Finding Sarah Verrinder's gravestone
27 May 2003 02:00

Over the holiday weekend, my wife, my kids, and I stopped by the Salt Lake cemetery on our way to a family event, to see if we could find Sarah Verrinder's gravestone, now that we had a picture of it to lead us. We went to the section of the cemetery given by the cemetery office as the location of the gravestone, E-11-7. No luck. We found a few that looked close, but still no luck. I found one of the approximate shape, the inscription of which had completely weathered away. I really hoped that one wasn't it, but it wasn't quite the right shape, and the inscription in the article photo looked very clean still.

As I was about to give up and head over to the cemetery office to ask again, I had the thought that perhaps whoever entered the record in the database made a typo and perhaps typed 'E' instead of 'F' as the block number. Block 'F' was just next door, so we all trooped across the road, and up the hill into block F. As we crested the rise, I could see a red sandstone headstone in the distance, the top of which matched the profile in the article photo. As I neared I could recognize nearby features from the photo, and sure enough, when I got there, I had found it. The grave stone is a reddish sandstone, facing West, and tipping slightly towards that direction. The inscription is still very clear, and it's interesting to note, that just 'next door' is where LDS church president John Taylor is buried. So anyone following my footsteps take note, the correct address is F-11-7, not E-11-7. I snapped a few pictures while my 4-year-old son struck up a conversation with a gentleman cleaning up the gravestone of his grandmother nearby. Once I get the photos developed I'll be sure to post them here.

As I was heading back to the car, I looked back from the top of the rise to find a beatiful panorama of the Salt Lake Valley in the distance. I hadn't realized the elevation of the cemetetry. It's a beautiful view. Back in the car, my wife mentioned she had been praying for me. I chalk up being able to find the grave to some divine help. It was nice to finally 'find' Sarah, and to spend a few moments connecting with my heritage that way. Now on to her children!