The Gravestones of John B and Julia Olivia Sarpy Morrison

The Gravestones of John B and Julia Olivia Sarpy Morrison.

Two of the most poignant grave markers in the Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri mark the graves of two young children, John B, who died in Aug. 13, 1876 at the age of 6, and that of his sister Julia Olivia, who died in 1870 at the age of 3. The children’s mother Julia Ann Adele Morrison (nee Sarpy) was a descendant of Madame Chouteau, the wife of August Chouteau, founder of St. Louis.
Each child’s grave has a white marble monument which is carved into likenesses of Julia and J.B. The little girl is shown sitting in her crib, her head tilted slightly upward with her hand clutching a rattle.
Young J.B. is propped up in a wheelchair, partially covered by a blanket with a hand dangling over one side.

Until her death in 1925, the children’s mother Julia kept the grave-sites covered during the winter months. She was also known to have been a frequent visitor to the cemetery and she would often bring the children’s toys and personal items with her, arranging them carefully around the graves. It is a scene that stirs a visitor’s feelings of sympathy for all parents who have lost young children.




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