1 July 1864 – 21 February 1924
Annie was a teacher which is really the most surprising thing that I found in my research – that per early-century census records (and a couple other references in school-related documents at the time, mostly in lists), she had a husband, a child, and an occupation that she continued to pursue.
Her husband worked for the railroad and later as a foreman at a freight company. They had only one child, a daughter named Fern. On the 1920 census, both Annie and Fern were working as teachers, Edward was still working as a foreman, and they had a maid. Both Annie and Edward were born in Illinois to immigrant parents who came to the US from England and Ireland.
This was a very quick research trip, and even if it had been a deeper dive, I’m not sure it would be possible to discover how this little family managed such an egalitarian approach at a time period when it would definitely have been well outside the norm, but I love that for them.
An earlier photo on @findagrave shows the headstone flat on its back, so it has been fixed within the past few years and restored to its upright position. Whether that’s due to surviving family, a long-term trust set up for its care, or just cemetery policy, I have no idea.
It is a really stunning, very classy headstone. It is both very simple and very elegantly detailed, and its carving has survived beautifully over the past almost 100 years.
I am not sure where Edward or Fern are buried. Perhaps this was a couple that followed separate religions which would not be surprising considering their families of origin.
RIP Annie
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