In 2014, I located the cemetery where Simpson was buried, hoping to get more information about him and the location of his grave. Sometime later I actually went to the cemetery with high hopes and high expectations of actually visiting the gravesite. Unfortunately, on my first trip I was unable to locate it. But I was undeterred and decided that on my next trip to the Vineland, NJ and the East Coast I would return and resume the hunt.
About a month before that next trip to Vineland, I returned to thinking about finding Simpson’s grave in earnest. My co-author and I had been deep into the research about Simpson as we began drafting the book. We had access to his professional letters, business papers, as well as his personal correspondence and photographs. Reading and re-reading these, I was immersed in the very real struggles, hopes, frustration and occasional joy and optimism of his life—as well as his sadness and loss of those things dear to him, right up until his death in 1930. I was somehow more motivated and determined to find his final resting place, and anything else it could tell us.
I had been doing some genealogy research for other subjects using FindAGrave.com and decided to look up Simpson. I could not find him, but I was able to locate his brother Gardiner and his mother, Josephine. Knowing that Simpson was buried in the same plot, I was encouraged that I would be able to use the information that was in their database. I pulled up the record and the plot information was notated somewhat differently. It was shown as H92-94 N1/2. A lightbulb went off in my head. I was looking in the wrong place. The grave was not in Section N, but in Section H, and N was the plot designator.
It reminded me of that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy is in the desert looking for the ark and realizes that the Germans are “digging in the wrong spot.” Well I’m no Indiana Jones, and I certainly did not have a Staff of Rah with a headpiece with writing on two sides and an offset crystal in the center, but I did have a new insight and a new place to look. I also reminded myself that almost all archaeology is done in the library and X never marks the spot. Well as I said, I’m no Indiana Jones, but I went back to New Jersey and eventually the cemetery, I had no idea how prophetic that statement would be.
This time I went directly to the H section of the cemetery and found the area where lots 92-94 were supposed to be located. Key phrase: Supposed to be. I looked everywhere for a marker or headstone or sign. It was hot, there was no shade and I was getting frustrated. Standing in the midst of the monuments was confusing. You could look in most any direction and see nothing other than grave markers and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in the distance.
Like Simpson, I’m no quitter, and wouldn’t give up. As with my last trip I found a couple of people to help me and we went looking in earnest. As much as time was standing still for those interred there, time was flying by for me. I did not want to admit defeat, but it was clear that I was not going to find Simpson’s grave this time either. I left feeling frustrated and somewhat dejected. Not only did I fail to find the grave, but now I did not have a plan that would significantly improve the odds of finding his grave the next time around. I needed time away from this little project and I needed to regroup.
Time passed…
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, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
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