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Gc 974.702 Sy82sm 1753476
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01148 1568
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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyofoakwood00smit
HISTORY
OF
OAKWOOD CEMETERY,
BY H. P. SMITH. -
JUSTRATED.
SYRACUSE : 1. P. SMITH & CO .. PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS. 1871.
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History of Oakwood cometery, illustrated. Syracuse (N.Y. ; M.P. Smith and co., 1871. SO p. illas., 22 engraved plates, map (Jaid in). 22 cm.
67-2724
CC PC ST A ASH Gr GrSh
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MSh
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ICN 68
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F 85/82 1
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ENGRAVERS, Bureau of Illustration, Buffalo, N. Y.
PHOTOGRAPHERS, Ranger & Austen, Jordan Bros., Syracuse, N. Y.
BINDER, Jacob Miller, Syracuse.
1
ILLUSTRATIONS.
FRONTISPIECE,
SUMNER, . 3
AVENUE, NO. I,
7
9 TITLE PAGE,
21
WILLIAMS, 29
BARKER,
33
GRANGER,
39
MYERS,
41 45 51
AVENUE, NO. 2,
BAUM,
. 55
GEKE,
59
BROWER, 63
LONGSTREET,
67 69
GREEN,
BURTON, 73 75
SMITH -- RUST,
79
WILKINSON, .
DENISON, 81
WHITE,
S7
LEAVENWORTH, - S9
CROUSE,
REDFIELD,
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JAKWOOD
()ME to these scenes of peace, Where to foliage whispering, The sweet birds all the Summer sing ! Where cares, and toil, and sadness cease !
Stranger, dost thy heart deplore
Friends whom thou wilt see no more ? Does thy wounded spirit prove Pangs of hopeless, severed love ? Thee the trees that whisper here,- Thee the birds that carol near,
Shall soothe, as silent thou dost lie
And dream of their sweet lullaby.
Come, rest amid these scenes of peace, Where cares, and toil, and sadness cease."
Doubtless to Gen. E. W. Leavenworth, John F. Wilkin- son, and the late Hamilton White, materially aided in the end by Hon. A. C. Powell, more than to any other persons, belongs the credit of first contemplating and agitating the
12
Oakwood Cemetery.
subject which culminated in the organization of the "Asso- ciation of Oakwood;" and to-day, as. an everlasting monu- ment to the liberality and energy of the persons constitut- ing that Association, there lies just without the boundaries" of our lovely City, a spot possessed of peerless natural beau- ty, which has been greatly enhanced by years of artificial labor, whose equal can scarcely be found in America !
When this one fact, i. e. that our own Oakwood is pro- nounced by nearly every visitor, far superior in natural beauty to any burial place in the whole country, is consid- ered, then the original idea of securing and appropriating it to its present purpose rises in importance, and its founders become objects of gratitude from every inhabitant of Syracuse, and will so remain for all time.
. Among all the many natural blessings and advantages enjoyed by Syracuse, so few of which are vouchsafed to neighboring cities, prominent for its location, its beauty, and for almost everything that would help to make it a perfect resting place for our loved ones, stands rural, regal Oakwood. A mile and a half from the business center, cars running to its very doors, easy of access by carriage through various streets, what wonder that its winding aisles. the inviting shades of its unrivaled forest,-the Summer home of myriads of sweet-voiced singers and leaping squirrels,-and the thousand attractions already lavished upon it by the hand of man, serve to daily people its walks. and have made it as dear to us as our own firesides, and its every lovely feature as familiar to us as our own parlors.
To such a home, such a resting-place in the long and dreamless sleep, wherein we await the waking joys of
..
13
Oakwood Cemetery.
heaven, earth-wearied, we go with smiles of willingness-
"Like one who draws the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams,"
%
*
Originally Oakwood, as its name indicates, was almost an unbroken oak forest, interspersed with a few pine, ash, maple, and many hickory trees, and filled with underbrush, logs and stumps. But the many diversities of gracefully- rounded hillocks, sweeping slopes and spreading valleys, all gashed with deep ravines and long winding gullies, --- serpentine walks from the hand of God,-were there, and they caught the sagacious eyes of those to whom we are so deeply indebted for its present condition, years before any steps were taken towards its purchase and improvement.
Generally speaking, the whole cemetery grounds face the west, rising with a gradual ascent to the eastern boundary on the hill-top, which completely overlooks the valley, City and lake. There is, however, a sharp, forest-covered ascent, to the southwad from Midland Avenue, from the top of which the land stretches away to the south, It is this southern portion which comprises the purchase of thirty acres, made in 1869, and it shows less plainly the pleasing evidences of improvement than the older portion of the Cemetery. Many beautiful lots crowning the knolls, or reaching far down the fair lawns, have been cleared of the natural forest, except here and there a specimen of more than ordinary beauty, and their places supplied with trees, shrubs and flowers of rare varieties and foreign nature., Sprinkled thus among the deciduous trees, are seen many
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Oakwood Cemetery.
symmetrical, upright cones of evergreen, their dark colors making a delightful contrast with the lighter foliage and verdure surrounding them, while they also help to relieve the dreariness of the winter landscape.
In passing up or down any of the clean avenues, there is presented to the eye at every turn, and from every point, a feast of panoramic splendor which cannot fail to charm the beholder.
Here one might dream away the Summer hours, His quiet thoughts creep onward softly as the tread Of spirit forms from sacred leafy bowers, Around these quiet mansions of the dead.
* * *
Meetings were held as early as the year 1852, having for their object the organization of an Association, and the purchase of the lands now embraced in Oakwood ; but when the important question arose, -. "Who will take the lead, and attend to the thousand-and-one duties necessary to. make the undertaking a success?" -- no one appeared ready for the arduous task ; and so, in the immediate pursuit of other objects of greater personal interest, the whole enterprise was left to sleep for nearly five years.
In the Summer of 1857, Messrs. E. W. Leavenworth. Hamilton White, James I .. Bagg, C. T. Longstreet, Lewis H. Redfield, A. C. Powell, Henry Dillaye, John Wilkinson, and others, renewed the agitation of the subject, and at one time seemed very near reaching a consummation of their plans, when the great financial revulsion of that year suddenly put the matter to rest for the second time.
15
1
Oakwood Cemetery.
But there were men in Syracuse who were determined that this question, which, they believed was so closely connected with the future welfare of Syracuse, should not die. A final and successful effort was made the following year (1858) its leaders, Messrs. E. W. Leavenworth and Hamilton White ; and from that time until the Summer of 1859, they were untiring in perseverance, and unceasing in their labors for the accomplishment of their purpose. After the whole year was spent in negotiations with Plank Road Stockholders, Supervisors, Commissioners of Highways, and private individuals, on the 15th day of August, 1859, the original subscribers to the fund for the purchase of the grounds, met at the office of the Mayor, and organized the " Association of Oakwood," and elected the following named gentlemen, Trustees :-
HAMILTON WHITE,
J. P. HASKINS,
JOHN CROUSE.
JOHN WILKINSON,
ARCHIBALD C. POWELL,
AUSTIN MYERS,
ALLEN MUNROE,
TIMOTHY R. PORTER, ROBERT G. WYNKOOP,
J. DEAN HAWLEY,
THOMAS G. ALVORD.
E. W. LEAVENWORTH.
The following is a copy of the original Subscription Paper, with the signatures and amounts subscribed by each :--
" In case a Rural Cemetery Association shall be organized and shall purchase the premises now in contemplation, consisting of about ninety acres, belonging to Messrs. Baker and Raynor, or the twenty acres of Mr. Baker, we, the subscribers, severally agree that we will. on demand. deliver to said Association, satisfactory negotiable promis- sory notes, or other good satisfactory security, for the sums
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Oakwood Cemetery.
set opposite our names respectively, for the purpose of defraying the cost of such land, and improving the same. Said notes or other securities to be on interest, and if amounting in the aggregate to two hundred and fifty dollars or over, they shall be payable in three equal annual installments, with interest annually, and if amounting to less than two hundred and fifty dollars, they shall be payable in eight, sixteen, and twenty-four months ; said notes to be all on interest, and payable at Bank.
The amounts which we shall respectively pay on said notes, to be repaid to us respectively, with interest, by said Association, in the manner mentioned in chapter 133 of the Laws of 1847, viz :- One half, at least, of all the proceeds of the sales of lots in said Cemetery, to be divided annually, and paid over to us respectively, according to the amount of payments made by us respectively ; and the price of any lot or lots which any of us may purchase in said Cemetery, will apply as so much repayment on sums paid on said notes.
This subscription not to be binding, unless at least twenty-five thousand dollars are subscribed.
In forming said Association. each of the subscribers shall be notified of the time and place of meeting, by circulars deposited in the post office at Syracuse, directed to us severally, at the place set opposite our respective names, at least three days before the meeting; and in selecting Trustees, each subscriber present at the meeting shall be entitled to a vote on each twenty-five dollars he may have subscribed hereto; the Trustees to be selected from the subscribers.
In case only the twenty acres of Mr. Baker shall be bought, then the subscriptions shall be reduced to two- fifths of their amounts, or to the sum of ten thousand dollars.
SYRACUSE, May 31. 1859.
Horace & Hamilton White.
$2,500
John Crouse.
-
1,000
E. W. Leavenworth,
1,000
John Wilkinson,
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-
1.900
C. T. Longstreet, -
1,000
1 .. H. Redfield,
- -
500
Oakwood Cemetery.
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Archibald C. Powell,
-
$ 500
Allen Munroe,
1000
Thomas G. Alvord,
500
Israel S. Spencer,
500
J. P. Haskin,
-
500
A. A. Howlett,
300
John D. Norton,
500
B. Burton, -
500
Ira Gage Barnes,
500
George F. Comstock,
500
W. H. Shankland,
500
George L. Maynard,
250
Austin Myers. -
1000
Joseph Seymour,
100
McDougall, Fenton & Co.,
250
H. N. White, -
100
C. Tallman,
250
H. B. Wilbur,, -
100
Curtis Moses,
100
For Mrs. Eliza Hoyt. -
100
J. L. Bagg, -
250
Richard Cloyde,
50
Sidney Stanton,
250
George N. Kennedy,
250
George Barnes,
250
E. T. Wright,
250
T: R. Porter.
300
. Thomas B. Fitch,
300
A. C. Yates,
250
O. T. Burt.
300
J. W. Barker. -
250
Charles Andrews, -
250
C. B. Sedgwick. -
250
H. W. Van Buren.
300
Ira H. Williams, -
100
1). Pratt, -
100
J. I .. Cook & Sons,
300
Lyman Clary, -
100
F. Wellington, 300
100
Winkoop & Brother.
100
Willard & Hawley, -
-
100
1
-
-
-
Clinton F. Paige.
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Oakwood Cemetery.
H. W. Slocum,
$300
John White,
150
R. Raynor,
150
D. S. Smith,
100
L. H. & F. Hiscock,
150
J. G. Greenway, -
300
Joseph F. Sabine,
100
W. Winton,
100
Kenyon & Potter,
200
H. Riegel, -
50
D. McDougall,
100
L. W. Hall,
100
John J. Crouse,
-
200
Jacob Crouse,
-
100
M. H. Church,
100
On the day following, a meeting of the Trustees was held at the office of E. W. Leavenworth, and the following named officers chosen :-
E. W. LEAVENWORTH, President.
A. C. POWELL, Vice-President. HAMILTON WHITE, Treasurer.
ALLEN MUNROE, Secretary. .
"Thus, at length," in the language of Mr. Leavenworth, who is virtually the father of the Cemetery, "after nearly ten years of delays, and difficulties, and disappointments : after the project had been more than once abandoned, and hopes all but extinguished, this lovely spot of ground was secured for the final repose of our dear ones ; to be visited, admired, and hallowed in our memories while we live, by a thousand sacred and tender recollections, and to be the beautiful resting-place for our bodies when summoned to our final homes."
The first purchase included the twenty acres in front,
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Oakwood Cemetery.
for which $9,500 was paid to Mr. C. H. Baker, and 72 79-100 acres, for which $15000 was paid to Mr. Raynor. Since that time, the Association has effected the purchase on the south, before mentioned, of thirty acres. The Cemetery, therefore, at present includes about 122 acres.
From the date of the first discussion of the subject, until the first purchase was made, the enterprise encoun- tered more or less of the difficulties common to under- takings prosecuted for the public good, and in this case the labor was still more arduous, as there was lacking that most important stimulant-private emolument. Oakwood Cemetery is to-day, and ever will be, in the fullest sense a public institution, founded for the public welfare, and is wholly inconnected with any purpose whatever of profit or gain to any one. The statute under which the Associa- tion is organized, provides that the proceeds of all sales of lots shall be applied to the purchase, preservation, improvement and embellishment of the Cemetery, and to the incidental expenses thereof, and to no other purpose whatever. Under this provision, a fund will be created, the interest of which will be adequate, after all the lots shall have been disposed of, to insure the perpetual care of the grounds and improvements, whether belonging to lot owners, or to the Association.
It need hardly be said that the sales of lots in Oakwood, up to the present time, have been extensive, and the financial prospects of the Association are highly encour- aging.
Early in October, following the purchase of the grounds, Mr. Howard Daniels, of New York, an accomplished
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Oakwood Cemetery.
landscape gardener, with the aid of fifty or sixty men, commenced the work of improving the grounds, and continued it with energy until December. This work of improvement has been steadily carried on, both by the Association and by individuals during the past twelve years, until now the brightest dreams of the instigators of the enterprise are realized in our beautiful " City of the Dead."
On the first day of November, 1859, the first public sale of lots took place, and from that day until the first of February following, more than $7,000 worth of lots were taken, while but a small part of the subscribers had made their selections.
The first person buried in Oakwood was Mrs. Nellie G. Williamson, who died on the sixth and was buried on the eighth day of November, 1859.
The first monument erected within the Cemetery, was that of James Crouse, Esq., on Section 13. It was put up during the Winter of 1859-60. This is one of the finest works of art in the enclosure-an elaborate design elegantly carved in marble ; it rears its lofty, slender spire heaven- ward, surely foreshadowing the beauties of its future companions. It is reached by a broad flight of stone steps and a walk through a verdant slope, surrounded by a low coping of cut stone.
*
On Thursday, November 3d. 1859, the Cemetery was honorably consecrated, with appropriate Dedication Cere- monies, to its present sacred purpose.
Oakwood Cemetery.
21-22
CROUSE.
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Oakwood Cemetery.
The occasion was a deeply interesting one to the people of Syracuse, and thousands testified their appreciation of its importance by their attendance. There appeared to be an all-pervading sense of gratitude towards the earnest. workers for the object that day formally attained ; a feeling of relief and joy that the most beautiful, the most eligible spot in the whole county, had been secured for a Cemetery, before it had become forever too late. The day, which was wet and threatening in the morning, later became bright and beautiful, one of the queens of the season,-a type of the progress from the first, of the great work then so uearly accomplished. 1
Hon. William J. Bacon, of Utica. kindly consented to deliver the address ; Alfred B. Street, the Poem; and Rev. John Pierpont, of Boston, and Mrs. Thos. T. Davis, of Syracuse, to furnish each an Ode. Following will be found a portion of the ceremonies.
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. Oakwood Cemetery.
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D EDICATION CEREMONIES.
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The procession was formed about II o'clock A. M., on Salina Street, in front of the Syracuse House, under the direction of Gen. Robert M. Richardson, and immediately took up the line of march for Oakwood. A spacious plat- form had been erected for the occasion, for the accommo- dation of the orators, poet, clergy. trustees, and other gentlemen, in that lovely spot which received its name from that day's ceremonies-Dedication Valley, directly north of the west end of Section 13. Seats were built upon the sloping hill-side, directly north of the platform.
After appropriate music, the following prayer was offered by Rev. M. E. Strieby :-
"Almighty God, thou author of our existence, and in whose hands is the breath of our lives, we come together this morning, to dedicate and to consecrate these grounds to a sacred purpose. The natures which thou hast im- planted within us, prompt us to a kind care and suitable
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Oakwood Cemetery.
- 1
burial of the bodies of our departed friends, and Thy Holy Word sanctifies and sanctions these desires ; for Thou didst approve the annointing which Mary gave for Thy burial, and the embalming and interment which sorrowing friends gave to Thy body. So in this consecrated spot, we can bring our friends from time to time, to lay them here, and at length we shall all be borne to the earth in this holy sepulchre, or some other resting place of the dead. Grant that in the dedication we make of this consecrated ground, we may be accepted ; and finally, when the trumpet of the Archangel shall sound, and this ground shall give up its dead, and all the earth shall open up her receptacles, do Thou then grant, Heavenly Father, to take us to that rest- ing place where there shall be no more sorrow, no more tears, and no more death ; and to the Eternal God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, shall be the praise and the glory forevermore -- Amen.
Rev. Mr. Fillmore was here introduced and read the following beautiful hymn, written for the occasion by Mrs. Thomas T. Davis of Syracuse :-
Life and love, with tender hand, . . Guard and deck this Silent Land ; Cypress arch and willow wreath Shade the sacred sod beneath : Sun and starlight gild the shrine, Flow'ry chaplets fondly twine ; Angel hosts your vigils keep, Where our loved aud lost shall sleep.
Loved, not lost! No fear nor gloom Shrouds the portal of the tomb ; Death revealed immorta! day
Oakwood Cemetery.
,
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i
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WILLIAMS.
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.Oakwood Cemetery.
When the rock was rolled away.
Grave, and crypt, and pallid stone, Mark not the realm of death alone ; Life but sleeps, while Death survives,- Death shall die, and Life arise. 1 Shed not then the frenzied tear : Robe in light the pall, the bier ; Vonder see the shining shore, Where our loved have gone before ; Rear the marble o'er the dead, Crown with flowers the dreamless head ; Calmly wait till Life shall be Blended with eternity.
This hymn was sung by the members of the Syracuse Musical Institute, under the leadership of H. N. White.
Hon. E. W. Leavenworth, President of the Cemetery Association, then came forward and delivered the intro- ductory address, as follows :--
Ladies and Fellow Citizens :-
We are assembled here this day upon an occasion of absorbing interest. Our long-cherished hopes, so often overclouded, so often deferred, are this day realized. Our highest anticipations are more than fulfilled.
We are convened here this morning that with appropri- ate ceremonies, and with becoming solemnity, we may set apart the loveliest spot upon the banks of the Onondaga, as the final resting place of our beloved and honored dead. We have come together to consecrate for ourselves, a dwelling for these mortal bodies, when the labors and cares, and trials of life are over, and the spirit has ascended to God who gave it.
32
. Oakwood Cemetery.
How long, with anxious eyes, has this day been looked for ! Through how many years of hope, and doubt, and fear ; of efforts and disappointments, have we struggled on, that at length we might enter upon this promised land ! But hope is now fruition, and this occasion is the evidence of our full success.
An ample, permanent and attractive resting-place for our dead, seems to be the last great necessity of our city. Water and gas, railroads and canals, a salubrious climate, a fertile soil, prosperous agriculture, commerce and manu- factures, have supplied the great wants of our town, filled our laps with plenty, and made our homes the abodes of happiness and peace. But while laboring so diligently and successfully for the wants of the living, we had forgotten what was due to the dying and the dead. £ No adequate, suitable, or permanent provision had been made for their repose.
All our present cemeteries are inadequate in their di- mensions, entirely unsuitable in their location and the character of their soils, and it is perhaps not too much to say, that when the friends of those who now rest in them have passed away, they must yield to the onward and irresistible progress of population and improvement. The fate of those similarly situated in other cities, and even in our own, warn us of the inevitable result.
But fortunately, our long delay has not, in this instance, proved our ruin. Fortunately, almost providentially, we have been able to secure the spot of ground which nature seems to have intended for the purpose to which we now dedicate it. Although but a mile and a half from the
.
Oakwood Cemetery.
33-34
BARKER.
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Oakwood Cemetery.
centre of our city, looking down from each successive elevation upon the town, the lake and the lovely valley of the Onondaga. happily the hand of improvement, till now, had never reached it. A variety of circumstances had preserved it in all the loveliness of nature, for the final home of many generations yet unborn.
1º52
Within its one hundred acres is embraced a combination of attractions which, if anywhere equalled, are no where surpassed. Placed most fortunately, not too near the city, nor to remote from it, mostly covered with young and thrifty woods of the second growth, so abundant as to allow great opportunity for selection-its surface diversified by the most beautiful and varied elevations and depressions, presenting views unrivaled in their extent and their mag- nificence-rendered already attractive by lawns, and the most picturesque scenery, it is all that the highest judgment and taste can demand, or the liveliest fancy paint. And the careful hand of improvement will, each successive year, develope and heighten the charms with which nature has so liberally' adorned it. .
Each loved form, committed by pious hands to its sacred dust, will invest its quiet vales and hill-sides with a yearly increasing interest, until each one of us shall have some tender tie to lead us often hither, and until we ourselves, now in the vigor of health, shall be permitted, beneath these lovely shades, to return to our kindred dust.
From this day these grounds will be annually improved by graded and graveled walks and avenues-by smiling lawns and quiet winding paths beneath the shadows of the towering oaks-enriched and adorned by sculptured mar-
36
Oakwood Cemetery.
bles, and the various testimonials which wealth and affection will yearly consecrate to virtue and loveliness-hallowed more and more as years speed on in their tireless course, by the holiest feelings of the soul, by memories and emotions which find a home in every human heart. Soon the mortal remains of thousands among us, who are now walking our streets, arrayed in the beauty of health, shall slumber beneath her holy, quiet breast. Increasing thousands will annually seek the silence of this holy ground. Hither the busy, struggling world will often come to enjoy, for a time, the balmy breath of Heaven -- to commune with nature in her loveliest forms, and in these secluded retreats to forget for an hour the toils and cares of life. Hither the stranger will direct his course, to mark the evidence and the standard of our civilization. Hither age, with tottering steps, will sometimes come to view the spot where he must shortly lie. Here, too, at evening's silent hour -- wrapped in sable weeds-quiet and alone, the widow, the mother-the desolate and bereaved of every name-will wend their way with slow and solemn tread and saddened hearts, to drop another tear over the graves of those they loved.
From whatever point of view we regard this enterprise. we are compelled to contemplate it as one of surpassing interest and importance to the citizens of Syracuse, and well may we who are here assembled this day, congratulate ourselves, if in any human degree, even, we have contrib- uted to the accomplishment of an object so desirable to the * living, so respectful to the dead.
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