A grave in the yard of St Mary's Church, Stockport.

Inscription: In Memory of
Nathan Norton died Sep 15th 1832 aged 49 years
Also John Son of Nathan & Ann Norton died July 9th 1832 aged 19 years.

Nathan Norton 1783 - 1832

Most family gravestones have, as the first name, the head of family, usually a husband, followed by his wife, and any children who died unmarried. When a child died before its parents, or a wife before her husband, space was left for the survivors name to be inserted at a later date. Sometimes events did not take their expected course. It is interesting to imagine the human story behind these unfilled spaces.

It looks as though Nathan Norton died before his wife. Ann Norton may have remarried and be buried with her second husband. On the other hand she could be buried in the same grave, but left no family to pay for the inscription.

One man I knew insisted on being buried with his first wife. His second wife refused to accept a posthumous ménage à trois, and made her own arrangements.

Carl's Cam