http://www.GraveGeeks.org/, https://linktr.ee/crazycemeterylady

Crazy Cemetery Lady, Watertown, NY (2026)

06/08/2026

🪦 MYSTERY MONDAY 🪦

This week we’re heading to Pulaski Village Cemetery in Pulaski, New York, to investigate the story of Joseph Dillenback… or possibly Dillenbeck.

His headstone reveals a heartbreaking clue. At just 24 years old, Joseph died on December 14, 1855, after falling from the second story of a building while helping take down a staging. According to the inscription on the back of his monument, he survived only nine hours after the accident.

But who was Joseph? What building was he working on? Was he a laborer, carpenter, or builder? Did he have a family waiting for him at home?

Now it’s your turn to help solve the mystery.

Drop your research, records, newspaper finds, census records, and theories in the comments. On Friday, we’ll put all the pieces together and tell Joseph’s story.

06/08/2026

Born Dagmar Winter on June 8, 1931, in Berlin, Germany, Dana Wynter spent her early years moving between countries before eventually finding her way to Hollywood. The daughter of a surgeon, she was raised in London and later in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she initially planned to pursue a career in medicine.

While attending Rhodes University, Dana discovered a passion for acting and abandoned her pre-med studies. After performing in amateur theater productions, she made her film debut in 1951 and soon caught the attention of filmmakers on both sides of the Atlantic. American audiences first noticed her in The Crimson Pirate, starring opposite Burt Lancaster.

Her breakthrough role came in 1956 when she starred as Becky Driscoll in the science-fiction classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The film became one of the most influential science-fiction movies ever made and remains a favorite among fans of the genre decades later.

That same year, Dana shared the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer with Anita Ekberg and Victoria Shaw. Throughout the following decades, she appeared in numerous television series and films, including Sink the Bismarck!, The List of Adrian Messenger, and Airport.

Known for her elegance and poise, Dana became one of the familiar leading ladies of 1950s and 1960s film and television. Though she never reached the superstar status of some of her contemporaries, her performances left a lasting impression on audiences and helped define an era of classic Hollywood entertainment.

Dana Wynter died from congestive heart failure on May 5, 2011, at the age of 79. Her ashes were scattered near her home in Ireland.

Do you think some actors leave their greatest legacy through one unforgettable role, even if they appeared in dozens of other productions?

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Photo credit for images: katzizkidz on 07 May 2011
Source: Find a Grave, Memorial ID 69461988

06/08/2026

📜 This Day in History – June 8

🏛️ Notable Events

• 1191 – Richard the Lionheart arrives at Acre
Richard I of England arrived at Acre in present-day Israel to join the Siege of Acre during the Third Crusade, strengthening the Christian forces fighting for control of the Holy Land.

• 1708 – Spanish treasure galleon San José sinks
The Spanish flagship San José was sunk off the coast of present-day Colombia during a naval battle. Carrying vast quantities of gold, silver, and emeralds, its cargo is estimated to be worth billions today.

• 1789 – James Madison proposes the Bill of Rights
James Madison introduced a series of constitutional amendments in the U.S. House of Representatives. These proposals would become the Bill of Rights.

• 1869 – First vacuum cleaner patented
Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago patented what is considered the first vacuum cleaner, which he called a “sweeping machine.”

• 1896 – First recorded automobile theft
A Peugeot belonging to Baron de Zuylen was stolen in Paris by his mechanic, becoming one of the earliest recorded car thefts in history.

• 1938 – Discovery of Paranthropus robustus fossils
A South African schoolboy named Gert Terblanche discovered fossils that were later identified as belonging to Paranthropus robustus, providing important clues about early human evolution.

🎂 Notable Births

• 1651 – William Dampier
English explorer, pirate, and naturalist who became the first Englishman to explore parts of Australia and the first person to circumnavigate the globe three times.

• 1772 – Robert Stevenson
Scottish civil engineer best known for designing the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse.

• 1823 – Robert Morris
The first successful African American lawyer in the United States and a prominent abolitionist.

• 1847 – Ida McKinley
American First Lady and wife of President William McKinley.

• 1867 – Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright, widely regarded as one of America’s greatest architects, known for designs such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater.

🕯️ Notable Deaths

• 1376 – Edward the Black Prince
Edward the Black Prince, one of England’s most celebrated medieval military leaders, died before he could inherit the throne from his father, Edward III.

• 1714 – Sophia of Hanover
Heiress presumptive to the British throne whose descendants would establish the Hanoverian dynasty in Britain.

• 1809 – Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense and The Age of Reason, whose writings inspired both the American and French Revolutions.

• 1859 – Walter Hunt
American inventor responsible for numerous innovations, including the modern safety pin and an early sewing machine.

• 1913 – Emily Davison
Emily Davison died from injuries sustained four days earlier when she was struck by King George V’s horse during the Epsom Derby. Her death became a powerful symbol of the fight for women’s voting rights.

06/07/2026

Born on June 23, 1912, in London, England, Alan Turing showed extraordinary intelligence from an early age. As a teenager, he was already solving advanced mathematical problems on his own and astonishing teachers with his ability to grasp complex scientific ideas.

When World War II erupted, Turing joined the secret codebreaking operation at Bletchley Park. There, he became one of the key figures responsible for breaking German military codes, particularly those generated by the infamous Enigma machine. To help decipher these encrypted messages, Turing designed an electromechanical device known as the bombe, which dramatically accelerated the codebreaking process.

The work at Bletchley Park remained highly classified for decades, but historians now believe it helped shorten the war in Europe by at least two years, saving countless lives. By 1942, British codebreakers were decoding tens of thousands of German messages every month, providing critical intelligence to Allied commanders.

After the war, Turing turned his attention to a new field that barely existed at the time: computer science. In 1950, he published a groundbreaking paper exploring whether machines could think. In that work, he introduced what became known as the Turing Test, a concept still discussed today whenever people debate artificial intelligence.

Despite his extraordinary contributions, Turing’s life ended tragically. He died on June 7, 1954, at the age of 41. For many years, the full extent of his wartime achievements remained unknown to the public because of government secrecy.

Today, Alan Turing is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of modern computing, and many of the technologies we use every day trace their origins to ideas he explored decades before the digital age truly began.

Do you think Alan Turing’s greatest legacy was helping win World War II, or helping create the foundation for the computer age?

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Photo credit for images: Halfpenny on 03 Apr 2018
Source: Find a Grave, Memorial ID 12651680

06/07/2026

Born on June 7, 1896, in San Francisco, California, Douglas Campbell grew up at a time when powered flight was still a new invention. Few could have imagined that within two decades he would become one of America’s pioneering combat pilots and earn a place in aviation history.

Campbell was attending Harvard University when the United States entered World War I. Leaving before completing his senior year, he enlisted in May 1917 and joined the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps. After training in the United States and France, he was assigned to the famed 94th Aero Squadron, known as the “Hat in the Ring” squadron.

On April 14, 1918, just days after reaching the front, Campbell and fellow pilot Alan Winslow engaged German aircraft in one of the earliest aerial dogfights involving American pilots. They succeeded in shooting down two enemy planes, marking a milestone in American military aviation.

Over the following weeks, Campbell continued adding victories to his record. On May 31, 1918, at only 22 years old, he achieved his fifth confirmed aerial victory, earning the title of ace and becoming the first American-trained pilot to receive that distinction. Among those he flew alongside was future Medal of Honor recipient Eddie Rickenbacker, who would become America’s most famous fighter pilot of the war.

Campbell eventually shot down six enemy aircraft before being wounded by an exploding shell on June 5, 1918. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the French Croix de Guerre, and multiple Distinguished Service Crosses for extraordinary heroism. One citation described how he repaired a jammed machine gun in midair while under attack, then resumed combat and destroyed the enemy aircraft.

After the war, Campbell built a successful business career and lived to see aviation evolve from fragile biplanes to the jet age. He died on October 16, 1990, at the age of 94.

Do you think the courage of the first combat pilots is even more remarkable when you consider how new and dangerous flying was at the time?

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Photo credit for images: Warrick L. Barrett on 07 Nov 2000
Source: Find a Grave, Memorial ID 6154

06/07/2026

🪦 Headstone Cleaning & Story Time

Some stories last decades.

Others last only sixteen months.

Today we’re remembering Clara Lucinda Myrick, who died on Christmas Day 1889 at just one year, three months, and twenty-nine days old. While the records tell us very little about her short life, they reveal something important: she was loved and remembered.

Join me as we preserve history one headstone at a time through cemetery preservation, genealogy research, and storytelling.

06/07/2026

THIS or THAT?
🪦 Reading every headstone
OR
🚶 Walking the whole cemetery first

06/07/2026

📜 This Day in History – June 7

🏛️ Notable Events

• 1494 – Treaty of Tordesillas signed
Spain and Portugal agreed to divide newly discovered lands outside Europe along a meridian west of the Cape Verde Islands. The treaty shaped the future colonization of the Americas and explains why Brazil became Portuguese-speaking.

• 1520 – Field of the Cloth of Gold begins
Henry VIII and Francis I of France met near Calais for a lavish diplomatic summit known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The gathering showcased the wealth and power of both kingdoms.

• 1665 – Boston’s First Baptist Church founded
One of the oldest Baptist congregations in America was established in Boston, Massachusetts.

• 1776 – Independence proposed
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution in the Continental Congress declaring that the American colonies should be free and independent states. The motion paved the way for the Declaration of Independence.

• 1860 – Railroad construction begins in San Francisco
Workers began laying track for the Market Street Railroad, helping expand transportation in the rapidly growing city.

• 1892 – Homer Plessy challenges segregation
Homer Plessy deliberately purchased a whites-only train ticket in New Orleans to challenge segregation laws. His arrest led to the landmark Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson.

• 1936 – Lucky Luciano convicted
Mob leader Charles Luciano, known as “Lucky” Luciano, was convicted on multiple counts related to organized prostitution and sentenced to prison.

🎂 Notable Births

• 1761 – John Rennie
Scottish engineer responsible for numerous bridges, docks, and canals throughout Britain.

• 1811 – James Young Simpson
Scottish physician who popularized the use of chloroform as an anesthetic, transforming surgery and childbirth.

• 1843 – Susan Blow
American educator known as the “Mother of the Kindergarten” for pioneering kindergarten education in the United States.

• 1881 – Kanno Sugako
Japanese journalist, anarchist, and feminist who became a symbol of political resistance in early twentieth-century Japan.

• 1896 – Douglas Campbell
American aviator and World War I flying ace credited with several aerial victories.

• 1900 – Frederick Terman
American engineer and educator often called the “Father of Silicon Valley” for fostering innovation and technology development around Stanford University.

🕯️ Notable Deaths

• 1329 – Robert the Bruce
Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s national hero and victor at the Battle of Bannockburn, died at age 54.

• 1555 – Maarten van Rossum
Dutch military commander who fought for the Duchy of Guelders during conflicts with the Habsburgs.

• 1826 – Joseph von Fraunhofer
German physicist and optical scientist whose work on light spectra laid foundations for modern astronomy and spectroscopy.

• 1871 – Thomas Jackson Rodman
American military inventor best known for developing the Rodman gun and innovations in artillery manufacturing.

• 1925 – Camille Flammarion
French astronomer, author, and popularizer of science who inspired generations with his writings about astronomy and the possibility of life beyond Earth.

06/07/2026

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 19-year-old Corporal Joseph John Shimkonis of Watertown, New York, stepped onto the shores of Normandy as part of one of the most dangerous missions of World War II.

Born in Watertown on September 25, 1924, Joseph was the son of Steve and Stella Shimkonis and grew up in a large family in the city. He graduated from Watertown High School in January 1942, enlisted in the Army on March 10, 1943, and trained at camps across the country before being sent overseas with the Army Combat Engineers.

Joseph was assigned to the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion, a unit tasked with a job that most people have never heard about but which was critical to the success of the invasion. While infantry soldiers fought their way off the beaches, the combat engineers worked under direct enemy fire to clear obstacles, mines, and pathways so men, vehicles, and supplies could move inland.

Newspaper reports later noted that Joseph and another 19-year-old Watertown soldier, Charles Leland Wood Jr., had gone through much of their training together and served in the same combat engineer battalion. When news reached Watertown, both young men were listed as missing in action during the Normandy invasion.

Sadly, Joseph would never return home.

His parents later received the Purple Heart and a citation signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt honoring their son’s sacrifice. The citation read in part that Joseph stood “in an unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase its blessings.”

Newspaper accounts reported that Corporal Shimkonis was among the first American soldiers to land on the beaches of France that morning. At only 19 years old, he gave his life on the very first day of the invasion that helped liberate Europe.

Today, Joseph rests in Brookside Cemetery in Watertown. Visitors may see only a simple military marker bearing his name, but behind that stone is the story of a local teenager who left Jefferson County, crossed an ocean, and became part of one of the most important moments in world history.

Every year when D-Day is remembered, we often think about the thousands who landed on those beaches. But among them was one of our own.

Corporal Joseph John Shimkonis was only 19 years old when he gave his life for his country on June 6, 1944.

May we never forget him.
🇺🇸

06/06/2026

On the morning of June 6, 1944, 19-year-old Corporal Ernest A. Eichhorn Jr. found himself aboard a landing craft heading toward Omaha Beach as part of the largest amphibious invasion in history.

Born on November 12, 1924, Ernest grew up in New York and enlisted in the United States Army on March 3, 1943. After training, he was assigned to Company C of the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion.

The men of the 299th were not infantrymen. They were combat engineers, and their mission on D-Day was one of the most dangerous on the entire beach. Before troops, tanks, and supplies could move inland, engineers had to clear lanes through hundreds of underwater obstacles designed to rip apart landing craft and trap Allied forces on the shoreline.

As dawn broke over Normandy, the 299th landed on Omaha Beach under devastating enemy fire. Mortars, artillery shells, and machine-gun bullets swept across the sand. Yet the engineers continued their work, blasting gaps through obstacles so that the invasion could continue. According to battalion records, some members of the 299th reached the beach before any other American troops had set foot on the shore.

The cost was terrible. By the following day, approximately one-third of the battalion had been killed, wounded, or reported missing.

Among them was Corporal Ernest A. Eichhorn Jr. He was wounded during the fighting on June 6, 1944, and later died from those wounds. He was just 19 years old. For his sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

Think about that for a moment. Nineteen years old.

An age when most young people are just beginning to dream about their future. Yet Ernest and thousands of others were asked to cross an ocean, face enemy fire, and help liberate a continent.

Today, Ernest rests in Hillside Cemetery in Natural Bridge, New York. Visitors walking among the stones may see only a name and a pair of dates. But behind that stone is a young man who stood on Omaha Beach during one of the most pivotal moments in world history and never returned home.

As we remember D-Day and the sacrifices made there, let us remember Corporal Ernest A. Eichhorn Jr. of Jefferson County. His story is one of courage, duty, and a future given up so that others could have theirs.

🇺🇸 Never forget.

Crazy Cemetery Lady

06/08/2026

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