Headstone returned to veteran 76 years after death
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March 22, 2018
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The headstone of a man born near Elsy found in a field outside of Butterfield was placed at his grave recently.
Charlea Estes-Jones
An usual find in a field outside of Butterfield meant an early twentieth century veteran had his headstone returned. Carl Goble found the government-issued headstone in near perfect condition on his property 76 years after the man’s death.
Goble said, “I was trying to prepare a place to have an outbuilding set, and I went out to a rock pile in the field, really more or less a trash pile. I saw a rock laying out. When I flipped it over, I realized it was a headstone.”
All Goble knew was that he had a headstone for a man named Oscar E. Baldridge, and his death date read February 1942. As to how the headstone ended up face down in his field? He had no idea. So, he decided to try to find Baldridge’s family and see if he could return it.
Since the headstone was turned face down, the name and date were well-preserved. If it had ended up face up, there is a good chance it would have been so weathered he might not have been able to read it. A lot of luck went into Baldridge’s headstone being found.
Goble continued, “If it wasn’t for the internet, the search would have been a lost cause. But I found him and tried to contact his family.”
He did not have luck finding Baldridge’s family even though they had commented on a memorial website. What he did discover that was helpful was where the Stone County native was buried, and it wasn’t far.
Baldridge was buried in Monett’s IOOF Cemetery. When Goble called, he was put in touch with the City of Monett’s foreman Keith Mills.
Mills said, “This is definitely a first for us. He called city hall in town and it was forwarded to me. At first, I thought he was claiming that there was a stone buried out here in the wrong place. But once I got the actual story, he said he had found it out in the field where he currently lives. He found that the guy was buried out here.”
Goble said the City of Monett was pretty excited about him bringing the marker to Baldridge’s final place of rest. “I loaded it into the trunk of my car, and when I got there, they already had a place dug out for it and everything. We set it right then and there.”
Like many Veterans’ Affairs-issued markers, this one had Baldridge’s name, his position in the military and a death date of February 23, 1942. It did not have a date of birth, probably because it was unknown.
Mills said, “We’ve never had that happen before, and him being a veteran is even cooler.
“We went ahead and set it. He already had a headstone, but it was a veterans marker, so we put it at the foot.”
Online records indicated that Baldridge was originally from Elsey in Stone County and died in Monett at the age of 45. So, the mystery remains: how did the marker end up in a field in Butterfield?
Goble believes he knows part of that answer. Ends up, it isn’t that uncommon to find government-issued markers.
Essentially, when a veteran qualifies for a marker, it is provided free in certain circumstances. However, the headstone or marker isn’t provided for months after the death and the person is buried. Sometimes the stones were shipped to funeral homes, sometimes cemeteries, and often to the family’s home. It was then the family’s responsibility to take the marker out and set it.
Goble said, “I was talking to another cemetery guy around here, and they had three of them stacked up in a corner of the cemetery’s building. I guess back in the day, when a veteran died, the funeral home would fill out paperwork to get the headstone from the government. Sometimes they would have it shipped to the funeral home, but most of the time it would be shipped to their house.
“Apparently this was shipped to someone’s house and never got put out.”
Goble said he has lived on the property where it was found since 1998. “There was an old farmhouse on the front part of the property years and years ago. It had to be here from then.”
When Goble reached out to others involved with cemetery associations, he said there are multiple reasons why some markers were never placed. He claims some haven’t been placed a Cassville cemetery, as well. “The original grave markers, they didn’t put anything down really. If a rain storm came down and washed away the little tabs set out, then by the time the gravestones came in months later, they didn’t know where the grave was.”
Oftentimes, families couldn’t afford any other marker, so by the time it was ordered, shipping, mailed and received from the government, the family might not know where the grave was or would have moved. They were responsible for taking it out to the cemetery, as well, creating hurdles.
Goble said he was glad to be able to get at least one marker back to the person who earned it, even if it was 76 years later.
“I took it up there and they put it immediately in the ground. They were waiting for me when I got there, and they agreed it was very important to place it immediately,” Goble shared.
An usual find in a field outside of Butterfield meant an early twentieth century veteran had his headstone returned. Carl Goble found the government-issued headstone in near perfect condition on his property 76 years after the man’s death.
Goble said, “I was trying to prepare a place to have an outbuilding set, and I went out to a rock pile in the field, really more or less a trash pile. I saw a rock laying out. When I flipped it over, I realized it was a headstone.”
All Goble knew was that he had a headstone for a man named Oscar E. Baldridge, and his death date read February 1942. As to how the headstone ended up face down in his field? He had no idea. So, he decided to try to find Baldridge’s family and see if he could return it.
Since the headstone was turned face down, the name and date were well-preserved. If it had ended up face up, there is a good chance it would have been so weathered he might not have been able to read it. A lot of luck went into Baldridge’s headstone being found.
Goble continued, “If it wasn’t for the internet, the search would have been a lost cause. But I found him and tried to contact his family.”
He did not have luck finding Baldridge’s family even though they had commented on a memorial website. What he did discover that was helpful was where the Stone County native was buried, and it wasn’t far.
Baldridge was buried in Monett’s IOOF Cemetery. When Goble called, he was put in touch with the City of Monett’s foreman Keith Mills.
Mills said, “This is definitely a first for us. He called city hall in town and it was forwarded to me. At first, I thought he was claiming that there was a stone buried out here in the wrong place. But once I got the actual story, he said he had found it out in the field where he currently lives. He found that the guy was buried out here.”
Goble said the City of Monett was pretty excited about him bringing the marker to Baldridge’s final place of rest. “I loaded it into the trunk of my car, and when I got there, they already had a place dug out for it and everything. We set it right then and there.”
Like many Veterans’ Affairs-issued markers, this one had Baldridge’s name, his position in the military and a death date of February 23, 1942. It did not have a date of birth, probably because it was unknown.
Mills said, “We’ve never had that happen before, and him being a veteran is even cooler.
“We went ahead and set it. He already had a headstone, but it was a veterans marker, so we put it at the foot.”
Online records indicated that Baldridge was originally from Elsey in Stone County and died in Monett at the age of 45. So, the mystery remains: how did the marker end up in a field in Butterfield?
Goble believes he knows part of that answer. Ends up, it isn’t that uncommon to find government-issued markers.
Essentially, when a veteran qualifies for a marker, it is provided free in certain circumstances. However, the headstone or marker isn’t provided for months after the death and the person is buried. Sometimes the stones were shipped to funeral homes, sometimes cemeteries, and often to the family’s home. It was then the family’s responsibility to take the marker out and set it.
Goble said, “I was talking to another cemetery guy around here, and they had three of them stacked up in a corner of the cemetery’s building. I guess back in the day, when a veteran died, the funeral home would fill out paperwork to get the headstone from the government. Sometimes they would have it shipped to the funeral home, but most of the time it would be shipped to their house.
“Apparently this was shipped to someone’s house and never got put out.”
Goble said he has lived on the property where it was found since 1998. “There was an old farmhouse on the front part of the property years and years ago. It had to be here from then.”
When Goble reached out to others involved with cemetery associations, he said there are multiple reasons why some markers were never placed. He claims some haven’t been placed a Cassville cemetery, as well. “The original grave markers, they didn’t put anything down really. If a rain storm came down and washed away the little tabs set out, then by the time the gravestones came in months later, they didn’t know where the grave was.”
Oftentimes, families couldn’t afford any other marker, so by the time it was ordered, shipping, mailed and received from the government, the family might not know where the grave was or would have moved. They were responsible for taking it out to the cemetery, as well, creating hurdles.
Goble said he was glad to be able to get at least one marker back to the person who earned it, even if it was 76 years later.
“I took it up there and they put it immediately in the ground. They were waiting for me when I got there, and they agreed it was very important to place it immediately,” Goble shared.