Archive for the Calvary Cemetery (MO) Category

Dred Scott

Posted in Calvary Cemetery (MO) with tags on March 27, 2014 by Cade

scott4Circa 1799 – September 17, 1858

Perhaps the most famous slave in American history, Dred Scott sued his owner for freedom citing time spent living in free states. Unfortunately for Scott, he filed suit in Missouri (the family’s permanent residence) which was a slave state at the time. Local courts ruled against him. His case, however, eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme court where it also went against Scott. Having unsuccessfully tried gaining his and his family’s freedom through legal avenues, it wasn’t until months after the court decision that the Scotts were sold back to their original owners, the Blow family, who subsequently freed them. Continue reading →

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William Tecumseh Sherman

Posted in Calvary Cemetery (MO) with tags , on March 10, 2014 by Cade

sherman1February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891

William Tecumseh Sherman did NOT mess around.  The Union General of the Civil War left a wake of destruction behind him everywhere he went during the conflict. His “scorched earth” tendencies left little doubt of his feelings for his enemy and for the war itself. A career military man, Sherman joined the Army out of high school and served in a variety of means from scouting gold deposits in California to battling Seminoles in Florida. When the Civil War broke out, Sherman received his commission and began leading troops as a colonel. He would go on to see action at many of the major battles of the war like Vicksburg, Shiloh and Bull Run. But, it was his capture of Atlanta and subsequent “March to the Sea” in 1864 that solidified his place in the history books. Continue reading →

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Tennessee Williams

Posted in Calvary Cemetery (MO) with tags , , on March 20, 2013 by Cade

tennessee1

March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983

Thomas Lanier Williams was an American writer who is primarily known for his plays The Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire, among others. After a staggeringly successful run that saw at least 10 of his plays produced on Broadway, his career and personal life started a steady downward spiral.  Following the death of his long-time partner, Williams struggled with depression and addiction to alcohol and narcotics.  Though he continued to write throughout his life, his style mirrored his mood and his later work was never as well-received as his early work. Continue reading →

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