This has all been interesting. One thing to note is that when a woman married she was considered a "bride" during the first year of marriage. Sophie could have died during that time and been designated as such on the headstone. The designation would have indicated that yes, they were legally married but they did not share a long life together where they were known in the community as a 'couple' and they were probably childless. This archaic designation is sometimes still used today with introductions, such as "This is my cousin Jake and his new bride Mary" or "My brother has returned from his honeymoon with his new bride". Knowing local history can sometimes yield clues. Often times there was a sweeping pestilence that wiped out huge numbers suddenly and headstone markers where put up fast or further engraved years afterwards when some of the defining information had been lost or was unknown. One of the most interesting bits of history I learned was the time period designated Year Without A Summer. Large numbers of people died in the Northeast. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer Here is a link that might be useful: Year Without A Summer

I found the cemetery on USGenWeb and there are Bishop's listed in it but not any of these 3 are listed. Sorry.. I wish they were. I agree with you tho I think It's Hattie, short for Harriett. Have you ever tried doing a foil brushing? It's where you lay a piece of foil over or around the stone and with a soft paint brush dab on it. The foil goes down into the lettering making it easier to read. I have seen photos of it done before that really brought out the lettering.. I tried it once and it didn't work at all for me.

Hi Judy - I volunteer at two websites, FindAGrave and Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK). The assignments consist of a cemetery name and the name(s) of the deceased. Sometimes the cemetery is too far from me, and I turn the assignment down. And sometimes the requested graves don't exist at the cemetery. Records are not always accurate. But even if I don't find the grave I'm looking for, as long as I'm there I photograph numerous gravestones and then upload the pictures to FindAGrave, adding the names of the deceased to their database when necessary. Sometimes I discover that the names are already there, needing photos. I'm not the only person at the KT doing this. In fact, I started at RAOGK and then heard about FindAGrave here. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Susan

Do not do rubbings on old stones. It is not recommended! This marker may be limestone which weathers and is not durable. Acid rain that has increased this century is eroding limestone markers. There are some things you can try that will not damage the stone. 1, Control the lighting: Its a light colored stone and will be difficult to photograph in direct sunlight. However, in some cases you can make use of the sun's position in the sky if the flat side of the stone faces north or south. At different times of the day (and seasons) the light will be shining across the stone and parts of the cuts will have a shadow side. This helps to enhance the lettering. if the stone faces east or west, good luck. But you can do more. Use a large dark umbrella to shade the stone, then try highlighting across the stone with reflected light. Experiment with a sheet of aluminum as a reflector to side-light the lettering. You can go at dusk and use a light source to sidelight. There is a tricky procedure you can do in very low light with a digital camera. it called light painting. Put the camera on a tripod and get the image in place in the viewfinder. Use the 'bulb' setting or whatever you camera calls it. Open the shutter and side-light 'paint' the stone with a flashlight, then close the shutter. This takes practice. Review the result, and try again. Take as many exposures as you need. The bad ones can be erased. A white light LED flashlight works well. [This is a fun technique to experiment with for nighttime photography.] 2. Dusting: With a bellows, blow as much dirt off the stone as you can. You can skip this step if the stone is clean, but most of the time there will be dust. Flour is commonly used for white dust on a dark stone, but since this stone is light colored, you'll need a darker dust. Use a garden duster (a device for applying dust repellents to plants) to lightly blow dust across the stone, the object being to have dust collect on one side of the cuts. Sometimes, this will help. Always use a dust that will wash off with a watering can or rain. 3. Water: Use a spray bottle to wet the stone. First, merely dampen the stone a little and increase as needed. This may help. If unsatisfactory, don't go away too soon. As the stone dries, an improved pattern may emerge.