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Daughters of the American Revolution & United Daughters of the Confederacy
- In St. Louis No. 1
- Published 05 Dec 2011
- By Tess
- Hits: 152
There aren't very many tombs in the New Orleans with a Daughters of the American Revolution plaque on them, but the Jordan grave has one from both the DAR and United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).
Membership requirements for the organizations are similar with applicants required to provide documentation of their ancestor's active honorable service in the war in question.
The Daughters of the American Revolution's emblem features thirteen wheel spokes and stars, representing the original colonies. A torch on a tombstone usually represents eternal life, but one of DAR's beliefs is that they "carry the torch of patriotism:"
Read more: Daughters of the American Revolution & United Daughters of the Confederacy
All Saints Day in New Orleans
- In Burial Customs & Info
- Published 01 Nov 2011
- By Tess
- Hits: 170
Traditionally, All Saints Day has been the Catholic church's version of Memorial Day- a day to remember and honor the dead who've gone before us with special attention paid to martyrs and saints. It's a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning that the faithful are expected to attend a special mass to show their respect.
As a predominately Catholic city, the day has historically been important to New Orleanians. Families came out en masse to tend to their family graves, repairing plaster and brick, scouring them clean, and placing flowers. The cemeteries teemed with visitors, vendors sold supplies and foods to augment the picnic lunches the families brought.
The above print is a classic image from Harper's Weekly magazine in 1885, set in St. Louis No. 2.
I set out this morning to try to find people observing tradition. There wasn't a lot of activity this morning, but what there was focused on the city-owned graveyards with no caretakers to do the job. Carrollton had, by far, the most visitors, some just laying flowers, with a few small groups tending plots, laughing and yelling back and forth to oneanother:
Since the idea of Perpetual Care has come along, fewer and fewer families have had the need to follow in the tradition, but Save Our Cemeteries uses the day to educate visitors and locals alike about the old customs. They set up informational tables in St. Louis No. 1, have tours open to the public and make sure there's security in other local graveyards. St. Louis No. 2, which is usually a very bad idea to visit on your own even has guides in period costumes.
The programs SOC puts together are always worth a look, but their All Saints Day events are some of the best. If you find yourself in New Orleans after a Halloween visit, I highly recommend looking them up!
