Episode 26 - Stonecutter W.E.Lindsey and the Genoa Cemetery in Genoa, Nevada
Special guest Karen Dustman tells the stories of stonecutter W.E.Lindsey who is credited with carving many elaborate headstones in Nevada, California, Illinois and many other states. She also shares the research she and her colleagues have done to publish the stories of the many ordinary, extraordinary souls buried in the Genoa Cemetery in Genoa, Nevada.
Resources for this episode include:
Karen's books and blog: www.Clairitage.com - mostly Eastern Sierra history, but there are also several cemetery stories, including a fun one about the Heritage Roses at Plymouth Cemetery, and the story about Al Tahoe Cemetery's ground-penetrating radar survey for unmarked graves!
The Blog about W.E. Lindsey: https://www.clairitage.com/2021/01/23/w-e-lindsey-stone-carver
To read issues of the "Monumental News" (an early trade publication for monument carvers):
https://quarriesandbeyond.org/cemeteries_and_monumental_art/monumental_magazines_available_online_list.html
This link comes from a website that has LOTS of other interesting links about quarries and carvers, worth visiting by itself: https://quarriesandbeyond.org/states/ca/ca-stone_carvers/menu.html
A view of Genoa Cemetery (courtesy of Judy Wickwire
W.E. Lindsey's grave in Oakland (from Find-a-Grave)
Walley's "wedding cake" monument (courtesy of Judy Wickwire)
Karen Dustman
A native of New England, Karen hated history in school. “They always taught the boring stuff,” she smiles. “Names, dates, wars – things that were easy to test on, but none of the people-stories.” And it's the people-stories that she loves most, because they give "history a heart.”
After moving to the Eastern Sierra in 2001, Karen and her husband became interested in the local history. Karen's research on old Silver Mountain City, Alpine County's original county seat, turned into a book in 2011. Since then, she’s published 8 more books on Sierra history and cemeteries; a how-to book on writing family history/memoir; and over two dozen oral histories. Find her books at www.Clairitage.com; several are also on Amazon.
Karen offers a free monthly history email newsletter to share her latest history finds – sign up at www.Clairitage.com. She also sends out a free monthly newsletter of tips and encouragement just for memoir writers (get10 free writing prompts when you sign up: www.tinyurl.com/yy4g4ljg).
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