Children of Alexander and Sarah Mervine

Alexander Mervine was my great great grandfather who fought in both the Mexican and Civil Wars and in the course of his long life time married three times which his last wife Mary Ann Hughes was my great great grandmother.

Alexander's longest marriage was to his second wife Sarah. What caught my interest is the deaths of three of their daughters at very young ages and the fact that all three daughters are interred in different cemeteries. As of this date, I do not know where Sarah Mervine is interred. However, I know my great great grandfather Alexander Mervine was interred in Odd Fellows. See http://ajourneyintothepast.blogspot.com/2007/05/odd-fellows-cemetery.html
As a matter of fact, his brothers were also interred in this cemetery with the exception of one brother/son.

The death records of Alexander and Sarah Mervine's three daughters are recorded under Mervine Link. However, I want to summarize their daughters records.

1. Cecelia Mervine was born in June 1858, died at the age of three weeks old on July 17, 1858 and was interred in St. George's M.E. Church Cemetery on July 17, 1858.
2. Kate P Mervine was born in 1862, died September 23, 1863 at the age of 16 months old and interred September 25, 1863 at Mount Vernon Cemetery.
3. Sarah A Mervine was born 1867, died at the age of 7 months old on July 3, 1867 and interred at Glenwood Cemetery on July 4, 1867.

When I look at the records of all the children which died in families in the 19th Century, I often wonder how the parents could endure such grief over and over again. I also wonder the reason behind interring them in different cemeteries. Did they live in the location of that cemetery? Was it the expense of burial?

Another interesting fact, I discovered by looking at burial records across several different families is "how" they are interred. Some are buried in a blanket at the cost of two dollars. Some had caskets placed in metal or cement vaults, others just had their caskets placed in the ground.

Sadly, most of the remains of my Mervine Family are lost due to Odd Fellows being removed and replaced by a housing project. Some records indicated they were reinterred in Mount Peace and/or Lawnview Cemetery. Alexander was one of the lucky ones who was reinterred at Lawnview in a mass grave and his original headstone that was removed from his grave in Odd Fellows was lost in the process. Most of the Mervines are not recorded as to where they were reinterred. However, folklore states many stones were removed from Odd Fellows, but the bodies remained and the housing project was built over the graves.