More than a thousand earthquake victims are still unaccounted for. Some families waited for days by ruined buildings, hoping to see bodies that never surfaced.
Tag Archives: Cemeteries
Even in Death, Black Americans Have Been Denied the Right to Rest in Peace
A staggering number of America’s Black burial grounds have been erased from history.
In Bleak Russian Cemetery, Sea of Crosses Signals War’s True Toll
A dismal, snowy plot near the Black Sea is the final resting place for more and more soldiers from the Wagner mercenary forces, a testament to the huge casualties Russia is suffering in its invasion.
With So Many Dead in Turkey, Families Forced to Rush Funeral Rites
The earthquake that hit in southern Turkey has killed more than 17,500 people there, overwhelming the traditional funeral process and accelerating how families say goodbye.
Imagery Shows How a Cemetery for Russian Mercenaries Is Expanding
Recent satellite imagery and video footage offer a rare look at combat fatalities sustained by the Wagner mercenary group in Ukraine.
Wild and Wilde: At Celebrity Cemetery, Nature Takes on Starring Role
Père-Lachaise in Paris, whose tombs of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf and many other artistic icons have made it a popular tourist draw, has become a haven for wildlife, too.
Ryazan, Home of Elite Russian Unit, Still Supports Ukraine War
Ryazan, not far from Moscow, regularly sends young men off to fight. Some are now buried in the local cemetery, but there is no surge of outrage against Russian leaders.
Ashkenazi Jews Have Become More Genetically Similar Over Time
A new study of skeletons from a cemetery in Germany reveals a hidden history of Jews in the Middle Ages.
On Uvalde’s Day of the Dead, a Night to Remember
In memory of the 21 victims of a deadly school shooting, a night of candles, music and poignant mementos was a chance to set grieving aside and celebrate the short lives lost.
In Russia, Memorial Forced to Downsize Tribute to Stalin Victims
Memorial typically conducts a marathon reading of the names, ages, professions and dates of death of those killed under Stalin, but it had to find other ways to honor the victims after the authorities banned it.
Should a Park Include a Burial Ground? Residents of Newburgh, N.Y., Can’t Agree.
Tensions have been simmering over plans for a new addition to a beloved Olmsted park: A memorial for African Americans whose nearby burial ground was taken over by municipal projects.
‘Glorious’ Hero or ‘Deplorable’ Traitor? Pétain’s Legacy Haunts French Island
Philippe Pétain, who led France to victory in World War I and then collaborated with the Nazis, is buried on a small island, where his grave is the site of bitter debates over his legacy.
Reckoning With Memories of Budapest
A Times journalist spent three months capturing a contemporary portrait of Hungary’s capital, where he lived for several years as a child in the early ’90s.
Recipes Etched on Gravestone for All Eternity
They say you can’t take it with you, but recipes do disappear when loved ones die. These families have found a novel way to record them for posterity.
Ukraine’s Death Workers: ‘If You Take It All Close to Heart, You Go Mad’
The people toiling in Ukraine’s cemeteries and morgues bear a silent burden as they handle the war’s growing toll.
Black Death: A Clue to Where the Plague Originated
By fishing shards of bacterial DNA from the teeth of bodies in a cemetery, researchers found the starting point for the plague that devastated Eurasia, they say.
DNA Can Identify Unknown Soldiers. It Also Reveals Old Mistakes.
With modern tools, the U.S. military is learning that some unidentified remains from 20th century battles are those of service members it thought were found and sent home long ago.
From the Graveside to the Front, Ukrainians Tell of Grim Endurance
Ukraine’s casualties in the war against Russia are a closely guarded secret. But those who have been in the trenches along the front line know how relentless the fight has become.
Demolishing City of the Dead Will Displace a Lively Quarter of Cairo
Cairo’s oldest cemetery is being razed, and thousands of families living amid the grand mausoleums face eviction. “You’re not at ease when you’re living. You’re not at ease even when you’re dead.”
Satellite images show what appears to be a growing mass grave near Mariupol.
Mass Graves Identified in Syria Could Hold Evidence of War Crimes
Two sites have been located, believed to hold thousands of bodies of Syrians killed in detention centers administered by President Bashar al-Assad’s government during the civil war.
Ash Wednesday and the Hope It Offers
The pandemic has challenged any expectation that we can control our lives and be rescued from loss.
You Can Take It With You, if the Grave Is Deep Enough
Sometimes apocryphal, often outrageous: stories of car lovers who were buried with their prized possessions.
Highgate Cemetery: A City of the Dead That Inspires the Living
Highgate Cemetery is the final resting place for about 170,000 Londoners, among them the famous, the infamous and the ordinary. Since the start of the pandemic, its leafy pathways have taken on new meaning for some in the city.
Rodin Bronze From Family Plot Is Heading to Auction
Experts criticize the decision to remove this grave site memorial and sell it privately. The family says it’s a way to provide safekeeping.
Military Project That Identified 355 Crew Members Who Died at Pearl Harbor EndsIt’s a
The remains of 355 sailors and Marines from the U.S.S. Oklahoma were identified using DNA and dental records, but 33 crew members could not be.
Burial Ground Under the Alamo Stirs a Texas Feud
Native Americans built the Alamo and hundreds of converts were buried there. Descendants are now fuming because Texas has rejected efforts to protect the site.
Researchers Identify Dozens of Native Students Who Died at Nebraska School
Using digitized records and newspaper clippings, researchers pieced together the history of the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School, a government-run institution that closed in 1934.
How the Resident of an N.Y.C. Cemetery Spends His Sundays
As the director of horticulture for Green-Wood Cemetery, Joe Charap gets to live in an 1876 caretaker’s house on the grounds.
Guantánamo Bay Cemetery Offers a View of the Base’s History
The U.S. military cemetery at Guantánamo Bay offers a history of the century-old base — minus the outpost’s war-on-terror mission.
Dancing Among Tombs on a Moonlit Brooklyn Night: ‘It Feels So Alive’
At a fund-raiser for Green-Wood Cemetery, guests danced and watched performances at the landmark burial ground. The pandemic seemed both near and far away.
Excuse Her Dust: 54 Years Late, Dorothy Parker Finally Gets a Tombstone
The beloved author wrote many witty epitaphs but never suggested where her remains should end up. Her fans helped complete her ashes’ odyssey.
Search for Victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre Has Uncovered 27 Coffins
There are strong reasons to suspect that the mass grave was for victims of the 1921 killing, given contemporary evidence.
Archaeologists Uncover Decapitated Bodies From Roman Britain
Technological advances, including DNA and tooth enamel analyses, allowed researchers to form new conclusions about capital punishment under Roman rule.
On Memorial Day, the Veterans Who Bury Their Own
The veterans who work at Calverton National Cemetery view their job as a sacred duty and final act of fellowship.
These Twins Lived Together. In Covid, They Died Together.
The story of Joefred and Ralfred Gregory has resonated widely as India suffered the most virus deaths in a single day of any country during the pandemic.
Make Time to Mourn
Though the pandemic has posed obstacles to funerals, delaying memorial services has also opened up unexpected opportunities for reflection and creativity.
A Cemetery’s Big Secret: Lots of Weird Mushrooms
Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn is a treasure trove for amateur fungi hunters. Just don’t pick any.
After Threats to Turn It Into a Toilet, a Confederate Monument Is Recovered
A stone chair dedicated to Jefferson Davis has been returned to the United Daughters of the Confederacy after a group calling itself White Lies Matter claimed to have stolen it.
How the Yankees’ Luckiest Batboy Ended Up in an Unmarked Grave
Eddie Bennett earned fame in the dugouts of the Major Leagues. He had almost slipped from memory when New Yorkers teamed up to honor his short, dramatic life.
I Brought My Mother Home to Ireland
Near the lichen-mottled bottom of the family headstone, a single new line appears in the slate gray.
Italian Cliffside Cemetery, and Its Coffins, Carried Away by a Landslide
Scuba divers are working to retrieve coffins from the sea, but many more are buried under the debris of the landslide.
How Plagues Shape the Landscape
From cholera to AIDS, epidemics have given rise to landmarks around the world, be they sculptures, churches or feats of engineering. In this dire moment, their histories resonate.
The Most Popular Pet Name of the Century (Maybe)
A survey of tombstones from the oldest continually operating pet cemetery in the U.S. reveals a passion for “Princess.”
How a Potter’s Field Became a Civil Rights Leader’s Resting Place
Relatives of Scott Green are among the hundreds of families who have buried their loved ones on New York City’s Hart Island.
Two Men Are Accused of Stealing Skulls From Florida Cemetery
The men said that they took the skulls to use in religious practices of Palo Mayombe, an African-Caribbean religion related to Santeria, according to the authorities.
The Haunting of Tulsa, Okla.
A recently unearthed mass grave may soon provide answers about what happened to victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Uncovering a Cemetery’s Lost Black History, Stone by Stone
Sourland Mountain, a once-isolated region in New Jersey, has long inspired tall tales. Two local women turned “history detectives” have been trying to recover its true story.
How an Urban Beekeeper Spends His Sundays
Nick Hoefly tends to bees among the tombs of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Happy Halloween.
Review: In a Cemetery, Music Lives
“To America,” a musical walking tour of Green-Wood Cemetery, is one of the few opportunities to experience live performance in New York this fall.