“Clyde’s Corner”
by
Clyde Chamberlin

Hello all. Nice to meet you. Hope you enjoy the column. I am always asked how I started this hobby of photographing interesting tombstones and monuments. Here is the story. We were in a cemetery in New Hampshire (or one of the New England states) writing down information from gravestones for my wife's genealogy. In my opinion she was taking a lot of time; it was a very hot day and the air conditioning in my car wasn't working, which put me in a very unpleasant mood.

I asked, "Are we going to be here all day?" or "Can't we speed it up a little?" She replied, "For God's sake, go find something to do!"

I grabbed my camera and walked away. I saw an unusual gravestone and photographed it. Who knows why? Probably for something to do... Two weeks later I had about 30 photos and wondered if others might be interested in seeing them, so I had them made into slides.

A couple of months later our genealogy society chartered a bus to go to the Fort Wayne, Indiana library. On the way down, a couple of women who had seen the slides asked, "Why don't you start a newsletter?" Our first issue was four pages with no photos; which quickly became 6 pages with one or two photos. Then it blossomed into 8 pages with photos and articles!

So there you have the whole story in a nutshell. I now have about 140 slides. This varies with adding new slides from time to time. We continue to carry at least one camera in the car at all times. You never know what you'll find around the next bend…Hope you enjoy the pictures I will be showing you.

Email your comments/stories to Clyde@the-ddic.com

To get the quarterly newsletter "Solitude in Stone" just send a check or money order payable to Clyde A. Chamberlin (this is extremely important- DO NOT MAKE THE CHECK PAYABLE TO SOLITUDE IN STONE!) in the amount of $7 for one year; $12 for two years; or $16 for three years; to P O Box 1745, East Lansing, MI 48826-1745. The number of years is your choice. Thanks, Clyde