I was reminded over the weekend of our impermanence on this small planet. In a matter of but a few years we can go from well-known and recognized, to forgotten, and in short order, to utter obscurity. If there is no marker of our existence, however small but tangible, we will move from obscurity to complete invisibility. It has given me a moment of pause about how I would like to be remembered. All of this reflection was brought about by my search for the grave of Joseph Fourestier Simpson. As his biographer, I felt the deep seated need to find his grave and spend a few moments with him; to acknowledge to the world that someone had indeed remembered him; and to leave a mark behind so that other people might know that someone cared enough to visit.

It all began in 2010, when I was looking to get back into shooting video, and I set out to create a 10 minute YouTube piece about the origins of the now 110 year old game of Skee-Ball. Digging into the history, I unexpectedly discovered the long forgotten inventor, and his papers that gave a fascinating picture of his life, his drive to create, and his challenges and struggles. He had been long forgotten, but I was determined to change all that, and share his contribution with the world. 

While working on the research, I got the opportunity to read and re-read Simpson’s letters, and study the drawings of his inventions, speculating about what they might be. My co-author and I spent endless hours debating the finer points of his life and Skee-Ball’s history to the point where Simpson almost became a member of the household—the fascinating uncle everyone wanted to spend time with. We quoted passages from the letters and and made references to photographs of him. To me, even though I had never met him in person, he was as much a part of my life as anyone else I know today.

One last thing on my list of discoveries was to locate his grave and anything else it would tell us. Simpson lived and died in the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey area, while I live on the West Coast, so my opportunity to get back to that area was limited, to say the least.

My first opportunity to search for his grave came in 2014.  I contacted the cemetery where Simpson was buried and asked for information about him. At that point I was mostly interested in family details that might have been provided to the cemetery as part of his interment. We were about two years away from writing our first book about him, “Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball” and I was very much focused on the research. I sent a letter requesting whatever information the cemetery might have and in September 2014 I received a reply with information about the gravesite, who was buried there, and a map. I decided that on my next trip to Vineland, I would go to the cemetery in Philadelphia and find the grave. How hard could this be? After all I had the lot number, a map, and an afternoon. 

Had I only known.

The first time I went to the cemetery, I have to admit I was wholly unprepared for what I was getting into. If you have not been to a cemetery before let me give you some context. First even the smallest cemetery is large. The cemetery I was at was not only large, it was huge.

Now imagine a city with obscure addresses like N 1/2-H92-94 and no street signs to guide you. Additionally there may or may not be a structure at the address, so you could walk past the “house” you are searching for none the wiser.

At any rate, I jumped in with both feet and dutifully made my way to the part of the cemetery where I understood Simpson was buried, Section N. The cemetery office had provided a map, and I drove to the section with high spirits and high expectations.

I began looking. A half an hour passed quickly, then an hour. I was keenly aware of the limited time I’d have to devote to hunting. So I began asking strangers for help.  Soon, I had half a dozen people helping me search, including a random dog-walker who happened to be using the nearby path. Everyone was having a great time working on the hunt, but at the end of the day I was back where I started. Standing in the N section of this large city of monuments to the deceased, generations of relatives whose deaths caused untold grieving, I was no closer to finding Simpson. I knew this would not be my last visit, but it would be a while before I would be able to come back.

After flying back to the west coast, I continued to work on the research for the book, but my interest in finding his grave kept nagging at me. I decided that the next trip out to Vineland would be a good excuse to go back to the cemetery to try and find Simpson again.

About the author:

Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.