Cemetery chronicles

Local history buff

records details,

symbolism of

gravestones

of pioneers

By KREMENA TODOROVA

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- A new book by Elroy Ubl, a local history buff, is intended to explore the style and symbolism of gravestones in the pioneer sections in cemeteries in New Ulm and Brown County.

The book also provides lists of burial sites and maps to match the listings.

It is "an effort to find many of the local pioneer burial locations, to give a brief history of these pioneers, their efforts to build a community and the hardships they endured," writes Ubl. "While researching pioneer and other burial locations, a study of the symbolism found on many of the older gravestones followed."

Gravesites at the New Ulm City Cemetery are listed by name, date of death and location. Gravesites at the Catholic and Lutheran cemeteries are listed by name and location.

The 996-page, 2,300-plus-photo, volume continues with Ubl's overview of major events in New Ulm's history -- the city's founding and early development, the Dakota Conflict of 1862, the grasshopper plague of the 1870s and the 1881 "cyclone." This part also talks about "disease, death, insanity, funeral and burial customs" and lists disease names used prior to modern terminology.

The next section deals with pioneers representing specific aspects of local history, under sub-headings such as "milling," "breweries," "government," "schools," "churches," "hotels," "banks," "clothing," "newspapers," "barbers," "restaurants" and many others.

Sections are also devoted to "early area murders" and to structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

Along with the narrative and photos of people, places and events, specific gravesite photos and information are used throughout sections.

The book concludes with information on: a calendar to determine days of the week from 1801 until 2023; astrology information; a list of related websites; and items about legends, superstitions, customs and attitudes about death. The latter section addresses both local beliefs (such as the story of Annie Mary Twente, a girl rumored to have been buried alive) and beliefs that transcend this particular locality (the U.S. presidential death curse).

Some sections in the book are dominated by text, and others by photos. Most sections feature a combination of both. Ubl notes he took many photos himself, while others can be traced to his private collection, Brown County Historical Society archives and other sources.

Ubl notes in his introduction that pioneer sections of cemeteries give an insight into the history of pioneers that historical structures fail to provide.

By studying gravestone inscriptions, he notes, one can learn facts such as when and where people were born and died, how they died, what their affiliations and nationality were, what events they took part in, etc. The styles and symbolism of gravestones can tell a lot about a person's social status and beliefs.

Curious facts can be gleaned as well -- such as who the first (white) person born in Brown County was, or who New Ulm's surveyor was at a given time.

Cemeteries, then, are "a stop on the road of research" for family historians and genealogists. Perhaps less obviously, they can be a valuable tool for history teachers, sociologists and the like.

Ubl said that the idea for the book evolved out of his earlier research into New Ulm's founders - which raised questions about their resting places. Researching burial sites logically led him to expand the research into gravesite symbols and styles.

His interest into the topics associated with the book dates back at least to the 1980s - although it was not until the past two years that he specifically focused on the book.

The hard -- or, rather, time-consuming -- part was traveling to various sites and finding examples of the gravesite symbols and styles to illustrate his points.

Ubl's book is not intended to show every type of symbolism used on gravestones, or to discuss every pioneer, according to its author. Most styles and symbols shown relate to the mid- to late 1800s and early 1900s, parts of the Victorian Era. But the book touches on some contemporary gravestones as well.

Ubl says that while "every attempt has been made to assure accuracy," trying to read old gravestones or documents is difficult at times, if not impossible. In some cases, names could not be included because they could not be deciphered. Also, information from old newspaper obituaries and gravestone carvings is not always reliable -- it has been obtained from surviving relatives, and sometimes dates or events become blurred.

Ubl was born and raised in New Ulm, according to a biographical sketch in the book. He holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from Mankato State University and completed graduate work in psychology and biochemistry at St. Mary's College in Winona and the University of Wisconsin in River Falls.

After beginning his career in teaching, Ubl worked for 17 years as administrator at Highland Manor Nursing Home, New Ulm. He is currently the benefits administrator for Associated Milk Producers, Inc.

Collecting local historic artifacts and photos is Ubl's hobby. For two years, he wrote a weekly history column for the New Ulm Daily Journal, answering questions about local history. Later he compiled his columns in two volumes and also wrote several other local history books.

Like his earlier five publications, his new book is self-published. It is priced at $29.95 plus tax. It will be available at the Guten Tag Haus and Brown County Museum.

Signings are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 10 and 17 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Guten Tag Haus.