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Inmates restore child graves dating back to 1920s |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Saturday, 31 July 2004 |
By LAURA WALSH
Associated Press Writer
July 30, 2004
NIANTIC, Conn. -- Being a mother, Catherine felt it was important to find every missing grave at Union Cemetery.
"Each one is somebody's child," she said, shaking her head.
Catherine and other inmates at the York Correctional Institution, have spent months restoring and reclaiming the graves of more than 115 children whose mothers were once prisoners at the old Niantic Prison.
Tiny, square headstones mark the graves of the children, most of whom died from influenza, meningitis and other childhood illnesses. Some have initials engraved into the cement or granite, while others just have one letter or an anonymous "X."
The graves date from the 1920s to the 1960s, said the Rev. Laurie Etter, a chaplain with the Department of Correction. The first child was buried there in 1919 and the last in 1967, she said.
"These women probably couldn't afford proper burials and their families couldn't or wouldn't help them," Etter said.
When the Niantic Prison closed in the 1990s, the cemetery had long been forgotten. The small headstones had disappeared underneath long grass and heavy shrubbery.
Only the grave of 1-year-old Loretta Irene Coleman showed signs of care and evidence of visitors. According to her headstone, she was born on Oct. 15, 1927 and died only one year later on Nov. 2, 1928.
"Someone puts out flowers for her every year and we don't know who it is," said Bill Cavanaugh, president of the East Lyme Cemetery Association. "We assume it's family."
The inmates say they want to make sure every grave is properly maintained, and in doing so, hope they can add a name to each headstone. Using just shovels and rakes, the women cut down the bulk of the shrubbery in 2002, when the project first began.
They have since returned to dig out the headstones _ most of which were flush with the ground _ and they have made some sad discoveries along the way. They have found plastic Mickey Mouse and Santa Claus toys, as well as one grave marker with the initials "D. & B.W." that may have been for twins.
The women also discovered open space that may have been deliberately left for adult burials, said Catherine, 48. The department would not allow the women to give their last names to reporters.
"It really goes to your heart. No matter what, it's a life and that life should be acknowledged," she said.
On Friday, the women found one more headstone, and believe there are still more buried underneath the ground. They hope to place a fence around the cemetery to keep it better sheltered, and want to place a memorial plaque and bench at the site.
Etter has obtained hospital records that identify many of the children who died and when. She hopes to match their names with some of the initials, and believes family members may even step forward once the cemetery is complete.
"I feel like if it was my family, I would want this. You don't just forget about people like that," said Mellissa, a 26-year-old inmate.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ct--prisonchildrensg0730jul30,0,1774361.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire |
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