’s usually quiet with little traffic. Cars cruise the well-maintained, paved-yet-pothole-free cemetery roads slowly so it’s safe to mosey down the middle of the lane. I admire the grave wreaths and decorations. I enjoy discovering unique, old-fashioned names like Melvina, Bertha, Ebeneezer, Oswald. The causes of death intrigue me: cholera outbreak, a war…. Why were there so many deaths in 1866? I ache for the family that has six names of children under 6 years old on one stone. What I really enjoy is the artwork on tombstones and memorials. Memorial artwork is full of symbolism. After crosses (which represent the deceased was of a Christian faith), one of the most popular decorations is an urn. Urns, because they hold the ashes of the departed loved one, are a symbol of mourning, It was also popular to have a drape or cloth over the urn. A drape indicates sorrow. Angels are another subject of grave art. Angels with trumpets mean the Judgment Day or call to resurrection. Flying represents rebirth. A weeping angel means an untimely death. On a child’s stone, an angel carrying a child is a guardian angel embracing the little one and escorting them back to Heaven. Hands are used on many stones as embellishments. Hands can be praying,
JUST AN OBSERVATION Where is That?
By Janet Beam I am not originally from Hendricks County; we have only lived in Danville for about six months. We have spent all of our lives so far in Boone County. Having said that, I am always amazed at the little towns mentioned in the Yester Year column of the Republican, so I got busy doing some research. We all know the current towns in Hendricks County; Danville, Avon, Coatesville, North Salem, Stilesville, Plainfield, Pittsboro, Brownsburg, Lizton, Amo, Cartersburg, Clayton, Hazelwood (formerly known as Buzzards Roost), New Winchester, a portion of Jamestown, a portion of Camby, and Belleville. I even know where Maplewood and Montclair (originally named Singer Station) are, but some of the others, I have no clue. I found it fascinating to learn of the following communities that called Hendricks County home: Hardscrabble in Washington Township; Center Valley in Liberty Township; Friendswood in Guilford Township; Gale in Center Township; Hadley (first named Mimosa) in Clay Township; Joppa in Guilford Township; Needmore in Marion Township; Pecksburg in Clay Township; Quebec in Middle Township; Springtown (formerly named Springfield); Raintown; Reno in Clay Township; Six Points in Washington Township; Summit; Union; and Tilden (on the Middle-Lincoln Township line) was formerly named Oakley. There may well be others but I could not find any mention of them anywhere. They may reside in someone’s memory; if so, please let us know. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to spend a day or two actually getting to visit these small towns in their heyday? Since ordinary citizens can now travel into space, I am waiting for someone to invent a time machine where we can visit the past. I will be the first in line to buy a ticket! Just an observation. ______________________________________________ only to say the Remember not ht place, but rig the in right thing ll, to leave unfar more difficult sti at the temptng said the wrong thi ing moment. Benjamin Franklin
Thursday, October 28, 2021
For the Love of Golf
reaching, or pointing. A single hand is the hand of God reaching down to assist the deceased into Heaven. Two hands clasped together symbolize marriage. The spouse who passed away first is guiding the departed into Heaven. There are all sorts of meanings to plants on memorials. The Tree of Life, palms, lilies and calla lilies, ivy, and ferns are just a few. Roses are especially interesting. The rose itself represents love, beauty, hope, and unfailing love. Depending on the stage of bloom, it denotes the age of the deceased. A bud is a child under the age of twelve. If the flower is partially bloomed, the person was a teenager. A rose in full bloom means the person was in the prime of their life, twenty to thirty years old. Rosebuds joined together indicates a strong bond between the people who died at the same time, such as a mother and a child. Perhaps my favorite memorial is the tree stump. It represents a life cut short. The shorter the stump, the shorter the life. Some of the sculptures I’ve see were very realistic with vines wrapped and climbing around the tree and initials carved in the “bark.” At the base laid an open book, the Book of Life, with pertinent information about the person. It was a touching monument to a young wife and mother who was 23 years old at her passing. Old gravestones were made from softer materials such as wood, sandstone, and slate which erode over time and become difficult to read. One way to make the inscriptions more legible is to make a rubbing by placing a piece of paper over the engraving and pulling the long side of a crayon or chalk across it. The color covers the paper and the embedded images are decipherable. More modern tombstones and memorials are made from granite which weathers much better. No longer does it require a chisel and hammer to engrave inscriptions and images on a stone. With today’s technology, photographs can be laser-cut into memorial stones with amazing detail. A person who enjoyed gardening can have a photo of themselves standing in their garden etched into their stone. Far from scary, cemeteries are interesting historical places free for exploring. Two websites with comprehensive lists of Hendricks County cemeteries are: findagrave. com/cemetery-browse/USA/Indiana/Hendricks-County?id=county_823 and americancemeteries.org/indiana/ hendricks-county. Don’t forget to take your paper and crayon!
A Squirrel About Town By Archy ““You know,” Archy said. “I’ve come to enjoy our little talks. I have to admit, with some squirrels, starting a conversation is like a pull cord on a lawnmower,” he continued. “You never know how much effort it will take to get it started.” I’ve had the same experience with people. “Sometimes there’s no fuel in the tank,” I said. “Precisely!” Archy exclaimed. “Knowledge, experience and empathy are required to have a real conversation. Even small talk needs a modicum of skill. You need some preparation to be able to exchange pleasantries.” I ventured shyness might be a hindrance for squirrel or human. “Perhaps they’re afraid they won’t have anything interesting to say.” “That doesn’t seen to stop some people,” Archy said. “Conversations are a way to connect with others. To find out differences and commonalities. It doesn’t have to be oratory, it can just be chit-chat. All conversations should promote civility, even an exchange of opposite views. Common ground seems to have become a vary rare real estate commodity.” “How do we get people to rant less and converse more?” I wondered. “Change isn’t easy or fast,” the squirrel said. “Set an example and hope others follow.” “You know, Archy,” I said, “I’ve come to enjoy our little talks, too.” “Be the change,” the squirrel said with a grin. _____________________________________________
We offer Voices as a place to share a story, a memory, an idea, a comment, a criticism, or a solution. Contributors must include name, address & phone number. (Please keep submissions under 500 words)
My husband and I recently took a ten year anniversary trip down to a resort in Mississippi to relax and play golf. Anyone who plays golf will surely understand why I’ve categorized “relaxing” and “playing golf” separately. It is typically not relaxing to play golf. On the contrary, it can be pretty frustrating; some may even say infuriating. However, I do believe that playing creates great opportunities for bonding with others, practicing dealing with stress, and learning to be present in the moment. I didn’t learn to play golf until I was in my mid-20’s, but my husband has been playing since he was a kid. He introduced me to the game. I had played pretty much every other sport growing up, so I thought it would be fairly easy. The pros make it look that way. The first time I teed off I hit the ball perfectly straight…the way that my feet were facing. It bounced off the tee marker and dribbled about 20 feet in front of me. If you can believe it, my game went downhill from there. The patience that my husband has displayed in teaching me is incredible. In the hundreds (maybe even thousands) of terrible and missed shots I’ve taken, I don’t think he has ever gotten frustrated with me. I think he realizes that it is a difficult game and that I am trying my best. We are there to cheer each other up if one of us is playing poorly, and sometimes it seems like we are constantly reminding each other that even though the ball is not going where we want it to, it is a beautiful day or we are getting a rare break from our young children, so we should take a deep breath and enjoy it. Often we grab a beer to help as well. I’ve noticed a lot of parallels between the game of golf and the game of life: you have to keep going even when you’re feeling down, your energy is better spent focusing on the good (and there usually is at least ONE good shot per round) than the bad, you have to concentrate, slow down, and be present to have any chance of hitting that good shot, and you find yourself encouraging anyone who might be struggling. Even though it has caused me quite a bit of heartache, I will forever be grateful to my husband for introducing me to the game. Happy Anniversary, Greg. ‘Till death do us golf! Melissa Irby _____________________________________________
The Rope
One of my greatest accomplishments while in the United States Air Force was becoming a Rope. It happened while I was going to Tech School at Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi Mississippi. Out of several hundred guys, you were asked to become a Rope. It was a position of honor and required leadership qualities. You were chosen based on attitude, appearance, and grades. There were four types of Ropes, Green, Red, Yellow, and White. A Green Rope was in training and was assigned to a Red Rope. A Red Rope was in charge of a squad, approximately 40 guys. A Yellow Rope was in charge of a flight which consisted of two squads. A White Rope was in charge of a whole Shift, there being three shifts. A shift went to school in the mornings, B shift in the afternoons and C shift went to school in the evenings (which I was on). I was promoted to Yellow Rope and I had no desire to become a white Rope. I had to work hard to keep my grades up. As a yellow Rope I was also responsible for the cleaning and maintaining of the barracks we lived in. I had to create duty roosters and assign the work. This I delegated to the Red Ropes on Saturdays and then I would go to the beach with my army blanket. LOL. The other task I was responsible for was marching the troops to and from class every night. There would be six rows of men and each row had about 20 men in it. I would call out cadence and try to keep everyone in step. I would march about two thirds of the way back from the front on the left side. One night I called for a right turn (Column Right, HUH) The front row began the turn but I couldn’t see the parked cars very clearly and marched the flight right into the back of them. The whole formation fell apart, laughing their heads off of course. I finally got everyone back into formation, shouting (Fall In) and then shouting (Forward March). For a young guy of 19 this was a lot of responsibility, but I survived my first leadership role. Noel Gatlin ______________________________________________
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