New Marker for Emma Covert’s Grave

From Matthew Turner (Emma Covert), written May 2004.

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The location of Emma Covert’s grave was unknown for many years. John Morgan is a great grandson of Emma Covert and Milo Andrus through their son William Spencer Andrus. He and his wife Sandy found the grave in 2004 at the “other” cemetery in Salina, Utah, the Eastside Cemetery, 600 E. Main St. She is buried next to her second husband, John Holden. The plot numbers are OP-13-2-7 for Emma and OP-13-2-8 for John. Both graves each only had a small cast aluminum marker, so John Morgan decided to have a proper monument placed on Emma’s grave and to have a dedication ceremony.

[Click to enlarge.]

May 29 was a somewhat stormy day in Salina. The weather went back and forth between rainy and sunny, windy and still. It even hailed a little before the ceremony’s scheduled start time of 1:00. But the rain eased up by that time, and we were able to have our meeting without getting wet. The new monument had barely been delivered to the cemetery and was not yet properly set, but had been placed temporarily on top of the old marker. When it is properly set, it will have a longer piece of stone under it, with a stone vase on either side of the monument stone. The back of the monument lists Emma’s seven children. Emma had said that if she died in the summer, she would like wild roses on her grave, and if she died in the fall, she would like scarlet tinged maple leaves on it. Inspired by this romantic wish, John and Sandy had wild roses and maple leaves engraved on the monument, and John’s sister-in-law, Rilla brought silk roses and real oak leaves to decorate the grave.

We were a small group. Of the 17 people present, 12 were Emma Covert descendants, and the other 5 were spouses. All of the Emma Covert descendants present were descended through her only son, William Spencer Andrus. Two of William’s children, James Milo and Juanita, were represented. I had been praying that someone besides my own aunts, uncles and cousins would come, so even though we were a small group, I felt the turnout was a success, because others of Emma’s descendants were there.

We gathered in a circle around the grave, and everyone who wanted to speak was given a chance to do so. The grave was then dedicated by John’s brother Ronald Morgan, invoking the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

The cemetery in Salina, Utah.                                          [Click to enlarge.]

Emma Covert’s new grave marker.                             [Click to enlarge.]

Back of new grave marker.                                            [Click to enlarge.]

Second husband John Holden grave marker.                      [Click to enlarge.]

I have posted more pictures to the following website:
http://photos.yahoo.com/honder1

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