“Also her infant son”

I was surprised to discover that few of the older gravestones in Springville Cemetery in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania have decorative carvings. Most are simple and to the point. The marker at the grave of Charlotte Cromlich (d. 1866) with its open book—a Bible no doubt—is one exception.

The open Bible may catch your eye, but the last words on the gravestone catch your heart.

CHARLOTTE,
WIFE OF
W^m. Cromlich,
and daughter of Geo. & S.
ODONNEL,
Died Jan. 30, 1866,
Aged 26 yrs & 11 days.

Also
Her infant son
sleeps by her side

The verse on the Bible pages is Philippians 1:21.

For me to live is Christ
And to die is gain.
In July 1860, when the census taker in Carlisle, Pennsylvania came knocking, Charlotte and William were not yet married. She was a domestic in the home of the William Breckbill family. He was living in a rooming house operated by William Noaker. His occupation is listed as master wheelwright.

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Springville Cemetery, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania