Click on title to read the story and view the video about how a Lorain, Ohio man found the old broken tombstone of a man named Simeon Shepard while cleaning his back yard.
The homeowner did the right thing by contacting authorities.
Often times, when stones like Simeon Shepard's are found on private property it is not because they were buried there. A thin tablet gravestone like Simeon Shepard's seen in the video most likely is an original stone.
Later, a new stone was purchased by someone who took the old one home, or it was discarded and picked up by someone else.
I checked the website "Find A Grave" for a Lorain area man named Simeon Shepard and found five memorials posted for men with his name in America.
One is for a Simeon Shepard buried in Lorain County at the Andress Cemetery in Henrietta, Ohio. He died on June 16, 1864 and a photograph of his white marble monument is included in the memorial.
With the current information available, I feel it is possible that there could be either a reinterment involved or simply a new headstone that replaced the original stone for Simeon Shepard.
The original tablet gravestone also with the death date of June 16, 1864 for Simeon Shepard, was at some point brought to Lorain - but the reasons behind the move will likely remain a mystery.
Below is an updated story that sheds more light:
Friday, August 19, 2011
By ALLISON STROUSE
astrouse@MorningJournal.com
"LORAIN — The headstone Terrance and Jennifer Scott found in the back yard of their West 23rd Street rental home, has generated lots of interest and speculation as to where it came from.
Some people, including Nesbitt Burton Jr., believe the headstone belongs at Andress Cemetery in Henrietta Township.
He referenced "Cemetery Inscriptions of Lorain County," which was published in 1980. He believes the grave marker was taken after the 1980s but is unable to say for sure.
A picture was sent in by Kevin Myers showing the grave marker of Simeon Shepard at the Andress Cemetery.
The picture shows a tall white stone column, unlike the flat short stone found in the Scott's back yard.
Some readers left comments on The Morning Journal's website."
Weneedchange stated that they too know where the headstone belonged.
"I think I know where that stone came from," they said. "On the corner of 22nd and Pole there use to be a cemetery and the stones there mysteriously vanished."
The original tablet gravestone also with the death date of June 16, 1864 for Simeon Shepard, was at some point brought to Lorain - but the reasons behind the move will likely remain a mystery.
Below is an updated story that sheds more light:
Friday, August 19, 2011
By ALLISON STROUSE
astrouse@MorningJournal.com
"LORAIN — The headstone Terrance and Jennifer Scott found in the back yard of their West 23rd Street rental home, has generated lots of interest and speculation as to where it came from.
Some people, including Nesbitt Burton Jr., believe the headstone belongs at Andress Cemetery in Henrietta Township.
He referenced "Cemetery Inscriptions of Lorain County," which was published in 1980. He believes the grave marker was taken after the 1980s but is unable to say for sure.
A picture was sent in by Kevin Myers showing the grave marker of Simeon Shepard at the Andress Cemetery.
The picture shows a tall white stone column, unlike the flat short stone found in the Scott's back yard.
Some readers left comments on The Morning Journal's website."
Weneedchange stated that they too know where the headstone belonged.
"I think I know where that stone came from," they said. "On the corner of 22nd and Pole there use to be a cemetery and the stones there mysteriously vanished."
